Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for July 2007

Padres Interested In Loretta, Iguchi

By | at

The Padres have gotten a woeful .244/.315/.328 line out of their second baseman, most of it from Marcus Giles.  They’re starting to work Geoff Blum in more often, but it’s a clear area for an upgrade.

The two names on the radar, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, are Mark Loretta and Tadahito Iguchi. 

Iguchi’s slugging percentage is down this year, mostly from an awful May.  But he still represents an upgrade on Giles. 

The more versatile Loretta is hitting .297/.373/.390 this year; he’s done a nice job drawing walks.  Loretta pushed to sign with the Padres, but Kevin Towers stood him up.  Now the Friars have come crawling back.  The problem is that the Phillies and Mets have sustained injuries to their second basemen and could get in on him.

Indians Trade For Kenny Lofton

By | at

According to Dennis Manoloff, the Indians are close to acquiring outfielder Kenny Lofton.  The Rangers will receive catcher Max Ramirez, who the Indians got for Bob Wickman last year. 

Ramirez, 22, has a nice .923 OPS in 77 High A games.  However, Baseball Prospectus’s Nate Silver is skeptical.  This acquisition certainly wouldn’t stop the Rangers from getting Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

It’s great to see Lofton back in Cleveland, even if he won’t be in center field.  He’s been around forever, but still knows how to get on base and swipe ’em with a high success rate.  Probably not someone you want to start against southpaws, but he makes the perfect platoon partner for Jason Michaels.

Interestingly, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus reports that the Indians and Rangers didn’t just discuss Lofton – Mark Teixeira’s name came up as well.

Dotel Would Like Contract Extension

By | at

While Octavio Dotel is very likely to be traded by the Royals, he said yesterday that he’d like to talk about a contract extension to stay.  It’s possible but doesn’t seem likely.

Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says Dotel would probably look for something around three years, $21MM, which the Royals could afford.  Locking him in would allow Joakim Soria or Zack Greinke to move to the rotation.

It still looks like Dotel will end up a Dodger or Indian by Tuesday though.  The names we’ve heard so far include Franklin Gutierrez, Ben Francisco, Chin-Ling Hu, and Tony Abreu. 

Cubs Interested In Gerald Laird?

By | at

According to Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus, the Cubs have asked for their scouts’ evaluation of Texas catcher Gerald Laird.  Laird, 27, has been a disappointment at the plate this year (.237/.296/.353).  On the other hand, he’s second in baseball with a 40.8% caught stealing rate (Dave Ross is first).

A Laird acquisition would indicate a lack of faith in Jason Kendall, so it seems unlikely.  The Cubs will probably give Kendall a fair shake.  Laird would probably only become available if the Rangers acquired Jarrod Saltalamacchia first, anyway.

Hey, Cubs!  Give Geovany Soto an extended look!  He’s not too bad.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Wheeler, Izzy

By | at

Ken Rosenthal posted a new column last night, and has updated it very recently.  I’ve already spoken about the Teixeira stuff, but there’s other good material in there too.

  • Some of the wilder speculation out there has been that the Twins might trade Torii Hunter or Johan Santana if they decide they’re out of it.  Various Baseball Prospectus reports put the Twins’ playoff chances between 5-10%.  Rosenthal debunks the idea that Minnesota would shop Hunter without first making him an offer, and keeping Santana for at least 2008 makes sense.  Plus, Santana has a no-trade clause. 
  • Rosenthal does have some Twins for us who might be traded: Luis Castillo and Carlos Silva.  Castillo has already been connected to the Mets in rumors, though Silva is a new one.  One could definitely envision Silva’s style working in the National League (I know, I say that a lot).  There was a recent Silva to Atlanta rumor, though Silva’s agent seems to have debunked it.
  • Rosenthal says Dontrelle Willis is not available.  Perhaps he and Tim Brown will engage in fisticuffs over this disagreement. 
  • The Diamondbacks have kicked the tires on Adam Dunn.  He might make sense as a rental – the D’Backs playoff changes sit between 16-27%, worth fighting for.  No doubt they’ve got a stable of young players to offer.
  • Rosenthal says the Astros have yet to receive interest on the Lidge/Wheeler/Qualls troika, while Jayson Stark said yesterday that the Astros hadn’t opened shop on them.  Thunderdome match #2, Rosenthal vs. Stark.  Assuming Ken survives Tim Brown.  Anyway, word is that the Rockies have their eye on Wheeler. 
  • Parties interested in Zack Greinke: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs.  This gels with Dan Graziano’s findings.  Of course, trading a player like Greinke requires an equally talented youngster in return.
  • The Royals may not be able to do better than Cleveland’s Ben Francisco as a bounty for Octavio Dotel.  More on him in a separate post.
  • Trades of Joe Blanton and Huston Street are "highly unlikely."  So you’re saying there’s a chance?
  • The chances of the Cardinals trading Jason Isringhausen are described as "remote."  The Cards would have a hard time replacing him next year; he’s got a reasonable $8MM option.  He also has no-trade protection, so he’d probably want a better extension if he was to accept a trade.

Braves Make Offer For Teixeira

By | at

According to Ken Rosenthal’s sources, the Braves have made an offer to the Rangers for Mark Teixeira: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison, and Elvis Andrus.  That’s without any relievers coming back to Atlanta.  That’s three young players all with a chance to become above-average big league regulars.  You couldn’t really criticize Daniels for it, no matter how it turned out.

The only other major player seems to be the Angels.  The Halos recently tweaked their original offer of Casey Kotchman plus Nathan Haynes or Terry Evans.  There’s now a pitcher in the mix, apparently one of Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, or Nick Adenhart.  I’d consider this a comparable offer, especially if Adenhart was the one. 

The Dodgers aren’t out of it, but I don’t see them getting Teixeira.

Stark’s Latest:

By | at

Jayson Stark has a new column over at ESPN.com.  Some highlights:

  • Octavio Dotel is almost a lock to be traded, and Chin-Lung Hu remains a possibility.  Stark adds that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti scouted reliever John Malone, which I think means Jonathan Meloan.  The 23 year-old Meloan throws in the low 90s with a hard slider; he commands his fastball well but carries some health concerns.
  • Regarding Jon Garland, we’ve already heard that the Mariners, Braves, and Yankees are interested.  Stark adds the Dodgers, Mets, and Phillies to that list.  However, he thinks Kenny Williams really just wants to trade Jose Contreras.
  • The Astros, surprisingly, have yet to open shop on their relievers. 
  • Michael Bourn is the Phillies’ top trading chip.  Some possible targets: Kameron Loe, Scott Olsen, Ervin Santana, Noah Lowry, and Dontrelle Willis.

Molony’s Latest: Willis, Encarnacion, Sowers

By | at

MLB.com’s Jim Molony has his daily rumor summary up; check it out.  New rumors:

  • Molony’s sources say the Marlins are now listening to offers for Dontrelle Willis.  Might as well – what if the Mariners decide to offer Adam Jones?  Many folks remain enamored of Willis’s talent, if not his recent numbers.
  • The Cardinals could shop Russ Springer or Juan Encarnacion.  Springer is unlikely to be traded, however, because he has his son going to a specific school in St. Louis and the Cardinals respect that.  Encarnacion is hitting decently at .293/.329/.471; it might be high time to unload the $6.5MM he’s owed next year.
  • Something seems to be going on in Cleveland; GM Mark Shapiro has been in Buffalo watching Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey.  Laffey was nearly called up recently.  Not much talk about trading Sowers previously, but he might be an interesting chip.  He’s similar to Kevin Slowey. They might find success in the NL.
  • The Tigers sent scouts to watch Joe Koshansky and Ian Stewart of the Rockies (rumor originated in the Denver Post).  Not sure how those two teams match up, but a cheap Koshansky might be worth a look for Detroit at first base next year.  Unless Carlos Guillen moves over.

Teams Looking At Ty Wigginton

By | at

UPDATE: You can toss the Cubs into the mix for Wigginton.

One role player drawing a lot of interest is Tampa Bay’s Ty Wigginton.  He plays hard, he’s versatile, he delivered his own baby, and he’s at .274/.325/452 in 372 ABs. 

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says the Dodgers, Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees are in on Wigginton.  Wiggy might have a starting role for the former two teams.  Andrew Friedman may be compelled to find a deal before the deadline, because at $4MM plus Wigginton is a nontender candidate for the D-Rays next year.

Names like Scott Proctor and Scott Baker have surfaced as possible returns for Wigginton, but the general impression seems to be that the Devil Rays would need to improve their offer to get one of them.

Heyman’s Latest: Teixeira, Otsuka

By | at

Jon Heyman of SI.com has been working the phone lines; here are some notable rumors from his latest column.

  • The Braves seemed fairly close to a Mark Teixeira trade yesterday, but the Angels are definitely knee deep in it.  They’ll make a solid offer including Casey Kotchman, Ervin Santana, and Major League player.  Adam Dunn remains Plan B.
  • Heyman says there’s speculation that Akinori Otsuka could need Tommy John surgery, which might compel the Rangers to sign Eric Gagne and/or keep Joaquin Benoit.
  • Refresher on Gagne’s 12-team allowable list can be found here.  Gagne must consent to a trade to Detroit, and it seems the Rangers asked for Cameron Maybin.  Not gonna happen.  The Yankees appear to be out on Gagne because he wants to close.  I’m skeptical – he wouldn’t pitch as a setup man if they guaranteed his entire contract?
  • Seems the Yanks entertained a Morgan Ensberg acquisition.  They would’ve used him at first base.  Joe Torre nixed the idea because Ensberg hasn’t hit for a long time.
  • Heyman’s top five available starters are Matt Morris, Livan Hernandez, Jose Contreras, Jason Jennings, and Kyle Lohse, in that order.  That ranking is reasonable.  A Jon Garland, Noah Lowry, or Joe Blanton would easily jump to that top of the list if made available.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top