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Archives for July 2007

Phillies Scouting Rangers?

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Another one of those scouting guessing games: Peter Gammons mentioned on Friday that Phillies GM Pat Gillick and assistant GM Mike Arbuckle were at the Indians-Rangers game on Thursday.  Here’s the box score.

A reasonable guess would be that the Phillies’ execs were scouting the Rangers.  I imagine they were disappointed, as Joaquin Benoit did not pitch.  He would be a reasonable target and useful addition for Philly.

Other possibilities?  Starting pitcher Kameron Loe probably isn’t available, and the Phils don’t have much use for Kenny Lofton or Mark Teixeira.  Other trade candidates who appeared in the game include Sammy Sosa, Brad Wilkerson, Ron Mahay, and Frank Francisco.  Sosa is being shopped as a lefty-masher, but the Phillies are third in the league in OPS vs. southpaws.  Wilkerson doesn’t seem like a great fit either.  If anyone, it seems the Phillies had their eye on Francisco and Mahay as bullpen additions.  Trade deadline fever: catch it!

Latest From Baseball Prospectus: Jacque, Snell

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Will Carroll and John Perrotto have teamed up at BP to join the rumor mill, and yesterday’s post is free to nonsubscribers.  Some highlights:

  • Carroll reports that the Cubs could swap Jacque Jones and a prospect for Jeff Conine.  Perhaps such a move would be in tandem with Adam Dunn leaving Cincinnati.  The Cubs might want to hold on to Jones though; he’s playing well lately.
  • Carroll heard a far out Alex Rodriguez to the Dodgers rumor, but doesn’t buy it.  Neither do I – the Yankees don’t seem to be selling.  Carroll says Brian Cashman and Co. will wait until the last second to make a buyer/seller decision.  There’s a slight chance Jorge Posada becomes available if they choose the latter.
  • Perrotto confirms a rumor that surfaced a week ago, that Ian Snell could be had for the right bat.  Perrotto would know, as he spent time as a Pirates’ beat writer.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Matt Kemp are two possible targets for the Bucs.
  • The Tigers may be looking for relievers, and some possible names on the radar include Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, Brad Lidge, Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte, Shawn Chacon, and Chad Cordero.  That’s most of the market right there, though Lidge seems likely to stay put.  And don’t forget that the Tigers have internal reinforcements on the way.

Rockies Hunting For Relief Help

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Playoff odds reports put the Rockies’ chances at 6-8% currently, but they still view themselves as buyers.  After all, they’re still just 4.5 games out of the Wild Card and 5.5 games out in the NL West.

Though a crude metric, the Rockies’ bullpen currently ranks 12th in the NL with a 4.42 ERA.  Among contenders in the league, only Philadelphia has been worse.  Brian Fuentes seems at least another week or two from returning.   According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd has been burning up the phone lines looking for a reliever.  Renck says the Rockies have inquired on Jon Rauch, Chad Cordero, Akinori Otsuka, Julian Tavarez, and Manny Delcarmen.

Of that list, only Rauch or Cordero are clearly available and would help the team.  Otsuka is hurt, Delcarmen is cheap and an essential part of the Boston bullpen, and Tavarez isn’t a great pitcher.  However, both Rauch and Cordero are flyball pitchers and may not succeed at Coors Field.  Given the high price for either, the Rockies don’t have any attractive options.

Pirates Ask For Glaus In Jack Wilson Deal

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The Pirates are shopping shortstop Jack Wilson, and the Blue Jays are known to be interested.  One would expect the Bucs to be happy with the salary relief and maybe ask for a token prospect.  Instead, Dave Littlefield asked about Troy Glaus.

Now, it was just an inquiry, and the Jays quickly shot it down.  Obviously we don’t know how the phone call went, so Littlefield might’ve devised a reasonable trade scenario involving additional players.  The Pirates could definitely use a big bat like Glaus, but he does not seem likely to approve a trade to Pittsburgh even if the two sides did agree on the players.

It’s hard to tell just how available Glaus is, but a recent report indicates that he can be had.  A return to the Angels still seems most likely.    

Graziano’s Latest: Livan, Wily Mo

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Dan Graziano at the Newark Star-Ledger has really stepped up in recent days with a lot of insider trade talk.  Let’s see what he has in store for us this morning.

  • Apparently Josh Byrnes is calling around, actively shopping Livan Hernandez.  According to Graziano, the Mets, Braves, and Mariners have expressed interest.  To the contrary, Ken Rosenthal wrote last night that the Mets and Braves are not interested.  Who to believe?  Hopefully the Mariners do better than Livan if they make a move for a starter.  To hear Nick Piecoro tell it, the Diamondbacks are more likely to just opt for the draft picks they’ll get if they let Hernandez leave via free agency.
  • The Yankees are in a quandary when it comes to dealing Scott Proctor or Kyle Farnsworth.  For Proctor, they want more than just a role player like Ty Wigginton.  They want a reliever back, which begs the question – why not just keep Proctor?  With Farnsy, the Yanks are reluctant to pay a big chunk of his $5.5 salary for ’08.  They should toss in $2MM and see if that’s enough to get Wiggy.
  • If the Red Sox can snag Bobby Kielty, they might turn around and trade Wily Mo Pena to the White Sox.  Wily Mo in that ballpark with 600 plate appearances?  40 home runs.  Might make Theo look bad.  Dejan Kovacevic mentions that Epstein is "actively shopping" Pena, and seems to like the idea of the Bucs sending Salomon Torres to Boston for him. 
  • The Brewers, Phillies, and Dodgers are looking at Oakland lefty and impending free agent Joe Kennedy.  Kennedy is only 28 and he has had National League success as a starter.

Phillies Assistant GM Scouting Toronto

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According to the Toronto Sun, Phillies assistant general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. was in attendance on Saturday at the Rogers Centre.  Naturally, the speculation would be that Amaro was evaluating Josh Towers, the Blue Jays starter that day.

For the day, Towers threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a 1-0 win over the Seattle Mariners.  On the season, Towers has a 4.97 ERA (92 ERA+) but sports a nice 60/14 K/BB ratio in 83 1/3 innings pitched.  Towers had good years in 2003 and 2005 before a disastrous 2006 (8.42 ERA).

What interests the Phillies, or at least it should, is that Towers can keep the ball on the ground, a key to success at Citizens Bank Park.  In addition, Towers is eligible for arbitration at the end of the season, so he would not be a long-term commitment if the Phillies decided to non-tender him.

Complicating matters, though it’s a nice problem to have, is the success of Kyle Kendrick and J.D. Durbin the in the Phillies rotation, combining for a 6-2 record as starters.  Kendrick has turned in quality start after quality start and Durbin has allowed only one run in his previous two starts combined.  The likelihood of the Phillies making a deal is directly dependent on their confidence in these two pitchers.

No word on what the Blue Jays would be seeking in return for Towers.

Tom Goyne is the author of Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, a Phillies-centric site, and maintains the Phloggers’ Pheeds page, a source for the latest commentary from around the "phlogosphere".  Recently, he teamed up with his brother to launch Roto Front Office.  He can be reached via email at trg at ballssticksstuff dot com.

Angels Still Looking For Big Bat

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Judging by the words of Angels GM Bill Stoneman, it seems like maybe this is the year where the team adds a major hitter at the trade deadline.  The Mariners are just two games behind the Angels, and they seem likely to make a deal or two this month.

The L.A. Daily News’ Doug Padilla throws out the same names we’ve heard before: Adam Dunn, Troy Glaus, Mark Teixeira, and Jermaine Dye.  The Angels really need to come up with one of those players, in my opinion.  Only Teixeira and Glaus are signed past this year.

The Angels still have a stable of young players they could deal without harming the 2007 team greatly: Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, Erick Aybar, Sean Rodriguez, Hank Conger, Terry Evans, Ervin Santana.  They could include Reggie Willits or Casey Kotchman as a centerpiece if necessary.  Surely there’s some way to get a deal done.  We’ve seen a lot of inactivity from Stoneman in the past; now is the time to shed that reputation.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Nats After Dunn

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Ken Rosenthal’s got a new column up; let’s dive in.

  • Fun new rumor: the Nationals are pursuing Adam Dunn.  Huh?  Makes no sense on the surface.  Jim Bowden’s possible motivation would be to sign Dunn long-term and make him the cornerstone of the franchise.  If he fails at that, all would not be lost given the draft pick compensation.  Rosenthal says the market for Dunn beyond Washington is a bit foggy – the Twins, Angels, Yankees, Red Sox, and Padres could all get involved but none stand out.
  • Rosenthal adds some color to my recent Nationals post.  He mentions that Ron Belliard is a name that might interest the Mets, an idea that has come up before.  Rosenthal says the Mets will not do a Lastings Milledge for Chad Cordero trade.
  • The Dodgers have jumped to the forefront on Octavio Dotel, with Takashi Saito ailing.  According to Rosenthal, the Royals aren’t demanding the very specific bounty Joel Sherman claimed.  Instead, they just want a near MLB-ready player.  Rosenthal says Tony Abreu is out of reach but Chin-Lung Hu might not be.  He suggests moving Hu to second base to accomodate Tony Pena Jr., which should probably be reversed.   It appears the Indians wouldn’t surrender Franklin Gutierrez or Ben Francisco for Dotel.  I’d give one up, personally.
  • I didn’t know this: Jermaine Dye can veto a deal to four clubs.  With his solid play, interest is picking up.  As are Kenny Williams’ demands; he wants an elite prospect.  The Indians and Red Sox have inquired; the Cubs might make sense too.  I thought we had ruled out the Red Sox earlier though.
  • The Padres are looking for bench help, perhaps in the name of Ryan Klesko, Mike Piazza, Mark Loretta, or Mike Lamb.  Couple of prodigal sons there.  Would Piazza be happy as a pricey bench player?  Rosenthal says Matt Stairs isn’t available.  Why not?

Nationals Looking To Deal

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MLB.com’s Bill Ladson has the lowdown on the Washington Nationals.  They’ve got several pieces they’re looking to move.

Chad Cordero and Jon Rauch remain popular names on the market, but it still seems like Jim Bowden is holding out for something amazing.  Ladson says Bowden is asking the Mets for Lastings Milledge and Mike Pelfrey in a deal.  It is known that the Mets would move Pelfrey in a major trade (per Jayston Stark).  Pelfrey would be a great guy for the Nats to acquire; they really need some MLB-ready pitching depth.  Another name on the Nats’ radar is Double A righty Kevin Mulvey of the Mets – they were openly scouting him on Thursday.

Cordero is aware of the rumors, and will move into a setup role for another team graciously.  He hopes to stay in Washington though.

Ladson also says Ryan Church is being offered up; contenders would use him as a fourth outfielder. Church has been connected to the Cubs in the past, but I don’t think they’d go for him now.  He’s at .262/.342/.420 this year, good fourth outfielder numbers.  He’s capable of knocking 3-4 homers a month.

Finally, Ladson mentions that the Nationals recently scouting the Tigers’ Double A Erie affiliate.  The SeaWolves’ more interesting prospects include Jair Jurrjens, Dallas Trahern, and Jeff Larish.  It is known that the Nats were watching Jurrjens’ last start.     

Joel Sherman’s Ten Trade Candidates

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post has an article today regarding ten veterans who may be traded this month.  He’s packed the column full of insider info beyond the ten players highlighted; check it out.

  • Mark Teixeira is now more likely to be dealt than Eric Gagne.  Sherman sees the Angels as perhaps the best possibility here; they’d have to include Casey Kotchman.  I imagine Ervin Santana’s stock is down far enough that the Rangers would not settle for the two.
  • The Indians appear to be out on Gagne but the Tigers still make sense for all parties.  Would Todd Jones graciously step down from his closer post?  Detroit’s bullpen has actually been doing well lately.
  • The Royals want a righthanded-hitting center fielder in return for Octavio Dotel.  Now that’s a tall order.  Sherman names Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez as two who fit the bill, but such a trade would require young talent like Zack Greinke coming back to the Mets.  Just speculating, but Melky Cabrera and Reggie Willits also fit the Royals’ need.
  • Apparently the Mariners and Braves are "very interested’ in Dmitri Young.  That’s the first I’ve heard of a team besides Atlanta inquiring.
  • Oddly, the Devil Rays appear to have some interest in Kyle Farnsworth if the money can be worked out.  They like Scott Proctor as well, so keep an eye on that Ty Wigginton rumor.  Sherman mentions that the market is heavy with available role players, so look for a lot of boring deals with that type of player.  Just kidding, trade rumors are never boring.  Sherman tosses out Tadahito Iguchi to the Padres; that’s a fresh one.
  • Sherman runs down all of the available relievers we already know about.  Throw Kiko Calero in there as a new name. 

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