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Archives for July 2007

Filling In The Gaps On The Failed Dye Trade

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A few pieces of information were revealed today on the failed three team trade that was to send Jermaine Dye to Boston.

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox would’ve had to surrender reliever Hideki Okajima in order to get Dye.  Whether Okajima would’ve ended up with the White Sox or the third club is unknown, but Chicago makes the most sense. Okajima has been absurdly good this year – he’s allowed five earned runs in 51.2 innings.  The unexpected huge success of he and Takashi Saito should cause MLB teams to sign every Japanese reliever with a functional arm this winter.  Of course, the Red Sox refused to give up Okajima to get Dye.

Meanwhile, Buster Olney reported that the third team was the Brewers.  RotoWorld speculated that the Red Sox may have been trying to get Derrick Turnbow from Milwaukee.  The White Sox might’ve been eyeing Turnbow as well.  Kenny Williams is also known to like Manny Parra. 

Heyman On Eric Gagne

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman had a new post in the wee hours of the morning today.  The Yankees seem to be the frontrunner for Eric Gagne, while simultaneously trying to unload Kyle Farnsworth.

Gagne would set up Mariano Rivera in New York.  Gagne can’t veto this trade, even though working as a setup man would cause him to miss some of his incentives.  Heyman talks about the Yankees accomodating this problem, although they are under no obligation to do so.

The Yankees are being very possessive about their pitching prospects.  Beyond Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, they’ve deemed Ian Kennedy and Alan Horne off-limits.  Jeff Marquez and Tyler Clippard are two who could go to Texas for Gagne.  Not bad, but not the big names we’ve been expecting.

The Mets might pay some mind to Gagne, whose price couldn’t be higher than Chad Cordero’s.  The Mets are the other contender to can trade for Gagne without his approval.

As for Farnsworth, we’ve already heard the Tigers and Rockies have some interest.  Heyman adds the Dodgers to the mix; they inquired on him as a Plan B if they can’t get Octavio Dotel.

Madden Takes On Mike Pagliarulo

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Bill Madden of the New York Daily News illustrates an interesting discrepancy regarding some harsh criticism of Brian Cashman.  Mike Pagliarulo, former player and co-founder of a scouting company, has a pretty cool website called The BaseLine Report where he dishes scouting knowledge.  His company often gathers intelligence on Japanese players and consults for many teams.

Pagliarulo put up this MySpace post a few weeks ago, giving Brian Cashman a D- grade and calling him one of the worst GMs in the game.  He compares the Kei Igawa signing to the Mike Hampton contract.  Huh?  Madden quotes Pagliarulo as writing, "The Yankees chose not to use (Cashman’s) Japan consultants, who told him to walk away from Igawa."  That’s Pagliarulo’s way of saying Cashman ignored his sound advice against signing Igawa.

However, that sentence has apparently been removed from the blog post since Madden revealed that Pagliarulo’s actual report to Cashman was fairly positive.

Madden called out Pagliarulo, whose response has apparently been to edit the MySpace post in his company’s favor. 

Tigers Trade Rumors: Barmes, Dotel, Qualls

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The Detroit Free Press has a Tigers update for us today.

  • The Tigers are intent on acquiring a backup shortstop.  They recently sent a scout to watch the Rockies’ Clint Barmes at Triple A.  Barmes is at .310/.374/.464 in the minors this year.  Perhaps the Tigers envision him as a possible successor to Carlos Guillen at short.
  • Relievers on the radar: Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, Octavio Dotel, and Kyle Farnsworth.  Eric Gagne does not seem likely right now, and we know Lidge is a long shot.  Farnsworth might make the most sense, as the cost would mainly be money.
  • The article names Craig Monroe plus pitching prospects Dallas Trahern and Jair Jurrjens as players the Tigers would trade.  Despite all that we’ve read, I’d be surprised if the Royals could get something better than Jurrjens for Dotel.

Mets and Devil Rays

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Ryan McConnell of the New Jersey Star-Ledger posted a run-down of Mets’ rumors, mostly old hat by now.  Items of note:

  • The Mets are being asked too much for both Chad Cordero and Octavio Dotel, causing them to take another look at Eric Gagne.  They are also looking at Matt Thornton (White Sox), Shawn Chacon (Pirates), Chad Bradford (Orioles) and Jon Rauch (Nationals).  I think they should go for Chad Bradford, silly contract be damned.
  • We’ve all heard about second base possibilities in Mark Grudzielanek, Mark Loretta and Luis Castillo.  I think that of these candidates, Grudzielanek is the best defender, while Castillo is the best offensive player, even though Loretta is putting up better numbers this year.  All three will be free agents this off-season, with the exception of Grudzielanek if he earns the $4M player option for 2008 which vests with 500 plate appearances, a slim possibility.  Castillo is the youngest player and the best choice for the Mets, if they can get him.  He’s likely be a Type A free agent if the Mets let him go; if they don’t, he could be their 2008 second baseman.  All in all, though, I’d prefer the Mets stick with Damion Easley and Rubén Gotay.
  • Now the kicker.  This is what makes trade deadlines fun (and painful).  From McConnell:

And, finally, the hot, completely unsubstantiated rumor floating around my workplace was that the Mets and D-Rays were discussing a Lastings Milledge and "a Minor League pitcher" (probably Pelfrey, maybe Humber) for Carl Crawford. It didn’t pass my smell test — I’d think Tampa would command a lot more for their stud outfielder — but it’s fun to think about regardless. Plus, for what it’s worth, a Met scout was spotted at Tropicana Field last week.

It doesn’t pass my smell test either, but it’s still fun to think about, unless you’re convinced that Lastings Milledge is the next Gary Sheffield, like I am.

John Peterson writes for the Met-blog Blastings! Thrilledge.

Phillies Scout Anthony Reyes

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The News Journal, a Wilmington, Delaware newspaper, reports that the Phillies recently sent their scouting director to watch Anthony Reyes pitch.  Writer Scott Lauber speculates that the Cardinals might have interest in Michael Bourn as the return. (Hat tip to Cardinals Diaspora for the link.  And they were already hat-tipping our good friend and occasional contributor Tom Goyne from Balls, Sticks, and Stuff.)

Do the Phillies need a flyball pitcher?  Do the Cards need Bourn with Colby Rasmus on the way perhaps next year?  Maybe not, but this could still be a move that could work for both sides.  The Cardinals and Reyes just aren’t on the same page; he needs a change of scenery.  However, it’s possible that the Phillies could fetch a more proven starter if they shop Bourn.  But proven usually means expensive and closer to free agency. 

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dye, Lamb, Jennings

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Ken Rosenthal has a new article up.  Let’s see what’s in there beyond the Teixeira stuff.

  • The Angels have a few alternatives to Mark Teixeira in Jermaine Dye and Mike Piazza.  However, the team isn’t exactly bursting with open outfield/DH spots, especially once Juan Rivera returns.  Troy Glaus still makes a ton of sense, but the Blue Jays would want a lot.  Probably 2/3 of the Teixeira package.
  • Aside from Mark Loretta, the Padres would also like to acquire Mike Lamb from the Astros.  Even tossing aside his awful April, Kevin Kouzmanoff has been about average for his position offensively (.271/.328/.476 since May 1).  If the Padres instead used Lamb against southpaws and Kouzmanoff against lefties, they’d have a nifty platoon.
  • The Mets have inquired on Joe Blanton and Jon Garland but have found the price prohibitive.  It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that both are just innings eaters.  They’re just elevated by a terrible market for starters.
  • The Phillies also asked about Blanton, but are more likely to settle for Kyle Lohse or Jason Jennings.  Phil Garner decided to offer Jennings’ ERA up for sacrifice today, leaving him in to allow 11 earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.  That was a several million-dollar decision, as Jennings is a free agent after the season.
  • The Mets seem to have only mild interest in Luis Castillo and Mark Grudzielanek due to salary and injury concerns.    

Latest Mark Teixeira Trade Rumors

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Mark Teixeira is the biggest name likely to be dealt for the 2007 deadline, so you’re going to see millions of rumors until he’s physically wearing a different uniform.  Here’s the latest.

Murton, Payton Not Starting Today

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The Cubs are again sitting Matt Murton today.  That’s two days in a row he was expected to start and didn’t.  Of course, it may just be that Lou Piniella doesn’t like him.  We’ll see.

Meanwhile, Jay Payton is out of the lineup for the Orioles-Yankees game today.  He typically starts in left field, but it’s Jay Gibbons today.  This could also just be Dave Trembley’s preference and nothing more.  He sat Payton in favor of Gibbons on Thursday as well.  Gibbons is 6 for 18 lifetime against Chien-Ming Wang while Payton is 1 for 6.

Discussions regarding a Payton-to-Chicago deal were getting pretty serious last night.

Rosenthal’s Latest Videos: Teixeira, Dye, Garland

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Ken Rosenthal has a couple of recent videos up at FOXSports.  Check ’em out.  Some highlights:

  • The Mark Teixeira talks are at a standstill; the Braves and Angels are reluctant to improve their offers.  The Dodgers are said to be out of the picture.  Daniels, Schuerholz, Stoneman – which one blinks first?  I’ll say Daniels; he’ll go with Atlanta’s best offer.
  • Jermaine Dye is Plan B for the Angels, but as you know the Red Sox still have interest.
  • Jon Garland can be had, but Kenny Williams’ price is sky-high.  The Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Mets, and Braves all have interest.  The Braves had offered not only Edgar Renteria but a top pitching prospect, and still were rejected.  Rosenthal expects Garland to stay put because as the asking price is not met.
  • The Dodgers are still the leaders on Octavio Dotel, but the Tribe could jump in if they part with Ben Francisco.  Would Francisco really be missed?
  • The Cubs are looking at role players like Jay Payton and Jeff Conine.  Many Cubs fans have written me looking for some good rumors – anything I would hear would go on the site.  My gut feeling is that they do nothing major.
  • The Orioles asked about Kei Igawa, but were told he’s not available.
  • Rosenthal can see Adam Dunn and Eric Gagne staying put at the deadline.  The need to deal Gagne is a bit more pressing, in my opinion.

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