Red Sox Scouting Eckstein?
UPDATE: A few Cardinal fans have emailed me, suggesting that Hrabosky’s comments about Eckstein may have been misconstrued as a trade rumor. Apparently he was just discussing scouting and how Eckstein was a talent from the Boston system. I have to be careful with broadcast rumors I did not hear myself; my aplogies.
Tonight, color commentator Al Hrabosky mentioned on the FSN Midwest broadcast that the Red Sox were scouting David Eckstein. Eckstein led off tonight in the Cardinals’ defeat of the Brewers.
Eckstein is hitting .298/.339/.362 this year for the Cardinals, not too far from career levels. He’s spent some time on the DL this year with back pain. The elfish 32 year-old is part of a weak free agent crop for shortstops that also includes Omar Vizquel, Juan Uribe, and Cesar Izturis (most likely).
The Red Sox, however, are locked in with Julio Lugo through 2010. Lugo hasn’t been hitting much in the past week but his bat finally came alive this month with an .875 OPS.
Murton Late Scratch; Payton Talks Itensify
UPDATE: While perhaps shopping Murton, the Cubs have had significant talks regarding Baltimore’s Jay Payton. The Cubs would send over two mid-level prospects; does Murton fit that criteria? Payton will make $5MM next year to finish his contract.
UPDATE 2: RotoWorld says Murton was scratched tonight to allow Cliff Floyd to play and then get Sunday off.
Matt Murton was a late scratch for tonight’s Cubs-Reds game. Does it mean anything? We should know soon enough. This time of year, every scratch or unexpected mid-game substitution is magnified.
The Cubs have been talking to the Rangers about lefty reliever Ron Mahay and catcher Gerald Laird, so maybe there’s a connection. The Rangers could definitely find room for Murton in their outfield.
Take it with a grain of salt, but a Cubs source of mine confirms Felix Pie‘s availability (huh?) and says the Cubs made an inquiry on Torii Hunter. While intriguing, I wouldn’t expect either player to be traded.
Reds Acquire Jorge Cantu
In a minor move, the Reds acquired infielder Jorge Cantu today along with outfielder Shaun Cumberland. They shipped pitchers Calvin Medlock and Brian Shackelford to the Devil Rays in the deal.
The Reds are doing the right thing by sending the 24 year-old Cantu to Triple A to re-establish himself. Yes, he once drove in 117 runs and blah blah blah. The power potential is nice; he now needs to keep his head down, maybe learn a little plate discipline, and hit his way into the Reds’ lineup. There’s no infield spot for him, unless Wayne Krivsky foolishly trades Edwin Encarnacion or just starts Cantu over EE.
Cumberland is a legitimate prospect, though the 23 year-old didn’t step up to the challenge of Double A. He’s got the tools to succeed, and he was never going to crack the Devil Rays’ outfield. There’s some upside here even if the numbers don’t show it.
I don’t know much about Medlock but the reliever posted sick numbers in his second crack at Double A this year – 11.1 K/9, 0.9 BB/9. He hit a wall in Triple A though. According to Baseball Prospectus, he’s a small flamethrower with a fine change-up. I’m not sure why the Reds would be giving up an interesting guy like this for Cantu.
Shackelford is a 31 year-old southpaw who the Reds were probably happy to unload. Shackelford is best known for this debacle, though ultimately charges weren’t pressed. He’s not anything special on the mound.
I have to give this trade to the Devil Rays, because Medlock seems interesting and Cantu’s value was near rock bottom. The Rays had no place for Cantu, though the Reds don’t appear to either.
Astros Trade Wheeler To Devil Rays For Wigginton
UPDATE: Wigginton will be used as the primary third baseman; you have to expert Morgan Ensberg to be gone soon.
We expected both players to be traded, but not for each other. Today, the Astros traded 29 year-old reliever Dan Wheeler to the Devil Rays for 29 year-old supersub Ty Wigginton. By my count, Wheeler reaches free agency after the 2008 season and Wiggy after 2009.
Looking at the two most important metrics, strikeout and walk rate, Wheeler should return to form for Tampa Bay. His strikeout rate is up; his walks down. Wheeler does not allow many baserunners. Perhaps the reunion with former Astros pitching coach Jim Hickey will help Wheeler curb his gopheritis. Should the Rays trade Al Reyes, or perhaps even if they don’t, Wheeler is a strong candidate to assume closing duties for the team.
I’m seeing a lot of folks panning Tim Purpura for getting Wigginton for Wheeler. Personally I don’t think it’s too bad. The Astros will have holes at second and third base next year, and Wigginton can play either position based on which spot the Astros can fill otherwise. I’d like to see him at second base, where his bat would be above average. Could Purpura have done better, given the strong demand for relievers? If it was the Wheeler of years past, sure. But he has a 5.07 ERA this year.
Did We Miss Anything?
As you may have noticed, our good friend Jeff Sackmann of Brew Crew Ball took over MLBTR for Saturday afternoon. My wife and I are currently checking out the Warped Tour.
Jeff will be checking out a few hours before I get back, and there could be some good rumorage or actual trades in the meantime. Feel free to use this post for any links, rumors, or trade discussion if it’s not elsewhere on the site. Thanks for reading; the next three days are going to be wild so stick around.
Josh Towers is Available. Does Anyone Care?
Turns out Josh Towers had some nasty things to say about the rest of his club after yesterday’s loss. I guess they weren’t that bad, but by the established standard of "we all went out there and battled" quotes, he really let his ‘mates have it.
Towers has gone through waivers unclaimed before, so it would seem that if J.P. Ricciardi wants to get rid of him, he’ll have to eat some salary. But that presumes that somebody would take him at any price, and J.P. is casting doubt on that:
"The only guy we got a call on was Towers, with Philadelphia," GM J.P. Ricciardi had admitted just prior to the game. "They came to see him (vs. the M’s) and we never received another call back. Maybe he wasn’t their cup of tea."
I’m a little surprised no one has bit on Towers in all this time; he was dreadful last year, sure, but he’s always kept walks down, and he’s been pitching his entire career in the AL East. He would seem like a decent fit for the Phils or the M’s. At this point he seems like a Kei Igawa backup plan of sorts.
By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball
Tigers Notes
Will Carroll has the scoop on which relievers the Tigers may be chasing:
The Tigers are also after a reliever, but they’re not willing to give up much, knowing that Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney are coming back. All rumors involving the Tigers seem to be centered on Kyle Farnsworth, but they’ve also looked at Rauch, and asked about Jason Isringhausen and Al Reyes.
Between getting guys back and being in the catbird seat in the AL Central with postseason odds around 86%, it seems likely to me that the Tigers stand pat. After all, that seems to be what Jim Leyland thinks, as well.
By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball
Backwards Center Field Trade Bait
Most of Joel Sherman’s column today is filled with the Mark Teixeira stuff you’ve been reading about everywhere else. (I, for one, am now absolutely sure of how to spell Tex’s name. A couple of weeks ago? Not so much.)
But, there are two tidbits buried in the column that are interesting both on their own and juxtaposed.
First, Sherman corroborates Buster Olney’s claim that the Yankees are hot after Dan Johnson. But he gives us more: Billy Beane asked for Brett Gardner and was rejected. Uh, Brett Gardner? Useful player, perhaps, but the Yanks are interested in Johnson because he’s a useful player too, and one who is a lot more likely to help them this year (and next, too, in all likelihood). Sherman interprets that as New York’s new protectiveness of their prospects. Too bad there isn’t another ~$15M rental like Bobby Abreu out there this year … unless you count Richie Sexson, whom I don’t.
Second, he repeats the common Gerald Laird-to-the-Cubs refrain, but adds a twist:
The Cubs have interest in Laird and Rangers relievers, and might include center field prospect Felix Pie to get that.
I suppose Laird + Eric Gagne might merit Pie. Maybe. It would certainly make the Cubs more credible contenders immediately, but…Felix Pie?
What an odd world it is, when Brett Gardner is off the block, and Felix Pie is on.
By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball
Red Sox Continue Discussions For Dye
UPDATE: The Chicago Tribune cites two factors for the non-trade – a disagreement over the players involved and Dye’s lack of desire to go to Boston. The Hartford Courant adds that Kenny Williams demanded either Clay Buchholz or Jacoby Ellsbury.
UPDATE 2: Could the Phillies be the third team, working Michael Bourn into the mix somehow?
Ken Rosenthal has updated this post with some information regarding Boston’s ongoing pursuit of Jermaine Dye.
Apparently Dye was willing to waive his no-trade clause for some performance bonuses and a guarantee of playing five days a week. A third club would’ve been needed to somehow facilitate the deal Kenny Williams wanted. Rosenthal says talks are ongoing.
Tough to figure out how the Red Sox would pull off the five days a week thing. Dye has rarely played any positions other than the outfield corners. (Though he did play a game each at first base and shortstop in ’05 when the Sox were in a pinch).
If you consider Dye eligible to play first base, left field, right field, and DH, you can envision him starting five times a week. Kevin Youkilis’s homer tonight notwithstanding, he and J.D. Drew haven’t done a whole lot lately. Their playing time could be squeezed a bit, while Manny and Papi could use the extra rest. The problem? Dye is no picture of health himself and using him at multiple positions each week would probably increase the likelihood of injury.
Dye almost seems like a luxury for the Red Sox; why would they expend any serious effort to get him? Perhaps they aim more to keep him away from the Yankees or Angels. Dye could certainly be squeezed onto the Yankees’ roster as easily as Boston’s. Another motivation for Theo Epstein could be that he thinks he can give up players worth less than the draft picks he’d get for Dye. Kenny Williams is no fool though, so maybe that’s how the third team got roped in.
Latest Mets Rumors: Luis Castillo, Chad Cordero
Let’s have a look at the latest rumors swirling around the Mets.
- Second base remains an area of focus. A Twins scout was at Shea recently, presumably trying to figure out what to ask for from the Mets for Luis Castillo. The Mets were recently scouting the Twins as well. The problem is that Castillo is not yet officially available. A couple of Marks, Grudzielanek and Loretta, remain on the radar. The Astros might consider signing Loretta to an extension, though no details have been discussed.
- The Devil Rays hosted the Red Sox last night, and a Mets scout was on hand. Speculation on my part, but possible targets include Ty Wigginton, Jonny Gomes, Edwin Jackson, Al Reyes, and Casey Fossum. The Mets had some interest in Jackson way back in November.
- According to Dan Graziano, the Mets are still pushing for Chad Cordero or Jon Rauch. Graziano is skeptical that the Nationals can arrive at a trade. Matthew Cerrone believes the Mets might give up Mike Pelfrey to get Cordero.
- Will Carroll has some other relievers the Mets are considering: Matt Thornton, Chad Bradford, and Shawn Chacon.
- The Mets had a scout in attendance yesterday to watch Jon Garland. He gave up ten hits but only three runs in 7.1 innings to the Blue Jays.