Quiet On The Maddux/Wolf Front
MLB.com’s Corey Brock has an update on the non-rumors surrounding Padres pitchers Greg Maddux and Randy Wolf.
Though many of the pitchers ranked ahead of Wolf have found new homes recently, trade talks are moving slowly. Wolf has a healthy 101 strikeouts this year, but he’s been inconsistent in general and lousy away from PETCO. Previous suitors like the Cubs, Brewers, and Phillies are all probably out.
Maddux has been informed of his suitors, since he has a full no-trade clause. But Brock’s source says Maddux may choose to play out the string in San Diego.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Fuentes, Holliday, Sherrill
Ken Rosenthal tops off the day with a column full of rumors.
- Signing Mark Teixeira as a replacement for Manny Ramirez doesn’t make sense for the Red Sox, who don’t want to take on that kind of mega-contract.
- The Phillies were recently working on a blockbuster with Colorado that would have netted them Brian Fuentes and Matt Holliday for something like Shane Victorino, J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco, and Lou Marson. Those talks have stalled, and the added payroll might’ve been a problem for the Phillies anyway.
- Though Frank McCourt denies it, Rosenthal says the Dodgers owned vetoed a CC Sabathia/Casey Blake/Jamey Carroll blockbuster because of a desire to keep trades payroll-neutral.
- The Rockies, as well as the many suitors for Brian Fuentes, fear he could accept an offer of arbitration and saddle them with an $8MM salary in ’09 instead of two draft picks. Given Fuentes’ stated desire to close, I find this unlikely.
- A Pirates scout watched David Price‘s last start, though he was likely looking at other members of the Montgomery Biscuits. The Rays are known to be interested in Xavier Nady.
- The A’s, stacked with second base candidates, are already getting calls on Adrian Cardenas. Trading Mark Ellis would make more sense though.
- Rosenthal believes the Orioles are reluctant to trade George Sherrill because they don’t have a suitable replacement for him in the ninth inning this year.
- Brewers minor league shortstop Alcides Escobar is untouchable, and his ascent could lead the team to shop J.J. Hardy this winter.
Rockies Rumors: Fuentes, Barmes, Taveras
Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post has a handful of Rockies rumors today.
- Saunders believes the Phillies’ spent too much prospect capital on Joe Blanton to be able to acquire Brian Fuentes. He says the Rays, Yankees, and Mets are still in the mix for Fuentes.
- The Rays are interested in two other Rockies: Clint Barmes and Willy Taveras. Unexpected targets…what do you think? Would Barmes be an upgrade at shortstop?
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Joe Blanton
A few notes on the Joe Blanton trade from around the Blogosphere…
- The Fightins wonder if acquiring Blanton was a good move and feel that J.A. Happ deserved another shot to grab a spot in the rotation.
- The 700 Level says that Blanton is not the #2 starter that the Phils needed, but he does add depth to the rotation.
- Phillies Nation wonders if the Phils could now flip Brett Myers (and change) to the Rockies for Matt Holliday.
- Philliesflow feels that trading for Blanton was a move that needed to be made, but wonder if the Phillies overpaid for a starter who was struggling in a pitcher’s park.
- Beerleaguer feels that at worst Blanton is a Jon Lieber-type, but could be a strong starter for the rest of ’08. However, they are worried about Blanton beyond this season.
- Athletic Supporters feels that the Blanton deal will have little impact on the ’08 A’s but could put the team in a better position to dip their feet into the free agency waters after the season.
- Catfish Stew is surprised at the quality of the prospects that the A’s were able to land for Blanton.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
The Third Baseman Market Revisited
Today let’s take another look at the third base options on the trade market.
- Garrett Atkins, Rockies. Atkins has displayed dramatic home/road splits since the beginning of ’07. Plus, his defense is not well-regarded. He’s under team control through 2010, and the Rockies’ unwillingness to do a long-term deal should tell you something. They’d probably still ask for a lot though.
- Casey Blake, Indians. Blake seems likely to be traded. His versatility is a plus, and he provides an .800 OPS. He’s been linked to the Dodgers and Twins recently.
- Adrian Beltre, Mariners. It’s been suggested that the Mariners might keep Beltre just to avoid using an even more embarrassing offense for the rest of the season. The Twins have inquired on Beltre, who is solid on both sides of the ball. Beltre will earn a reasonable $12MM next year and has a limited no-trade clause.
- Kevin Kouzmanoff, Padres. The Padres’ public comments do not indicate a willingness to trade Kouz. However, there was a rumor that the Padres could deal him to open up third base for Chase Headley. Kouzmanoff hasn’t even reached arbitration yet.
- Ty Wigginton, Astros. Wigginton is hitting .282/.368/.470 in 231 plate appearances, and can play multiple positions. He’s a bit like Blake, though I believe he’s under team control through ’09. The Astros haven’t given any signals that they’re shopping him.
- Ron Belliard, Nationals. Belliard is signed for ’09 at $1.9MM. He can help in a utility role.
- Hank Blalock, Rangers. Blalock briefly moved to first base, but never appeared there in the Majors. He returns to the lineup today after a slew of injuries and setbacks. He’s an interesting hitter, but hasn’t played much in recent years. Blalock has a $6.2MM club option for ’09.
- Jose Castillo, Giants. Castillo posted an .854 OPS in May, but hasn’t hit otherwise. He’s not high on anyone’s list.
- Bill Hall, Brewers. Hall is platooning with Russell Branyan at third base. Originally, he wasn’t happy about it and preferred a trade. There’s probably not much of a market for him, nor is Doug Melvin motivated to make a deal.
- Andy LaRoche, Dodgers. For some reason, LaRoche’s name always comes up as a possible trade chip. The 24 year-old hit .277/.444/.420 in 38 Triple A games this year, and hasn’t had Major League success. He started the season on the DL with a torn thumb ligament.
- Melvin Mora, Orioles. The O’s are stuck with him – he has a no-trade clause and a $9MM commitment next year. He might be the worst starting third baseman in the game.
- Mike Lamb, Twins. Lamb is a DFA candidate; he lost his starting job with an awful first half. Unfortunately he is under contract for ’09 at $3MM.
Odds and Ends: Roberts, Clark, Vidro, Manny
Time for today’s link collection.
- Geoff Baker on "The Ichiro Conundrum."
- Peter Schmuck assesses the Orioles’ trade candidates, noting that several clubs are interested in Brian Roberts.
- Paul DePodesta on the Tony Clark trade.
- Mariners beat writers are stunned that Jose Vidro is still on the roster.
- Manny Ramirez drew a six-figure fine for his altercation with the team’s traveling secretary. It’s suggested that Ramirez showed his displeasure by laying down for an at-bat against Mariano Rivera. UPDATE: Gordon Edes looked into this and found the fine to be much smaller and the at-bat to be of no concern to the Sox.
- Bradford Doolittle of the KC Star looks at the Royals’ trade candidates.
- RotoAuthority names 8 ways to avoid teams quitting on your fantasy league midseason.
Bedard Trade Unlikely
According to the AP, the chances of the Mariners trading Erik Bedard are slim. Bedard is currently on the DL with a shoulder injury. At best, he’ll be able to make one start before the trade deadline.
The AP notes that players on the disabled list can only be traded with commissioner approval. I asked ESPN’s Keith Law about this today; he told me all trades are subject to commissioner approval. So Bedard’s DL status isn’t technically an issue, but his health is obviously crucial to any suitor. The Mariners can always take their time getting Bedard healthy and shop him in the winter.
Though nothing is cooking on the A.J. Burnett front, he seems to be the best remaining semi-available starter. Randy Wolf, Greg Maddux, and Justin Duchscherer are other interesting names to watch.
Pirates Rumors: Nady, Marte, Bay
New blog to bookmark: PBC Blog. It comes from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette baseball writers Dejan Kovacevic and Paul Meyer, and already has plenty of good Pirates info up. On to the hot stove chatter:
- Kovacevic talked to a Pirates official who disputes the reports that the team’s asking prices for Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte, and Jason Bay are exorbitant. Kovacevic notes that many of these reports come from New York, and in some cases they’re created as tests for rookie GM Neal Huntington. Welcome to the club, Neal!
- Bay is unlikely to be traded, but Nady and Marte are available. Kovacevic says many teams are in on Nady, and the Braves and Mets even conducted recent conference calls with the Pirates about him. The Pirates are focused on receiving two quality players for Nady, with an emphasis on pitching. It’s not a concern yet, but if the Rockies truly shop Matt Holliday it could upset the Nady market.
- Kovacevic speculates on what it might take for the Pirates to sign Bay to an extension beyond ’09, which may well happen.
Heyman’s Latest: Yankees, Manny, Bowden, Pudge
SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new column up.
- Given Richie Sexson‘s expected part-time role, the Yankees are in the market for an everyday outfielder to replace Hideki Matsui‘s bat. Barry Bonds is not under consideration. Heyman tosses out names such as Matt Holliday, Xavier Nady, Jason Bay, and Adam Dunn, while noting that the price on most is too high (the Pirates deny this).
- Heyman is still saying the Cardinals will consider trading Colby Rasmus, despite various denials.
- The Yanks are also looking to add a #3-4 starter type. Here’s a look at the market.
- Manny Ramirez probably isn’t going to get what he wants – free agency, an extension, or a trade.
- The Nationals are supporting GM Jim Bowden despite his recent problems. Heyman reported rumblings last month that Bowden "could be in trouble."
- Despite the Marlins’ interest, the Tigers are unlikely to trade Ivan Rodriguez. Jon Paul Morosi agrees, while noting that Pudge’s salary might be too high for Florida anyway.
Burnett Wants To Stay
Blue Jays pitcher A.J. Burnett doesn’t expect or desire a trade:
"I’m a Blue Jay and I plan on being here for the rest of the season. Just because my name’s out there and all this stuff, and I made one mistake talking to a Chicago writer…I enjoy being a Blue Jay and that’s where I’m at. That’s where I plan on being."
The Phillies didn’t seem terribly interested in Burnett anyway, but that’s one less suitor after their Joe Blanton acquisition. Burnett is healthy, and despite his 4.96 ERA he’s the best available starter right now. The Blue Jays apparently won’t shop him around because they don’t want to lower his value. Plus, J.P. Ricciardi said the Jays have no trades cooking for Burnett or anyone else.
That doesn’t mean we can’t speculate. Three teams that I feel could be in the market for a starter: the Mets, Cardinals, and White Sox. The Mets’ Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez are both hurting; will they answer the other National League starter acquisitions?