Rosenthal’s Latest: Ibanez, Ohman, Fuentes
The latest from rumor guru Ken Rosenthal:
- The Mariners are not having much luck stirring interest in Jarrod Washburn and Raul Ibanez. Only the Mets are seriously looking at Ibanez, and they don’t like the price. The D’Backs aren’t interested. Exacerbating the situation is that interim GM Lee Pelekoudas may feel compelled to make a good impression on the higher-ups.
- The Braves chose Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek over an offer of Chad Tracy and Micah Owings from the D’Backs. I’m surprised the Diamondbacks didn’t go a little further. The Braves tried to expand the deal and send Will Ohman to the Angels, but a match could not be found. Ohman remains likely to go, with the Rays, Cardinals, and Red Sox named as suitors.
- Rosenthal notes that the Angels have a ton of offseason decisions to make, with club options and free agents all over the place.
- The Rockies might be slightly more willing to trade Brian Fuentes following recent losses. However, they still want a young starting pitcher for him.
Jose Guillen Denies Report
WEDNESDAY: Joe Posnanski writes that while the ESPN report wasn’t exactly true, it "did not completely miss the target, either." GM Dayton Moore admitted that "Jose Guillen likes attention." But, Moore knew what he was getting into.
TUESDAY, 6:13pm: Guillen denied the report entirely.
2:50pm: According to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas, Royals outfielder Jose Guillen is unhappy in Kansas City and wants out. He is reportedly not on speaking terms with manager Trey Hillman. He also doesn’t think the Royals are doing enough for build a contender for 2009-10.
Guillen would even defer some of the $24MM owed to him for 2009-10, if it would increase the chances of a trade. He is hitting .260/.287/.446 in 408 plate appearances, which is actually pretty bad. 29 left fielders have been more productive this year, including Willie Harris.
ESPN’s Jayson Stark wrote on Thursday that the Braves asked about Guillen but the Royals wanted a cornerstone-type player like Gorkys Hernandez in return.
Tigers Unlikely To Acquire Reliever
Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press says the Tigers aren’t liking the market price for relief help. The chances of Dave Dombrowski adding a top guy like George Sherrill are slim to none. (By the way, if Sherrill has another outing like last night his ERA will be approaching 5.00.)
Morosi says picking up a cheap unwanted reliever like Brian Wolfe or LaTroy Hawkins is plausible, but promoting from within is even more likely. If the Tigers are contending in September might we see Ryan Perry as the first ’08 draft pick to reach the bigs?
Everett Remains With Twins
11:07pm: Everett was actually given an optional "contemplative assignment form," and he’s now back with the Twins.
8:22pm: The Twins designated shortstop Adam Everett for assignment this evening. He’s been hurt this year, but Everett has always been an all-glove player. Jayson Stark noted that the Dodgers are not looking for a frontline shortstop, but rather a fill-in for Rafael Furcal. Everett would make sense once he clears waivers.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Tuesday
9:55pm: Jayson Stark attempts to douse the Manny flames, getting denials (again) from the Dodgers and Phillies.
8:39pm: Ken Davidoff says the Teixeira deal makes a Manny trade more difficult, since that’s one less option for Boston to replace Ramirez’s bat. The Red Sox will keep trying nonetheless.
6:52pm: Jon Heyman says the Phillies might be the frontrunner for Manny. Ramirez will want his $20MM options eliminated upon a trade.
The Dodgers are also involved, with the Marlins surfacing as a longshot.
3:07pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Dodgers are not pursuing Ramirez or Teixeira. So, conflicting reports again. The Dodgers are also not interested in Adam Everett and unlikely to acquire Jack Wilson.
Joe Christensen agrees that Everett isn’t happening, and notes that the Dodgers once had Ronny Cedeno on their list.
2:36pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post has the Dodgers in the lead for Manny. The Red Sox would eat most or all of the $7MM remaining on Ramirez’s deal, and then receive a player like Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier. Such a deal would enable the Sox to enter the Mark Teixeira bidding.
Sherman also talked to one NL exec who believes the Dodgers might instead acquire Brian Roberts, pushing Jeff Kent into a utility role and leaving the shortstop problem unresolved.
1:05pm: Looks like Manny’s going to need his own post, after all. Earlier today, Dan Graziano said the Mets are still in on Ramirez despite the denials. Now SI.com’s Jon Heyman adds that the Dodgers are showing interest. The talks are still in their infancy, and keep in mind that the Dodgers do not want to add payroll.
Odds and Ends: Street, Zaun, Guardado, Blalock
Let’s round up some odds and ends for a rumor-packed day.
- The Reds had a scout at a recent Rangers-A’s game; they may have been eyeing a Texas catcher.
- Billy Beane is still fielding offers for Huston Street; Jon Heyman mentions the same teams we’ve heard in the past.
- Ed Wade told Miguel Tejada he’s staying put.
- Gregg Zaun would welcome a trade. GM J.P. Ricciardi responded by saying "someone has to want you." The Marlins could make sense; their catcher hunt may hinge on Matt Treanor‘s decision whether to have surgery.
- John Maine has a mild rotator cuff strain. I wonder if this will affect the chances of long-term extension talks with Maine. Anyway, it’d make sense to bring in some rotation insurance.
- Geoff Baker says the Brewers, Marlins, and Tigers are eyeing Eddie Guardado.
- Hank Blalock is on the DL and off the trade market.
- Ken Davidoff believes the Mets are scouting George Sherrill.
Mark Teixeira Traded To Angels
4:50pm: Jayson Stark has the scoop – Mark Teixeira is headed to the Angels for Casey Kotchman and another player. MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer says the second player is relief prospect Stephen Marek.
Solid return for the Braves, certainly beats a couple of draft picks of unknown position. Kotchman is under team control through 2011.
3:46pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman has the D’Backs, Rays, and Angels vying for Tex. A first baseman is not a requirement for Atlanta, though all three teams could part with one. Heyman talked to one Angels source who considered a deal "remote."
ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Braves want pitching in return.
2:33pm: Joel Sherman sees this is as a battle between the D’Backs and Red Sox. However, the Red Sox will only jump in if they are able to move Manny Ramirez.
1:01pm: ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Dodgers and Yankees have also flirted with the idea of acquiring Teixeira. The Braves want a big-league ready bat, preferably a first baseman, in any trade.
12:23pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Angels and D’Backs are competing for Teixeira. The Halos would like to expand the deal to include a lefty reliever like Will Ohman or Mike Gonzalez. Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana are off-limits, but Casey Kotchman and Juan Rivera can be had. Not sure why Rivera would appeal to the Braves, since he’s a free agent after the season.
8:29am: When we last left off, various sources conflicted on whether the D’Backs are the frontrunner to acquire Mark Teixeira. Let’s kick off a new thread for the likely slew of new Tex rumors today.
According to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, the Angels are once again exploring a trade for Teixeira. They are warming to the idea of adding a rental player to their first-place club. The price for Teixeira is said to be a first baseman, starter, and power-hitting outfielder. DiGiovanna also wonders if a deal could be expanded to include Will Ohman, much like last year when the Rangers added Ron Mahay.
Twins Interested In LaTroy Hawkins
TUESDAY: The Twins now have some competition from the Tigers for Hawkins.
MONDAY: According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins have interest in bringing righty reliever LaTroy Hawkins back. Hawkins came up through the Twins’ system as a starter, but eventually found his niche as a setup man before signing a free agent deal with the Cubs. Christensen talked to a person close to Hawkins who believes he’d like to come back to Minnesota.
Multiple teams have shown interest in Hawkins since the Yankees designated him for assignment. They might be able to unload some of the $1.25MM still owed to him. Hawkins lost a mile an hour off his fastball this year, and wasn’t able to maintain the strong groundball and low walk rates he had in Colorado in ’07.
Phillies Interested In Mahay
2:40pm: Todd Zolecki spoke to a source who says there’s no proposal on the table from the Phillies for Mahay.
12:56pm: Stark is now saying the Phillies are not close on Mahay.
12:47pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Phils are not the frontrunner for Mahay. Other teams may be willing to give up more. The Red Sox are known to have Mahay in their sights.
12:01pm: According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Phillies have been having extensive conversations with the Royals about lefty Ron Mahay. The Royals would receive 23 year-old Double A shortstop prospect Jason Donald in return.
Mahay has been quite popular on the trade market. The Phillies are able to fill a need for the Royals with Donald.
Odds and Ends: Rhodes, Happ, Manny
Let’s round up some links and rumors.
- The Brewers scouted Arthur Rhodes last night, according to Jon Heyman.
- About a "half-dozen" Braves are subject of trade talks, according to GM Frank Wren.
- Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein notes that Brandon Wood‘s stock is rising in case the Angels want to use him as a trade chip.
- Phillies prospect J.A. Happ wasn’t necessarily pulled from his start last weekend because of a big league promotion. Phillies assistant GM Mike Arbuckle admitted that a trade is another option. [UPDATE: Happ has indeed been recalled to the Majors, though.]
- Tom Verducci of SI.com believes the proper business decision for the Red Sox will be to keep Manny Ramirez and exercise his $20MM option for ’09.
- Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News says the D’Backs, Rays, and Tigers had scouts at last night’s Rangers-Mariners contest.