Ricciardi: Chances Of A Deal “Very Slim”
8:00pm: FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal just heard from Ricciardi that the chances of Halladay leaving Toronto at this point are "very slim." Here's more from the general manager:
"We've said that we would listen, but that we would have to be motivated and 'wowed. Right now we haven't been. I've said all along my gut tells me I won't be. I still stand by that."
"If we get to the last week," Ricciardi added, "and haven't really made any progress with anybody, I'm not going to say it's 100 percent certain, but I would have to pretty much think it's not going to get done."
It sure sounds like the Blue Jays aren't going to lower their asking price.
7:38pm: Olney notes that the Rangers have also been handed a "this-is-what-it-would-take proposal by the Blue Jays in the last 72 hours." It's more about salary for Texas, though, than it is about prospects. Sources have deemed them "semi-alive."
7:18pm: Christian Caple of MLB.com passes along this little note:
[Halladay is] scheduled to pitch on Wednesday, but whether he makes that start is up in the air. Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said last week he wants Halladay assured of his future when he takes the hill for that outing — in other words, if Halladay does pitch on Wednesday, supposedly, he won't be traded before the deadline.
This goes back to the self-imposed pre-July 31 deadline that Ricciardi suggested in early July. It'll be interesting to see if they stick to it.
5:21pm: According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the prospect-heavy Rangers "are talking to the Blue Jays about Halladay and they have asked the Indians about Lee… but financial considerations may make any deal tough. As Sullivan adds, "The Rangers are unlikely to take on a significant salary in any deal."
4:54pm: FOX Sports reports that the Red Sox remain in the mix for Halladay as well, and the Jays have made a multiple-prospect proposal in recent days. The Jays still prefer not to deal within the division, however.
2:05pm: Jon Heyman provides an update, via Twitter, stating that the Phillies are beginning to consider Cliff Lee as an alternative to Halladay. Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer confirms this, and adds that the Phillies are expected to have a scout watching Lee in Seattle. Martino also tweets that Toronto is scouting Dominic Brown today.
11:16am: ESPN's Jayson Stark is reporting that the Blue Jays have rejected the Phillies latest offer of Carrasco, Donald, J.A. Happ and outfielder Michael Taylor. The Jays are telling interested teams they are only going to deal Halladay if they are "wowed" by an offer.
9:45am: Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports says that as of Saturday night, the Angels "were of the mind to remove themselves from the Roy Halladay talks, believing they were never going to come close to the Blue Jays’ asking price of Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar, Brandon Wood and a prospect such as outfielder Peter Bourjos."
9:36am: Late last night we learned that the Phillies were "trying to steer" the Blue Jays towards a package centered around prospects Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald for Roy Halladay, but no agreement was imminent. Let's start the day off with a a few Halladay-related links, and add to them as we go. Make sure you check back in for updates throughout the day.
- Helene Elliott of The LA Times reports that "Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti has said the Blue Jays have identified three players on the Dodgers' major-league roster that they'd take for Halladay, but Colletti hasn't exuded optimism that a deal will get done."
- Andy Martino of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes about how all the trade talk has impacted the Phillies clubhouse.
Talkin’ Giants Baseball
As we cruise closer to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, the Giants still boast one of baseball's most intriguing situations. The club is 52-46 — 10 games behind the Dodgers in the National League West, but just two games back in the Wild Card. Most experts agree they need a bat to continue contending, and they've been linked recently to sluggers like Victor Martinez, Ryan Garko and Nick Johnson.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle recently heard "word from [Giants] general manager Brian Sabean that chances for a deal are 50-50."
"We're talking," manager Bruce Bochy said Sunday as his club prepared to head home after a long road trip. "I'll talk to Brian. I'll discuss it with the staff on the plane on the way back and see what we can do to get this thing going again."
Schulman believes the Giants might also have interest in Toronto's Marco Scutaro or Baltimore's Aubrey Huff. Either way, it's pretty clear what San Francisco is seeking as Friday's deadline nears: offense.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Acta, Pedro, Zumaya
A fresh batch of links on a busy Sunday evening…
- MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch answered various fan-submitted questions about the Pirates. A couple of minor hot stove items were touched on.
- According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, former manager Manny Acta stopped by Nationals Park early Sunday afternoon. It's not clear why, and Acta said via e-mail that he will not make a comment on the matter.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes the Twins had scouts in Arizona Sunday afternoon to watch the Pirates. It's not clear who they were scouting, but Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez are known to be on the trading block and the Twins are looking for infield help.
- Fred Goodall of the Associated Press reports that the Single-A Clearwater Threshers had to cut Pedro Martinez's first rehab start short because of rain.
- According to the Larry Lage of the AP, via the Detroit Free Press, Joel Zumaya is "hoping" to pitch again this year. Could the uncertainty surrounding the right-hander's balky shoulder prompt the Tigers to make a deal for another bullpen arm?
Clubs Will Have To Overpay for Gonzalez, Bell
5:58pm: As ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes, the Red Sox have contacted the Padres about the availability of Gonzalez, but two major obstacles stand in their way.
"No. 1, the Padres would require an extraordinary package of prospects in any deal for Gonzalez, who is young, relatively cheap and a star," Olney writes.
"The second hurdle would be whether the San Diego ownership would approve the deal and risk angering the team's fan base even more." Keep in mind the Padres came close to dealing staff ace Jake Peavy this season and cut ties with all-time saves leader (and fan favorite) Trevor Hoffman this winter.
1:18pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock adds to this, stating that the Padres are getting more calls about Bell than Gonzalez, according to Towers. Brock echoes that it's unlikely we'll see Gonzalez or Bell dealt, but says that Towers feels the conversations he's had regarding Gonzalez and Bell could prove to be very valuable if the club considers trading them in the offseason. He also quotes Towers, saying:
"I could see a couple of smaller deals," Towers said.
Brock names Kevin Correia and Kevin Kouzmanoff as people who could attract some attention, but so far, neither has drawn much interest.
12:11pm: The Padres "were getting a lot of play" on first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and closer Heath Bell as of yesterday according to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, but "club sources were adamant that interested clubs would have to overpay to acquire either." On Friday we learned that the Red Sox had expressed interest in Gonzalez, who is under contract next season for just $4.75MM with a 2011 club option worth just $5.5MM.
Brown says that the "asking price has been so high that Bell might as well be unavailable," and quotes a baseball personnel man as saying "There are about eight good arms available out there and 20 teams looking.”
Slow Deadline For The ‘Stros?
As reported by MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Astros general manager Ed Wade reiterated Sunday that his club isn't likely to make a move before the July 31 trade deadline.
"We're having conversations with clubs, but I don't expect us to be doing much of anything," Wade said. "The key components aren't going to change, and that's the economics and the talent in the system. Those things aren't going to change overnight. If something makes sense we'll pursue it, but there's nothing going on now."
The Astros stand 50-48, two games behind the Cubs in the National League Central. But, as the GM himself noted, Houston already has a fairly high payroll and doesn't want to ship off any major prospects.
Indians Acquire Jess Todd To Complete DeRosa Deal
Derrick Goold reports, via Twitter, that the Indians have acquired Jess Todd as the player to be named later from the Mark DeRosa trade.
According to an official press release, Todd will be added to the 40-man roster and report to Triple-A Columbus.
Todd, 23, entered the season as the Cardinals' #4 prospect. He's pitched very well, posting a 2.20 ERA through 49 innings, allowing just 39 hits and 13 walks while striking out 59 and collecting 24 saves. Opponents are hitting just .214 against Todd this season.
The Indians also acquired Chris Perez in the original trade, back on June 27th.
Dodgers, Indians Deny Reports About Lee, Martinez Talks
4:31pm: Kevin Baxter of the LA Times quotes a Dodgers executive saying there is "less than zero truth" to the rumors regarding the trade.
4:26pm: Rosenthal now says that both clubs have "strongly denied" the previous reports that the teams were in serious talks about Martinez and Lee.
Rosenthal says the clubs are talking, but the question now, becomes: about what? The Dodgers have had interest in Lee, but including Martinez is a new development, if it's true.
The names in previous reports have surfaced in talks, but club officials say that trade is not currently in the works.
3:50pm: Rosenthal now suggests that the young starter could indeed be one of Billingsley or Kershaw:
"Lee would replace either left-hander Clayton Kershaw or right-hander Chad Billingsley — it is not known which the Dodgers would part with in the package — giving manager Joe Torre the more experienced starter that he covets."
3:21pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers and Indians are in serious discussions about a trade that would send both Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez to Los Angeles in exchange for James Loney, a young starting pitcher, and prospects.
The deal still faces significant obstacles due to the caliber of players involved, but the Dodgers clearly want to strengthen themselves for a strong postseason showing.
Rosenthal names Class AA third baseman Josh Bell, Class AA outfielder Andrew Lambo, Class AAA starter Scott Elbert and Class AAA right-hander Josh Lindblom as prospects who are being discussed. All of the prospects are in the Dodgers' Top 10, according to Baseball America, with Lambo coming into the season as the Dodgers' top prospect.
It's unknown if the Dodgers would part with Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw in a deal to acquire the Indians' superstars.
Phillies Also Looking At Lee
While we know the Dodgers are in serious discussions to acquire Cliff Lee, Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Phillies are also looking at Lee and may like his price tag better than Roy Halladay's.
Some baseball sources believe that Lee could be had for a package surrounding second-tier prospects such as Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald, preventing the Phillies from parting with standouts like Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown. The Phillies would prefer not to part with Drabek and J.A. Happ in a trade for Halladay.
You have to imagine the Indians would love to see a bidding war for their ace start up between the Dodgers and Phillies.
Fay: “Doesn’t See” A Pierre For Rhodes Trade
John Fay of the Cincinnati Inquirer offers up his take on a rumor he heard recently, which would have the Reds sending Arthur Rhodes to Los Angeles in exchange for Juan Pierre:
It's safe to say that this one doesn't make a ton of sense, but where should the Reds turn in their quest for outfield help? Offer up some suggestions!
Yankees Scouting Ian Snell
According to Jenifer Langosch at MLB.com, the Yankees have scouts in attendance to watch Ian Snell throw today at Triple-A Indianapolis.
The Yankees are known to be looking for a replacement for Chien-Ming Wang, and Snell has absolutely dominated since asking to be demoted to Indianapolis to straighten himself out. Snell has allowed just two earned runs through 32.1 innings, while striking out 43 and walking just 12.
Despite Snell's big league struggles and $4.25MM guaranteed salary next season, general manager Neal Huntington says he won't sell low on the right-hander: