Archives for July 2009

Red Sox: Center of Every Trade/Rumor?

By Howard Megdal | July 22, 2009 at 5:30pm CDT

It's been a busy day for the Red Sox. They acquired Chris Duncan and a player to be named later for Julio Lugo, turning an albatross into a viable left-handed hitter.

They also dealt a pair of prospects for Adam LaRoche, adding a power bat who normally excels in the second half. And according to Jon Heyman's Twitter feed, they may not be finished yet.

"Red Sox dealing up a storm. Now have Chris Duncan (for Lugo). still scouting Victor Martinez, though," Heyman tweets.

No details yet on what it will take to get Martinez, other than continued interest from Cleveland in Clay Buchholz.

Red Sox & Cards Swap Lugo & Duncan

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 5:30pm CDT

5:30pm: The haul for Lugo is bigger than originally thought. The Sox receive a player to be named later or cash along with Duncan, according to the team's press release.

3:32pm: Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that the Cardinals will trade Chris Duncan to the Red Sox for Julio Lugo. Via Twitter Miklasz says the Red Sox will still pay Lugo's salary and Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald agrees.

Duncan has a career .851 OPS against right-handers and is under team control through 2012. Reid Laymance of the Post-Dispatch says the Red Sox are expected to assign Duncan to Triple A Pawtucket.

The deal was first reported by Viva El Birdos .

Advertise With MLB Trade Rumors

By Tim Dierkes | July 22, 2009 at 4:48pm CDT

With the trade deadline looming, MLB Trade Rumors is the place to be for baseball fans. If you're looking to reach 18-34 year-old males (among others), consider advertising with us. Please contact Tim Dierkes at dierkes@gmail.com if you're interested.

More Moves Could Come For Red Sox

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 3:32pm CDT

Boston's big acquisition could be a prelude to more moves for the AL Wild Card leaders. GM Theo Epstein said this afternoon that his team will continue to be "very active" in discussions around the league, though he addressed the team's main need by adding Adam LaRoche. The 29-year-old first baseman provides the Red Sox with a solid bat against righties and insurance in case Mike Lowell needs time off.

The team added LaRoche to win this year. Epstein said possible compensation picks after the season weren't a key component to the deal because it's "far from a certainty" that LaRoche will rank as a Type A or B free agent after the season. He's not currently ranked as a Type B free agent, but he's on the cusp of becoming one.

Historically, LaRoche's OPS has been 128 points higher after the All-Star break, but the Red Sox aren't expecting monster numbers from their new first baseman. Epstein said the team's defensive metrics rank him as a sound fielder.

LaRoche will join the team in Boston for the weekend series against the Orioles.

Holliday Drawing Interest

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 3:07pm CDT

A variety of scouts are watching the A's even though GM Billy Beane told Joe Stiglich of the San Jose Mercury News that the leadup to the deadline has been unusually quiet this year. The Giants and Tigers have "at least a degree of interest" in Matt Holliday and the Yankees have been scouting the A's, according to Stiglich.

Orlando Cabrera leads the league with a .382 July average, so he could also attract interest as the deadline nears.

Giants Still Eyeing Bats

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 1:35pm CDT

Jeff Fletcher of AOL FanHouse says the Giants musn't have wanted Adam LaRoche much, if they didn't beat Boston's offer for the recently-traded first baseman. Fletcher says the Giants "must be holding out for a premium player." Could Matt Holliday be their man? Fletcher says he's one of many players on the Giants' list, but warns that rumors of "increased" interest in Holliday are false.

Odds And Ends: Timlin, Rays, Reds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 1:21pm CDT

Some more links as the trading heats up…

Buster Posey and Clay Buchholz are two of the better-known players on the list of untouchable players compiled by John Manuel of Baseball America.
Mike Timlin worked out at Coors Field and the relief-starved Rockies may offer him a minor league contract, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs implores Andrew Friedman and the Rays to go all out and trade for Cliff Lee.
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer adds Jerry Hairston Jr. to the list of Reds trade candidates and says he'd be "stunned" if they deal Brandon Phillips.
Check out this NBC Sports clip for my take on Roy Halladay, Matt Holliday and others.
I'll be talking trades on The Big 1070 at 4:15 CST and here's a clip from an appearance earlier in the week on the Sports Show Live.

Odds And Ends: Gonzalez, Giambi, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 11:14am CDT

Some links for the morning…

MLB.com's Corey Brock reassures Padres fans, telling them that Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell are staying put for now.
But Gonzalez told Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he understands his team's predicament: "To a certain extent, I don't disagree with the people who say the best thing for the Padres is to go out and get a bunch of people for me."
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report saying the Seibu Lions are trying to acquire Triple A pitcher Jonah Bayliss from the Blue Jays.
Rich Hoffman of the Philadelphia Daily News says the Phillies depend on their scouts and believe only what they see for themselves.
MLB.com's Mychael Urban wonders if Jason Giambi might shut it down for the season.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy are even major league bench players.
The Brewers were among the teams scouting Cliff Lee last night, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Cubs Can Add Pieces At Deadline

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 10:04am CDT

They're not involved in the chase for Roy Halladay, but the Cubs could still add players before next week's trade deadline, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. The Cubs apparently have enough payroll flexibility to add a "mid-level" player and Wittenmyer suggests the team could pursue relievers such as George Sherrill and Chad Qualls. GM Jim Hendry said the Cubs can make moves "if something comes up," but didn't discuss specific needs.

The Cubs, who nearly acquired Chris Coste earlier in the month, could also pursue catching help if Geovany Soto's injury lingers longer than expected.

Rosenthal On Penny, Yankees, Dodgers, Rays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 9:50am CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Red Sox are open to dealing Brad Penny, even with Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL. They could add a bat or a prospect for Penny, but it's unlikely they'll actually move him. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

The Yankees could use some rotation depth, as it makes sense to keep Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves in the 'pen, but you can rule out a Carl Pavano acquisition. As one Yankee official says, the players would "go crazy" if the Yanks added Pavano.
Rosenthal says Russell Martin wouldn't qualify as the centerpiece of a Roy Halladay trade because he's faltered offensively and the Jays have J.P. Arencibia in the minors.
The Phillies could trade Rodrigo Lopez if Pedro Martinez takes over in the rotation.
The Rays are interested in Halladay and Cliff Lee, even if they don't have financial flexibility. However, a trade seems highly unlikely.

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