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Archives for July 2009

Roy Halladay’s Potential Suitors

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Jays are open to offers for Roy Halladay. This doesn't mean the Jays will deal heir ace; it just means they'll consider moving him for the right group of players. Here is Rosenthal's "largely speculative" list of possible destinations for the Jays righty:

  • Yankees – Rosenthal says the Jays will not hesitate to dangle Halladay to the Yankees and Red Sox. Phil Hughes could head an offer.
  • Red Sox –  The Red Sox could start an offer with Clay Buchholz, but they may prefer to hold onto Buchholz or use him as a trade chip to try and lure Victor Martinez away from the Indians.  
  • Phillies – Rosenthal hears they've asked about Halladay repeatedly in recent years. The Phillies have an appealing group of prospects, but they could have trouble taking on the $7MM remaining on Doc's deal.  
  • White Sox – The White Sox were in on Jake Peavy, so they could make a play for Halladay. As Rosenthal says, Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda wouldn't be enough, but they also have Gordon Beckham.
  • Dodgers – They'd likely have to part with Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw to obtain Halladay.  
  • Rangers – The Rangers have the prospects, but not the money.   
  • Cubs – Until Jim Hendry gets the go-ahead to add payroll the Cubs are an unlikely destination, especially because they don't have big-name prospects to tempt the Jays.  
  • Angels – Probably lack the premium pieces the Jays would seek.  
  • Brewers – Alcides Escobar would appeal to the Jays, who don't have an answer at short after Marco Scutaro becomes a free agent this year. But Escobar's untouchable, and probably wouldn't net Halladay on his own. 
  • Mets – Omar Minaya would have to empty the farm system to acquire Halladay.  
  • Braves – Rosenthal says they're a longshot, especially since they have pitching depth already.   
  • I see the Phillies and Brewers as the best fits, since they crave pitching, have young talent and play in another league. 

Miguel Angel Sano Rumors: Monday

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9:25pm: Arangure also notes that the Aroldis Chapman defection could have a major impact on Sano's negotiations.  As he tweets,

"Certain teams will save money for run at Aroldis. Last minute offer (for) Sano less likely now."

9:04pm: Seeking more information, I asked Arangure whether the Twins and Pirates also see Sano as a guy not worth a $4MM signing bonus.  He was kind enough to respond:

"For me, the Twins aren't real contenders anymore. The Pirates won't give record money because they won't have to."

8:58pm: ESPN's Jorge Arangure, who's been on the ball since the international signing period began on July 2, just rattled off a couple of interesting "tweets" involving 16-year-old shortstop Miguel Angel Sano:

"Am convinced Sano will not get record money. Orioles see him as late-first-round talent, which does not equal $4 million. More like $1-$1.5."

"Those who think Orioles will give record $ for Sano remember: They gave $3.2m to No. 4 pick [Brian] Matusz last year. Gave [Matt] Hobgood $2.4 this yr."

"There's no way Orioles are giving more to Sano than they gave Matusz and Hobgood."

If Arangure is correct, and the other teams tracking Sano follow suit, Wagner Mateo, singed July 2 by the Cardinals for $3.1MM, will go down as the highest-paid international prospect from 2009.  Sano has been courted this summer by the Twins, Pirates and O's, who are awaiting the results of an MLB investigation into his age and identification.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Kouzmanoff, Marlins

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A tasty handful of Monday evening links…

  • Chris DeLuca of the Chicago Sun-Times gathered a quote from Cubs GM Jim Hendry on the possibility of his club making a move: "We have a pretty good team,and if our guys all play like their capable … you don’t have to do a whole lot."
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock reports the Padres aren't "getting many hits" from other teams on Kevin Kouzmanoff, but believes that might change soon.
  • According to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, the Reds have signed four Venezuelan amateurs.
  • Baseball America's Matt Eddy has a rundown of team-by-team minor league transactions from late June.  It's interesting reading for prospect buffs.
  • Will the Marlins be leaving their payroll issues behind when they move into their spanking new facility in 2012?  Carl Hiaasen of the Miami Herald doesn't seem to think so.  He questions whether the club will be able to fill their $634MM, 37,000-seat stadium once the luster wears off.
  • Tommy Rancel of DRaysBay.com has more on Venezuelan third baseman Cesar Perez, who was signed this afternoon by Tampa Bay for $1MM.
  • Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reviews the Ryan Freel trade, noting that the Royals must be labeled as "buyers" as of July 6.  Of course, that could change by the time the July 31 trade deadline rolls around.
  • Remember to tune in for the weekly MLBTR live chat tomorrow at 2pm CST.

Phillies Will Watch Pedro Throw

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8:02pm: Phillies manager Charlie Manuel doesn't seem to think Martinez is the answer to his club's pitching woes (quote courtesy of MLB.com's Todd Zolecki):

"What I saw of him last year was, basically, he could give you five or six innings, probably," said Manuel.  "His fastball is going to be 85-90, 86-90, somewhere in there. … I think the five-inning pitcher, I think you can find those guys. Also, for myself — and don't get me wrong, I want anybody that can improve our team, that means pitcher or position player or whatever — but at the same time, I'm a firm believer that in the Major Leagues today, if you go back and look and you look at All-Star teams and things like that, the good pitchers are young pitchers. Young pitchers with high-ceiling stuff, plus they're good enough right now to throw strikes."

6:19pm: David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News has confirmed that the Phillies will watch Pedro throw tomorrow in the Dominican Republic.  Special assistant to the general manager Charlie Kerfeld will be on hand.

11:18am: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that the Phillies will scout Pedro in the Dominican Republic today or tomorrow.

9:21am: Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Phillies will scout Pedro Martinez in the near future to see if he can contribute to their injury-depleted rotation. Last week, Jon Heyman reported that the Phils had discussed Pedro, and they now have renewed interest. 

However, there's been no suggestion that Pedro will accept an offer worth less than $5MM prorated. The Phillies have more payroll flexibility than most teams, but that doesn't mean they'll use it to sign the Cooperstown-bound right-hander.

Discussion: Milwaukee Brewers

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SATURDAY, 7:44pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin did not approve of Braun's comments, telling Haudricourt Monday that he was "ticked off" upon hearing them.

“It was inappropriate for him to say what he said, and I’m not happy about it,” Melvin said on Monday.  "To make the statements he made and also get on his teammates like that, it was irresponsible on his part. It just ticked me off.”

FRIDAY, 8:10pm: According to Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, you can count Ryan Braun in as a proponent of the Brewers pursuing a pitcher: 

"To show everybody we’re for real, we can go out there and make a move and improve our ball club. We want to head in the right direction, not the wrong direction," Braun said after the team lost three of four to the Cubs. He said the Cubs "threw the ball a lot better than our starters did. They certainly swung the bats better than we did as well. Clearly, they were the better team."

11:31am: Yesterday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com suggested the Brewers have some questions to answer, including their rotation and whether or not to send Mat Gamel to Triple-A.

Tom Haudricourt thinks the Brewers need to act quickly to acquire a starting pitcher. "It's a tough market, depleted by injuries to Jake Peavy and Erik Bedard, but the Brewers need another arm to stay in the playoff race. That remains true even if [Dave] Bush and [Manny] Parra return to the rotation in the near future," says Haudricourt.

Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says "it's no secret" the Brewers are trying to add another player via trade before the end of July. However, the market is bare. Witrado says, "Based on what the Brewers are looking for (probably established pitching) and what potential sellers would want in return (probably younger pitching), [Doug] Melvin said there are fewer than 10 teams that could potentially 'match up' with the Brewers."

Witrado notes Gamel and Alcides Escobar are untouchable. "So to pull off a deal and keep the organization's two best prospects, a big-league player would probably have to be involved," says Witrado.

What would you do if you were running the Brewers? Who would you target and what would you give up? What would you do about Gamel?

Kip Wells: Free Agent

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According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, right-hander Kip Wells has cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent. 

Wells was designated for assignment on June 24 after posting a 6.49 ERA and an 18/18 K/BB ratio in 26 1/3 innings out of the Nationals' bullpen.  The 32-year-old will hope for a minor league contract with another club.  He has a 4.71 career ERA, a 1.52 career WHIP, and one of the meanest-looking player profile pictures we've ever come across.

Braves Not Likely To Move Escobar

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We've picked up on a few rumblings recently concerning the Braves' Yunel Escobar.  From the Red Sox having interest to the Royals "coveting" the shortstop, the rumors have been flying.  Well, MLB.com's Mark Bowman would like to set the record straight:

"Look I understand the entertainment value of the rumor market that will swirl over the next few weeks leading up to the trade deadline," Bowman wrote Monday evening.  "But at the same time, I think it's time to take Yunel Escobar's name out of the mix. 

Teams have certainly called to express interest in Escobar and with his stubborn personality the talented shortstop has given the Braves at least reason to ponder the possibility of moving him.

But from what I've gathered, the Braves have zero desire to move Escobar."

The 26-year-old shortstop is batting .405 with runners in scoring position this season and leads the Braves with 42 RBI.  Oh, and he's costing the club just $425K this year.

Brewers, Braves Not Discussing Vazquez

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4:35pm: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke with Brewers GM Doug Melvin and heard that the two teams are not discussing a trade for Vazquez.

3:40pm: The Brewers heard Ryan Braun's plea for help and they have responded. They called the Braves about Javier Vazquez, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. However, Atlanta likely won't part with Vazquez in a deal that doesn't bring back Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar, a pair of youngsters Brewers GM Doug Melvin has repeatedly deemed untouchable. Buster Olney said this weekend that the Brewers wouldn't be able to acquire Vazquez for Corey Hart alone.

The Brewers need pitching and the Braves have rotation depth, as Tim Hudson's expected to return next month. However, Braves GM Frank Wren won't make a deal unless he's "overwhelmed," as Vazquez is a major trade chip in a pitching-thin market. Vazquez makes $11.5MM this year and next and he can't be traded to any Western division team without his permission.

Russ Adams Becomes A Free Agent

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Russ Adams has cleared waivers and chosen to become a free agent, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The Blue Jays designated him for assignment last week when they activated David Dellucci.

Another Jays note: Marc Rzepczysnki will make his Blue Jays debut on Tuesday. He has impressed in AA and Triple A this year, striking out more than a batter per inning.

Odds And Ends: Rays, Hairston, Escobar

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Even more links for your Monday afternoon…

  • Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Rays signed Venezuelan third baseman Cesar Perez for $1MM. The "kid can play," according to Heyman.
  • Ben Badler of Baseball America reports that the Indians agreed to terms with two players: a shortstop and Angel Berroa's cousin, who's a pitcher.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer doesn't see Scott Hairston in the lineup of the next A's playoff team.
  • MLB.com's Mark Bowman says he doesn't get the sense the Braves have any desire to deal Yunel Escobar.

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