Odds And Ends: Pedro, Padres, Sano
More links for the afternoon…
- ESPN.com's Keith Law believes Bryce Harper has done all he can in high school and is making the "right move" for his career by moving on to junior college.
- Ted Berg of SNY.tv points out that the one thing the Mets have "no shortage of is shortages" and believes they should sign Pedro Martinez.
- ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure hears from a "good source" that the Yankees will not sign Miguel Angel Sano.
- Paul DePodesta says the Padres' decision to target the college hitters in last year's draft has been a success so far.
- ESPN.com relays an AP report confirming that Chris Young will join Jake Peavy on the Padres' DL.
- Remember to follow MLBTR on Twitter and on Facebook, where we've picked up this morning's discussion about the game's best GMs.
Cashman Doesn’t Foresee A Major Move
As MLB.com's Nathalie Alonso reports, Brian Cashman doesn't expect to make a major move before the trade deadline, since he likes the team he's assembled. He said he wants to see how the team looks once Jose Molina, Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte return from injuries.
"If we get everyone healthy and performing the way they are capable of here, there will be very little to do," Cashman said. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try."
As Alonso points out, it's never safe to assume the Yankees won't make a big move. Not surprisingly, Cashman says the season will only be a success if the Yankees win.
Stark On Deadline Deals
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports that, with only five teams more than six games under .500, it's a tough time to be a buyer. Here are the details from his latest Rumblings and Grumblings:
- There are many trade candidates in Washingon, but free agent-to-be Nick Johnson is the likeliest to move of them all.
- Adam Dunn's price would be "astronomical" according to one executive.
- One of Danys Baez and George Sherrill will likely be dealt, and it seems more likely that Baez will move. As one official says, "he's throwing great, but he's still Danys Baez."
- The D'Backs would prefer to move prospective free agents, like Doug Davis and Chad Tracy. Stark writes that Davis could fit on the Mets.
- One executive believes Brian Giles "should get released."
- Cla Meredith could bring a decent return for the Padres, who could also move Chris Young and Kevin Kouzmanoff.
- The Royals could move reliever Ron Mahay.
- At this point the Astros still aren't likely to sell. No one expects them to move Roy Oswalt, but Ivan Rodriguez, LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde could be dealt if the Astros decide to sell.
- One official says the Pirates would "love to move Jack Wilson."
- Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee aren't going anywhere, but Mark DeRosa is becoming "more marketable by the minute."
- Matt Holliday will hit the market if the A's don't play very well for the next few weeks. The A's will want the equivalent of a first rounder and a sandwich pick and, because few elite bats are available, at least one exec thinks they'll get a good return.
- The A's are worried he'll accept arbitration if they offer it, but Stark hears that Scott Boras would likely direct Holliday towards a better hitter's park, even if it was for less money.
- The Red Sox aren't in a hurry to deal Brad Penny. If they go for a shortstop, they'd want a short-term fix only.
- The Rockies- definitely not sellers right now- could eventually look to add a setup man.
- Delmon Young is "exceptionally available."
- The Brewers won't discuss dealing Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar.
- The Rays would like to add a reliever, but they're one of many teams that can't add much payroll.
Pedro Too Expensive For Rays, Cubs?
1:28pm: Yahoo's Gordon Edes hears the Cubs are serious about Pedro, even though they don't like his demands. "We wouldn't be [watching him] just to waste our time," a Cubs source said.
12:37pm: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says Lou Piniella has not discussed Pedro with GM Jim Hendry. Miles adds that the righty's likely too expensive for the Cubs, anyways.
11:13am: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays are a long way from completing a deal with Pedro. Andrew Friedman did not comment on the Rays' interest.
10:15am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Rays were eyeing Pedro Martinez as a reliever, but cannot meet his salary demands. Sherman says Pedro seeks a "significant amount of money" and the Rays can't afford a pricey addition to their team.
Meanwhile, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times says it's "doubtful" the Cubs have the payroll flexibility to add Pedro, even if he's asking for $5MM prorated. Cubs GM Jim Hendry says he has "a lot of respect" for the three-time Cy Young Award winner. Wittenmyer says an injury to a Cubs starter would add urgency to the team's interest in Pedro.
Odds And Ends: Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox
More links for Thursday afternoon…
- Jorge Arangure of ESPN.com says the Yankees could make a "splash" on July 2nd, when the international signing period begins.
- Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe compares Brad Penny and A.J. Burnett. Kilgore says Burnett has an advantage, "but not an 82.5-to-5 edge." That's how much more Burnett signed for last offseason.
- A spokesman for Tom Ricketts says the family's deal to buy the Cubs is still on, according to the AP (via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).
- David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News has a gut feeling the Phillies will make a deal "in the very near future." He points out that Pat Gillick and scouting director Gordon Lakey are in Philadelphia.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Brewers signed four more picks, including second rounder Cameron Garfield.
-
Danny Knobler of CBS Sports heard that the Red Sox front office has wondered the same thing most of us have: how would this season look if Mark Teixeira had landed in Boston?
Yankees And Angels Will Watch Pedro Too
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Cubs, Rays, Yankees and Angels will watch Pedro Martinez pitch in the Dominican Republic tomorrow. However, all four clubs are downplaying their interest in signing the pitcher and none of them would address their biggest need by adding a starter.
Pedro still wants a major league deal worth about $3MM and he has indicated he won't lower his price. His demands make him less appealing; teams would show more interest if Pedro were willing to sign a minor league deal. As Rosenthal points out, the Angels and Yankees need relievers, the Cubs need offense and the Rays have a full rotation.
Discussion: Which GM Would You Choose?
We'll be watching closely for the next six weeks as baseball's General Managers make trades. There are lots of skilled deal-makers out there, but which one would you choose if you had to replace your favorite team's GM with one from another club? Here are just a few of baseball's more accomplished GMs:
- Pat Gillick – He's not a GM anymore, but he built winners in Toronto, Baltimore, Seattle and Philadelphia.
- Theo Epstein – His Red Sox have won two of the last five World Series.
- Billy Beane – Perhaps the best-known GM, Beane has built winners on a budget.
- Walt Jocketty – Two-time executive of the year, Jocketty led the '06 Cards to a championship.
- Ken Williams – His team won the 2005 World Series.
- Brian Cashman – He contributed to four of the Yankees' World Series Championships and was GM for three of them
Lots of good choices- who would you want?
Davis Would Talk Extension Or Test Market
Doug Davis told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that he's open to signing an extension with the D'Backs if they approach him before the end of the season and "the price is right." If not, Davis said he would be comfortable testing the market.
He's a free agent after the season, so his name has surfaced in trade rumors, but Davis said he ignores them. He says he'd rather stay in Arizona for the remainder of the season than be traded.
MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports that Davis would even consider returning to Arizona as a free agent if he's dealt during the season.
Odds And Ends: Scheppers, Tate, Matsui
Links for Thursday morning…
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports that two teams passed on Tanner Scheppers because they believe he has a partially torn labrum. The Rangers, who picked him, don't believe the problem is as severe.
- In a Q&A for The Baseball Analysts, Padres exec Paul DePodesta says he's "ecstatic" about his team's draft. He compares Donavan Tate, the Padres' first rounder, to Adam Jones and Mike Cameron.
- The Padres are encountering trouble at the major league level, where Chris Young will likely join Jake Peavy on the DL, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock. Not only do the Padres lose their best starters, it's now harder for them to field offers for them.
- Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates are set to sign a handful of their picks, including their second selection, Brooks Pounders.
- Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker passes on comments Hideki Matsui made about returning to Japan. Matsui sounds happy that the Hanshin Tigers could be interested, but says he'd probably prefer to stay in the States.
- The Mariners are scouting top international prospect Guillermo Pimentel, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
Shawn Chacon Signs With Athletics
10:20am: Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports that Chacon will report to Triple A Sacramento today and is tentatively scheduled to start tomorrow night.
12:24am: MLBTR has learned tonight that pitcher Shawn Chacon signed a minor league deal with the A's. Pitching for the independent league Newark Bears, the 31 year-old Chacon posted a 4.29 ERA with 29 strikeouts and 16 walks in 42 innings this year. The Astros released him about a year ago after he threw the team's GM, Ed Wade, to the ground in a clubhouse altercation.