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Blue Jays Have No Intention Of Trading Snider And Drabek For Greinke

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The Blue Jays have been connected to Zack Greinke basically all offseason, but they have no intention of trading Travis Snider and Kyle Drabek for him according to ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter). Obviously, Toronto is not close to completing a deal for the Royals' ace.

Kansas City understandably want a bounty for Greinke, who has two years and $27MM left on his contract. Snider, 23 in February, is a .255/.318/.446 hitter in 675 big league plate appearances, though Baseball America ranked him the sixth best prospect (and third best outfield prospect) in the game prior to the 2009 season. The 23-year-old Drabek was the centerpiece of the Roy Halladay trade, making three very respectable starts for the Jays late in the season. Baseball America said the development of his cutter and changeup "would put him over the top as a frontline starter" when they named him the team's top prospect last month.

Poll: Will The Rays Trade Matt Garza This Offseason?

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The trade talk surrounding Rays right-hander Matt Garza began to heat up this week as teams looked to fortify their pitching.  The Brewers and Rangers have talked to Tampa Bay about a possible swap but the Cubs were said to have the strongest bid. 

Texas is one club that is eyeing Garza as a Plan B if they are unable to land Zack Greinke in a trade.  The asking price for the 2009 AL Cy Young award winner is said to be sky-high and Garza could obviously be had for less.  Meanwhile, the Rays are flush with pitching and have holes to patch up elsewhere.

When considering Tampa Bay's needs and Garza's rising value, it seems like Garza is a strong trade candidate this offseason.  However, prior to the winter meetings, Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times opined that the Rays will hang on to their pitchers until this summer unless the offers are exceptionally strong.

Regular MLBTR Features

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If you're a regular MLBTR reader, you'll be familiar with our chats, our Week In Review posts and Mike Axisa's Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature. Here's some more detail on when you'll see our weekly features and exactly what to expect from them:

  • MLBTR Chats – Come by every Wednesday at 2pm CDT to chat about the latest trades, signings and rumblings around the major leagues.
  • Baseball Blogs Weigh In – Every Friday morning, Mike Axisa directs you to some of the best writing on baseball blogs around the web. Whether it's opinion, stats or something else entirely, you can connect to the best of the blogosphere once a week on MLBTR. If you want to send Mike a post of yours, reach him at: mike@riveraveblues.com.
  • Week In Review – It's amazing how much happens in seven days. Every Sunday night, we summarize the week's biggest stories in our Week In Review posts.
  • MLBTR Originals – We gather all our original analysis and reporting in one place every Sunday night.

Red Sox Haven’t Talked Possible Trade With Cameron

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During this morning's press conference to introduce Carl Crawford to the Boston media, GM Theo Epstein told reporters that he hasn't addressed a trade with Mike Cameron, writes MLB.com's Evan Drellich.  The club's big winter splash knocks Cameron out of the starting outfield but doesn't neccessarily mean that he doesn't have a place on the bench.

"This role is something he can embrace and really make the most out of and have a tremendous impact on this club with all the left-handed hitting that we have," the GM said of the right-handed hitter.

Cameron would also provide a solid insurance policy to the Red Sox as Jacoby Ellsbury missed the majority of 2010 and J.D. Drew hasn't played more than 140 games since 2006.  However, the soon-to-be 38-year-old is owed $7.25MM in 2011, making him an expensive reserve option. 

On Thursday it was reported that the Red Sox have received inquiries on Cameron and are willing to listen, though they intend on keeping him.

White Sox Shopping Carlos Quentin?

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SATURDAY,1:40pm: White Sox GM Kenny Williams is hoping for a "Carlos Lee-type return" in a deal for Quentin, a scout confirmed to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).  The White Sox sent Lee to Milwaukee following the 2004 season for Scott Podsednik, Luis Vizcaino, and a player to be named later (Travis Hinton).

If Willliams can't get a deal done for Quentin, Cowley tweets that he will instead look to move Dayan Viciedo or Mark Teahen.  However, Williams recognizes that the return won't be as much.

10:17am: Kenny Williams shot down the Quentin trade talk, telling Dave van Dyck of The Chicago Tribune that it's untrue (Twitter links). Williams added that he will not move a piece of his everyday lineup for bullpen help.

FRIDAY, 7:04pm: The White Sox are "actively looking" to move Carlos Quentin for a package that includes at least one reliever, tweets Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The Sox "are asking a lot so far," according to Cowley's sources, so it's possible they may just be gauging the market at this point, though we know at least one team (Philadelphia) has shown interest in Quentin.

Since his breakout 2008 campaign (a .965 OPS and a fifth-place finish in MVP voting), Quentin has battled injuries and posted a .240/.334/.469 line over the past two seasons.  The outfielder is headed into his second arbitration year; he and the Sox avoided the process last season by agreeing on a $3.2MM contract. 

Quentin's name came up in trade rumors for Adam Dunn over the summer and more recently for Colby Rasmus.  Quentin's terrible outfield glove (a -32.7 UZR/150 in right field last year and a -25.2 UZR/150 as a left fielder in 2009) may leave him with no alternate spot in the White Sox lineup now that Dunn and Paul Konerko are firmly entrenched at the first base and DH spots.  We know the Sox are looking for bullpen help, so they may feel that need and Quentin's poor defense outweighs what he might provide at the plate.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Greinke, Crawford

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On this date in 1973, the late Ron Santo became the first player in baseball history to invoke 10-and-5 rights, blocking a trade that would have sent him from the Cubs to the Angels. Santo instead consented to a trade to the White Sox, where he spent the final season of his great career. 

Here are this week's batch of links…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Dodgers Sign Juan Castro

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The Dodgers have signed infielder Juan Castro to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. It's his fourth stint with the organization.

Castro, 38, hit just .194/.237/.233 in 140 plate appearances for the Phillies and Dodgers in 2010. He's a career .228/.268/327 hitter, but has carved a 16-year big league career out of versatility and solid glovework. If he makes the team, Castro will earn $500K in 2011.

Poll: Where Will Rafael Soriano Sign?

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The Rays acquired Rafael Soriano from the Braves exactly one year ago today, but right now it’s a little unclear where he’ll be playing in 2011. The Angels were widely considered a natural fit, but GM Tony Reagins told Dan Woike of The Orange County Register (Twitter link) that he’s satisfied with his bullpen following the Scott Downs signing.

While all 30 teams can use a pitcher of Soriano’s caliber, only a few can realistically afford him financially and give him their closer’s job. Remember, saves equal dollars both now and down the road, so Soriano will likely have to be blown away to join a team as a setup man. As if things aren’t complicated enough, a team would need to surrender a high draft pick to land the soon-to-be 31-year-old, which some clubs simply aren’t willing to do. Time to vote…

Longoria Open To Contract Extension

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The Rays lost the greatest player in franchise history a few days ago when Carl Crawford bolted for the rival Red Sox, but Evan Longoria is open to signing a contract extension that would keep him in Tampa for the rest of his career according to Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times.

"Tampa Bay is the place I want to be for the rest of my career if I can," said Longoria. "If there's an opportunity to do something like that, I would think long and hard about it."

Longoria, still just 25, famously agreed to what is considered the team-friendliest contract in baseball just six days into his major league career. He is signed through 2013 for just $13MM total, and team holds clubs options for 2014 ($7.5MM), 2015 ($11MM), and 2016 ($11.5MM). The obvious comparable here is Troy Tulowitzki, who was already signed through 2013 but landed a six-year extension that will keep him in Colorado through 2020. 

A career .283/.361/.521 hitter, Longoria supplements his offense with top-of-the-line defense, leading all third baseman with +44.0 UZR since breaking in. It's unlikely that he'll take such a deep discount again, and team with Tampa's financial restraints might not be willing to assume so much risk. 

Russell Martin Rumors: Saturday

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Yesterday we learned that Russell Martin is deciding between three AL East teams: the Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays. Before that we heard about interest from a mystery team. Here are today's rumors, with the newest at the top…

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