The Red Sox and Yankees have "big-time" interest in Blue Jays reliever Scott Downs, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Downs, a free agent after the season, has a 2.56 ERA, 7.0 K/9, and 1.9 BB/9 in 38.6 innings this year.
Neither team's interest comes as a surprise. The Red Sox have been linked to Downs since this July 6th report from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Yankees are known to be seeking relief help. The Phillies are also said to be interested in Downs. Last week on WEEI's The Big Show, former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi praised Downs as a potential Red Sox acquisition but had harsh words for Jason Frasor and Kevin Gregg.
ESPN's Buster Olney had an interesting series of tweets today on Downs, where he explained that the lefty might be hurt by Type A designation if he is offered and turns down arbitration after the season. Perhaps Downs' agent at CAA will advise the pitcher to accept if offered. A look at our latest Elias Rankings projections shows that Matt Guerrier, Frank Francisco, Dan Wheeler, Arthur Rhodes, and Pedro Feliciano might be in the same boat as Type As, though I imagine many will not be offered arbitration.
Sox really need the help in the bullpen before anything else. The starting pitchers are coming back this week, but the bullpen will give up how ever many runs they need to for us to lose the game. Downs is a big name, and he is on a division rivals team, I am not so sure how comfortable that is going to make all the parties, trading players and top flight prospects within the same division. I like the Nunez and Ross idea for the Sox better
The Jays aren’t competing this year, trading within the division means nothing.
The Jays aren’t competing next year or the year after that either. I’ll bet 4 or 5 Jays end up being moved to TB, BOS and NYY before Sept. whether before the non-waiver deadline, or via a cleared waiver trade in August.
That’s a pretty broad statement. Do you actually have any knowledge of The Jays system and Alex Anthopolous, or are you just making yourself look like a fool on purpose?
The Sox are fading more and more, the Jays will not do anything to stop that momentum downwards and the Jays would love to try to finish above them like they did in 06.
I talked about this issue before this site banned me for some reason, when they were talking about the Sox aquiring DeJesus i said they dont need another outfielder and they need relief help, and now this thread, I dont see the Jays trading with the Sox, the Jays will ask for someone untouchable and no way a deal gets worked out, I do see them maybe trying for that Will Ohman guy or someone who was DFA i cant remember their names but seemed good fits
Most reliable LRP over the past 5 years IMHO. I don’t think the Jays get Type A Value, but I see their young GM being creative and packaging him with another veteran or a another prospect or two, for a Blue Chip prospect. Same approach with Gregg and Bautista and Buck.
Couldn’t agree more.
The Escobar trade signals what AA is all about.
The Jays farm is stacked with Collins/Pastonicky types, so there’s really no mileage in trading away a high-value reliever for another B prospect.
I imagine we’d be more likely to see another Escobar-type package (ie veteran/prospect/prospect) for a genuine blue-chipper, rather than a couple of veterans packaged together.
Matt Thornton ?
Close, but not quite. Thorton had a blip in 2007 due to fluctuating control. Down’s soft-dominance started in ’06 (5 horrible starts aside).
What kind of prospects would it take for the Red Sox to acquire Downs? Would Yamaico Navarro plus Stephen Fife work for the Jays?
The Jays are deep in SP’s, and by most accounts have their shortstops in order for a while. But imho, you can never have enough of a good thing. I’d take that deal.
deep in catchers as well. Weak spots are outfielders and third.
Deep in 1B too with Wallace, Cooper is startng to turn it around with the power and to a lesser extent, Dopirak.Downs + Moises Sierra for a blue-chip 3B or outfield prospect? I don’t think Lewis will be a Jay next season..
Ryan Kalish is probably more along the lines of what AA is looking for.
I doubt the Sox will trade Kalish for a RP though. They love the kid.
It’s going to have to be a pretty good prospect to get Downs. If he sticks with the Jays for the rest of the year, they will offer arbitration to him and won’t be disappointed if he accepts.
If not Kalish, Jays could ask for Reddick +, although Reddick is really struggling in AAA.
Red Sox fans really like Kalish but I would love to center a deal around Downs for Kalish.
Saw Portland play this weekend, and I was impressed with Navarro, good arm, and range. Fife pitched a great game yesterday 2 hits in 6 innings. Decision time for Theo, up to me I say no dont make this trade.
RE: Navarro
I don’t know that the Jays would be looking for another shortstop prospect. They seem to have collected about a million of them the last few months. Doubt Navarro would fit the bill.
Navarro isn’t necessarily just a shortstop. He is a utility player that plays third base, shortstop, and second base. He would help any organization. I went to a game where he hit 2 homeruns and I really like this guy but the Sox need bullpen help and Scott Downs is really good.
His major league comparison is a Juan Uribe type player. Definitely value there
Ricciardi said it last week. Friday to be specific.
use your brain hullo, what do you think 04forever meant by trading prospects within the same division – them coming back to haunt the sox this year, or them coming back to haunt the sox for the next 6 years?
Bidding war for Downs between the Sox and Yanks would be great!
Not really. The Yankees have won every bidding war ever with the Red Sox, with one exception – and that was a sealed bid.
sure get the yanks and sox to drive the price of downs up, then ship the loser of downs frasor or gregg for a similar prospect… AA is going to move this farm system up like 15 spots in one year
No one wants to give up draft picks… just like no one was going to sign Scutaro for that reason too……………
That is a good point. If downs were a type A free agent and turns down Arbitration I doubt he gets signed by a team easily and definitely not by a team with 2 unprotected first round picks.
Remember, a type A only costs the signing team 1 pick, the second pick comes from the sandwich round, not from the signing team. This works out pretty good for a team losing a type A and signing one. They gain a sandwich pick and still maintain a first round pick (assuming that their free agent returns a first rounder and not a third rounder … yes, I’m bitter)
Don’t forget about the time the Jays foolishly offered arbitration to Type A RP Justin Speier instead of dealing him away at the deadline…ended up getting some bum named Brett Cecil as compensation.
Is that the rule or exception to the rule when it comes to compensation picks?
For the Jays–seems to be the rule, they got Adam Lind that way too. Got a solid prospect in Magnusson for Lilly. In the last little while, the only compensation that seems to have backfired was picking Kevin Ahrens and Justin Jackson in return for Frank Catalanotto (And it’s still too early to write off Jackson, given his injury trouble).
But based on Anthopolous’ track record, I don’t think it matters. He’s opted for the highest ceiling player available when making trades. So if teams offering a couple C prospects, I’m inclined to think he rolls the dice and takes the chance on finding a higher ceiling player with the draft picks. If Down’s is traded, I think it’ll be to the team that offers the single best prospect.
Scutaro was a pretty unique situation. He signed a nice, short term deal with a team absolutely desperate for a shortstop who only really signed them because they’d manuevered themselves into a strong draft position by trading for Wagner.
If the Sox don’t let two Type A’s walk and sign Lackey, they don’t sign Scutaro. I seem to recall Epstein outright saying that the prime motivator was the fact that signing Lackey kept them from sacrificing a first rounder for him.
Personally hope the Yanks don’t offer big prospects. I know Downs is good, but, to me, you don’t give up top prospects for a reliever. You can give up good prospects, but none of your top 5 guys.
On another note, the Sox called up Michael Bowden, this kid has a lot of heart and you know he has been working his butt off to get back to the show, so I bet the Sox give him a chance first before giving up premium prospects for a reliever.
He also has a functional slider now.