Odds And Ends: Byrd, Timlin, Giambi
Some links to look through…
- Bobby Abreu tells Yahoo's Tim Brown that it was frustrating to see other players sign big contracts last offseason. Abreu waited and finally settled for a $5MM deal, but now he loves LA.
- The Jason Giambi signing didn't work out nearly as well for the A's. When MLB.com's Mychael Urban asked manager Bob Geren if Giambi will be back next year, Geren avoided the question. Presumably the A's would rather buy the slugger out for $1.25MM than pay him $6MM next year.
- Paul Byrd told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he's in Boston to win a World Series ring.
- Mike Timlin is rehabbing in the Rockies' minor league system to prove he can still pitch, according to Jack Etkin of Inside the Rockies.
- Justin Smoak, Martin Perez and Julio Borbon top Jamey Newberg's updated list of top Rangers prospects at MLB.com.
Odds & Ends: Reds, Rangers, Bedard
Some fairly interesting nuggets to scope out this Wednesday evening:
- Despite the Reds' abysmal play as of late, team CEO Bob Castellini has given manager Dusty Baker a vote of confidence for this year and next, says John Fay at the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Doug Miller at MLB.com reports that Spring Training has been a huge boon for Florida, generating over $750MM for the state. "Major League Baseball has a following that transcends economic downturns," researcher Dr. Mark Bonn said. Haven't heard that from team owners too often.
- The Rangers designated minor-league RHP John Bannister for assignment to make room for Esteban German on the big-league roster, says Evan Grant at D Magazine.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty says that the team is getting closer to a deal with their first-round pick, RHP Mike Leake.
- Erik Bedard's rehab has been shut down indefinitely as he experienced more pain in his shoulder, says Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times, which effectively ends any trade value he might've had for the Mariners.
Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Mora, Halladay
Some links to pore over as we just miss another no-hitter:
- Alex Speier at WEEI reports that the Red Sox won't give 16-year-old Dominican hurler Victor Payano a contract, despite being rumored as favorites to sign him. Payano, in line for a bonus around $900k, had failed his physical.
- Peter Schmuck at the Baltimore Sun notes that top prospect Brian Matusz was called up to start tonight for the O's and they in turn optioned Kam Mickolio to Triple-A. After Melvin Mora's recent spat with manager Dave Trembley, there was speculation Mora would be gone, but he is starting tonight. He still could be moved.
- Scott Podsednik's improved play has increased his value, but he wants to stay with the White Sox in 2010, says Scott Merkin at MLB.com.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels said in an e-mail to Yahoo's Gordon Edes that there was no effort by J.P. Ricciardi to mislead the Rangers in Roy Halladay talks, and Ricciardi was "upfront" about what he wanted.
- The Padres officially released Mark Prior today, says CBS Sports. The move was reported to be on the horizon by Corey Brock at MLB.com Saturday.
Odds & Ends: Foulke, Feliz, Tazawa
A few links to check out on the 30th anniversary of Thurman Munson's death…
- Mike Ashmore of AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com wrote a feature on Keith Foulke, who is pitching with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. Foulke turned down several Triple-A offers before the season, including one from the Nationals, and admits it "probably turned out to be a little bit of a mistake." Foulke is looking to get back to majors as you'd expect, and says "“I’m going to make one last push over the last couple weeks, and we’ll see what happens."
- The Rangers are ready to call up prospect Neftali Feliz, perhaps in time for tonight's game according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Baseball America rated Feliz the 13th best prospect in the game in early July.
- Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal wonders if Japanese import Junichi Tazawa could be a candidate to fill the bullpen spot left vacated by Justin Masterson's inclusion in the Victor Martinez trade on Friday. Tazawa was recently bumped to Triple-A and is already on the 40-man roster.
- Make you sure follow MLBTR on Twitter for the quickest updates possible. While you're at it, why don't you go ahead and follow me too. Almost all of my tweets are about baseball, I swears it.
Failed Deadline Blockbusters
Today was hectic, but imagine how much wilder it would have been if these two deals had gone through:
- Via Twitter, Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Padres almost dealt Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers for James Loney, Russell Martin, Blake DeWitt, James McDonald and Ivan Dejesus. Wow.
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports confirms that the division rivals considered a blockbuster deal involving those players.
- Knobler also says the Rangers and Angels both pursued Heath Bell aggressively this afternoon. The Angels and Padres were discussing Jose Arredondo, Sean O'Sullivan and Sean Rodriguez.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin says his team was involved in a "big one that didn't happen," according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- The Crew also had interest in Jarrod Washburn and Brian Bannister.
- Melvin says everyone asked the Brewers for Mat Gamel and Alcides Escobar. Since the Brewers didn't want to deal either prospect and don't have the young pitching to offer rival teams, they had limited options.
Roy Halladay Not Traded
5:38pm: Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski says his team was not involved with Halladay, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.
5:10pm: The Blue Jays and Rangers were talking last night when they found that Halladay wouldn't approve a deal to the Rangers, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The sides weren't close to a deal when they found out.
The Jays, like other teams the Rangers spoke with, coveted Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz, Justin Smoak and Pedro Borbon. Holland's now in the majors and the other three rank on Jonathan Mayo's updated list of top prospects.
4:20pm: Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail reports that Ricciardi was "never moved by a club" to trade Halladay, though two or three teams were serious about acquiring him and ten inquired.
3:25pm: Halladay has not been traded, according to Sherman on Twitter. So many wasted words.
10:12am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post has a slew of comments from Ricciardi about a Halladay trade today being highly unlikely. Ricciardi admitted he'd listen again in the offseason, but says keeping Doc today signifies an attempt to contend in 2010.
Meanwhile, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports via Twitter that the Tigers never got to the point of exchanging names on Halladay. Instead, they've reportedly acquired Jarrod Washburn.
10:01am: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers' talks for Halladay "appear to have broken off" and are "somewhere between dead and on life-support." Seems like the Rangers are unwilling to trade pitcher Derek Holland, especially after last night's gem.
9:53am: Yahoo's Tim Brown says the Red Sox will "engage Ricciardi early" today on Doc before going after Adrian Gonzalez or Victor Martinez. However, when quizzed by Brown earlier this morning about the Halladay talks, Ricciardi replied, "Nothing going."
8:34am: One way or another, pitcher Roy Halladay can get some peace of mind about six hours from now when the trade deadline passes. Until then, it's rumor-mania. Yesterday night, things seemed to heat up with the Rangers, but Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi labeled trade talks "dead" in a general sense. Earlier in the day the Red Sox and Dodgers were considered the frontrunners.
This morning, SI's Jon Heyman tells us the Rangers "may have come the closest" to acquiring Halladay. Even more so than the Phillies? Heyman says the Rangers talks hit "a snag or two late Thursday," decreasing the chances for a trade.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday Night
1:04pm: Rosenthal and Morosi report that the Blue Jays are asking for Holland, Justin Smoak and two other prospects.
11:47pm: Heyman reports that the Rangers had a "pretty decent chance" to acquire Halladay today. With just over 15 hours to go, the Rangers' chances appear to have decreased in recent hours, Heyman says.
10:52pm: Sources tell Grant that the Rangers have asked the Jays to pay a significant amount of Halladay's 2009 salary in a potential trade. Ryan confirmed that the team would need ownership approval to make a trade for Halladay.
9:59pm: Rangers president Nolan Ryan told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that the Rangers are pursuing Roy Halladay, but says it's premature to predict whether a deal will happen.
Ryan confirmed to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that the Rangers have had discussions with the Jays "for awhile and there have been names talked about."
9:27pm: Ricciardi is "not saying definitively" that Halladay will remain a Blue Jay, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. However, the GM says it's looking more and more like Halladay will stay put.
9:23pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that, as of an hour ago, the Jays had no active talks about Halladay. The Dodgers approached the Jays yesterday, but the two sides aren't in the process of exchanging names.
8:38pm: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian hears that there's "nothing to" the reports that the Rangers are going hard after Halladay.
8:30pm: Evan Grant of D Magazine hears that talks between the Blue Jays and Rangers remain "very serious."
8:17pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman says "nothing seems hot" on the Halladay front, even though many executives would be surprised if the Jays' ace isn't playing for a different team by the weekend.
8:11pm: Sullivan hears indications that the Rangers are willing to take on the rest of Halladay's contract if they can agree on which players to send the Blue Jays. Vicente Padilla, Marlon Byrd and Hank Blalock are free agents after the season, so the Rangers could create space for Halladay's $15.75MM salary by letting the trio of veterans walk after the season.
6:40pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hear from a major league source who says the LA Times report below is "not accurate." However, FOX Sports hears that the Rangers have a legitimate chance of trading for Halladay.
6:22pm: So just how much do the Blue Jays want for Halladay? Marlins president David Samson told 790 The Ticket that J.P. Ricciardi wants "two left legs, a right arm and a left cerebellum" for Doc, according to the Miami Herald.
6:06pm: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan hears that the Rangers have "significant ongoing communications" with the Blue Jays. He also suggests that the Rangers won't let money prevent them from acquiring Halladay if they can do so for a reasonable price.
5:57pm: Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that the Dodgers and Blue Jays spent the afternoon "negotiating extensively" over Roy Halladay. Apparently talks aren't "dead" after all. The Dodgers would allow the Jays to get a "haul of prospects" but are trying to acquire Halladay without giving up Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley.
5:38pm: Here are the latest highlights from the incessant stream of Roy Halladay rumors. The Jays aren't talking actively with anyone. Not the Red Sox, not the Yankees, not the Rangers. The Dodgers acquired George Sherrill for a pair of minor leaguers, but they still have enough pieces to tempt the Jays. Like the Angels, they're focused on relievers now. GM J.P. Ricciardi says he has "nothing going on," but won't rule out a trade until the deadline is upon us. On to tonight's rumors:
- Ricciardi tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney what he told Jack Curry earlier today: talks are "dead," but the Jays would listen to offers for Doc.
ESPN On Qualls, Adrian Gonzalez, Mahay
11:19pm: Olney reports that the Padres and Red Sox had made very little progress in their discussions about Adrian Gonzalez as of 9pm CST.
4:19pm: In regard to the Qualls item below, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick has an update. His source says the D'Backs are "very unlikely" to trade their closer.
11:58am: All kinds of good stuff from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required and recommended).
- The big news: the Red Sox and Padres talked "at length" about an Adrian Gonzalez trade Wednesday night. Those discussions are expected to resume today; of course you can expect top prospects to be involved.
- On the D'Backs front, there has been interest in Doug Davis and Jon Garland. Jeff Wilson of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers have spoken to the D'Backs about a deal for starting pitching, but would probably have to unload salary (Hank Blalock?) first. A D'Backs scout took a look at Rangers reliever Guillermo Moscoso. However, Arizona is actually considering whether to extend Davis. Might make sense, with Brandon Webb going under the knife.
- Olney says there's momentum building toward a Chad Qualls trade, but the closer won't come cheap. Chad Tracy would be a fourth available D'Back, but Bob McManaman and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic feel that August trades are more likely for the club.
- The Royals would like to move the contract of southpaw reliever Ron Mahay (.274/.292/.468 against lefties). He's got about $1.5MM left.
- ESPN's Jayson Stark tosses in this nugget: the Marlins made a run at Roy Halladay but balked at an asking price that included Cameron Maybin and Mike Stanton.
Jarrod Washburn Rumors: Thursday
11:05pm: Executives from three teams that have spoken with the Mariners tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that they get the sense the Mariners won't move Washburn. The Mariners made a request earlier today, without asking for Hughes or Chamberlain, but the two sides haven't spoken since.
10:33pm: Heyman says the Yankees and Mariners are now "talking Washburn." The Yankees won't part with Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Austin Jackson, Austin Romine or Jesus Montero, but with those exceptions, Heyman says the M's have their pick of Yankees prospects.
9:05pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he expects the Mariners to hold onto Washburn.
8:05pm: Tyler Kepner of the New York Times reports that the Yankees are still talking to the Mariners about Washburn.
Talks with the Yankees are still in their early stages, according to Rosenthal and Morosi, and it's unclear whether the Mariners would actually move Washburn. The Tigers are interested and the Brewers could become involved again, according to FOX's sources.
3:26pm: ESPN's Buster Olney rejects the idea that the Ms asked for Chamberlain or Hughes.
2:19pm: SI's Jon Heyman says that in their initial conversation, the Mariners requested Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes for Washburn. That pair and other top Yankees prospects figure to be off limits, but Heyman still sees New York as the favorite. He notes that the Angels would have interest in bringing Washburn back, but the Mariners might balk at the same-division issue.
1:11pm: Ken Davidoff of Newsday says the Brewers are no longer in on Washburn. And the Rangers are seen as a long shot, say Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi at FOX Sports. According to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, about ten teams have called the Mariners on Washburn.
12:30pm: Lefty Jarrod Washburn would be one of the better available starters, should the Mariners decide to sell. Joel Sherman of the New York Post chatted with Ms GM Jack Zduriencik about the possibility. Jack Z's quote:
"I am not giving this guy away. He is a valuable piece to us. He shouldn't come cheap if he is moved. No one in the league is pitching better than (Washburn). So if we move him, we need to get good pieces. Because if we keep him he is a very, very good piece for us."
Sherman says the Yanks have checked in on Washburn but have not exchanged names. Unlike last year, the Yankees are reluctant to take on salary.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday
5:07pm: Ricciardi tells Ed Price of AOL FanHouse that he's not ruling out a trade. "We're waiting 'til 4 o'clock tomorrow," Ricciardi said.
4:23pm: Jack Curry of the New York Times has additional comments from Ricciardi on Halladay:
"We've got nothing going on. We expect him to be with us."
The Phillies are out, and the other suitors failed to wow Ricciardi.
3:19pm: Rosenthal and Morosi say the Dodgers have enough in their system to make a competitive offer for Halladay, even after acquiring Sherrill. And for Evan Grant's thoughts on the Rangers and Halladay, click here.
However, in another entry Rosenthal and Morosi talk to J.P. Ricciardi and label the Halladay sweepstakes "all but over." Ricciardi's comments indicate the same. Toronto's GM seems intent on keeping Scott Rolen, Marco Scutaro, and others if Doc stays.
2:23pm: Morosi says Halladay is looking unlikely for the Angels, who shot down a Toronto proposal that included Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar, and Brandon Wood.
The Halos are also looking for bullpen help, with names such as Heath Bell and George Sherrill in play (their offer for Mike Wuertz fell short).
1:26pm: Rosenthal and Morosi have a source saying things are "very quiet" on the Halladay front. Still, the Dodgers, Angels, Rangers, Rays, and Red Sox remain interested.
1:14pm: Yahoo's Tim Brown sees the Dodgers and Red Sox as the frontrunners for Doc in what is shaping up as a two-team race. Brown says the only Major Leaguer in the Dodgers' offer is James McDonald, while the Sox will part with Clay Buchholz, one of Justin Masterson, Michael Bowden, and Lars Anderson, and some lesser prospects. My guess is that the Red Sox find a way to get this done, given the quality they're already offering. ESPN's Jayson Stark says one Dodgers prospect who is off-limits is shortstop Devaris Gordon.
Meanwhile, Lynn Henning of the Detroit News says the Jays wanted Rick Porcello, Ryan Perry, and Casey Crosby from the Tigers for Halladay. Henning says the Tigers bowed out upon that request. Henning adds that the Tigers would consider adding Adam Dunn or Josh Willingham but the price is steep on the sluggers as well.
12:59pm: A Rosenthal/Morosi source with knowledge of the Jays' thinking discusses a package of Dodgers minor leaguers that could catch Toronto's attention in a Halladay deal.
12:21pm: Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal sees the Dodgers in the lead for Halladay, with the Rangers in the mix and talks with Boston calming down.
9:09am: Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe feels the chances of the Red Sox acquiring Halladay are "remote," and believes that Boston has yet to increase their initial offer for him. And in an earlier column, Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald said the Blue Jays and Red Sox have not been in contact over the last three days.
8:37am: SI's Jon Heyman says the Dodgers balked at the Blue Jays' asking price for Halladay and are moving on to Orioles closer George Sherrill. Check out yesterday's Sherrill info here.
Meanwhile, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun finds Halladay unlikely to be traded. ESPN's Buster Olney says there are "no active talks" at present.
7:55am: We'll start with a review of yesterday's Roy Halladay rumors. The Phillies acquired Cliff Lee instead, cutting into J.P. Ricciardi's leverage for Doc. Ricciardi now has the Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers, Dodgers, and possibly Angels and Rays to work with. The Blue Jays' GM is thinking about keeping Halladay for 2010, based on his comments to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. On to a few new links…
- Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi at FOX Sports say the Jays are not requiring the Dodgers to include Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley. Instead, they'd just take five or six of the team's top prospects.
- Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News say Ricciardi is trying to get the Yankees and Red Sox into a bidding war. Kind of cliche, J.P. The authors imply the Yanks may be more focused Jarrod Washburn, who obviously wouldn't require as big a bounty.
- Halladay's plan for today, according to Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer – lock himself in his hotel room. Might want to unplug the TV and disable the Internet. Doc is understandably drained from pitching last night amid all the rumors.