Cubs Interested In Gerald Laird?
According to Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus, the Cubs have asked for their scouts’ evaluation of Texas catcher Gerald Laird. Laird, 27, has been a disappointment at the plate this year (.237/.296/.353). On the other hand, he’s second in baseball with a 40.8% caught stealing rate (Dave Ross is first).
A Laird acquisition would indicate a lack of faith in Jason Kendall, so it seems unlikely. The Cubs will probably give Kendall a fair shake. Laird would probably only become available if the Rangers acquired Jarrod Saltalamacchia first, anyway.
Hey, Cubs! Give Geovany Soto an extended look! He’s not too bad.
Braves Make Offer For Teixeira
According to Ken Rosenthal’s sources, the Braves have made an offer to the Rangers for Mark Teixeira: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison, and Elvis Andrus. That’s without any relievers coming back to Atlanta. That’s three young players all with a chance to become above-average big league regulars. You couldn’t really criticize Daniels for it, no matter how it turned out.
The only other major player seems to be the Angels. The Halos recently tweaked their original offer of Casey Kotchman plus Nathan Haynes or Terry Evans. There’s now a pitcher in the mix, apparently one of Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, or Nick Adenhart. I’d consider this a comparable offer, especially if Adenhart was the one.
The Dodgers aren’t out of it, but I don’t see them getting Teixeira.
Heyman’s Latest: Teixeira, Otsuka
Jon Heyman of SI.com has been working the phone lines; here are some notable rumors from his latest column.
- The Braves seemed fairly close to a Mark Teixeira trade yesterday, but the Angels are definitely knee deep in it. They’ll make a solid offer including Casey Kotchman, Ervin Santana, and Major League player. Adam Dunn remains Plan B.
- Heyman says there’s speculation that Akinori Otsuka could need Tommy John surgery, which might compel the Rangers to sign Eric Gagne and/or keep Joaquin Benoit.
- Refresher on Gagne’s 12-team allowable list can be found here. Gagne must consent to a trade to Detroit, and it seems the Rangers asked for Cameron Maybin. Not gonna happen. The Yankees appear to be out on Gagne because he wants to close. I’m skeptical – he wouldn’t pitch as a setup man if they guaranteed his entire contract?
- Seems the Yanks entertained a Morgan Ensberg acquisition. They would’ve used him at first base. Joe Torre nixed the idea because Ensberg hasn’t hit for a long time.
- Heyman’s top five available starters are Matt Morris, Livan Hernandez, Jose Contreras, Jason Jennings, and Kyle Lohse, in that order. That ranking is reasonable. A Jon Garland, Noah Lowry, or Joe Blanton would easily jump to that top of the list if made available.
Mark Teixeira Trade Update
The Mark Teixeira talks are really heating up, with the Braves, Dodgers, Angels, Yankees, and Red Sox all involved. Ken Rosenthal has updated this column, and Evan Grant has new info as well.
The Braves still appear to be in front. The names going to Texas would include Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, and one of Matt Harrison or Kyle Davies. A very nice package, but to get three solid prospects the Rangers would have to pair Teixeira with a reliever. The Braves have their eye on Eric Gagne, C.J. Wilson, and Ron Mahay, with the latter most likely. It’s unclear whether Gagne can be traded to the Braves without his consent.
The Dodgers counter with James Loney, Andre Ethier, and a pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw.
The Angels will give Casey Kotchman as well an outfielder like Terry Evans or Nate Haynes. Kevin Goldstein considers Evans a prospect, Haynes not so much (he turns 27 soon). You may remember the Angels got Evans for Jeff Weaver last year. Rosenthal thinks the Halos will have a tougher time being a division foe, and could turn to Adam Dunn or Jermaine Dye. There’s definitely a Dodgers rivalry element in play as well.
Grant does not mention the Red Sox or Yankees. Rosenthal sees the Red Sox involved because of David Ortiz‘s knee and Kevin Youkilis‘s slump. The Yanks appear to be showing just their obligatory interest, as they seem unlikely to offer the best package.
Mark Teixeira Update; Halos After Konerko?
Here’s the latest on Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira as well as a new one involving Paul Konerko.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News expects Teixeira to be traded. He seems to think that Jon Daniels can convince John Schuerholz to give up Jarrod Saltalamacchia and a pitching prospect for Teixeira. Meanwhile, Mark Bowman of MLB.com confirms discussions are in progress and believes Salty is pretty much a necessity in the deal. Buster Olney considers the Braves and Yankees as the only real serious suitors for Tex. Olney’s sources make a Teixeira trade seem quite likely.
- Will Carroll doesn’t think the Rangers would be getting enough for Teixeira in Salty, Elvis Andrus, and a pitching prospect.
- Grant sees the Dodgers as less likely due to the fine play of James Loney.
- Interestingly, the Angels may have switched gears to Paul Konerko. There’s that big, fresh name I was hoping to see. The Angels tried hard to sign Konerko after the 2005 season. He had been viewed as Chicago’s most stable position player entering 2008. He has a limited no-trade clause, but Peter Yoon and Mike DiGiovanna think he would waive it to come to L.A. The market has changed since November of 2005, and $12MM annually for Konerko seems like a bargain. He’s locked in through 2010, and his salary would not top Vlad’s (said to be a concern of Arte Moreno when considering A-Rod). No doubt it would take at least two of the Angels’ best young players – Casey Kotchman and Nick Adenhart?
- A couple of ESPN baseball guys have differing viewpoints on Konerko’s availability – Buster Olney thinks he can be had, while Jayson Stark would be shocked to see him traded. Will Carroll sides with Stark on the issue.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times states something many of us have already deduced: the Yankees can’t acquire Teixeira if they insist on keeping both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. And keeping that pair seems to be the plan.
- The Boston Globe says the Red Sox are one of five or six teams in on Teixeira. Amalie Benjamin doesn’t offer any further information though.
Teixeira Talk Heating Up
UPDATE: Jon Heyman of SI.com has a nice rundown of the Teixeira suitors. His sources seem to indicate that the chances of a trade are now better than Rosenthal’s 50/50. Good point raised by Heyman and many commenters – even if the Braves wanted to trade Escobar, the Rangers don’t really have a need for a middle infielder.
UPDATE 2: Jim Molony of MLB.com says the Red Sox are the frontrunner. The Rangers have scouted all of their major pitching prospects.
Ken Rosenthal has the latest on Mark Teixeira, who is now 50/50 to be dealt according to one source of his.
Rosenthal describes the scene as the Braves and Angels at the forefront, with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Giants lingering. Evan Grant adds the Dodgers to the mix. He also suggests the Rangers package Joaquin Benoit with Teixeira to get the best possible player. Interestingly, the Yanks might be after Adam Dunn as another first base option. They may have to focus on Dunn, because Jon Daniels is demanding Joba Chamberlain for Teixeira.
The Braves were really trying to shake things up; they would’ve done the Jon Garland for Edgar Renteria deal in tandem with a Teixeira acquisition. The Garland proposal has been rejected, but Teixeira is very much alive. Rosenthal describes the Braves as unwilling to trade Yunel Escobar and reluctant to trade Jarrod Saltalamacchia. In my opinion, Salty is the more valuable player. To me, Escobar for Teixeira is the right move.
I recently talked to ESPN’s Keith Law about Escobar. He told me the glove is there to play shortstop, but he worries about the bat. Based on observation, Law could see Escobar developing into a .300 hitter with little power.
Phillies Scouting Rangers?
Another one of those scouting guessing games: Peter Gammons mentioned on Friday that Phillies GM Pat Gillick and assistant GM Mike Arbuckle were at the Indians-Rangers game on Thursday. Here’s the box score.
A reasonable guess would be that the Phillies’ execs were scouting the Rangers. I imagine they were disappointed, as Joaquin Benoit did not pitch. He would be a reasonable target and useful addition for Philly.
Other possibilities? Starting pitcher Kameron Loe probably isn’t available, and the Phils don’t have much use for Kenny Lofton or Mark Teixeira. Other trade candidates who appeared in the game include Sammy Sosa, Brad Wilkerson, Ron Mahay, and Frank Francisco. Sosa is being shopped as a lefty-masher, but the Phillies are third in the league in OPS vs. southpaws. Wilkerson doesn’t seem like a great fit either. If anyone, it seems the Phillies had their eye on Francisco and Mahay as bullpen additions. Trade deadline fever: catch it!
Rockies Hunting For Relief Help
Playoff odds reports put the Rockies’ chances at 6-8% currently, but they still view themselves as buyers. After all, they’re still just 4.5 games out of the Wild Card and 5.5 games out in the NL West.
Though a crude metric, the Rockies’ bullpen currently ranks 12th in the NL with a 4.42 ERA. Among contenders in the league, only Philadelphia has been worse. Brian Fuentes seems at least another week or two from returning. According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd has been burning up the phone lines looking for a reliever. Renck says the Rockies have inquired on Jon Rauch, Chad Cordero, Akinori Otsuka, Julian Tavarez, and Manny Delcarmen.
Of that list, only Rauch or Cordero are clearly available and would help the team. Otsuka is hurt, Delcarmen is cheap and an essential part of the Boston bullpen, and Tavarez isn’t a great pitcher. However, both Rauch and Cordero are flyball pitchers and may not succeed at Coors Field. Given the high price for either, the Rockies don’t have any attractive options.
Joel Sherman’s Ten Trade Candidates
Joel Sherman of the New York Post has an article today regarding ten veterans who may be traded this month. He’s packed the column full of insider info beyond the ten players highlighted; check it out.
- Mark Teixeira is now more likely to be dealt than Eric Gagne. Sherman sees the Angels as perhaps the best possibility here; they’d have to include Casey Kotchman. I imagine Ervin Santana‘s stock is down far enough that the Rangers would not settle for the two.
- The Indians appear to be out on Gagne but the Tigers still make sense for all parties. Would Todd Jones graciously step down from his closer post? Detroit’s bullpen has actually been doing well lately.
- The Royals want a righthanded-hitting center fielder in return for Octavio Dotel. Now that’s a tall order. Sherman names Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez as two who fit the bill, but such a trade would require young talent like Zack Greinke coming back to the Mets. Just speculating, but Melky Cabrera and Reggie Willits also fit the Royals’ need.
- Apparently the Mariners and Braves are "very interested’ in Dmitri Young. That’s the first I’ve heard of a team besides Atlanta inquiring.
- Oddly, the Devil Rays appear to have some interest in Kyle Farnsworth if the money can be worked out. They like Scott Proctor as well, so keep an eye on that Ty Wigginton rumor. Sherman mentions that the market is heavy with available role players, so look for a lot of boring deals with that type of player. Just kidding, trade rumors are never boring. Sherman tosses out Tadahito Iguchi to the Padres; that’s a fresh one.
- Sherman runs down all of the available relievers we already know about. Throw Kiko Calero in there as a new name.
New Plan: Extension For Gagne
The Rangers are throwing trade rumor junkies a curveball – they’re now thinking about hanging onto Eric Gagne and signing him to a contract extension. This development may be related to the limited trade options for the rejuvenated closer.
Keep in mind that the extension talk may just be lip service. As a Scott Boras client, wouldn’t the oft-injured Gagne require a good three years, $36MM guaranteed? That’s my guess. That would be very risky. Assuming Mariano Rivera remains a Yankee, Francisco Cordero will be the only free agent closer near Gagne’s level. Nice timing for Coco, by the way.
I’m still learning how the Elias Bureau determines its free agent classifications. My guess is that Gagne would not earn the Type A designation because he missed most of last year. I’ll have to confirm that. If I’m correct, the Rangers wouldn’t be able to collect much in the way of draft picks if Gagne walks.
Evan Grant also notes that Joaquin Benoit has moven to the forefront as the Ranger reliever must likely to be dealt. Akinori Otsuka‘s injury may prevent him from full re-establishing his value by July 31st. Benoit will not become a free agent until after 2008, and he’s in the midst of a career year after rediscovering his control. The Dodgers and Brewers may be interested. L.A. could get desperate if Takashi Saito‘s injury is serious, although it does not appear to be. On the other hand, it’s certainly in Ned Colletti’s best interest to downplay the injury. For the Brew Crew, Benoit could slide into the closer role in 2008 if they allow Cordero to leave.
Grant adds that the Rangers and Dodgers have had slow-moving talks about Mark Teixeira, and that the Braves were scouting the game on Friday as well. The Braves could’ve been looking at relievers though.
One final note: contrary to a previous report, Grant says Kenny Lofton is drawing significant interest from the Tribe. Lofton’s agent has heard the rumor as well. Kenny implied yesterday that he’d play a corner outfield position if need be.