Gagne’s List
We know Rangers closer Eric Gagne has some kind of no-trade protection in his contract, but further details were unknown. Jon Heyman of SI.com recently clarified a bit.
Apparently Gagne has given the Rangers a list of 12 teams he can be traded to. Heyman says that almost all of those allowable 12 are not in contention or would have no motivation to trade for him. Heyman also believes that the Tigers, Indians, and Phillies are not among the 12 allowable teams. So if one of those wants Gagne, they’ll need his approval and his salary will escalate.
Meanwhile, Bill Madden of the New York Daily News speculates that Lou Piniella might urge Jim Hendry to acquire Gagne to solidify the Cubs’ bullpen.
Rosenthal’s Latest Video
Ken Rosenthal has a new video up at FOXSports.com for your viewing pleasure. My summary:
- As you know, Eric Gagne and Akinori Otsuka are drawing strong interest across baseball. The only team named by Rosenthal is the Yankees, and in a roundabout way. He simply said that the Rangers have been scouting the Yanks.
- Both the Dodgers and Angels would love to add a power-hitting third baseman. The problem is, there’s not much about there. Rosenthal says Troy Glaus, Mike Lowell, and Miguel Cabrera are all currently unavailable. One who might become available and could play third is Miguel Tejada. My own speculation on some possible second-tier trade candidates at third base (some long shots included): Jose Bautista, Mark Reynolds, Chad Tracy, Ty Wigginton, Melvin Mora, and Wilson Betemit.
- Michael Barrett could be on his way out of Chicago, mostly because of his defense. Rosenthal names the Marlins and Rockies as interested parties.
What Might Have Been: Clemens Almost Joined Rangers
Jamey Newberg looks back with a very interesting article for MLB.com. I wasn’t aware of any of this.
Apparently back in 1999, the Rangers almost traded talented young center fielder Ruben Mateo to the Blue Jays as part of a package for Roger Clemens. Newberg examines how all the related dominoes fell for Texas; it’s a good read. The main players, Jim Bowden and Doug Melvin, are of course still wheeling and dealing today.
Rosenthal’s Latest
The authority on all trade rumors, Ken Rosenthal has spoken. Let’s review.
- As we have heard before, the Dodgers like Adam Dunn. We’ve also discussed the fact that there’s not a clear place to put him. Whether you go with first base or left field, a veteran must move. The Padres like Dunn as well but talks have yet to occur. The Angels may have liked him in the past but they don’t seem likely at this point. And the Twins? They just won’t break the bank for him unfortunately.
- With Michael Barrett having issues with 40% of the Cubs’ rotation, the Cubs could look to trade him. Even though he’s a top offensive catcher, his impending free agency might prevent any strong return. Plus, the Cubs would have to go with a Henry Blanco/Koyie Hill tandem. A more likely scenario is that the Cubs will let Barrett walk after the season.
- Finally some clarity on Eric Gagne‘s limited no-trade protection. Rosenthal reveals that he can veto trades to 12 teams. The Phillies and Indians are again mentioned as suitors. Rosenthal thinks Mark Teixeira could generate a lot of talk but no action at the trading deadline. Kind of like Alfonso Soriano or A.J. Burnett before him.
- The asking price for Brad Lidge, supposedly: a premium young catcher and promising young pitcher. Lidge will probably earn $8MM next year before hitting free agency. The Astros should be happy with a young catcher or a young pitcher, not both. I’d mention Salty here but I think he is worth much more than Lidge. Rosenthal says the Astros could move another bullpen arm like Wheeler or Qualls to get the bat they need.
- Could the Devil Rays simply retain Al Reyes and Carlos Pena? Both players could be valuable contributors to the 2008 club. I like the idea of keeping Reyes around for next year, but I think Pena has peaked.
- Noah Lowry would get the attention of the Braves or Cardinals, but the Giants are unlikely to move him.
- The Phils are likely to pass on Tomo Ohka despite their need for pitching.
Indians Interested In Eric Gagne
According to Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal, Mark Shapiro and the Indians are likely to make a move to acquire a reliever sometime this summer. Patience with guys like Roberto Hernandez (5.87 ERA) and Fernando Cabrera (5.40 ERA) is wearing thin.
Ocker says the Indians are interested in Rangers closer Eric Gagne. Gagne has been dominant in his 15 innings, allowing just a single run. His control has been a little off, but it’s a small sample yet. Gagne has been handled carefully, spending some time on the DL and only pitching back-to-back days twice. If the Rangers can keep him healthy for another month or so, some team is going to ignore the health risk and give them a decent player for him. Gagne does have "no-trade protection," whatever that means.
Other candidates named for the Tribe include David Riske, Tom Martin, Shawn Chacon, Jason Isringhausen, Al Reyes, and Akinori Otsuka. The latter three are the potential difference-makers. Ocker says Adam Miller isn’t going anywhere, but few other prospects will be deemed untouchable. I still doubt any team could pry Jeremy Sowers loose for a reliever. I’m no prospect guru, but I imagine guys like Brian Barton and Chuck Lofgren (both at Double A) could be attractive trading chips. Outfielders Franklin Gutierrez and Shin-Soo Choo could be available also.
Stark’s Latest
Jayson Stark has an assessment of the trade market over at ESPN.com.
- Aside from the usual Mark Teixeira/Eric Gagne mentions, Stark believes many Rangers may be headed out at the trading deadline. Specifically, he names Brad Wilkerson, Kenny Lofton, and Sammy Sosa. Lofton is always a good midseason mercenary. He’s like a Mike Stanton in that way.
- Ken Griffey Jr. would approve a trade to Atlanta and might consider certain other teams. Junior is making $12.5MM this year and next, plus a $4MM buyout for ’09. Quite a bit of the contract is deferred, also. $29MM over 2007-08 is still pretty steep, but now would be the right time to trade Griffey.
- Nationals – still asking too much for Chad Cordero. Bowden’s got time to wait around for the right deal, I suppose.
- Best option for Todd Helton still appears to be the Angels, in Stark’s mind. That does not seem workable to me, because Casey Kotchman has broken out and Vlad needs access to the DH spot.
- Speaking of DHs, this might finally be the year Mike Sweeney gets traded and gets to play for a contender. If he heats up, maybe the Twins could snag him.
- Michael Bourn could be a trade candidate, if the Phillies decide he’s only a future fourth outfielder. Probably makes sense to keep him around if Aaron Rowand is going to walk after this season.
- The Astros are buyers, and they have all sorts of needs. A young catcher would be nice, but those are always in short supply.
- Speaking of young catchers, Jarrod Saltalamacchia has received interest but the Braves are not biting. A lot hinges on Scott Thorman‘s performance and, of course, which young player the Braves are offered for Salty. Most teams would love to have him.
The Latest on Teixiera
As the Rangers fall further and further out of the AL West race, the rumors about Mark Teixiera keep coming up. But Jon Daniels says he’s not making any calls, though he expects to get plenty. Tex would be an upgrade for an awful lot of teams, but the most obvious one is the Yankees, who have both Jason Giambi and Doug Mientkiewicz on the disabled list.
Another interesting destination could be Detroit, where first base duties are being shared by the unimpressive Sean Casey and the underwhelming Marcus Thames. Better yet, the Tigers are stacked with young pitching, so there’s no doubt they have the ammo to get a deal done.
By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball
Tigers Trade Rumors
Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press has the trade chatter surrounding the Tigers.
The first issue is the bullpen, which is having all sorts of problems. Joel Zumaya is out for three months after finger surgery, Fernando Rodney has been on the DL with biceps tendinitis, Jose Mesa predictably bombed, and Todd Jones has struggled recently. Logically, the Tigers are scouring the trade market for relief pitching. They still might sign Troy Percival. The main competition there seems to be the Phillies. Morosi also indicates that a trade could be worked out with the Rangers for Eric Gagne or Akinori Otsuka. Peter Gammons confirms Gagne’s availability, and also mentions Al Reyes as a trade candidate.
Last December, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski showed interest in Renyel Pinto of the Marlins and C.J. Wilson and Ron Mahay of the Rangers. That was back when the need was though to be a lefty specialist rather than just relievers in general.
One expendable player for the Tigers might be 29 year-old southpaw Mike Maroth. The Tigers were offering him up in December but couldn’t find a deal. Maroth had surgery a year ago to remove bone chips from his elbow, and was never right in ’06. While he’s made all his starts this year, Maroth isn’t pitching like he did from 2003-05. This year, his K rate is down even further, his control is off, and he’s allowed an unacceptable number of home runs (15 in 61 innings). Morosi confirms Maroth’s availability via an NL exec. The return of Kenny Rogers later this month may push him out of the rotation.
Maroth makes $2.95MM this year and then will be eligible for arbitration afterwards. He’ll become a free agent after the 2008 season. He alone probably won’t bring a useful reliever, but could be part of a larger deal.
Rangers Pursued Bonds
Fairly odd story about Barry Bonds‘s rich friends in USA Today yesterday. I suppose it’s not a bad thing to see a positive angle for a much-maligned player.
There was one interesting, rumor-related part – Bonds was close to signing with a mystery club last winter, and it was the Rangers. Maybe this kind of "outside the box" thinking by Jon Daniels could result in a trade for Jason Giambi, or comebacks for Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez. Let’s be honest – teams only care about steroid use to the extent that it gives them bad PR or wasted dollars. I forget where I read it but it does seem strange that Sammy Sosa‘s 600th home run is being viewed in a positive light but Barry’s quest for 756 is the opposite. If Sammy passes Willie Mays in two or three more years, will baseball celebrate?
Anyway, back to the Rangers rumor. I vaguely remember the Bonds/Mystery Team thing last winter, but thought it was made up by his agent. We got swept up in the Mystery Team phenomenon with studs like Steve Trachsel and Tomo Ohka last winter as well. In the past two years, we have heard such teams as the Padres, A’s, and Cardinals connected to Bonds. The Cards seemed like the Mystery Team for a few hours, but Walt Jocketty quickly denied it.
More Teixeira Talk
It seems that the hot topic this summer will be Mark Teixeira and a possible trade. This could end up another Alfonso Soriano/A.J. Burnett situation, where there’s tons of words wasted but no deal.
Buster Olney believes the Rangers will get some "tepid offers," with no team willing to pony up top prospects. He also mentions that the Yankees have little to no interest in getting involved. Though I think that could change if Brian Cashman is pushed out of power.
Teixeira makes $9MM this year, and could make $14MM or so in arbitration for 2008. As a Boras client, you know he’ll hit the open market after that. So if you trade for him, you’re basically getting 1.7 seasons of Teixeira for $20MM or so.
He’s an above average hitter, no one can argue that. An average first baseman will post an .800 OPS, while Teixeira should be around .900. The Tigers, Braves, Dodgers, and Orioles are all contenders with a weakness at first base. Maybe no one is shelling out two top shelf prospects/young players, but some team should at least come up with one. I still like a Daniel Cabrera for Teixeira swap. Cabrera, while young and inconsistent, keeps the ball on the ground and at least has the potential of bringing fair value. His 2007 walk rate, while still a problem, is easily the best of his career.
Not sure if the Braves would give up Salty for Tex, but I imagine Jon Daniels would be receptive. The Dodgers could give up one solid guy, maybe a James Loney. The Tigers might be able to solve their problem simply by playing Marcus Thames at first every day. Who says he can’t post an .850 OPS?