Adam Dunn Rumors
THURSDAY, 10:33am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Reds seek players such as Jeff Niemann and Jeremy Hellickson in a Dunn trade. Niemann probably could be had.
WEDNESDAY, 10:13pm: Finally, some Dunn rumors. ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Rays are talking with the Reds about Dunn, though he’s their Plan B to Jason Bay. I imagine Dunn would DH for the Rays.
9:25pm: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Diamondbacks offered Chad Tracy to the Reds for Adam Dunn. He says another NL team has also inquired on Dunn.
However, GM Walt Jocketty said a few hours ago he hadn’t talked to anyone about Dunn today.
Mets In Holding Pattern
8:39am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Mets have "kicked around" the idea of acquiring Ian Snell from the Pirates and using him in relief for the rest of the year. Snell is signed through 2010 with club options for ’11 and ’12. It’s tough to see the Bucs moving him, even in an off year.
8:13am: According to David Lennon of Newsday, the Mets are not finding a deal to their liking for a reliever or outfielder. They’ve put pretty much all of their good prospects off-limits – Fernando Martinez, Jon Niese, Eddie Kunz or Bobby Parnell.
Players such as Raul Ibanez, Brian Fuentes, George Sherrill, and J.J. Putz have all been on the radar. But the Mets just don’t like the prices. Lennon says they still might move Scott Schoeneweis though.
Marlins, Red Sox, Pirates Talking Manny Trade
12:03am: Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein believes the Pirates will end up with Stanton, Tucker, and Hermida.
11:21pm: Heyman says there’s some prospect haggling but the teams are optimistic a deal will get done. The Marlins and Red Sox seem certain to make a swap, while the Pirates are trying to enhance their part. They are still at risk of being replaced by another club.
Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe thinks a deal may be close, but not done. So we’ve got journalists on both sides of the fence, but everyone seems optimistic.
10:33pm: The Palm Beach Post says a tentative agreement has been reached, despite Gammons’ comments. Here’s the deal:
Marlins get: Manny Ramirez, cash, prospect from Red Sox
Red Sox get: Jason Bay, John Grabow
Pirates get: Ryan Tucker, Jeremy Hermida, one prospect from Red Sox, perhaps another prospect from Marlins
10:22pm: More from Gammons. The deal is definitely not done – the Bucs aren’t yet satisfied with the players they’d get from Boston for Bay. Nothing has been done in regards to Manny’s no-trade or paperwork to the Commissioner’s Office.
Gammons expects this to go right down to the wire.
10:11pm: Kovacevic believes Ryan Tucker might end up with the Pirates, though it’s tentative.
9:05pm: Gammons: talks will continue into Thursday. Good, it’ll give me something to do.
8:50pm: Will Carroll believes the Commissioner’s Office has been informed of a Red Sox-Pirates-Marlins trade even though the teams haven’t agreed on the prospects. Here’s how he sees it:
Marlins get Manny Ramirez, one prospect (BOS), and cash (likely Ramirez’s remaining salary)
Pirates get Jeremy Hermida and three prospects (two FLO, one BOS)
Red Sox get Jason Bay and John Grabow
8:48pm: Perrotto clarifies a bit – Grabow could go to Florida with Stanton joining the Pirates. Interestingly, the Pirates are still talking to the Rays about Bay.
8:29pm: Here’s the latest. MLB.com says we’re moving closer to the three-team deal. The Pirates could receive a minor leaguer from the Red Sox. Dejan Kovacevic says the Pirates would receive four or more prospects for Bay, as well as Hermida. John Grabow could end up in Boston or Florida. Perrotto says it could be expanded to have Jed Lowrie go to Pittsburgh and Jack Wilson to Boston. The Bucs also like Red Sox prospect Hunter Jones.
7:46pm: Rosenthal talked to a Marlins official who said there’s "no way" Stanton is in the deal. The Fish might want young players back if they’re giving up prospects.
7:33pm: Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe characterizes it as "strong interest" from the Marlins but not a done deal. Jon Heyman also has the Fish in the lead. Will Carroll has some kind of Bay/Marlins multiteam deal in the final stages. Jim Molony says the talks are real but a Manny to Florida deal is unlikely. Meanwhile, Manny keeps talking his way out of Boston.
7:23pm: Jayson Stark says the Red Sox are trying to get Stanton, Ryan Tucker, and one of Willingham/Hermida for Ramirez.
6:24pm: MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro is hearing about a three-way deal that would also send Jason Bay to the Red Sox. Hermida would wind up in Pittsburgh.
5:56pm: Baseball Prospectus’ John Perrotto has multiple baseball sources saying the Red Sox are on the verge of sending Ramirez to Florida for three players, including outfielder Mike Stanton. Dan Graziano says Hermida would be in this deal.
MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro said his baseball sources aren’t dismissing it.
5:31pm: The latest: Buster Olney says the Sox are in "serious conversations" with the Marlins about Ramirez. The Red Sox would kick in money and want three players back, one of whom would probably be Willingham or Hermida. Progress on this is said to be "slow," per Ken Rosenthal’s source.
3:24pm: Mike Berardino just can’t see the Manny-Marlins thing happening at all. The Marlins remained mum on the topic when Berardino asked, but he cited many reasons why it didn’t make sense. Also keep in mind that the Josh Willingham mention was speculation from Ken Rosenthal, not a rumor.
ESPN’s Jayson Stark agrees with others saying Manny is staying put. He notes that the rumors could resume into August due to Ramirez’s salary. Awesome!
11:22am: ESPN’s Andrew Marchand says the deadline for a Manny trade might be 3pm CST today, as he has to sign paperwork 24 hours prior to a deal to waive his no-trade rights. However, it is possible that Ramirez already signed away his no-trade rights for some teams.
9:31am: Ken Rosenthal says Manny is a longshot to be traded. As it was all along. Sounds like the Red Sox will decline his ’09 option.
8:24am: Late last night, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus had an interesting rumor:
One good source told me that he had heard that the Marlins were involved, willing to give up Jeremy Hermida and Boston-area product Jeff Allison, but I couldn’t confirm this. I just don’t see this deal getting done.
I imagine the Red Sox would be willing to eat all of Ramirez’s salary to get a player like Hermida. As Carroll said, it seems unlikely.
Jason Bay Rumors: Wednesday
8:37pm: Bay doesn’t seem to be on the Cardinals’ radar. However, talks continue with Tampa Bay according to John Perrotto. Bay could also end up in Boston in a three-team deal.
5:59pm: Jayson Stark reports that the Rays and Pirates haven’t had much dialogue today, and that talks have slowed. The Pirates have backed off just a bit, but may want to see what happens with Manny Ramirez in case they can get the Red Sox interested.
3:16pm: Kovacevic has more. Brignac and Jeff Niemann‘s names are coming up in the Tampa Bay talks. ESPN’s Jayson Stark heard the same, and adds that Hellickson, David Price, and Wade Davis are off-limits.
The Cardinals are in on Bay but not John Grabow. Kovacevic says Colby Rasmus is untouchable, making the Pirates lean toward the Rays. He adds that the Mets seem out of the running.
1:23pm: The Pirates and Rays are still talking, with the Cardinals lingering. Dejan Kovacevic says Reid Brignac and Jeremy Hellickson are on the Bucs’ radar.
12:30pm: Heyman talked to one NL source who puts the chances of a Bay trade at 50-50. The Pirates are looking around to see if they can beat the Rays’ offer.
11:13am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman checks in on Bay. He says the Rays are flirting, while the Mets, D’Backs, and Cardinals are also in the mix. ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Rays and Pirates are "talking constructively to bridge the gap." Rays manager Joe Maddon admits some "very interesting stuff" is on the table.
8:43am: According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are deep into talks with the Rays and other teams about left fielder Jason Bay. However, no "truly elite prospect" has been offered yet, and the chances are better than 50-50 that Bay stays. And who would move to right field for the Rays – Bay or Carl Crawford? The Braves are considered out of the mix.
Shortstop Jack Wilson seems likely to stay, while reliever John Grabow will probably be dealt.
Stark’s Latest: Aurilia, Fuentes, Orlando Cabrera
New collection of rumors from ESPN’s Jayson Stark…
- The Twins have asked the Giants about Rich Aurilia. They’ve been dangling Boof Bonser for a position player; would they trade him back to San Francisco for Aurilia?
- On the Phillies’ radar: John Grabow, Will Ohman, Arthur Rhodes, and Jack Taschner.
- A Brian Fuentes trade remains doubtful.
- The White Sox will trade Orlando Cabrera for the right pitcher. The Sox aren’t generating much interest in their prospects.
Rays Scouting Jayson Werth
Mike Tingle of ESPN 840 in Charlottesville spoke to Rays scout Mike Cubbage yesterday. Cubbage said that he plans to scout Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth, and that Werth may be available in the right deal. Werth, 29, is hitting .272/.358/.485 in 268 plate appearances (most of the damage done against lefties).
Additionally, the Rays offered a package of players for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte but the Bucs chose the Yankees’ offer. The Rays also looked at Jon Rauch previously, though he was not at the top of their list. And of course, the Rays would like to acquire Brian Fuentes.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Tuesday
9:55pm: Jayson Stark attempts to douse the Manny flames, getting denials (again) from the Dodgers and Phillies.
8:39pm: Ken Davidoff says the Teixeira deal makes a Manny trade more difficult, since that’s one less option for Boston to replace Ramirez’s bat. The Red Sox will keep trying nonetheless.
6:52pm: Jon Heyman says the Phillies might be the frontrunner for Manny. Ramirez will want his $20MM options eliminated upon a trade.
The Dodgers are also involved, with the Marlins surfacing as a longshot.
3:07pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Dodgers are not pursuing Ramirez or Teixeira. So, conflicting reports again. The Dodgers are also not interested in Adam Everett and unlikely to acquire Jack Wilson.
Joe Christensen agrees that Everett isn’t happening, and notes that the Dodgers once had Ronny Cedeno on their list.
2:36pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post has the Dodgers in the lead for Manny. The Red Sox would eat most or all of the $7MM remaining on Ramirez’s deal, and then receive a player like Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier. Such a deal would enable the Sox to enter the Mark Teixeira bidding.
Sherman also talked to one NL exec who believes the Dodgers might instead acquire Brian Roberts, pushing Jeff Kent into a utility role and leaving the shortstop problem unresolved.
1:05pm: Looks like Manny’s going to need his own post, after all. Earlier today, Dan Graziano said the Mets are still in on Ramirez despite the denials. Now SI.com’s Jon Heyman adds that the Dodgers are showing interest. The talks are still in their infancy, and keep in mind that the Dodgers do not want to add payroll.
Dodgers Inquire On Michael Young
From Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger:
The Dodgers continue to look everywhere for a shortstop, and tons of names have come up in connection with their search. They don’t seem likely to land the Pirates’ Jack Wilson, but they’re scouring other organizations for options, having touched base with Toronto about John McDonald, the Yankees about Alberto Gonzales, the Twins about Adam Everett and even the Rangers about Michael Young, though it’s unclear whether or why Young would be available.
Young is new to the discussion. The 31 year-old shortstop is hitting .298/.345/.421 in 469 plate appearances this year. He’s currently dealing with a fractured ring finger. His five-year, $80MM extension was signed in March of ’07 but doesn’t kick in until next year. Even if the Rangers would listen on Young, could the Dodgers take on such a contract?
Pirates Rumors: Grabow, Bay, Wilson
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the latest Pirates buzz.
- Lefty John Grabow is drawing interest from the Rays, Cardinals, Phillies, Red Sox, and Angels. Grabow gave up a couple of homers in his last outing; he missed time earlier this month with arm fatigue. The 29 year-old southpaw is under team control through ’09.
- Calls are still coming in on Jason Bay and Jack Wilson, though the Rays are backing off on Bay. Kovacevic says the Red Sox might provide competition for the Dodgers in the Wilson sweepstakes. The Bucs interestingly called up shortstop Brian Bixler when Adam LaRoche hit the DL, but that simply may be to cover for an ailing Freddy Sanchez at second base.
- Nothing to yesterday’s MLB.com report of Pirates’ ownership nixing a Bay-to-Atlanta deal.
Marlins Looking For Catcher, Reliever
The NL East is a three-team race, with the Mets, Phillies, and Marlins all within a game of each other. Who’d have thought the Marlins would be contending after trading Miguel Cabrera?
According to Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins have intensified their search for a catcher. The targets: Bengie Molina, Ramon Hernandez, Gerald Laird, and Ryan Doumit. Molina and Hernandez are the pricey options. Doumit would be especially tough to pry loose; he has a .937 OPS this year as a 27 year-old.
MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro wonders if Miguel Olivo, Gregg Zaun, and Paul Lo Duca could also enter the mix. He says it could even be a three-way possibility where the Jays acquire Olivo and move him to Florida.
The Marlins are also hunting for a lefty reliever, with Arthur Rhodes, Jack Taschner, John Grabow, Eddie Guardado, George Sherrill, Will Ohman, and Alan Embree all considered candidates. Dejan Kovacevic rattled off five suitors for Grabow this morning, the Marlins not among them. Also, the Marlins’ interest in Guardado is light. The Giants and Mariners both scouted the Marlins recently, and Berardino wonders if Mike Jacobs would interest them.
Berardino says acquiring a catcher and reliever in one trade would be ideal. The one Marlins minor leaguer considered off-limits is Sean West.