Brian Giles Claimed By Red Sox
4:34pm: Tom Krasovic has further musings on the Giles situation. He wonders if the Red Sox could rent Giles for the rest of the season and then let him go back to the Padres as a free agent.
THURSDAY, 11:06am: Interestingly, the Red Sox won the claim on Giles. Their intent was to block the Rays, according to Ken Rosenthal. Giles can veto a trade to Boston, and he might simply because his playing time could be reduced. Also, I have learned that Giles would still be able to veto a straight salary dump. The Padres can’t use this situation to sneak around Giles’ no-trade clause.
Boston winning the claim means all NL teams passed on Giles, as well as most AL teams.
WEDNESDAY: According to Ken Rosenthal, Padres right fielder Brian Giles was claimed on waivers by an unknown team. Giles has about $2.7MM left on his contract this year. He also has a $9MM option for ’09 with a $3MM buyout (which logically should be exercised). Giles gets another $2MM if traded. Rosenthal adds that Giles can block deals to the Orioles, Red Sox, Tigers, Rays, Marlins, Brewers, Pirates, and Nationals.
Rosenthal says the Padres will attempt to make a deal with the claiming team, though it won’t be a salary dump. Giles, 37, is hitting .318/.405/.438 away from PETCO this year. Not too many players are capable of a .400 OBP.
Odds and Ends: McLouth, Doumit, Eyre, Bradley
Here’s today’s link roundup.
- Nate Silver of Baseball Prospectus rates the best remaining fits for Barry Bonds. The Angels come out on top.
- The Mets seem pessimistic about Ryan Church returning this season.
- MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo has the latest buzz on the unsigned draft picks.
- The Astros dug up a pitcher in the independent leagues who is said to touch 100 mph. He’s a 21 year-old righty named Jack Tilghman.
- The Pirates plan to offer long-term contracts to Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit.
- Sean McAdam says the Red Sox still have some interest in Scott Eyre.
- Dave Cameron can’t figure out what kind of contract Milton Bradley will get. Did you realize Bradley leads the American League in both OBP and SLG?
- Patrick Newman ranks Hitoki Iwase, Kenshin Kawakami, and Koji Uehara as MLB prospects.
Freddy Garcia Rumors: Thursday
Here’s a fresh thread for Freddy Garcia rumors. The 32 year-old was scouted by about half the teams in baseball this week.
- Sean McAdam characterizes Boston’s interest as minimal.
- The Phillies will pass, but might consider him for ’09.
- The Yankees have more interest than the Mets. Ken Davidoff’s sources are divided on whether Garcia can help this year.
- Danny Knobler quotes Garcia’s agent as saying that the pitcher could keep working with an eye on ’09 if interest is not sufficient now.
At Least 15 Teams Watched Freddy Garcia
9:13pm: Additional teams confirmed in attendance: the Red Sox, Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers, Marlins, and White Sox. Garcia’s agent says he’d like to sign by this weekend, and plans to sign only for ’08. Troy Renck says the Rockies are a long shot now that they’ve added Livan Hernandez.
WEDNESDAY, 9:28am: Surprisingly, the Phillies were in attendance at Garcia’s audition yesterday. David Murphy finds the idea intriguing, but says the Phils don’t have major interest. The Phillies traded Gavin Floyd to the White Sox for Garcia in December of ’06, but he only gave them 11 starts while earning $10MM.
Also confirmed at the audition: the Tigers, Yankees, Mets, Rays, Rockies, Astros, and Rangers. MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez thinks the Rangers might be the most interested party.
TUESDAY: Today’s the big day…free agent Freddy Garcia will audition for teams in Miami. He’s recovering from labrum surgery.
We’ve compiled reports over the past few months. Teams interested in Garcia at one point: the Mets, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, White Sox, Rangers, Tigers, Rays, Astros, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, Twins, Indians, Mariners, and Royals. That’s 16 of 30 teams, though the non-contenders may have dropped out.
Garcia’s friend and former manager Ozzie Guillen doubted the pitcher’s ability to contribute at the big league level this year. Garcia was upset by the comments.
Scott Eyre Designated; Red Sox Interested
WEDNESDAY: According to Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal, the Red Sox still have interest in Eyre. Scott Lauber figures the Phillies are likely to inquire as well.
TUESDAY: To make room for closer Kerry Wood, the Cubs designated lefty reliever Scott Eyre for assignment today. Eyre, 36, posted a 7.15 ERA in 11.1 innings with the Cubs this year. He spent time on the DL with elbow and groin problems. Eyre actually had a nice run in the second half last year as well as May this year.
Eyre still has about $1.15MM left on his contract. Perhaps teams like the Red Sox and Phillies will inquire and the Cubs won’t have to assume all of his salary.
Odds and Ends: Bay, Clement, Fuentes, Cabrera
We’ve got plenty of links today.
- There is speculation that Andruw Jones could be sent back to the minors.
- Joel Sherman wonders if MLB should’ve gotten involved when Manny Ramirez decided to orchestrate his own exit. Kind of reminds me of Gary Sheffield intentionally botching plays to force a trade out of Milwaukee in ’92.
- Gordon Edes stands by his report that Manny pledged to give full effort if the Red Sox dropped his options. That phone call between Scott Boras and Theo Epstein occurred within an hour of his trade to the Dodgers.
- Jon Heyman takes us inside the Manny trade. He says Ramirez signed an agreement in advance that he’d accept a trade to any team if his options were dropped. Heyman believes Omar Minaya fibbed in saying he had failed trade discussions with Boston.
- The Red Sox are still waiting to hear whether Joe Borowski will accept their offer of a minor league deal.
- Dejan Kovacevic gives as inside look at the Jason Bay trade talks here and here. Did the Rays offer Reid Brignac and Jeff Niemann? Reports are conflicting.
- The Cardinals released Matt Clement on Saturday. Let this serve as another reminder of how hard it is to come back from shoulder surgery.
- The Cardinals weren’t willing to trade catching prospect Bryan Anderson plus a pitching prospect for Brian Fuentes. Also, GM John Mozeliak confirmed failed talks for Bay.
- RotoAuthority takes a look at young pitchers who may face innings caps this year.
- Another failed deal: Orlando Cabrera to the Orioles in a Brian Roberts deal.
- Geoff Baker believes that when inside information related to the Blue Jays leaks out, GM J.P. Ricciardi is likely responsible.
- Please continue to email me if you see a pop-up or full-page ad on MLB Trade Rumors.
Marlins Explored Flipping Manny To Yankees
Obviously the Red Sox and Yankees never would’ve worked out a trade for Manny Ramirez. However, CBSSports.com’s Scott Miller says the Marlins briefly explored the idea of acquiring Ramirez and flipping him to the Yankees. The idea didn’t get anywhere – neither the Yankees nor Scott Boras were having it.
Miller also talked to "a person close to Ramirez" who says he wouldn’t have accepted a trade to the Marlins due to their "big ballpark and unstable ownership." Miller suggests the Marlins were never actually close to obtaining Ramirez, despite the various reports floating around Wednesday night.
Jon Heyman wrote Thursday morning that Ramirez consented to a trade to the Marlins though a deal had not been reached. So we’ve got conflicting reports on his willingness to play there. Heyman believes the Marlins overplayed their hand, asking for the $7MM to cover Manny’s salary plus $2MM to pay for the resulting draft picks.
Week in Review: 7/27 – 8/2
We saw the non-waiver trade deadline come and go this week, and plenty of action to go along with it. Let’s recap the big moves of the week:
- The Dodgers, Pirates, and Red Sox completed a three-team, blockbuster trade that sent Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles, Jason Bay to Boston, and Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen, and Brandon Moss to Pittsburgh. The Pirates got a pretty nice haul, and while Bay won’t necessarily replace Manny’s production, he’s much more affordable, signed through ’09, and doesn’t disrupt the clubhouse. The Dodgers add the big bat they need for a push in the NL West, though are now overloaded with overpaid outfielders. All in all, I don’t think any team made a bad deal in this one.
- The Angels made a big move in adding Mark Teixeira to their lineup, sending Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek to Atlanta in exchange. The Angels didn’t need help at the time – they’re running away with the AL West – but this move will undoubtedly be significant in the postseason. Great boost to the Halos’ lineup.
- The White Sox and Reds completed a trade that sent Ken Griffey Jr. to Chicago in exchange for Nick Masset and Danny Richar. I don’t understand this trade from the Sox perspective. Griffey was only hitting .245 at the time of the trade, and his range in center field isn’t close to what it once was. Still, he’s a presence in both the lineup and the clubhouse. Will playing for a contender rejuvenate him?
- The Yankees acquired future hall-of-famer Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers in exchange for Kyle Farnsworth. With Jorge Posada out for the season, New York did a good job of solidifying their catcher’s spot, while the Tigers got some much-needed improvement in their bullpen.
- The Twins aren’t known for making big trades at the deadline, and they held true to that in 2008. However, they made a move that could be bigger than any trade they might have made, when they designated Livan Hernandez for assignment, and recalled Francisco Liriano from Triple-A Rochester. The Twins DFA’ed Craig Monroe as well. The Rockies are looking for a fifth starter, and could have interest in Hernandez.
- Relievers on the move: Arthur Rhodes was traded to the Marlins, giving them another effective lefty option in the bullpen. The Astros acquired LaTroy Hawkins, still buying despite being 9.5 games out of the wildcard race at the time.
- The Nationals released Paul Lo Duca and Felipe Lopez. Both were highly unsuccessful this season, though they could generate interest from other teams.
- Tim explained the rules behind waiver trades for those who are unfamiliar with how the process works after the July 31st non-waiver deadline. He also takes a look at some noteable names who stayed put at the deadline.
- Minor moves: The Yankees signed Victor Zambrano to a minor league contract, while the Red Sox did the same with former Cleveland closer Joe Borowski.
- The Diamondbacks are talking extension with their second ace, Dan Haren.
- USA Today wrote an article on MLBTR. Check it out!
Boras Denies Calling Red Sox
Tony Masarotti of the Boston Herald reports that Scott Boras denies having ever called the Red Sox in a last ditch effort to keep Manny Ramirez in Boston, as reported yesterday. Ramirez seems happy to be gone and it didn’t make sense that he would’ve made an attempt to stay in Boston after such a messy divorce.
MLBTR readers seem to be either exhausted by this story, or think the Red Sox made the right move. Peter Gammons’ blog entry from last week is a must read.
Moving on, in another article, Masarotti details just how much money the Red Sox will have to play with this offseason:
"Look at it this way: Based on the formula used to calculate luxury tax, the Red Sox finished 2007 with a payroll just shy of $165 million. By Opening Day of this year, that number was down to about $150 million. By November, that number will be closer to $110 million, which means the Red Sox could have between $40 million and $55 million to spend, if not more."
Red Sox Offer Minor League Deal To Borowski
The Red Sox offered a minor league contract to reliever Joe Borowski, who was released by the Indians about a month ago. He’s not the setup man acquisition fans hoped for, but there’s no risk in adding him.
Borowski, 37, posted a 7.56 ERA in 16.2 innings this year. He injured his triceps in a spring game, and that lingered into May. The Indians had picked up his $4MM option in November of ’07.