Braves Acquire Mark Teixeira
UPDATE: ESPN adds that one of the pitching prospects is Neftali Feliz.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the deal is finally done, pending a review of medical records. The Braves will receive Mark Teixeira and lefty reliever Ron Mahay, while the Rangers will get Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, and two pitching prospects. Matt Harrison is said to be one of them; his MRI today came up clean.
I’ll have some analysis of the deal once we have all the details. Kind of makes tomorrow anticlimactic, doesn’t it?
Latest Mark Teixeira Trade Rumors
Now we’re really getting down to the wire; will Jon Daniels take this thing all the way to tomorrow’s deadline, knowing that some teams will move on if he doesn’t commit soon?
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes of serious talks with the Angels, Dodgers, and Braves. Grant was the one who still saw the Dodgers involved yesterday, and he’s held fast to that. He believes Arizona’s late interest may kick the Dodger talks back into high gear. Inclusion of Clayton Kershaw would get it done pretty quickly, it seems. In that scenario a reliever would go to L.A. as well.
- Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News has a source saying an Internet report that the Dodgers offered James Loney, Andre Ethier, and Jonathan Meloan to the Rangers for Teixeira and Joaquin Benoit is false. I’m not sure what Internet report Jackson is referring to; Jayson Stark mentioned Meloan recently but said nothing about an offer.
- David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution adds that the shortstop going to Texas could be Brent Lillibridge instead of Elvis Andrus. John Schuerholz is still engaged in talks. Neither O’Brien or Grant mentions Matt Harrison‘s injury. Harrison is a top pitching prospect who was supposed to be included in the deal. O’Brien has the Braves, Angels, and Diamondbacks as the teams in the mix for Teixeira. In a separate article O’Brien adds that the Braves might be able to get southpaw Ron Mahay added to the deal.
- Yahoo’s Jeff Passan says righty Tommy Hanson could replace Harrison in the deal. Hanson is 6-foot-6 but only throws in the 88-92 range. He’s more known for his excellent command and is currently working on his secondary pitches in High A ball.
Matt Harrison Removed From Teixeira Deal
UPDATE: Sent Bowman an email about Harrison – it was definitely supposed to be his left (pitching) shoulder. The MLB.com article has been updated.
22 year-old Double A southpaw Matt Harrison might be the Braves’ top pitching prospect, and he was part of the team’s offer for Mark Teixeira. However, Harrison is having shoulder problems and has apparently been removed from the deal. Ken Rosenthal does not indicate which shoulder, while MLB.com’s Mark Bowman repeatedly says it’s his right shoulder. Harrison is to see a doctor on Monday.
Furthermore, one source of Bowman’s thinks Harrison is still in the Braves’ offer along with Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Elvis Andrus. Another source of Bowman’s believes the injury isn’t a dealbreaker.
Rosenthal, however, says the Braves gave Texas a list of pitchers to choose instead of Harrison, not including Jo-Jo Reyes. Rosenthal adds that talks are fluid and it could become a 4 for 2 deal. That might convince the Braves to part with Reyes.
Salty was the only position player not used in today’s 14-0 blowout; Brian McCann did not get relief. That decision certainly seems related to an impending trade.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks inquired on Teixeira and were told it would take Conor Jackson, Carlos Gonzalez, and a pitching prospect. The Dodgers have been slipping while Arizona has been playing well, and the result is a virtual tie for first place. It would be interesting if the Diamondbacks jump in and become aggressive buyers.
Latest Mark Teixeira Trade Rumors
Mark Teixeira is the biggest name likely to be dealt for the 2007 deadline, so you’re going to see millions of rumors until he’s physically wearing a different uniform. Here’s the latest.
- David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says "it’s going to get done" and he’d be "really, really surprised if it doesn’t happen, period." This is not just some guy; this is the Braves’ beat writer. He would not be talking this way if he had doubts about the Braves getting their man.
- The L.A. Times sees the Braves as the clear frontrunner. The L.A. Daily News thinks the Angels are out of the running.
- Contrary to this report from yesterday, ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Angels are still in on Teix. He describes it as a chess match with the Angels, Braves, and Rangers – much like Ken Rosenthal did last night.
- Unlike other writers, the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant seems to indicate that the Dodgers are still involved.
- Dave Sessions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram suggests the Diamondbacks are now interested in Teixeira, and could perhaps offer Conor Jackson as part of a deal. This rumor seems to have come from left field, but who knows. UPDATE: Rosenthal confirms Arizona’s interest, but says their offer isn’t on par with that of Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Rosenthal’s Latest Videos: Teixeira, Dye, Garland
Ken Rosenthal has a couple of recent videos up at FOXSports. Check ’em out. Some highlights:
- The Mark Teixeira talks are at a standstill; the Braves and Angels are reluctant to improve their offers. The Dodgers are said to be out of the picture. Daniels, Schuerholz, Stoneman – which one blinks first? I’ll say Daniels; he’ll go with Atlanta’s best offer.
- Jermaine Dye is Plan B for the Angels, but as you know the Red Sox still have interest.
- Jon Garland can be had, but Kenny Williams’ price is sky-high. The Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Mets, and Braves all have interest. The Braves had offered not only Edgar Renteria but a top pitching prospect, and still were rejected. Rosenthal expects Garland to stay put because as the asking price is not met.
- The Dodgers are still the leaders on Octavio Dotel, but the Tribe could jump in if they part with Ben Francisco. Would Francisco really be missed?
- The Cubs are looking at role players like Jay Payton and Jeff Conine. Many Cubs fans have written me looking for some good rumors – anything I would hear would go on the site. My gut feeling is that they do nothing major.
- The Orioles asked about Kei Igawa, but were told he’s not available.
- Rosenthal can see Adam Dunn and Eric Gagne staying put at the deadline. The need to deal Gagne is a bit more pressing, in my opinion.
Angels Out On Teixeira?
According to Mike DiGiovanna and Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times, the Angels are done trying to acquire Mark Teixeira. Casey Kotchman and Joe Saunders were agreed upon. The Angels wanted the Rangers to settle on Terry Evans or Nathan Haynes as the third player. The Rangers, however, wanted one of Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, Howie Kendrick, and Ervin Santana.
Perhaps there is some middle ground, like a Hank Conger, Sean Rodriguez, or Erick Aybar? The L.A. Times says the door is not completely closed on Teixeira but the Angels won’t relent to Jon Daniels’ list.
Meanwhile, the L.A. Daily News sings a different tune. Doug Padilla suggests an offer of Kotchman, Adenhart, and Reggie Willits. He does not believe the talks to be dead.
Jermaine Dye or Mike Piazza look like the logical alternatives for the Angels. Buster Olney believes Piazza to be a fine idea, and I agree. Interestingly, the Angels kicked the tires of Miguel Cabrera but were rebuffed.
Teixeira may now be left to the Braves, Dodgers, and Red Sox. I still expect a deal to be made. The sticking point for an Atlanta appears to be John Schuerholz’s demand to get a solid reliever back with Teixeira if he is to include Elvis Andrus.
Stark’s Latest: Teixeira, Dotel
Jayson Stark has updated his big ol’ rumor post over at ESPN.com. Some highlights:
- Stark believes Mark Teixeira to the Braves or Angels is "almost certainly going to happen." The Angels’ willingness to offer Joe Saunders instead of Ervin Santana is seen as a big plus. Meanwhile the Braves want the Rangers to tack C.J. Wilson onto their trade but Texas is resisting. Stark’s update counteracts Will Carroll’s latest; Will recently wrote: "It’s looking more and more like Mark Teixeira is going to stay a Ranger." You decide.
- Toss a few more scenarios into the Octavio Dotel mix: to the Red Sox for David Murphy, or to the Mariners for Wladimir Balentien. Big difference there.
- Stark calls Mark Loretta a "very big name to watch." Hmmm, maybe this trade deadline is lamer than I realized.
- OK, the market is now open on Houston’s relievers.
- The Marlins would be happy to trade Armando Benitez or Byung-Hyun Kim. Both would need to shake off major control problems to be of any use.
- Stark says to forget about trades of Daniel Cabrera, Joe Blanton, Richie Sexson, Livan Hernandez, Dontrelle Willis, Todd Helton, Aaron Rowand, and Noah Lowry. C’mon now, that’s no fun. Something tells me the rumors on some of this group won’t disappear, so it’s all good.
Pirates Trade Rumors
Time for a Pirates roundup. They deserve some love here at MLBTradeRumors.
- Dejan Kovacevic reports that Salomon Torres‘s grievance against the Pirates may prevent the team from trading him. On the off chance he wins the grievance, he would become a free agent and the acquiring team would be screwed. While that scenario is unlikely, it does look like this thing needs to be resolved before any deal is made. I imagine that if some team wanted him badly all the involved parties could figure something out.
- The Bucs owe Shawn Chacon a phone call on whether they’re open to negotiating a contract extension with him. Their lack of action speaks volumes; even Dave Littlefield isn’t going to sign Chacon for multiple years at $4MM+ per. Chacon has managed to subdue righties this year and increase his strikeout rate significantly. He’s still got lousy control though. He’s a trade candidate but shouldn’t bring much.
- On the other hand, Damaso Marte is known to be available. He’d be helpful as a lefty-killer. For Marte, Chacon, or Torres, the Pirates want a Major Leaguer of some sort (according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman). Bowman says the Braves would get in on Marte if Littlefield would drop the price.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Wheeler, Izzy
Ken Rosenthal posted a new column last night, and has updated it very recently. I’ve already spoken about the Teixeira stuff, but there’s other good material in there too.
- Some of the wilder speculation out there has been that the Twins might trade Torii Hunter or Johan Santana if they decide they’re out of it. Various Baseball Prospectus reports put the Twins’ playoff chances between 5-10%. Rosenthal debunks the idea that Minnesota would shop Hunter without first making him an offer, and keeping Santana for at least 2008 makes sense. Plus, Santana has a no-trade clause.
- Rosenthal does have some Twins for us who might be traded: Luis Castillo and Carlos Silva. Castillo has already been connected to the Mets in rumors, though Silva is a new one. One could definitely envision Silva’s style working in the National League (I know, I say that a lot). There was a recent Silva to Atlanta rumor, though Silva’s agent seems to have debunked it.
- Rosenthal says Dontrelle Willis is not available. Perhaps he and Tim Brown will engage in fisticuffs over this disagreement.
- The Diamondbacks have kicked the tires on Adam Dunn. He might make sense as a rental – the D’Backs playoff changes sit between 16-27%, worth fighting for. No doubt they’ve got a stable of young players to offer.
- Rosenthal says the Astros have yet to receive interest on the Lidge/Wheeler/Qualls troika, while Jayson Stark said yesterday that the Astros hadn’t opened shop on them. Thunderdome match #2, Rosenthal vs. Stark. Assuming Ken survives Tim Brown. Anyway, word is that the Rockies have their eye on Wheeler.
- Parties interested in Zack Greinke: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs. This gels with Dan Graziano’s findings. Of course, trading a player like Greinke requires an equally talented youngster in return.
- The Royals may not be able to do better than Cleveland’s Ben Francisco as a bounty for Octavio Dotel. More on him in a separate post.
- Trades of Joe Blanton and Huston Street are "highly unlikely." So you’re saying there’s a chance?
- The chances of the Cardinals trading Jason Isringhausen are described as "remote." The Cards would have a hard time replacing him next year; he’s got a reasonable $8MM option. He also has no-trade protection, so he’d probably want a better extension if he was to accept a trade.
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.