Pirates Rumors: Grabow, Capps, Sanchez
The Pirates have many attractive trade chips remaining, even after two months of aggressive trading. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the latest on all the team's trade candidates:
- The Pirates are discussing Matt Capps and John Grabow with other clubs.
- Grabow, who's more likely to be moved, has drawn steady interest from other teams.
- The Pirates are in regular contact with the Cubs.
- Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson are available and the Pirates are listening to offers. The Twins and Red Sox scouted the Pirates-D'Backs contest yesterday.
- The Tigers are interested in Triple A catcher Robinzon Diaz.
- Triple A starters Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny are drawing interest. The Yankees have scouted Snell's last two starts.
Odds And Ends: Pena, Snell, Richard
Some links to read on the day Alex Rodriguez turns 34…
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia told Ben Bolch of the LA Times that teams in the market for pitching will have to overpay for it.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press that it's a seller's market because many teams remain within range of a playoff spot.
- The Royals are converting shortstop Tony Pena Jr. into a pitcher according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
- As Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review shows, Ian Snell has dominated Triple A hitters. Snell has said he doesn't want to return to the Pirates, so he has attracted interest as a trade chip, specifically from the Yankees.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders if Clayton Richard's future is in the rotation, the 'pen, or on a team other than the White Sox.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a quote from Bobby Valentine, who says it's time for him to leave the Chiba Lotte Marines after the season.
Sabean Rules Out A Run At Halladay
Don't expect the Giants to add Roy Halladay to their rotation. GM Brian Sabean "flatly ruled out" a run at the Jays' ace, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. The Giants have Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey and Tim Alderson, but Sabean wants to keep his trio of top prospects.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Friday
7:46pm: Bob Elliot of The Toronto Sun reports that only the Phillies and Yankees have scouts watching Halladay tonight.
6:47pm: Speaking on Sirius XM, commissioner Bud Selig said "I was told by somebody with pretty good inside knowledge that they won’t get rid of him," referring of course to Halladay. He followed that up by saying "Now, whether that’s true or not, I don’t know. And, you know, clubs are going to start bidding it up."
6:39pm: Tom Haudricourt tweets that GM Doug Melvin said "it's not true that the Brewers have withdrawn from the bidding for Halladay."
6:07pm: Andy Martino of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Blue Jays have asked for Kyle Drabek, J.A. Happ and outfielder Dominic Brown.
5:31pm: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian hears from a source that reports of Halladay being traded to Philly within the next 24 hours are inaccurate.
4:50pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears that the Jays are considering trading Halladay to the Phillies for Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, Jason Donald and Lou Marson. However, no deal appears to be close.
4:20pm: The Phillies are "fully determined" to acquire Halladay, while the Dodgers still have a small chance of acquiring him, according to Knobler. As for the Jays, one person involved says "it's obvious that they have to move him now."
4:05pm: The Jays could obtain a stronger supporting group if they were to accept J.A. Happ in place of Kyle Drabek in a possible trade, according to Heyman.
3:59pm: Knobler says the Brewers are "basically out" of the Halladay talks because they don't want to give up Alcides Escobar or Mat Gamel. Boston's representatives also left Toronto today.
3:28pm: Danny Knobler of CBS Sports says the Phillies remain the favorites to acquire Halladay, but the teams don't appear to be close to completing a deal.
2:04pm: MLB.com's Ken Gurnick passes on comments Dodgers GM Ned Colletti made this morning on KABC Radio. Colletti says the Jays want two or three current Dodgers, including a young pitcher, or five or six prospects.
2:00pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Phils are "trying hard" to obtain Halladay. He'd be surprised if they don't acquire him.
11:45am: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says Cincinnati has interest in Halladay. Presumably, Halladay wouldn't accept a trade to the 44-50 Reds.
10:00am: With a week to go before the trade deadline, here's a recap of what we found out about Roy Halladay yesterday: the Jays could expand a deal to include other players; Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi said Halladay wants to test the free agent market after next season; Halladay has given Ricciardi a list of teams he'd accept trades to; Kyle Drabek is not untouchable; the Angels and Dodgers are still in the mix. And here's what we've heard so far today:
- Ricciardi told The Globe and Mail that Halladay has not given the Blue Jays a list of teams. Instead, the Jays have run teams by Halladay to determine his interest in joining them.
- Jon Heyman says the Phillies are frontrunners for Halladay, but the Brewers have a shot at Toronto's ace.
- Ricciardi told Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he's in the midst of serious discussions with four teams, all of which have the talent to acquire Halladay.
- Ricciardi says he hasn't discussed specifics with the Phillies; Salisbury's sources say the Blue Jays would require Kyle Drabek and J.A. Happ in the deal, along with others.
- Former Phillies GM Pat Gillick sounds tempted by Halladay, saying he'd give the Phils the chance to go "back-to-back."
- Happ knows tonight's start could be his last for the Phillies, according to MLB.com's David Gurian-Peck.
- Ricciardi told Mike Rutsey of the Toronto Sun that the Blue Jays won't pay any of Halladay's salary if they trade him.
Odds And Ends: Spivey, Kazmir, Washburn
Another round of odds and ends for the afternoon…
- Remember Junior Spivey? He signed with the independent Tucson Toros, according to the AP (via the Arizona Republic).
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that the Rays have been scouting the Angels' minor leaguers extensively. The Angels have interest in Scott Kazmir and the two teams could match up as trade partners. Keith Law says Kazmir has gone backwards for two straight years.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that the Giants can take on a reasonable amount of payroll and expects GM Brian Sabean to make a deal.
- The Phillies are scouting Jarrod Washburn as an alternative to Roy Halladay in case the Seattle lefty becomes available, according to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports calls Billy Beane the Scott Boras of general managers, and he means it as a compliment. At least one rival GM believes the A's got a great haul for Matt Holliday.
- I'll be talking trades tomorrow morning on The Big Jab at 9:25CST and on 940 ESPN at 10:00CST.
Matt Holliday Trade Roundup
By now you know that the A's sent Matt Holliday to the Cardinals for three prospects, including the highly-touted Brett Wallace. Since everybody's talking about it, let's take a look at what they're saying.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law takes an in-depth look at the trade and concludes both teams win. The Cards upgrade in left field and the A's get a trio of prospects that's more valuable than the group they gave up for Holliday in the winter.
- Erik Manning, Jon Heyman and Kevin Goldstein all say the A's got a good return for Holliday.
- Yahoo's Tim Brown says Holliday will provide much-needed protection for Albert Pujols, who has been intentionally walked 21 more times than anyone else in baseball.
- The Giants never called about Holliday, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Brett Wallace won't likely play in the majors this year, but he's excited to join the organization he grew up rooting for.
- To see how Oakland's two trades compare, check out my summary of the two deals.
Red Sox DFA Mark Kotsay
3:55pm: Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com says Kotsay was designated for assignment, not waived. This gives the Red Sox ten days to make their next move.
2:17pm: The Red Sox put Mark Kotsay on waivers to make room for the recently-acquired Adam LaRoche, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. If no team claims Kotsay within 48 hours, the Red Sox can release him or assign him to the minor leagues. The 33-year-old has an OPS of .615 in 27 games at first base and as an outfielder.
Padres Aren’t Discussing Gonzalez
The Red Sox have asked about Adrian Gonzalez, but the Padres steadfastly refuse to discuss him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Boston has enough top prospects to entice most teams, but the Padres "just won't budge."
Comparing The Two Matt Holliday Trades
The A's traded Matt Holliday to the Cardinals less than a year after acquiring him from the Rockies. Let's take a look at what the A's gave up to get Holliday, what he provided in Oakland and what the A's obtained from the Cards. Here's what Billy Beane traded away to get Holliday:
- Huston Street – A quality reliever who attracted trade interest himself before the Rockies started winning. The Rockies pay Street $4.5MM this season and control him through next year.
- Carlos Gonzalez - Just 23, he hasn't hit much in the majors yet, but "has the tools" to break out, according to Kevin Goldstein.
- Greg Smith – The 25-year-old lefty has just pitched in the minors this year, without much success.
Here's what Holliday offered in three and a half months as an Athletic:
- He hit .286/.378/.454 with 11 homers and 12 steals in 15 attempts. Holliday has also played strong defense in left.
- The A's have paid about $8MM of his $13.5MM salary so far.
- Perhaps most importantly, the A's had a chance at contending because they acquired Holliday. It didn't work out, but the chance for a playoff run is worth something.
And what the A's obtained from the Cardinals for him
- Brett Wallace – Ranks 21st on Baseball America's mid-season list of the game's top prospects. The 22-year-old is a patient hitter with some power and limited defensive potential at third base.
- Shane Peterson – Goldstein says the 21-year-old can play first and both corner outfield positions. He's a line drive hitter with good speed now playing in AA. John Sickels says he can be a fourth outfielder in the majors.
- Clayton Mortensen - Goldstein says there are no guarantees with the righty, but he could become a back-of-the-rotation starter.
- About $4MM in salary relief – the A's will chip in for $1.5MM, leaving the Cardinals with a $4MM tab.
- The A's lose the chance at the compensation picks they would have received if they had offered Holliday arbitration after the season only to see him sign elsewhere.
Some are calling the trade a big win for the A's, but the Cardinals improve their 2009 chances and please their manager and best player all at the same time.
MLB Completes Sano Investigation
MLB has completed its investigation into the age and identity of top Dominican prospect Miguel Angel Sano, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Sano's identity has been confirmed, but investigators haven't yet confirmed his age. He says he's 16 and might not be allowed into the States if he's lying. Sano would certainly be in line for a smaller bonus if he's older than he claims.