Cardinals Acquire Matt Holliday
2:10: The Cards officially announced the trade, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach.
11:39am: Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch says there's been no talk of an extension for Holliday. As Tim asks on MLBTR's Twitter, "when has a Boras client foregone free agency two months out to take a discount?"
11:16am: ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that the deal is complete. The A's will contribute $1.5MM to the remainder of Holliday's salary, which leaves the Cards with about $4.5MM.
11:11am: Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post Dispatch says the teams are reviewing the players' medical records. The deal will go through unless they encounter an unexpected medical issue.
11:07am: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears the deal will go down. A source tells Price the sides are "finalizing as we speak."
10:58am: Jon Heyman of SI.com says the deal is "very close" to completion.
10:21am: The Cardinals are close to acquiring Matt Holliday from the A's for Brett Wallace and two other players, according to ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian. Outfielder Shane Peterson and righty Clayton Mortensen are also headed to Oakland if the deal goes through.
It's unclear who would pay Holliday the remaining $6MM on his contract should the teams complete a trade.
Odds And Ends: Wang, Maine, Scutaro
Some links to read through as the trading heats up…
- Dr. James Andrews will take a look at John Maine's throwing arm, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.
- Dr. Andrews will also evaluate Chien-Ming Wang, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Wang worries that he may need surgery.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if the Yankees and Mets will offer contracts to the pair of pitchers after the season.
- Erik Manning of FanGraphs says the A's are big winners for acquiring Brett Wallace. Jon Heyman calls it a "great deal" for the A's and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus calls it an "outstanding" trade for Oakland.
- Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi told Mike Rutsey of the Toronto Sun that there's been a lot of interest in Marco Scutaro.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Chris Iott of MLive.com that Jeremy Bonderman may pitch out of the bullpen this season.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says it doesn't sound like the Mariners will be big buyers if it means surrendering top prospects.
- The Kansas City Star presents the Royals' 2010 payroll commitments.
Angels Rumors: Betancourt, Abreu, ‘Pen
A few Angels rumors, from Bill Shaikin of the LA Times:
- The Angels tried to acquire Rafael Betancourt before the Indians dealt him to Colorado yesterday.
- Manager Mike Scioscia says he wants Bobby Abreu to return next year. The 35-year-old outfielder will become a free agent after the season.
- The Angels could add an ace pitcher, but adding a reliever seems more likely.
Heyman On Halladay, Holliday, Indians, Nats
9:34am: Heyman says the Yankees inquired about Cliff Lee and were told they'd have to give up Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, plus other players.
8:34am: Jon Heyman of SI.com has the latest on the biggest stars available:
- The Phillies are the frontrunners to acquire Roy Halladay. Heyman says the Jays are expected to ask for one of J.A. Happ and Kyle Drabek, one of Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor, plus others.
- The Brewers may be the Phillies' biggest threat, but they'd probably have to part with Alcides Escobar, and maybe Mat Gamel, too.
- The Mets bowed out of the Halladay talks once Fernando Martinez's name came up.
- There's a "good chance" the Cardinals trade for Matt Holliday, according to one of Heyman's sources.
- Indians GM Mark Shapiro wonders if teams are holding onto their prospects too tightly: "It's almost to the point where there's an over-evaluation of these guys. There's almost an over-correction."
- Heyman says the Nats should trade Nick Johnson, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham.
Tigers DFA Josh Anderson
The Tigers designated outfielder Josh Anderson for assignment to make room for Carlos Guillen, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. Anderson, 26, hit .242/.282/.315 with no homers in 74 games with the Tigers. He played all three outfield positions for the Tigers, and defended well in limited innings.
A’s Rumors: Kennedy, Wuertz, Cabrera
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle passes along the latest on three Athletics not named Matt Holliday:
- Mid-season acquisition Adam Kennedy says he loves it in Oakland and wants to remain with the A's.
- The Twins are looking at Michael Wuertz and Orlando Cabrera as they attempt to improve their bullpen and middle infield.
- Wuertz makes $1.1MM and Cabrera makes $4MM, so both are relatively affordable options for the Twins, who are 2.5 games back of the AL Central lead.
Knobler On Holliday, Giants, Tigers
A number of baseball officials tell Danny Knobler of CBS Sports that they expect plenty of activity in the final week before next Friday's trade deadline.
- Billy Beane is apparently looking for young position players if he trades Matt Holliday.
- The Giants are "very interested" in Holliday.
- The Giants and Tigers have both checked out the Pirates and Nationals in their respective searches for bats. Adam Dunn and Nick Johnson have appeal, but the Giants would prefer a right-handed bat and the Tigers are hesitant to take on Dunn's $12MM salary for next season.
- Knobler says Tigers owner Mike Ilitch could always make a last-minute push for Holliday or Roy Halladay.
- There's no way to know how much flexibility the Rays, Rangers and Braves have until the deadline passes.
Edes On Holliday, Willingham, Sherrill
Yahoo's Gordon Edes hears the Cardinals aren't the only team interested in Matt Holliday. Here are the details:
- The White Sox have some interest in Holliday, according to Edes' colleague, Tim Brown.
- The Tigers have considered Holliday, but probably won't meet Billy Beane's asking price.
- The Phillies have interest in Josh Willingham.
- The Giants may be the favorites to acquire Nick Johnson, now that the Red Sox have Adam LaRoche.
- George Sherrill has many suitors, including the Brewers and White Sox.
- The Cubs and Red Sox would like to add left-handed relievers.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday
7:56pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says GM Ruben Amaro has dismissed reports that Kyle Drabek is untouchable, confirming Olney's earlier report. Amaro apparently "did not have a sense either way" that the Phils would make any trades before the deadline, but Zolecki still says the Phils are in "hot pursuit" of Halladay.
4:52pm: The LA Times reports that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti knows which of his players the Jays have interest in. The Dodgers have watched Halladay's last two starts, but do not plan on including Clayton Kershaw in any trades.
4:45pm: Angels owner Arte Moreno told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he's interested in acquiring an ace starter and has no "financial constraints." Halladay and Cliff Lee are out there and the Angels say they'll keep all options open.
4:39pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Kyle Drabek is not untouchable, though at least one top Phillies executive would prefer to hold the team's top young talent. Olney's sources tell him that serious talks are expected to begin this weekend.
3:35pm: Ricciardi told Jordan Bastian that Halladay has provided him with a list of teams to which he would approve a deal.
Ricciardi also says Halladay wants to test the free agent market after next season.
3:31pm: Ricciardi told The Canadian Press that talks have become "a little bit more heated up." He believes some teams are trying to make preliminary moves to acquire Halladay.
12:28pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney lists eight reasons why a Halladay trade could work for the Jays and Phillies. Halladay's value is arguably at its highest now and with him, the Phillies could build a legacy of winning.
12:14pm: The consensus the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: the Cards don't have what it takes to acquire Halladay.
11:34am: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian passes on comments Ricciardi made on the FAN 590 in Toronto. Ricciardi says he's exploring deals in part because Halladay wants to test the free agent market after his deal expires next season. Some teams are serious about Halladay; others are delirious, Ricciardi said.
11:02am: J.P. Ricciardi told ESPN Radio he still doesn't expect to trade Roy Halladay. He believes his negotiating partners should be prepared to part with at least as much as the Mariners gave up to acquire Erik Bedard.
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Phillies remain the one team that matches up perfectly with the Blue Jays. However, the Jays continue to seek big-league-ready pitching and other top prospects in any deal. Stark gets the sense that the Jays want to make a deal and doesn't expect them to lower their asking price as the deadline nears.
10:44am: Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says the Jays could potentially expand a Halladay trade to include Marco Scutaro, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs or Brian Tallet, depending on their trading partner's needs.
One scout tells Elliott that some surprise teams are calling the Jays about Halladay.
9:20am: Here are the highlights from yesterday's Roy Halladay rumors GM J.P. Ricciardi expects to exchange names with interested teams early next week; the Blue Jays would consider dealing after their self-imposed deadline of July 28th; the Brewers remain a threat to acquire Doc; the Dodgers are still involved; the Rockies won't bring Halladay home to Colorado. But it doesn't stop, so here's the latest on the Jays righty, with more rumors to come:
- One NL GM believes the Red Sox need Halladay and told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that they have enough to acquire him.
Cards & A’s Discussing Holliday For Wallace
6:18pm: Ken Rosenthal calls the Cards' interest "mild, for now." However, Jon Heyman has a few updates on the proceedings–as noted in the past, Cards manager Tony La Russa is said to "badly" want Holliday. Heyman also reports that the Cardinals might want the A's to pay a portion of the $1.8MM bonus Wallace received after the 2008 draft.
3:41pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman says the Cards are "seriously pursuing" Holliday, possibly for Wallace. The Tigers are also in the mix for Holliday.
12:55pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Cards and A's are indeed discussing a possible Wallace for Holliday trade. One of Olney's sources says the odds of a deal are 50-50. The Cardinals ownership may be prepared to take on salary, or the A's may pay a portion of Holliday's contract to obtain a better return.
10:00am: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that the Cardinals might be readying themselves to part with prospect Brett Wallace for Matt Holliday. The Cardinals need a bat to protect Albert Pujols and Holliday has a .310/.416/.492 line since May 5th despite a well-documented drop in power. He's walked 41 times in that span and continues to play above average defense in left field.