Ricciardi: Jays “Have To Listen” On Halladay
1:00pm: Ricciardi told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that he's not shopping Halladay, he's just open to hearing offers. The Jays would have to be overwhelmed to make a deal.
8:20am: Roy Halladay might be the best pitcher in the game; he's definitely the best pitcher on the trade market. Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he's ready to listen to offers for his ace pitcher.
Odds And Ends: O’s, Phillies, Braun, DeRosa
More links for the afternoon…
- Today's chat will take place in a little over an hour, at 2pm CST.
- It's worth checking out this Jerry Crasnick article at ESPN.com just for the photo of Nick Markakis balancing a folding chair on his chin. As Crasnick says, Markakis, Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold and Luke Scott will be an impressive group of outfielders on improved O's teams in the near future.
- In the midst of his mid-season awards, SI.com's Tom Verducci says the Tigers and Dodgers deserve credit for well-thought-out offseason moves.
- David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News lays out five possible packages the Phillies could offer the Jays for Roy Halladay. Every deal is headed by Dominic Brown or Kyle Drabek and includes other quality prospects.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Doug Melvin and Ryan Braun will meet today to discuss Braun's recent suggestion that the Brewers need pitching.
- One of this year's big acquisitions, Mark DeRosa, will hit the 15-day DL, according to Roger Hensley of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Jesus Colome Becomes A Free Agent
Jesus Colome, who was just designated for assignment by the Nationals, has chosen to become a free agent, according to Pete McElroy of MASN.com. The 31-year-old allowed nearly two baserunners per inning with the Nats for an ERA of 8.40 with 12 strikeouts.
Yesteday Colome's former teammate Kip Wells also chose free agency after being designated for assignment by the Nats.
One Year Ago: Sabathia Trade Completed
One year ago today, the Brewers and Indians officially announced the trade that sent C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee for Matt LaPorta and others. The deal worked perfectly for the Brewers, who made the playoffs thanks to 13 dominant starts by Sabathia, including seven complete games and three shutouts. The Brewers also received two compensation picks for losing Sabathia in free agency, which they used last month to select Kentrail Davis and Maxwell Walla.
Olney On Pedro, Holliday, Hairston, Manny
The Phillies are going to watch Pedro Martinez throw today, but he'll need more than an impressive workout to latch on with the NL East leaders, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
- Pedro will have to accept that teams are going to want to pay him "like a 37-year-old pitcher who had a 5.61 ERA last season," not a future Hall of Famer.
- Olney wonders whether Pedro's low ground ball rate might prevent him from succeeding at Citizens Bank Park.
- The A's aren't currently involved in trade talks regarding Matt Holliday or the recently-acquired Scott Hairston.
- One scout who watched Manny Ramirez this week said he looked "heavy-legged" and out of shape.
Sabean: Giants Still Looking For Bats
Giants GM Brian Sabean told Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News that there are no impact bats available for a reasonable cost. As much as he would like a true middle-of-the-order hitter, Sabean won't deal top prospects like Madison Bumgarner to acquire one.
Odds And Ends: Bedard, Astros, Marquis
Links for Tuesday morning…
- Be here at 2pm CST for this week's chat.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiles controversial acquisition Lastings Milledge, who seems energized and motivated.
- It would be hard to argue with Amber Theoharis of MASN.com, who says the Orioles won the Erik Bedard deal since they acquired two All-Stars in George Sherrill and Adam Jones.
- As MLB.com's Christian Caple reports, Bedard will be on a 60 pitch limit as he returns to the hill tonight against his former team.
- Nomar Garciaparra told Mike McDermott of the Providence Journal that he didn't turn down $60MM from the Red Sox.
- Experts consider the Astros' system weak, but at least they have Bud Norris and Yorman Bazardo in Triple A, as Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- The Jason Marquis deal has worked out better-than-expected for the Rockies, but, as Dave Krieger of the Denver Post notes, the Rockies have made plenty of smart deals over the years.
Roy Halladay’s Potential Suitors
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Jays are open to offers for Roy Halladay. This doesn't mean the Jays will deal heir ace; it just means they'll consider moving him for the right group of players. Here is Rosenthal's "largely speculative" list of possible destinations for the Jays righty:
- Yankees – Rosenthal says the Jays will not hesitate to dangle Halladay to the Yankees and Red Sox. Phil Hughes could head an offer.
- Red Sox – The Red Sox could start an offer with Clay Buchholz, but they may prefer to hold onto Buchholz or use him as a trade chip to try and lure Victor Martinez away from the Indians.
- Phillies – Rosenthal hears they've asked about Halladay repeatedly in recent years. The Phillies have an appealing group of prospects, but they could have trouble taking on the $7MM remaining on Doc's deal.
- White Sox – The White Sox were in on Jake Peavy, so they could make a play for Halladay. As Rosenthal says, Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda wouldn't be enough, but they also have Gordon Beckham.
- Dodgers – They'd likely have to part with Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw to obtain Halladay.
- Rangers – The Rangers have the prospects, but not the money.
- Cubs – Until Jim Hendry gets the go-ahead to add payroll the Cubs are an unlikely destination, especially because they don't have big-name prospects to tempt the Jays.
- Angels – Probably lack the premium pieces the Jays would seek.
- Brewers – Alcides Escobar would appeal to the Jays, who don't have an answer at short after Marco Scutaro becomes a free agent this year. But Escobar's untouchable, and probably wouldn't net Halladay on his own.
- Mets – Omar Minaya would have to empty the farm system to acquire Halladay.
- Braves – Rosenthal says they're a longshot, especially since they have pitching depth already.
- I see the Phillies and Brewers as the best fits, since they crave pitching, have young talent and play in another league.
Phillies Will Watch Pedro Throw
8:02pm: Phillies manager Charlie Manuel doesn't seem to think Martinez is the answer to his club's pitching woes (quote courtesy of MLB.com's Todd Zolecki):
"What I saw of him last year was, basically, he could give you five or six innings, probably," said Manuel. "His fastball is going to be 85-90, 86-90, somewhere in there. … I think the five-inning pitcher, I think you can find those guys. Also, for myself — and don't get me wrong, I want anybody that can improve our team, that means pitcher or position player or whatever — but at the same time, I'm a firm believer that in the Major Leagues today, if you go back and look and you look at All-Star teams and things like that, the good pitchers are young pitchers. Young pitchers with high-ceiling stuff, plus they're good enough right now to throw strikes."
6:19pm: David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News has confirmed that the Phillies will watch Pedro throw tomorrow in the Dominican Republic. Special assistant to the general manager Charlie Kerfeld will be on hand.
11:18am: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that the Phillies will scout Pedro in the Dominican Republic today or tomorrow.
9:21am: Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Phillies will scout Pedro Martinez in the near future to see if he can contribute to their injury-depleted rotation. Last week, Jon Heyman reported that the Phils had discussed Pedro, and they now have renewed interest.
Brewers, Braves Not Discussing Vazquez
4:35pm: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel spoke with Brewers GM Doug Melvin and heard that the two teams are not discussing a trade for Vazquez.
3:40pm: The Brewers heard Ryan Braun's plea for help and they have responded. They called the Braves about Javier Vazquez, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. However, Atlanta likely won't part with Vazquez in a deal that doesn't bring back Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar, a pair of youngsters Brewers GM Doug Melvin has repeatedly deemed untouchable. Buster Olney said this weekend that the Brewers wouldn't be able to acquire Vazquez for Corey Hart alone.