Odds & Ends: Holliday, Red Sox, Pirates, Kazmir
Things are picking up, so we've got a fresh batch of links for you…
- The recently acquired Matt Holliday was non-committal when talking about his impending free agency, according to R.B. Fallstrom of the AP. "I'm going to enjoy myself and try to help this team get to the playoffs and to the World Series and work every day I can to be the best player I can be," Holliday said. "And leave it there. I think there's a time and a place for all those other things and when that time comes is when I'll do my evaluating."
- Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse tweets that the Red Sox have told people "they are trying to pull off something huge." Earlier today we learned that the Sox were talking about Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez with the Indians.
- Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review asked Pirates team president Frank Coonelly about the possibility of re-opening extension talks with Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson should they remain with the team past Friday's trade deadline, to which Coonelly responded "At this juncture, I wouldn't say anything is definitely closed. We'd have to see where we are. But, developments in the organization could create a situation that could make it less likely, or more likely, we'd want to extend Jack or Freddy."
- Scott Kazmir's agent, Brian Peters, reached out to Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman about recent trade rumors involving his client. Friedman indicated the rumors were "merely speculative," according to MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun.
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times writes that Jarrod Washburn has "let it be known he is open to a contract extension to stay in Seattle," but indicated that there has not been much discussion.
- Bruce Miles of The Daily Herald said he expects the Cubs to look for bullpen help before anything else. He names Joe Beimel and George Sherrill as players of interest.
- The Cubs have signed third round pick Austin Kirk according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, while Bill Ladson reports that the Nats have signed seventh rounder Andrew Weaver.
Odds & Ends: Reds, Braves, Cards, Cubs, Red Sox
A few links to start your evening off right…
- Reds CEO Bob Castellini says he believes "we’re not at that point" of selling players yet, according to John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer. The Reds were rumored to be making a move earlier.
- The Braves are "confident that they could stand pat through Friday's Trade Deadline and still have the pieces to continue their run toward the postseason," according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman.
- MLB.com's Matthew Leach writes that "John Mozeliak sounded like it's all but certain that the Cardinals will not trade any more prospects before the deadline." He does mention that if they can move Troy Glaus, they will look into it.
- Alfonso Soriano said he doesn't think the Cubs need any big trades, according to Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune. The Cubbies were reportedly looking for a lefty reliever over the weekend.
- Ben Collins of The Boston Globe has an interesting quote from Red Sox manager Terry Francona: “I listen to the talks. I don’t listen to the radio, but I talk to Theo. Some of the people I hear talked about on the radio — you guys have no idea.”
- Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune mentions that Twins starter Kevin Slowey is going to have season ending surgery on his right wrist. The club has been looking for infield help, but this could have them searching a little harder for pitching help.
- SI.com's Cliff Corcoran wrote about the five contenders with the biggest pitching needs and the biggest offensive holes.
- ESPN's David Schoenfield listed the 15 players with the least trade value. Barry Zito and the $89.1MM owed to him through 2013 tops the list.
- ESPN's Howard Bryant penned a long but very interesting piece about Billy Beane and his legacy since Moneyball.
Ricciardi: Chances Of A Deal “Very Slim”
8:00pm: FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal just heard from Ricciardi that the chances of Halladay leaving Toronto at this point are "very slim." Here's more from the general manager:
"We've said that we would listen, but that we would have to be motivated and 'wowed. Right now we haven't been. I've said all along my gut tells me I won't be. I still stand by that."
"If we get to the last week," Ricciardi added, "and haven't really made any progress with anybody, I'm not going to say it's 100 percent certain, but I would have to pretty much think it's not going to get done."
It sure sounds like the Blue Jays aren't going to lower their asking price.
7:38pm: Olney notes that the Rangers have also been handed a "this-is-what-it-would-take proposal by the Blue Jays in the last 72 hours." It's more about salary for Texas, though, than it is about prospects. Sources have deemed them "semi-alive."
7:18pm: Christian Caple of MLB.com passes along this little note:
[Halladay is] scheduled to pitch on Wednesday, but whether he makes that start is up in the air. Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi said last week he wants Halladay assured of his future when he takes the hill for that outing — in other words, if Halladay does pitch on Wednesday, supposedly, he won't be traded before the deadline.
This goes back to the self-imposed pre-July 31 deadline that Ricciardi suggested in early July. It'll be interesting to see if they stick to it.
5:21pm: According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the prospect-heavy Rangers "are talking to the Blue Jays about Halladay and they have asked the Indians about Lee… but financial considerations may make any deal tough. As Sullivan adds, "The Rangers are unlikely to take on a significant salary in any deal."
4:54pm: FOX Sports reports that the Red Sox remain in the mix for Halladay as well, and the Jays have made a multiple-prospect proposal in recent days. The Jays still prefer not to deal within the division, however.
2:05pm: Jon Heyman provides an update, via Twitter, stating that the Phillies are beginning to consider Cliff Lee as an alternative to Halladay. Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer confirms this, and adds that the Phillies are expected to have a scout watching Lee in Seattle. Martino also tweets that Toronto is scouting Dominic Brown today.
11:16am: ESPN's Jayson Stark is reporting that the Blue Jays have rejected the Phillies latest offer of Carrasco, Donald, J.A. Happ and outfielder Michael Taylor. The Jays are telling interested teams they are only going to deal Halladay if they are "wowed" by an offer.
9:45am: Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports says that as of Saturday night, the Angels "were of the mind to remove themselves from the Roy Halladay talks, believing they were never going to come close to the Blue Jays’ asking price of Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar, Brandon Wood and a prospect such as outfielder Peter Bourjos."
9:36am: Late last night we learned that the Phillies were "trying to steer" the Blue Jays towards a package centered around prospects Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald for Roy Halladay, but no agreement was imminent. Let's start the day off with a a few Halladay-related links, and add to them as we go. Make sure you check back in for updates throughout the day.
- Helene Elliott of The LA Times reports that "Dodgers General Manager Ned Colletti has said the Blue Jays have identified three players on the Dodgers' major-league roster that they'd take for Halladay, but Colletti hasn't exuded optimism that a deal will get done."
- Andy Martino of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes about how all the trade talk has impacted the Phillies clubhouse.
Clubs Will Have To Overpay for Gonzalez, Bell
5:58pm: As ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes, the Red Sox have contacted the Padres about the availability of Gonzalez, but two major obstacles stand in their way.
"No. 1, the Padres would require an extraordinary package of prospects in any deal for Gonzalez, who is young, relatively cheap and a star," Olney writes.
"The second hurdle would be whether the San Diego ownership would approve the deal and risk angering the team's fan base even more." Keep in mind the Padres came close to dealing staff ace Jake Peavy this season and cut ties with all-time saves leader (and fan favorite) Trevor Hoffman this winter.
1:18pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock adds to this, stating that the Padres are getting more calls about Bell than Gonzalez, according to Towers. Brock echoes that it's unlikely we'll see Gonzalez or Bell dealt, but says that Towers feels the conversations he's had regarding Gonzalez and Bell could prove to be very valuable if the club considers trading them in the offseason. He also quotes Towers, saying:
"I could see a couple of smaller deals," Towers said.
Brock names Kevin Correia and Kevin Kouzmanoff as people who could attract some attention, but so far, neither has drawn much interest.
12:11pm: The Padres "were getting a lot of play" on first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and closer Heath Bell as of yesterday according to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, but "club sources were adamant that interested clubs would have to overpay to acquire either." On Friday we learned that the Red Sox had expressed interest in Gonzalez, who is under contract next season for just $4.75MM with a 2011 club option worth just $5.5MM.
Brown says that the "asking price has been so high that Bell might as well be unavailable," and quotes a baseball personnel man as saying "There are about eight good arms available out there and 20 teams looking.”
Club Officials Worried Bedard May Be Injured
Sunday: The Mariners placed Bedard on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation today, according to Baker. Needless to say, he won't be traded before Friday's deadline.
Saturday: Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times reports that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik and manager Don Wakamatsu "caught up" with pitcher Erik Bedard after today's game, saying that they feel he may be hurting after seeing how many pitches it took him to put batters away.
"You watch little signs on the mound," Wakamatsu said. "Really, the result tells you a lot with a guy that has that good a stuff,'' Wakamatsu said. "It was necessary to have that discussion afterwards. I know he doesn't want to say that anything's bothering him. But we'll find out tomorrow in more detail.''
There is no MRI planned as of now, but Wakamatsu says the team will check back in with Bedard tomorrow to see how he feels. If he is in fact hurt and the injury is serious enough, it couldn't come at more inopportune time for Seattle. With the trade deadline just under six full days away and the team struggling, Bedard figured to be the club's best trading chip.
You can find the latest Bedard rumors here.
Odds & Ends: Garko, Kotsay, Holliday, Tigers
Congratulations to Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice, and the late Joe Gordon on their inductions into baseball's Hall of Fame today. The Red Sox were rumored to be looking for a righthanded bat that can play the outfield earlier today, maybe Rickey's still got something left in the tank. Anyway, here's some links…
- Terry Pluto of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says he has "a sense the Indians are working on a deal for Ryan Garko." He also notes that Andy Marte is eligible for minor league free agency after the season.
- Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle says the A's won't pursue Mark Kotsay, who was recently designated for assignment.
- Over at FoxSports.com, Tracy Ringolsby says that Cardinals GM John Mozeliak played the waiting game and won when it comes to acquiring Matt Holliday.
- Bless You Boys ran down all the names linked to the Tigers recently.
Mets Release Brandon Knight
Bart Hubbuch of The NY Post reports that the Mets have released righthander Brandon Knight from Triple-A Buffalo so he can play in Korea. Knight made four appearances with the Mets last year and was part of the USA Olympic squad, but had a 5.06 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP in 89 IP in the minors this year.
Odds & Ends: Sheffield, Washburn, Pirates, Irabu
Some links to start your Sunday morning off right…
- MLB.com's Anthony DiComo says not to assume Gary Sheffield will be traded. Sheff is currently on the disabled list, but may have been attractive to contenders in need of a bat because he can still produce (.286-.388-.481 in 245 PA) and the Tigers are paying pretty much his entire salary.
- Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record mentions in this piece that the Mariners reportedly asked the Yankees for outfielders Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner in exchange for Jarrod Washburn.
- Pirates owner Bob Nutting says that finances are not dictating moves, according to Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "There is no pressure on Neal to shed any payroll dollars, from me or anyone else. Every decision made will be a baseball decision, not a financial one. Any money saved will remain committed to the baseball operations budget to be used as they see fit."
- Meanwhile, Chuck Finder of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Bucs are continuing to negotiate with some of their higher profile unsigned draft picks.
- Patrick at NPB Tracker passes along a report that Hideki Irabu is looking to continue his comeback in Japan. Irabu signed with the Long Beach Armada of the independent Golden League back in April, and has a respectable 3.87 ERA in eight starts.
- David Mayo of Mlive.com says that standing pat might be the Tigers best option at the upcoming trade deadline.
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes about the Marlins' cache of impressive young position players in their farm sytem.
- With teams unlikely to risk taking on salaries in a bad economy, we may see more waiver trades in August than usual, writes Pat Mitsch of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Brewers Sign Jesus Colome
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers have signed reliever Jesus Colome to a minor league contract. The Nationals designated Colome for assignment earlier this month after he pitched to an 8.40 ERA in 15 innings out of the bullpen.
McCalvy says Colome will initially report to rookie level Helena to build arm strength back up .
Cafardo’s Latest: Martinez, Boston, Pitching
In his latest piece for The Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo reports that the Indians turned down an offer of Clay Buchholz for Victor Martinez according to an NL scout. The Red Sox then countered with a package of Michael Bowden, Justin Masterson, and an outfield prospect, but the Indians turned that down as well.
Let's round up the rest of Cafardo's rumors…
- In addition to Boston, the Indians are also fielding offers from the Rays and Giants for Martinez, but aren't inclined to make a deal unless a team's best prospects are involved.
- Cafardo runs through the list of other pitchers that "could be pried away," including Scott Kazmir, Cliff Lee, Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, and George Sherrill. He says it'll take "a blockbuster package" to land Lee.
- Aubrey Huff and Kevin Millar are also available.
- The Red Sox will "dip in the (Roy) Halladay sweepstakes" if the price comes down, but otherwise will look for a righthanded bat that can play the outfield.
- Cafardo says it will be interesting to see if the Yankees, Phillies and Dodgers are aggressive at the deadline or take a pass, considering all three clubs are playing well right now.
- The White Sox could pull off something big because GM Kenny Williams "has a bit of gambler in him."
- It'll be interesting to see if the Giants' plans to add a bat are put on hold after the sudden death of principal owner Sue Burns.
- Twins GM Bill Smith may add a middle infielder and/or a reliever before the deadline. Last night we learned that they were "deep into talks and talking composition of a deal" with the A's about Orlando Cabrera. The team might be able to stretch it's normal payroll with Target Field opening next year.
- Cafardo proposes a "swap of underachieving Scott Boras clients," J.D. Drew and Magglio Ordonez.
- While there is some uneasiness about there not being any substantive talks between the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg, those kind of deals can come together quickly. The signing deadline is August 17th.
- The Rangers are unable to add payroll, which will hamstring their efforts that the trade deadline.