Billy Beane On Deadline, Needs, Geren
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has a nice interview with A's general manager Billy Beane.
When asked about whether he's planning on being active at the deadline, Beane's answer: "We have always managed our budget, and we could quite possibly lose money this year – very likely we will. But we won't have to make trades for financial reasons. If we make any, it will be for baseball reasons."
Slusser asked him "What is the most pressing need?" Beane's answer: "Some of it is pretty obvious. We need to get some position players and some bats… We need to get some core position players in place. The good news is that we have some kids coming that I think will be a part of that. With the injuries, we've had a tendency to rush some of the development and it's not ideal. We want to make sure we do everything to give them a chance. But obviously as we go through the summer, we might want to see if some of these guys are ready for the next level."
Beane also acknowledged Bob Geren has faced his fair share of adversity during his three years with the A's. Is his job safe? Beane says yes.
Cafardo’s Latest: Jenks, Teahen, Wood, Mulder
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has some rumors from around the league. Let's sift through them.
- The Dodgers, Brewers, and Phillies remain interested in Mark Mulder who is finishing his rehab and hopes to entertain offers in a week.
- Cafardo speculates if former Royals GM Allard Baird will deliver Mark Teahen, a former player of his, to the Red Sox. Baird is currently assistant to the GM in Boston.
- The Mets might be able to add about $5 to $6MM in payroll before the deadline.
- Brandon Wood would have to be a part of the package for Roy Halladay if the Angels were to make a serious push.
- There's a "good chance" Kenny Williams is looking into Halladay, says Cafardo. He wonders if Williams, who now has back-of-the-bullpen depth, would trade Bobby Jenks to shave payroll.
- The Red Sox are confident with the pieces they have, even if obtaining Halladay might guarantee them a championship. Regardless, the Jays "would likely not want to deal Halladay within the division," says Cafardo.
Renck’s Latest: Freddy Sanchez, Giants, Rockies
Troy E. Renck has some thoughts on why it doesn't make sense for the Rockies to acquire Roy Halladay if they can't afford to retain his services beyond 2010. In the same piece, he has a few more footnotes:
- Freddy Sanchez will be traded. The Giants could land him for Jonathan Sanchez and a prospect.
- The Giants are "lukewarm" on Matt Holliday but like Jermaine Dye. Brian Sabean recently defused rumors involving Dye.
- If Garrett Atkins is traded, Seth Smith could become Todd Helton's backup at first base. He's been taking throws in batting practice. Renck feels Smith needs to get more at bats if the Rockies want to make the playoffs. Smith is hitting .295 with 1.04 BB/K and an impressive .902 OPS in 70 games.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Sunday
Tired of Roy Halladay rumors yet? Have some more.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post has listed 10 do's and dont's for blockbuster deals.
- Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times says Frank McCourt can make World Series champions out of the Dodgers if by acquiring Halladay and he could start by offering Russell Martin in a package with prospects Devaris Gordon and Josh Lindblom. Shaikin concedes, "This is not to say the Jays would accept Martin, Gordon and Lindblom for Halladay, or even that the Dodgers would offer that package. The coaching staff would be reluctant to lose Martin at this point of the season, and the organization has all but deemed Gordon untouchable."
- The Philadelphia Inquirer's Bob Ford says Citizens Bank Park wouldn't deter Halladay from going to the Phillies.
- Troy E. Renck says the Rockies won't change their business model to acquire Halladay. They are committed to building from within and that a seven-year, $150MM contract after 2010 would not happen. If they can't retain him, then Renck can't advocate giving up a hypothetical package of Ubaldo Jimenez, Ian Stewart, and two top prospects to get him. Dave Krieger of the Denver Post agrees.
- In the same piece, Renck says the Dodgers could land Halladay if they will part with Clayton Kershaw, and that the Phillies remain the favorites. Still, Renck expects Toronto to take Halladay off the block and to instead cut payroll by dealing Alex Rios.
Discussion: Milwaukee Brewers
SATURDAY, 7:44pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin did not approve of Braun's comments, telling Haudricourt Monday that he was "ticked off" upon hearing them.
“It was inappropriate for him to say what he said, and I’m not happy about it,” Melvin said on Monday. "To make the statements he made and also get on his teammates like that, it was irresponsible on his part. It just ticked me off.”
FRIDAY, 8:10pm: According to Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, you can count Ryan Braun in as a proponent of the Brewers pursuing a pitcher:
"To show everybody we’re for real, we can go out there and make a move and improve our ball club. We want to head in the right direction, not the wrong direction," Braun said after the team lost three of four to the Cubs. He said the Cubs "threw the ball a lot better than our starters did. They certainly swung the bats better than we did as well. Clearly, they were the better team."
11:31am: Yesterday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com suggested the Brewers have some questions to answer, including their rotation and whether or not to send Mat Gamel to Triple-A.
Tom Haudricourt thinks the Brewers need to act quickly to acquire a starting pitcher. "It's a tough market, depleted by injuries to Jake Peavy and Erik Bedard, but the Brewers need another arm to stay in the playoff race. That remains true even if [Dave] Bush and [Manny] Parra return to the rotation in the near future," says Haudricourt.
Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says "it's no secret" the Brewers are trying to add another player via trade before the end of July. However, the market is bare. Witrado says, "Based on what the Brewers are looking for (probably established pitching) and what potential sellers would want in return (probably younger pitching), [Doug] Melvin said there are fewer than 10 teams that could potentially 'match up' with the Brewers."
Witrado notes Gamel and Alcides Escobar are untouchable. "So to pull off a deal and keep the organization's two best prospects, a big-league player would probably have to be involved," says Witrado.
What would you do if you were running the Brewers? Who would you target and what would you give up? What would you do about Gamel?
Wedge & Staff Staying Put
If you follow @mlbtraderumors on Twitter, then you may have seen today that the Indians announced via @tribeinsider: "Shapiro stated this am that Eric Wedge and his staff will remain in their positions the rest of this season".
Anthony Castrovince suggested they may stick around beyond 2009, adding that "Shapiro said today's announcement is … the next step in a continuing conversation with ownership about the direction of the club. All parties involved felt it important to remove all clouds of doubt about Wedge's security and make the most of the second half, from a player development standpoint." Wedge is signed through 2010.
Sabean Defuses Martinez, Dye Rumors
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says Brian Sabean quelled rumors of the Giants interest in Jermaine Dye and Victor Martinez, referring to each as "pie in the sky." Last month it was rumored that the Giants were scouting both.
Baggarly quoted Sabean saying V-Mart would require "a (Madison) Bumgarner-plus type of blockbuster deal. And that's not going to happen because we're not going to trade Bumgarner."
Marlins Sign Brendan Donnelly
Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins have signed Brendan Donnelly. The 37 year old veteran was signed by the Astros in May after being released by the Rangers in March. He left the Astros on July 1 to become a free agent. Florida will be the fifth club Donnelly has joined since leaving the Angels after 2006.
Morosi’s Latest: Blue Jays, Sanchez, Correia, Holliday
Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com suggests the Blue Jays might want to set their sights on 2010, after which they stand to lose Lyle Overbay, Scott Downs, Scott Rolen, and Roy Halladay to free agency. Not to mention Cito Gaston and J.P. Ricciardi, whose contracts will both expire barring an extension. Morosi writes,
Morosi adds the following:
- Halladay is not going anywhere.
- Ricky Romero and Scott Richmond are most likely staying put, says Morosi, and I doubt anyone here disagrees.
- Pitching is not a need for 2010 with the anticipated return of Jesse Litsch, Shaun Marcum, and Dustin McGowan.
- The Jays are almost certain to keep Downs, who has become a premier reliever in the American League.
Morosi suggests, the Jays trade a pitcher or two to boost their team OPS which lags in the AL East behind the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays. Given the above, Morosi suggests Brian Tallet as a trade chip. "Tallet could be looked upon as a viable option for teams looking for a mid-rotation left-handed starter, particularly if the Mariners stay in the race and elect not to move Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn."
They may also look at dealing from their collection of right-handed setup men, such as Casey Janssen, Jeremy Accardo, Brandon League, or Jason Frasor. Just speculating here but Janssen may be the most attractive since he can start. As a reliever in 2007, Janssen had a 2.35 ERA in 72.2 IP with 6 saves before missing 2008 with a torn labrum.
Morosi has a few more bullet points to discuss:
- Freddy Sanchez's contract contains an $8MM option for 2010 that automatically vests after 635 PAs, or only 600 if he makes the All Star team. So, it stands to reason that Sanchez will either make the All Star Team or see his trade value increase. This may be moot given Sanchez is on pace for 660 plate appearances. Morosi says one Mariners official doesn't think Pittsburgh is considering trading Sanchez. The M's have need for a pure hitter as well as a second baseman given concerns about Jose Lopez ability to stay at 2B long term.
- The M's asked about Jeremy Hermida, but there wasn't a lot of movement. Morosi notes Hermida's trade value has fallen significantly.
- Kevin Correia is pitching fantastically but the Padres haven't put him on the open market. Morosi doesn't report much excitement among other clubs.
- Morosi says "one person in the industry who knows Oakland general manager Billy Beane well," guessed Matt Holliday will stay with the team so Beane could collect the compensatory draft picks. Morosi quotes the source: "Billy loves the draft."
Odds & Ends: Morgan, Brewers, Phillies
Some odds and ends around the league:
- Nyjer Morgan was caught off-guard by recent trade rumors, says Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Morgan said he was "flattered."
- Adam McCalvy of MLB.com says the Brewers are still pursuing potential deals after not matching up to acquire Mark DeRosa. Doug Davis is mentioned in the piece.
- Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer rounds up who will be buyers and who will be sellers over the next month. Nothing too surprising. He lists the Phillies as buyers, in need of pitching, and suggests they're looking at Chien-Ming Wang and "have been all over" Brad Penny.