Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Orioles Rumors

Mora Interested In Phillies

By | at

The match makes so much sense that it was only a matter of time before the rumors started up.  As I mentioned a week ago, Melvin Mora’s the best available third baseman and the Phillies desperately need one of those.

Now that contract extension talks have broken off between Mora’s agent and the Orioles, the New Jersey Courier-Post reports:

"Mora is believed to be interested in playing with fellow Venezuelan Bobby Abreu. If Mora hopes to be traded this season to Philadelphia, two things might stand in his way. The Phillies currently have three players that can play third base and Abreu would certainly be involved in the trade."

I still don’t know why Mora just didn’t take the money.  But as to the quote above, I think two things stand in Mora’s way, and they’re neither of the two listed.

First, the idea that the Phillies have three players that can play third base is technically true, but far from a roadblock.  We are talking about David Bell (worst regular in baseball last year), Alex Gonzalez (the 33 year-old with his fifth team in three years), and Abraham Nunez (has topped a .700 OPS once in his career).  Not exactly Wright, A-Rod, and Miggy here.   

Second, the idea that the Phils could only acquire Mora if they sent Abreu the other way. Huh?  Wouldn’t the Orioles prefer someone young and affordable?  One of Cole Hamels or Gavin Floyd would seem sufficient for an impending free agent.

The first real issue here is money.  According to my Phillies source, the team is stretched at their $92MM payroll and even Mora’s $4MM for ’06 would be pushing it.  They just added a mil for David Dellucci too.  Maybe spending five mil spread among Ryan Franklin, Gonzalez, and Nunez wasn’t such a bright idea?

The other problem with a Mora-to-Philly deal is that third base, no matter how bleak, may not be the team’s most pressing need.  Pat Gillick may want to focus on finding a decent backup for Tom Gordon, as the team really doesn’t have one.  If Flash and his questionable elbow go down for any length of time, who will the Phillies turn to?  Madson?  Need him starting.  Rhodes?  Bombed in the role. 

I suppose if you want to get really crazy, you could cook up a scenario in which the Phils send Abreu and cash to Baltimore (thus freeing up payroll) and receive Mora and a decent reliever in return.  I’d say LaTroy Hawkins, but something tells me he wouldn’t thrive in Philly if forced to close games.  And would Mora still embrace a trade if he didn’t get to play alongside Abreu?   

Today at DailyBaseballPicks

Who Could Use Melvin Mora?

By | at

Melvin Mora is still a pretty good third baseman, tied for tenth best in baseball in 2005 according to WARP.  He enters his age 34 season with free agency looming.  Mora set a deadline for today for the Orioles to work out a contract extension with him, but Orioles VP Jim Duquette is pretty much ignoring that.  Reports say Mora wants $10MM annually, but there is no indication on a number of years.

Mora will make just $4MM in 2006, and he should be worth about twice that.  He can only hope he ages like Jeff Kent, one of his top comparables according to Baseball Prospectus.  Kent, so far, has been quite productive during his age 34-37 seasons, hitting .298/.362/.531 over 576 games.  That included 115 HRs.

I wouldn’t say the Orioles and Mora’s agent are at an impasse yet, but one can at least envision a scenario in which Mora is placed on the trading block between now and July 31st.  If the Orioles don’t want to hang on to him, they’d be wise to try to get some value before he leaves.

Here’s a rundown of teams that have questions at third base and could be looking reinforcements at some point.  While it’s true that Mora is capable of playing outfield, we’ll stick to the hot corner.

Red Sox:  They have the depth to cover a complete Mike Lowell collapse.  But if the team wants to upgrade from Youkilis/Choi at the corners, Mora would add dependability.  Of course, we all know that deals between division rivals are rare.

Twins:  Michael Cuddyer still might be ready for Opening Day despite a strained oblique.  He’s the fallback option for Tony Batista, assuming Jason Kubel and/or Lew Ford can handle right field.  Batista isn’t off to a great start this year and he’s anything but a lock.  Mora’s affordable salary would be attractive to Terry Ryan, though he’d have to part with some young pitching to him.

Braves:  Moving Chipper Jones to first and acquiring Mora for third base would be a huge net gain for the Braves’ offense and defense.  It would also help keep Chipper healthy.  I don’t see it happening, but it’s worth noting.

Phillies:  The Phils could really, really use a solid third baseman right now.  The hot corner is easily the offense’s weak spot.  There have been whispers that David Bell is mulling over retirement, according to Will Carroll.

Walker For Matos Swap In The Works

By | at

As has been rumored for a couple of days now, the Cubs and Orioles are close to swapping Todd Walker and Luis Matos.  According to the Baltimore Sun, the salary difference is the only holdup. 

While the Orioles’ purpose for acquiring Walker is reportedly for use as a DH or bat off the bench, a source of mine says that is not the whole story.  According to the source, Brian Roberts is not where everyone thinks he is health-wise.  He’s been mentioned as perhaps being ready for Opening Day, but that is highly unlikely.  His type of elbow surgery is "largely unknown" according to Will Carroll.

Matos hasn’t been used in right field since 2003.  He’s a right-handed hitter who has batted .236/.302/.353 vs. left-handers over the last three seasons.  In other words, not the ideal platoon partner for Jacque Jones.  I’m guessing the Cubs would carry he and Marquis Grissom as backup outfielders and attempt to find at-bats for Matos in left field.

The Cubs and Orioles have an amicable relationship, having worked out deals for Corey Patterson and Sammy Sosa in the recent past.  In addition, the teams have talked extensively about Miguel Tejada.

A .290 Spring Training batting average has the Orioles thinking Patterson will make a capable regular for them in center field.  While it’s worth a shot, Patterson should again have a hard time topping a .310 OBP.

The Biggest Games. The Best Tickets. StubHub.com

Tejada Could Still Be Dealt By April

By | at

We thought the Miguel Tejada rumors had died down.  He seemed fairly content, and said all the right things.  However, Daily Herald columnist Barry Rozner has reignited the Miggy hot stove talk.

In Washington DC to cover the White Sox ceremony, Rozner ran into all sorts of DC media types.  According to Rozner:

"They’re hearing the Orioles would love to move the unhappy Tejada out of Baltimore before the season even begins."

He adds that he expects Tejada to be moved before the season starts or right before the July trading deadline.  As a refresher, MLBTradeRumors has reported that the Red Sox, Cubs, White Sox, and Astros have all been involved in talks for Tejada this offseason.

New Red Sox shortstop Alex Gonzalez can still be cut by March 15th, in which case Boston would owe him $500,000.  The Cubs seem quite likely to give Ronny Cedeno his shot, though he’d probably be part of any package for Tejada.

The White Sox have previously offered Juan Uribe, Jose Contreras, and a prospect for Tejada, but the clubs could not agree on the last prospect.  Recent word is that the team plans to wait until after the World Baseball Classic before trading Contreras.  Houston has some top-notch pitching prospects in the fold, so look for them to re-enter the fray once the Clemens saga is resolved.   

WEEI’s Tejada Rumor Making Rounds

By | at

The Dennis and Callahan Show on WEEI 850 in Boston broke out an improbable-sounding trade rumor this morning.  Here’s the idea:

Dodgers send: Derek Lowe, Hee Seop Choi
Red Sox send:  David Wells, Alex Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, Jon Lester, Tony Graffanino
Orioles send:  Miguel Tejada, Luis Matos

Dodgers receive: Wells, Graffanino, Matos
Red Sox receive:  Tejada, Choi
Orioles receive:  Lowe, Gonzalez, Youkilis, Lester

In my humble opinion, there’s about zero chance of a deal like this going down.  Then why am I posting about it?  For one thing, I’ve received a host of emails about the possibility.  So it seems that the people want to discuss it.  Secondly, plenty of these players are likely to be dealt, just not in this combination.

Is Derek Lowe on the block?  Certainly.  I know for a fact that the Cubs and Phillies have expressed interest in him.  I’m fairly certain he wouldn’t represent a big gain for the Orioles, however.  The Phils could still try to hammer something out to obtain Lowe.

Hee Seop Choi has nowhere to play on the Dodgers, and I mentioned before that I think the Devil Rays should make a play for him.  However, they’ve added Russell Branyan as a corner guy so it seems less likely at this point.  There isn’t much of a market for a first baseman, but Choi still deserves a chance.

Wells is certainly likely to be dealt, and the Dodgers are a viable candidate.  I mentioned yesterday that the Mets could consider Boomer as well.

Without doing any research, I have a feeling that a team can’t sign a free agent and trade him immediately.  That’s why the Alex Gonzalez thing seems way off to me.  Plus, Boston seemed to be trying to strengthen their defense.  That is supposedly where Gonzalez’s value lies.

The Red Sox won’t be trading Youkilis and Lester.  They’re far too valuable as building blocks.  Graffanino should be on the move, but that’s a minor deal.

I wouldn’t be shocked to see Tejada dealt before the deadline, and a guy like Lester would have to be involved.  There’s a fair chance Ronny Cedeno bombs and the Cubs try to re-engage the Orioles this summer.  They’d be relying on the further development of minor leaguers to form an attractive package.

Matos, sure, he’ll end up somewhere.  But the Dodgers don’t need him.   

Angels Should Pursue Javy Lopez

By | at

Javy Lopez and his agent have been making a stir lately, pushing for a contract extension or a trade.  Lopez is in the last year of a three-year deal, and will make $8.5MM in 2006.

A recent Baltimore Sun article mentioned:

"The Orioles have had some discussions with teams about Lopez, including a potential trade for Angels first baseman/outfielder Darin Erstad during the winter meetings, but the Angels weren’t interested in making the deal."

In between the flurry of rumors back in December, this is one I missed.  The Angels should not have dismissed this trade so quickly.

Erstad makes the same salary as Lopez in 2006, so that’s a wash.  The team plans on employing him in center field in 2006, and another season of .273/.325/.371 wouldn’t look quite so bad with the position change.  Still, the average American League center fielder hit .268/.322/.407 in 2005, so his bat’s not exactly an asset.  His defenders will point to his glovework; Erstad won a much-deserved Gold Glove playing center field in 2002.

But will Erstad be the same center fielder he was four years ago?  Highly unlikely.  My guess is that he’ll play average defense at this point at best.  Chone Figgins would be a better overall solution in center field.  That would allow Dallas McPherson to get another crack at third base, where he’s still primed to hit 30 HR in a full season.  The Angels would upgrade significantly behind the plate by bringing in Lopez, as Jeff Mathis could learn on the job as a backup.  Acquiring Lopez for Erstad would be an excellent move for the Angels.

Maine Offered To A’s For Hudson?

By | at

I was all set to point out that Billy Beane has indeed had previous interest in John Maine, but MetsBlog and a lot of message boards beat me to the punch.  That’s what I get for taking the afternoon off.

For what it’s worth, I did find this Peter Gammons article from December of 2004 mentioning that Maine was offered by the Orioles for Tim Hudson along with Erik Bedard and Hayden Penn.  Man, why didn’t Billy Beane take that offer?  That’s 3/5 of a starting rotation right there.

Benson Dealt To Orioles; Zito Implications?

By | at

Many of you have already noticed by now that Newsday is reporting that the Mets traded Kris Benson to the Orioles for Jorge Julio and John Maine.  A tip of the cap to Orioles Hangout; I’m pretty sure they confirmation first.

The question on most people’s minds is this: is the Benson swap the initial movement indicating a trade of Barry Zito to the Mets?  If you recall, my Mets source indicated yesterday that Benson would be traded to Baltimore to acquire a prospect to Billy Beane’s liking.  I’ve got word out to a couple of sources to see if anything has changed.  In the meantime, let’s see what we can deduce.

First off, would the A’s have use for John Maine?  The 24 year-old righty starter was ranked 6th in the Orioles’ organization by Baseball America entering the 2005 season.  According to BA back then, Maine needed to refine his command and had a ceiling as a #3 starter.  They also mentioned that he was "probably a #4 or 5 guy on a first-division club."  Maine pitched kind of like a #4 starter in 128 innings at Triple A Ottawa in ’05.  He posted a 4.56 ERA with improved control while maintaining a solid K rate.

I haven’t projected Maine myself yet, but ZiPS thought he’d throw 153 innings of 4.41 ball in his first extended trial with the Orioles.  I think that’s great value for the price.  For basis of comparison, Maine’s 2005 doesn’t look terribly different from Danny Haren’s 2004.  Haren was certainly better, but it’s a fair comparison.  Interestingly, Baseball Prospectus lists these comparables for Maine: Joel Pineiro (2002), A.J. Burnett (2001), Juan Marichal (1961), Bob Gibson (1960), and strangely, Jorge Julio (2003).  I know the A’s already have a stable of starters, but Maine probably needs a little more time and a team can never have too much starting pitching depth.

I would speculate that the Mets would hang onto Jorge Julio to serve as Aaron Heilman’s replacement.  While most analysis today indicates that the Benson trade simply means Heilman starts for the Mets, I am skeptical.  According to MetsBlog earlier this month:

"The problem is that the only person who seems to see Heilman as a starter is Heilman.  Nearly all scouts and experts that I talked with all explained the same thing: Heilman’s repertoire is too hittable during his second time through a lineup."

Should Minaya package up Victor Diaz with someone to acquire a top flight prospect suitable to the A’s, I could really see this Zito deal coming to fruition.   

New Possible Zito Scenario

By | at

Just got a note from my Mets source on a possible Barry Zito trade scenario.  Here’s how this could play out:

The Orioles still have some interest in Kris Benson; VP Jim Duquette likes him.  Benson would be dealt to the O’s for young players of Billy Beane’s choice.

Victor Diaz would be shipped off by the Mets as well, but again for prospects coveted by Oakland.  The A’s don’t have room for Diaz given their glut of 1B/DH/OF types.  The prospects from both deals would then be packaged with Aaron Heilman and the Mets would receive Zito.

The Mets would likely sign Jeff DaVanon to platoon in right field with Xavier Nady to complement this trade.  The switch-hitting DaVanon didn’t do much with righties this year, but posted an .824 OPS against them in 2004.  Nady has a career line of .323/.400/.452 in 124 at-bats versus southpaws.   So keep an eye out for a DaVanon signing and Benson trade, because that could spell a Zito deal.

Jeff Weaver: Last Man Standing

By | at

I ranked Jeff Weaver 18th overall on my Top 50 Free Agents for 2006, and he’s easily the best remaining starting pitcher (Roger Clemens aside).  After Weaver the dropoff is huge – it’s Kevin Brown or Lima Time.  Kind of remains me of this, a memory I’ve been trying to repress for ten years.

For a while it seemed like Weaver was being strangely undervalued in the market.  He’s a very dependable starter and he’s still 29.  He’s thrown 444 innings over the past two seasons with the Dodgers, compiling a 4.11 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 6.3 K/9 during that span. 

Ken Rosenthal cleared this muddy picture for us yesterday after speaking with Weaver’s agent, Scott Boras.  We now know that Weaver hadn’t actually hit the market until now.  Boras delayed Weaver’s release date to give the Dodgers first crack at him.  It seems that a three-year contract with an option would’ve gotten the job done, but it might take four years at this point.

Last week, Weaver was looking like a potential free agent bargain in the vein of Kevin Millwood last year for the Indians.  If nobody wanted to give him three years and $30MM (or whatever), he’d just take a one-year, $8MM deal or something.  However, what this potential bargain has taken a 180.  It’s fairly obvious that once a ton of people want something, it becomes overvalued.  Such will be the case with Weaver, who has eight teams after him.

Rosenthal’s speculation on that front: the Red Sox, Cardinals, and Orioles.  Let’s expand on that and try to nail the possibilities.

Orioles – Given Weaver’s recent durability, we know Peter Angelos’s injury hangups probably won’t come into play here.  And let’s not rule out the ballclub just because Angelos and Boras aren’t best buddies.  The club talks to all agents and is a good fit for Weaver.

Red Sox – I can’t help but doubt the Sox want to bring Weaver back into the AL East.  His 5.99 ERA with the Yankees in ’03 looms large.

Tigers – No one seems to think the Tigers would bring Weaver back.  Their rotation is pretty much set anyway.

Angels – Maybe he’d love to play with his brother Jered one day, et cetera et cetera.  This is cited as a pretty big reason for the Angels to be in play, but a lot of us thought the Braves would end up with Brian Giles for the same reason.  According to Bill Stoneman, signing Weaver is "not a likely thing."

Mets – Sure, why not?  Pedro, Glavine, Weaver, Benson, Trachsel.  You could do worse.

Phillies – Let’s see how this rotation looks so far: Lieber, Lidle, Madson, Myers, Ryan Franklin.  I think they’re set, especially with a few options in-house for replacements.

Nationals – It’s looking like they’re going with John Patterson, Livan Hernandez, Ramon Ortiz, Brian Lawrence, and Tony Armas.  Ryan Drese is floating around as well.  I know they’re mentioned as a main suitor, but I don’t see it.

Cubs – Certainly seems like a legit possibility.  No Boras reservations.  Possible rotation: Zambrano, Prior, Maddux, Wood, Jerome Williams.  Not counting on Wood probably means Glendon Rusch or Rich Hill though.  Despite the surplus, the Cubs have been making noise about adding another starter.  Perhaps Williams would be dealt (although this seems like an unwise course of action to me).

Astros – Weaver would definitely solidify things and relieve their dependency on Roger Clemens.

Cardinals – They will be going with Carpenter, Mulder, Suppan, Marquis, and Reyes in the rotation.  If Marquis is traded and Ponson does not take his spot, it would make sense to add Weaver to the mix.  After all, Jocketty has pursued Javier Vazquez, Matt Morris, and A.J. Burnett this winter.  Perhaps the Cardinal faithful can tell us whether he’d fit into the payroll.

Diamondbacks – No plans to pursue Weaver, according to Josh Byrnes.

I think that pretty much sums it up.  In order of likelihood, Orioles, Cardinals, Mets, Cubs, Astros, Angels.  Just my best guess.  I’d like to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top