Reds Rumors: Bedard, Prior
A break from your regularly scheduled steroid talk. John Fay checks in on the Reds’ pursuit of starting pitching.
- Fay says the Reds are still hopeful about getting Erik Bedard, and puts their chances at 50/50. The Orioles still want Jay Bruce, and the Reds are still resisting.
- Fay notes Dusty Baker told folks at the Meetings that he’d like to have Mark Prior. Whether Prior would like to be under his watch again is the question. As a 22 year-old in 2003, Prior ranked third in baseball in Pitcher Abuse Points per start.
Astros Acquire Miguel Tejada
UPDATE, 12-12-07 at 4:41pm: Richard Justice notes that Tejada can demand a trade after the ’08 season. That hadn’t occurred to me; it diminishes his value to the Astros.
UPDATE, 12-12-07 at 12:04pm: Rosenthal says Tejada is expected to play short for the Astros; Adam Everett’s time may be up. Tejada’s offensive output looks a lot better coming from short than it does coming from third, though it may be a moot point if Ty Wigginton is manning the hot corner.
FROM 12-12-07 at 11:42am:
This comes as a surprise, on the heels of a Rosenthal report to the contrary. Jeff Zrebiec says the Astros have acquired Miguel Tejada for Luke Scott, Matt Albers, Troy Patton, Dennis Sarfate, and Mike Costanzo.
That’s a fine haul for Baltimore. The Astros pretty much cleaned out their farm system for two years of an average-hitting third baseman. The average NL 3B had an .804 OPS in ’07; Tejada was at .799 in the AL. I know some readers think I’m an Astro-hater but that’s not the case. I just think they gave up way too much here. Patton was ranked their third best prospect by Baseball America, Costanzo sixth. Scott is a cheap quality regular, and Albers was third on the team’s 2007 top prospect list.
Indians Rumors: Haren, Blanton, Bedard, Inge
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer gets the Indians rumor mill churning.
- As we mentioned earlier today, the Indians have spoken to the A’s about Dan Haren and Joe Blanton. They’ve also inquired on Erik Bedard. The Tribe is quietly looking to pair C.C. Sabathia with another ace. Such an acquisition would soften the blow if Sabathia leaves after the ’08 season. Hoynes says a Haren acquisition might require one player from the Indians’ 25-man roster plus at least one near MLB-ready guy.
- The Tribe had brief talks with Detroit about Brandon Inge, but they’ve moved on. Doesn’t seem to be much interest in Inge.
- Cliff Lee and Kelly Shoppach weren’t part of the Jason Bay discussions. Instead, the Pirates were looking for a slew of the Indians’ best prospects. It seems the Bay talks have since cooled.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Santana, Cabrera, Kuroda, Edmonds, Rolen
Ken Rosenthal checks in with the latest hot stove buzz around baseball.
- Johan Santana is Boston’s only target – they’re not after Dan Haren or any other starter. The talks keep slugging along. For what it’s worth, Curt Schilling expects the Red Sox to get him.
- 36 year-old first baseman Alex Cabrera is a sleeper power threat among free agents. The former Rockie, Cub, and Diamondback has been mashing in Japan since 2001. The Nationals don’t have any room for him but want him anyway. Rosenthal says A.L. clubs are looking at him as a DH candidate, also. Cabrera hit .295/.377/.512 with 27 HR in 441 ABs in Japan in 2007.
- Hiroki Kuroda has not reached an agreement with any team, according to Rosenthal.
- The Padres are still considering Jim Edmonds as a center field candidate.
- Here’s a new one: the Indians expressed interest in Scott Rolen. The talks have cooled however.
- Rosenthal says the Astros don’t think they will get Miguel Tejada. Instead they’ve moved on to…Ron Mahay and Jeremy Affeldt.
Youngman’s Latest: Tejada, Eckstein, Inge
Randy Youngman of the OC Register has a few new rumor tidbits for us. Let’s discuss.
- The Angels won’t include Jered Weaver in a Miguel Tejada trade. Youngman says the O’s asked for the moon as a way of gauging Tejada’s market value. Now they’ll get serious.
- Both the Padres and Angels like David Eckstein as one-year possibilities, not that he’s open to that. The Halos actually have a bench role in mind for him, according to Youngman. The Padres, by the way, spoke to Eckstein’s agent today.
- Youngman says the Dodgers have interest in Brandon Inge and Pedro Feliz. If that’s the case, they should really go with internal options. Jayson Stark said three days ago that the Dodgers would pass on Inge.
- The Giants are apparently fans of Luis Gonzalez. In a December 5th posting Jerry Crasnick said the Rangers, Twins, Rays, White Sox, and Giants had all spoken to Gonzo’s agent.
Reds In Lead For Bedard?
UPDATE, 12-10-07 at 2:47pm: I thought this link in the Cincinnati Enquirer was worth including here. A member of the Reds’ organization rated the team’s chances of getting Bedard at 75%. Should we consider them the frontrunners in this race? Some talent would be coming into the NL, for once. However, Ken Rosenthal believes the Reds’ unwillingness to include Jay Bruce may prevent this deal from happening.
FROM 12-8-07 at 9:05pm:
The Reds definitely have the talent to acquire Erik Bedard from the Orioles. They may even be able to pull it off without including Jay Bruce. John Fay believes Homer Bailey, Joey Votto, and a top prospect could work. Johnny Cueto, a 21 year-old hard-throwing starter, would definitely be on the Orioles’ short list. Those three would be a slam dunk for Baltimore. Bedard could become a fashionable NL Cy Young pick, even pitching at Great American.
You could also imagine guys like Josh Hamilton and Edwin Encarnacion piquing Andy MacPhail’s interest. There are many ways this deal could work.
Bedard Not On Cubs’ Radar
We thought we had 12 teams in on Erik Bedard when the Red Sox were connected to him today.
However, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says Bedard is not on the Cubs’ radar screen. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman had thrown them into the mix on Tuesday. So it looks like we’re down to 11 teams for Bedard.
Two years ago, the Cubs seemingly offered Mark Prior for Bedard and Miguel Tejada. My, how times have changed.
Astros, Orioles, Were Never Close To Tejada Deal
The Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice says that while the Astros and Orioles had intense discussions about Miguel Tejada, the two sides were "never, never, never" close to a deal. It’s clear that Chris Burke, Adam Everett, and a prospect wouldn’t get it done.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun said today that the Orioles believe the Astros have the young talent needed to make a Tejada deal. Zrebiec notes that a package based on Everett and Luke Scott wouldn’t cut it, either. Andy MacPhail also discussed Tejada with the Cardinals, Giants, and Angels this week. The Angels haven’t aggressively pursued him, and Andrew Baggarly said today the Giants are no longer interested.
Odds and Ends: Sabathia, Loretta, Patterson
You know the drill, here’s a roundup of some rumor nuggets. I’ll update the post continuously throughout the day.
- Corey Patterson wants a multiyear deal, which probably isn’t something the Rangers want to do.
- The Indians met with C.C. Sabathia‘s agent on Thursday, but have yet to submit an extension proposal. That will happen this month, most likely.
- Check out how excited Pirates Rule 5 pick Evan Meek was. Pretty cool.
- The Astros expect Mark Loretta to accept their offer of arbitration. The deadline is midnight tonight for players to decide. Despite what Ed Wade says I doubt they really want a $4MM utility player.
- David Wells, Jon Lieber, and Brett Tomko are the types of names the Reds are considering. Tomko came up a Red but went to Seattle in the Griffey deal. Boomer is also a former Red.
- The Padres signed Shawn Estes, but it sounds like they’ve only made an offer to Milton Bradley.
- Andy MacPhail didn’t say no when asked whether he had interest in Eric Gagne and Octavio Dotel. Didn’t say yes, either.
The Giants and Hideki Matsui
As we learned earlier this week, the Giants and Yankees have talked about a Hideki Matsui trade. Let’s discuss.
- According to Andrew Baggarly, talks are still in the early stages but the teams will meet again soon on the topic. A source close to Matsui indicated that he’d waive his no-trade for San Fran. However, the Giants are said to prefer adding a right-handed slugger. Baggarly thinks the Giants would readily part with Jonathan Sanchez and Brad Hennessey, with Noah Lowry a possibility. The Giants won’t part with Brian Wilson, their closer of the future.
- Other notes from Baggarly – the Giants are over Miguel Tejada and were told Jay Bruce is untouchable.
- Pete Caldera says the Yankees like Lowry but considers a deal a long shot.
- Ed Price reports that Matsui’s agent hasn’t had a request about waiving the no-trade, and the agent won’t comment on Matsui’s willingness.
- Don’t expect the Giants to acquire both Alex Rios and Matsui. Tim Lincecum would stay if Lowry goes. At this same link Mark Feinsand notes that subtracting Matsui’s contract might create more flexibility to acquire Johan Santana.