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Odds & Ends: Foulke, Feliz, Tazawa

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A few links to check out on the 30th anniversary of Thurman Munson's death…

  • Mike Ashmore of AtlanticLeagueBaseball.com wrote a feature on Keith Foulke, who is pitching with the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic League. Foulke turned down several Triple-A offers before the season, including one from the Nationals, and admits it "probably turned out to be a little bit of a mistake." Foulke is looking to get back to majors as you'd expect, and says "“I’m going to make one last push over the last couple weeks, and we’ll see what happens."
  • The Rangers are ready to call up prospect Neftali Feliz, perhaps in time for tonight's game according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Baseball America rated Feliz the 13th best prospect in the game in early July.
  • Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal wonders if Japanese import Junichi Tazawa could be a candidate to fill the bullpen spot left vacated by Justin Masterson's inclusion in the Victor Martinez trade on Friday. Tazawa was recently bumped to Triple-A and is already on the 40-man roster.
  • Make you sure follow MLBTR on Twitter for the quickest updates possible. While you're at it, why don't you go ahead and follow me too. Almost all of my tweets are about baseball, I swears it.

Red Sox To Listen On Matsuzaka?

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According to Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe, you can expect the Red Sox to listen to offers for Daisuke Matsuzaka this offseason. There's a hope Matsuzaka will right the ship and return to success after injuries this season to help his trade value.

Matsuzaka's recent comments criticizing the team's rehab process might have been too much for him to have a place on the organization. Cafardo wonders if the team underestimated "the cultural and philosophical differences that would lead to a constant butting of heads." Matsuzaka would have to sign off on any deal, but indications are that he would okay a trade.

Cafardo also talked to a GM who said that Matsuzaka should draw interest from teams, as the Red Sox have already paid the enormous posting fee (over $51MM), his contract is otherwise reasonable, and because the Sox have a good history of taking care of their pitchers.

Odds & Ends: King Felix, Matusz, Johnson

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A hearty batch of links for your Saturday afternoon viewing pleasure…

  • Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times takes a deeper look at the Felix Herandez-Red Sox talks that took place just before the trade deadline yesterday.  It seems like a sensitive subject for most Mariners fans.
  • According to Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are having a "vigorous debate" about calling up pitching prospect Brian Matusz.  "The service time issue also is largely moot," Schmuck writes, "because no matter how much time he spends up here this year, he's still under reserve for another six."
  • Matthew Pouliot of NBCSports.com's "Circling The Bases," reviews the trade deadline's winners and losers.
  • Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that Nick Johnson did not want to discuss an extension with the Nationals, thus the trade, and is hoping for a two-year deal when he becomes a free agent this offseason.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock, a Padres beat writer, has more on the impending release of Mark Prior.

More Trade Reactions

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Lots of ink and keystrokes are being spent on analyzing yesterday's big deals. Here are a few, with more to be added on throughout the day:

Twins Acquire Orlando Cabrera

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6:59pm: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the A's will send a total of $500k to the Twins.

12:45pm: Via Twitter, La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Twins are also getting cash in the deal.

12:08pm: Yahoo's Tim Brown said it was a done deal, with the Twins sending shortstop prospect Tyler Ladendorf to Oakland for Cabrera.

Cabrera, 34, is hitting .280/.318/.365 on the season in 448 plate appearances.  He has $1.75MM remaining on his contract, once you factor in a $250K bonus for being dealt.  Though he profiles as a Type A free agent after the season, Cabrera's agent wisely negotiated a clause disallowing his club to offer arbitration.  So, no draft picks for the team for the loss and no impediment to signing Cabrera from the player's point of view.

11:56am: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says Cabrera to the Twins is "very close."  Slusser says Valencia is not part of the deal.

11:41am: La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune doesn't see the Twins as close to a deal for Cabrera.  The A's apparently want third base prospect Danny Valencia.  Neal wonders whether the Twins might go after David Eckstein or Kennedy instead.

FRIDAY, 1:26am: ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that the A's and Twins are making "steady progress" as they discuss a deal that would send Cabrera to Minnesota.

THURSDAY, 11:31pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report that the Twins are making progress in their attempt to acquire Cabrera. The teams continued talking today and expect discussions to resume tomorrow.

9:30am: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has a few hot stove notes on the A's this morning.

  • Despite interest, the A's do not intend to trade infielder Adam Kennedy.  They might even try to re-sign him for 2010 eventually.  The 33 year-old is hitting .296/.350/.434 in 327 plate appearances while playing second and third base.  Oakland acquired Kennedy back in May from the Rays.
  • Slusser debunks a Providence Journal report from Daniel Barbarisi that the Red Sox turned down a trade for Orlando Cabrera.  Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe agrees with Slusser, saying Cabrera "is not keen on returning to Boston."
  • We do know that the Twins have talked to the A's about O-Cab.  Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says the Twins are "still chasing" Marco Scutaro as well.

Roy Halladay Not Traded

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5:38pm: Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski says his team was not involved with Halladay, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.

5:10pm: The Blue Jays and Rangers were talking last night when they found that Halladay wouldn't approve a deal to the Rangers, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. The sides weren't close to a deal when they found out.

The Jays, like other teams the Rangers spoke with, coveted Derek Holland, Neftali Feliz, Justin Smoak and Pedro Borbon. Holland's now in the majors and the other three rank on Jonathan Mayo's updated list of top prospects.

4:20pm: Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail reports that Ricciardi was "never moved by a club" to trade Halladay, though two or three teams were serious about acquiring him and ten inquired. 

3:25pm: Halladay has not been traded, according to Sherman on Twitter.  So many wasted words.

10:12am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post has a slew of comments from Ricciardi about a Halladay trade today being highly unlikely.  Ricciardi admitted he'd listen again in the offseason, but says keeping Doc today signifies an attempt to contend in 2010.

Meanwhile, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports via Twitter that the Tigers never got to the point of exchanging names on Halladay.  Instead, they've reportedly acquired Jarrod Washburn.

10:01am: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers' talks for Halladay "appear to have broken off" and are "somewhere between dead and on life-support."  Seems like the Rangers are unwilling to trade pitcher Derek Holland, especially after last night's gem.

9:53am: Yahoo's Tim Brown says the Red Sox will "engage Ricciardi early" today on Doc before going after Adrian Gonzalez or Victor Martinez.  However, when quizzed by Brown earlier this morning about the Halladay talks, Ricciardi replied, "Nothing going."

8:34am: One way or another, pitcher Roy Halladay can get some peace of mind about six hours from now when the trade deadline passes.  Until then, it's rumor-mania.  Yesterday night, things seemed to heat up with the Rangers, but Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi labeled trade talks "dead" in a general sense.  Earlier in the day the Red Sox and Dodgers were considered the frontrunners.

This morning, SI's Jon Heyman tells us the Rangers "may have come the closest" to acquiring Halladay.  Even more so than the Phillies?  Heyman says the Rangers talks hit "a snag or two late Thursday," decreasing the chances for a trade.

Braves Acquire Adam LaRoche For Casey Kotchman

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2:49pm: Danny Knobler of CBSSports says LaRoche will be traded for Kotchman.

2:38pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says LaRoche could be swapped for Casey Kotchman.

2:16pm: LaRoche has been traded to the Braves, according to Yahoo's Gordon Edes.

1:59pm: First baseman Adam LaRoche becomes expendable for Boston if they complete the Victor Martinez trade; Jon Heyman of SI tells us via Twitter that the Braves are interested.  LaRoche came up with the Braves; they traded him to Pittsburgh for Mike Gonzalez and Brent Lillibridge in '07.

Adrian Gonzalez Rumors: Friday

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1:55pm: From Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports: the Dodgers are making a run at Gonzalez and Bell (separately or together); they could send James Loney to San Diego in such a deal.

12:26pm: A Jayson Stark source says the asking price for Gonzalez is "astronomical, three times the asking price on Halladay."

12:04pm: SI's Jon Heyman hears the Red Sox are still in talks for Gonzalez.  Buchholz, Lowrie, and Masterson are "in the mix" with the Padres asking for Westmoreland and Anderson.  Heyman adds, "However, the sides are still pretty far apart, and Boston is still in the mix for Martinez."  Heyman also says Bell's name has come up in these talks.

11:35am: MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo via Twitter: "I'm hearing odds of Padres dealing Gonzalez are very low at this point."  Bonus: Mayo's Twitter background has a Magic Eye effect.

10:22am: ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Red Sox still "have pokers in the fire" on Gonzalez, Martinez, and Roy Halladay.  Stark continues to suggest the Sox may try to include a third team to faciliate one of these deals.

6:45am: Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News say the Red Sox are in "full pursuit" of Gonzalez, and believe Boston could get Heath Bell too if they're willing to include pitcher Daniel Bard.  Also, Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald confirms that the Red Sox are more interested in Gonzalez than Victor Martinez. 

12:51am: We heard yesterday that the Padres and Red Sox spoke at length Wednesday night about a possible Adrian Gonzalez trade. However, there was no indication the talks had developed by the end of the day. Not only are the Red Sox discussing a three-way deal with the Indians and another club, they're involved on the Gonzalez front as well. Here's the latest:

  • Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports that there are indications the talks were active late last night and will likely peak today.
  • It would be surprising if this were not the case, but Kevin Towers is asking for "a ton" in return for Gonzalez, according to Cafardo's source.  
  • The teams are discussing Clay Buchholz, Lars Anderson, Jed Lowrie, Ryan Westmoreland, Justin Masterson and others.
  • A rival executive told Jon Heyman of SI.com he believes the Red Sox prefer Gonzalez to Victor Martinez.

Red Sox Acquire Victor Martinez

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1:38pm: Done deal, says Yahoo's Gordon Edes. MLB Network's Tom Verducci says pitcher Bryan Price is the third hurler going to Cleveland in the trade.

1:35pm: MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo says (via Twitter) pitchers Nick Hagadone and Justin Masterson are in the deal (ESPN's Peter Gammons agrees).  Gut reaction: nice haul.  Mayo also says the two clubs are looking at additional names to add for Cleveland.

1:27pm: FOX now says Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard are not in this deal.

12:55pm: USA Today's Bob Nightengale via Twitter: the Red Sox are about to acquire first baseman/catcher Victor Martinez from the Indians.  Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse, trying to confirm, says it "looks good."  FOX Sports agrees, and notes a lack of a third team involved.  They also believe this kills the Adrian Gonzalez talks.

Victor Martinez Rumors: Friday

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12:24pm: ESPN's Jayson Stark: "The Rays continued to talk with Cleveland about Martinez Friday afternoon, but clubs they've spoken with say they're more focused on "under-the-radar" bullpen arms."  San Diego closer Heath Bell is among those names, but the Rays didn't like the price.

11:49am: MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter) finds a 50% chance of a Martinez trade.

7:44am: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports describe the Indians as "pessimistic" about their chances of trading Martinez.

6:36am: Yesterday ESPN's Jayson Stark brought up Victor Martinez as part of a possible three-way trade involving the Red Sox, Indians, and another club.  Let's see what's cooking today…

SI's Jon Heyman writes of "brief talks" between the Mets and Indians for V-Mart.  However, the Mets prefer to keep their top prospects and probably already turned down an offer from Cleveland.  We know this because GM Omar Minaya admitted to turning down two offers for big-time players.  Heyman still sees Boston as the favorite for Martinez.  Joel Sherman of the New York Post expects some kind of big move out of the Sox today.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees.

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