Red Sox Rumors

Mariners Rejected Offers For Felix Hernandez

By Tim Dierkes | July 31, 2009 at 12:22pm CDT

12:22pm: SI's Jon Heyman says the Tigers and Red Sox were among the teams inquiring on King Felix. Rays too, says Joel Sherman of the New York Post via Twitter.

11:14am: The Mariners rejected offers from six different teams for young ace pitcher Felix Hernandez, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark and Peter Gammons. GM Jack Zduriencik admitted he listened, but didn't find anything even worth discussing.

Hernandez, just 23 years old, has a 2.79 ERA in 145.3 innings this year. He's under team control through 2011, but has yet to sign a long-term contract.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday Night

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 31, 2009 at 1:04am CDT

1:04pm: Rosenthal and Morosi report that the Blue Jays are asking for Holland, Justin Smoak and two other prospects.

11:47pm: Heyman reports that the Rangers had a "pretty decent chance" to acquire Halladay today. With just over 15 hours to go, the Rangers' chances appear to have decreased in recent hours, Heyman says.

10:52pm: Sources tell Grant that the Rangers have asked the Jays to pay a significant amount of Halladay's 2009 salary in a potential trade. Ryan confirmed that the team would need ownership approval to make a trade for Halladay.

9:59pm: Rangers president Nolan Ryan told Bob Nightengale of USA Today that the Rangers are pursuing Roy Halladay, but says it's premature to predict whether a deal will happen.

Ryan confirmed to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that the Rangers have had discussions with the Jays "for awhile and there have been names talked about."

9:27pm: Ricciardi is "not saying definitively" that Halladay will remain a Blue Jay, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. However, the GM says it's looking more and more like Halladay will stay put.

9:23pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that, as of an hour ago, the Jays had no active talks about Halladay. The Dodgers approached the Jays yesterday, but the two sides aren't in the process of exchanging names.

8:38pm: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian hears that there's "nothing to" the reports that the Rangers are going hard after Halladay.

8:30pm: Evan Grant of D Magazine hears that talks between the Blue Jays and Rangers remain "very serious."

8:17pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman says "nothing seems hot" on the Halladay front, even though many executives would be surprised if the Jays' ace isn't playing for a different team by the weekend.

8:11pm: Sullivan hears indications that the Rangers are willing to take on the rest of Halladay's contract if they can agree on which players to send the Blue Jays. Vicente Padilla, Marlon Byrd and Hank Blalock are free agents after the season, so the Rangers could create space for Halladay's $15.75MM salary by letting the trio of veterans walk after the season.

6:40pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hear from a major league source who says the LA Times report below is "not accurate." However, FOX Sports hears that the Rangers have a legitimate chance of trading for Halladay.

6:22pm: So just how much do the Blue Jays want for Halladay? Marlins president David Samson told 790 The Ticket that J.P. Ricciardi wants "two left legs, a right arm and a left cerebellum" for Doc, according to the Miami Herald.

6:06pm: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan hears that the Rangers have "significant ongoing communications" with the Blue Jays. He also suggests that the Rangers won't let money prevent them from acquiring Halladay if they can do so for a reasonable price.

5:57pm: Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that the Dodgers and Blue Jays spent the afternoon "negotiating extensively" over Roy Halladay. Apparently talks aren't "dead" after all. The Dodgers would allow the Jays to get a "haul of prospects" but are trying to acquire Halladay without giving up Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley.

5:38pm: Here are the latest highlights from the incessant stream of Roy Halladay rumors. The Jays aren't talking actively with anyone. Not the Red Sox, not the Yankees, not the Rangers. The Dodgers acquired George Sherrill for a pair of minor leaguers, but they still have enough pieces to tempt the Jays. Like the Angels, they're focused on relievers now. GM J.P. Ricciardi says he has "nothing going on," but won't rule out a trade until the deadline is upon us. On to tonight's rumors:

Ricciardi tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney what he told Jack Curry earlier today: talks are "dead," but the Jays would listen to offers for Doc.

Red Sox & Indians Considering Three-Way Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 31, 2009 at 12:24am CDT

The Red Sox and Indians discussed a three-way deal Thursday night that would send Victor Martinez to Boston and Clay Buchholz to Cleveland, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The deal would include a third team and send prospects in all directions.

The Red Sox and Indians contacted other teams to find a match. The Red Sox would want to trade recently-acquired Adam LaRoche to the third team, according to one of Stark's sources. LaRoche wouldn't fit on the Red Sox anymore if they add Martinez and there don't appear to be many suitors for him, especially now that the Giants added Ryan Garko. We know a team other than the Giants made the Pirates an offer for LaRoche earlier in the month.

The Indians are "heavily scouting" the Rays' system, but it's a "long shot" that Martinez goes to Tampa because the Rays have financial limitations that would likely force them to make a preliminary deal before acquiring Martinez. With just over 14 hours left, they don't have much time.

ESPN On Qualls, Adrian Gonzalez, Mahay

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2009 at 11:19pm CDT

11:19pm: Olney reports that the Padres and Red Sox had made very little progress in their discussions about Adrian Gonzalez as of 9pm CST.

4:19pm: In regard to the Qualls item below, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick has an update. His source says the D'Backs are "very unlikely" to trade their closer.

11:58am: All kinds of good stuff from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required and recommended).

The big news: the Red Sox and Padres talked "at length" about an Adrian Gonzalez trade Wednesday night. Those discussions are expected to resume today; of course you can expect top prospects to be involved.
On the D'Backs front, there has been interest in Doug Davis and Jon Garland. Jeff Wilson of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers have spoken to the D'Backs about a deal for starting pitching, but would probably have to unload salary (Hank Blalock?) first. A D'Backs scout took a look at Rangers reliever Guillermo Moscoso. However, Arizona is actually considering whether to extend Davis. Might make sense, with Brandon Webb going under the knife.
Olney says there's momentum building toward a Chad Qualls trade, but the closer won't come cheap. Chad Tracy would be a fourth available D'Back, but Bob McManaman and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic feel that August trades are more likely for the club.
The Royals would like to move the contract of southpaw reliever Ron Mahay (.274/.292/.468 against lefties). He's got about $1.5MM left.
ESPN's Jayson Stark tosses in this nugget: the Marlins made a run at Roy Halladay but balked at an asking price that included Cameron Maybin and Mike Stanton.

Odds And Ends: Torre, Ross, Braves

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 30, 2009 at 8:28pm CDT

The rumors keep coming; here are a few tidbits for the evening…

Joe Torre gave Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch his take on unnamed sources: "It's really embarrassing that their parents don't name them."
Cody Ross told MLB.com's Joe Frisaro that he would trade for Roy Halladay and Matt Holliday if he were an MLB GM.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that the Braves could make a minor addition.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale suggests the Twins could deal for David Eckstein or Adam Kennedy instead of Orlando Cabrera.
One GM tells Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Boston's pursuit of Adrian Gonzalez won't affect a possible Victor Martinez trade between the Red Sox and Indians.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2009 at 5:07pm CDT

5:07pm: Ricciardi tells Ed Price of AOL FanHouse that he's not ruling out a trade. "We're waiting 'til 4 o'clock tomorrow," Ricciardi said.

4:23pm: Jack Curry of the New York Times has additional comments from Ricciardi on Halladay:

"We've got nothing going on. We expect him to be with us."

The Phillies are out, and the other suitors failed to wow Ricciardi.

3:19pm: Rosenthal and Morosi say the Dodgers have enough in their system to make a competitive offer for Halladay, even after acquiring Sherrill. And for Evan Grant's thoughts on the Rangers and Halladay, click here.

However, in another entry Rosenthal and Morosi talk to J.P. Ricciardi and label the Halladay sweepstakes "all but over." Ricciardi's comments indicate the same. Toronto's GM seems intent on keeping Scott Rolen, Marco Scutaro, and others if Doc stays.

2:23pm: Morosi says Halladay is looking unlikely for the Angels, who shot down a Toronto proposal that included Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar, and Brandon Wood.

The Halos are also looking for bullpen help, with names such as Heath Bell and George Sherrill in play (their offer for Mike Wuertz fell short).

1:26pm: Rosenthal and Morosi have a source saying things are "very quiet" on the Halladay front. Still, the Dodgers, Angels, Rangers, Rays, and Red Sox remain interested.

1:14pm: Yahoo's Tim Brown sees the Dodgers and Red Sox as the frontrunners for Doc in what is shaping up as a two-team race. Brown says the only Major Leaguer in the Dodgers' offer is James McDonald, while the Sox will part with Clay Buchholz, one of Justin Masterson, Michael Bowden, and Lars Anderson, and some lesser prospects. My guess is that the Red Sox find a way to get this done, given the quality they're already offering. ESPN's Jayson Stark says one Dodgers prospect who is off-limits is shortstop Devaris Gordon.

Meanwhile, Lynn Henning of the Detroit News says the Jays wanted Rick Porcello, Ryan Perry, and Casey Crosby from the Tigers for Halladay. Henning says the Tigers bowed out upon that request. Henning adds that the Tigers would consider adding Adam Dunn or Josh Willingham but the price is steep on the sluggers as well.

12:59pm: A Rosenthal/Morosi source with knowledge of the Jays' thinking discusses a package of Dodgers minor leaguers that could catch Toronto's attention in a Halladay deal.

12:21pm: Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal sees the Dodgers in the lead for Halladay, with the Rangers in the mix and talks with Boston calming down.

9:09am: Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe feels the chances of the Red Sox acquiring Halladay are "remote," and believes that Boston has yet to increase their initial offer for him. And in an earlier column, Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald said the Blue Jays and Red Sox have not been in contact over the last three days.

8:37am: SI's Jon Heyman says the Dodgers balked at the Blue Jays' asking price for Halladay and are moving on to Orioles closer George Sherrill. Check out yesterday's Sherrill info here.

Meanwhile, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun finds Halladay unlikely to be traded. ESPN's Buster Olney says there are "no active talks" at present.

7:55am: We'll start with a review of yesterday's Roy Halladay rumors. The Phillies acquired Cliff Lee instead, cutting into J.P. Ricciardi's leverage for Doc. Ricciardi now has the Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers, Dodgers, and possibly Angels and Rays to work with. The Blue Jays' GM is thinking about keeping Halladay for 2010, based on his comments to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. On to a few new links…

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi at FOX Sports say the Jays are not requiring the Dodgers to include Clayton Kershaw or Chad Billingsley. Instead, they'd just take five or six of the team's top prospects.
Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News say Ricciardi is trying to get the Yankees and Red Sox into a bidding war. Kind of cliche, J.P. The authors imply the Yanks may be more focused Jarrod Washburn, who obviously wouldn't require as big a bounty.
Halladay's plan for today, according to Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer – lock himself in his hotel room. Might want to unplug the TV and disable the Internet. Doc is understandably drained from pitching last night amid all the rumors.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Mets, Red Sox

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2009 at 12:30pm CDT

Thursday linkage…

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Pirates wanted Aaron Hicks or Danny Valencia from the Twins for Freddy Sanchez. LEN3 has a few other hot stove tidbits as well.
ESPN's Keith Law finds the Giants' trade of Tim Alderson for Sanchez reasonable, due to "slippage in Alderson's stuff."
Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe talks about how major additions such as Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, or Victor Martinez would help the Red Sox. Via Twitter, ESPN's Amy K. Nelson heard from a source guessing that Gonzalez has a ten percent chance of being moved.
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reports via Twitter that the Mets designated pitcher Elmer Dessens for assignment to make room for catcher Robinson Cancel.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say the Mets "do not intend to give up a significant prospect" in their quest to add a left-handed reliever.
Via Twitter, Ken Davidoff of Newsday informs us that the Blue Jays expanded their coverage of the Yankees' farm system. Davidoff feels that this coverage more likely reflects the Yanks' interest in relief help than in Roy Halladay.
The Pirates don't have anything serious going on with relievers Matt Capps or John Grabow, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. They might be done.
Joe Smith and Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times find the Rays unlikely to make a major deal, with Cliff Lee off the table.
ESPN's Buster Olney lists all kinds of holes that could be filled via the trade market for various clubs.

Victor Martinez Rumors: Thursday

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2009 at 9:39am CDT

Indians catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez stands as one of the bigger names remaining on the trade market. The 30 year-old, who is under control through 2010 with an affordable option, is hitting .284/.368/.464 in 435 plate appearances this season. The option jumps to $7.5MM if he's traded, plus up to $1MM in incentives.

We've seen the Red Sox and Rays linked to V-Mart, though Joe Smith and Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times doubt the Rays' desire to add Martinez without Cliff Lee. Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox already rejected a "one-for-one proposal that would have sent Clay Buchholz to Cleveland for Martinez."

Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports say "other, unidentified teams are believed to be interested in Martinez as well."

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Lee, Rays

By Eddie Schmid | July 29, 2009 at 11:28pm CDT

Some links to (maybe) cap an already wild day in rumor-land:

Joe McDonald at the Providence Journal thinks the Red Sox need to make a major deal.
Dan Novick at the Hardball Times wonders if the Lee trade was a win-win.
John Campanelli at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer gets reactions from Indians fans on the Lee deal. Suffice to say, they ain't happy.
Nationals acting manager Jim Riggleman wants to see the team's core remain intact, says Chico Harlan at the Washington Post.
Marc Topkin at the St. Petersburg Times says the Rays "seem unlikely" to make a big deal.
Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times thinks the Mariners' deals today for Ian Snell and Jack Wilson probably spell some more trades on the horizon–potentially involving Jarrod Washburn.
The Nationals released Julian Tavarez today, who had cleared waivers. Corey Patterson also cleared waivers and has been released from the Triple A club, reports Bill Ladson at MLB.com.
David Laurila at Baseball Prospectus has a profile and some quotes from new Pirate Tim Alderson.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Wednesday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 29, 2009 at 10:24pm CDT

10:19pm: As we learned earlier today, Rosenthal and Morosi say that Halladay hasn't ruled out waiving his no-trade clause to come to the Rangers. The Rangers are optimistic their payroll issues will be fixed next year, and despite current difficulties, Morosi and Rosenthal wonder if the prospects might be good enough to entice Ricciardi to include money in a deal. Still, such a deal seems like a longshot.

8:43pm: Scott Miller at CBS Sports gives his take on the discussions, noting that there are "obstacles aplenty" to getting a deal done. One exec wonders about the motivations behind their making Halladay available: "If you wait and do it in the offseason, you're going to get less than you get now.

"Because if you trade him now, the team that gets him gets him for two playoff runs [this year and next; Halladay is signed through 2010]. That makes it more reasonable that they would get maximum value for him."

Another scout questions the Red Sox' ability to land Halladay without a glut of high-level prospects at AA and AAA, which would make it tough to strike a deal without including a third team. Additionally, the Angels have reportedly traded these names with the Blue Jays: Erick Aybar, Kevin Jepsen, Brandon Wood, Jeff Mathis, Bobby Wilson, Sean Rodriguez, Jered Weaver and others.

6:58pm: The race still has a little life–Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal are reporting that the Rays consider themselves a "longshot" to land Halladay due to the cost in money and prospects, but still believe they're "in the mix" for him. They're also focusing their sights on relief help.

4:39pm: Bill Shaikin and Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times report that the Dodgers have discussed softening their stance on Chad Billingsley and would consider making him available in a trade, but they're still not expected to do so.

4:24pm: Ricciardi tells MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that he probably won't deal Halladay to the Phillies now that they have Lee. The Jays are still talking with other teams, including the Red Sox.

4:01pm: Rosenthal and Morosi report that the Rays are no longer pursuing Halladay. Instead, they'll look for bullpen help, just a day after they considered trading relievers away.

2:14pm: Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald reports that the Red Sox are focused on their talks with the Blue Jays. However, Ryan Westmoreland and Casey Kelly are "off-limits" and the Red Sox want to keep Daniel Bard.

1:43pm: Ricciardi tells Sherman he expects to keep Halladay through 2010 and try to win next year.

1:40pm: Ricciardi still says he'd have to be wowed to move Halladay, according to Peter Gammons of ESPN.com. Gammons says it doesn't look like there's a "wow" deal out there.

1:32pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi hear that Halladay would consider a deal to the Rangers, but would be more likely to accept deals to Boston, the Dodgers, the Angels or the Yankees.

1:28pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Blue Jays wouldn't accept Jason Knapp as the centerpiece of a deal and instead insisted on obtaining Kyle Drabek. Sherman cites an executive who says the Red Sox have the best chance of obtaining Halladay now that the Phillies will acquire Lee.

1:17pm: Ricciardi tells Danny Knobler of CBS Sports that Halladay will "definitely" pitch for the Blue Jays tonight. Meanwhile, Heyman wonders if the Jays will be "stuck" with Halladay now that Boston's talking a lot about Victor Martinez.

1:14pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that the Blue Jays haven't made significant progress towards a possible Halladay deal. Instead, a source tells Olney "all is quiet."

12:37pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse reports that the Phillies are doing "nothing" with the Blue Jays right now.

11:54am: Rosenthal and Morosi say the Blue Jays lose leverage if the Phillies acquire Cliff Lee. The Jays would then have to accept an offer from Boston or consider other, possibly inferior, proposals. The Yankees, Rangers and Dodgers are still "on the periphery" of the Halladay talks.

10:23am: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki hears Marson and Donald were scheduled to get the day off. Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail hears that Carrasco's absence from the game has nothing to do with Halladay.

10:04am: As many readers have noted, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald and Lou Marson aren't in the lineup for the Phillies' Triple A team this afternoon. It could be a coincidence, but it's of interest at least, since all are possible trade candidates and Carrasco was expected to start. Michael Taylor is batting fifth.

9:00am: Here's a quick recap of all the Roy Halladay rumors we heard yesterday: J.P. Ricciardi's self-imposed deadline passed, but the rumors persist; the Jays continue to demand Kyle Drabek in any trade; the Phillies are divided on how much to give up for Doc; the Rangers are still involved, and so are the Red Sox, who were more aggressive than ever yesterday and may be prepared to deal Clay Buchholz and other top prospects for Halladay. Got it? Now for today's rumors:

Michael Silverman and Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald report that the Blue Jays have turned down a Red Sox proposal, but the Red Sox haven't turned any offers down from the Jays.
Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times hears from a source who says the Dodgers aren't willing to part with the talent it would take to acquire Halladay or Cliff Lee. Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley are off-limits.
Jon Heyman of SI.com talked to a number of executives around the league who believe Halladay will be dealt, probably to the Phillies. As one GM says "there's no putting the genie back in the bottle."
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that Yankees GM Brian Cashman spoke with Ricciardi yesterday, something he does regularly. The Jays would want Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes from the Yanks for Halladay if the Yankees start pursuing him aggressively.
Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun hears that the Blue Jays have found a new team president to take over after the season. Until then Paul Beeston is very much a part of the team's decisions, including any possible Halladay trades.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Red Sox Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect