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Red Sox Not Interested In Chris Capuano

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Tom Haudricourt and Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel asked Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin about an Internet rumor: possible interest from Boston in Chris Capuano.  Melvin shot it down, saying he hadn’t talked to the Red Sox.  I think I’m slipping – I’ve been chronicling rumors all week and hadn’t heard a whisper of this one.  And I’m on the Internet!

Anyway, Melvin admitted that he might trade some of his pitching surplus before the season begins.  I agree with MLBTR readers that Capuano is the most likely to go.  Just seems like he needs a change of scenery.  Salary comparison: Capuano makes $3.75MM, Claudio Vargas makes $3.6MM, and Dave Bush makes $2.55MM.  Bush has a year less service time than the other two.  The Cardinals would be a great match for any of these guys if they weren’t in the Brewers’ division.  One fit could be the Rangers, who have an ailing rotation right now.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Crisp, Capuano, Lohse

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Does anybody else think that Brian Roberts’ agent fuels 90% of these rumors just so his client’s name is kept in the news? Me neither…Now that we have gotten the obligatory Roberts reference out of the way, let’s move on to some trades/signings that might actually happen in the near future. The biggest of course is the recent news that talks may be heating up with the Red Sox to move Coco Crisp. So far we know that the Sox are not interested in Jason Marquis or Sam Fuld and the Padres may only be having internal discussions at this point (although one writer does not see the Padres as serious suitors). Let’s take a look at what is being written about Crisp and a few others in the Blogosphere…

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

  • Red Sox News doesn’t like the rumored offer of Jason Marquis and Sam Fuld for Crisp. More likely they believe a package of Josh Donaldson and either Bobby Howry or Carmen Pignatiello could be accepted by the Sox.
  • Boston Sports Buzz sees Crisp as a nice solution for the Padres, since they currently employ one utility player and two injuries-waiting-to-happen in the outfield while lacking a legitimate leadoff hitter.
  • El Guapo’s Ghost also sees the Padres as the logical destination for Crisp, noting that prospect Kyle Blanks may be expendable for the Pads and fill the vacancy of power-hitting prospects in the Red Sox organization.
  • Hire Jim Essian is not too keen on Crisp, so they are rooting hard for Felix Pie to play well and keep "punching the baseball in its stupid face."
  • Goat Riders is not crazy about Crisp playing center for the Cubbies, but prefer him to the alternatives.
  • Right Field Bleachers notes that the Brewers may trade Chris Capuano before Opening Day as he needs a change of scenery and he still has some value on the market. They do not see the Red Sox as a good match since the Brew Crew does not need a center fielder (i.e. Crisp).
  • Rockin’ the Red laments the loss of another starting pitcher and acknowledges that it is time to look outside the organization for help. They would rather the Cardinals sign Kyle Lohse as opposed to Jeff Weaver.
  • Viva El Birdos would also prefer Lohse to any other outside options, and would opt for in-house options if Lohse is not signed.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Cafardo’s Latest: Inge, Marte, Fuentes, Lohse

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TUESDAY: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has an update to Cafardo’s Yankees/Fuentes item.  Renck says that while the Yanks have scouted Fuentes, Rockies’ GM Dan O’Dowd says there’s "zero chance" of a trade at this time.  I imagine he wants to see a healthy Luis Vizcaino before considering it.

MONDAY: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe checks in with plenty of rumors in his Sunday column.

  • The Red Sox checked in on Brandon Inge during the Winter Meetings, but found his contract prohibitive.  Most teams seem to feel the same way.
  • The Yankees are eyeing southpaw relievers Damaso Marte and Brian Fuentes, who’ve seemingly been on their radar for months.  Fuentes makes $5.05MM this year, Marte makes $2MM this year with a $6MM club option for ’09.
  • Cafardo believes the Noah Lowry injury could cause the Giants to swoop in on Kyle Lohse, and could also get in the way of a Joe Crede acquisition.  Lowry’s only supposed to miss two to three weeks though.  Kenny Williams says exactly two clubs have talked to him about Crede, but he’s saying Crede may still be his Opening Day third baseman.

Odds and Ends: Garland, Linden, A-Rod

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Time to round up various tidbits and rumors.

Perrotto’s Latest: Giles, Crisp, Wells

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John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus has some hot stove tidbits to consider in his Sunday column.

  • Perrotto notes that Jeff Baker’s success this spring for the Rockies could lead to a trade of Marcus Giles.  Baker is hitting .316/.350/.579 in a 19 AB sample.  Giles is at .385/.500/.615 in 13 ABs (yes, it seems silly to be talking about these stats).  Giles hasn’t hit much since ’05, so I doubt he’d bring anything in return.
  • Perrotto says the Padres are "considering trying to trade for Coco Crisp."  However, Tom Krasovic wrote on Friday that the Padres pursuing Crisp was doubtful for many reasons.  Who knows; at the least, Theo Epstein and Kevin Towers get along.
  • David Wells is still kicking around wanting to play, and could have to wait and serve as a midseason reinforcement.

Sox Not Interested in Marquis or Fuld for Crisp

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Coco Crisp may be on the Cubs’ wish list, but neither Jason Marquis nor Sam Fuld will be enough to get a deal done with the Red Sox. Diffusing the rumblings from earlier today, Nick Cafardo in the Boston Globe is reporting tonight that the Sox aren’t particularly interested in either player.

"If the Cubs were to talk trade with the Red Sox," he says, "it would have to be for a different set of names – either prospects or bullpen help."

Posted by Andrew Stoeten of Drunk Jays Fans

Cubs Eyeing Coco

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Last Sunday, I discussed how either Chicago ballclub were good suitors for Coco Crisp.  Today, Gordon Wittenmeyer of the Chicago Sun Times is reporting the Cubs interest do indeed lie with the web gem specialist, Crisp.

"With only one other lefty bat in the lineup (right fielder Kosuke Fukudome), the Cubs hoped to get a secondary lefty near the bottom of the order while assuring a good glove in center from their top two near-ready outfield prospects. While Hendry’s attempt to trade for Rangers outfielder Marlon Byrd was meant to provide a right-handed complement to the center-field winner, the focus now appears to be on Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp, a switch hitter who could start in center and bat near the top of the order."

Nothing substantial has come our way yet; however, Coco, who is slated to make only $4.75MM in ’08 and $5.75MM in ’09 with an $8MM club option for ’10, would be a very good fit for the Cubs and provide more time for Felix Pie to blossom under less stress.  Wittenmeyer confidently predicts,

"The Cubs will trade for a veteran outfielder to start in center, and one of [Pie or Sam Fuld] will open the season on the bench, the other in the minors."

However, Covelli Loyce Crisp still needs to bring his average back up to be the lead-off guy the Cubs are seeking – his inability to do so is a big reason the Red Sox will, by all accounts, part ways.

By Nat Boyle

On The Block: Coco Crisp And Juan Rivera

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Coco Crisp isn’t too happy about his competition for Boston’s center field job. Today, the Boston Herald reports that Coco is calling the situation "bogus." Why would you want to sit on the bench?" Coco asks. "Why would you want to do that?"

Meanwhile, on the left coast, the Angels’ Juan Rivera finds himself the odd man out in L.A.’s crowded outfield, but isn’t getting worked up about it. The L.A. Times says Rivera wouldn’t mind sitting the bench, if it comes to that. "There’s no pressure from the owner, no pressure from the fans, no pressure from the media," Rivera says.

Both Crisp and Rivera are candidates to be dealt by the start of the season. The Times points out that the Angels could trade Rivera for pitching depth, given that Kelvim Escobar and Chris Bootcheck will start the season on the disabled list and John Lackey and Scot Shields are fighting nagging injuries. As Big Mike noted earlier, San Diego might be looking for an outfielder now that Jim Edmonds is out with an injury. And the Mets are dangling pitchers in an attempt to find a replacement for injured Moises Alou.

By Umpbump Coley

Crumbling Edmonds Makes Pads Think Trade

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The Jim Edmonds Implosion Watch is on in San Diego. The centerfielder is on the shelf until the end of the month with a strained calf muscle, suffered in Thursday’s spring game.

Just a little more impetus for the Pads to get a deal done for an outfielder. Kevin Towers, though, says not so fast.  He’ll wait a week or so to see how Edmonds is progressing before pulling the trigger on any trades.  Edmonds, who’s in the last year of a two-year deal he signed with the Cardinals, will make $8MM this season. He’s missed 97 games over the last two years with a variety of aches and pains.

The strain may be worse than the one Edmonds suffered in 2003, causing him to miss significant playing time. Towers and Theo Epstein chatted yesterday over email, though Coco Crisp is seen as a long shot. Towers says Boston can’t have either Chase Headley or Matt Antonelli.

By Big Mike Glab

Papelbon Gets $775K

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Outspoken Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon signed a one-year deal for $775K for ’08.  That’s significantly more than the Sox had to give him, so it seems they value his happiness.  His new salary beats Mariano Rivera’s two-year service time closer record of $750K.

Papelbon’s salary will increase drastically a year from now, as he’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time.  He probably won’t get the $10MM Ryan Howard did, but something north of $5MM seems possible.

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