At Least 15 Teams Watched Freddy Garcia
9:13pm: Additional teams confirmed in attendance: the Red Sox, Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers, Marlins, and White Sox. Garcia’s agent says he’d like to sign by this weekend, and plans to sign only for ’08. Troy Renck says the Rockies are a long shot now that they’ve added Livan Hernandez.
WEDNESDAY, 9:28am: Surprisingly, the Phillies were in attendance at Garcia’s audition yesterday. David Murphy finds the idea intriguing, but says the Phils don’t have major interest. The Phillies traded Gavin Floyd to the White Sox for Garcia in December of ’06, but he only gave them 11 starts while earning $10MM.
Also confirmed at the audition: the Tigers, Yankees, Mets, Rays, Rockies, Astros, and Rangers. MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez thinks the Rangers might be the most interested party.
TUESDAY: Today’s the big day…free agent Freddy Garcia will audition for teams in Miami. He’s recovering from labrum surgery.
We’ve compiled reports over the past few months. Teams interested in Garcia at one point: the Mets, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, White Sox, Rangers, Tigers, Rays, Astros, Cubs, Cardinals, Dodgers, Twins, Indians, Mariners, and Royals. That’s 16 of 30 teams, though the non-contenders may have dropped out.
Garcia’s friend and former manager Ozzie Guillen doubted the pitcher’s ability to contribute at the big league level this year. Garcia was upset by the comments.
Scott Eyre Designated; Red Sox Interested
WEDNESDAY: According to Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal, the Red Sox still have interest in Eyre. Scott Lauber figures the Phillies are likely to inquire as well.
TUESDAY: To make room for closer Kerry Wood, the Cubs designated lefty reliever Scott Eyre for assignment today. Eyre, 36, posted a 7.15 ERA in 11.1 innings with the Cubs this year. He spent time on the DL with elbow and groin problems. Eyre actually had a nice run in the second half last year as well as May this year.
Eyre still has about $1.15MM left on his contract. Perhaps teams like the Red Sox and Phillies will inquire and the Cubs won’t have to assume all of his salary.
Odds and Ends: Bay, Clement, Fuentes, Cabrera
We’ve got plenty of links today.
- There is speculation that Andruw Jones could be sent back to the minors.
- Joel Sherman wonders if MLB should’ve gotten involved when Manny Ramirez decided to orchestrate his own exit. Kind of reminds me of Gary Sheffield intentionally botching plays to force a trade out of Milwaukee in ’92.
- Gordon Edes stands by his report that Manny pledged to give full effort if the Red Sox dropped his options. That phone call between Scott Boras and Theo Epstein occurred within an hour of his trade to the Dodgers.
- Jon Heyman takes us inside the Manny trade. He says Ramirez signed an agreement in advance that he’d accept a trade to any team if his options were dropped. Heyman believes Omar Minaya fibbed in saying he had failed trade discussions with Boston.
- The Red Sox are still waiting to hear whether Joe Borowski will accept their offer of a minor league deal.
- Dejan Kovacevic gives as inside look at the Jason Bay trade talks here and here. Did the Rays offer Reid Brignac and Jeff Niemann? Reports are conflicting.
- The Cardinals released Matt Clement on Saturday. Let this serve as another reminder of how hard it is to come back from shoulder surgery.
- The Cardinals weren’t willing to trade catching prospect Bryan Anderson plus a pitching prospect for Brian Fuentes. Also, GM John Mozeliak confirmed failed talks for Bay.
- RotoAuthority takes a look at young pitchers who may face innings caps this year.
- Another failed deal: Orlando Cabrera to the Orioles in a Brian Roberts deal.
- Geoff Baker believes that when inside information related to the Blue Jays leaks out, GM J.P. Ricciardi is likely responsible.
- Please continue to email me if you see a pop-up or full-page ad on MLB Trade Rumors.
Marlins Explored Flipping Manny To Yankees
Obviously the Red Sox and Yankees never would’ve worked out a trade for Manny Ramirez. However, CBSSports.com’s Scott Miller says the Marlins briefly explored the idea of acquiring Ramirez and flipping him to the Yankees. The idea didn’t get anywhere – neither the Yankees nor Scott Boras were having it.
Miller also talked to "a person close to Ramirez" who says he wouldn’t have accepted a trade to the Marlins due to their "big ballpark and unstable ownership." Miller suggests the Marlins were never actually close to obtaining Ramirez, despite the various reports floating around Wednesday night.
Jon Heyman wrote Thursday morning that Ramirez consented to a trade to the Marlins though a deal had not been reached. So we’ve got conflicting reports on his willingness to play there. Heyman believes the Marlins overplayed their hand, asking for the $7MM to cover Manny’s salary plus $2MM to pay for the resulting draft picks.
Week in Review: 7/27 – 8/2
We saw the non-waiver trade deadline come and go this week, and plenty of action to go along with it. Let’s recap the big moves of the week:
- The Dodgers, Pirates, and Red Sox completed a three-team, blockbuster trade that sent Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles, Jason Bay to Boston, and Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen, and Brandon Moss to Pittsburgh. The Pirates got a pretty nice haul, and while Bay won’t necessarily replace Manny’s production, he’s much more affordable, signed through ’09, and doesn’t disrupt the clubhouse. The Dodgers add the big bat they need for a push in the NL West, though are now overloaded with overpaid outfielders. All in all, I don’t think any team made a bad deal in this one.
- The Angels made a big move in adding Mark Teixeira to their lineup, sending Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek to Atlanta in exchange. The Angels didn’t need help at the time – they’re running away with the AL West – but this move will undoubtedly be significant in the postseason. Great boost to the Halos’ lineup.
- The White Sox and Reds completed a trade that sent Ken Griffey Jr. to Chicago in exchange for Nick Masset and Danny Richar. I don’t understand this trade from the Sox perspective. Griffey was only hitting .245 at the time of the trade, and his range in center field isn’t close to what it once was. Still, he’s a presence in both the lineup and the clubhouse. Will playing for a contender rejuvenate him?
- The Yankees acquired future hall-of-famer Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers in exchange for Kyle Farnsworth. With Jorge Posada out for the season, New York did a good job of solidifying their catcher’s spot, while the Tigers got some much-needed improvement in their bullpen.
- The Twins aren’t known for making big trades at the deadline, and they held true to that in 2008. However, they made a move that could be bigger than any trade they might have made, when they designated Livan Hernandez for assignment, and recalled Francisco Liriano from Triple-A Rochester. The Twins DFA’ed Craig Monroe as well. The Rockies are looking for a fifth starter, and could have interest in Hernandez.
- Relievers on the move: Arthur Rhodes was traded to the Marlins, giving them another effective lefty option in the bullpen. The Astros acquired LaTroy Hawkins, still buying despite being 9.5 games out of the wildcard race at the time.
- The Nationals released Paul Lo Duca and Felipe Lopez. Both were highly unsuccessful this season, though they could generate interest from other teams.
- Tim explained the rules behind waiver trades for those who are unfamiliar with how the process works after the July 31st non-waiver deadline. He also takes a look at some noteable names who stayed put at the deadline.
- Minor moves: The Yankees signed Victor Zambrano to a minor league contract, while the Red Sox did the same with former Cleveland closer Joe Borowski.
- The Diamondbacks are talking extension with their second ace, Dan Haren.
- USA Today wrote an article on MLBTR. Check it out!
Boras Denies Calling Red Sox
Tony Masarotti of the Boston Herald reports that Scott Boras denies having ever called the Red Sox in a last ditch effort to keep Manny Ramirez in Boston, as reported yesterday. Ramirez seems happy to be gone and it didn’t make sense that he would’ve made an attempt to stay in Boston after such a messy divorce.
MLBTR readers seem to be either exhausted by this story, or think the Red Sox made the right move. Peter Gammons’ blog entry from last week is a must read.
Moving on, in another article, Masarotti details just how much money the Red Sox will have to play with this offseason:
"Look at it this way: Based on the formula used to calculate luxury tax, the Red Sox finished 2007 with a payroll just shy of $165 million. By Opening Day of this year, that number was down to about $150 million. By November, that number will be closer to $110 million, which means the Red Sox could have between $40 million and $55 million to spend, if not more."
Red Sox Offer Minor League Deal To Borowski
The Red Sox offered a minor league contract to reliever Joe Borowski, who was released by the Indians about a month ago. He’s not the setup man acquisition fans hoped for, but there’s no risk in adding him.
Borowski, 37, posted a 7.56 ERA in 16.2 innings this year. He injured his triceps in a spring game, and that lingered into May. The Indians had picked up his $4MM option in November of ’07.
Manny Wanted To Stay?
The never-ending soap opera that was Manny Ramirez in a Red Sox uniform has one final gasp this morning. Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe is reporting that an hour after the trade had been completed and the veteran had been informed he was L.A.-bound, Manny’s agent, Scott Boras, called the Sox with one final offering:
"If the Sox dropped the option years on his contract – which they had agreed to do if they traded him – Boras said Ramírez would not be a problem the rest of the season."
We now know (obviously) that the response from the Red Sox front office was negative, and there’s no question that this move was, at the very least, instigated by Boras. Keep in mind that Manny’s contract with the Sox was not of Boras’ design as he was hired by the slugger in February.
For the record, Boras denied pulling strings in the Manny deal.
Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Post-deadline rumors? Comments? alexo05 [at] umpbump [daught] com.
Manny To Dodgers, Bay To Red Sox
4:05pm: Peter Abraham says Manny’s team options were removed and he has agreed to decline arbitration.
3:58pm: Let’s sort through this wild trade.
- For 1.3 years of Bay, the Pirates receive LaRoche, Morris, Hansen, and Moss. Moss becomes the regular left fielder, LaRoche takes over at third until Pedro Alvarez is ready. When that happens, they might have a good problem on their hands. Future Pirates’ outfield: Moss, McCutchen, McLouth. The pitchers are a couple of live arms at this point.
- The Red Sox might be downgrading a bit with Bay replacing Manny, but they get Bay next year for just $7.5MM.
- The Dodgers will have Manny play every day. That leaves Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones, Andre Ethier, and Matt Kemp splitting two outfield spots. Not ideal, but they didn’t give up a ton to get Ramirez. One question – can they get Manny to agree to decline an offer of arbitration so they can net draft picks?
3:39pm: Bob Nightengale has the Bucs getting Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss from the Red Sox and Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris from the Dodgers, correcting what looks like a typo in the Rosenthal report.
3:37pm: Rosenthal has details:
Pirates outfielder Jason Bay is headed to the Red Sox. The Pirates will receive Andy LaRoche and right-hander Bryan Morris from the Dodgers and outfielder Damien Moss and releiver Craig Hansen from the Red Sox.
He adds that the Red Sox will pay the $7MM remaining on Manny’s contract.
3:30pm: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman. Jack Curry agrees.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Thursday
3:26pm: Many people are emailing saying Jon Heyman is reporting Manny to the Dodgers.
3:08pm: Aaaaaand…it’s dead again.
3:02pm: Rosenthal stirs things up: the three-headed Manny-Bay-Hermida deal is back on.
2:46pm: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says the three-way is dead, while the Dodgers are in play. Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe says to count out the Dodgers on Manny. Guess these guys aren’t cube-mates.
1:31pm: Heyman says the Dodgers are back in the mix for Manny but the Marlins aren’t out of it.
1:17pm: Nick Cafardo doesn’t buy the "dead" talk. However, the Pirates may have turned away from the Boston-Florida scenario for Bay. The Rays are still a possibility for him.
12:56pm: Rosenthal’s hearing this thing is dead.
11:49am: Rosenthal has a mixed opinion, with one source advising caution and another saying the deal is "taking off." Manny is following the ordeal on ESPN.
More links: a Gordon Edes Q&A on the topic, and word from Yahoo’s Tim Brown that the Pirates are happy with their end of the deal.
11:46am: Peter Gammons says the three-way Manny deal is close to dead. It may not make sense for Boston.
11:34am: A deal hasn’t been reached, though Manny has consented to a Florida trade. Jon Heyman considers this a major hurdle cleared.
The Rays appear unlikely to make a trade, by the way. Perhaps they’re cursed by their own loaded farm system.
11:29am: Will Carroll has an update. The Pirates could back out Bay talks entirely if they don’t get what they want. The Red Sox will continue shopping Manny regardless, with the Dodgers and a mystery team in the mix. The Dodgers might be willing to part with Matt Kemp.
10:44am: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe agrees – the Pirates’ return for Bay may be the holdup.
10:12am: Rosenthal says the three teams have a framework for the major players, but no agreement on the prospects. The Bucs’ return from the Red Sox is the holdup. Rosenthal says Tucker and Stanton will stay put, by the way.
9:37am: Kovacevic says the Pirates are open to trading Bay to the Red Sox or the Rays.
9:22am: ESPN’s Jayson Stark’s source has this at 50-50. The Pirates are insisting on Stanton but the Marlins don’t want to give him up. Grabow coud end up in Florida rather than Boston. Tucker is in play but not a lock to be moved.
9:10am: Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald has a source saying chances of a deal are "less than 50-50." Some members of Red Sox front office are not convinced Manny should be traded. What do you think? Are they better off with Bay and Grabow or Manny?
7:59am: Scott Miller of CBSSports.com hears that Ryan Tucker and Mike Stanton would not be in the deal. He says it’s not done and talks could still collapse. By the way, the Pirates have tried to acquire Jeremy Hermida in the past.
7:17am: Here’s the latest on the Manny Ramirez–Jason Bay–Jeremy Hermida three-way deal talks. At this time, the AP is saying there is no tentative agreement between the Red Sox, Pirates, and Marlins.