Red Sox DFA Mark Kotsay
3:55pm: Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com says Kotsay was designated for assignment, not waived. This gives the Red Sox ten days to make their next move.
2:17pm: The Red Sox put Mark Kotsay on waivers to make room for the recently-acquired Adam LaRoche, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. If no team claims Kotsay within 48 hours, the Red Sox can release him or assign him to the minor leagues. The 33-year-old has an OPS of .615 in 27 games at first base and as an outfielder.
Padres Aren’t Discussing Gonzalez
The Red Sox have asked about Adrian Gonzalez, but the Padres steadfastly refuse to discuss him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Boston has enough top prospects to entice most teams, but the Padres "just won't budge."
Edes On Holliday, Willingham, Sherrill
Yahoo's Gordon Edes hears the Cardinals aren't the only team interested in Matt Holliday. Here are the details:
- The White Sox have some interest in Holliday, according to Edes' colleague, Tim Brown.
- The Tigers have considered Holliday, but probably won't meet Billy Beane's asking price.
- The Phillies have interest in Josh Willingham.
- The Giants may be the favorites to acquire Nick Johnson, now that the Red Sox have Adam LaRoche.
- George Sherrill has many suitors, including the Brewers and White Sox.
- The Cubs and Red Sox would like to add left-handed relievers.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday
7:56pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says GM Ruben Amaro has dismissed reports that Kyle Drabek is untouchable, confirming Olney's earlier report. Amaro apparently "did not have a sense either way" that the Phils would make any trades before the deadline, but Zolecki still says the Phils are in "hot pursuit" of Halladay.
4:52pm: The LA Times reports that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti knows which of his players the Jays have interest in. The Dodgers have watched Halladay's last two starts, but do not plan on including Clayton Kershaw in any trades.
4:45pm: Angels owner Arte Moreno told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he's interested in acquiring an ace starter and has no "financial constraints." Halladay and Cliff Lee are out there and the Angels say they'll keep all options open.
4:39pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Kyle Drabek is not untouchable, though at least one top Phillies executive would prefer to hold the team's top young talent. Olney's sources tell him that serious talks are expected to begin this weekend.
3:35pm: Ricciardi told Jordan Bastian that Halladay has provided him with a list of teams to which he would approve a deal.
Ricciardi also says Halladay wants to test the free agent market after next season.
3:31pm: Ricciardi told The Canadian Press that talks have become "a little bit more heated up." He believes some teams are trying to make preliminary moves to acquire Halladay.
12:28pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney lists eight reasons why a Halladay trade could work for the Jays and Phillies. Halladay's value is arguably at its highest now and with him, the Phillies could build a legacy of winning.
12:14pm: The consensus the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: the Cards don't have what it takes to acquire Halladay.
11:34am: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian passes on comments Ricciardi made on the FAN 590 in Toronto. Ricciardi says he's exploring deals in part because Halladay wants to test the free agent market after his deal expires next season. Some teams are serious about Halladay; others are delirious, Ricciardi said.
11:02am: J.P. Ricciardi told ESPN Radio he still doesn't expect to trade Roy Halladay. He believes his negotiating partners should be prepared to part with at least as much as the Mariners gave up to acquire Erik Bedard.
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Phillies remain the one team that matches up perfectly with the Blue Jays. However, the Jays continue to seek big-league-ready pitching and other top prospects in any deal. Stark gets the sense that the Jays want to make a deal and doesn't expect them to lower their asking price as the deadline nears.
10:44am: Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says the Jays could potentially expand a Halladay trade to include Marco Scutaro, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs or Brian Tallet, depending on their trading partner's needs.
One scout tells Elliott that some surprise teams are calling the Jays about Halladay.
9:20am: Here are the highlights from yesterday's Roy Halladay rumors GM J.P. Ricciardi expects to exchange names with interested teams early next week; the Blue Jays would consider dealing after their self-imposed deadline of July 28th; the Brewers remain a threat to acquire Doc; the Dodgers are still involved; the Rockies won't bring Halladay home to Colorado. But it doesn't stop, so here's the latest on the Jays righty, with more rumors to come:
- One NL GM believes the Red Sox need Halladay and told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that they have enough to acquire him.
Odds & Ends: Garland, Washburn, Giants
Lots of interesting rumblings from around the league–could be an exciting evening here at ol' MLBTR. Here are some intriguing links to feed the insatiable frenzy:
- After Mark Reynolds criticized his D'Backs teammates a few weeks ago, Jon Garland took it a step further Wednesday, saying he "doesn't see any fight" in his teammates. As Bob Romantic at the East Valley Tribune notes, this could accelerate trade rumors already surrounding Garland.
- The Dallas Morning News asks Rangers fans who they'd deal for Cliff Lee.
- Buster Olney at ESPN gives a video-blog rundown of what the Red Sox have done in the trade market and what they plan to undertake.
- Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse says that a number of scouts reported to the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate, including two from the Braves.
- Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times talked with trade target Jarrod Washburn, who expresses interest in signing a contract extension with the Mariners.
- Henry Schulman at the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Nationals are scouting the Giants' Double-A affiliate, and speculates that Adam Dunn, Joe Beimel, Ron Villone or Nick Johnson might be on the Giants' radar.
- Chris Haft at MLB.com answers fans' questions about the Giants' stance at the upcoming deadline.
- Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com wonders if improved play would make Ryan Garko the next to leave the Indians, as Matt LaPorta waits in the wings.
Major Indians Deal “Doubtful”
According to Ken Rosenthal at FOX Sports, despite the swirl around a possible blockbuster involving Cliff Lee or Victor Martinez, sources say it's "doubtful" either one is traded. The source calls a Lee deal "a longshot" and a Martinez one "more of a longshot."
The Indians are still pushing for a young, MLB-ready starter, but the Red Sox have been reluctant to deal Clay Buchholz. As noted earlier, the Rays have been in on both Lee and Martinez.
Red Sox After Adrian Gonzalez?
According to Sean McAdam at the Boston Herald, the Red Sox have been "very aggressive" in their pursuit of Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres, but their offers have been "rebuffed."
The Adam LaRoche acquisition may have just been one domino falling before a major acquisition, McAdam notes, as the Sox have been spending the final week before the trade deadline to hunt for an impact bat. Their interest in Victor Martinez is well-known, but a source tells McAdam the cost for Martinez has been "prohibitive." McAdam also says that if another deal is in the works, it will be for a player "that can upgrade the Sox not only this year, but for several seasons to come."
The Padres haven't formally put Gonzalez on the trading block, and indications are that the first baseman is staying put.
Odds And Ends: V-Mart, Tigers, Mets
Some links for the morning…
- ESPN.com's Peter Gammons says the Adam LaRoche acquisition won't prevent the Red Sox from pursuing an impact bat like Victor Martinez.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck predicts that the Tigers will trade close to next Friday's deadline if they decide to deal.
- Manager Jim Leyland spends so little time thinking about trades that he doesn't even know who's available, according to Chris Iott of MLive.com. Someone needs to tell him about MLBTR.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says the notion that the Mets are contenders "borders on delusional."
- Royals GM Dayton Moore tells Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that he will "be very aggressive and put the throttle down" if he sees an opportunity to improve his club.
- Justin Smoak, Martin Perez and Neftali Feliz lead Jamey Newberg's list of top Rangers prospects this week at MLB.com.
- As anticipated, the Seibu Lions acquired minor league reliever Jonah Bayliss from the Blue Jays, according to the Kyodo News.
- More than half of St. Louis Post-Dispatch readers believe the Julio Lugo-Chris Duncan swap was necessary.
Red Sox Acquire Adam LaRoche
9:18pm: Baseball America's Matt Eddy has a comprehensive rundown of both prospects Pittsburgh acquired for LaRoche. Eddy likes Diaz's defense, but his bat is "a bit light for a regular role." He says Strickland's fastball gives him a chance to be a big league reliever, but he needs to refine his secondary pitches.
2:09pm: Kovacevic says the Pirates are not sending any cash to the Red Sox.
1:09pm: Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Pirates are sending cash to the Red Sox to contribute to the remainder of the $7.05MM LaRoche makes this year. They also sent cash to the Yankees in the Eric Hinske deal.
1:02pm: ESPN.com's Keith Law says Diaz's glove could make him a legitimate MLB backup in spite of his bat. Strickland is "probably a reliever at best."
12:31pm: Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus says Diaz is a very good defender who doesn't hit much. He says Strickland is a projectable righty with a fastball around 90 mph and average secondary stuff.
12:21pm: Ben Badler of Baseball America says the pair of prospects isn't much, not that the Pirates should expect more for two months of LaRoche.
12:05pm: Speier reports that the Pirates receive pitcher Hunter Strickland and shortstop Argenis Diaz.
11:49am: Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports that Manny Delcarmen will not be part of the trade.
11:45am: What you need to know about LaRoche: He's a 29-year-old first baseman hitting .247/.329/.441; he has a history of playing well in the second half; his defense is slightly below average; he makes $7.05MM this year before becoming a free agent and he's on the cusp of projecting as a Type B free agent, though he's currently below the cut.
11:15am: Kovacevic says the Pirates have traded LaRoche to the Red Sox.
11:00am: John Perrotto says LaRoche has been traded.
10:58am: Kovacevic says LaRoche is not in today's lineup.
10:56am: Ed Price of MLB FanHouse hears that LaRoche has been traded.
10:44am: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates clubhouse is buzzing over the possiblity that Adam LaRoche will soon be traded. However, LaRoche is taking batting practice and is expected to play today.
Red Sox: Center of Every Trade/Rumor?
It's been a busy day for the Red Sox. They acquired Chris Duncan and a player to be named later for Julio Lugo, turning an albatross into a viable left-handed hitter.
They also dealt a pair of prospects for Adam LaRoche, adding a power bat who normally excels in the second half. And according to Jon Heyman's Twitter feed, they may not be finished yet.
"Red Sox dealing up a storm. Now have Chris Duncan (for Lugo). still scouting Victor Martinez, though," Heyman tweets.
No details yet on what it will take to get Martinez, other than continued interest from Cleveland in Clay Buchholz.