Rosenthal On Vazquez, Hairston, Teahen
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Javier Vazquez has more value than any available hitter. Here are the details and the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- Not even Matt Holliday or Corey Hart would be fair value for Vazquez, so Rosenthal asks why the Braves would want to trade him at all.
- The Mets inquired on Scott Hairston, who could have been an affordable stopgap, but balked when the Padres asked for Bobby Parnell.
- The Marlins offered Gaby Sanchez for Manny Delcarmen, but the Red Sox weren't interested.
- The Mariners, Tigers and Rays weren't far from agreeing to a deal that would have sent Edwin Jackson to Seattle and J.J. Putz to Detroit last offseason.
- Kevin Towers compares Rule 5 pick Everth Cabrera to Rafael Furcal.
- The Royals "do not seem terribly inclined" to deal Mark Teahen.
- The Pirates covet Eric Young Jr. of the Rockies.
- Some predict that the distribution of amateur talent- through the draft and international signings- will be the biggest issue in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Odds And Ends: Bedard, Astros, Marquis
Links for Tuesday morning…
- Be here at 2pm CST for this week's chat.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiles controversial acquisition Lastings Milledge, who seems energized and motivated.
- It would be hard to argue with Amber Theoharis of MASN.com, who says the Orioles won the Erik Bedard deal since they acquired two All-Stars in George Sherrill and Adam Jones.
- As MLB.com's Christian Caple reports, Bedard will be on a 60 pitch limit as he returns to the hill tonight against his former team.
- Nomar Garciaparra told Mike McDermott of the Providence Journal that he didn't turn down $60MM from the Red Sox.
- Experts consider the Astros' system weak, but at least they have Bud Norris and Yorman Bazardo in Triple A, as Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reports.
- The Jason Marquis deal has worked out better-than-expected for the Rockies, but, as Dave Krieger of the Denver Post notes, the Rockies have made plenty of smart deals over the years.
Olney’s Latest: Atlanta’s Potential Trade Partners
ESPN.com's Buster Olney chimes in with some players and teams that could matchup in a trade with the Braves, who could dangle Javier Vazquez and/or Yunel Escobar as bait. Most of the rumors are just Olney's own speculation, but let's round 'em up anyway.
- The Red Sox have liked Escobar for a while, but don't match up very well for a trade.
- Olney mentions that Jacoby Ellsbury might be the only fit since JD Drew is owed a ton of money and Jason Bay will be a free agent after the year, but that wouldn't work for Boston since they would then need to find another centerfielder.
- Olney speculates that the Red Sox could use their young pitching to engage a third team in a trade, mentioning that Matt LaPorta, Shin-Soo Choo and Corey Hart could be a good fit.
- Boston could eat some of the money left on Julio Lugo's deal to give Atlanta a stop-gap shortstop should they deal Escobar.
- The Red Sox are not interested in Jeff Francoeur.
- If Milwaukee and Atlanta discussed a Vazquez-Hart swap, the Brewers would likely have to kick in another piece.
- The Twins could offer one of their many outfielders in exchange for Escobar. Delmon Young might not be enough to entice the Braves, but Michael Cuddyer or Denard Span could be.
- The Dodgers would love to add Vazquez to their rotation, but Juan Pierre probably wouldn't be enough given his lack of power.
- The A's could package Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera, both free agents after the season, for Escobar, who would step in as Oakland's shortstop of the future.
Edes’ Latest: Giants, Teahen, Relievers
Currently standing atop the National League wildcard standings, the Giants are looking for a lefthanded bat to add to their lineup according to Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports. He cites a major league executive who says that San Francisco has focused their efforts on three first baseman: Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff and Adam LaRoche. Edes also says that the Giants have spoken to the Padres about a potential Jonathan Sanchez–Scott Hairston swap.
Let's round up the rest of Edes' rumors…
- Royals GM Dayton Moore has heard from multiple teams about Mark Teahen, including the Red Sox, Cubs, Angels and Giants.
- The Braves "might be inclined to take a look at" Jose Guillen. The Royals would love to discuss Yunel Escobar.
- We've heard this before, but if Boston moves a reliever, it will most likely be Takashi Saito.
- Padres' closer Heath Bell may command the most attention amongst relievers.
- The Astros are likely to hold on to LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde, barring a collapse before the trade deadline.
- The Blue Jays would love to move BJ Ryan, but are more likely to see interest in Jason Frasor and Scott Downs.
- Bronson Arroyo is back on the trade block.
Red Sox In Serious Talks With Cuban SS
The Red Sox are in serious talks to sign Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias for about $8MM, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. No deal is complete, but Heyman's sources are optimistic that the sides will agree. Iglesias, who is listed as 19, defected from Cuba last year. Scouts rave about Iglesias' defense, comparing him to defensive whiz Ozzie Smith. In spite of his "deluxe" hands and arm, some question how much he'll hit.
Heyman On V-Mart, Red Sox, Chapman
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Red Sox will come calling if the Indians are willing to part with Victor Martinez. And take this for what it's worth, but the Indians were scouting Boston's best prospects this week. Here are details on those two clubs and the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson and Michael Bowden are just the sort of MLB-ready pitchers the Indians seek.
- Still, the Indians would require a stunning amount in return for Martinez or Cliff Lee, since both players can be part of a contending Indians club for affordable 2010 options.
- Generally speaking, the Red Sox are reluctant to deal their top young pitching.
- The Indians are relatively deep at catcher, with Kelly Shoppach and prospect Carlos Santana.
- Red Sox first base prospect Lars Anderson could also appeal to the Indians.
- The Pirates initially asked for Craig Stammen or Garret Mock in their recent deal with the Nats, but Mike Rizzo wasn't willing to deal them.
- The Phillies discussed Pedro Martinez, since there are few good fits for them on the trade market now.
- Heyman says Doug Davis makes sense for the Brewers.
- A D'Backs person says "[Dan] Haren stays," even though many of his teammates are believed to be available.
- Heyman names the Yankees as the early favorites to sign Aroldis Chapman.
International Free Agent Update: Friday
Some updates on teams' moves and strategies as the international signings continue:
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the A's are focusing on Venezuela, rather than the Dominican Republic this year, since they believe prices are too high in the Dominican.
- In Derrick Goold's St. Louis Post Dispatch article, Cards GM John Mozeliak admits there's risk in signing a 16-year-old like Wagner Mateo to a bonus of $3.1MM, but says he's serious about being "more aggressive" in Latin America because the payoff can be huge.
- Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus says Yankees signee Gary Sanchez will start his pro career this year, unlike most international prospects.
- ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. reports that the Astros signed lefty Kirby Pena for $350k.
- Arangure Jr. reports that the Red Sox signed a second player named Alcantara, this time it's righty Mario Alcantara. He receives a $350k bonus.
Odds And Ends: Renteria, Lugo, Phillies
It's a busy day for international signings, but lots is going on at the major league level, so let's take a look:
- The Dodgers are looking for pitching, but how about Jason Schmidt? He pitched well at Triple A for the second time yesterday, according to MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff creates a history of recent deadline deals.
- Edgar Renteria told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that he turned down two multi-year offers to sign with the Giants.
- Think it's too early to talk about Bryce Harper? Well Joe Dunand Jr., Alex Rodriguez's nephew, is just 13 years old and, as Ian Begley of the New York Daily News reports, he's already quite a slugger.
- The relative of another superstar signed with the Angels. Mike Piazza's second cousin will go pro, according to the Florida Tech Sports site.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times crunches some numbers and suggests Franklin Gutierrez could be more valuable than Adam Jones this year.
- Kevin Towers says the addition of Bob Melvin to the Padres' staff wasn't meant to threaten Bud Black, according to Nick Canepa and Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Julio Lugo admits that his deal with the Red Sox hasn't worked out, according to Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald.
- Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies have more minor league pitching depth than ever.
D’Backs Scouting Red Sox
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe notes that the D'Backs have been scouting the Red Sox recently. This may be nothing more than a straightforward assignment, but Chad Tracy could appeal to the Red Sox. Mike Lowell should return after the All-Star break, but Tracy, who just came off the DL, could appeal to Boston if Lowell's injury is worse than anticipated.
Rockies Rumors: ‘Pen, Atkins, Torrealba
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has the latest on the Rockies' search for a reliever and details on a couple trade chips:
- The Rockies had interest in Joel Hanrahan before he was dealt to the Pirates.
- They would love to reacquire LaTroy Hawkins, but he's not available now.
- The D'Backs would part with Chad Qualls.
- The Padres are expected to move Cla Meredith.
- Garrett Atkins could be moved and the Red Sox seem to be a logical fit, but a history of failed deals between the two sides could slow talks. The Red Sox have scouted Atkins, but their interest level isn't known.
- Yorvit Torrealba's future remains uncertain and he says he'd like to remain in Colorado, though he realizes he might be dealt.