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Rosenthal’s Latest – Buehrle To Brewers?

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Ken Rosenthal has a new article, and as usual he’s broken several brand new trade rumors.  A brief summary:

  • Here’s a good one: the Brewers have "kicked the tires" on Mark Buehrle.  You can never have too much pitching, I guess.  It’s a long shot that Doug Melvin could pull it off without involving Yovani Gallardo or Ryan Braun, and he won’t trade those two.  Without either player, the Brewers would pretty much be offering quantity over quality in terms of prospects. My own speculation: Corey Hart might intrigue Kenny Williams, but he’d be hard to part with.
  • Rosenthal estimates ten teams are looking at Buehrle.  He names the Mets, Braves, Mariners, and Cardinals.  Add the Brewers and we’re still five short.  The five Rosenthal doesn’t mention could include the Red Sox, Yankees, Marlins, Rockies, Dodgers, and Phillies.  Just guessing on the last five.
  • The Blue Jays have changed their tune on Troy Glaus – they’ll now listen to offers for him.  It is believed Glaus might waive his no-trade clause to play close to home for the Padres, Angels, or Dodgers.  Glaus is owed about $5.9MM more this year and $12.75MM in 2008.  He also negotiated an $11.25MM player option for ’09 when he was traded to Toronto.  Perhaps to agree to a trade he’d want his deal extended through ’09 for $13MM or so.  Rosenthal says the package for Glaus would likely involve a young third baseman, like Chase Headley, Brandon Wood, or Andy LaRoche.  Such a deal would be hard to ignore for J.P. Ricciardi.  Of the three teams mentioned, Ricciardi has only previously dealt with Bill Stoneman (on the Brad Fullmer trade).
  • Rosenthal says the Cubs are not involved in a trade for Ken Griffey Jr.  The ownership change will prohibit them from taking on his contract.  Rosenthal also mentions that the Cubs are having difficulties finding a taker for Jacque Jones.
  • The Angels still like Adam Dunn, though I still don’t see how he fits into their roster.
  • The prospect going to the Tigers for Mike Maroth won’t be anything special; the point was to unload his $3MM salary. 

Brewers Trade Bait

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There’s not a lot of trade rumors on the wire today, so I thought I’d pitch in a few semi-original thoughts.

As most of you probably know, the Brewers have the best record in baseball, largely thanks to great depth and a solid bench.  Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo are knocking hard at the door to the big leagues, suggesting that Doug Melvin will soon have some decisions to make.  There aren’t any glaring holes for the Brewers at this point (except for third base, which could be solved by promoting Braun), but there are some players who could find other homes before the trade deadline.

The most likely candidates are Tony Graffanino and Craig Counsell.  Only one will be dealt, but when Braun arrives, one almost surely will be dealt, and that one is likely to be Graffanino.  (Counsell is a better shortstop, and he’s signed to a two-year deal.)  Graffanino arrived via trade from the Royals last year for Jorge de la Rosa, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he brings a similar haul this year: a decent-upside pitcher with no home in his current organization.

It’s also a safe bet that Kevin Mench and Geoff Jenkins will keep coming up in rumors.  Mench has been connected recently with the Angels, and has seemingly been in trade rumors for the majority of his career.  Mench has the more tradeable contract, but Jenkins is the more expendable player: the Brewers currently have three left-handed outfielders on the club, including Gabe Gross, who is probably about as good as Jenkins will be when he cools down.

But if a serious need arises for Milwaukee, neither Mench nor Graffanino is likely to get a deal done.  That’s where the team’s pitching depth is likely to come in handy.  Carlos Villanueva is currently pitching well out of the bullpen, but could start for many MLB teams.  Gallardo and Zach Jackson are both pitching in Triple-A right now, and while Gallardo is by far the better prospect, Jackson has a 3.61 ERA and threw a complete game one-hitter last night.  At number eight on the depth chart, his future may be with another organization.  If everyone is healthy when Gallardo gets called up, Claudio Vargas may end up on the block, as well.

There also may be bullpen arms to spare: Brewers fans aren’t excited about current occupants-of-roster-space Elmer Dessens or Chris Spurling, but there may never be room for both Greg Aquino and Jose Capellan.  The market for Capellan thus far apparently hasn’t done much for Doug Melvin, but things could change as injuries continue to hit contending teams.

As I mentioned above, there are no current glaring needs that would lead Melvin to move any of those players.  Nearly everyone in the organization has publicly said that the team is no longer planning for the future at the expense of the present, so it seems unlikely that, say, Mench would be traded for a couple of Double-A pitchers.   The most likely scenario is that an injury would strike and Melvin would quickly deal from strength to plug the hole. 

Brewers fans may be excited at the prospect of being buyers at the deadline for the first time in decades, but as it looks right now, teams are much more likely to call Melvin with an eye on what he has to offer.

By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball

Angels Interested In Garrett Atkins

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Last year, Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins was the second-best hitter at his position, behind only Miguel Cabrera.  Atkins isn’t set to reach free agency until 2011, making him a very valuable commodity.  The Rockies had talks with him this offseason about a deal covering his arbitration years and first year of free agency, but no agreement could be reached.

Now, both the Denver Post and L.A. Times are reporting that the Angels are interested in trading for Atkins.  Troy E. Renck of the Post says Atkins’s name first came up during the Winter Meetings when the two clubs were discussing a Todd Helton deal.  Renck writes that Ervin Santana would be a must in any trade and that the Angels also have interest in Brad Hawpe and Jeff Baker.  He also says Atkins is still considered a core member of the team, so a deal is unlikely.  I wonder if Bill Stoneman is trying to take advantage of a subpar start for Atkins – his defense hasn’t been pretty and his power has been MIA.

From the L.A. side, Mike DiGiovanna adds several players on the Halos’ radar:  Kevin Mench, Jacque Jones, Pat Burrell, Emil Brown, Morgan Ensberg, and Edwin Encarnacion.  DiGiovanna agrees that Santana is the top trading chip.  Santana could really blossom in the National League.  With Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton struggling and Brett Myers in the pen, the Phillies probably have the strongest need.  Starters Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley could be used if the Angels want to make a smaller deal.

As long as the Angels are making an all-out blitz for a third baseman, let’s speculate on some other possibilities.  Mike Lowell, Chad Tracy, Hank Blalock have all been rumored in the past; the Rangers clearly have the biggest need for a starter.  Santana, however, could be Brandon McCarthy all over again with his flyball tendencies.

Capellan Placed On Restricted List

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Exiled Brewers reliever Jose Capellan was placed on the minor league restricted list today for failing to report to the Nashville Sounds today or yesterday.  I believe this means he doesn’t get paid.  The restricted list is a favorite tool of the Pirates (Jody Gerut, Raul Mondesi, Chris Duffy).

I’m sure the Brewers are less than thrilled with his attitude, and they’ve been trying to trade him for a while now.  Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal wrote that there was "little demand" for Capellan around baseball despite his six scoreless innings in Triple A.  Still, many teams have at least inquired.

Doug Melvin is determined not to "sell low" on Capellan – a trade seems inevitable, but the Brewers are in no hurry.

Marlins Interested In Jose Capellan

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Could we be adding yet another closer candidate to the Marlins?  According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, they’ve got interest in 26 year-old right-handed reliever Jose Capellan.  Capellan has thrown 6.1 scoreless innings in Triple A so far.

Past suitors: the Rockies, Giants, Devil Rays, and Nationals.  It’s known that the Nats would like to convert Capellan back to starting; maybe the Fish would do the same.  Back in ’05 Capellan started 12 games in Triple A, but suffered from control problems.

Unfortunately, the Brewers are asking for too much according to Juan C. Rodriguez’s source.  They want "something big" for him. 

Rockies Rumors: Kim, Holliday

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A few small Rockies tidbits from Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post:

  • Part of the reason the Rockies were unable to bring reliever Ron Villone aboard was that they didn’t have room in their budget.  To get some flexibility, they’d love to unload Byung-Hyun Kim’s $2.5MM and get a cheap reliever in return.  Renck mentions that the Rox have kicked the tires on Milwaukee’s recently demoted Jose Capellan. 
  • Scott Boras declared yesterday that there will be no in-season negotiations regarding a multiyear contract for Matt Holliday.  Holliday won’t reach free agency until after 2009, but if he keeps doing what he’s doing he’ll make the most money by going year-to-year.  Another Boras client, Joe Crede, has followed this model.  I believe Crede can compare himself to free agent peers in his final arbitration year after this season.  If you think he’s on par with Adrian Beltre, he might be in line for $10MM.  That might mean a midsummer trade.  But I digress.

Ken Rosenthal’s Latest

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Ken Rosenthal has a new update up over at FOX Sports.  The trade rumor highlights:

  • Plenty of teams are interested in Brewers reliever Jose Capellan: the Giants, Rockies, Devil Rays, and Nationals.  I’m surprised that Capellan was deemed unworthy of the Brewers’ pen; he gave them 70 decent innings last year.  Rosenthal mentions that the Nats might convert Capellan back to a starter.  A fine idea, as that’s how Capellan came up with the Braves.  He just needs to get his curve and changeup tuned up.
  • The story on Mike Cameron remains the same: the Padres don’t want to go past two years.  A few days from now the team should know whether a compromise can be reached.  Maybe a middle-ground vesting option for 2010.  He’s a good athlete; he’s not going to age as poorly as some guys.  If he leaves, maybe the Pads would sign Aaron Rowand.  UPDATE: Just saw Mr. Rosenthal on television, and he mentioned the Braves as a mighty fine fit for Cameron if he hits the market.
  • Rosenthal seems to hint that the Cubs should still get a five-year, $80MMish deal done with Carlos Zambrano, perhaps within a few months.  At least, he’s urging them to close the deal despite the team being up for sale this summer.

Jose Capellan Requests Trade

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Add Jose Capellan to the list of players who were sent to AAA that would now like to be traded:

Capellan’s agent, Bill Rego, contacted [Brewers] general manager Doug Melvin and requested that his client be traded to another organization.

Capellan had a very poor spring, pitching to an ERA over five and allowed opposing batters to hit .391 against him.  But last season, his first full year in the majors, the twenty-six year old, who was part of the Danny Kolb trade with Atlanta, pitched to a 4.40 ERA, held opposing batters to a decent average, though he walked a few too many batters.

There are a lot of teams looking for bullpen help, Capellan could be an answer for some teams.

Tom Goyne is the author of Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, a Phillies-centric site, and maintains the Phloggers’ Pheeds page, a source for the latest commentary from around the "phlogosphere".

Turnbow Staying Put?

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Andy Baggot of the Wisconsin State Journal speculates that Derrick Turnbow could become "attractive trade material" if he can return to form this year.  As you know, relievers are in short supply.

So far this spring, Turnbow has walked four in 8.6 innings.  Not much can be said from that sample.  While his strikeout rate was a career high last year, Turnbow was lousy by every other metric.  The Brewers have him signed for $5.5MM for 2007-08.   

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pondered whether the Crew’s recent Elmer Dessens acquisition could open the door for a Turnbow trade.  While teams have scouted Turnbow (the Red Sox recently), GM Doug Melvin said he would not trade him.

With Francisco Cordero a candidate to leave as a free agent after this year, perhaps the Brewers are still holding out hope that Turnbow can be their ninth inning guy.

Brewers, Dodgers Swap Clark and Dessens

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According to Baseball Digest Daily, the Brewers have sent Brady Clark and cash considerations to the Dodgers for reliever Elmer Dessens.

Clark, 34, can play all three outfield positions.  Perhaps the Jason Repko injury inspired this trade.  Clark had a nice year leading off for the Brewers in ’05, but his power fell off last year.  He did manage to increase his walk rate though.  Clark makes $3.8MM this season in the last year of his contract.  This enables Gabe Gross to make the Brewers, though they could stand to unload Kevin Mench or Geoff Jenkins.

Dessens is 35; he earns $1.7MM this year.  However, the Royals are paying all of that.  He has decent control and can eat some innings at the back of the bullpen. 

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