The Cubs, Cardinals and Mets have shown some interest in Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo, according to Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald. The Red Sox will have to pay all of the $13.5MM remaining on Lugo's deal if they release him, so they're likely to pick up the vast majority of the contract in any trade.
Cardinals Rumors
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lee, Halladay, Holliday, Zito
On this date one year ago, the Phillies traded three minor leaguers to the A's for Joe Blanton. He would go on to make 13 starts for the Fightins, finishing 4-0 with a 4.20 ERA. With only two weeks remaining before this season's trade deadline, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- MLB Notebook says it is time for the Indians to move Cliff Lee.
- The Ghost of Moonlight Graham breaks down the needs of the contenders as we approach the deadline.
- Drunk Jays Fans explains why Roy Halladay should be traded and why he will still be a Blue Jay in August.
- Talking Chop breaks down the Matt Holliday to Atlanta rumors.
- The Fowl Balls says the Yankees need to get Roy Halladay and is willing to part with Joba Chamberlain, Austin Jackson and others. Just not Phil Hughes.
- Viva El Birdos breaks down what it would cost the Cardinals to land Roy Halladay in terms of players and money.
- The Voice of Yankees Universe looks at some big names that could be moved and have an impact on the AL East.
- Jorge Says No! looks at whether Barry Zito's contract was the worst ever given to a pitcher.
- We're the Team to Beat wonders why Omar Minaya is still calling the shots for the Mets.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Odds And Ends: Holliday, Lugo, DeRosa
Some links for the afternoon…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the A's want two highly regarded prospects in any deal for Matt Holliday.
- Rosenthal believes the Braves have too much pitching not to make a serious run at the playoffs.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that Mark DeRosa will test his wrist to see how much pain it gives him before deciding if he needs surgery. The Cards hope to activate him within a few days.
- Multiple teams have inquired about Julio Lugo, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. The Red Sox designated him for assignment earlier today.
- DRaysBay hosts a roundtable discussion with bloggers for each AL East team.
- I'll be talking trades on 107.5 The Game in about ten minutes. Click here to listen in.
Heyman On Halladay, Francoeur, Brewers
Jon Heyman of SI.com hears the Blue Jays have told the Yankees and Red Sox they're unlikely to trade Roy Halladay within the AL East and haven't even returned a call the Yankees placed about Halladay over a week ago. That leaves the Phillies and, now, the Dodgers as frontrunners to acquire the Jays ace. Here are the details and a few stray rumors:
- One executive believes that any Blue Jays-Phillies swap would have to begin with the supposedly untouchable Kyle Drabek, who impressed in this week's Futures Game.
- At least one exec believes the Jays would want to pluck a player from the Dodgers major league roster in any deal.
- The Dodgers don't necessarily have enough minor league talent to tempt the Jays.
- One Jays person said Cardinals top prospect Brett Wallace may not be enough to acquire Doc.
- The Jays are not insisting that teams take on the Vernon Wells contract in a potential deal.
- The Yankees and Red Sox have become more protective of their minor leaguers, so they're not likely to overwhelm the Jays with offers.
- The Yankees tried to trade for Jeff Francoeur last offseason.
- The Brewers could still make a run for a star pitcher.
- As SI writer Tom Verducci notes, the Dodgers would like to acquire a top reliever such as Chad Qualls or George Sherrill.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Friday
12:30pm: Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com hears from an AL executive who would be "very surprised" if White Sox GM Kenny Williams isn't pursuing Halladay.
The White Sox have seen attendance drop and Gordon Beckham appears to be untouchable. This means the White Sox could have trouble paying Halladay or enticing the Blue Jays with a package centered around Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Dayan Viciedo and Tyler Flowers.
Tom Verducci of SI.com hears that Clayton Kershaw is off-limits, but the Dodgers want to make a run at Halladay with other prospects. The Jays like minor league third baseman Josh Bell.
10:10am: Here are the latest Roy Halladay rumors and a bit of trivia to explain why he's in such high demand: Halladay pitched less than seven innings for the first time this season on June 12th.
- Don't expect the Cardinals to trade Colby Rasmus for Halladay. GM John Mozeliak told Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he won't move the young outfielder in a deal for a player the Cards only control for a year and a half.
- The Dodgers are looking for relievers now, but they'll try to acquire Halladay or Cliff Lee to improve their rotation, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com.
- Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Daily News says Halladay's availability has created such a frenzy that people "who wouldn't know Michael Taylor from Elizabeth Taylor speak authoritatively about a hole in the … outfielder's swing."
- Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News says the Yankees should have enough talent not to have to bring in another Cy Young Award winner less than 100 games after adding C.C. Sabathia.
Odds & Ends: Escobar, Peavy, Mets, Cardinals
A gaggle of links for your Thursday evening reading pleasure…
- In response to someone mentioning the Yunel Escobar–Matt Holliday rumors, MLB.com's Mark Bowman says "There is zero truth to those Escobar rumors. The Braves have NO and I repeat no intention to move him. Believe me, if they move him, it will simply be a deal that they simply can't refuse and that wouldn't include anything involving Holliday."
- Tom Krasovic notes that Jake Peavy is out of his walking boot, and is ready to begin "ramping it up."
- David Lennon of Newsday says that earlier today Mets GM Omar Minaya twice mentioned "that he talked with five or six teams today."
- Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that the Cardinals may search for starting pitching if Todd Wellemeyer doesn't show more consistency over his next 2-3 starts.
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal notes that the Phillies promoted one of their best prospects, outfielder Michael Taylor, to Triple-A. He speculates that Taylor may best serve the club as trade bait, considering all three of their regular outfielders were All Stars.
- When asked who the best prospect was if matched up head to head, Baseball America's Jim Callis said he'd go with Bryce Harper over Justin Upton, citing Harper's advantage in power.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports that the Reds gave Venezuelan shortstop Humberto Valor a $690k bonus. Valor signed with Cincinnati earlier this month.
- David Villavicencio of MLB.com mentions that the Marlins have signed eight of their first ten draft picks. First rounder Chad James remains unsigned, however.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday
7:08pm: T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com says the Rangers have had discussions with the Blue Jays about Halladay, but sources call it a "long-shot."
5:13pm: Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cardinals are now downplaying a potential Halladay trade, mentioning that they have too little pitching and won't include centerfielder Colby Rasmus in a deal.
3:56pm: The Blue Jays told the Yankees and Red Sox they'd prefer to deal Halladay outside of the AL East according to Jon Heyman.
1:21pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki heard from a Phillies source who says Halladay's $14.25MM salary is nothing and won't be an issue. The inclusion of Vernon Wells in any trade would be a dealbreaker, however.
12:15pm: One exec told Jon Heyman of SI.com that he would trade Joba Chamberlain for Halladay, but wouldn't give Rick Porcello up for him.
11:07am: We heard that the Angels and Cardinals may have trouble piecing together an offer for Roy Halladay, but assembling an appealing group of players would be even harder for the Tigers. Here are details on Halladay, the Tigers and other suitors for baseball's best available pitcher:
- MLB.com's Jason Beck says the Tigers have the financial might to pursue Halladay, even if their young talent begins and ends with Rick Porcello and Ryan Perry.
- The Tigers don't have a stable fifth starter, so Halladay would be a massive upgrade for them, but money will not be enough to pry him away from the Jays and the Tigers don't have top prospects in the minors.
- I discussed Halladay and other players the Tigers could look to acquire in a Q&A at EyeOfTheTigers.com.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News says the Yankees need to give up the top prospects to acquire Halladay if the Blue Jays are willing to deal their ace within the division.
Rosenthal On Halladay, Frasor, Rios, Bay
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Angels and Cardinals will have a hard time assembling a package enticing enough for the Blue Jays to part with Roy Halladay. One GM said the Angels have "zero chance" at acquiring the Jays ace. Players like Brandon Wood and Howie Kendrick have lost some of their appeal and prospect Jordan Walden finds himself on the DL for the second time this season.
Halladay would be a good fit in St. Louis, and Brett Wallace could be the centerpiece of a deal, but the Cards may not have the young pitching the Jays seek.
The Phillies have enough prospects to make a deal and Rosenthal suggests we should never rule out the Yankees. Here are a few more rumors:
- The Dodgers are interested in Halladay, Jason Frasor and George Sherrill.
- The White Sox would probably have to part with Gordon Beckham to acquire Doc.
- The Jays and White Sox haven't discussed an Alex Rios deal recently, but the White Sox have long been interested in the Jays outfielder.
- Jason Bay is close to setting a cutoff date for negotiations on an extension with the Red Sox.
Cards Willing To Make Strong Offer For Halladay
The Cardinals are prepared to offer talent for Roy Halladay, but they're not going to disassemble their entire system to acquire the Jays ace, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
"We may be able to give up an arm or a leg," a Cardinals source told Strauss. "But we're not going to sacrifice the whole body."
Strauss hears that the Jays want major league-ready pitching in return for Halladay. This could pose a problem for the Cards, as they may have to surrender Jess Todd or Francisco Samuel to complete the Mark DeRosa deal. The Blue Jays wanted top Cards prospect Brett Wallace in the 2008 draft.
Not only do the Cards have a history of pulling off big trades (Larry Walker, Scott Rolen), they have a history of picking up former Blue Jays starters. Chris Carpenter, Woody Williams and Pat Hentgen all pitched for the Jays then the Cardinals.
Braves Rumors: Escobar, Soriano, Payroll
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has the latest on the Braves. Here are the details:
- They're taking calls from teams interested in Yunel Escobar.
- There's nothing to the suggestion that the Braves could send Escobar and prospects to Oakland for Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera, especially since Escobar's much cheaper than Holliday and hitting about as well.
- The Cardinals are interested in Escobar, but they wouldn't trade Ryan Ludwick.
- O'Brien hears that the Braves offered Rafael Soriano to the Cards for Joe Mather last winter but the Cards wouldn't make the move.
- Braves GM Frank Wren repeated that he doesn't want to move prospects and can't afford to add much payroll.
