Jason Bay Rumors Debunked
You may recall Jon Heyman’s article from Friday, where the Diamondbacks and Cardinals were said to be among "the most ardent pursuers of Jason Bay." However, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke to sources with all three teams – and all of them denied the rumor.
Kovacevic has been reporting for a while now that the Bucs prefer to keep Bay, though they’ll listen. That remains unchanged. Kovacevic’s article describes a hot market for two other Pirates – Damaso Marte and Xavier Nady.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington hinted that he might soon trade some of the team’s veterans:
"We’re not content. We need depth to add to this group. How do we get that? As we’ve said from day one, there are going to be times when we make unpopular decisions, but those decisions might be necessary to take next step."
Rosenthal’s Latest: Holliday, Burnett, Rauch, Ibanez
Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up.
- The Angels are not interest in Matt Holliday, while the Dodgers and Red Sox "could play" on him. Rosenthal names the Nationals as an "intriguing dark horse," saying they’ve been checking up on Holliday. They like the idea of having him for ’09, and could even entertain signing him long-term.
- The Phillies have minimal interest in A.J. Burnett, plus they’re on his 15 team no-trade list. Rosenthal notes that Burnett nearly signed with the Cardinals a few years back, but their interest is not mutual.
- Jon Rauch is a hot commodity, drawing interest from the Rays, Red Sox, and Diamondbacks. His price will exceed that of Brian Fuentes, since he’s under team control through 2010.
- The D’Backs would like to add a left-handed hitting outfielder, and Raul Ibanez is under consideration. Rosenthal suggests Matt Stairs or Tony Clark as possible bench additions.
Heyman’s Latest: Bay, Rivera, Chacon
New column from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
- Fresh Jason Bay rumors: the D’Backs and Cardinals are in pursuit. The Mets and Rays have kicked the tires as well. Heyman believes the Pirates want Emilio Bonifacio from the D’Backs, and maybe Colby Rasmus from the Cards. At any rate, the price will be steep with Bay signed for ’09.
- Juan Rivera is a "surprise target" of the Mets, though they’ve had interest in him since March. Rivera will be hard to acquire, though, because he’s gaining playing time for the Angels.
- Heyman believes Shawn Chacon will win his grievance and get paid his full salary.
Cardinals Scouting Nationals
Here’s a nugget from MLB.com’s Jim Molony:
The Cardinals had a scout watching the Nationals recently, though it is unclear which player(s) were being scouted — perhaps Tim Redding or Odalis Perez, both available inexpensive options who have been pitching well lately.
You’ll find both starters in our recent Trade Market post, and they do make sense for St. Louis. However, Tony La Russa is primarily pushing for a bat to protect Albert Pujols. Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman wouldn’t qualify, but he would be an improvement over Cesar Izturis and Brendan Ryan.
Odds and Ends: Kemp, Kearns, Carrasco, Garcia
Friday linkage…
- Yesterday I linked to Dave Cameron’s piece, in which he wondered whether Matt Kemp is overrated. Here’s the other side of the debate, a response from Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness.
- Joe Sports Fans names the seven worst trades of the decade. I have some arguments here; what do you think? I wrote this post on the Pierzynski/Nathan/Liriano/Bonser deal two years ago, but I still think it holds that Brian Sabean’s trade looked reasonable at the time.
- Joel Sherman wonders if the Mets and Yankees should consider trading for Washington outfielder Austin Kearns.
- Matt Gelb takes a look at Phillies prospect Carlos Carrasco, who does not want to be traded.
- The Yankees rightfully don’t view Freddy Garcia as much of an upgrade, since he won’t be ready until late August at the earliest.
- Tracy Ringolsby runs through various players on the trade market. Interestingly, he does not see A.J. Burnett being traded.
- Cardinals Diaspora suggests the Cards tangle with Billy Beane again, this time for Joe Blanton.
- Dave Dombrowski doesn’t see Ryan Perry in the Tigers’ bullpen this year, after all.
- Armchair GM challenges SI.com’s Jon Heyman to put his money where his mouth is.
No One Wants Bonds
FRIDAY: Just to hammer it home a little further, we have Bonds rejections from the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals, and Phillies today.
THURSDAY: Barry Bonds‘ agent Jeff Borris makes it clear that none of the 30 teams are interested in his client:
"I am not talking to any club about Barry Bonds, because they all made it very clear to me they are not interested in him. Every club. I can’t believe he doesn’t have a job. No one has offered even the minimum salary. He made the All-Star team last year, and there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t have a repeat performance in 2008, except for the conspiracy against him."
Borris says Bonds could be ready in ten days. Contenders such as the Angels, Rays, Tigers, and A’s have gotten subpar performance out of the DH spot but they’ve all decided to pass on Bonds for various reasons. Borris would have to admit that even some of these clubs would have trouble fitting Bonds onto the roster.
Molony’s Latest: Mahay, Loretta, Erstad, Guzman
Let’s check in with MLB.com’s Jim Molony.
- The Rays are scouting lefty relievers Brian Fuentes and Ron Mahay. The issue? The price for Fuentes seems exorbitant, and Mahay may not be available. Troy E. Renck names the Yankees, Mets, Cardinals, and Marlins as the main suitors for Fuentes aside from the Rays.
- A few contenders have inquired with the Astros as to the availability of Mark Loretta and Darin Erstad.
- As you might imagine, the Rangers are open to trading Frank Catalanotto. We mentioned yesterday that his contract is a bit of a burden.
- It seems that Jim Bowden is listening to offers for Cristian Guzman while also trying to sign him to an extension. From Guzman’s point of view, it might make sense to enter a weak shortstop market this winter.
- The Matt Capps injury apparently affects Damaso Marte‘s availability.
- The Marlins may make Mark Hendrickson available. The big lefty was replaced in the rotation by top prospect Chris Volstad.
La Russa Pushing For Additions
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak does not want to make a reactionary move to counter the recent CC Sabathia and Rich Harden trades. He’s suggested that the returns of Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright would match those deals.
Manager Tony La Russa doesn’t agree, and he suggested publicly that Mozeliak needs to improve the club. The needs: a bat to protect Albert Pujols, a lefty reliever, and starting pitching (apparently in that order). Mozeliak responded to La Russa’s comments, saying that he doesn’t want to make a move that could hurt the team two to four years in the future.
As always, Viva El Birdos does a fine job dissecting the possibilities. Larry Borowsky suggests several names he’d like to see: Milton Bradley, Ryan Spilborghs, Rich Aurilia, Randy Wolf, and A.J. Burnett. Aurilia, Wolf, and Burnett are the most likely to be traded, in my opinion. On the lefty reliever front, the Cards are one of nine teams linked to Brian Fuentes.
Rockies Trade Talk: Torrealba, Taveras, Podsednik, Herges
Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News reports the Marlins have inquired on the availability of Rockies’ catcher Yorvit Torrealba, and outfielders Willy Taveras and Scott Podsednik.
Torrealba has been on Marlins radar and there’s continuing speculation that they will be buyers come July 31st.
Meanwhile, St. Louis inquired on pitcher Matt Herges to provide a veteran pressence in their bullpen.
Freddy Garcia Suitors
MLB.com’s Jim Molony posted an article yesterday, much of it concerning rehabbing free agent starter Freddy Garcia. Garcia’s showcase is still expected to take place later this month.
We compiled reports and came up with these suitors: the Mets, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, White Sox, Rangers, Tigers, Rays, Astros, and Cubs. Molony adds the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Twins – giving us at least 13 suitors.