Reds Acquire Jorge Cantu
In a minor move, the Reds acquired infielder Jorge Cantu today along with outfielder Shaun Cumberland. They shipped pitchers Calvin Medlock and Brian Shackelford to the Devil Rays in the deal.
The Reds are doing the right thing by sending the 24 year-old Cantu to Triple A to re-establish himself. Yes, he once drove in 117 runs and blah blah blah. The power potential is nice; he now needs to keep his head down, maybe learn a little plate discipline, and hit his way into the Reds’ lineup. There’s no infield spot for him, unless Wayne Krivsky foolishly trades Edwin Encarnacion or just starts Cantu over EE.
Cumberland is a legitimate prospect, though the 23 year-old didn’t step up to the challenge of Double A. He’s got the tools to succeed, and he was never going to crack the Devil Rays’ outfield. There’s some upside here even if the numbers don’t show it.
I don’t know much about Medlock but the reliever posted sick numbers in his second crack at Double A this year – 11.1 K/9, 0.9 BB/9. He hit a wall in Triple A though. According to Baseball Prospectus, he’s a small flamethrower with a fine change-up. I’m not sure why the Reds would be giving up an interesting guy like this for Cantu.
Shackelford is a 31 year-old southpaw who the Reds were probably happy to unload. Shackelford is best known for this debacle, though ultimately charges weren’t pressed. He’s not anything special on the mound.
I have to give this trade to the Devil Rays, because Medlock seems interesting and Cantu’s value was near rock bottom. The Rays had no place for Cantu, though the Reds don’t appear to either.
Astros Trade Wheeler To Devil Rays For Wigginton
UPDATE: Wigginton will be used as the primary third baseman; you have to expert Morgan Ensberg to be gone soon.
We expected both players to be traded, but not for each other. Today, the Astros traded 29 year-old reliever Dan Wheeler to the Devil Rays for 29 year-old supersub Ty Wigginton. By my count, Wheeler reaches free agency after the 2008 season and Wiggy after 2009.
Looking at the two most important metrics, strikeout and walk rate, Wheeler should return to form for Tampa Bay. His strikeout rate is up; his walks down. Wheeler does not allow many baserunners. Perhaps the reunion with former Astros pitching coach Jim Hickey will help Wheeler curb his gopheritis. Should the Rays trade Al Reyes, or perhaps even if they don’t, Wheeler is a strong candidate to assume closing duties for the team.
I’m seeing a lot of folks panning Tim Purpura for getting Wigginton for Wheeler. Personally I don’t think it’s too bad. The Astros will have holes at second and third base next year, and Wigginton can play either position based on which spot the Astros can fill otherwise. I’d like to see him at second base, where his bat would be above average. Could Purpura have done better, given the strong demand for relievers? If it was the Wheeler of years past, sure. But he has a 5.07 ERA this year.
Latest Mets Rumors: Luis Castillo, Chad Cordero
Let’s have a look at the latest rumors swirling around the Mets.
- Second base remains an area of focus. A Twins scout was at Shea recently, presumably trying to figure out what to ask for from the Mets for Luis Castillo. The Mets were recently scouting the Twins as well. The problem is that Castillo is not yet officially available. A couple of Marks, Grudzielanek and Loretta, remain on the radar. The Astros might consider signing Loretta to an extension, though no details have been discussed.
- The Devil Rays hosted the Red Sox last night, and a Mets scout was on hand. Speculation on my part, but possible targets include Ty Wigginton, Jonny Gomes, Edwin Jackson, Al Reyes, and Casey Fossum. The Mets had some interest in Jackson way back in November.
- According to Dan Graziano, the Mets are still pushing for Chad Cordero or Jon Rauch. Graziano is skeptical that the Nationals can arrive at a trade. Matthew Cerrone believes the Mets might give up Mike Pelfrey to get Cordero.
- Will Carroll has some other relievers the Mets are considering: Matt Thornton, Chad Bradford, and Shawn Chacon.
- The Mets had a scout in attendance yesterday to watch Jon Garland. He gave up ten hits but only three runs in 7.1 innings to the Blue Jays.
Mariners Considering Kei Igawa, Al Reyes, Jason Jennings?
Apparently the Mariners have some interest in twice-demoted Yankees starter Kei Igawa, according to an uncited TV report. The report pleased Ichiro Suzuki and Kenji Johjima.
Igawa is locked up through 2011, which may or may not be a positive. He earns another $1.5MM this year plus $4MM annually through the end of the contract. The posting fee situation ensures that Igawa’s salary is really cheap, the price a team might pay for a semi-utility guy like Mark DeRosa. If Igawa can be league average in the comfy confines of Safeco, he’s a bargain. More likely he’d have value to an NL team.
The Mariners were in on Igawa this offseason, along with the Padres, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Cubs, Tigers, and Indians. Igawa was said to prefer playing on the West Coast. The 28 year-old had a decent strikeout rate but has otherwise been rocked in 62 innings as a Yankee.
Meanwhile Dan Graziano says the Mariners are entertaining practically every available starter. He says they’re "hot on the trail" of Jason Jennings. I still think Jennings stays put.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times has a few new names for us: the Mariners have "serious interest" in reliever Al Reyes and may go for Edwin Jackson as well.
Yankees Focused On Gagne, Wheeler, Qualls
It seems highly likely that the Yankees will make a move to upgrade their bullpen before the Tuesday trade deadline. They appear to have three main targets.
Kat O’Brien of Newsday says the Yanks have had serious discussions with Texas regarding Eric Gagne. Though Gagne wants to close, remember that he can be traded to New York without his consent. A Rivera-Gagne combo would essentially turn every game into seven innings. O’Brien names righthanders Ian Kennedy and Jeff Marquez as two pitchers the Rangers might be after. Kennedy is definitely more highly regarded. The Rangers also like Melky Cabrera but the Yankees are resisting.
Meanwhile, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tells us that the Yankees have "narrowed their sights" to Dan Wheeler and Chad Qualls of the Astros. The Astros control Wheeler through 2009 and Qualls through 2010, so the asking price will be significant. Jayson Stark says Houston is looking for a young MLB-ready position player; Cabrera seems to fit the bill.
Another Yankee-related note from O’Brien’s article – the Yankees are not pursuing Ty Wigginton anymore. Other writers do not agree. Dan Graziano indicates that Wiggy is still in play and the Yankees might try get Al Reyes added to the deal as well. Peter Abraham talked to an AL exec who expects the Yanks to get Wigginton. Graziano adds that the Yankees have had recent discussions about Octavio Dotel and Jon Rauch.
Devil Rays Swap Seth McClung For Grant Balfour
Drays Bay broke the story tonight: the Devil Rays sent Seth McClung to Milwaukee for Grant Balfour. A change of scenery isn’t a bad idea for either player.
McClung gets a lot of attention for his ability to light up the radar gun. The Devil Rays were wishcasting him as their closer as recently as last year. The problem for a while now has been his ridiculously bad control. He’s 26 now. Let’s see what Mike Maddux can do with him. Or at least what Stan Kyles can do with him.
Balfour has spent a ton of time under the knife; I covered his travails in this post. He’s 29 presently. Given the Devil Rays’ bullpen, he could be closing by year’s end (said with tongue only half in cheek).
Basically, a live arm was swapped for another live arm. We’ll see if anything comes of it.
Teams Looking At Ty Wigginton
UPDATE: You can toss the Cubs into the mix for Wigginton.
One role player drawing a lot of interest is Tampa Bay’s Ty Wigginton. He plays hard, he’s versatile, he delivered his own baby, and he’s at .274/.325/452 in 372 ABs.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says the Dodgers, Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees are in on Wigginton. Wiggy might have a starting role for the former two teams. Andrew Friedman may be compelled to find a deal before the deadline, because at $4MM plus Wigginton is a nontender candidate for the D-Rays next year.
Names like Scott Proctor and Scott Baker have surfaced as possible returns for Wigginton, but the general impression seems to be that the Devil Rays would need to improve their offer to get one of them.
Molony On Jennings, Slowey
Jim Molony’s column today at MLB.com has many good trade rumors that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Let’s discuss.
- Molony says at least a dozen scouts watched Jason Jennings toss a quality start last night. He needed it; I was beginning to think he wasn’t right. Still, the performance probably isn’t enough to cause some team to offer a package for Jennings superior to two draft picks.
- The Diamondbacks and Pirates had a scouting presence at the Astros-Dodgers game. Interesting players appearing in the contest included James Loney, Andre Ethier, Wilson Betemit, Mark Loretta, Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, and Brad Lidge. You connect the dots, I have no idea.
- The Red Sox suggested sending Joel Pineiro to the A’s for Bobby Kielty in a swap of unwanteds; they were rebuffed.
- The Phillies and Braves watched Matt Morris allow four runs in six innings on Tuesday. They also may have been monitoring Steve Kline, who also pitched.
- A Devil Rays scout watched the Twins in Toronto on Tuesday. Ty Wigginton is thought to be a target for Minnesota. Perhaps the Rays’ scout fancied Scott Baker, who started for the Twins and went seven innings. Baker would be a stupendous return for Wiggy, in my opinion.
- The Phillies had their assistant GM scouting Kevin Slowey‘s start on Saturday. Molony suggests Minnesota might want Pat Burrell. That would involve a ridiculous amount of salary relief and a lack of Slowey. Slowey allowed one run in six innings in the game.
- UPDATE: Just realized that the above pair of bullets seem to have originated from La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The scout watching the Twins on Tuesday was Lee Elia. Not sure why Molony didn’t cite this source, but I suppose he may have come across the info independently.
Joel Sherman’s Ten Trade Candidates
Joel Sherman of the New York Post has an article today regarding ten veterans who may be traded this month. He’s packed the column full of insider info beyond the ten players highlighted; check it out.
- Mark Teixeira is now more likely to be dealt than Eric Gagne. Sherman sees the Angels as perhaps the best possibility here; they’d have to include Casey Kotchman. I imagine Ervin Santana‘s stock is down far enough that the Rangers would not settle for the two.
- The Indians appear to be out on Gagne but the Tigers still make sense for all parties. Would Todd Jones graciously step down from his closer post? Detroit’s bullpen has actually been doing well lately.
- The Royals want a righthanded-hitting center fielder in return for Octavio Dotel. Now that’s a tall order. Sherman names Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez as two who fit the bill, but such a trade would require young talent like Zack Greinke coming back to the Mets. Just speculating, but Melky Cabrera and Reggie Willits also fit the Royals’ need.
- Apparently the Mariners and Braves are "very interested’ in Dmitri Young. That’s the first I’ve heard of a team besides Atlanta inquiring.
- Oddly, the Devil Rays appear to have some interest in Kyle Farnsworth if the money can be worked out. They like Scott Proctor as well, so keep an eye on that Ty Wigginton rumor. Sherman mentions that the market is heavy with available role players, so look for a lot of boring deals with that type of player. Just kidding, trade rumors are never boring. Sherman tosses out Tadahito Iguchi to the Padres; that’s a fresh one.
- Sherman runs down all of the available relievers we already know about. Throw Kiko Calero in there as a new name.
Marlins Could Trade Scott Olsen
23 year-old southpaw Scott Olsen is very talented, but he’s earned a reputation as a bit of a hothead. Take a look at his history: six incidents, including his Saturday arrest. Performance is 99% of what matters in baseball, though, so Olsen would be very popular on the trade market. Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post speculates that the Marlins could make a push to trade him.
The Marlins still need a center fielder, so that would figure to be the top target in an Olsen trade. They had previously entertained sending Olsen to the Devil Rays for B.J. Upton or Joey Gathright. The chance for Upton has passed, and Gathright is a Royal now. I imagine the Royals would make the move in a heartbeat.
Here’s a scenario that might make sense for both teams: Olsen to the Diamondbacks for Chris Young. Young should become a very solid center fielder, but he’s likely to be overtaken by Justin Upton in 2008. The Diamondbacks have been said to be on the lookout for young pitching, and Olsen is perfect.
The Marlins are kicking around moving Hanley Ramirez to center field next year, though that would just create a new hole at shortstop.
Of course I have to make the obligatory Jarrod Saltalamacchia reference. Olsen would be a fine addition to Atlanta’s staff, and the Marlins would replace Miguel Olivo as his salary starts to rise.
Can you think of any other reasonable scenarios? Leave ’em in the comments.