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Latest Milton Bradley Scenario

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1:36pm: MLB.com's Carrie Muskat hears from a Cubs official that there's nothing to the rumored three way deal between the Cubs, Rangers and Mets. However, four to six teams are interested in Bradley to varying degrees.

10:58am: The latest Milton Bradley trade scenario comes courtesy of Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, who considers Bradley going to the Rangers, Kevin Millwood to the Mets, and Luis Castillo to the Cubs.

We talked to a source familiar with the situation who said that this deal is not being discussed.  Backing that up, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan talked to a Rangers official who said it's "not happening."  So for our purposes it's more of a discussion piece. 

Does this satisfy the needs of all three teams?  The Rangers add a bat and trade from an area of depth, the Mets free up second base for other pursuits and get a veteran for the rotation, and the Cubs unload Bradley while getting a piece they can use.  The money: Bradley is owed $21MM over two years, Millwood $12MM over one, and Castillo $12MM over two.

Heyman On Gonzalez, Wellemeyer, Rivera

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SI's Jon Heyman kicks off his newest column with thoughts on his top 50 free agents.  A few highlights from the list and elsewhere in the column…

  • Via Twitter Heyman says Mets GM Omar Minaya likes Luis Castillo more than any of the 29 other teams do.
  • Heyman groups the Cubs in as a possible Matt Holliday suitor, which does not seem feasible given the team's payroll situation. 
  • Lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez has "drawn interest from as many as 15 teams."
  • A new name on the Brewers' radar as a "No. 5-type guy": Todd Wellemeyer.
  • Heyman speaks of "indications the Angels might be willing to trade outfielder Juan Rivera."  One such indication popped up earlier this month when Ken Davidoff said the Angels and Tigers discussed a Curtis Granderson deal.  Rivera had a solid year – .287/.332/.478 – and has $9.5MM remaining over two years.

Odds & Ends: Bay, Orioles, Padres, Lo Duca

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Let's round up some leftover Thursday links….

  • The Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin spoke to Joe Urbon, Jason Bay's agent. Urbon suggested that discussion would continue with the Red Sox, but that interest in his client so far has been "extraordinary."
  • Larry Stone of the Seattle Times warns Mariners fans not to get too excited about rumors of a three-way deal involving Brandon Morrow and the Tigers' Edwin Jackson. He thinks Morrow could be a valuable trade chip for Seattle though.
  • In a Baltimore Sun column, Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly point out that the Baltimore Orioles' lack of big contract commitments puts them in a great spot if they want to pursue free agents this winter. The article also examines what players the Orioles might go after.
  • MLB.com's Corey Brock writes that the San Diego Padres could have a little bit of "wiggle room" to sign players this winter, though their payroll will once again be minuscule.
  • The Mets need to take the same approach this offseason that the Yankees did last year, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.
  • Marty Noble shares his own thoughts about the Mets' offseason strategy in his latest MLB.com mailbag.
  • Paul Lo Duca wants to make a comeback after spending last year out of the league. Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News passes on the comments Lo Duca made on Sirius XM about returning.
  • The Chicago Cubs might not be done moving arbitration-eligible players to save money, according to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan.
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson recaps some of the big names that the Washington Nationals have already been linked to this month.
  • Speaking of Ladson, be sure to follow him on Twitter for the latest Nats updates.

Aaron Heilman Trade Reactions

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Plenty of baseball writers are already offering their opinions on the Diamondbacks' acquisition of Aaron Heilman, and speculating about what the pitcher's role might be in Arizona….

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that some Diamondbacks execs have viewed Heilman as a starter in the past.
  • MLB.com's Steve Gilbert, however, suggests that the team plans to use Heilman out of the bullpen.
  • In a separate article, Gilbert writes that he likes the deal for Arizona, as a low-risk move with upside. He notes that the two prospects the D'Backs gave up "were not exactly setting the world on fire."
  • R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs leans the other way: He applauds the Cubs for getting anything for Heilman, and wonders if "giving up anything of value for a middle reliever" is smart for the Diamondbacks.
  • Matthew Pouliot at NBC Sports thinks that both sides did well. He says that Heilman is a durable pitcher with upside, but that he wasn't in the Cubs' plans, and Chicago probably couldn't have gotten a better return elsewhere.

D’Backs Acquire Aaron Heilman

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The Diamondbacks acquired Aaron Heilman from the Cubs, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the Cubs obtained minor  leaguers Scott Maine and Ryne White in return.

Tim listed Heilman as a non-tender candidate last month, so it's not a surprise that the Cubs were willing to part with the 31-year-old righty. He pitched to a 4.11 ERA in 72.1 innings with the Cubs last year, allowing 68 hits and 34 walks, while striking out 65.

Heilman has started before, but GM Josh Byrnes suggests to the Arizona Republic that the D'Backs see him as a reliever.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Cubs, Red Sox, Hawkins

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Some more links to read through as we count down the hours until teams can start serious negotiations with all free agents…

  • GM Neal Huntington tells MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch that the Pirates won't be spending big on relievers this year: "Our focus is going to be more on the borderline-type guys that may not get $3-4 million or may not even get a Major League contract," Huntington said.
  • The Cubs probably can't afford Rich Harden or Reed Johnson, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
  • Harden and Erik Bedard appear on Jeff Zrebiec's list of ten free agents the O's might target.
  • Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun says the O's need at least one middle-of-the-order bat.
  • The Cubs don't intend to pursue Pedro Martinez this offseason, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
  • David Ortiz tells WEEI.com that the Red Sox can always use more power.
  • The Astros have already offered LaTroy Hawkins a contract, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
  • Peter Gammons of ESPN.com shows that the low-budget Marlins have had a lot of recent success because they're well-run.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean hinted that he could approach ownership with creative offers for big-name free agents, according to MLB.com's Chris Haft.

Stark On Bradley, Uggla, Yankees, Braves, Pedro

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ESPN.com's Jayson Stark responds to some of Scott Boras' recent comments before providing some rumors in his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column:

  • The Rays, Rangers and Jays appear to be the three likeliest landing spots for Milton Bradley. The Cubs say they don't want to eat much of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's contract, so a bad contract swap still seems possible.
  • Stark hears that the Marlins were in serious trade talks with the Giants and Rangers about Dan Uggla.
  • There's no indication that the Yankees are in on Jason Bay or Matt Holliday at this point. The Yanks figure to negotiate firmly with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
  • The Braves would like to trade for a cleanup-hitter and are expected to try to extend Javier Vazquez if they can move Derek Lowe and his contract.
  • The Phillies don't appear to have a preference at third base, though they're said to be considering Placido Polanco, Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre.
  • At least two executives believe Pedro Martinez fits best as a half-year starter next season.

Nightengale On Jackson, Swisher, Rays, Halladay

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USA Today's Bob Nightengale suggests we keep an eye on a possible three-way trade between the Tigers, Mariners and one other club. The Tigers would give up Edwin Jackson and the Mariners would give up Brandon Morrow. Here are some more rumors to read as you wonder who that third team might be:

  • Nightengale says the Rays are the "clear-cut favorite" to acquire Milton Bradley from the Cubs.
  • The Yankees are apparently letting teams know that Nick Swisher is available. Swisher was involved in his share of trade rumors after the Yankees acquired him last season.
  • The Dodgers are focusing on Roy Halladay, who would potentially cost Chad Billingsley and others.

Odds & Ends: Butler, Holliday, Counsell

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A batch of links to kick off the work week…

  • Newly minted Royals Player of the Year Billy Butler has not held long-term extension talks with the team, MLBTR learned on a conference call today.  Butler will not be arbitration-eligible until after the 2010 season. 
  • Desipio on the Cubs-Curtis Granderson idea: "In the end, this smells like a winter of Brian Roberts and Jake Peavy trade rumors.  One that ends with us talking ourselves into how Marlon Byrd isn’t so bad after all."
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports believes it's a three-horse race for Matt Holliday: the Red Sox, Yankees, and Angels.
  • ESPN's Jerry Crasnick writes about Jed Hoyer and the Adrian Gonzalez situation.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that a dozen teams have expressed interest in free agent infielder Craig Counsell.  He'd like a multiyear deal.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan sums up the Rangers' hot stove storylines.
  • Evan Grant wonders what it would take for the Rangers to acquire Edwin Jackson.
  • ESPN's Keith Law believes it'd be unwise for a team to acquire Dan Uggla and move him off second base.
  • Sean Smith's 2010 CHONE projections for hitters are now available, so take a peek into his crystal ball.
  • Jeremy Greenhouse of The Hardball Times cautions against misuses of the WAR statistic.
  • Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail thinks the Blue Jays "will be all over" Brandon Phillips to play third base if the Reds make him available.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post suggests Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd will hold Type A free agent reliever Rafael Betancourt hostage with an arbitration offer.  In my opinion, Betancourt has a decent chance of accepting.
  • Tommy Rancel of DRays Bay talked to Rays VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman.

Curtis Granderson Rumors: Saturday

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Cubs' GM Jim Hendry "absolutely" is interested in offering a prospect-heavy package to the Tigers for Curtis Granderson according to a source close to the team, says Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune. Yesterday we heard that the two sides were not yet in trade talks, but Rogers' source says that Hendry and Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski "spoke about Granderson and other Tigers players during the GM meetings earlier in the week at the O'Hare Hilton."

So far we've heard that the Cubs, Angels, and Yankees have interest in the 28-year-old outfielder. Granderson hit .249/.327/.453 in 710 plate appearances this year, though ESPN's Keith Law says he's become just a platoon player because of his struggles against southpaws.

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