By Tim Dierkes | at
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Cubs and Mets are talking about a Jason Marquis trade. The Cubs will have to eat salary, unless they follow Heyman’s suggestion to take Scott Schoeneweis.
On Saturday, Dan Graziano said the Mets rejected an offer of Marquis for Aaron Heilman. Of course, Heilman is a Mariner now.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Stray links I’ve collected over the past few days…
By Tim Dierkes | at
Paul Sullivan and Gordon Wittenmyer believe Milton Bradley is at the top of the Cubs’ list for an outfielder. But even with the Matt Joyce acquisition, you have to figure the Rays are still a contender if the price is reasonable. The Rays can offer Bradley a chance to DH, which could be valuable if playing time incentives are part of his contract.
Both Chicago writers also name Raul Ibanez as a person of interest, with Sullivan citing Bobby Abreu as well.
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, the Cubs inquired on Chone Figgins. Figgins could theoretically fill Mark DeRosa’s superutility role, though DeRosa seems likely to stay put. DiGiovanna says the Angels won’t be sure of their needs until they sort out the Mark Teixeira and Brian Fuentes situations.
By Tim Dierkes | at
8:36pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock learned from Towers that he should know one way or another on a Peavy trade by the end of the Meetings. Towers now believes a fourth team will be required. Towers mentioned that Marquis and DeRosa may be hangups, especially Marquis’ contract. Though he’d prefer not to, under certain circumstances the Padres might pay some of his salary.
There was some goofy Carlos Carrasco/Jason Donald stuff we didn’t link to today, and that was shot down. Brock suggests names like Josh Vitters, Felix Pie, and Kevin Hart could be involved on the Cubs’ part.
8:31pm: Jayson Stark says Peavy to the Cubs doesn’t seem inevitable anymore, and the sides have not made progress in the last 24 hours. The Cubs have leverage, so they’ve dug in their heels. Stark adds that once word of the possible inclusion of DeRosa linked, Jim Hendry has been "bombarded with calls from other clubs interested" in him. Hendry does not want to trade DeRosa.
6:00pm: Buster Olney says the Yankees have talked with the Padres recently about Peavy, but it didn’t go anywhere.
5:19pm: Brock talked to a Padres source who does not believe the Twins are involved.
4:10pm: Buster Olney says Axelrod left the Meetings with no word of a deal but the expectation is still that the Cubs will get it done.
3:48pm: Tom Krasovic reminds us that Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod said going into the Meetings that the Yankees would be more attractive to his client if they signed C.C. Sabathia. Still, Peavy prefers the NL.
3:17pm: Corey Brock says the Phillies might want Scott Hairston from the Padres to use in left field.
2:33pm: Carrie Muskat’s Cubs source says DeRosa will not be traded.
9:45am: LEN3 says the Twins discussed DeRosa with the Cubs yesterday. The Cubs will present the Twins with a list of pitchers they like, which will be influenced by the Padres’ preferences.
9:31am: There’s word from Jim Salisbury that pitcher Kyle Kendrick could be included in this three-team trade.
1:19am: If you dare to sort through yesterday’s Jake Peavy rumors, click here. Today, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times maintains that the biggest obstacle is the Cubs moving part of Jason Marquis’ contract. Another factor – the Padres will need to free up several spots on the 40-man roster. The Cubs’ sale will not be an issue.
Wittenmyer adds that a Phillies official didn’t expect to get Mark DeRosa from the Cubs but rather other players. Also, Cubs officials shot down the John Perrotto rumor that the Cubs might shop Carlos Zambrano after acquiring Peavy.
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune also weighs in. He says the Padres have discussed Phils catching prospect Jason Jaramillo.
By Tim Dierkes | at
WEDNESDAY, 1:11pm: Nolan Ryan confirmed the Rangers’ interest in Johnson.
TUESDAY, 8:37pm: Jack Magruder says the Astros and Angels met with Johnson’s reps at the Meetings. He adds that the Rangers, Brewers, and Cubs touched base before the Meetings.
2:54pm: Four California teams are said to be eyeing Randy Johnson: the Dodgers, Angels, Giants, and A’s. Mike DiGiovanna learned that the Dodgers and Angels are more on the fringes. We’ve also seen Johnson linked to the Cubs as a fallback for Jake Peavy.
By Tim Dierkes | at
The Mets signed Francisco Rodriguez yesterday, but GM Omar Minaya is not done tinkering with his bullpen. SI.com’s Jon Heyman says Matt Capps, Huston Street, and others are on the radar as setup possibilities. However, teams are asking for Jon Niese and the Mets don’t want to give him up. Heyman adds that the Mets have talked to the Mariners and Cubs about relief help as well.
By Tim Dierkes | at
11:07pm: Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has Phillies sources saying the deal is in place if the Cubs will pull the trigger with the Padres. Sullivan also talked to chairman Crane Kenney, who implied the Cubs included Peavy’s contract within projected budgets to bidders.
Sullivan adds that the Cubs have not had talks for Bobby Abreu yet.
9:17pm: Stark says there’s no way such a complicated trade will get done before the end of the Meetings. He adds that extra teams are not necessarily requirements. The Cubs will need to move a contract and get ownership approval, though.
8:39pm: Ruben Amaro Jr. came close to acknowledging the Phils are involved in the Peavy deal, says Jayson Stark.
8:31pm: Jeff Passan: the lone holdup in this complicated trade is the Cubs moving Marquis. A deal is not imminent, though, according to Towers.
7:26pm: Brock talked to Towers, who met today with Hendry and said a trade seems more likely today than it did yesterday. They’ll meet again tonight. If a deal is reached, it’d be announced after Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. Brock says the Phillies are believed to be the third team.
3:31pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock says nothing is imminent and the Cubs appear reluctant.
2:25pm: The saga continues…Kevin Towers does not think this deal lost steam in the last 24 hours, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown and Gordon Edes. However, they say the Cubs are having second thoughts about this four-team mess. The Cubs source says the price is too steep for them right now and they’re looking at another short-term option for the rotation (Randy Johnson maybe).
2:02pm: Tom Krasovic says the Padres are not seeking J.A. Happ or Chris Coste as has been previously rumored. Also, Ronny Cedeno is not the Padres’ first choice to replace Khalil Greene at short. Krasovic adds that the Braves apparently are now happy the Padres didn’t take their offer for Peavy.
Kras adds that the Padres did some fact-finding with Mark Grudzielanek’s agent. Grudz wants to play for a winner though.
1:10pm: Roman Modrowski of the Chicago Sun-Times says Peavy sang "Go Cubs, Go" at a Vegas bar last night. Good times. But did Roy Oswalt sing along? Also, Modrowski believes the Cubs would be willing to eat as much as $6MM of Marquis’ $9.875MM.
Jayson Stark says an Aaron Heilman-Marquis deal appears unlikely, as the sides cannot agree on what portion of Marquis’ contract the Cubs would assume.
12:08pm: Rosenthal says the Cubs maintain they’re not close on Peavy. And they still need to identify their new owner before a deal can get done. The Cubs are mulling Randy Johnson as a backup plan, and continue to prioritize the lefthanded bat.
10:36am: Phil Rogers says the key to this potential four-team Peavy trade would be the Phillies or Orioles taking on Marquis and some of his contract. Rogers says "it will be a stunner if the Cubs don’t acquire Peavy."
1:00am: Chris De Luca says a source close to Jim Hendry characterized a Peavy deal as "very close." De Luca’s sources say a Cubs-Orioles component is set (Felix Pie for Garrett Olson). This runs counter to Roch Kubatko’s report below. De Luca says the Cubs still want to trade Marquis and acquire a lefthanded hitter before closing the Peavy deal.
12:41am: Ken Rosenthal’s source says the Cubs’ attempts to bring in a third team have involved "probably 20 names with four to five clubs." So it’s not necessarily DeRosa or the Phillies. Rosenthal says an agreement is still not close.
12:30am: To summarize yesterday: Kevin Towers has facilitated an apparent three-team Jake Peavy trade that he will present to the Cubs. I say three because Roch Kubatko says the Orioles don’t know of any agreement. So the best guess right now (based on reports) is that the Cubs would send Mark DeRosa to the Phillies, and both teams would send young players to the Padres. The Cubs could offload Jason Marquis in the deal, and the savings from Marquis and DeRosa would seem to neatly equal Peavy’s $11MM salary for ’09.
By Tim Dierkes | at
10:17pm: Berardino says the Giants appear to be out of the running for Cantu due to defensive concerns. That sentiment has been coming from the Giants writers as well lately.
12:36pm: MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro says the Marlins "don’t have immediate interest" in Ivan Rodriguez.
10:49am: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Marlins don’t expect to trade Dan Uggla or Jorge Cantu at the Meetings, "but they remain open to all ideas." Cantu has been linked to the Giants and White Sox in recent days.
Rosenthal names the Braves, Reds, and Rays as teams interested in Jeremy Hermida, though nothing is close. Nick Cafardo also suggested the Giants. The Cubs apparently haven’t discussed Hermida in a while.
By Tim Dierkes | at
8:09pm: Rosenthal says Mets officials met with Ibanez at a Bellagio restaurant today. He says the Angels, Phillies, Braves and Nationals are also in on Ibanez, though the Braves’ interest is mild.
11:25am: ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Phillies, Mets, and Cubs are in the lead for Raul Ibanez, with the Braves and Angels on the periphery.
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