Heyman On Peavy, Astros, Greene
A new column from SI's Jon Heyman…
- If you are sick of hearing about Jake Peavy now, just wait until later this summer. The pitcher's no-trade clause has "wreaked havoc" on the Padres, but they'll keep trying to trade him. There are competing opinions as to which teams Peavy would accept a trade, but the Cubs and Dodgers seem to be named most often. Neither club is a perfect match. Over at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Michael Hunt discusses the Brewers possibility; he worries that Peavy's contract could become a burden for the Brew Crew.
- Heyman discusses the situation with Astros manager Cecil Cooper. Could he be fired so soon after having his option picked up? Heyman believes Ed Wade might be a bigger problem, and even suggests that "privately [Shawn Chacon's] inappropriate actions were cheered by some other players." Astros owner Drayton McLane told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle that a dismissal of Cooper is "not in the cards," yet Wade doesn't believe in giving votes of confidence.
- Heyman talked to one person close to shortstop Khalil Greene who "could see the 29-year-old walking away from the game after this season." Update: Greene's on the DL.
- A competing exec told Heyman he wouldn't be stunned to see the Giants dangle Matt Cain, even though they haven't yet. Heyman suggests gauging the value of Jonathan Sanchez first makes sense.
Stark On Peavy, Oswalt, Phillies, DeRosa, Giants
Let's take a look at the latest Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN's Jayson Stark.
- The Padres' recent winning streak has not changed their intention of trading Jake Peavy. The Dodgers and Cubs are in Peavy's first tier of choices, follwed by the Giants, Cardinals, and Astros. The Angels would be the one AL team he'd consider. The East Coast is a long shot. Also, Peavy will want his 2011-13 partial no-trade clause to become a full no-trade. Peavy's friend Roy Oswalt has been unsuccessful in lobbying Astros owner Drayton McLane, as the 'Stros can't take on Peavy's contract. As for the Dodgers, GM Ned Colletti told the L.A. Times he hasn't talked to the Padres about Peavy since the pitcher vetoed the White Sox deal.
- Stark talked to scouts who believe Oswalt has "lost his edge" and needs a change of scenery. The Phillies have inquired on him, but they've asked about everyone: Peavy, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Chris Young and Jason Marquis. Popular Phillies trade targets include Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco, Travis D'Arnaud, Freddy Galvis, Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown, and Antonio Bastardo.
- The Braves are interested in bringing Mark DeRosa back to Atlanta. He came up with them and was non-tendered in '04 after tearing his ACL. But to deal young arms, the Braves would want an impact bat. Stark says they're "mostly listening" rather than shopping Jeff Francoeur. His trade value is difficult to gauge.
- The Mets seem content to wait out the first base trade market.
- The Giants seek a middle-of-the-order bat, and Jonathan Sanchez is being dangled. Three targets they haven't had success on are Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, and possibly Carlos Lee. Lee, according to one Stark source, doesn't intend to waive his no-trade for anyone.
Odds & Ends: DeRosa, Bruney, Cooper
Let's kick it off today with some odds and ends.
- RotoAuthority discusses responding to lame trade offers in your fantasy league.
- Reliever Mike MacDougal will join the Nationals tomorrow, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Who knows, he could be closing for them by next week.
- Talking to Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune, Cubs GM Jim Hendry defended the Mark DeRosa trade. Here is my problem with it: it was a financially-motivated deal made by a big-market team, and did not bring back players who could help in 2009.
- According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the White Sox acquired journeyman minor league infielder Anderson Machado from the Pirates for a player to be named later.
- Padres exec Paul DePodesta explains the Jody Gerut for Tony Gwynn Jr. swap. DePodesta's third bullet point, money, had to be the overriding factor given Gwynn's negligible value around the league.
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle sees Bobby Crosby as perhaps a more pressing trade situation for the A's than Matt Holliday.
- Dr. James Andrews found no structural damage in Brian Bruney's elbow, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Given the uncertainty, though, a bullpen acquisition would still make sense.
- It looks like the writing is on the wall for Astros manager Cecil Cooper. Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle lists his offenses.
- Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is skeptical the Cardinals will make a big move.
- Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus agrees that the Pirates are the favorite for Dominican talent Miguel Angel Sano, and says the Rays, Cubs, A's, Blue Jays, Yankees, Rangers, and Twins are also after him. It's speculated by McDaniel and elsewhere that the Pirates could budget less toward their fourth overall pick in June to compensate for Sano. John Perrotto of Inside Pittsburgh Sports says they like Kyle Gibson, Aaron Crow, Bobby Borchering, and Wil Myers. Tanner Scheppers did not give the Bucs permission to redraft him.
Heyman On Adrian Gonzalez, Peavy, Sabathia
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman believes the Padres could bring in a haul for Adrian Gonzalez beyond what the Rangers received for Mark Teixeira. However, when asked if he's considering trading his slugging first baseman, Padres GM Kevin Towers responded, "Not at this point in time."
- The Cubs don't seem anxious to make a deal for Jake Peavy, and the Dodgers have the same-division hurdle. The Brewers might not have the pitching (or inclination) to get it done. Towers will continue to try to find a team Peavy likes while also matching the package offered by the White Sox: Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard, and two minor league pitchers.
- Heyman says the Angels bid about $140MM for C.C. Sabathia last winter, making the Yankees' $161MM winning bid appear more appropriate.
Padres Willing To Trade Kouzmanoff?
According to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Padres "have shown a willingness to move" third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. Wittenmyer adds that "the Cubs acknowledge a potential fit, although they say they think [Mike] Fontenot, in particular, can adequately fill the interim need at third [while Aramis Ramirez is injured]." The article has the flavor of a trade rumor, but Wittenmyer does not say the Cubs actually inquired on Kouzmanoff.
Kouzmanoff, 28 in July, is hitting an ugly .236/.285/.366 in 172 plate appearances on the season, even worse than his subpar 2008. To his credit, he did hit .292/.329/.473 on the road last year. The Fielding Bible II noted that Kouzmanoff "showed some improvement" on defense last year. He will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season, and you have to wonder if the Padres will move him before that jump in salary. Would the Cardinals make sense?
What We Know About Peavy And The Padres
The trade that nearly sent Jake Peavy to the White Sox has provided lots of rumors to sift through and lots of opinions to mull over. Now that the frenzy's over let's lay out what we actually know:
- Peavy will make $15MM next year, $16MM in 2011 and $17MM in 2012. There's a club option for $22MM in 2013, with a $4MM buyout.
- The Padres want to move him because he's expensive, but he has a full no-trade clause this year.
- Peavy says he's "not closing the door on anything" with the White Sox, according to Bernie Wilson of the AP.
- Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune says the White Sox are leaving the deal on the table in case Peavy changes his mind.
- Peavy sounds open to the possibility of being traded, hinting that he'd consider moving to another city.
- Cities in "Middle America" are more appealing to Peavy, as SI.com's Jon Heyman reported yesterday. Also, he prefers the National League.
- As ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports, the Cubs still have interest in Peavy.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune suggests that the Cubs could pursue Peavy if their ownership transition progresses before the end of July.
- For what it's worth, Peavy praised Cubs fans and the organization.
Heyman On Peavy, Pedro, Blalock
Jon Heyman of SI.com has a number of rumors in his latest column:
- He believes the Cubs and Brewers have the best shot at acquiring Jake Peavy, because of the pitcher's preference for the National League and his desire to play in "middle America." Heyman believes Peavy would accept a deal to either team, but there are never guarantees with a no-trade clause.
- The Yankees and Indians both say they cannot add payroll.
- One AL executive believes Pedro Martinez would sign for $3MM plus incentives at this point.
- The Rangers would listen to offers for Hank Blalock and ask for relief help in return.
Jake Peavy Not A Fit In Boston
According to Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald the Red Sox are reluctant to go after Jake Peavy because he's owed lots of money and they question his durability and how well he'd transition into the AL East. The Red Sox have a deep rotation anyways, especially with Daisuke Matsuzaka set to return and John Smoltz rehabbing, so I doubt they were that interested to begin with.
In the aftermath of the failed White Sox-Padres swap that would have sent Peavy to Chicago, there are other reactions from around the majors:
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki wonders if it would be smart for the Phillies to acquire Peavy. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. declined to comment on the chances of making such a deal happen.
- Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Cubs GM Jim Hendry didn't comment when asked about re-starting talks to acquire the righty. Ryan Theriot sounds excited about pursuing Peavy.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes that Peavy made the right call, since the White Sox are no sure thing.
Odds & Ends: Bray, Fox, Manny, Crow
Links for Wednesday…
- Today's chat will be at 3pm CST.
- According to Andy Martino, the Phillies claimed righty Steven Register off waivers from the Rockies today and sent him to Triple A.
- Reds reliever Bill Bray will miss the rest of the season due to Tommy John surgery, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon yesterday.
- Dave Cameron at FanGraphs says Jake Fox belongs in the Majors, given his ridiculous Triple A numbers (.431/.513/.954 in 130 ABs with 17 HR and 50 RBI). The Cubs, though, are already trying to find ways to get Micah Hoffpauir into the lineup.
- ESPN's Buster Olney pictures what would've unfolded if Manny Ramirez hadn't used PEDs.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle on the Noah Lowry situation.
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe speculates on possible moves for the Red Sox.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis says Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has been talking to Randy Hendricks about getting Aaron Crow's consent in the event the Nationals want to draft him again.
2010 Options: Chicago Cubs
The Cubs don't have any options to worry about for 2010, aside from manager Lou Piniella. But here are a few situations they'll face within the next few years:
- 2010 is the final year of Derrek Lee's contract, which pays $13MM annually. His heir apparent might be Micah Hoffpauir, who owns a .326/.385/.546 big league line but has just 156 plate appearances. Maybe Hoffpauir is the next Luke Scott, an older rookie who had a monstrous half-season in '06 and then settled in as a useful bat.
- Lefty starter Ted Lilly is also signed through 2010. This was one of the best signings of the 2006-07 offseason, and there were some bad ones. Lilly made 34 starts in each of his first two seasons for the Cubs and is off to a fine start this year. Do the Cubs try to extend him, knowing that he'll turn 35 in January of 2011? It's probably too early to ask.
- Rich Harden is a free agent after the 2009 season. The 27 year-old has logged 27 starts in his Cubs career, surpassing expectations. He's earning $7MM this year and is off to a so-so start due to poor control and a high home run rate. Will some team throw a silly contract at him if he makes 30 starts this year?
- Kevin Gregg's contract is up after '09. As expected, he's walked a ton of guys and been generally uninspiring. Presumably the Cubs will let him leave and promote Carlos Marmol to closer.