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Olney’s Latest: Sabathia, Sexson

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Must-read alongside your bowl of Cocoa Pebbles is Buster Olney’s Saturday morning blog post:

If the C.C. Sabathia trade rumors were a horse race, he writes, as of today these teams would be the favorites:

  1. Milwaukee Brewers
  2. Chicago Cubs
  3. Los Angeles Dodgers
  4. Texas Rangers
  5. Boston Red Sox

The problem is, he notes, some of these teams may or may not be in contention by the trade deadline; and/or could be bluffing.

On more serious note, all the recent managerial changes in Seattle have clouded Richie Sexson’s future with the Mariners. Olney points us to Seattle Times writer Larry Stone’s notebook, and the not-so-secret rumblings that Sexson’s days with the M’s may be numbered.

Stone reports the Mariners may be thinking about releasing Sexson or DFAing him. Before Friday’s game with the Braves, when asked if he expected to be with the team after the weekend series, Sexson told reporters:

"I don’t know. I’m just going to play. I really can’t worry about that, and I’m not going to worry about that. I know if things don’t work out here, there’s a lot of other teams out there. I know I can still play the game. I’m not worried about never playing again. It doesn’t concern me."

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Rumors? Comments? Email me: alexo05 [at] umpbump [dot] com.

Crisp-Cubs Chatter Debunked

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THURSDAY: Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times talked to a Cubs insider who says the team has had no talks with Boston about Crisp since spring training.  By the way – Crisp recently strained a muscle in his hand, but it’s not considered serious.

WEDNESDAY: It’s been suggested that trade showcasing is a misconception.  Nonetheless, Cubs beat writer Paul Sullivan believes they may be doing just that with Matt Murton right now.  Murton was hitting .298/.397/.382 in Triple A, showing much less power than he had in the Majors.  He did pick it up to a .495 SLG in May though.  He has a chance to play left field regularly for the Cubs with Alfonso Soriano out.

Sullivan says the Cubs sent Special Assistant to the GM Ken Kravec to scout the Red Sox recently, perhaps with an eye on Coco Crisp.  He says the Cubs might be willing to trade Boston native Rich Hill in a deal.  Center field does not seem an immediate concern for the Cubs, as Jim Edmonds is hitting .309/.351/.515 in 68 plate appearances for them.

Possible Destinations For Sabathia

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Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer weighs in on the different teams that could land CC Sabathia.

  • Yankees: Despite Ken Davidoff’s report yesterday that the Yankees would not land Sabathia, Hoynes notes that the Yankees are desperate for an ace but acknowledges that they may wait until the off-season.
  • Phillies: Hoynes points out that Sabathia’s first big league manager was Charlie Manuel, but the Phillies may not have enough in the system.
  • Cubs: Hoynes feels that Lou PIniella would trade for Sabathia right now if he could.
  • Red Sox: Hoynes feels the Sox are more likely to wait until the off-season.
  • Rays: Hoynes notes that the Rays have the pieces in the farm system to land Sabathia, but wonders if they are willing to rent a player for a playoff push.
  • Angels: Hoynes points out that Sabathia is from the west coast and the Angels may have a better chance of resigning him.

Hoynes also talked to scouts about what the Indians can expect to receive if they do decide to trade the free agent-to-be.

One scout said that "they could get two young players that were at or close to the big-league level that they could control for a while" while a second scout speculates the bounty could be " two and three prospects, depending on whether that team could sign Sabathia to an extension before he becomes a free agent this winter."

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex and can be reached here.

Cubs Eyeing Giants or A’s?

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Cubs Special Assistant to the General Manager Gary Hughes attended an A’s-Giants game recently, according to Henry Schulman.  Could be nothing, since Hughes is based in the Bay Area.  But here at MLBTR I like to put all the info in front of you.

Schulman’s source indicated that the Cubs have not asked about the apparently available Randy Winn.

More On Burnett

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Jeff Blair notes today that any team acquiring A.J. Burnett would be getting a hired gun.  He says the Blue Jays will not allow a window for the acquiring team to potentially renegotiate Burnett’s out clause.  In a way, Burnett’s out clause makes him less valuable than a normal impending free agent.  If Burnett is injured or awful in August and September, the team could be stuck with him for 2009-10.  Is there any chance Burnett pitches well from here on out but doesn’t exercise the clause?

Garth Woolsey didn’t like Burnett’s comments, considering it a slap in the face to Jays fans.  Here’s a look back at Burnett’s history of injuries and incidents (innings totals include minor and Major Leagues):

  • 1999: Made Major League debut.  162 innings.
  • 2000: Penciled in for Marlins’ rotation, but ruptured thumb ligament pushes season debut to late July.  95 innings.
  • 2001: Broken foot pushes season debut to May.  Pitches nine-walk no-hitter in second start.  182.6 innings.
  • 2002: Ranks second in baseball in Pitcher Abuse Points per start (thanks to Jeff Torborg).  Threw 122 or more pitches nine times.  Late in year, has DL stint for an elbow bruise.  204.3 innings.
  • 2003: Burnett goes to arbitration with Marlins and loses.  Forearm tightness leads to a cortisone shot in the elbow in March; starts season on DL.  Has Tommy John surgery April 29th.  In November, Larry Beinfest says the Marlins will be able to afford to retain Burnett after shedding Derrek Lee.  23 innings.
  • 2004: A setback pushes his season debut to June 3rd.  Says arm is stronger than it was before surgery, but elbow inflammation surfaces by September.  Included in December trade talks with Yankees, D’Backs. 127.3 innings.
  • 2005: Burnett’s last year before free agency.  He sought a three-year, $21MM deal, but the Marlins offered $16MM and no agreement was reached.  Has laser eye surgery in offseason.  Elbow inflammation in May, misses one turn.  In June-July, trade rumors link him to Orioles, Jays, and White Sox.  Burnett’s unwillingness to sign an extension and the Marlins’ insistence on packaging him with Mike Lowell nixes all deals.  September: Burnett rips team and Jack McKeon and is asked to leave the team.  209 innings.
  • 2006: Pursued as free agent by Rangers, Tigers, Mets, Cardinals, Nationals, and five other teams.  Signs widely panned five-year, $55MM deal with Jays.  Starts season on DL with elbow soreness.  Makes a few starts and is placed back on DL.  Returns in June.  154.6 innings.
  • 2007: DL stint for shoulder strain in June.  Makes one start and returns to DL.  170.6 innings.
  • 2008: Broken fingernail prevents curveballs in spring, but it doesn’t become an issue.  Mockingly doffs cap while Jays fan boo after poor start.  Admits he wouldn’t mind playing for Cubs.

Gammons’ Latest: Sabathia, Dunn, Harden

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ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a new blog post up.

  • The Indians are "thoroughly scouting" eight teams that may be interested in C.C. Sabathia, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and Dodgers (the Mets may be another).  Gammons agrees with Ken Rosenthal that Mark Shapiro may trade Sabathia soon to maximize his value.  Gammons does not see the Yanks jumping in with Phil Hughes or a multi-prospect offer, unless Chien-Ming Wang’s injury forces their hand.  He does not think the Cubs or Phillies have the goods, but suggests the Rangers as a dark horse.
  • If the Cubs don’t have enough for Sabathia, Plan B could be Randy Wolf, Greg Maddux, or even Erik Bedard. The Padres and Mariners have been informed of the Cubs’ interest.
  • Gammons seems to indicate that Mark Teixeira could be available if the Braves fall out of the race (although Tex is not mentioned by name).
  • The Dodgers may have been open to trading Brad Penny, but his shoulder injury puts the kibosh on that.
  • Adam Dunn’s whifftastic ways scare the Red Sox, who might pass even if David Ortiz needs surgery.  Gammons suggests Josh Willingham would be a better fit.
  • Rich Harden could be a huge acquisition, one of the game’s most dominating pitchers.  It’s the same story though – will any team be willing to meet Billy Beane’s asking price given Harden’s injury history?

Burnett Wouldn’t Mind Playing For Cubs

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SUNDAY, 9:09pm: Burnett clarified his comments, explaining that his focus and loyalty still lies with the Jays.  Burnett also pointed out that it’s no lock that he’ll opt out of his contract at year’s end.

SUNDAY, 10:30am: Wittenmyer continues working the Burnett angle today, getting quotes from the player indicating that he’d welcome a trade to the Cubs.  The Jays are six games out of the wild card, though, so they’ll probably want to hang on to Burnett for now.

SATURDAY: Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the Cubs might want to take a second look at A.J. Burnett as the Jays are expected to shop him all throughout the next several weeks until the trade deadline.

Last night’s Cubs-Jays game served as a bittersweet "scouting foray" as Burnett pitched five effective innings, striking out seven. Pitching for the Cubs was Sean Gallagher, who according to Wittenmeyer, wasn’t on anyone’s radar to be the club’s fifth starter in June.

After Rich Hill’s struggles and demotion, the first-place Cubs are increasingly being mentioned in trade speculation.

Burnett is slated to make $12MM in ’09 and ’10; and can opt out of his contract at the end of the season.

By Alejandro A. Leal and Tim Dierkes

Sherman’s Latest: Sabathia, Fielder, Marte

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The New York Post’s Joel Sherman has a host of rumors in his new column.

  • Sherman believes the Indians are leaning toward trading C.C. Sabathia.  He names the usual suspects (Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs) but also throws the Brewers into the mix based on the opinion of an "AL talent evaluator."
  • Speaking of the Brewers, Sherman believes Prince Fielder will be available "almost definitely in the offseason" and perhaps even this summer.  Doug Melvin says he’s not exploring it but never rules out anything.  The presence of Mat Gamel and Matt LaPorta plus Fielder’s unwillingness to sign long-term could lead to a deal.  Fielder figures to jump up to at least $7-8MM upon reaching arbitration for the first time.
  • The Yankees have Damaso Marte atop their list, but the Pirates want something better than two draft picks in return.  He’s looking like a Type A free agent.
  • Walt Jocketty wants to "clean house."  The usual players are named, but Sherman also mentions Bronson Arroyo as a possibility.

Rockies May Find Podsednik, Taveras Expendable

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On Tuesday, Rockies manager Clint Hurdle hinted that Ryan Spilborghs would begin to receive more playing time in center field.  As a result, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the futures of Scott Podsednik and Willy Taveras are in question.

It might make sense to keep Podsednik around as the resident speedy extra outfielder.  However Pods is hitting just .222/.311/.311 in 103 plate appearances despite a solid April.  Renck says the Cubs might have renewed interest if Jim Edmonds doesn’t work out.  He says the Cubs have a "working list of potential available left-handed bats" as a contingency plan.  One other Cubs-Rockies note – Ken Rosenthal says that despite his initial report, the Cubs do not have interest in Brian Fuentes.

Taveras, 26, is at .233/.288/.272 in 224 PAs.  That’s quite a downturn from last year. He earns nearly $2MM this year and has two more seasons of arbitration-eligibility.  He’s a trade candidate, though it’d be hard to sell much lower.

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