Unconfirmed Rumor: Cubs Looking At Griffey, Dunn
UPDATE: Will Carroll chimed in on the idea of Dunn to the Cubs in a recent update. He cited the intra-division and salary factors as reasons it won’t happen.
Didn’t hear the report myself, but a loyal reader dropped me an email.
Apparently a recent Bruce Levine report for ESPN Radio 1000 had some interesting Cubs rumors. Levine says the Cubs might try to trade for Adam Dunn or Ken Griffey Jr. Any deal would likely include Sean Gallagher, and the Cubs called up Matt Murton today to showcase him.
This rumor leaves more questions than answers:
- Would the Cubs again move their superstar signing Alfonso Soriano to center or right field to create a spot for Dunn?
- If not, how ugly would Dunn be in right field at Wrigley? He hasn’t played the position regularly since 2001.
- With the management situation in flux, could the Cubs really take on Griffey’s contract, which runs through 2008? Or even the $3.8MM still owed to Dunn this year?
- Are Arby’s new popcorn chicken shakers as tasty as they look on TV?
- Would Gallagher and Murton be enough for either of those players?
Cubs Interested In Gerald Laird?
According to Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus, the Cubs have asked for their scouts’ evaluation of Texas catcher Gerald Laird. Laird, 27, has been a disappointment at the plate this year (.237/.296/.353). On the other hand, he’s second in baseball with a 40.8% caught stealing rate (Dave Ross is first).
A Laird acquisition would indicate a lack of faith in Jason Kendall, so it seems unlikely. The Cubs will probably give Kendall a fair shake. Laird would probably only become available if the Rangers acquired Jarrod Saltalamacchia first, anyway.
Hey, Cubs! Give Geovany Soto an extended look! He’s not too bad.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Wheeler, Izzy
Ken Rosenthal posted a new column last night, and has updated it very recently. I’ve already spoken about the Teixeira stuff, but there’s other good material in there too.
- Some of the wilder speculation out there has been that the Twins might trade Torii Hunter or Johan Santana if they decide they’re out of it. Various Baseball Prospectus reports put the Twins’ playoff chances between 5-10%. Rosenthal debunks the idea that Minnesota would shop Hunter without first making him an offer, and keeping Santana for at least 2008 makes sense. Plus, Santana has a no-trade clause.
- Rosenthal does have some Twins for us who might be traded: Luis Castillo and Carlos Silva. Castillo has already been connected to the Mets in rumors, though Silva is a new one. One could definitely envision Silva’s style working in the National League (I know, I say that a lot). There was a recent Silva to Atlanta rumor, though Silva’s agent seems to have debunked it.
- Rosenthal says Dontrelle Willis is not available. Perhaps he and Tim Brown will engage in fisticuffs over this disagreement.
- The Diamondbacks have kicked the tires on Adam Dunn. He might make sense as a rental – the D’Backs playoff changes sit between 16-27%, worth fighting for. No doubt they’ve got a stable of young players to offer.
- Rosenthal says the Astros have yet to receive interest on the Lidge/Wheeler/Qualls troika, while Jayson Stark said yesterday that the Astros hadn’t opened shop on them. Thunderdome match #2, Rosenthal vs. Stark. Assuming Ken survives Tim Brown. Anyway, word is that the Rockies have their eye on Wheeler.
- Parties interested in Zack Greinke: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs. This gels with Dan Graziano’s findings. Of course, trading a player like Greinke requires an equally talented youngster in return.
- The Royals may not be able to do better than Cleveland’s Ben Francisco as a bounty for Octavio Dotel. More on him in a separate post.
- Trades of Joe Blanton and Huston Street are "highly unlikely." So you’re saying there’s a chance?
- The chances of the Cardinals trading Jason Isringhausen are described as "remote." The Cards would have a hard time replacing him next year; he’s got a reasonable $8MM option. He also has no-trade protection, so he’d probably want a better extension if he was to accept a trade.
Unfounded Rumors
Would you think less of me if I busted out the old Unfounded Rumors category? I know the #1 request at MLBTR is More Rumors. So why not toss a few unfounded ones out there? These are 100% unconfirmed, shaky rumors that have crossed my inbox. Believe them at your own risk.
But since 99% of deadline rumors don’t happen anyway, why not put ’em out there for discussion?
- Word is that FedEx was at Reggie Sanders‘ house today, packing up his stuff. Not sure where he’s headed. This one will have more substance if Sanders is nowhere to be found for tonight’s game against the Yankees.
- If the Cubs somehow traded for Adam Dunn, where would they put him? Hard to imagine.
- Some folks have suggested that the Cubs will acquire Xavier Nady, but Bucco Blog shoots it down.
- Dontrelle Willis has been awful this month; there are whispers that he may need Tommy John surgery. Willis did experience forearm tightness in June, which is often a precursor to or euphemism for elbow problems. Despite his performance and the proclamations that he’s not available, a Mariners’ scout watched him on Monday.
- One rumor that is picking up a lot of steam is that I will be joining MetsBlog Radio tonight at 6pm CST to talk rumors for a half hour.
Latest On Jermaine Dye
Jermaine Dye stands to be one of the bigger names dealt within the next seven days. He’s been hitting well since the All-Star break, but it’s only been 48 ABs. Here’s the latest on the 33 year-old right fielder.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times names the Mets, Padres, Dodgers, and Mariners as the top suitors for Dye. In case you were wondering, Dye has not played more than one game in left field in a seasons since 1996. A position switch could be necessary, depending on where he ends up.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News thinks Dye could be had in August. I don’t agree – Dye has only $2.6MM left on his contract this year and Kenny Williams would be better served trading him in July. Plan B would be to just let him leave via free agency and take some good draft picks.
- MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone believes that Dye would cost a leadoff hitting center fielder or a zero-to-three reliever. The Mets might be able to offer up the CF, but is Dye worth it?
- Plenty of speculation around Chicago that the Cubs could pursue Dye. However, I haven’t seen any reason to think this is more than just speculation. He does seem like a fine fit on the North Side. Paul Sullivan believes Cliff Floyd‘s fragility may force the Cubs to acquire an outfielder. Will Carroll thinks the Cubs are the best fit for Dye as they can offer the White Sox a prospect and a reliever.
- Something that could heighten the Cubs’ interest: the Brewers are said to be kicking the tires on Dye.
- I don’t see why the Mariners would pursue Dye; there is good reason to believe top prospect Adam Jones would outproduce him.
Latest From Baseball Prospectus: Jacque, Snell
Will Carroll and John Perrotto have teamed up at BP to join the rumor mill, and yesterday’s post is free to nonsubscribers. Some highlights:
- Carroll reports that the Cubs could swap Jacque Jones and a prospect for Jeff Conine. Perhaps such a move would be in tandem with Adam Dunn leaving Cincinnati. The Cubs might want to hold on to Jones though; he’s playing well lately.
- Carroll heard a far out Alex Rodriguez to the Dodgers rumor, but doesn’t buy it. Neither do I – the Yankees don’t seem to be selling. Carroll says Brian Cashman and Co. will wait until the last second to make a buyer/seller decision. There’s a slight chance Jorge Posada becomes available if they choose the latter.
- Perrotto confirms a rumor that surfaced a week ago, that Ian Snell could be had for the right bat. Perrotto would know, as he spent time as a Pirates’ beat writer. Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Matt Kemp are two possible targets for the Bucs.
- The Tigers may be looking for relievers, and some possible names on the radar include Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, Brad Lidge, Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte, Shawn Chacon, and Chad Cordero. That’s most of the market right there, though Lidge seems likely to stay put. And don’t forget that the Tigers have internal reinforcements on the way.
Pirates Acquire Cesar Izturis
The Cubs have traded shortstop Cesar Izturis and cash to the Pirates for a player to be named later. I suppose the move is meant to push Jack Wilson, but I don’t really see the point as they’re similar players.
Addition by subtraction for the Cubs, who might want to call up Ronny Cedeno soon. Instead they brought up Jake Fox, who was moved off the catcher position earlier this year. He’s hitting .284/.327/.504 in 91 games at Double A. Fox has been playing first base and outfield for the Smokies lately, so he can help fill in for Derrek Lee. Fox could become a Ryan Doumit type one day, catching on occasion. He was college guy, and has been old for his levels. This could possibly be a trade showcase, though Fox doesn’t have a ton of value.
A fellow had emailed me about the Bucs’ interest in Izturis a few days ago, but I couldn’t confirm it and didn’t print it. The reason I mention it is that he also said the Cubs have interest in Xavier Nady.
Graziano On Greinke, Pettitte
Good stuff today from Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger. Here’s my summary:
- Beyond the Cubs, Graziano lists the Braves, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks as teams interested in pitcher Zack Greinke. If the initial asking price for Octavio Dotel was as high as reported, I can’t imagine what Dayton Moore would want for Greinke.
- Graziano’s Dotel suitors: Cubs, Dodgers, and Brewers. The Red Sox, Rockies, and Indians have been mentioned by other sources. Quite a market for this guy.
- David Weathers is seen as the poor man’s Dotel/Gagne. Let’s see if Wayne Krivsky can get something useful for him. Stormy makes another $2.75MM in ’08 before his contract is up.
- The Mets are mostly focused on a power relief arm, as Roy Oswalt and Dontrelle Willis are said to be unavailable. I have no idea why Willis keeps getting lumped in with Oswalt; they are nowhere near equal. Graziano says the Mets still like Javier Vazquez but the White Sox keep trying to pawn off Jose Contreras instead.
- The Braves are trying to deal for southpaw reliever C.J. Wilson of the Rangers. The 26 year-old has an undeserved 2.81 ERA right now. His control has been worse this year, so he’d have to remain unhittable to be effective.
- The Mariners inquired on Andy Pettitte, but the Yankees aren’t giving up yet.
Cubs Interested In Zack Greinke
Whether he tops out at 96 or 100 mph, there’s no doubt 23 year-old Zack Greinke is an intriguing pitcher. His name helps us remember or mnemonic devices from elementary school. The man even has his own website.
Bob Dutton mentioned Greinke as a trade possibility a few days ago, and now Jeff Vorva of the Daily Southtown reports that the Cubs are interested. Vorva is quoting "broadcast reports" for this rumor; I will try to find more detail. UPDATE: The rumor is from 670 The Score out of Chicago.
Greinke would be a fine addition for the Cubs whether used as a starter or reliever. I don’t believe he becomes a free agent until after 2010, though you’d have to check my math. However, Greinke is a very valuable property for Kansas City and the Cubs would have to give up something good. Maybe Dayton Moore could add some middle infield depth with Ronny Cedeno or Eric Patterson. Would that be enough for Greinke?
Zambrano Expects To Stay With Cubs
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has some quotes up today from Carlos Zambrano, and they strongly indicate he’ll sign a contract extension to stay with the Cubs once the season ends. Specifically, he said there’s a "90% chance" he re-signs. Negotiations may not have re-opened, but Z is certainly positive about the situation. The Cubs are likely to pay extra for waiting.
Signing Zambrano might put the Cubs in a position to enter 2008 with the exact same rotation they have now – Zambrano, Rich Hill, Ted Lilly, Jason Marquis, and Sean Marshall. That group will almost certainly regress from where it is now, but it still looks like a better than average staff to me.
Time to put on my fan cap and speculate about some moves I’d like to see for 2008 (if you hate this sort of thing, just stop reading. No complaints about too much Cubs stuff.)
- For the catching situation, I’d just turn it over to Geovany Soto and Henry Blanco. They should be acceptable.
- I’d like to see a third of the Iowa Cubs promoted for ’08. Bring up the DP combination of Eric Patterson and Ronny Cedeno, and give Felix Pie a legitimate full-time shot at CF. These kids are all hitting well at Triple A. Can you imagine a Cubs lineup with four of eight position players homegrown?
- No more patchwork stuff in right field. Go out and spend some money on the best right fielder available – Kosuke Fukudome. It would be fun to see the Cubs garner Japanese attention. Even at $14-15MM a year, I’d throw it down. This will compensate if a few of the kids falter.
- I don’t have a great solution for Matt Murton. Trade him for a respectable reliever if possible, or just use him as the fourth outfielder. Projecting him as more than that may have been wishcasting anyway. Similar situation with Mike Fontenot.
- Mark DeRosa and Ryan Theriot are solid guys but they’re on my bench.
- Nontender Scott Eyre and Jacque Jones, eat the salaries and be done with it.
- Keep Ryan Dempster in the pen but use Carlos Marmol as the closer. Mix and match with kids and vets, same as this year. Don’t spend big bucks on free agent relievers. Dempster could slide into the fifth starter role if the pen is a strength and Marquis bombs.
- Another $3.6MM on Mark Prior on the chance he can outpitch Marquis? Sure. Wouldn’t be opposed to bringing in a Freddy Garcia/Jon Lieber/Kenny Rogers if the price is right. You can never have too much pitching.