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Padres Interested In Loretta, Iguchi

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The Padres have gotten a woeful .244/.315/.328 line out of their second baseman, most of it from Marcus Giles.  They’re starting to work Geoff Blum in more often, but it’s a clear area for an upgrade.

The two names on the radar, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, are Mark Loretta and Tadahito Iguchi. 

Iguchi’s slugging percentage is down this year, mostly from an awful May.  But he still represents an upgrade on Giles. 

The more versatile Loretta is hitting .297/.373/.390 this year; he’s done a nice job drawing walks.  Loretta pushed to sign with the Padres, but Kevin Towers stood him up.  Now the Friars have come crawling back.  The problem is that the Phillies and Mets have sustained injuries to their second basemen and could get in on him.

Stark’s Latest:

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Jayson Stark has a new column over at ESPN.com.  Some highlights:

  • Octavio Dotel is almost a lock to be traded, and Chin-Lung Hu remains a possibility.  Stark adds that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti scouted reliever John Malone, which I think means Jonathan Meloan.  The 23 year-old Meloan throws in the low 90s with a hard slider; he commands his fastball well but carries some health concerns.
  • Regarding Jon Garland, we’ve already heard that the Mariners, Braves, and Yankees are interested.  Stark adds the Dodgers, Mets, and Phillies to that list.  However, he thinks Kenny Williams really just wants to trade Jose Contreras.
  • The Astros, surprisingly, have yet to open shop on their relievers. 
  • Michael Bourn is the Phillies’ top trading chip.  Some possible targets: Kameron Loe, Scott Olsen, Ervin Santana, Noah Lowry, and Dontrelle Willis.

Mariners Pursuing Jon Garland

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Jim Hickey mentioned yesterday that the Mariners have been all over White Sox pitchers lately. Assuming Jose Contreras isn’t helpful and Javier Vazquez doesn’t want to go west, that leaves Jon Garland as the most reasonable target.

The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rogers adds some color to that scenario, noting that one of Bill Bavasi’s henchmen used to work for the White Sox and loves Garland.  Rogers believes the right match would be 23 year-old right fielder Wladimir Balentien.  Wlad has a robust .310/.381/.557 line in Triple A this year.

The two GMs roles were reversed on June 27th, 2004, when the White Sox acquired Freddy Garcia, Ben Davis, and cash for Miguel Olivo, Jeremy Reed, and Michael Morse.

No matter what you think of Garland, there’s no arguing that he’d be a huge improvement over Horacio Ramirez.  Plus, he’s more than just a rental.  This appears to be a move that makes sense for both teams, though Kenny Williams may require more than just Balentien.

The Tribune’s Mark Gonzales notes that the White Sox have scouted the Yankees’ entire farm system, and they’re still in the mix for Garland as well.

Mariners Watching Starters

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UPDATE: Hickey writes that the Mariners have also scouted Kyle Lohse, Matt Morris, Jason Johnson (thought he went to Japan), and Octavio Dotel.  However, a deal seems unlikely because none of those players are worth top Mariner prospects.

According to Jim Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Mariners have been scouting all kinds of available and not-so-available starters lately.

  • The Mariners have been scouting the White Sox "religiously" lately.  If they saw Javier Vazquez beat the Tigers on Tuesday, they came away impressed.  (However, Vazquez can and probably would veto a trade to the AL or NL West).  They were on hand to watch Jose Contreras tonight; the Tigers had batting practice with him and his ERA is up to 6.22.  Did you hear that?  That was the sound of Contreras’ remaining ounce of trade value evaporating.
  • As you know, the Ms watched Dontrelle Willis on Monday.  Compared to Contreras, Willis pitched well – four earned runs, nearly seven innings. 
  • The Ms also had a scout on hand to see Livan Hernandez twirl a gem over the Marlins on Tuesday.  Hey, at least he takes the ball every fifth day.  That has to be worth something.
  • Hickey says Seattle has also been monitoring the Astros, perhaps in hope of acquiring Dan Wheeler or Chad Qualls.  He speculates that Wandy Rodriguez would be a coup for the Mariners.  Wand-Rod has thrown up stinkers in his last two outings but tossed a complete game shutout over the Mets in the game prior.  He’s inconsistent like that.  The Astros’ #2 starter for 2008 wouldn’t come cheap.

Latest On Jermaine Dye

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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.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Sexson, Dye

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I feel bad for Ken Rosenthal’s family, as they won’t be seeing much of him until August 1st.  He’s got another update for us tonight.

  • The Mariners are hoping to unload Richie Sexson; can you blame them?  To trade for Sexson now would be insane, even with the Ms eating half of the $14MM he’s owed in 2008.  He has shown almost no signs of life this season.  Rosenthal suggests a Sexson for Matt Morris swap but I’d much rather have Morris.
  • The Brewers have considered the possibility of a Jermaine Dye trade.  Kenny Williams apparently wants Derrick Turnbow or Manny Parra, which actually sounds reasonable.
  • Rosenthal also has some info regarding role players Jeff Conine and Mark Loretta.  But even I have a hard time getting worked up over that.  I’d like to see a new, interesting name tossed into the rumor mill.  Like when Roy Oswalt came up a year ago.  How about Rafael Furcal or Jim Thome?  They’re free agents after the ’08 season, they should be semi-available.

Teixeira Talk Heating Up

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UPDATE: Jon Heyman of SI.com has a nice rundown of the Teixeira suitors.  His sources seem to indicate that the chances of a trade are now better than Rosenthal’s 50/50.  Good point raised by Heyman and many commenters – even if the Braves wanted to trade Escobar, the Rangers don’t really have a need for a middle infielder.

UPDATE 2: Jim Molony of MLB.com says the Red Sox are the frontrunner.  The Rangers have scouted all of their major pitching prospects.

Ken Rosenthal has the latest on Mark Teixeira, who is now 50/50 to be dealt according to one source of his.

Rosenthal describes the scene as the Braves and Angels at the forefront, with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Giants lingering.  Evan Grant adds the Dodgers to the mix.  He also suggests the Rangers package Joaquin Benoit with Teixeira to get the best possible player.  Interestingly, the Yanks might be after Adam Dunn as another first base option.  They may have to focus on Dunn, because Jon Daniels is demanding Joba Chamberlain for Teixeira.

The Braves were really trying to shake things up; they would’ve done the Jon Garland for Edgar Renteria deal in tandem with a Teixeira acquisition.  The Garland proposal has been rejected, but Teixeira is very much alive.  Rosenthal describes the Braves as unwilling to trade Yunel Escobar and reluctant to trade Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  In my opinion, Salty is the more valuable player.  To me, Escobar for Teixeira is the right move.

I recently talked to ESPN’s Keith Law about Escobar.  He told me the glove is there to play shortstop, but he worries about the bat.  Based on observation, Law could see Escobar developing into a .300 hitter with little power.

Yankees Interested In Garland, Thornton

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According to George King of the New York Post, the White Sox have scouts watching the Single-A Tampa Yankees.  Outfielders Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata are the big names from that team, far as I can tell.

Which White Sox players interest the Yankees?  They’ve already had a go with Javier Vazquez and Jose Contreras, which leaves Jon Garland.  It seems the Yanks might want lefty reliever Matt Thornton as well, according to King.  Thornton had a breakout last year by developing decent control, but he’s regressed this season.  His strikeout rate is down as well.  Rather than go year-to-year with Thornton the Sox decided to lock him in cheaply for 2007-09.

Despite some early indications to the contrary, it’s really starting to look like Garland is in play.  Does he become the best available starter?  Depends on how available Joe Blanton and Ian Snell really are.  The Yankees won’t give up Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes for Garland.  Given Chicago’s desire for MLB-ready players, I wonder if the Yankees would surrender Robinson Cano.  Going after A ball players, no matter how promising, doesn’t seem like Kenny Williams’ style.

The other question: how does Garland fit into the Yankees’ rotation?  He makes sense next year, but I can’t see him bumping Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, or Phil Hughes in 2007.  Wouldn’t make much sense for the Yanks to dump one of the five, unless they decide to become sellers.

Garland For Renteria Discussed?

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Found via Buster Olney’s blog: Peter Gammons suggested that the White Sox and Braves have discussed a Jon Garland for Edgar Renteria swap.

Renteria, soon to turn 32, is hitting better this year than he ever has.  He’s quite a bargain for Atlanta, because the Red Sox are footing much of the bill.  Assuming Boston’s $8MM contribution was spread evenly for 2006-08, the Braves are paying Renteria about 6.66MM this year and the same in 2008.  Renteria also has an $11MM option for 2009 on which Boston would pay the $3MM buyout if necessary.  At present it seems very likely to be exercised though.  Yunel Escobar can handle shortstop defensively, so the Braves have an in-house replacement.  Kelly Johnson deserves to be playing every day.

Garland will turn 28 in September.  He’s making $10MM this year and $12MM in ’08.  He’d give the Braves some much-needed stability, and the team would have a formidable front four of John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Chuck James, and Garland.  Despite a lack of strikeouts, Garland should be able to keep his ERA under 4 in the NL.  One concern is that Garland has a persistent knot in his throwing shoulder, though it doesn’t hurt and he thinks he will just pitch through it for the rest of his career.

If Kenny Williams can’t come up with a shortstop this summer, I could see him going after Omar Vizquel, who he tried to sign in the winter of 2004-05.

Graziano’s Latest: Livan, Wily Mo

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Dan Graziano at the Newark Star-Ledger has really stepped up in recent days with a lot of insider trade talk.  Let’s see what he has in store for us this morning.

  • Apparently Josh Byrnes is calling around, actively shopping Livan Hernandez.  According to Graziano, the Mets, Braves, and Mariners have expressed interest.  To the contrary, Ken Rosenthal wrote last night that the Mets and Braves are not interested.  Who to believe?  Hopefully the Mariners do better than Livan if they make a move for a starter.  To hear Nick Piecoro tell it, the Diamondbacks are more likely to just opt for the draft picks they’ll get if they let Hernandez leave via free agency.
  • The Yankees are in a quandary when it comes to dealing Scott Proctor or Kyle Farnsworth.  For Proctor, they want more than just a role player like Ty Wigginton.  They want a reliever back, which begs the question – why not just keep Proctor?  With Farnsy, the Yanks are reluctant to pay a big chunk of his $5.5 salary for ’08.  They should toss in $2MM and see if that’s enough to get Wiggy.
  • If the Red Sox can snag Bobby Kielty, they might turn around and trade Wily Mo Pena to the White Sox.  Wily Mo in that ballpark with 600 plate appearances?  40 home runs.  Might make Theo look bad.  Dejan Kovacevic mentions that Epstein is "actively shopping" Pena, and seems to like the idea of the Bucs sending Salomon Torres to Boston for him. 
  • The Brewers, Phillies, and Dodgers are looking at Oakland lefty and impending free agent Joe Kennedy.  Kennedy is only 28 and he has had National League success as a starter.
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