Mariners Watching Starters
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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.
Joel Sherman’s Ten Trade Candidates
Joel Sherman of the New York Post has an article today regarding ten veterans who may be traded this month. He’s packed the column full of insider info beyond the ten players highlighted; check it out.
- Mark Teixeira is now more likely to be dealt than Eric Gagne. Sherman sees the Angels as perhaps the best possibility here; they’d have to include Casey Kotchman. I imagine Ervin Santana‘s stock is down far enough that the Rangers would not settle for the two.
- The Indians appear to be out on Gagne but the Tigers still make sense for all parties. Would Todd Jones graciously step down from his closer post? Detroit’s bullpen has actually been doing well lately.
- The Royals want a righthanded-hitting center fielder in return for Octavio Dotel. Now that’s a tall order. Sherman names Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez as two who fit the bill, but such a trade would require young talent like Zack Greinke coming back to the Mets. Just speculating, but Melky Cabrera and Reggie Willits also fit the Royals’ need.
- Apparently the Mariners and Braves are "very interested’ in Dmitri Young. That’s the first I’ve heard of a team besides Atlanta inquiring.
- Oddly, the Devil Rays appear to have some interest in Kyle Farnsworth if the money can be worked out. They like Scott Proctor as well, so keep an eye on that Ty Wigginton rumor. Sherman mentions that the market is heavy with available role players, so look for a lot of boring deals with that type of player. Just kidding, trade rumors are never boring. Sherman tosses out Tadahito Iguchi to the Padres; that’s a fresh one.
- Sherman runs down all of the available relievers we already know about. Throw Kiko Calero in there as a new name.
Byrnes Extension Seems Unlikely
It seems unlikely that the Diamondbacks will sign 31 year-old outfielder Eric Byrnes to a contract extension. According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, the team won’t even approach Juan Pierre‘s five-year, $45MM deal. And Juan Pierre isn’t good.
It’s just the business reality – the Diamondbacks have way too much outfield talent in their system to give Byrnes anything near what he’s worth. He’d probably have to take something like two years, $20MM to remain in Arizona. Earlier I said 4/32 might do it but now I’m thinking even that wouldn’t work. I still like him as a possible White Sox next year.
Piecoro also mentioned that Josh Byrnes inquired on Bobby Abreu and Jermaine Dye, but is backing off because Carlos Gonzalez was requested. Buster Olney proposes Shannon Stewart as a lower-cost alternative.
McAdam On Red Sox Trade Possibilities
Yesterday, Sean McAdam of The Providence Journal posted an article discussing trade possibilities for the Red Sox. Let’s discuss.
- It seems that the Red Sox will add a bullpen arm despite the fine work of Manny Delcarmen. Apparently they want someone with experience. Eric Gagne doesn’t seem likely, nor does Brad Lidge. Instead, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, and maybe Salomon Torres or Scott Linebrink could be acquired. The focus is said to be on the Houston relievers. Wheeler seems like a solid buy-low option. You can add Octavio Dotel to the radar as well. And let’s throw Brian Fuentes into the mix. UPDATE: Today, McAdam added Damaso Marte as a reliever the Red Sox like. He says the price for Torres is "way too high" at present. And according to the Boston Globe, Drayton McLane will not even consider moving Lidge.
- The Sox would get involved on a top-flight starter like Roy Oswalt or Dontrelle Willis. Calling Willis "top-flight" is a stretch, but that’s what McAdam said. They also like Jon Garland, if they can pry him loose for a reasonable price. Other available starters don’t seem markedly better than internal options.
- The Royals would love to pawn Reggie Sanders off, but the Red Sox don’t have interest. Instead, they could reacquire Kevin Millar or even go after Jermaine Dye. Is Dye really a perfect fit, though? Wouldn’t his acquisition make he and J.D. Drew part-time players? That wouldn’t be good for the clubhouse. UPDATE: McAdam says today that this playing time issue will indeed thwart a trade. On the Millar front, the Boston Globe debunks that rumor on the basis that the Sox want someone who can play center field.
- Speaking of people who can play center field, the Boston Herald mentions Randy Winn and Dave Roberts as possibilities. The fans would love a Roberts acquisition, I imagine.
- The trade Mike Lowell/acquire Mark Teixeira scenario is highly unlikely.
- The Boston Globe is saying that the Red Sox are "actively shopping" Wily Mo Pena. I discussed Wily Mo in a post yesterday. The Boston Herald today said that he might be the trading chip for a deal with Houston.