Indians Sign Rincon, Graffanino
According to Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com, the Indians have signed reliever Juan Rincon and infielder Tony Graffanino to minor league deals.
Rincon, 29, lost effectiveness in August of ’06 and pretty much never recovered. It’s easy to try to tie his decline to his May ’05 performance enhancing drug suspension, but he was solid for the rest of that season.
Graffanino, 35, is trying to work his way back from knee and ACL surgeries.
Salisbury On Phillies’ Trade Chips
Back on June 19th, ESPN’s Jayson Stark said the Phillies had "at least kicked the tires on C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo, and Jarrod Washburn." He also expected them to inquire on Erik Bedard. Scott Lauber says the Phils have scouted Sabathia, Burnett, Ben Sheets, and Greg Maddux recently.
Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer weighs in this morning on the Phillies’ trade chips. He names Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Greg Golson, and Adrian Cardenas as Phillies players other teams may covet. However, Salisbury believes Pat Gillick might opt for a midlevel acquisition and hang on to his top young players. Check out our starting pitcher trade market post for ideas.
Salisbury speculates on possible targets aside from the aforementioned names: Roy Oswalt and Rich Harden. Salisbury is speculating with these names, but notes that "the Astros had a high-ranking scout in Philadelphia on Sunday."
On The Failed Brian Roberts Talks
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun dug up some information about the failed Brian Roberts trade talks from the past offseason.
- Zrebiec says one of the Cubs’ offers included Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, and Donald Veal. According to Andy MacPhail, a deal was never close. The O’s continue to hunt for a shortstop.
- MacPhail also talked to the Indians and Twins about Roberts (the Twins are a new one for me). It seems that MacPhail may also have spoken to the White Sox.
- The Orioles don’t seem to be planning to trade Roberts anymore, as they’re 5.5 games out of the wild card. No talks have occurred yet, but the Orioles could even extend Roberts past ’09.
Heyman’s Latest: Garcia, Ricciardi, Sabathia
Here’s a look at Jon Heyman’s latest column.
- At last count, our Freddy Garcia list included the Mets, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, White Sox, Rangers, Indians, Mariners, Tigers, and Rays. Heyman adds the Astros, and we also have rumblings about the Cubs. Although a few may have dropped out, that’s a dozen suitors.
- Heyman suggests Cito Gaston’s hiring was not J.P. Ricciardi’s decision. Ricciardi may not last past this season.
- Heyman’s source says C.C. Sabathia "is believed to be interested in a ‘Johan Santana contract.’" Santana received six years and $137.5MM with a club option, full no-trade clause, and deferred money.
- Heyman believes the relief market is limited, naming a handful of these pitchers.
Perrotto’s Latest: Sabathia, Bradley
Time to take a spin through John Perrotto’s lastest column over at Baseball Prospectus.
- C.C. Sabathia suitors named: Yankees, Phillies, Cubs, Red Sox, Rays, and Angels. The Rays seem to be a new name; DRays Bay has a comment thread up on it. Jon Heyman has similar names but adds the Dodgers to the mix.
- The Rangers are apparently warming to the idea of trading Milton Bradley (they’re 7.5 games back) but they could still re-sign him in the offseason.
Cafardo’s Latest: Buyers & Sellers
Nick Cafardo kicks the tires in a full page spread in today’s Boston Globe, listing a handful of teams who are winding up to buy and sell. To paraphrase Cafardo’s recap:
Phillies: Smelling World Series, they see C.C. Sabathia, Erik Bedard, A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo, and Derek Lowe as potential targets.
Braves: Still deciding whether to shop or re-sign Mark Teixeira, or neither, and in turn whether to trade for a starter to win a division, as Cafardo says, "nobody is running away with."
Mariners: The decision of whether or not to release Richie Sexson is imminent, and the M’s are expected to start shopping Raul Ibanez, Jose Vidro, Carlos Silva, and Bedard.
Blue Jays: Can their pitching carry them back into contention when Alex Rios and Vernon Wells aren’t producing as expected? The Jays can sell Burnett, Matt Stairs, David Eckstein, and maybe Scott Rolen.
Reds: On their way to last place, Arroyo can be dealt and replaced, perhaps, by Homer Bailey next year. Ken Griffey Jr. is still wearing red.
Indians: Will find it very difficult to deal Sabathia for a package comparable to what the Mets got for Johan Santana. Paul Byrd could also go.
Dodgers: Could perhaps deal Matt Kemp or Chad Billingsley for Sabathia. They’re also looking at Bedard. They need to get back to .500 to really compete and will need pitching to get them there.
Yankees: Giving up Melky Cabrera may be the only way the Yankees can land a front line starter to replace Chien Ming Wang, but Brian Cashman is not keen to do so.
Pirates: Looking for righthanded power, the Pirates still have Jason Bay (among others).
Be sure to check out Tim’s thorough Trade Market Summary for more insight.
By Nat Boyle
Phillies Trade Strategy Mired By Parity
Scott Lauber of the Delaware News-Journal writes in the Phillies/baseball blog about the team’s trade strategy in the looming trade-deadline season.
He spoke to Phillies Assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and GM Pat Gillick, both of whom reiterated the notion that it’ll be tough to trade this year because of the parity among some clubs. There are 15 teams with a .500 record or better, which means some of those teams may still be in contention in mid July. Of course, it also means some of those teams will be out of it by the trade deadline.
To wit: The Brewers reportedly have told teams that they aren’t willing to move Ben Sheets, even though they’re 6-1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL [Central]. Of course, one losing streak could force them to change their strategy. Within the past week, Gillick has dispatched scouts to evaluate Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia, Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo and Toronto’s A.J. Burnett, a former pupil of pitching coach Rich Dubee in Florida.
This echoes what Buster Olney wrote in his blog about some of the teams contending in the C.C. Sabathia Sweepstakes and how some of them may think they’re in it, but may actually be testing the waters.
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Speaking of Ruben Amaro Jr., Doc at Balls, Sticks & Stuff writes that a new book by Bob Gordon introduces Amaro Jr. as "currently the club’s general manager." Last year, the actual, current GM, Pat Gillick, said he may step down at the end of the season. Typo? Food for thought?
Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Rumors? Comments? Email me, alexo05 [at] umpbump [dot] com.
Olney’s Latest: Sabathia, Sexson
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:
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Chicago Cubs
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Texas Rangers
- 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.
Indians Shifting Into Sell Mode
The Indians are currently in fourth place in the AL Central, 8.5 games out. Baseball Prospectus’ projections suggest their playoff chances are less than 3%. Many key players are injured. That’s enough for Terry Pluto – he says we should stick a fork in the Tribe.
- Pluto says the Indians have been listening on C.C. Sabathia, "but nothing has been serious." The Indians are known to be scouting eight organizations as potential destinations for Sabathia, though about 20 have expressed interest. Jayson Stark says the Indians will not be offering a negotiation window to sign Sabathia. Paul Hoynes talked to a scout who believes the Indians could get two near MLB-ready players for him.
- Pluto reminds us not to forget about impending free agents Paul Byrd, Casey Blake, and Joe Borowski. All could draw trade interest.
Schilling Out For Season
Curt Schilling will have season-ending surgery, and could be done for good. This shouldn’t change much for the Red Sox, who weren’t counting on him and have strong starting pitching depth.
Ken Rosenthal did note today that the Sox are more likely to target C.C. Sabathia than a position player, even if David Ortiz‘s injury is worse than expected.