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Soriano, Sanchez, Meche: Much Ado About Nothing

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Seems that a couple of the more interesting rumors to come up today have proven to be nothing at all.

The first was ESPN’s rumor that Brandon McCarthy would be included in a Soriano to the White Sox deal, which was to be extremely close.  It seems that the deal has fallen through at least in the short term, and Kenny Williams stated publicly that neither McCarthy nor Josh Fields will be traded.  Still in the stockpile: Brian Anderson, Ryan Sweeney, Jerry Owens, Sean Tracey, Lance Broadway, Casey Rogowski, and Charlie Haeger. 

It has also been noted that Humberto Sanchez missed his start tonight due to a tender elbow.  Not exactly a way to pump up a prospect’s value, so the Tigers may have to deal other prospects.  They’ve still got Brent Clevlen, Jordan Tata, and Jair Jurrjens, among others.  Still, Sanchez seems like the one available trading chip who could help bring a star player to Detroit.      

Also, we’re unclear at this point whether the rumored ESPN Radio report of a completed Aaron Heilman for Gil Meche trade is legit.  Indications are that it was a hoax.  Sorry ’bout that.  Here’s MetsBlog’s take on this (non)rumor.

Trade Rumor Roundup: 8 Days Left

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To begin with, this just isn’t true.  With the Kearns deal and probably Soriano trade, the 2006 deadline just can’t be classified as a dud.  That honor belongs to 2005 for sure.  The trading action never matches the buildup, but this year’s still a good one.

Read Ken Rosenthal’s latest.  The White Sox are in the Soriano game, the Rangers have interest in Luis Gonzalez, the Braves could add another reliever, Julio Lugo still might become a Blue Jay, and the Brewers look like sellers.  In my opinion, some Brewers besides Carlos Lee that could be unloaded: Geoff Jenkins, Corey Koskie, Brady Clark, and Dan Kolb.  Koskie will need to recover quickly from his concussion, however.

Still hearing that the Cubs like Willy Taveras, which would definitely fit their m.o. of players who don’t get on base.  Phil Rogers also mentions that Seattle’s Rafael Soriano is being asked about. It would be surprising to see the Mariners deal that kind of young talent.

Tons of great rumors coming from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  He’s got a rundown of the Red Sox, all sorts of teams scouting Humberto Sanchez, and more. 

Buster Olney mentioned in his blog today that the Astros are among various teams scouting Elmer Dessens.  The Astros are also looking at Damaso Marte.

Unfounded rumor department: Could the Dodgers be after Aramis Ramirez?  Ramirez has picked a fantastic time to heat up, and L.A. has some top shelf young talent…is there anywhere Julio Lugo could go besides Toronto?  How about the Rockies?

Trade Rumor Roundup: 11 Days Left

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Let’s see what we’ve got churning in the rumor mill this morning.

Shea Hillenbrand, a player well-liked by his teammates, was designated for assignment last night.  Kind of reminds me of the Jose Guillen situation a couple of years ago.  Despite the unpleasantness, Bill Stoneman still managed to turn Guillen into Juan Rivera and Maicer Izturis.  Let’s see how J.P Ricciardi does now that manager John Gibbons has forced him into this situation.  As we told you a couple of days ago, Gibbons may follow Hillenbrand out the door.  More on this situation in a bit.   

A Reds message board rumor has Ian Kinsler going to Cincy and Todd Coffey heading to Texas, among some other components.  I don’t know if this has any credence to it, just throwing it out there.  Doesn’t seem logical to me. 

The Jeff Keppinger for Ruben Gotay deal is official.  Score one for Omar Minaya.  In other Royals news, the Royals Authority advises fans not to panic about Luke Hochevar.

We saw what the Tigers would have to give up for Alfonso Soriano.  Apparently, to get Bobby Abreu they’d have to surrender Marcus Thames, Zach Miner, and a lot of money.  I’ll take option A.

Looking for an aging slugger who can maybe still hit lefties?  Sammy Sosa is again making noise about playing again.  This is not good for baseball.

Halos Heaven, a blog I know to have good sources, reports that the Orioles want the Angels to have Miguel Tejada.  Orlando Cabrera and J.C. Romero could be part of a package.

Word on the street is that Baseball Prospectus injury analyst Will Carroll is in talks with ESPN about a possible job.

A TV program encouraging fans to come and boo Dusty Baker?  C’mon, don’t kick a man when he’s down. 

RotoAuthority looks for the game’s true .300 hitters.

Tips for better living.

Nats’ Soriano Demands Revealed

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According to Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press, the Nationals want three good prospects in return for Alfonso Soriano.  As much as critics panned it, you have to admit that Jim Bowden is sitting pretty after his Wilkerson/Soriano deal.

23 year-old Tigers prospect Humberto Sanchez would apparently be the centerpiece of the deal.  Sanchez dominated Double A for 11 starts this year before earning a promotion.  Sanchez has been far more hittable in Triple A, and his strikeout rate slipped quite a bit.  Still, it was an aggressive promotion.  Sanchez’s stuff is described as "a shade behind Verlander’s and Zumaya’s" when he’s at his best, according to Baseball America.  They project him as a "solid, middle of the rotation starter."

Brent Clevlen was actually ranked higher than Sanchez coming into this season. The 23 year-old rightfielder has good raw power but is hitting just .223/.303/.343 in 89 Double A games.  Jair Jurrjens of Curacao is just 20 years old.  He was promoted to Double A in June after 12 dominant starts, and his success has with a 2.78 ERA despite a 1.39 WHIP in 32 innings.

We know that the Angels are unlikely to part with their big-name prospects.  The Yankees will need to surrender Philip Hughes and more.  The Mariners are a dark horse, with players like Adam Jones, Chris Snelling, and Rafael Soriano likely to be desired.

St. Paul Pioneer Press: Tigers Close To Abreu Deal

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I can’t determine who actually wrote this, but it is a published report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  It’s called Don’t Print That and has a smattering of rumors from various sports.

The baseball notes:

"A little birdie says the first-place Detroit Tigers are close to a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies for right fielder Bobby Abreu.  The Indians, in town to play the Twins, are talking about trading Aaron Boone to the Los Angeles Dodgers."

We’ve all heard of the Tigers’ interest in Abreu, so we’ll have to see what comes of that rumor.  As far as Aaron Boone, I can’t fathom why the Dodgers would want to actually give up a player or cash to acquire the worst third baseman in baseball.  I think Bill Mueller on crutches could outhit Boone.

Tigers Give Larry Walker A Call

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I don’t know about you, but I almost missed this interesting nugget buried amidst Lynn Henning’s Q&A about Bobby Abreu to the Tigers rumors.  According to Henning:

"Just because it made perfect sense for both parties, a call was placed last week with Larry Walker, the ex-Cardinals, Rockies and Expos star who would be precisely what the Tigers need down the stretch. He, of course, retired after last season, but he is only 39 and various aches and pains that helped bring about his retirement have all but vanished.

The question was whether a left-handed hitter of his prowess, with the ability to play outfield, first base, etc., might be interested in joining his old manager, Leyland, for a half-season playoff run?

Walker appreciated the inquiry but said he was happy in West Palm Beach, Fla. He also said he was not interested in a Roger Clemens-like "un-retirement," which is a response to be respected."

Unfortunately Walker didn’t leave much to the imagination about a possible comeback.  Walker is one of the few who managed to retire on top his game: .289/.384/.502 for the Cardinals in 315 ABs last year.  One of the best glazes of glory in recent memory: Will Clark, after his 2000 trade to the Cardinals.  Clark proceeded to hit .345/.426/.655 in 171 ABs and then retired.

I’d really love to see Walker step in, maybe do some DHing for Detroit.  His back and knee have got to be feeling better after the time off and he could be quite a weapon. Walker played for 18 seasons but never had the luxury of DHing regularly.

Aubrey Huff and the Tigers

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The Detroit press seems to think Aubrey Huff is the perfect left-handed bat to add via trade.  I’m assuming Huff would move to the DH spot, as the outfield of Marcus Thames, Curtis Granderson, and Magglio Ordonez seems pretty well set.

Would the Tigers really gain anything by adding Huff?  Let’s assume Dmitri Young doesn’t play anymore this year.  That still leaves Detroit with 29 year-old outfielder Craig Monroe on the roster.  Monroe is pretty much back to game shape after missing some time with a sprained right ankle. 

Monroe has hit .228/.271/.405 so far in 215 ABs this year.  Among American League left fielders, only Nick Markakis has been worse.  However, Monroe should ultimately come closer to his .273/.320/.451 projection.  He makes less than $3MM.

Aubrey Huff has been even worse, hitting .200/.294/.303 in 155 ABs after missing about a month with a knee sprain.  The lack of power is disturbing.  Most people think getting Huff out of Tampa Bay would help him hit closer to his projection of .283/.340/.468. 

Certainly, replacing Monroe with Huff would mean simply banking that Huff will play up to his projection and Monroe won’t.  The difference between the players is less than one win based on preseason projections.  Huff’s got the name value and the $6.75MM salary.  Still, it wouldn’t be a terrible gamble if the price is right.

But if the Tigers actually want to pick up a couple of wins by improving their DH spot, they should think bigger than Huff or Jeromy Burnitz.  Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, or Pat Burrell would make a measurable difference, handedness be damned.  This is a legitimate World Series contender, right?  Replacing Monroe with some other second tier player would be much ado about nothing.

Cliff Floyd To Tigers?

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John Delcos, writer for The Journal News, has a Cliff Floyd rumor that’s been making the rounds.  The rumor seems more on the speculative side; I’m not sure that Delcos is suggesting that the Tigers have asked about Floyd specifically.

Instead, Delcos’s friend may have just been curious about the Mets’ interest, which apparently is slim.  But let’s see which Tiger arms could perhaps be enough to acquire Floyd, an impending free agent.  Floyd had a very rough start but has hit .267/.383/.489 in May – pretty close to career norms.

Humberto Sanchez and Jordan Tata come to mind as two very marketable commodities for GM Dave Dombrowski.  Both are close to Major League ready and bring low 90s heat.  Sanchez has a 1.84 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 10 Double A starts this season.  Tata handled himself capably in a brief Major League stint this season, and is back to starting games in Triple A. 

Trade Candidates Part 2

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Last time we looked at players in their contract year and trade possibilities.  Today we’ll open the field and see who else could be available.

Dealing Shea Hillenbrand or Eric Hinske would probably make sense for the Blue Jays.  It looks like the two will enter 2006 splitting DH duty for the Jays, and Hillenbrand may have twice as much value with the bat as Hinske.  The problem is figuring out which team actually has a need for a middling 1B/3B/DH type.

The Red Sox have six starters (seven if you think Papelbon is rotation-ready), but they shouldn’t be so eager to send one packing.  Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling are highly unlikely to make all of their starts.  Epstein might send Arroyo over to Tampa Bay for Julio Lugo anyway.  More likely, of course, is a signing of Alex Gonzalez and a trade of David Wells for a spare part or prospect.

A lot of folks think Carlos Pena still has some good seasons ahead of him.  For example, PECOTA projects him to hit .255/.349/.482 in 514 ABs in 2006.  The Tigers could probably use some sort of contingency plan in case Carlos Guillen misses time again.

The Diamondbacks have too many veteran OFs and no place for Carlos Quentin.  I’m sure Shawn Green and Luis Gonzalez are available, it’s just a matter of finding clubs to take most of their salaries.  Both outfielders are still contributors.

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