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Rosenthal’s Latest: Beltre, Washburn, Escobar, Duchscherer

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Ken Rosenthal brings us his latest Full Count video:

  • Rosenthal thinks the Mariners should consider dealing Adrian Beltre along with Erik Bedard by the deadline.  The A’s and Dodgers would be interested in the 29 year old.  Also, Jarrod Washburn’s stock is rising.
  • If Kelvim Escobar makes a strong return to the Angels rotation, Jon Garland could wind up on the trading block.  As it stands, Escobar is slated for relief duties initially.
  • 30 year old Justin Duchscherer could be Billy Beane’s best trade piece.  His sparkling 1.99 ERA in combination with his being signed through this year for only $1.2MM make him a very palatable option.

Olney’s Latest: Wolf, Lohse, Sabathia, Fuentes, Oswalt, Bailey

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Buster Olney has a new column up. Let’s take a look:

  • He suggests Randy Wolf as a "possible trade chip" with the Padres looking increasingly out of it this year. One problem: Wolf has veto power over trades to 14 teams. He’s been decent this year, with a 4.13 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 98 innings, but nothing to get too excited over.
  • Gossip item: the Mets could have had Kyle Lohse for what the Cardinals are paying ($4.25MM), only Omar Minaya passed.
  • Olney doesn’t see much in the speculation about the Angels wanting C.C. Sabathia. With Kelvim Escobar’s rehab going well, great first-half performances from Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, and John Lackey likely to improve going forward, why should they make a push for C.C.? Olney sees the Brewers and the Cubs as more interested parties. (Ken Rosenthal mentioned the Brewers and the Rays as C.C. suitors yesterday.) Later in the post, Olney notes that Sabathia has a 1.96 ERA in his last fourteen starts. Yowza.
  • How the Rockies fare over the next two weeks could determine what becomes of Brian Fuentes.
  • Olney can’t decide whether the Orioles should buy or sell. What do you think?
  • Roy Oswalt won’t get traded, with Olney linking to the Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice for his evidence. (Oswalt has, of course, been talking like he’d prefer to be somewhere else.) Also working against a deal for Oswalt: his continued experiments with pitching to contact (to keep the ol’ pitch count down) haven’t been going very well this year, either. His K/9 has been declining for years, of course, but it may have reached a point of no return this season. Whatever happens, I’m sure the ’stros would prefer to move him at peak value, not right now when he has a 4.77 ERA.
  • Homer Bailey, back in Triple A Louisville, isn’t getting any love from the scout quoted here, who says he threw "batting practice fastballs." Bailey was 0-3 with a 8.73 ERA in the majors this year after a hotly anticipated call-up. Given the bounty of young arms they already have, the Reds would probably prefer to trade him…but alas, his value has dropped the way his curveball used to. 

Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro and can be reached here.

Stark’s Latest: K-Rod, Burnett, Oliver Perez, Bedard

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It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to dig in and feast on Jayson Stark’s latest rumor-packed column.

  • The Braves have shifted their focus from starting pitching to an impact bat in left field.  Stark suggests Raul Ibanez, Jason Bay, and Xavier Nady would make sense.  Matt Holliday would be too costly; Adam Dunn is not mentioned.
  • We have seen the surprising rumor that the Angels could pursue C.C. Sabathia.  However, Stark’s sources are in agreement with Bill Plunkett – the Angels are likely to stand pat.
  • Francisco Rodriguez wants four years and more than $60MM, a dangerous record-breaking commitment.  The Halos aren’t even sure if they’d do three years and a vesting option.
  • There have been no recent extension talks between the Angels and Vladimir Guerrero, but his $15MM option for ’09 is an easy call.
  • As we’ve written before, A.J. Burnett is like a rental, but worse.  He either pitches well and opts out or pitches poorly and you’re stuck with him.  Stark adds that despite Burnett’s willingness to pitch for the Cubs, he’s not on their list.  The Cubs are still planning a run at Sabathia.  The Brewers are also serious about the Cleveland ace.
  • The Mets might shop Oliver Perez, but I’d be surprised if he draws much interest.
  • The Blue Jays were already one of Adam Dunn’s ten no-trade teams.  His no-trade rights switched from full to ten teams on June 15th.
  • Bill Bavasi talked to the Reds about bringing Ken Griffey Jr. back to Seattle, but Lee Pelekoudas isn’t interested.
  • Interesting Indians players who might be available: Rafael Betancourt, Rafael Perez, and Franklin Gutierrez.
  • The Yankees aren’t interested in Erik Bedard, but the Phillies are.  The teams have differing opinions on whether Bedard’s surly demeanor would present a problem.

Molony’s Latest: Sabathia, Teixeira, Lewis

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MLB.com’s Jim Molony has a slew of hot stove info today.

  • Molony talked to some "industry types" about C.C. Sabathia, and those guys suggested the Cubs and Angels could be the frontrunners.
  • The Braves could opt for draft picks rather than a Mark Teixeira trade, even if they fall out of the race.  They’re only 4.5 games out though.
  • A David Price promotion could lead the Rays to trade Jason Hammel, Edwin Jackson, or Andy Sonnanstine.  It’ll only work if Price is promoted before the trade deadline.
  • The Cubs have scouted Giants outfielder Fred Lewis but aren’t too serious about it.
  • The Marlins are still looking for a veteran catcher.  Here’s my take on the trade market at the position.

Angels To Stand Pat Again

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According to Bill Plunkett of the L.A. Daily News, Angels GM Tony Reagins has no intention of breaking from Bill Stoneman’s model.  Reagins does not intend to trade young players in a midseason blockbuster.  Plunkett makes a good point in that the Halos would be worse off if they’d pulled the trigger on the rumored Miguel Cabrera deal.

The Angels expect to fix their offensive woes with in-house options.  The team ranks 12th of 14 in the league in OBP and 9th in SLG.  Garret Anderson, Gary Matthews Jr., Erick Aybar, and Jeff Mathis has been easy outs this year.  It might make sense to start working in Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits regularly.

Perrotto’s Latest: Sabathia, Bradley

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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.

Molony’s Latest: Minaya, Oswalt, Arroyo, Redding

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MLB.com’s Jim Molony tackles the hot stove in today’s article.

  • Molony says Omar Minaya is on the hot seat, though others feel his job is relatively safe.
  • Roy Oswalt is not available, but he was recently scouted by the Angels, Braves, Mets, and Phillies.
  • The Yanks have scouted C.C. Sabathia and Bronson Arroyo but haven’t made any offers.  I just don’t see how Arroyo could be effective back in the American League.
  • The Phillies are still looking for a lefty reliever.  Looking at my Trade Market post, Alan Embree, George Sherrill, Brian Fuentes, Eddie Guardado, Damaso Marte, John Grabow, Ron Mahay, or Jeremy Affeldt could fit the bill.  It still doesn’t seem like a pressing need to me, though.
  • Molony speculates that Tim Redding could be a popular name on the trade market.  Redding has a 4.10 ERA, but it’s propped up by a .258 BABIP (as a team, the Nationals have a .307 BABIP).

Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Liriano, Garcia, Willingham

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Ken Rosenthal has a new hot stove article up.

  • Rosenthal leads with some Mark Teixeira-Angels speculation, but admits the Braves aren’t considering trading him and the Angels are content with their team.  The Halos’ .706 team OPS ranks 12th in the AL; something should be done.
  • All kinds of Mariners turmoil.  They could look to acquire a center fielder given the move back to right for Ichiro.  Releases of Richie Sexson and Jose Vidro could be on the agenda.  And chemistry problems abound, with Ichiro and Kenji Johjima at the center.
  • The Ms might consider Chris Antonetti and David Forst for the GM job, but both could choose to wait for the position to open up on their current teams.  Antonetti seems likely to stay put, based on his comments and actions.
  • Adam Dunn likes the Reds’ future and wants to stay.
  • If the Twins keep Francisco Liriano in the minors a bit longer, he will lose his shot at becoming a Super Two player.
  • Past reports have named the Mets, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, White Sox, Rangers, Indians, Mariners, and Tigers as clubs interested in Freddy Garcia.  Rosenthal adds the Rays to the mix.
  • On Sunday, Peter Gammons said the Red Sox "might look at a count worker like the Marlins’ Josh Willingham" if David Ortiz needs surgery.  Rosenthal agrees that the Sox "indeed might be interested" but believes the Marlins want to hang on to him (even though he reaches arbitration after this season).
  • The Cardinals "made a quick inquiry" on Michael Barrett but backed off when Yadier Molina’s injury turned out to be day-to-day.

Possible Destinations For Sabathia

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Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer weighs in on the different teams that could land CC Sabathia.

  • Yankees: Despite Ken Davidoff’s report yesterday that the Yankees would not land Sabathia, Hoynes notes that the Yankees are desperate for an ace but acknowledges that they may wait until the off-season.
  • Phillies: Hoynes points out that Sabathia’s first big league manager was Charlie Manuel, but the Phillies may not have enough in the system.
  • Cubs: Hoynes feels that Lou PIniella would trade for Sabathia right now if he could.
  • Red Sox: Hoynes feels the Sox are more likely to wait until the off-season.
  • Rays: Hoynes notes that the Rays have the pieces in the farm system to land Sabathia, but wonders if they are willing to rent a player for a playoff push.
  • Angels: Hoynes points out that Sabathia is from the west coast and the Angels may have a better chance of resigning him.

Hoynes also talked to scouts about what the Indians can expect to receive if they do decide to trade the free agent-to-be.

One scout said that "they could get two young players that were at or close to the big-league level that they could control for a while" while a second scout speculates the bounty could be " two and three prospects, depending on whether that team could sign Sabathia to an extension before he becomes a free agent this winter."

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex and can be reached here.

Odds and Ends: Viciedo, Broussard, Rincon, Threets

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Time to round ’em up.

  • The A’s are leading the charge for international free agent pitcher Michael Inoa; they could offer him $4MM.  All teams have scouted him.
  • MLB.com’s Jim Molony names the Astros, Yankees, Cardinals, Angels, Mets, and Pirates as teams considering Cuban defector Dayan Viciedo (assuming he becomes a free agent).
  • The Orioles would like to sign Ben Broussard, if he’ll accept a minor league assignment.  Broussard if mulling his options and should sign within 24 hours.  He could step in if the Orioles trade Kevin Millar.
  • Jeff Weaver has been released by the Brewers.  Weaver’s lost it; he has a 6.22 ERA in nine Triple A starts.
  • The Twins have asked Juan Rincon to accept a minor league assignment.  If he refuses, the Twins will be on the hook for his salary and he’ll become a free agent.  Rincon’s last decent year was 2006.
  • No team was willing to keep lefty reliever Erick Threets in the Majors.  He cleared waivers and will head to Triple A as a member of the Giants organization.
  • Andy Pettitte wouldn’t commit, but admitted it’d be a "joy and an honor" to pitch at the new Yankee Stadium next year.
  • Tigers backup catcher Vance Wilson may retire after a setback in his elbow recovery.
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