Mark Teixeira Update; Halos After Konerko?
Here’s the latest on Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira as well as a new one involving Paul Konerko.
- Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News expects Teixeira to be traded. He seems to think that Jon Daniels can convince John Schuerholz to give up Jarrod Saltalamacchia and a pitching prospect for Teixeira. Meanwhile, Mark Bowman of MLB.com confirms discussions are in progress and believes Salty is pretty much a necessity in the deal. Buster Olney considers the Braves and Yankees as the only real serious suitors for Tex. Olney’s sources make a Teixeira trade seem quite likely.
- Will Carroll doesn’t think the Rangers would be getting enough for Teixeira in Salty, Elvis Andrus, and a pitching prospect.
- Grant sees the Dodgers as less likely due to the fine play of James Loney.
- Interestingly, the Angels may have switched gears to Paul Konerko. There’s that big, fresh name I was hoping to see. The Angels tried hard to sign Konerko after the 2005 season. He had been viewed as Chicago’s most stable position player entering 2008. He has a limited no-trade clause, but Peter Yoon and Mike DiGiovanna think he would waive it to come to L.A. The market has changed since November of 2005, and $12MM annually for Konerko seems like a bargain. He’s locked in through 2010, and his salary would not top Vlad’s (said to be a concern of Arte Moreno when considering A-Rod). No doubt it would take at least two of the Angels’ best young players – Casey Kotchman and Nick Adenhart?
- A couple of ESPN baseball guys have differing viewpoints on Konerko’s availability – Buster Olney thinks he can be had, while Jayson Stark would be shocked to see him traded. Will Carroll sides with Stark on the issue.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times states something many of us have already deduced: the Yankees can’t acquire Teixeira if they insist on keeping both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. And keeping that pair seems to be the plan.
- The Boston Globe says the Red Sox are one of five or six teams in on Teixeira. Amalie Benjamin doesn’t offer any further information though.
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.
Angels Still Looking For Big Bat
Judging by the words of Angels GM Bill Stoneman, it seems like maybe this is the year where the team adds a major hitter at the trade deadline. The Mariners are just two games behind the Angels, and they seem likely to make a deal or two this month.
The L.A. Daily News’ Doug Padilla throws out the same names we’ve heard before: Adam Dunn, Troy Glaus, Mark Teixeira, and Jermaine Dye. The Angels really need to come up with one of those players, in my opinion. Only Teixeira and Glaus are signed past this year.
The Angels still have a stable of young players they could deal without harming the 2007 team greatly: Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, Erick Aybar, Sean Rodriguez, Hank Conger, Terry Evans, Ervin Santana. They could include Reggie Willits or Casey Kotchman as a centerpiece if necessary. Surely there’s some way to get a deal done. We’ve seen a lot of inactivity from Stoneman in the past; now is the time to shed that reputation.
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.
Yankees Acquire Jose Molina
The Yankees moved to improve their backup catching situation yesterday, acquiring 32 year-old backstop Jose Molina from the Angels for Double A reliever Jeff Kennard.
The Angels will now go with the young catching tandem of Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis. Mathis is a fine defensive catcher. While the 24 year-old regressed with the bat this year, he could still develop into an adequate regular. Molina was definitely expendable.
The Yankees have been trying to get Molina since at least May. Mike Mussina might miss Wil Nieves, but otherwise the difference should be negligible. Kennard, a nondescript 26 year-old reliever, has posted fine numbers at Double A.
Troy Glaus Available
The general feeling, based on comments from Troy Glaus and J.P. Ricciardi, has been that Glaus is staying put. However, a Toronto Sun article from Bob Elliott quotes an NL scout saying that Glaus is indeed available. The 31 year-old third baseman would be hard to replace, so he won’t come cheap. No reason Ricciardi shouldn’t at least field offers.
Glaus, of course, has a full no-trade clause. When he was last traded, he required an $11.25MM player option for ’09 be added to his deal. At present he will make another $4.4MM this year and $12.75MM in ’08. If he were to concede to another trade, maybe he’d want $26-30MM guaranteed for 2009-10. Just a guess.
The common sentiment is that Glaus would end up back in California if traded. Elliott names the Padres and Angels as teams in need of a power-hitting third-sacker. But let’s give some props to rookie Kevin Kouzmanoff, who is hitting .283/.338/.500 since May 1st. Elliott says the Dodgers aren’t in on Glaus, leaving a return to the Halos are the most feasible scenario. He’d be a perfect addition for the Angels, who are ninth in the league in slugging.
Mike Plugh On Koji Uehara: Part 2
Have you heard about 32 year-old righthanded starter Koji Uehara? He’s a free agent likely to come over from Japan to MLB this winter (no posting fee). I wanted to learn more about him, so I consulted the authority on such matters: Mike Plugh. Mike runs the Uehara Watch blog. He also has Matsuzaka Watch and writes for Baseball Prospectus.
You can read Part 1 of our Q&A here; a few additional questions are below.
Do you know of any specific teams that are expected to pursue Uehara? I’ve read that the Angels like him.
I think the Angels are the team to watch with Uehara, simply because the drafted him out of college many years ago. He almost came to the Majors as a 23-year old, but the lure of the Yomiuri Giants proved too strong to pry him away. There’s a relationship there, albeit one from the distant past. Other than the Angels, I think you’ll see a lot of teams trying to get in on the action. There’s a huge market for Japanese players around the Major Leagues that is only growing. The Mets are very eager to get into Japan again. The Cubs seem to be active as well, and perhaps the Braves. The list may include every MLB club, so it’s a matter of money in the end, just like every other free agent. Would he play for the Mariners with Ichiro in center and Johjima is his backstop? Maybe. A lot of intriguing scenarios are out there.
Tell us a little bit about Koji as a person.
As for his personality, Uehara is very easygoing. He’s a funny guy by all accounts with a good sense of humor. He likes to keep things relaxed, but he’s extremely professional as are almost all Japanese athletes. He has a typically disciplined work ethic and is very focused in practice and on the field. He’d fit in virtually anywhere, although I think he’ll want to play on a winner if given a reasonable choice. He’s over 30 and may have a small window of opportunity to contribute to a championship ballclub.
Teixeira Trade Talk Continues
A host of clubs are currently in on Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
We’ve heard the most about the Dodgers and Angels competing to acquire him. However, as Buster Olney notes, both clubs have promising young cheap first basemen. Though Teixeira has the track record, is he significantly better than James Loney or Casey Kotchman? Grant says the Dodgers have been scouting the Rangers and could go for one of their relievers as well. Meanwhile, the Rangers are scouting the Angels.
Grant says additional contenders like Teixeira: the Braves, Red Sox, and Yankees. Kevin Youkilis has been Boston’s first baseman this year. However, they could shift him back to third base and trade impending free agent Mike Lowell for something useful. The Braves and Yankees definitely have room at first base for Tex.
In the Braves’ case, though, there would truly be nowhere for Jarrod Saltalamacchia to play if he wasn’t included in the deal. The Braves are in an odd place, with two excellent young starting catchers on the roster. Atlanta’s strongest need right now is starting pitching, however. The Baseball Opinion connects the dots and finds a Javier Vazquez acquisition possible.
Grant believes noncontenders such as the Orioles and Giants could be interested in Teixeira as well. The Giants could use some star power if they cut ties with Barry Bonds after the season. Brian Sabean now has the job security to think about the post-Bonds Giants. The Orioles would be bringing in their hometown boy and could make a corresponding trade of Miguel Tejada.
A’s May Trade Piazza Instead of Johnson
If Mike Piazza can’t catch – and it looks like he can’t – the A’s pretty much have to unload Piazza or Dan Johnson once the former is ready to play.
Susan Slusser notes that possibly interested teams, such as the Twins, Yankees, and Angels, may prefer to go after Piazza. The cost would mainly be in salary, whereas the cheap and league average Johnson will require a decent player in return. So the question for Billy Beane is which does he want more? Relief from the remaining $3.88MM on Piazza’s contract or a solid prospect and an open spot for Daric Barton?
The A’s are not usually sellers at the trading deadline, so we don’t have much precedent. I like a Johnson move a little bit more.
Odds and Ends
Some random links I’ve come across, best categorized as Odds and Ends.
- Tim Marchman of the New York Sun discusses why the Yankees can’t practically pull off any kind of fire sale. Bobby Abreu is the one big name they can move, though Andy Pettitte is worthy of consideration. Marchman likes the Angels, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers as fits for Abreu.
- Shea Hillenbrand was waived today; insert "ship is sinking" reference here. I guess Bill Stoneman couldn’t find a taker for Hillenbrand even while eating most of his remaining salary. Now the Angels will foot the bill while some team picks up the opinionated DH for the league minimum. The Twins are often cited as a team in need of a DH, but Hillenbrand might disrupt the clubhouse chemistry. And of course, the Yankees have been connected to him since this winter.
- RotoAuthority lays out a plan for starting your own keeper fantasy baseball league.
- Torii Hunter would consider playing for the White Sox, for what it’s worth. It’d take a franchise-record contract to sign him.
- Indians reliever Fernando Cabrera is a fine candidate to be traded to a rebuilding team. The Tribe can’t option him to the minors without losing him, but his performance isn’t helping the team and he’s taking up a roster spot. As a 25 year-old with a K/9 over 10 in 129 career innings, there should be plenty of interest. Swapping him for a seasoned reliever like Octavio Dotel, Eric Gagne, or Al Reyes makes sense to me. By the way, the Indians’ Rafael Betancourt is quietly one of the five best relievers in baseball this year.