Mets Interested In Dye, Relief Help
According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, the Mets have interest in White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye. The Mets had also been monitoring Mark Buehrle, but he’s officially off the market now. Gonzales seems to indicate that the Buehrle extension will lessen the Mets’ interest in Dye. Dye’s been awful this season, perhaps limited by his strained quad.
Gonzales’s source also mentioned that Omar Minaya is hunting for bullpen help. A few days ago David Lennon noted that the Mets have an eye on Hector Carrasco. The 37 year-old should be traded somewhere by Friday.
As far as more effective available relievers, Peter Gammons rattled off the usual names in a recent blog entry (Akinori Otsuka, Eric Gagne, Octavio Dotel, Salomon Torres, Brad Lidge, Dan Wheeler, and Chad Qualls). Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog considers Otsuka the perfect fit, though the price could be Lastings Milledge. Another name in Gammons’ list, Brad Lidge, may be unavailable based on Ken Rosenthal’s info. Gammons mentioned one intriguing pitcher that’d certainly be worthy of surrendering Milledge: Zack Greinke. Seems crazy that the Royals would give him up, but he’ll be a hot commodity if they do shop him.
Rosenthal On The Angels
Ken Rosenthal weighs in on the Angels’ offense today, speculating about a Ken Griffey Jr. acquisition. Other ideas for that "big bat": Miguel Cabrera, Morgan Ensberg, Garrett Atkins, Troy Glaus, Adam Dunn, Pat Burrell, or Mark Teahen. None seem likely and many seem foolish. Can you really see Stoneman making a major acquisition? I feel a GM Trade Profile coming on, once I finish Omar’s.
The Halos are fifth in the AL in OBP and eighth in slugging; it’s not like they’re the Twins. Still, as Rosenthal says, one more slugger could make them World Series favorites. You can think of a million reasons why a Barry Bonds trade would never happen, but he would boost the offense immensely. Other ideas: Carlos Pena or Dmitri Young.
Hillenbrand To Be Designated For Assignment
UPDATE: Sure enough, the Yankees are in "serious talks" to acquire Hillenbrand.
Ah, finally a rumor of the non-Buehrle/Jacque variety. Unfortunately all I’ve got is the latest on Angels (former) DH and malcontent Shea Hillenbrand.
Hillenbrand is to be designated for assignment on Friday, giving Bill Stoneman ten days to trade or release him. Another year, another DFA. I imagine there’s a slight chance of pawning him off on the Yankees, who seem to have an odd infatuation with Hillenbrand. Once they experience him firsthand, that’ll change. How about Hillenbrand and salary relief for Kyle Farnsworth? Not that the Angels need him, but the Yankees sure don’t want him.
Hillenbrand at $6.5MM was a bad idea from Day 1. On the plus side, it’s only money. The Giants traded away Jeremy Accardo for a couple months of Hillenbrand last year (though to be fair, they received Vinnie Chulk too.)
Rosenthal’s Latest – Buehrle To Brewers?
Ken Rosenthal has a new article, and as usual he’s broken several brand new trade rumors. A brief summary:
- Here’s a good one: the Brewers have "kicked the tires" on Mark Buehrle. You can never have too much pitching, I guess. It’s a long shot that Doug Melvin could pull it off without involving Yovani Gallardo or Ryan Braun, and he won’t trade those two. Without either player, the Brewers would pretty much be offering quantity over quality in terms of prospects. My own speculation: Corey Hart might intrigue Kenny Williams, but he’d be hard to part with.
- Rosenthal estimates ten teams are looking at Buehrle. He names the Mets, Braves, Mariners, and Cardinals. Add the Brewers and we’re still five short. The five Rosenthal doesn’t mention could include the Red Sox, Yankees, Marlins, Rockies, Dodgers, and Phillies. Just guessing on the last five.
- The Blue Jays have changed their tune on Troy Glaus – they’ll now listen to offers for him. It is believed Glaus might waive his no-trade clause to play close to home for the Padres, Angels, or Dodgers. Glaus is owed about $5.9MM more this year and $12.75MM in 2008. He also negotiated an $11.25MM player option for ’09 when he was traded to Toronto. Perhaps to agree to a trade he’d want his deal extended through ’09 for $13MM or so. Rosenthal says the package for Glaus would likely involve a young third baseman, like Chase Headley, Brandon Wood, or Andy LaRoche. Such a deal would be hard to ignore for J.P. Ricciardi. Of the three teams mentioned, Ricciardi has only previously dealt with Bill Stoneman (on the Brad Fullmer trade).
- Rosenthal says the Cubs are not involved in a trade for Ken Griffey Jr. The ownership change will prohibit them from taking on his contract. Rosenthal also mentions that the Cubs are having difficulties finding a taker for Jacque Jones.
- The Angels still like Adam Dunn, though I still don’t see how he fits into their roster.
- The prospect going to the Tigers for Mike Maroth won’t be anything special; the point was to unload his $3MM salary.
Mark Teixeira Trade Rumors
Kat O’Brien of Newsday has the latest Mark Teixeira trade rumors for our perusal. According to O’Brien, the Yankees, Dodgers, Orioles, Angels, and Braves as said to be interested in the first baseman.
We’ve seen the Angels connected to Teixeira plenty of times, and I still don’t get it. Why would the Angels move Casey Kotchman, by all accounts a fine fielder, off first base? The rumors persist, but this does not seem like a fit for the Halos. They need a third baseman.
With the Yanks, I imagine the stumbling block remains finding a package good enough for Jon Daniels without including Phil Hughes. I see this as a long shot, mainly because the Red Sox are not rumored to be after Teixeira. And I just demonstrated why I don’t think the Angels will legitimately chase him. So the Yankees wouldn’t be in competition with an AL contender for Teixeira (unless the Tigers get involved). There is no pressing need to give up the farm, even the non-Hughes part of the farm.
The Braves are a dark horse; I think the Dodgers and Orioles will go head to head for Teixeira. O’Brien mentions that at least eight or nine teams have expressed at least casual interest, so there are a few unknowns here. If I had to guess, I’d say Teixeira becomes a Dodger or else stays put this summer.
Latest From Gammons
The man himself, Peter Gammons, had a blog posting on Saturday that I neglected to mention here.
- Gammons mentions some suitors for Mark Buehrle: the Mets, Cardinals, and Mariners. He draws the Jermaine Dye/Padres connection we have seen in the past.
- Gammons believes the Astros will move one of Brad Lidge, Dan Wheeler, or Chad Qualls. However, that was written before Lidge hit the DL for a strained oblique. Houston would also love to move Morgan Ensberg, but that’s nothing new.
- The Dodgers are looking for a corner infield slugger, but aren’t interested in Troy Glaus or Scott Rolen. Adam Dunn isn’t in the Dodgers’ plans, either. Dunn’s defensive limitations really seem to be hindering a deal. If they are going to give up multiple young future stars, it’s going to take Mark Teixeira. In other words, they’d go all-in.
- Bill Stoneman is "cautiously looking for a bat." Cautious is the name of the game with Stoneman. It’s a seller’s market for power hitters. Imagine what the Marlins could get for Miguel Cabrera.
More Info On Gagne’s Veto List
As you know, Eric Gagne‘s contract allows for him to be traded to 12 teams without his consent. Earlier we learned that the Tigers, Indians, and Phillies are not among the 12 allowable teams.
Today, Ken Rosenthal verified the above info and added that the Yankees, Mets, and Angels are on the allowable list. The remaining nine he can be traded to without consent are thought to be inconsequential. And the Angels aren’t going to worry about Gagne.
The Mets have been looking for bullpen help for at least a few weeks now. Gagne has been on the radar, among others. Rosenthal believes Omar Minaya’s focus is instead on players like Mark Buehrle, Jeff Conine, and Mark Sweeney. It’s interesting to note that (by my count) Minaya has yet to make a trade this year. By this time in previous years he’d made five or six. (Coming soon: Minaya trade profile).
The Yankees have been scouting the Rangers for a while. They could be looking at Gagne, or Akinori Otsuka. Mark Teixeira hasn’t been active. I suppose Joaquin Benoit or Brad Wilkerson could be on the radar as well.
Angels Could Get In On Teixeira
We know the Angels have been kicking the tires on Adam Dunn and Miguel Tejada already. Today, Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times suggests that the Angels would get involved on Mark Teixeira if he becomes available. Somewhere, Casey Kotchman just wept silently on the inside.
Arte Moreno raised an interesting point yesterday – it takes two to tango. True, Bill Stoneman has not been an active trader, but the Angels were 15 minutes away from a Tejada blockbuster last summer. And Moreno also hinted that the price for Adam Dunn was indeed exorbitant.
Yanks Interested In Hillenbrand
Don’t ask me why, but the Yankees are interested in trading for benched Angels DH Shea Hillenbrand. At $6.5MM with attitude issues and little defensive (plus questionable offensive) value, Hillenbrand is not exactly a hot commodity. I imagine the Angels would not be asking for much and would probably eat some salary.
The Yankees tossed around the idea of signing Hillenbrand last winter, but ultimately decided to go with Josh Phelps and Doug Mientkiewicz. Mientkiewicz may not return until August after wrist surgery. The Yankees have actually been using Miguel Cairo at first base. I don’t care what kind of defense he plays, that ain’t right.
Acquiring Hillenbrand would be odd, because Phelps pretty much is Hillenbrand but cheaper. The Yankees’ offense has been very good, ranking first in the AL in OBP and second in SLG. But upgrading first base would still result in even more runs scored, never a bad thing.
That’s why the Yankees should pursue an actual upgrade. Carlos Pena, Mark Teixeira, Todd Helton, and Dmitri Young could all be options. The expensive guys are obviously long shots. The Yanks could also go after Rich Aurilia or Mark DeRosa as mentioned here. Underachievers/bench guys like Jorge Cantu, Aubrey Huff, Kevin Millar, and Ben Broussard may be possibilities as well.
Angels After Tejada Again
Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal said only that Miguel Tejada might become available, and that the Angels have a need. Now another source, Joseph A. Reaves of The Arizona Republic, says the Halos are making another run at Tejada.
The Ervin Santana and Erick Aybar for Tejada trade last year was nixed by O’s owner Peter Angelos. With Tejada apparently in the midst of a significant power decline (his SLG is down to .421), maybe the Orioles would be more open to the same trade. Tejada makes $12MM this year, $13MM in ’08, and $13MM in ’09.
Tejada would of course have to be convinced to play third base, and Bill Stoneman would have to finally pull the trigger on a deal involving good prospects.
Even if Tejada slugs around .450 this year, he’s still be far, far better than what the Angels have gotten from their third basemen. Chone Figgins, Maicer Izturis, and others have combined for a .235/.280/.296 line at the position.
Unless he’s included in the deal, a Tejada acquisition would leave top prospect Brandon Wood without a spot on the Angels until 2009, when Orlando Cabrera‘s contract is up.