Rosenthal’s Latest Videos: Teixeira, Dye, Garland
Ken Rosenthal has a couple of recent videos up at FOXSports. Check ’em out. Some highlights:
- The Mark Teixeira talks are at a standstill; the Braves and Angels are reluctant to improve their offers. The Dodgers are said to be out of the picture. Daniels, Schuerholz, Stoneman – which one blinks first? I’ll say Daniels; he’ll go with Atlanta’s best offer.
- Jermaine Dye is Plan B for the Angels, but as you know the Red Sox still have interest.
- Jon Garland can be had, but Kenny Williams’ price is sky-high. The Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Mets, and Braves all have interest. The Braves had offered not only Edgar Renteria but a top pitching prospect, and still were rejected. Rosenthal expects Garland to stay put because as the asking price is not met.
- The Dodgers are still the leaders on Octavio Dotel, but the Tribe could jump in if they part with Ben Francisco. Would Francisco really be missed?
- The Cubs are looking at role players like Jay Payton and Jeff Conine. Many Cubs fans have written me looking for some good rumors – anything I would hear would go on the site. My gut feeling is that they do nothing major.
- The Orioles asked about Kei Igawa, but were told he’s not available.
- Rosenthal can see Adam Dunn and Eric Gagne staying put at the deadline. The need to deal Gagne is a bit more pressing, in my opinion.
Dotel Would Like Contract Extension
While Octavio Dotel is very likely to be traded by the Royals, he said yesterday that he’d like to talk about a contract extension to stay. It’s possible but doesn’t seem likely.
Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says Dotel would probably look for something around three years, $21MM, which the Royals could afford. Locking him in would allow Joakim Soria or Zack Greinke to move to the rotation.
It still looks like Dotel will end up a Dodger or Indian by Tuesday though. The names we’ve heard so far include Franklin Gutierrez, Ben Francisco, Chin-Ling Hu, and Tony Abreu.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Wheeler, Izzy
Ken Rosenthal posted a new column last night, and has updated it very recently. I’ve already spoken about the Teixeira stuff, but there’s other good material in there too.
- Some of the wilder speculation out there has been that the Twins might trade Torii Hunter or Johan Santana if they decide they’re out of it. Various Baseball Prospectus reports put the Twins’ playoff chances between 5-10%. Rosenthal debunks the idea that Minnesota would shop Hunter without first making him an offer, and keeping Santana for at least 2008 makes sense. Plus, Santana has a no-trade clause.
- Rosenthal does have some Twins for us who might be traded: Luis Castillo and Carlos Silva. Castillo has already been connected to the Mets in rumors, though Silva is a new one. One could definitely envision Silva’s style working in the National League (I know, I say that a lot). There was a recent Silva to Atlanta rumor, though Silva’s agent seems to have debunked it.
- Rosenthal says Dontrelle Willis is not available. Perhaps he and Tim Brown will engage in fisticuffs over this disagreement.
- The Diamondbacks have kicked the tires on Adam Dunn. He might make sense as a rental – the D’Backs playoff changes sit between 16-27%, worth fighting for. No doubt they’ve got a stable of young players to offer.
- Rosenthal says the Astros have yet to receive interest on the Lidge/Wheeler/Qualls troika, while Jayson Stark said yesterday that the Astros hadn’t opened shop on them. Thunderdome match #2, Rosenthal vs. Stark. Assuming Ken survives Tim Brown. Anyway, word is that the Rockies have their eye on Wheeler.
- Parties interested in Zack Greinke: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs. This gels with Dan Graziano’s findings. Of course, trading a player like Greinke requires an equally talented youngster in return.
- The Royals may not be able to do better than Cleveland’s Ben Francisco as a bounty for Octavio Dotel. More on him in a separate post.
- Trades of Joe Blanton and Huston Street are "highly unlikely." So you’re saying there’s a chance?
- The chances of the Cardinals trading Jason Isringhausen are described as "remote." The Cards would have a hard time replacing him next year; he’s got a reasonable $8MM option. He also has no-trade protection, so he’d probably want a better extension if he was to accept a trade.
Stark’s Latest:
Jayson Stark has a new column over at ESPN.com. Some highlights:
- Octavio Dotel is almost a lock to be traded, and Chin-Lung Hu remains a possibility. Stark adds that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti scouted reliever John Malone, which I think means Jonathan Meloan. The 23 year-old Meloan throws in the low 90s with a hard slider; he commands his fastball well but carries some health concerns.
- Regarding Jon Garland, we’ve already heard that the Mariners, Braves, and Yankees are interested. Stark adds the Dodgers, Mets, and Phillies to that list. However, he thinks Kenny Williams really just wants to trade Jose Contreras.
- The Astros, surprisingly, have yet to open shop on their relievers.
- Michael Bourn is the Phillies’ top trading chip. Some possible targets: Kameron Loe, Scott Olsen, Ervin Santana, Noah Lowry, and Dontrelle Willis.
Teams Looking At Ty Wigginton
UPDATE: You can toss the Cubs into the mix for Wigginton.
One role player drawing a lot of interest is Tampa Bay’s Ty Wigginton. He plays hard, he’s versatile, he delivered his own baby, and he’s at .274/.325/452 in 372 ABs.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says the Dodgers, Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees are in on Wigginton. Wiggy might have a starting role for the former two teams. Andrew Friedman may be compelled to find a deal before the deadline, because at $4MM plus Wigginton is a nontender candidate for the D-Rays next year.
Names like Scott Proctor and Scott Baker have surfaced as possible returns for Wigginton, but the general impression seems to be that the Devil Rays would need to improve their offer to get one of them.
Mark Teixeira Trade Update
The Mark Teixeira talks are really heating up, with the Braves, Dodgers, Angels, Yankees, and Red Sox all involved. Ken Rosenthal has updated this column, and Evan Grant has new info as well.
The Braves still appear to be in front. The names going to Texas would include Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, and one of Matt Harrison or Kyle Davies. A very nice package, but to get three solid prospects the Rangers would have to pair Teixeira with a reliever. The Braves have their eye on Eric Gagne, C.J. Wilson, and Ron Mahay, with the latter most likely. It’s unclear whether Gagne can be traded to the Braves without his consent.
The Dodgers counter with James Loney, Andre Ethier, and a pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw.
The Angels will give Casey Kotchman as well an outfielder like Terry Evans or Nate Haynes. Kevin Goldstein considers Evans a prospect, Haynes not so much (he turns 27 soon). You may remember the Angels got Evans for Jeff Weaver last year. Rosenthal thinks the Halos will have a tougher time being a division foe, and could turn to Adam Dunn or Jermaine Dye. There’s definitely a Dodgers rivalry element in play as well.
Grant does not mention the Red Sox or Yankees. Rosenthal sees the Red Sox involved because of David Ortiz‘s knee and Kevin Youkilis‘s slump. The Yanks appear to be showing just their obligatory interest, as they seem unlikely to offer the best package.
Red Sox Scout Las Vegas 51s
According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox sent Allard Baird to scout the Dodgers’ Triple A affiliate when they were in Tacoma earlier this week. The 51s are back in Vegas now.
Cafardo says the Red Sox like third baseman Andy LaRoche, and that the Dodgers are looking for relief help. Hard to picture how the Red Sox would fill that need though. Some other interesting names on the 51s’ roster: Tony Abreu, Chin-Lung Hu, and Jonathan Meloan.
How do these two teams match up? The Dodgers don’t have much need for Wily Mo Pena. And why would the Dodgers trade LaRoche to Boston for prospects? Maybe it’s a prospect-for-prospect scenario.
Latest On Jermaine Dye
Jermaine Dye stands to be one of the bigger names dealt within the next seven days. He’s been hitting well since the All-Star break, but it’s only been 48 ABs. Here’s the latest on the 33 year-old right fielder.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times names the Mets, Padres, Dodgers, and Mariners as the top suitors for Dye. In case you were wondering, Dye has not played more than one game in left field in a seasons since 1996. A position switch could be necessary, depending on where he ends up.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News thinks Dye could be had in August. I don’t agree – Dye has only $2.6MM left on his contract this year and Kenny Williams would be better served trading him in July. Plan B would be to just let him leave via free agency and take some good draft picks.
- MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone believes that Dye would cost a leadoff hitting center fielder or a zero-to-three reliever. The Mets might be able to offer up the CF, but is Dye worth it?
- Plenty of speculation around Chicago that the Cubs could pursue Dye. However, I haven’t seen any reason to think this is more than just speculation. He does seem like a fine fit on the North Side. Paul Sullivan believes Cliff Floyd‘s fragility may force the Cubs to acquire an outfielder. Will Carroll thinks the Cubs are the best fit for Dye as they can offer the White Sox a prospect and a reliever.
- Something that could heighten the Cubs’ interest: the Brewers are said to be kicking the tires on Dye.
- I don’t see why the Mariners would pursue Dye; there is good reason to believe top prospect Adam Jones would outproduce him.
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.
Latest On Octavio Dotel
You know what I love about the Kansas City Star? The enormous, extreme close-up pixellated player photo that seems to accompany every article. It’s bizarre in a good way.
Anyway, Bob Dutton gives us the latest on hot commodity Octavio Dotel. According to Dutton, the Dodgers and Indians are at the forefront, with the Red Sox, Mets, and some other teams monitoring the situation.
As before, Dutton indicates that the Dodgers are the best possibility. They refuse to part with Tony Abreu, however. Abreu is seen as Jeff Kent‘s replacement at second base, though Kent is still going strong and his 2008 option becomes guaranteed with 550 plate appearances this year. Barring injury, he’ll reach that.
This seems parallel to the shortstop situation, where Rafael Furcal is signed through 2008 and Chin-Lung Hu is knocking on the door. For some reason Dutton seems to view Hu as more available than Abreu.
The Indians won’t give up outfielders Franklin Gutierrez or Ben Francisco, at least not yet. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer confirms the info. Is Francisco really anything more than a fourth outfielder?
The Red Sox could go after Dotel and Reggie Sanders in a package deal, perhaps with Wily Mo Pena going to KC.
If Dayton Moore gets anything close to his asking price, the Dotel rental will end up a fantastic move.