Scouting The Reds
The chatter regarding Reds’ left fielder Adam Dunn is picking up, and it’s only June 13th. It’s looking more and more like we can add Dunn to our 2008 MLB free agents list, as his 2008 option becomes void with a trade. Ken Griffey Jr. and various other Reds may be in play too.
Five articles referenced Dunn this morning. The Newark Star-Ledger contains just one sentence:
"The Cincinnati Reds, who could be in position to trade reliever David Weathers and slugger Adam Dunn, had a scout at the [Yankees-Diamondbacks] game."
One imagines the Yankees may like a number of additional Reds, including Griffey and Mike Stanton. But the Weathers/Dunn speculation is the most reasonable. The Reds, by the way, have yet to approach Junior about any possible trades. While we know Griffey would probably approve a trade to Atlanta, some real creativity would be required with his contract. And he’d have to be open to playing left field. Buster Olney noted today that the White Sox have at least had internal discussions about acquiring Griffey.
The Dayton Daily News has the scoop on scouts from many teams in attendance at the Reds-Angels game last night: the Braves, Astros, Dodgers, White Sox, Tigers, and more. Actually the article references "Los Angeles" so that could be the Angels too. Any of these clubs could conceivably make room for Dunn. I imagine young pitching is the name of the game for Wayne Krivsky.
Besides the previously named players, Eddie Guardado, Scott Hatteberg, and Kyle Lohse could be on the market. The Reds have a $3MM option for ’08 on Guardado and a $1.85MM club option for ’08 on Hatteberg. Lohse, a Scott Boras client, reaches free agency after this season.
Padres, Dodgers Remain Interested In Dye
Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times has a couple of trade rumors for us this morning.
- Shaikin reiterates Ken Rosenthal’s scoop that the Padres and Dodgers have interest in White Sox slugger Jermaine Dye. Shaikin believes the "we won’t trade for prospects" edict from Kenny Williams could be stretched if Jonathan Broxton or Chad Billingsley were made available. Those guys may have graduated from prospectdom anyway. Ned Colletti is definitely working the phones for a slugger.
- Scott Linebrink is named as an available Padre, but I would not expect Kenny Williams to go for that. Throw in Clay Hensley or Chase Headley and maybe we have something.
- Shaikin also mentions that the Tigers have interest in Rangers closer Eric Gagne. Yes, I understand that most contending teams with bullpen issues will at least show a passing interest in him. Shaikin seems to indicate that Gagne’s "no-trade protection" is full and would give him leverage to change his current incentive-based contract.
Colletti Talks To Ichiro’s Agent
Word via the San Diego Union-Tribune yesterday was that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti spent an hour talking to Tony Attanasio, the agent for impending free agent Ichiro Suzuki. Attanasio also represents Giants manager Bruce Bochy.
The Dodgers won’t have an opening in center field next year given the Juan Pierre contract. But Ichiro, of course, can play a fine right field. It wouldn’t be hard to replace Andre Ethier‘s .711 OPS, though it would lock the Dodgers into two powerless players in their outfield.
Several NL West teams may go toe-to-toe for Ichiro, including the Dodgers, Padres, and Giants. All could make room for him. Still, it seems a long shot that Colletti and Attanasio were discussing Ichiro. That seems like tampering. Attanasio has, in the past, suggested that the Mariners trade Ichiro this summer if they don’t plan on signing him. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this situation in the coming months.
Goldman On A-Rod
Steven Goldman has a well-reasoned column in the New York Sun today discussing why it’s important for the Yankees to trade Alex Rodriguez. Here’s a hint: they need to restock on position players. It’s not about the tabloid stuff or the infamous "hah!" Personally I like the tactic but wouldn’t use "hah." When I played sandlot ball we used to shout "Confusion! Confusion!" over and over when a couple of guys would get under a pop-up. It worked once in a while.
Basically A-Rod is still a marketable superstar, and the Yankees are going to have plenty of holes in the near future. It’d be best not to patch them up with more $15MM guys. James Loney plus Matt Kemp from the Dodgers would be perfect, if Ned Colletti would do it. Rodriguez would have to waive his no-trade and provide a window for an extension, I imagine.
Such a strategy, however, runs counter to the Roger Clemens signing. Once Clemens hits the Majors the team will be in full win-now mode, so it’s important to decide whether to trade Rodriguez very soon.
Rosenthal’s Latest Video
Ken Rosenthal reeled off a slew of sweet trade rumors in a couple of videos today, which you can watch at FOXSports. Let’s discuss.
- Rosenthal says the Cubs won’t trade Carlos Zambrano unless they fall out of contention or the big righty requests a trade. Rosenthal finds neither scenario likely. He says Zambrano still has a good relationship with Jim Hendry, and the Cubs still intend to sign him. The contract remains on hold. Interesting, but not surprising to see that the Cubs are still veering towards this mistake after what we’ve seen this year.
- Lots of good Jermaine Dye stuff from Rosenthal. About ten days ago, the White Sox kicked around the idea of sending Dye to the Yankees for Bobby Abreu. The Yanks covet Dye’s right-handed power, and Ozzie loves Abreu, his countryman. Rosenthal says the White Sox like the option of keeping Abreu for $16MM in ’08 if they so choose. That option comes with a $2MM buyout attached. The Dye/Abreu swap may be on hold because Dye is finally showing some signs of life. I have to be honest – I don’t understand the timeline here. If the Sox were considering this ten days ago, nothing Dye has done since should have changed their thinking.
- Other suitors for Dye: the Padres or Dodgers. The two NL West competitors rank 10th and 12th in the league in slugging, respectively. No doubt the Dodgers have the goods, but what reasonable trade could the Padres work out? Kenny Williams and Kevin Towers have matched up twice before, but on minor trades involving guys like D’Angelo Jimenez and Geoff Blum.
- Rosenthal says the Padres are also eyeing Adam Dunn, for whom their pitchers’ ballpark would present less of an obstacle. Two hitches: Dunn can become a free agent after this season if he’s traded, and the Reds will ask for a lot. The Padres’ best pitching prospect, Cesar Carrillo, recently had Tommy John surgery. Their best hitting prospect, Cedric Hunter, is trying to figure out Low A ball. Third baseman Chase Headley is hitting well in Double A, and I’m sure plenty of teams would like to have him. Headley is somewhat blocked by Kevin Kouzmanoff. Honestly, though, the Padres don’t have much in the minors to trade. At the Major League level, they might be able to part with Cla Meredith and get a decent hitter in return.
Scott Rolen Dodgers Trade Rumor
Looking for a trade rumor, and don’t care whether it’s been confirmed in any way? We got you covered. A couple of Cards fans have emailed me this thread from Bernie’s Pressbox. St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz throws this scenario out for debate:
Wilson Betemit and one of Matt Kemp/Andre Ethier for Scott Rolen.
Now, according to Bernie, there’s nothing concrete and he’s just talking. Still, it’s interesting to ponder. Factors to consider:
- Rolen is owed $12MM annually through 2010.
- He’d have to be convinced to waive his full no-trade clause. Although maybe he wouldn’t mind playing under a different manager.
- Rolen is off to a horrible offensive start; he’s on a popup binge. He hasn’t hit lefties since his shoulder surgery, and his surgically repaired shoulder bothered him late last season. You would expect a team to want him to show some signs of life and health before taking his contract through 2010.
- Andy LaRoche is L.A.’s third baseman of the future. Then again, they signed Nomar Garciaparra to block James Loney.
Now, there’s certainly still a chance Rolen will bounce back. He was mashing as recently as August of ’06. But would the Dodgers bank one of their best prospects on it? I really don’t think so, which is why Kemp seems highly unlikely. On the other hand, Betemit and Ethier for Rolen seems fair. That doesn’t exactly resolve the Cards’ offensive woes, but they’d get a ton of salary relief and some cheap players.
Dodgers Need a Third Baseman
Ken Rosenthal has a bunch of news and notes, including a bit about the misshapen offense of the Dodgers. They have plenty of bats and plenty of prospects, but not enough to solve every problem they’ve got. Rosenthal mentions Morgan Ensberg, Hank Blalock, and Joe Crede as potential trade targets, but rightfully notes that none would make that big of a difference.
The Dodgers recently called up prospect Andy LaRoche, a third baseman, and moved another prospect, Tony Abreu, to third at Triple-A Las Vegas. So they are at least trying some different things while Wilson Betemit continues to not hit. Through yesterday’s games, Dodgers 3Bs (mostly Betemit) combined to "hit" 183/291/240, which is barely 80 points of OPS better than Dodgers pitchers!
The move that would solve all of their problems would be giving Nomar Garciaparra a shot back at the hot corner. Nomar played some third with the Cubs in 2005, but I certainly understand the team’s reluctance to put any more pressure on his body. But it would be perfect: Nomar at third would open up first base for James Loney, one of the best blocked prospects in baseball, and one of the guys teams will invariably ask about as the Dodgers try to upgrade during the season.
By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball
Loney Would Welcome Trade
Consider it a polite trade request. James Loney‘s agent, Joe Urbon, suggested a trade to the Dodgers as a possible option.
I am not sure what good can come of the request/public statement. If Ned Colletti is going to trade a very promising young player, he’s going to do it on his own terms and timetable. Loney’s agent going public isn’t going to force the team into action. Ryan Howard, once trapped in a similar situation, made a trade request and it mostly served to damage his image. 58 home runs has certainly erased that though.
Who could use a slick-fielding 0-3 first baseman with a .295/.351/.470 PECOTA? The Orioles could, though they’d have to unload a few corner types first. The Red Sox or Yankees could use him too. He’ll probably stay put but could be the top trading chip if Nomar is healthy and the Dodgers need something this summer.
Brewers, Dodgers Swap Clark and Dessens
According to Baseball Digest Daily, the Brewers have sent Brady Clark and cash considerations to the Dodgers for reliever Elmer Dessens.
Clark, 34, can play all three outfield positions. Perhaps the Jason Repko injury inspired this trade. Clark had a nice year leading off for the Brewers in ’05, but his power fell off last year. He did manage to increase his walk rate though. Clark makes $3.8MM this season in the last year of his contract. This enables Gabe Gross to make the Brewers, though they could stand to unload Kevin Mench or Geoff Jenkins.
Dessens is 35; he earns $1.7MM this year. However, the Royals are paying all of that. He has decent control and can eat some innings at the back of the bullpen.
Byung-Hyun Kim On The Block
According to the Rocky Mountain News, the Pirates, Marlins, Dodgers, and A’s have interest in pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim. The Denver Post only mentions the A’s, however.
The source I talked to said the Marlins actually have no interest in Kim, and the Dodgers only do if they can move Mark Hendrickson in the trade. It really seems to be the A’s leading the pack because of reservations with Joe Kennedy. Kennedy wasn’t going to pitch 200 innings anyway, so they’ve known for a while that they need a strong sixth man.
If the Pirates were to acquire Kim, they’d quietly have some solid starting pitching depth in the organization.