Heyman On Eric Gagne
SI.com’s Jon Heyman had a new post in the wee hours of the morning today. The Yankees seem to be the frontrunner for Eric Gagne, while simultaneously trying to unload Kyle Farnsworth.
Gagne would set up Mariano Rivera in New York. Gagne can’t veto this trade, even though working as a setup man would cause him to miss some of his incentives. Heyman talks about the Yankees accomodating this problem, although they are under no obligation to do so.
The Yankees are being very possessive about their pitching prospects. Beyond Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, they’ve deemed Ian Kennedy and Alan Horne off-limits. Jeff Marquez and Tyler Clippard are two who could go to Texas for Gagne. Not bad, but not the big names we’ve been expecting.
The Mets might pay some mind to Gagne, whose price couldn’t be higher than Chad Cordero‘s. The Mets are the other contender to can trade for Gagne without his approval.
As for Farnsworth, we’ve already heard the Tigers and Rockies have some interest. Heyman adds the Dodgers to the mix; they inquired on him as a Plan B if they can’t get Octavio Dotel.
Latest Mark Teixeira Trade Rumors
Mark Teixeira is the biggest name likely to be dealt for the 2007 deadline, so you’re going to see millions of rumors until he’s physically wearing a different uniform. Here’s the latest.
- David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says "it’s going to get done" and he’d be "really, really surprised if it doesn’t happen, period." This is not just some guy; this is the Braves’ beat writer. He would not be talking this way if he had doubts about the Braves getting their man.
- The L.A. Times sees the Braves as the clear frontrunner. The L.A. Daily News thinks the Angels are out of the running.
- Contrary to this report from yesterday, ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Angels are still in on Teix. He describes it as a chess match with the Angels, Braves, and Rangers – much like Ken Rosenthal did last night.
- Unlike other writers, the Dallas Morning News’ Evan Grant seems to indicate that the Dodgers are still involved.
- Dave Sessions of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram suggests the Diamondbacks are now interested in Teixeira, and could perhaps offer Conor Jackson as part of a deal. This rumor seems to have come from left field, but who knows. UPDATE: Rosenthal confirms Arizona’s interest, but says their offer isn’t on par with that of Atlanta and Los Angeles.
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.