Marlins Still Like Elijah Dukes
The Marlins have flirted with the idea of acquiring Elijah Dukes for center field for at least a few months. Back in March, Jayson Stark mentioned the idea. At that point, Peter Gammons felt that the Fish would not trade young pitching to get their center fielder.
Now they may be able to get Dukes for next to nothing. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that the Marlins have Dukes on the radar if they can get him for little. Any breathing reliever might do the trick. If the Marlins think, for some reason, that they can alleviate Dukes’ off-the-field issues, it could be a fantastic example of buying low.
By the way, one source tells me that the Nationals are definitely not interested in Dukes.
A less exciting but safe option for Florida would be Brady Clark, who recently became a free agent. The Marlins have some interest.
Rosenthal’s Latest Video
Ken Rosenthal has a new video up at FOXSports.com for your viewing pleasure. My summary:
- As you know, Eric Gagne and Akinori Otsuka are drawing strong interest across baseball. The only team named by Rosenthal is the Yankees, and in a roundabout way. He simply said that the Rangers have been scouting the Yanks.
- Both the Dodgers and Angels would love to add a power-hitting third baseman. The problem is, there’s not much about there. Rosenthal says Troy Glaus, Mike Lowell, and Miguel Cabrera are all currently unavailable. One who might become available and could play third is Miguel Tejada. My own speculation on some possible second-tier trade candidates at third base (some long shots included): Jose Bautista, Mark Reynolds, Chad Tracy, Ty Wigginton, Melvin Mora, and Wilson Betemit.
- Michael Barrett could be on his way out of Chicago, mostly because of his defense. Rosenthal names the Marlins and Rockies as interested parties.
The Percival Chase
My apologies to the loyal readers hoping for more posts this weekend – my wife and I are painting the condo. Good times.
For those keeping score at home, here’s a summary of Troy Percival‘s suitors. He won’t be returning to the Angels, but plenty of other clubs want in.
Though interest hasn’t been confirmed, Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon thinks highly of Percival. The Indians are another club where only speculation exists. Let’s add the Cubs to that list; Phil Rogers notes the team’s interest in the 2004-05 offseason. Back then, the Cubs wisely decided to open the season with LaTroy Hawkins at closer given Joe Borowski‘s broken hand. OK, maybe not so wisely.
Last week, two teams publicly showed interest in the Tigers and Phillies. Now we know the Marlins are "closely monitoring" Percival as well. It wouldn’t be right to have a Marlin season go by without the club resurrecting a closer.
Speculated interest: Devil Rays, Indians, Cubs
Confirmed interest: Tigers, Phillies, Marlins
Not interested: Angels
Rosenthal’s Latest
Ken Rosenthal posted a new article this afternoon. A good read as usual, though not chock full of new rumors.
- Rocco Baldelli remains the Devil Rays’ best trading chip; they hope to see the 25 year-old return and re-establish the trade value he had in 2006. Many are already saying the Rays waited too long on Baldelli, but let’s see what they get for him before making that judgment.
- Reggie Willits has hit his way into a starting job for the Angels. Nice to see an Angel drawing walks 12% of the time. That will enable Willits to remain effective after his batting average regresses. Rosenthal says third base is the clear position for upgrade for the Angels. Garrett Atkins is desired, and Rosenthal would consider Brandon Wood a reasonable bounty. If I’m Dan O’Dowd, I’m making that deal. Meanwhile, Bill Shaikin believes the Blue Jays would ask for Wood for Troy Glaus, but would settle for Ervin Santana and 1B/3B/DH Matt Brown. Shaikin’s source says J.P. Ricciardi is not yet prepared to trade Glaus, however.
- Rosenthal speculates that the Braves would like to add a big-time starter to get away from the current plan of "Hudson and Smoltz and pray for lightning bolts." Sorry, that was the best weather rhyme I could come up with. He mentions Rich Harden and Dontrelle Willis, accompanied by the obligatory Jarrod Saltalamacchia rumor. Poor Salty.
Stark’s Latest
Jayson Stark posted a new Rumblings and Grumblings column over at ESPN; it’s definitely worth a read. A summary of his trade rumors:
- GMs calling the Marlins have noticed that the team seems a little more open to trading Dontrelle Willis this year. Miguel Cabrera doesn’t appear to be under discussion. If the Marlins are out of the race in mid-July and a team ponies up with three legimate young regulars, they might be able to pry him away. The D’Backs or Dodgers could probably pull this off without damaging their current group too much.
- Stark says the D-Rays are considering promoting both Evan Longoria and Reid Brignac before the trading deadline, filling out the left side of their infield. Someone would have to be pushed out; maybe B.J. Upton to center, Akinori Iwamura to second, and Rocco Baldelli to another team. Stark reminds us of past interest by the Red Sox. And don’t forget all the interest from Atlanta in December.
- The Rich Harden trade rumors may just reflect frustration on Billy Beane’s part, and not actual availability.
- Stark also debates whether the Rangers would still be on the hook for $21MM if Alex Rodriguez opts out and then the Yankees re-sign him. Right now it’s an open question.
Jorge Julio Swapped For Byung-Hyun Kim
As you may have heard by now, a couple of down-and-out pitchers were swapped today as the Marlins sent Jorge Julio to the Rockies for Byung-Hyun Kim.
The hurlers have a lot in common – both are free agents after the season, and the Marlins and Rockies were each on the hook for $2.5MM in salary. Plus, both had fallen out of favor with their respective teams.
The Rockies already have a strong duo for the eighth and ninth innings – Manny Corpas and Brian Fuentes. Dan O’Dowd decided to buy low on Julio, a fairly young reliever whose results never seem to match his stuff. From the gist of the MLB.com article, it sounds like O’Dowd worked the phones for months trying to get something interesting for Kim and Julio was the best he could do.
This could be one of those deals that works for both sides, as I’ve considered Kim a bit of a sleeper in recent years. The sidearmer had a decent 7.5 K/9 last year, but still posted a 5.57 ERA in 27 starts. If the Marlins can help him regain the control he had in ’02-03, he could be a pleasant surprise. And what pitcher wouldn’t want to switch from Coors Field to Dolphins Stadium? Coors inflates homers by 12%, while Dolphins Stadium deflates them by 9% (according to the Bill James Handbook). While there are no public plans for it right now, Kim could end up closing for the Fish if current options don’t pan out.
Rosenthal On Dontrelle Willis
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Marlins will probably only listen to offers for starter Dontrelle Willis if they fall out of the race by the July 31st trading deadline. He also adds the interesting fact that a new ballpark for the Marlins could actually encourage them to trade Willis. At least then a public backlash wouldn’t affect a stadium deal.
Both Willis and Miguel Cabrera figure to earn over $10MM next year, and Rosenthal says no Marlin is untouchable. The idea of trading Dontrelle first surfaced about a year ago; I would imagine the Fish have received some decent offers since then. Willis has proven to be quite durable in his four seasons; Larry Beinfest has the luxury of waiting back another year in case he gets that offer he can’t refuse from a desperate team.
Miguel Cabrera’s Trade Preference
Enrique Rojas’s April 20th article on Miguel Cabrera slipped under my radar, but he snagged some interesting quotes from one of the game’s best players.
Cabrera mentioned that if he was traded, he’d prefer to play with Albert Pujols on the Cardinals. Now there’s a 1-2 punch to be reckoned with. That’s Ruth-Gehrig-esque. Cabrera also said he wouldn’t like to play for the Yankees because of the rules. Additionally, he wants to remain at third base and continue to improve his defense.
Cabrera won’t become a free agent until after the 2009 season. His salary jumped from $472K in 2006 to $7.4MM after beating the Marlins in arbitration and setting a new first-year arb record. If he and the Marlins go to arbitration again after this season, he’ll probably set another record by topping $10MM. $12-13MM seems an appropriate reward. Pujols made $14MM in his fifth season in ’06.
Cabrera is already taking up 24% of Florida’s payroll; it could reach 40% in 2008. The trade bounty could be otherworldly; Hanley Ramirez/Anibal Sanchez could pale in comparison. I don’t think the Cards have the players for a trade.
Marlins Interested In Jose Capellan
Could we be adding yet another closer candidate to the Marlins? According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, they’ve got interest in 26 year-old right-handed reliever Jose Capellan. Capellan has thrown 6.1 scoreless innings in Triple A so far.
Past suitors: the Rockies, Giants, Devil Rays, and Nationals. It’s known that the Nats would like to convert Capellan back to starting; maybe the Fish would do the same. Back in ’05 Capellan started 12 games in Triple A, but suffered from control problems.
Unfortunately, the Brewers are asking for too much according to Juan C. Rodriguez’s source. They want "something big" for him.
Ringolsby On Lidge, Otsuka, And More
Esteemed Denver Post writer Tracy Ringolsby drops a few trade rumors on us in this morning’s column.
- Ringolsby writes that the Padres have some rainy-day money saved up to be used specifically for one of three players, if they are available and the team is contending. The players are future free agents Ichiro Suzuki, Andruw Jones, and Torii Hunter. I’m not sure how Mike Cameron would feel about that, and whether it would affect his contract negotiations. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind moving to a corner.
- Should Eric Gagne prove himself healthy and reliable (a long shot), the Red Sox, Indians, and Marlins have interest in acquiring Akinori Otsuka. In my opinion the Phillies might want in on that too. The Mets and Diamondbacks have expressed interest in the past. I’m a bit skeptical that the Marlins would take on another $3MM reliever after the Jorge Julio debacle.
- The same three teams Ringolsby mentioned for Otsuka would have interest in Brad Lidge if available. Also, some major connections between Lidge and the Rockies are described. And Buster Olney mentions the Blue Jays as another possibility in his blog today.
- Ringolsby quotes Joe Nathan as saying his agents have had positive initial talks with the Twins. Yesterday, Jon Heyman of SI.com had a source indicating that talks with Nathan had slowed.