Rosenthal’s Latest: Andruw, Lidge, Gwynn Jr.
Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up at FOXSports for your viewing pleasure.
- Rosenthal believes that despite Andruw Jones‘s lousy May and June, he’ll still cash in this winter as the best available center fielder. He’ll still provide more offense than Torii Hunter in the long run.
- The Nationals are still asking for the moon in trade talks. If Jim Bowden does start acting reasonable, Dmitri Young, Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch, and Ryan Church could be dealt. Word via Bill Ladson of MLB.com is that only the Braves have inquired on Young.
- Brad Lidge is expected to remain an Astro. The main reason: Drayton McLane still doesn’t think his team is out of it. Most simulations a 2% chance or less of reaching the playoffs. If the Astros finally do acknowledge reality, they’d prefer to trade relievers other than Lidge (ie, Dan Wheeler or Chad Qualls).
- The Rangers and Brewers were close to a trade: Akinori Otsuka to the Brewers for Tony Gwynn Jr. Rosenthal seemed to dislike it, but I think it made sense for the Crew. Regardless, Bill Hall‘s injury thwarted the deal as Gwynn will be needed to man center.
- The new plan for the Brewers is to call up 29 year-old Grant Balfour, who’s dominated in the minors. He endured elbow and shoulder woes before undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of ’05. In the midst of his TJ recovery, Balfour developed the need for shoulder surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff and labrum. This guy would be pumping gas if he’d been born a few decades earlier. After the surgeries, the Twins cut Balfour and the Reds snagged him. Balfour rehabbed with the Reds but never made it to the bigs; the Brewers claimed him off waivers in October of ’06. He’s all the way back; Johnny Estrada was singing his praises back in February.
Tigers Acquire Jose Capellan
The Brewers finally traded reliever Jose Capellan; the Tigers snagged the 26 year-old for southpaw Chris Cody.
Many teams kicked the tires on Capellan, but I hadn’t seen the Tigers mentioned previously. His work at Triple A was OK. His 7.1 K/9 was nothing special, and his control wasn’t great. Same story since his recall to the bigs. I’m not sure how much he’s going to help the Tigers, but they will take anything they can get right now.
Cody, 23, had just earned a promotion from the Low A Michigan Whitecaps to the High A Lakeland Tigers after posting a 6.1 K/BB. He was old for his level, and still isn’t anyone to get excited about. Doug Melvin originally expected "something big" in return for Capellan.
Marlins, Brewers Scouting White Sox
According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, the Marlins and Brewers have been scouting the White Sox lately.
Gonzales believes the Marlins may be looking at Triple A center fielder Brian Anderson. He mentions that the Fish have been fans of BA for quite a while. Anderson is currently a member of the Charlotte Knights, but did not play in today’s blowout against Pawtucket. Anderson is 25 now and hitting just .239/.302/.364 in Triple A. A fresh start in a new organization could help.
Gonzales says the Brewers have been scouting Chicago’s pitching. Not sure how a team that just demoted Yovani Gallardo to the bullpen would be in need of pitching, but you can never have too much.
Gagne/Otsuka Suitors
Teams are lining up to pluck away the top two members of the Rangers’ bullpen, and Jon Daniels is in "listening mode."
MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan has the scoop: the Diamondbacks, Cubs, Red Sox, and Yankees are the top suitors for Eric Gagne. The Mets, Braves, Phillies, Tigers, and Brewers are focused on Akinori Otsuka. And the Tribe likes both relievers.
Benefits of Gagne: he can be unhittable and he’ll give you two good draft picks after the season. Plus he seems to be finally healthy. The Indians, despite their interest, are not on Gagne’s list of 12 teams he can be dealt to without his consent.
The benefit of Otsuka is that you have him through 2009. That’s why the Rangers are more likely to hang on to him. Conversely, a team like the Mets would prefer him because he’s not a rental.
Latest Mark Buehrle Trade Rumors
Mark Buehrle is a popular man right now, and I’ve decided to cover today’s trade rumors in a bullet point format.
- Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald thinks the Dodgers would be a fine fit for Buehrle, given the loss of Jason Schmidt and their bevy of top prospects. Given that ten teams are looking at Buehrle and we’ve only confirmed five, talks may already be occurring between Ned Colletti and Kenny Williams.
- Ozzie Guillen tries to defend against detractors: "A lot of people say, ‘Oh, they quit. Oh, they should make an offer to Buehrle.’ They did, I think." The Daily Southtown notes that the offer was a meager three years, $30MM. The Sox made that offer at the height of Buehrle’s ineffectiveness.
- The New York Post says the Mets will only trade for Buehrle if they get a 72-hour window to sign him. Rosenthal said on Friday that that’s not happening. The Mets’ urgency to acquire a starter is related to how Pedro Martinez looks in coming weeks.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday says that while the Mets and Yankees are confirmed among the ten interested clubs, neither plans to offer "serious prospects" for Buehrle. That seems to mean that Lastings Milledge, Philip Humber, Mike Pelfrey, Joba Chamberlain, and Phil Hughes are out. Davidoff shows that Omar Minaya and Kenny Williams have clearly been talking, and confirms Omar’s interest in Jose Contreras.
- Joel Sherman thinks the Mets are in on Buehrle for two reasons: in case the price surprisingly plummets, and to raise the price for Atlanta.
- Adam Rubin says all veteran Sox pitchers are available – except Jon Garland.
- You may have noticed that Kenny Williams recently issued a nondenial of the Buehrle-to-Boston rumor, saying "Not today." The Red Sox weren’t amused by that, and a deal is not close. The Boston Globe agrees, adding that Boston won’t part with Clay Buchholz or Jacoby Ellsbury. Nonetheless, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post thinks the Red Sox are the favorite for Buehrle, and they’d sign him to a contract extension.
- Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports on chatter that the Cardinals have offered Anthony Reyes, John Rodriguez, and one prospect for Buehrle. Burwell would make the deal, even if that prospect is Bryan Anderson.
- GM Doug Melvin in response to Ken Rosenthal’s Buehrle-to-Brewers rumor: "This is the month for Internet rumors." Damn straight, Doug. Actually, July and December are the big ones. Melvin says he hasn’t talked to Kenny Williams, in reality. Maybe Melvin wouldn’t part with Yovani Gallardo or Ryan Braun for Buehrle, but another prospect has emerged in Manny Parra. Parra tossed a perfect game in Triple A last night.
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.
Brewers Trade Bait
There’s not a lot of trade rumors on the wire today, so I thought I’d pitch in a few semi-original thoughts.
As most of you probably know, the Brewers have the best record in baseball, largely thanks to great depth and a solid bench. Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo are knocking hard at the door to the big leagues, suggesting that Doug Melvin will soon have some decisions to make. There aren’t any glaring holes for the Brewers at this point (except for third base, which could be solved by promoting Braun), but there are some players who could find other homes before the trade deadline.
The most likely candidates are Tony Graffanino and Craig Counsell. Only one will be dealt, but when Braun arrives, one almost surely will be dealt, and that one is likely to be Graffanino. (Counsell is a better shortstop, and he’s signed to a two-year deal.) Graffanino arrived via trade from the Royals last year for Jorge de la Rosa, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he brings a similar haul this year: a decent-upside pitcher with no home in his current organization.
It’s also a safe bet that Kevin Mench and Geoff Jenkins will keep coming up in rumors. Mench has been connected recently with the Angels, and has seemingly been in trade rumors for the majority of his career. Mench has the more tradeable contract, but Jenkins is the more expendable player: the Brewers currently have three left-handed outfielders on the club, including Gabe Gross, who is probably about as good as Jenkins will be when he cools down.
But if a serious need arises for Milwaukee, neither Mench nor Graffanino is likely to get a deal done. That’s where the team’s pitching depth is likely to come in handy. Carlos Villanueva is currently pitching well out of the bullpen, but could start for many MLB teams. Gallardo and Zach Jackson are both pitching in Triple-A right now, and while Gallardo is by far the better prospect, Jackson has a 3.61 ERA and threw a complete game one-hitter last night. At number eight on the depth chart, his future may be with another organization. If everyone is healthy when Gallardo gets called up, Claudio Vargas may end up on the block, as well.
There also may be bullpen arms to spare: Brewers fans aren’t excited about current occupants-of-roster-space Elmer Dessens or Chris Spurling, but there may never be room for both Greg Aquino and Jose Capellan. The market for Capellan thus far apparently hasn’t done much for Doug Melvin, but things could change as injuries continue to hit contending teams.
As I mentioned above, there are no current glaring needs that would lead Melvin to move any of those players. Nearly everyone in the organization has publicly said that the team is no longer planning for the future at the expense of the present, so it seems unlikely that, say, Mench would be traded for a couple of Double-A pitchers. The most likely scenario is that an injury would strike and Melvin would quickly deal from strength to plug the hole.
Brewers fans may be excited at the prospect of being buyers at the deadline for the first time in decades, but as it looks right now, teams are much more likely to call Melvin with an eye on what he has to offer.
By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball
Angels Interested In Garrett Atkins
Last year, Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins was the second-best hitter at his position, behind only Miguel Cabrera. Atkins isn’t set to reach free agency until 2011, making him a very valuable commodity. The Rockies had talks with him this offseason about a deal covering his arbitration years and first year of free agency, but no agreement could be reached.
Now, both the Denver Post and L.A. Times are reporting that the Angels are interested in trading for Atkins. Troy E. Renck of the Post says Atkins’s name first came up during the Winter Meetings when the two clubs were discussing a Todd Helton deal. Renck writes that Ervin Santana would be a must in any trade and that the Angels also have interest in Brad Hawpe and Jeff Baker. He also says Atkins is still considered a core member of the team, so a deal is unlikely. I wonder if Bill Stoneman is trying to take advantage of a subpar start for Atkins – his defense hasn’t been pretty and his power has been MIA.
From the L.A. side, Mike DiGiovanna adds several players on the Halos’ radar: Kevin Mench, Jacque Jones, Pat Burrell, Emil Brown, Morgan Ensberg, and Edwin Encarnacion. DiGiovanna agrees that Santana is the top trading chip. Santana could really blossom in the National League. With Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton struggling and Brett Myers in the pen, the Phillies probably have the strongest need. Starters Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley could be used if the Angels want to make a smaller deal.
As long as the Angels are making an all-out blitz for a third baseman, let’s speculate on some other possibilities. Mike Lowell, Chad Tracy, Hank Blalock have all been rumored in the past; the Rangers clearly have the biggest need for a starter. Santana, however, could be Brandon McCarthy all over again with his flyball tendencies.
Capellan Placed On Restricted List
Exiled Brewers reliever Jose Capellan was placed on the minor league restricted list today for failing to report to the Nashville Sounds today or yesterday. I believe this means he doesn’t get paid. The restricted list is a favorite tool of the Pirates (Jody Gerut, Raul Mondesi, Chris Duffy).
I’m sure the Brewers are less than thrilled with his attitude, and they’ve been trying to trade him for a while now. Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal wrote that there was "little demand" for Capellan around baseball despite his six scoreless innings in Triple A. Still, many teams have at least inquired.
Doug Melvin is determined not to "sell low" on Capellan – a trade seems inevitable, but the Brewers are in no hurry.
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.