Perrotto’s Latest: Waivers, Extensions, Garcia, Braves
John Perrotto over at Baseball Prospectus has his Every Given Sunday column up:
- Perrotto lists off several people which he believes are the most likely to be made available if and when they clear waivers. While the list is comprised of a lot of the usual suspects this August (Greg Maddux, Jarrod Washburn, Paul Byrd, Randy Winn), Perrotto lists some other names that we haven’t seen as much: Francisco Cordero, Tyler Walker, Todd Jones, Jose Bautista, and Doug Mientkiewicz. Perrotto also says that he feels Aubrey Huff has the best chance to be traded of any impact bat available.
- Perrotto states that the Rockies would like to sign both Garrett Atkins and Matt Holliday long-term. If unsuccessful, they will both be on the trading block this offseason.
- The Pirates would like to sign Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit long-term as well, buying out their arbitration years.
- Perrotto lists the Yankees as the front-runners to sign Freddy Garcia. The Mets and Rays are also suitors for Garcia, though I personally don’t think Garcia makes sense for the Rays.
- The Yankees have "little interest" in pursuing Manny Ramirez this offseason, despite possible reports that Manny would like to play for them.
- The Twins would still like to add a late-inning reliever this season to boost their bullpen as the AL Central race winds down.
- The Braves’ top priority this offseason is pursuing a front-line starter, Perrotto says. He lists possible candidates as: C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Ryan Dempster, Derek Lowe, and Jon Garland. Seems a bit odd to consider the last three "front-line," though Dempster has certainly been impressive this season.
Rockies Acquire Livan Hernandez
9:52pm: ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a blog post contradicting a piece of info from Ringolsby. Gammons says the Mets did not put in a waiver claim on Hernandez. They prefer in-house options.
4:04pm: Ken Rosenthal says Livan is now officially a Rockie. The Rockies will pay the rest of his contract. August is a fine time for teams to unload millions owed to mediocre veteran pitchers.
WEDNESDAY, 9:52am: Some additional information from Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News: the Rockies will make a waiver claim on Josh Fogg in the unlikely event the Twins pull Hernandez back. The Twins might be trying to wrangle a player out of the Rockies in addition to the salary relief.
Ringoslby says the Mets and possibly the Cardinals also made claims on Hernandez.
TUESDAY: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Rockies won their waiver claim on Livan Hernandez. Apparently the Rox beat out another NL team with a better record. Apparently no American League team put in a claim.
At the least, the Twins will dump off Hernandez just to be free of his contract. At most, they might be able to snag some kind of fringe prospect. Hernandez is owed another $1.5MM, plus incentives.
Odds and Ends: Livan, Maddux, Meredith, Fielder
Here are today’s links.
- Live chat today here at 2pm CST.
- MiLB.com is holding a charity auction with all kinds of memorabilia. Check it out.
- NPB Tracker takes a look at Japanese closer Hitoki Iwase, who should draw plenty of interest from MLB teams this winter.
- Trading Greg Maddux to the Dodgers is still possible, though unlikely. There’s also word that the Padres "tested the trade value" of Cla Meredith last week.
- Livan Hernandez is expected to clear waivers today. We know the Rockies have discussed him internally, and Buster Olney speculates the Mets might be interested. The D’Backs are not likely to bring him back.
- The Tigers reportedly asked for Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins for Ivan Rodriguez.
- I did a Q&A with Philly Sports 101.
- Tom Haudricourt has details on Prince Fielder‘s dugout shoves of teammate Manny Parra.
- Joba Chamberlain is experiencing shoulder stiffness and will probably end up on the DL. It appears his labrum and rotator cuff are OK, at least.
Livan Hernandez To Be Designated
3:25pm: Joe Christensen says both Hernandez and Craig Monroe will likely be DFA’d today. Both were questionable acquisitions from Day 1. Francisco Liriano and Randy Ruiz will join the Twins.
8:23am: According to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins are expected to designate Livan Hernandez for assignment today to make room for Francisco Liriano. The Twins are prepared to eat the remaining $1.66MM on Hernandez’s contract.
It’s the right move, just several weeks too late. Hernandez turned into a pumpkin in late May, while Liriano has been on a tear for about a month.
It seems that the Twins may have been looking to trade Boof Bonser to clear a spot for Liriano. Talks with the Giants and Rangers did not pan out however.
Twins Rumors: Bonser, Beltre, Roberts, Monroe
La Velle E. Neal III and Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune have the latest Twins buzz.
- The Twins would like to trade Boof Bonser to make room for Francisco Liriano. The Giants and Rangers might be interested.
- Targets for the Twins: relief help, third base, and second base.
- Talks for Adrian Beltre are not dead. The Mariners are eyeing Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, and Denard Span. The Twins aren’t biting. Sounds like the Mariners want a premium arm for Beltre from the Twins or Giants, but those teams see it as more of a salary dump.
- The Twins asked about Brian Roberts but couldn’t get anywhere.
- The Rays might be looking at Craig Monroe as a bench option.
Twins Looking For A Second Baseman?
According to Bob Dutton of the KC Star, the Twins are in the market for a second baseman. Alexi Casilla has a serious thumb injury. Dutton mentions Mark Grudzielanek, Rich Aurilia, and Brian Roberts as possibilities. Roberts, however, may be off the market. Dutton says the Twins could use Boof Bonser and Craig Monroe as bait.
Here’s a look at the trade market for second basemen.
Stark’s Latest: Aurilia, Fuentes, Orlando Cabrera
New collection of rumors from ESPN’s Jayson Stark…
- The Twins have asked the Giants about Rich Aurilia. They’ve been dangling Boof Bonser for a position player; would they trade him back to San Francisco for Aurilia?
- On the Phillies’ radar: John Grabow, Will Ohman, Arthur Rhodes, and Jack Taschner.
- A Brian Fuentes trade remains doubtful.
- The White Sox will trade Orlando Cabrera for the right pitcher. The Sox aren’t generating much interest in their prospects.
Rangers Rumors: Laird, Greinke, Bonser, Masset
Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has Rangers rumors for us today.
- Wilson sums up the suitors for catcher Gerald Laird: Yankees, Reds, Marlins, and Brewers. The Giants could also jump in if they trade Bengie Molina. Wilson heard that the Rangers are not shopping Laird, though.
- The Rangers inquired on three pitchers recently: Zack Greinke of the Royals, Boof Bonser of the Twins, and Nick Masset of the White Sox. Greinke would be near-impossible to pry loose, though Chris Davis would be an interesting offer.
Graziano’s Latest: Dunn, Putz, Laird
Time to check in with Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger.
- Graziano calls Adam Dunn "the man without a rumor." Even with his flaws this one is hard to figure out. [UPDATE: SI.com’s Jon Heyman is finally hearing a couple of teams are in on Dunn.]
- John Maine‘s rotator cuff strain has the Mets looking at pitching. Graziano suggests names like Livan Hernandez, Paul Byrd, and Jarrod Washburn.
- The Mets have talked to the Tigers about Scott Schoeneweis. They’d have to replace him, maybe with Arthur Rhodes or Eddie Guardado.
- The Mariners will listen on J.J. Putz, but he won’t come cheap. The Cardinals and Red Sox have interest. Putz is signed through ’09 with an option for ’10.
- The Yankees and Marlins have asked about catcher Gerald Laird, while many teams like Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
- The Braves are willing to trade Will Ohman and Mark Kotsay.
Everett Remains With Twins
11:07pm: Everett was actually given an optional "contemplative assignment form," and he’s now back with the Twins.
8:22pm: The Twins designated shortstop Adam Everett for assignment this evening. He’s been hurt this year, but Everett has always been an all-glove player. Jayson Stark noted that the Dodgers are not looking for a frontline shortstop, but rather a fill-in for Rafael Furcal. Everett would make sense once he clears waivers.