Mets Close To Deal For Luis Castillo
UPDATE: Doesn’t look like the Twins got much here – Double A catcher Drew Butera and High A outfielder Dustin Martin. Martin might become a fourth outfielder one day.
Ken Rosenthal snags another one: the Mets are close to acquiring Luis Castillo for two minor leaguers.
If my memory serves me correctly, this would be Omar Minaya’s first deal since December’s acquisition of Ambiorix Burgos. [Edit: Well, the Jake Gatreau acquisition in June counts.] He’s been uncharacteristically inactive. Is Castillo even an upgrade at second base? Maybe, but it’d be hard to argue he’s a difference-maker. The Mets have a 4.5 game lead over the Braves; Atlanta’s Teixeira and Dotel upgrades may be worth right around that difference.
Finding a lefty-masher to pair with Shawn Green should be Minaya’s next task. Sammy Sosa makes almost too much sense. Jonny Gomes or Brad Wilkerson could work too. Hell, they could throw Damion Easley out there.
Mets Hunting For Reliever, Second Baseman
Pretty much the same old story with the Mets, though Joel Sherman and Mark Hale of the New York Post do have some new tidbits.
- The authors name Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel, and Eric Gagne as relievers on the radar. However it seems the asking price is too high for Gagne and the Indians have become the frontrunner for Dotel (they may have passed the Dodgers). Shawn Chacon doesn’t catch the Mets’ eye, and they don’t want Chad Bradford‘s three-year commitment. They had that option with Bradford this winter. I think that logic is silly – Bradford’s pitched well this year, and acquiring him now would be akin to a two-year contract. Sometimes it seems GMs pass over certain players because they simply want to add a fresh name.
- You can add Al Reyes to the mix for the Mets, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
- The Mets think many of the available starting pitchers could be traded in August – Jose Contreras, Kyle Lohse, and Steve Trachsel for example. I don’t agree on Lohse – he’ll be traded today or tomorrow. But Contreras’s contract would probably get through waivers without a claim.
- The Post reports no substantive talks to the Royals about Mark Grudzielanek. An inquiry has been made on Mark Loretta.
- Meanwhile, Newsday says the Twins are open to trading Luis Castillo but don’t want any of the current Major League Mets. Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger seems to disagree, citing a Twins scout at Shea yesterday. Graziano does not believe Castillo would get through waivers unclaimed. He believes the Twins want Double A starter Kevin Mulvey and then some (perhaps Ruben Gotay).
- Graziano says a deal for Castillo could be expanded to include 28 year-old righty reliever Juan Rincon. Rincon had been consistently solid for three years (perhaps aided by steroids) but has seen his strikeout rate and overall performance plummet in 2007. Rincon is under control next year and will make at least $2MM again.
- Graziano notes that the Mets have talked to the A’s about Joe Blanton, but Billy Beane wants Lastings Milledge. The Mets can’t do that without damaging the current team. The Mets could actually add an outfielder in Jay Payton; the Cubs’ interest has waned. The Sammy Sosa rumor also has some legs, as the Mets could bring him in to platoon with Shawn Green if they decide they can tolerate the sideshow.
Murton Late Scratch; Payton Talks Itensify
UPDATE: While perhaps shopping Murton, the Cubs have had significant talks regarding Baltimore’s Jay Payton. The Cubs would send over two mid-level prospects; does Murton fit that criteria? Payton will make $5MM next year to finish his contract.
UPDATE 2: RotoWorld says Murton was scratched tonight to allow Cliff Floyd to play and then get Sunday off.
Matt Murton was a late scratch for tonight’s Cubs-Reds game. Does it mean anything? We should know soon enough. This time of year, every scratch or unexpected mid-game substitution is magnified.
The Cubs have been talking to the Rangers about lefty reliever Ron Mahay and catcher Gerald Laird, so maybe there’s a connection. The Rangers could definitely find room for Murton in their outfield.
Take it with a grain of salt, but a Cubs source of mine confirms Felix Pie‘s availability (huh?) and says the Cubs made an inquiry on Torii Hunter. While intriguing, I wouldn’t expect either player to be traded.
Latest Mets Rumors: Luis Castillo, Chad Cordero
Let’s have a look at the latest rumors swirling around the Mets.
- Second base remains an area of focus. A Twins scout was at Shea recently, presumably trying to figure out what to ask for from the Mets for Luis Castillo. The Mets were recently scouting the Twins as well. The problem is that Castillo is not yet officially available. A couple of Marks, Grudzielanek and Loretta, remain on the radar. The Astros might consider signing Loretta to an extension, though no details have been discussed.
- The Devil Rays hosted the Red Sox last night, and a Mets scout was on hand. Speculation on my part, but possible targets include Ty Wigginton, Jonny Gomes, Edwin Jackson, Al Reyes, and Casey Fossum. The Mets had some interest in Jackson way back in November.
- According to Dan Graziano, the Mets are still pushing for Chad Cordero or Jon Rauch. Graziano is skeptical that the Nationals can arrive at a trade. Matthew Cerrone believes the Mets might give up Mike Pelfrey to get Cordero.
- Will Carroll has some other relievers the Mets are considering: Matt Thornton, Chad Bradford, and Shawn Chacon.
- The Mets had a scout in attendance yesterday to watch Jon Garland. He gave up ten hits but only three runs in 7.1 innings to the Blue Jays.
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.
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.
Molony On Jennings, Slowey
Jim Molony’s column today at MLB.com has many good trade rumors that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Let’s discuss.
- Molony says at least a dozen scouts watched Jason Jennings toss a quality start last night. He needed it; I was beginning to think he wasn’t right. Still, the performance probably isn’t enough to cause some team to offer a package for Jennings superior to two draft picks.
- The Diamondbacks and Pirates had a scouting presence at the Astros-Dodgers game. Interesting players appearing in the contest included James Loney, Andre Ethier, Wilson Betemit, Mark Loretta, Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, and Brad Lidge. You connect the dots, I have no idea.
- The Red Sox suggested sending Joel Pineiro to the A’s for Bobby Kielty in a swap of unwanteds; they were rebuffed.
- The Phillies and Braves watched Matt Morris allow four runs in six innings on Tuesday. They also may have been monitoring Steve Kline, who also pitched.
- A Devil Rays scout watched the Twins in Toronto on Tuesday. Ty Wigginton is thought to be a target for Minnesota. Perhaps the Rays’ scout fancied Scott Baker, who started for the Twins and went seven innings. Baker would be a stupendous return for Wiggy, in my opinion.
- The Phillies had their assistant GM scouting Kevin Slowey‘s start on Saturday. Molony suggests Minnesota might want Pat Burrell. That would involve a ridiculous amount of salary relief and a lack of Slowey. Slowey allowed one run in six innings in the game.
- UPDATE: Just realized that the above pair of bullets seem to have originated from La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The scout watching the Twins on Tuesday was Lee Elia. Not sure why Molony didn’t cite this source, but I suppose he may have come across the info independently.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Santana, Glaus
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up, dealing more in speculation that actual rumors. Nothing wrong with that.
- Rosenthal as well as Barry Bonds‘s agent believe the Giants will retain him for the 2008 season. However, Brian Sabean could begin to rebuild nonetheless. The patchwork aging veteran approach of 2007 need not be repeated.
- It would be interesting to see what Terry Ryan could get if he made an uncharacteristically bold move by trading Johan Santana this summer. He would be able to get one or two of the very best young players in the game. Keep in mind, though, that Santana has a full no-trade clause this year. He gets the same for ’08 with a top three Cy Young finish this year. Santana wants to stay in Minnesota, and would offer a hometown discount.
- Rosenthal speculates that if J.P. Ricciardi would deal within the division, maybe the Yankees could get Troy Glaus as A-Rod insurance. Glaus could play first base for the remainder of this season. Ricciardi isn’t shopping Glaus though; he said he’d need to be knocked over to break up the core lineup. That would mean one of the Yankees’ much-hyped pitching prospects (not Hughes, but something good).
A’s May Trade Piazza Instead of Johnson
If Mike Piazza can’t catch – and it looks like he can’t – the A’s pretty much have to unload Piazza or Dan Johnson once the former is ready to play.
Susan Slusser notes that possibly interested teams, such as the Twins, Yankees, and Angels, may prefer to go after Piazza. The cost would mainly be in salary, whereas the cheap and league average Johnson will require a decent player in return. So the question for Billy Beane is which does he want more? Relief from the remaining $3.88MM on Piazza’s contract or a solid prospect and an open spot for Daric Barton?
The A’s are not usually sellers at the trading deadline, so we don’t have much precedent. I like a Johnson move a little bit more.
Twins, Yankees Like Dan Johnson
There’s a lot of buzz going around that the A’s may become sellers soon, nine games back in their division and eight out in the Wild Card. Typical impending free agent parts like Mike Piazza and Shannon Stewart are candidates to be moved.
Another player Billy Beane could trade is first baseman Dan Johnson. Johnson is nowhere near free agency, but top prospect Daric Barton is knocking on the door. Having Johnson under contract through 2011 (if my math is correct) would make him especially valuable to a cost-conscious team like the Twins. Makes a lot more sense than Ty Wigginton.
Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press says the A’s are intent on trading Johnson, and speculates that he’d be a fine fit at DH. Buster Olney adds the Yankees and Red Sox to the mix. However, I think Buster may have accidentally misread the Walters article as far as the Boston part.
Johnson had an off year in 2006, but corrected double vision in the offseason and is hitting a solid .260/.369/.455 this year. Granted that’s just a hair above average for a 1B/DH, but it’s a lot better than what the Twins have been running out there. If Beane can pry away one of the Twins’ young pitchers – I keep bringing up Scott Baker – I imagine a deal can get done.