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.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Ibanez, Ohman, Fuentes
The latest from rumor guru Ken Rosenthal:
- The Mariners are not having much luck stirring interest in Jarrod Washburn and Raul Ibanez. Only the Mets are seriously looking at Ibanez, and they don’t like the price. The D’Backs aren’t interested. Exacerbating the situation is that interim GM Lee Pelekoudas may feel compelled to make a good impression on the higher-ups.
- The Braves chose Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek over an offer of Chad Tracy and Micah Owings from the D’Backs. I’m surprised the Diamondbacks didn’t go a little further. The Braves tried to expand the deal and send Will Ohman to the Angels, but a match could not be found. Ohman remains likely to go, with the Rays, Cardinals, and Red Sox named as suitors.
- Rosenthal notes that the Angels have a ton of offseason decisions to make, with club options and free agents all over the place.
- The Rockies might be slightly more willing to trade Brian Fuentes following recent losses. However, they still want a young starting pitcher for him.
Odds and Ends: Street, Zaun, Guardado, Blalock
Let’s round up some odds and ends for a rumor-packed day.
- The Reds had a scout at a recent Rangers-A’s game; they may have been eyeing a Texas catcher.
- Billy Beane is still fielding offers for Huston Street; Jon Heyman mentions the same teams we’ve heard in the past.
- Ed Wade told Miguel Tejada he’s staying put.
- Gregg Zaun would welcome a trade. GM J.P. Ricciardi responded by saying "someone has to want you." The Marlins could make sense; their catcher hunt may hinge on Matt Treanor‘s decision whether to have surgery.
- John Maine has a mild rotator cuff strain. I wonder if this will affect the chances of long-term extension talks with Maine. Anyway, it’d make sense to bring in some rotation insurance.
- Geoff Baker says the Brewers, Marlins, and Tigers are eyeing Eddie Guardado.
- Hank Blalock is on the DL and off the trade market.
- Ken Davidoff believes the Mets are scouting George Sherrill.
Molony’s Latest: Ohman, Fuentes, Sherrill, Tejada
Here’s a new column from MLB.com’s Jim Molony.
- Will Ohman suitors: the Marlins, Red Sox, Rays, Tigers and White Sox. Molony says the Braves aren’t highly motivated to trade Ohman, as they might want to re-sign him for ’09. Odd.
- The Rockies would need to be bowled over, but the Cardinals, Mets, Phillies, Rays, Red Sox, White Sox and Yankees still like Brian Fuentes.
- George Sherrill suitors: Cardinals, Dodgers, Marlins, Phillies, Red Sox and Tigers. He’s another reliever unlikely to be dealt.
- Molony disagrees with other reports on the Red Sox and Miguel Tejada; he says they did inquire but were rebuffed.
Mets Rumors: Manny, Ibanez, Bullpen
12:06pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney ranks the Mets’ priorities as reliever, corner outfielder, and starter, in that order. They’re currently discussing Ibanez with the Mariners, but not much has come of it yet.
10:17am: Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger doesn’t buy the denials – he says Mets GM Omar Minaya remains interested in Manny Ramirez. The Mets rank Ramirez above alternatives like Raul Ibanez, Adam Dunn, and Randy Winn, and might make certain prospects available just for Manny. Is Jon Niese among them? Niese is thought to be untouchable, and was promoted to Triple A today.
Meanwhile Mets manager Jerry Manuel endorsed Fernando Tatis at the everyday left fielder. David Lennon doesn’t expect a trade unless the price comes down on Ibanez. Can Tatis continue to channel his glory days, when he posted a .957 OPS with 34 home runs for the ’99 Cardinals?
Graziano also talked to an NL official familiar with the Mets’ plans. That person said the Mets are considering a bullpen overhaul where they would ship out Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis and bring in different relievers.
Carroll’s Latest: Torrealba, Wheeler, Dunn
Here’s the latest from Will Carroll at Baseball Prospectus. Some of this info is from this afternoon, so I apologize for the tardiness.
- The Rockies may still move a lesser player like Yorvit Torrealba, if anyone’s interested. There doesn’t seem to be a match with the catching-hungry Marlins though.
- Carroll tosses a new name into the relief market: Dan Wheeler. Would the Rays part with him?
- Carroll’s sources don’t think much of the recent Jeff Kent rumor.
- The White Sox have been aggressive in their relief pursuit; the Twins have been passive in general. The Mets, Rays, and Phillies have been quiet.
- Still no interest in Adam Dunn. The man has 30 home runs! Carroll says David Weathers is drawing some inquiries.
Red Sox Have Little Interest In Tejada
10:39pm: Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says the Red Sox have "almost no interest" in Tejada. Other teams are considering Tejada, but a trade is unlikely.
8:18pm: It’s possible the Tigers are also in the mix for Tejada. They are among many teams scouting the Astros (the Nationals, Mets, Rangers, and Giants are others).
7:04pm: According to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas, the Red Sox and Astros have discussed shortstop Miguel Tejada. Rojas is not sure how far the trade talk has progressed. Tejada seemed open to the idea in a quote given to Rojas.
Tejada is hitting .281/.318/.420 in 431 plate appearances this year. The Astros are hoping a move to the #2 spot in the order will continue to revive his bat. Tejada is owed about $4.6MM more this year, plus $13MM in ’09. It was revealed in April that Tejada is 34 years old rather than 32 as was previously thought.
Theo Epstein and Ed Wade have matched up on trades before, when Wade was working for Phillies. One of those was Jeremy Giambi for Josh Hancock back in ’02.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Monday
9:35pm: The D’Backs are considered "highly unlikely" to acquire Ramirez. So now we have denials from all four teams named this morning.
9:08pm: The Dodgers would only be interested in Ramirez if the Red Sox took Andruw Jones back.
8:42pm: Peter Gammons has some unkind words for Manny.
6:46pm: Cross the Mets off the list too, according to Jayson Stark.
3:06pm: GM Pat Gillick says the Phillies have no interest in Ramirez. He makes the fairly obvious point that the Phils don’t have an open position for Manny.
9:26am: Click here for a refresher on yesterday’s Manny Ramirez rumors. He said he would approve a trade, if the Red Sox can find one. Todd Zolecki noted that the Phillies have discussed Manny internally.
- Dan Graziano and Ed Price of the Newark Star-Ledger talked to an official who says the Mets and Phillies are both in "serious pursuit" of Ramirez. If so, why do both teams have no interest in Adam Dunn? Graziano and Price think Ramirez would command big-name prospects like Fernando Martinez or Lou Marson.
- Sean McAdam says the Sox have spoken to four teams about Manny: the Phillies, Mets, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers. McAdam says Ramirez will waive his no-trade clause for a guarantee that his options will be declined. Additionally, the Red Sox might consider kicking in money to get better players in return.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday says the Mets aren’t interested in Ramirez and continue to eye Raul Ibanez. However, the asking price may be too high.
- Paul Hagen finds no indication that the Phillies are interested. And unless Pat Burrell is included in a deal, he or Ramirez would have to play right field. Umm…no.
- Jeff Passan thinks that all things considered, Manny still might be worth keeping in Boston for $20MM in ’09.
Odds and Ends: Glover, Coke, Posada, Maine
Time for another round of odds and ends this evening.
- I did a Yankee-centric Q&A with the blog Fowl Balls.
- RotoAuthority attempts to project next year’s first round in fantasy baseball drafts.
- The Rays designated Gary Glover for assignment. Glover, 31, experienced even worse control this year en route to a 5.82 ERA.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman denied the report that prospect Phil Coke has a torn labrum.
- The Xavier Nady acquisition allowed the Yankees to commit to season-ending shoulder surgery for Jorge Posada.
- John Maine left his start tonight with shoulder stiffness. If it’s serious, Omar Minaya might want to check the starting pitching market.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Fuentes, Laird
Here’s Ken Rosenthal’s latest.
- Rosenthal firmly believes the Braves will find a match on a Mark Teixeira trade. He finds the D’Backs and Angels as the most reasonable fits. ESPN’s Keith Law says the Braves have spoken to at least four teams about Tex within the past two days.
- Despite yesterday’s "highly unlikely" comment from Dan O’Dowd, Rosenthal says the Rockies would trade Brian Fuentes for a young MLB-ready starter.
- It’s still possible that the Mets stand pat on a corner outfielder and just deal with it internally or make a minor trade in August.
- Rosenthal talked to one club official who finds a 50% chance of Gerald Laird or Jarrod Saltalamacchia being traded before the deadline. The Rangers want young pitching.