Rosenthal’s Latest: Lohse, Hunter, Contreras
The latest trade and signing rumors from Ken Rosenthal:
- Rosenthal believes Alex Rodriguez‘s ability to play shortstop could increase the number of suitors. Take a look at the free agents – there may not be a single viable option at short this winter. Still, the number of suitors for Rodriguez is severely limited by his massive contract requirement. Not too many clubs aside from the Yankees and Red Sox can get in on $240MM over eight years or whatever. The lack of available, reasonably priced shortstops could compel the Braves and Orioles to aggressively shop Edgar Renteria and Miguel Tejada.
- As a 29 year-old free agent starter with decent stuff, Scott Boras could sell Kyle Lohse as the next Gil Meche this winter. Meche’s work in the season’s first three months would only aid the wishcasting. I put up a little Lohse history here, writing that his deal will likely fall somewhere between Jason Marquis and Meche. Other free agent starters who will be under 30 for the 2008 season: Carlos Zambrano, Jason Jennings, Joe Kennedy, and Byung-Hyun Kim.
- Rosenthal believes the Rangers will bid on Torii Hunter this winter unless they acquire a proven center fielder this summer. He mentions that Jon Daniels set his sights on Shane Victorino but the Phils would rather trade Michael Bourn. Unless the Rangers get a proven guy they will still go after Hunter.
- The Mariners scouted Jose Contreras and Matt Morris recently, but both were lousy. I still think Jennings could sneak in there as the best available starter, but he too hasn’t pitched well in July. Definitely seems like the Mariners will snag some kind of starter.
- Rosenthal disputes Evan Grant’s report of the Brewers and Indians showing interest in Kenny Lofton. The Brewers are getting Bill Hall back soon and the Indians have some outfielders on the road to recovery as well. Perfect, this frees him up for the Cubs!
- Rosenthal mentions the same teams I did for Kevin Millar, but sees an August deal as a possibility. Waiting until August doesn’t seem to make sense for the Orioles, as things get trickier then.
- The Padres could trade Scott Linebrink in order to make payroll room for a starter. Or they could just sign Brian Lawrence. I discussed some other options for the Friars here.
Mets Interested In Dye, Relief Help
According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, the Mets have interest in White Sox right fielder Jermaine Dye. The Mets had also been monitoring Mark Buehrle, but he’s officially off the market now. Gonzales seems to indicate that the Buehrle extension will lessen the Mets’ interest in Dye. Dye’s been awful this season, perhaps limited by his strained quad.
Gonzales’s source also mentioned that Omar Minaya is hunting for bullpen help. A few days ago David Lennon noted that the Mets have an eye on Hector Carrasco. The 37 year-old should be traded somewhere by Friday.
As far as more effective available relievers, Peter Gammons rattled off the usual names in a recent blog entry (Akinori Otsuka, Eric Gagne, Octavio Dotel, Salomon Torres, Brad Lidge, Dan Wheeler, and Chad Qualls). Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog considers Otsuka the perfect fit, though the price could be Lastings Milledge. Another name in Gammons’ list, Brad Lidge, may be unavailable based on Ken Rosenthal’s info. Gammons mentioned one intriguing pitcher that’d certainly be worthy of surrendering Milledge: Zack Greinke. Seems crazy that the Royals would give him up, but he’ll be a hot commodity if they do shop him.
Buehrle’s Counteroffer Rejected
More Buehrle! You know you love it. According to Buster Olney, Mark Buehrle‘s camp proposed an alternative to the full no-trade clause contract. Buehrle’s side asked for the same four-year, $56MM deal, but with a $17MM player option for 2012 that would kick in in the event of a trade. That’d put Buehrle’s deal on par with Roy Oswalt‘s. The White Sox rejected the counteroffer. Ken Rosenthal confirms the info.
There must be something the Sox don’t like about Buehrle, or some secret rebuilding plan in the near future. The fact remains that the team rejected a heavily discounted contract to retain their 28 year-old ace. It’s damn near inexcusable to me, and I’m not even a Sox fan.
We’ve been down this road before – but it really looks like a trade is coming in the near future. Phil Rogers mentioned Kenny Williams’s affinity for Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox and Carlos Gomez of the Mets. Gomez will be out for four to eight weeks with a fractured wrist bone, but that shouldn’t affect his trade value. Don’t forget the Dodgers – they could really use some rotation certainty. It’d probably cost them Matt Kemp.
Thanks to loyal reader Kramerica Industries for the tips.
Buehrle Cleans Out Locker
And in other news, I tidied up my desk today. Mark Buehrle‘s housecleaning, however, is just barely newsworthy. It could be a sign that a deal is impending, or it could just be plain old cleaning. I can speak from experience: I only cleaned out my high school locker when school was out for summer. And I found an old sandwich. Just saying.
Ken Rosenthal mentioned today that various execs still expect Buehrle to be traded. The Dodgers, Mets, and Mariners seem to be the top contenders.
Buehrle, for his part, is as sick of the constant rumors as you are. He’s planning on testing free agency if he doesn’t stay with Chicago.
UPDATE: Jayson Stark is reporting that Williams is asking for three players for Buehrle, two of which must be premium prospects. Ultimately I think KW will settle for just one top prospect. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times would begrudgingly surrender center fielder Adam Jones.
Stark adds that the Red Sox are back in the Buehrle sweepstakes, trying to push Julio Lugo on the White Sox as part of the deal.
MetsBlog On Cordero, Rauch, Milledge
Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog says recent buzz in Washington, D.C. has linked the Mets to relievers Chad Cordero and Jon Rauch. He also adds that Nationals manager and former Mets’ third base coach Manny Acta is a fan of Lastings Milledge.
Milledge suffered from a sprained foot ligament for most of the season, but finally returned to the Triple A lineup on Friday. [Correction: Milledge is still on rehab and won’t return to the Triple A New Orleans club for another week or two.] It figures that many GMs will try to pry away the 22 year-old this month. It’s been said that Minaya wouldn’t trade him for a rental, but Cordero and Rauch are both under contract for a while. Both relievers have strikeout rates around seven per nine innings; the Mets might prefer someone more dominant.
Has Omar Minaya ever struck a deal with Jim Bowden? Sure. Back in June of ’02, when Minaya was GM of the Expos and Bowden was in charge of the Reds. Minaya sent lefty Bruce Chen to the Reds for reliever Jim Brower.
Contreras Actually Lacks No-Trade Clause
The White Sox informed the Chicago Sun-Times today that Jose Contreras‘s no-trade clause actually ran out in November of 2006. So much for Contreras waiving anything. Joe Cowley says the Mets, Braves, and Dodgers are all interested.
I wouldn’t be shocked to see Kenny Williams deal Buehrle and another starter. He could trade Buehrle for a top position player prospect, and then swap Contreras or Javier Vazquez for a younger starter. It will be tough for KW to sit back and close up shop on starters after making a Buehrle trade. A Buehrle trade may only increase the desperation of the remaining clubs. Williams might still have the best available starter in his stable, if the competition is Matt Morris and Jason Jennings.
Mets Considering Paulino For 2008?
According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, the Mets’ front office has never been thrilled with catcher Paul Lo Duca. Rubin recalls their pursuit of Bengie Molina and Ramon Hernandez a couple of offseasons ago before abruptly trading for Lo Duca. Rubin says the Mets are already laying the groundwork for an offseason trade for Pirates’ catcher Ronny Paulino. Lo Duca would like to remain a Met, but the team doesn’t appear interested.
Paulino, 26, had a fine rookie season for the Bucs in 2006. He hit .310/.360/.394 and threw out 36.2% of baserunners with improving mechanics behind the plate. He’s been effective against the running game again this year with 38.5% caught stealing. However, the bottom dropped out on his offensive line, which is not a shock since it was supported mostly by batting average. Paulino’s statistical profile is actually quite similar to that of Ramon Hernandez, so there is definitely hope for him. I’m not sure why the Pirates would give him up, though a Jarrod Saltalamacchia acquisition would be a good reason.
The Orioles could possibly put Hernandez on the market, should they prefer to escape the $15MM+ he’s owed for 2008-09. Jorge Posada will probably re-sign with the Yankees, and the Tigers are likely to exercise Ivan Rodriguez‘s option. That leaves Michael Barrett, Jason Kendall, and Brad Ausmus as the free agent possibilities. The Mets could also turn to internal option Ramon Castro.
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.
Contreras Would Waive No-Trade Clause
According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, a Mark Buehrle contract extension would likely result in a trade of Jose Contreras, Javier Vazquez, or Jon Garland. That’s probably the order of likelihood, too.
Contreras is owed about $4.9MM this year, $10MM in 2008, and another $10MM in 2009. Despite the decline in his strikeout rate, that’s a decent price. He’d make a fine pickup for the Mets this year and would be paired again with countryman Orlando Hernandez. It’s difficult to gauge the Mets’ level of interest right now though.
Contreras really wants to stay with the White Sox, though he would waive his no-trade clause if the team wanted to trade him. I imagine his agent or the Players’ Union might have something to say there, because the player almost always gets something for waiving his NTC.
Latest On Mark Buehrle
It’s all Mark Buehrle, all the time here at MLBTradeRumors. The latest:
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times says a lot of the recent confusion stems from semantics. Sure, Buehrle’s agent and Kenny Williams haven’t spoken. However, intermediaries from both sides have been in contact about a four-year contract extension. It appears that if the White Sox leave Florida tonight without a deal in place, Williams will move forward and trade Buehrle. Cowley says the Mets, Braves, and Dodgers would all be in contention for him. However, I would not be shocked if talks were to extend into the weekend.
- On the other hand, Buehrle’s agent Jeff Berry was very clear yesterday afternoon: "There are no ongoing discussions. I don’t know what else to say other than there are no ongoing discussions. Maybe the White Sox are trying to gain the interest of other teams."
- The reports of Buehrle signing a 4/50 contract were definitely premature. But Buehrle does prefer Chicago over even St. Louis and Ozzie Guillen thinks he’ll stay.
- Scot Gregor could see an agreement happening today.
- Barry Rozner seems to indicate that Jerry Reinsdorf has approved four years, and that a sign and trade could be an option.
- An official with a team looking to acquire Buehrle was told he’s off the market. The extension should be in the $50-60MM range.
- Yahoo’s Tim Brown says Kenny Williams asked for Mike Pelfrey from the Mets and Jon Lester from the Red Sox for Buehrle.