Mets Trade Rumor: Milledge For Oswalt Or Schmidt
Jon Heyman busts out a big one early Monday morning: the Mets are in "serious talks" for Jason Schmidt or Roy Oswalt. The key to any deal would be Lastings Milledge.
Heyman mentions that Brian Bannister would be needed to pry Oswalt away but not Schmidt. He also says Aaron Heilman could be used to "enhance" a deal.
It seems now that Oswalt really is in play, which is strange given the Astros’ lack of depth behind Roger Clemens. Speaking of which, why not put the Rocket on the block instead?
Carroll: Marquis For Heilman?
Fueled by pierogis, time to write up another rumor before I hit the hay. Monday should be good times.
According to Will Carroll this evening, the Mets and Cardinals are talking about an Aaron Heilman for Jason Marquis swap. Most Mets fans seem up in arms at the possibility.
After all, Marquis will be a free agent after this season and currently sports a 5.67 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. "But wait!" you’re saying. "What about those times Tony La Russa sacrificed his ERA to save the bullpen?" Alright, alright, let’s take those out (which is more than a tad generous). Removing Marquis’s 12 and 13 earned run starts, he’s got a 4.39 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. That actually makes Marquis look like an above average pitcher. Indeed, he is a pretty solid back of the rotation guy.
Heilman has stumbled a bit this season, posting a 4.32 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 58 innings of relief. He’s actually improved upon his control a bit, but his strikeout rate is down significantly and his hit rate is subsequently way up. It’d be interesting to see what a Dave Duncan or Don Cooper could do with him. Could he be worked back into a starting role? It’s not out of the question but success as a starter is no slam dunk. Just ask Ryan Madson.
Gotham Baseball On The Mets
Gotham Baseball’s Mark Healey has an update with the latest buzz surrounding the Mets.
Healey talks to various team officials and uncovers Billy Beane’s reported asking price for Barry Zito: John Maine, Carlos Gomez, and Aaron Heilman.
If you’re not familiar with Gomez, here’s a little background. He’s a 20 year-old CF/RF currently residing in Double A. Gomez is holding his own with a .281/.341/.432 line so far, including a blistering July (1.096 OPS). He’s a raw prospect and has struggled with lefties. Baseball America seems enamored of his tools and ranked him third among Mets prospects entering the season.
Healey also notes that the Mets have put in another inquiry on Livan Hernandez, only to learn that the Nats are trying to force a Soriano-Livan package deal upon the Mets. In searching for a positive about Hernandez’s performance this season, I did discover that he’s had 12 quality starts this year. That’s as many as Brad Penny, Jake Peavy, or Aaron Harang.
Stark: Mets, Rangers, Red Sox Inquire On Jason Schmidt
Jayson Stark’s got a good one for us this evening over in his Stark Market. Stark indicates that the Giants are now listening to offers for Jason Schmidt on the heels of their recent losing streak. Apparently the Mets, Red Sox, and Rangers have inquired.
Schmidt will be a free agent after this season, and he’s said he would like to play for the Mariners. The 33 year-old grew up in Kelso, Washington.
If the Giants really do change gears and pack it in for 2006, Moises Alou and Ray Durham could be a couple of other names that could interest teams as the deadline clock ticks away.
Milledge Lifted From Tonight’s Game?
I don’t have the details yet, but it appears leadoff hitter Lastings Milledge was pulled from the Norfolk Tides game tonight after one at-bat (a strikeout). Does that mean he’s Oakland-bound? I’ll look into it.
UPDATE: Never mind, he was ejected. False alarm.
Trade Rumor Roundup: 9 Days Left
Let’s see what we’ve got this morning in the non-Hillenbrand department…
This is cool: a commenter over at Viva El Birdos emailed Dontrelle Willis‘s agent, Matt Sosnick, asking about the latest trade rumor. Meanwhile, Jayson Stark was adamant in his chat Friday that Willis will not be traded.
Enough with the Mike Lowell for Jake Peavy rumors, folks. No. Freakin’. Way. I know Buster Olney mentioned that Boston must’ve been targeting a notable pitcher given how well Lowell has played this year (.297/.349/.504) but Peavy isn’t going anywhere. Plus, if you adjust Lowell’s production for PETCO Park it would be pretty close to league average for his position.
Could Mike Pelfrey be traded as a player to be named later? The answer seems to be Yes, if named in January, and only if sent to an AL team. MetsBlog tries to decipher MLB’s rules. Of course, Pelfrey is not going to be traded. But it’s good to know.
Gut feeling…I think the Brewers will trade Carlos Lee. Doug Melvin is preparing for a deal, and I think this is an opportunity he can’t pass up.
What’s with the Indians picture next to George Kottaras?
Trade Rumor Roundup: 10 Days Left
Couple of fresh rumors surrounding the Padres’ third base vacancy, and I’m proud to say that MLBTradeRumors was able to deduce these in advance. A week ago I compiled a spreadsheet of Kevin Towers’ trading history since 2001, nerd that I am. From that we learned that Towers loves working with the Red Sox and also Bill Bavasi. That he would consider Adrian Beltre and Mike Lowell for his vacancy followed logically. Today, the Beltre rumor comes courtesy of Ken Rosenthal and Buster Olney threw down the Lowell rumor. If those two big dogs fall through, Towers could pursue previous acquisitions Joe Randa or Rich Aurilia.
Plenty of speculation, newspaper articles, and quotes involving Julio Lugo heading to Toronto. Not that this would be a bad move, but this club has a clear need for pitching. Ricciardi only has so many bullets to fire as far as prospects and dollars.
ESPN’s Stark Market tells us that the Mets may have soured a bit on Lastings Milledge and could consider shipping him to Philadelphia for Bobby Abreu. Meanwhile, Baseball Prospectus’s Jay Jaffe reminds us that Milledge’s most comparable player is Ruben Mateo, and recommends the deal for New York.
Wacky rumor involving A-Rod to the Phils made the message board rounds yesterday afternoon, but I think it’s safe to say there’s nothing to this one. Mark Healey agrees. The best part is that this one actually got all the way to A-Rod himself, who said he’d veto a deal to Philly. Check out that Gotham Baseball column from Healey for some fresh rumorage.
I was just checking my referrers, seeing where people are coming from when they land here at MLBTradeRumors.com. A lot of the traffic comes from search engine queries. Turns out someone recently found this site by Googling: "what does dayn perry have against royce clayton." Now that’s a damn good question.
Rumor Roundup
Another day, another rumor roundup. Let’s throw everything fresh into the mill.
The Orioles are thinking about taking on one of Philly’s huge outfielder contracts, for some reason. I guess this could help next year’s push for third place. Baltimore is one of baseball’s most baffling teams to me. Abreu rumors have been floating around the Orioles since at least November.
The Cubs and Yankees may have something cooking, with Scott Williamson the likely candidate to be dealt. If the reliever market is really so inflated, why don’t the Cubs trade Howry and Eyre?
The Pirates are offering up all sorts of non-difference makers, but Mike Gonzalez could actually get them something decent. The 28 year-old southpaw has a 2.27 ERA in 39 innings this season. Fantay leaguers should start thinking about Matt Capps as his successor.
Trade rumor All-Star Ken Rosenthal is getting into the game more lately, with a full plate of whisperings posted an hour ago. Jose Vidro could become a Giant, and the D’Backs would love to trade Shawn Green (of course).
Unfounded rumors: Billy Beane may be shopping Mark Ellis and Jason Windsor, with possible interest in Brian Roberts…the Angels could be after David Dellucci…teams are calling the Mets about Alay Soler…Dallas McPherson is definitely on the block…there’s a decent chance Jon Lieber ends up a Yankee…the Mets and Nats are still talking about Livan Hernandez.
Mets To Trade Jeff Keppinger
Astute Mets fans may have noticed that second baseman Jeff Keppinger of the team’s Triple A club is not in tonight’s lineup. He also didn’t play in Sunday’s game. From the folks I have spoken to close to the Norfolk Tides, Keppinger is not known to have an injury.
A source tells me that Norfolk Tides manager Ken Oberkfell has informed Keppinger that he is part of a deal with the Pirates. Keppinger, a 26 year-old, hit .337 for Norfolk last year. He’s known for his superb bat control, regularly making contact more than 90% of the time. Baseball America considers him a future utility man with a possibility of more. Keppinger previously played in the Pittsburgh organization, and was sent to the Mets in the Kris Benson deal.
A separate source of mine indicates that something is indeed going on with Keppinger. While Keppinger for Roberto Hernandez is feasible, he says the deal may be expanded to include Oliver Perez, among others.
UPDATE: Looks like I was off on this one; a minor deal with the Royals appears to be in the works. KC would send Ruben Gotay to the Mets.
Rubin: Mets Could Get Garcia Or Vazquez
According to Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News, the Mets may be able to acquire Freddy Garcia or Javier Vazquez from the White Sox. He says:
"The White Sox have been calling around to clubs – including the Mets – letting it be known that Javier Vazquez or Freddy Garcia would be available. The price: top-notch relief help, which would allow the Sox to fortify their bullpen leading to closer Bobby Jenks, sources told the Daily News. Chicago has 23-year-old Brandon McCarthy ready to step into its rotation."
Seems like relievers are the hot ticket item of this particular trading season. They’re always a popular deadline commodity but the price seemed quite high yesterday. My Mets source is adamant that New York would not give up Duaner Sanchez (2.45 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 6.4 K/9) for Garcia or Vazquez. He tells me that Aaron Heilman is an option. To me, sounds like just the pitcher Don Cooper could fix after he’s stumbled a bit this season.
This year, the Mets have seen fine work from Heath Bell (0.83 ERA in 21 Triple A innings plus a 3.68 ERA in 22 big league innings) and Royce Ring (1.53 ERA in 29 Triple A innnings). Henry Owens jumped up from Double A after 25 innings of 1.08 ball.
Rubin’s story also indicates that the Sox could have some interest in Tom Gordon, the best reliever on the trade market. Flash has pitched for both Chicago teams. He posted a 3.16 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 12 saves, and 11.0 K/9 in 74 innings for the Sox back in 2003.