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Waiver Trade Candidates: NL East

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The current NL East situation: the Braves and Phillies are in contention, the Marlins and Mets are in the gray area, and the Nationals are out of it.  Waiver trade candidates:

The Braves would have to consider letting Derek Lowe's contract go if he's claimed.  Kenshin Kawakami is more likely, as he has a more modest $6.667MM salary for 2011 and is currently in the bullpen.  The Braves tried to trade Kawakami over the past month, reports MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  Nate McLouth's stock is way down, as he's trying to rebuild value in Triple A.  He's getting $6.25MM next year, plus another $1.25MM for a 2012 buyout.

Raul Ibanez and Brad Lidge are two Phillies who'd likely clear waivers.  I also wouldn't be surprised to see Danys Baez and Greg Dobbs make it through.  The Phillies' attempts to free up payroll might have to wait until the offseason though.

The Marlins might be able to move Cody Ross, depending on which team wins a claim.  Wes Helms is another trade candidate.

Though he's not going anywhere, Mets pitcher Johan Santana should clear waivers.  Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez, and Jason Bay are similar stories, though Bay can't pass through waivers until he returns from the DL.  Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, Jeff Francoeur, Alex Cora, and Ryota Igarashi should clear with ease.  Rod Barajas, Henry Blanco, and Pedro Feliciano are trade candidates with value who could go if the Mets fall further out of contention, though Barajas would have to return from the DL first.

Could the Nationals trade Adam Dunn, especially if he slips to Type B status?  Dunn's been dealt in August before, but the Reds didn't seem to value him the way the Nationals do.  The Nats should see Jason Marquis, Willie Harris, and Wil Nieves clear waivers, while Ivan Rodriguez, Adam Kennedy, Miguel Batista, and Livan Hernandez could land with contenders.

For our primer on the waiver trade rules, click here.

Odds & Ends: Ankiel, Ohman, Tigers, Mets, Rangers

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Links for Sunday, as a handful of players suit up for new teams….

Trade Deadline Reactions

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While we wait for August's rumor mill to pick up, the focus remains on the trades made over the last few days. Let's take a look at how a few writers are evaluating those deals….

  • USA Today's Bob Nightengale and the New York Post's Joel Sherman list their winners and losers, agreeing that the Rangers and Padres did very well, while the Mets and Red Sox needed to do more.
  • In Jeff Passan's assessment of July's deals for Yahoo! Sports, the Mets get a surprising thumbs-up.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports examines how the trades affect the playoff races. The Phillies and Cardinals are among his predicted division winners, after their respective deals for Roy Oswalt and Jake Westbrook.
  • The Cardinals paid too high a price for Westbrook, according to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times says that although the Dodgers' and Angels' moves were nice, they won't be enough to propel either team into the playoffs.
  • A pair of New York Daily News writers disagree about the merit of the Yankees' weekend acquisitions. According to Mike Lupica, all the additions make the Yanks seem slightly desperate, but John Harper sees nothing wrong with making baseball's best team better. I have to side with Harper here – Brian Cashman's goal is to field a championship team, not to worry about whether a division rival's inactivity makes his club look insecure.
  • The Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice and Jerome Solomon have conflicting views on the post-deadline Astros. Solomon can't think of much to be happy about, while Justice writes that a younger, more energetic roster should be fun.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Salty, Braves, Cards

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Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive in…

  • The Red Sox scouted Jarrod Saltalamacchia hard before acquiring him this afternoon, and they feel that he is throwing better and will benefit from a change of scenery.  18 months ago the cost for Salty was Clay Buchholz, so they feel he's worth the gamble considering the uncertain futures of Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek.
  • The Braves didn't need either Kyle Farnsworth or Rick Ankiel, but picking up both improves their depth considerably. Ankiel will be the regular center fielder against righties, platooning with Melky Cabrera, while Farnsworth will help lessen the burden on Takashi Saito and Jonny Venters. The Braves are clearly going for it in Bobby Cox's final season.
  • It seems odd that the Cardinals would trade Ryan Ludwick given their offensive inconsistency this year, but the team likes what Jon Jay has done and they'll save big when Ludwick goes to arbitration for the final time next season.
  • Relative to its competition, no team did as poorly as the Mets at the deadline. They were outbid for Ramon Ramirez, and the Cubs wanted no part of a Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez for Carlos Zambrano swap. The Cubbies are hopeful that Big Z will come back and rebuild his value down the stretch.

Brett Myers Rumors: Saturday

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Brett Myers would be one of the better available starters, and the Astros reportedly became more open to moving him recently.  Myers has a 3.10 ERA and has gone at least six innings in every start this year.  The latest:

Zambrano Would Accept A Trade

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SATURDAY, 8:40am: The Cubs rejected an offer of Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo for Zambrano, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.  Zambrano has $17.83MM more remaining on his contract than they do, so I'm assuming the Mets wanted cash in the deal.  Heyman says the Cubs did not want to take Castillo.

FRIDAY, 5:39pm: Carlos Zambrano told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he would accept a trade if the Cubs approach him with one (Twitter link). Despite Zambrano's willingness to waive his no-trade clause, there's no reason to expect a deal. Zambrano says he wants to stay in Chicago and the Cubs don't believe they will be able to trade him this season, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link).

Big Z earns $6.4MM between now and the end of the season, plus $17.9MM next year, $18MM in 2012 and possibly $19.25MM in 2013. That's a lot of money for a pitcher who just came off the restricted list and has a 5.66 ERA. The 29-year-old is walking (4.0 BB/9) and striking out (8.6 K/9) lots of batters, as usual.

Multiple Teams Discussing Paul Maholm

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SATURDAY, 1:44am: In a deal for Maholm, the Pirates want a starting pitcher who is ready to contribute, two high-ranking team sources told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

FRIDAY, 8:23pm: The Dodgers and Pirates aren't necessarily close to a Maholm deal, but the sides believe there's a genuine possibility that a trade happens, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

4:19pm: The Padres are not close to acquiring Maholm, according to Kovacevic (Twitter link).

3:46pm: The Dodgers and Padres are not the only clubs discussing deals with the Pirates, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter). The Mets appear to be involved in discussions for Maholm, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.

3:12pm: The two teams look close to a deal, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (on Twitter).

3:10pm: The Padres are discussing Maholm with the Pirates, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

2:59: The Pirates are "close" to trading Maholm, according to Jim Bowden of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). However, Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse hears that the Padres are not discussing a deal for Maholm (Twitter link). Meanwhile, ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Padres are making progress on a Maholm deal (Twitter link).

2:36pm: The Padres are discussing Maholm with the Pirates, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

1:29pm: The Pirates are willing to trade a starting pitcher for the right price, GM Neal Huntington told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Huntington referred to starters close to free agency, which implies Paul Maholm or Zach Duke.

Kovacevic figures Maholm to be more popular than Duke, since the latter spent time on the DL this year with an elbow strain.  Maholm is signed reasonably through next year with a club option for 2012, making him appealing to the Dodgers.  The Mets, Cardinals, Padres, Twins, and Tigers may also be in the hunt for a starter.

Odds & Ends: Lowell, Perez, Zambrano, Ross

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Links for Friday, with less than 24 hours before the deadline…

  • The Pirates acquired minor league outfielder Mitch Jones from the Braves, according to MLB.com's transactions page. David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Braves obtained cash in return (Twitter link).
  • The Rangers are the only team that has slight interest in Mike Lowell, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
  • The Mets shopped Oliver Perez today, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
  • The Cubs are resigned to the fact that if they want to trade Carlos Zambrano, it will have to happen in the winter, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports will believe that Cody Ross is unavailable once the deadline passes tomorrow. Until then he's a skeptic (Twitter link).
  • Teams like Joe Beimel, but are only offering the Rockies non-prospects, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). The Rockies are shopping Randy Flores.
  • GM Doug Melvin and assistant GM Gord Ash explained to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that the Brewers look for "plus" fastball velocity, quality breaking pitches, solid arm action and delivery and height in the pitchers they pursue.
  • The Rangers are talking to rival teams to determine if there's interest in Rich Harden or Scott Feldman, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
  • The Astros wanted Chad Billingsley in exchange for Roy Oswalt, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (Twitter link). The Dodgers countered with a four-prospect offer, but the Astros preferred the Phils' offer.
  • The Royals aren't making much progress on deals, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (Twitter link).
  • I answered questions from Neil Keefe and broke down the trade deadline in detail at WFAN.com.

Sherman On Oswalt, Harden, Yankees, Padres

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The latest from Joel Sherman of the New York Post:

  • Executives from other teams had no idea the Astros were willing to take on $11MM of Roy Oswalt's remaining $23.5MM.
  • The Mets have discussed Rich Harden internally.  He's a potential August trade candidate.
  • The Yankees have talked to the Rockies in search of a complementary bat, but discussions didn't go anywhere.
  • Officials from multiple teams are upset that the Rangers continue adding salary.
  • The Padres remain in pursuit of a lefty-hitting outfielder.  Sherman wonders if Kosuke Fukudome or Rick Ankiel could be fits.

Blue Jays Acquire Mike Jacobs

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The Blue Jays acquired Mike Jacobs from the Mets for a player to be named later, tweets Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger.  Jacobs, 29, has spent most of the season at Triple A.  He's had multiple stints at the level, but this year he's hitting .260/.313/.478 in 371 plate appearances.

Jacobs cleared waivers and accepted a Triple A assignment after being designated in April.

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