Stark: Mets To Get Roberto Hernandez, Oliver Perez
According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark:
"Mets are closing in on a big deal with the Pirates, for Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez. Still haggling about the rest of that deal."
The Mets have been interested in these guys for a while; first I heard of it was back when Jeff Keppinger was dealt.
SI.com now reports that Xavier Nady goes to Pittsburgh in the deal. I’m told that the Mets also have coveted Edwin Jackson as a project for Rick Peterson, but that interest may be on hold with this acquisition.
UPDATE: Word via Scott Miller of CBS Sportsline is that the Mets could spin Perez along with Heath Bell to the Padres for Scott Linebrink. Perez, of course, began his career with San Diego.
Duaner Sanchez Out For Season
Duaner Sanchez, one of the game’s best setup men, is out for the season after separating his shoulder in a car accident, according to Ken Rosenthal. I’m just glad to see he is OK.
Omar Minaya has 51 minutes to step it up and find a replacement. I think MetsBlog caught wind of this shortly after midnight.
Justice: McLane Orders Lidge Trade
According to Richard Justice on his SportsJustice blog:
"I’m told Drayton McLane ordered Purpura to trade Brad Lidge. I got this information from an official with another team. I would expect the Astros to deny it."
Justice also mentions that Roger Clemens is pushing Drayton McLane for help, who has in turn orderd GM Tim Purpura to make something happen.
Mets closer Billy Wagner is campaigning for Omar Minaya to bring Lidge in so Wagner can fix him.
Also, I’m told Justice was recently on 610 AM in Houston. He mentioned that if the Astros trade Lidge for Hank Blalock straight up, the subsequent move would be to swap Morgan Ensberg and Adam Everett for Scott Linebrink and Khalil Greene.
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.