Stark On Lilly, Indians, Astros, Dodgers
The starting pitching market may be ‘mediocre’ if you ask officials around the major leagues, as ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark did, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t tons of rumors out there with just over a week before the deadline. Here they are:
- Six teams or more are interested in Ted Lilly, who will almost certainly get traded. The Tigers, Mets and Dodgers have interest, but the Yankees probably won’t be involved. The Cubs are not willing to pick up any of Lilly’s salary and probably won’t have to.
- The A’s, on the other hand, will pick up much of the $4MM or so remaining on Ben Sheets’ salary and are ready to deal him.
- The Indians are willing to deal one of Jake Westbrook or Fausto Carmona for a “compelling” package, but not both.
- They’re also growing more and more confident that they’ll be able to trade Kerry Wood. If they don't strike a deal before the deadline, they could do so after Wood clears waivers in August.
- The Yankees are kicking tires on many starters, including Westbrook and Dan Haren.
- The Astros would have to be “overwhelmed” to move Brett Myers (as FOX Sports reported) or Wandy Rodriguez. Myers has a mutual option, so there’s no guarantee he returns in 2011. I find it hard to believe that the Astros wouldn’t deal him for a good-but-not-great group.
- The Marlins appear to have decided to focus on extending Dan Uggla, instead of trading him.
- The Dodgers have told rival teams that they have $2-3MM to play with.
Odds & Ends: Haren, Cordero, Phillies, Rangers
Links for Wednesday, as Pedro Alvarez keeps clubbing homers…
- The Phillies and Tigers have scouts watching Dan Haren pitch tonight, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).
- The Mets, who agreed to sign Chad Cordero earlier today, thought they had a deal with the right-hander over the winter, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
- Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com hears that the Phillies may not add a pitcher at all if they can't acquire a top arm like Dan Haren or Roy Oswalt.
- Darren Oliver, who will likely see his vesting option kick in later in the summer, tells MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that he has no intention of retiring.
- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has attached himself to one of the groups attempting to buy the Rangers, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (via Twitter).
- Nightengale notes that Ben Sheets is starting to attract "strong interest" (Twitter link).
- Roy Oswalt tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he hasn't heard anything from the Astros about a possible trade. In case you missed it, the Phillies and Astros appeared to be discussing an Oswalt deal last night.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times wonders if the Mariners could send Jose Lopez or Jack Wilson to Detroit.
- A couple of scouts gave MASN.com's Ben Goessling the impression that Adam Dunn isn't going anywhere.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean denied to Murray Chass that the timing of Buster Posey's call-up had anything to do with service time.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports explains how he thinks a number of MLB teams should approach the deadline.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't expect the Yankees to acquire a big-name starter this July.
- The Hiroshima Carp are wrapping up a deal with Vinnie Chulk, according to reports passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Chulk, who has played in seven major league seasons, was playing at Triple A in the Pirates' organization.
Yankees Considering Jhonny Peralta
Indians third baseman Jhonny Peralta is in the mix along with Florida's Wes Helms as potential bench options for the Yankees, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal says the prices on Jose Bautista and Ty Wigginton are too high.
Peralta has a substantial commitment for a bench player, with $2.23MM remaining on his contract. He's hitting .252/.314/.401 on the season.
The Yankees were first linked to Helms four days ago by MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, but Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post tweets today that he's not their first choice. Other available bench options capable of playing third base include Willie Bloomquist, Adam Kennedy, and Craig Counsell.
Odds & Ends: Hanrahan, Phillies, Berkman, Yankees
Another round of links for Tuesday, with 11 days remaining before the deadline…
- The Pirates are getting calls about Joel Hanrahan, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Not surprisingly, they're asking a lot for the reliever.
- Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com hears that the Phillies would still like to add a top starter. Earlier today, before Jamie Moyer strained his left elbow, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. hinted that the club could trade for an arm.
- Lance Berkman tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that he realizes he may hit free agency after the season. The Astros can buy Berkman out for $2MM or pay him $15MM next year.
- Former big league player and minor league manager Pat Listach would have interest in managing the Cubs next year, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman tells Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger that he doesn't like the looks of the current trade market and isn't optimistic about making major deals.
- MASN.com's Ben Goessling explains that offering Adam Dunn a four-year deal would be risky.
- USA Today considers some potential replacements for Lou Piniella, starting, of course, with Ryne Sandberg.
- The Cubs will have a new manager next year, but Jim Hendry is still the team's GM going forward, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter).
- The Pirates signed eight Latin American players and Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com has the details.
- An AL executive tells ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that teams are demanding a ton for their relievers (Twitter link). Here are some of the arms teams can consider.
The Jake Westbrook Market
After undergoing Tommy John surgery in June of 2008, Indians righty Jake Westbrook is finally healthy again. It'd be reasonable for the last-place Tribe to move the veteran, so let's take a closer look.
Contract
Westbrook signed a three-year, $33MM extension in April of 2007, and he has $4.54MM in base salary remaining. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Westbrook also gets a $2MM lump sum and a pro-rated $1MM salary increase if traded. If dealt today, Westbrook would be owed about $6.95MM. This is clearly a major impediment to a deal. As far as draft pick compensation, forget about it – Westbrook is nowhere close to Type B status.
Performance
Westbrook, 33 in September, has a 4.67 ERA, 5.3 K/9, and 2.9 BB/9 in 113.6 innings this year. His 52.2% groundball rate ranks sixth in the American League among those with 80 innings, according to FanGraphs. Interestingly, Westbrook's teammates Justin Masterson and Fausto Carmona are among the five hurlers ranked ahead of him. The Indians rank 25th in baseball in defensive efficiency according to Baseball Prospectus, so any potential trade partner will probably be good for Westbrook.
Asking Price/Availability
The Indians "would trade Westbrook in a minute for a mid-level prospect if the Mets would pick up most of what's left on his contract this season," wrote John Harper of the New York Daily News. Indians writers have presented a different view. On July 4th, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote that the Indians "are sending out messages that they don't simply intend to dump Westbrook's salary," and will have to be compelled to move him. In June, Pluto's colleague Paul Hoynes wrote that Westbrook is "one of the least likely to be moved" on the team. Hoynes said the Indians have a good relationship with Westbrook and may try to re-sign him after the season. The fact that Westbrook had significant trade incentives built into his contract shows his inclination to stay put.
Interested Teams
- Mets: Harper says Mets officials are divided on whether to acquire Westbrook. Indeed, reports over the last month have conflicted over the team's level of interest.
- Dodgers: They've inquired, reports Yahoo's Tim Brown. You may recall the Casey Blake trade of two years ago, where the Indians paid the freight and were able to acquire Carlos Santana as a result.
- Padres: They've discussed him, reports Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse. The Padres are known to be prioritizing starting pitching.
- Yankees: The idea of a reunion has been broached by beat writers in a more speculative sense. However, GM Brian Cashman told Peter Botte of the New York Daily News yesterday that "Cliff Lee was a special case" and Sergio Mitre would be in most teams' rotations.
- We haven't seen the Tigers, Twins, Angels, Phillies, Cardinals, or Rockies linked to Westbrook, but those contenders may be looking for pitching.
Teams Scouting John Buck?
A slew of scouts attended last night's Blue Jays-Royals game in Kansas City, reports Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. The Tigers, Red Sox, Yankees, Twins, and Phillies were represented. The Reds and Mets scouted the Jays over the weekend. Clearly some of this scouting extends beyond normal coverage. Toronto's roster is littered with trade candidates: Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg, Jason Frasor, Jose Bautista, and Lyle Overbay. But several of the aforementioned teams need catching and may have been on hand to observe All-Star catcher John Buck.
Buck had a pair of doubles in the contest, bringing his line to .278/.309/.504 through 265 plate appearances. He's flashed power before, but in this season he's slugged at least .462 in every month. Buck recently turned 30 and will be a free agent after the season. He just sneaks in as a Type B right now. It's not difficult to imagine Buck receiving and turning down an arbitration offer, so his status boosts his trade value. Asher Wojciechowski (Blue Jays) and Drew Vettleson (Rays) were compensation picks at #41 and #42 overall this year, so GM Alex Anthopoulos will presumably aim for a player or package he likes more than that level of draft pick.
Elliott feels that the Tigers, Red Sox, and Reds are teams that might have interest in Buck.
Red Sox, Yankees Interested In Scott Downs
The Red Sox and Yankees have "big-time" interest in Blue Jays reliever Scott Downs, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Downs, a free agent after the season, has a 2.56 ERA, 7.0 K/9, and 1.9 BB/9 in 38.6 innings this year.
Neither team's interest comes as a surprise. The Red Sox have been linked to Downs since this July 6th report from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Yankees are known to be seeking relief help. The Phillies are also said to be interested in Downs. Last week on WEEI's The Big Show, former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi praised Downs as a potential Red Sox acquisition but had harsh words for Jason Frasor and Kevin Gregg.
ESPN's Buster Olney had an interesting series of tweets today on Downs, where he explained that the lefty might be hurt by Type A designation if he is offered and turns down arbitration after the season. Perhaps Downs' agent at CAA will advise the pitcher to accept if offered. A look at our latest Elias Rankings projections shows that Matt Guerrier, Frank Francisco, Dan Wheeler, Arthur Rhodes, and Pedro Feliciano might be in the same boat as Type As, though I imagine many will not be offered arbitration.
Rosenthal On Iannetta, Athletics, Bautista
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports kicks off his latest column with a look at Alex Rodriguez's $30MM worth of home run incentives. The chase isn't generating the buzz the Yankees anticipated when they re-signed A-Rod. On to Rosenthal's rumors…
- Talks are on again between the Red Sox and Rockies regarding catcher Chris Iannetta. The Rockies would want to improve their big league club with an in-season deal, so perhaps we'll hear heightened Iannetta buzz during the offseason if Miguel Olivo is retained.
- The Nationals do not seem to have chosen a course with Adam Dunn in terms of trading or extending him now.
- The Athletics have no intention of trading Coco Crisp or Mark Ellis, as both players have club options for 2011.
- Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli is "a frequent trade target of rival clubs," but the team likes having depth at the catcher position.
- As part of the Yunel Escobar–Alex Gonzalez talks, the Braves and Blue Jays discussed Jose Bautista. For now, the Braves still have time to evaluate Nate McLouth's recovery from a concussion. MLB.com's Mark Bowman wrote today that the Braves have considered David DeJesus, Cody Ross, Corey Hart, and Josh Willingham as potential trade targets.
Yankees Prioritizing Bench, Bullpen Help
ESPN's Buster Olney tweets the Yankees' trade deadline priorities:
"Even in the aftermath of Andy Pettitte's injury, the Yankees' focus is not on adding a starting pitcher; rather, the clear priority is improving the bench, and in order of importance, adding a reliever is priority No. 2."
On the bullpen front, the Yankees have been very loosely connected to five righties in recent weeks: Michael Wuertz, Leo Nunez, Joakim Soria, Kevin Gregg, and Jason Isringhausen. Gregg is the most viable option there, but it's likely the Yanks have inquired on a few more of these potentially available relievers. Olney tweets that one talent evaluator feels the trade market for relievers is "absolutely terrible."
The Yankees signed Chad Tracy to a minor league deal, and have also been connected to Wes Helms and Ty Wigginton as possible bench bats. The market features plenty more, like perhaps Willie Bloomquist, Russell Branyan, Adam Kennedy, Willie Harris, Xavier Nady, Jason Michaels, Craig Counsell, Jim Edmonds, Bobby Crosby, Andy LaRoche, Austin Kearns, Hank Blalock, and Augie Ojeda. All of those names are speculation on my part.
Isringhausen To Audition For Reds
Appearing on KFNS 590 The Fan with Doug Vaughn this morning, free agent reliever Jason Isringhausen said he has a tentative plan to audition for the Reds tomorrow. Isringhausen added that he expects to hear back from the Cardinals this week and implied that his agent has been in contact with the Yankees, Rays, and Royals.
Isringhausen admitted it'd be weird to pitch for the Reds against the Cardinals this summer as the teams battle for the NL Central. Walt Jocketty's Reds already count Scott Rolen and Russ Springer as organization members. Izzy, of course, tallied 217 saves in seven seasons for the Cards from 2002-08. Isringhausen's last appearance in the Majors came in June of 2009 with the Rays, after which he went down for Tommy John surgery. He said he's currently throwing three times a week and working on a changeup. He expects he'd need a couple of weeks in the minors to get ready.