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Odds and Ends: Glover, Coke, Posada, Maine

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Time for another round of odds and ends this evening.

Jarrod Washburn Rumors: Monday

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8:44pm: The Mariners aren’t amused with the Yankees, blaming them for the way negotiations have been portrayed publicly.

4:18pm: Media drama?  On the Seattle side, Larry LaRue says "arrogant New York writers" and the "near hysteria of the internet and blogs in late July" caused some to believe the Yankees were close to getting Washburn for nothing.  LaRue believes GM Lee Pelekoudas "has probably talked to 20 other teams, too."

On the New York side, Peter Abraham says the Yankees are the lone team interested in Washburn, and the idea of Seattle having leverage is "a bit comical."

12:05pm: Geoff Baker believes the Mariners have some leverage in this situation.  He believes that if the Yankees are only offering salary relief, the Ms can afford to wait until August or the offseason.

8:31am: Jarrod Washburn remains a Mariner, but Kat O’Brien of Newsday has the latest on trade talks with the Yankees.

The Yankees still don’t want to send more than a middling prospect for Washburn.  Meanwhile, the Ms hope Hank Steinbrenner will demand Brian Cashman acquire the pitcher, even if it means trading Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner.  Joel Sherman describes the situation as a game of chicken between the Yankees and Mariners.

On the catching front, the Yanks asked the Rangers about Gerald Laird and Jarrod Saltalamacchia but didn’t get anywhere.

Stark’s Latest: Ohman, Rhodes

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ESPN’s Jayson Stark has some new rumor material.

  • Braves lefty Will Ohman is drawing plenty of interest, with the Tigers, Rays, Yankees, and Cardinals named as suitors.  Perhaps the Yanks’ interest will diminish now that they have Damaso Marte.
  • The Marlins and other clubs may turn to Arthur Rhodes as a more reasonable Plan B if they aren’t able to pry George Sherrill or Brian Fuentes loose.
  • Given the emergence of Jeff Samardzija as a power bullpen arm, the Cubs are no longer looking for pitching.  They desire a left-handed hitting center fielder, but that might wait until the offseason.  It’s probably too early to say whether Jim Edmonds will be considered.

Odds and Ends: Happ, Igawa, Hawkins, Lowe

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Rounding up rumors and links from the weekend…

Jarrod Washburn Rumors

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10:05pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman seems to be saying the Mariners are still asking for Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner, though many think one of them would be plenty.

9:27pm: Talks seem to have stalled; Jerry Crasnick got the impression that GM Brian Cashman is not optimistic about a deal happening.

5:59pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Yankees are holding firm, offering a marginal prospect and salary relief.

1:25pm: The Jarrod Washburn talks seem to be plodding along; I am going to start a fresh thread here and update it throughout the day.

Ken Rosenthal says the Yankees made an offer of an average prospect and absorption of most of his contract.  So far no agreement has been reached.  Washburn started today and shut down the Jays in Toronto.

Week In Review: 7/20 – 7/26

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This one will be a bit lengthy, which can be expected as the deadline approaches. Here’s a review of some of the major moves and rumors of the last week:

  • The Yankees acquired Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates for OF Jose Tabata, RHP Ross Ohlendorf, RHP Dan McCutchen and RHP Jeff Karstens . I agree with Tim that Ian Kennedy would’ve been a better centerpiece, but Tabata is pretty highly-touted himself. Kennedy would have made a more immediate impact, while Tabata is only 19 years old.
  • The Dodgers acquired Casey Blake for minor league RHP Jon Meloan and C Carlos Santana. The Dodgers get a nice boost to their lineup without giving up too much, although Santana’s putting together a very impressive season in Class-A ball.
  • The Nationals sent Jon Rauch to the Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league 2B Emilio Bonifacio. Rauch adds to a strong bullpen for Arizona, while Bonaficio could become a very solid leadoff hitter in the future for Washington. They may have been able to get more for Rauch, but I personally like the move, regardless.
  • The Brewers acquired Ray Durham from the Giants for minor leaguers Darren Ford and Steve Hammond. Rickie Weeks has been a disappointment to an otherwise red-hot club. Can Durham provide a bit more stability? The power’s gone, but he can still get on base.
  • The Astros acquired Randy Wolf from the Padres for minor league pitcher Chad Reineke. This one confuses me a little bit; with all due respect, did the Astros forget they were 12.5 games out? I don’t see the logic in buying on a pitcher.
  • The Cardinals traded Anthony Reyes to the Indians for minor league pitcher Luis Perdoma. I don’t get this one either. I feel like the Cardinals could have gotten more, despite Reyes’ struggles in the past. The Indians could make this one look like a steal, in my opinion.
  • The Yankees are in deep discussion with the Mariners about acquiring Jarrod Washburn. Tim cites Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal in saying that the Mariners want a top prospect in addition to the salary dump, but the Yankees are only offering a marginal prospect. Can’t say I blame them. A top prospect for an mediocre pitchers who’s due an additional $14MM? Sounds like Seattle’s getting greedy…
  • A new, and surprising name surfaced in trade talks: Manny Ramirez. Manny has said he would waive his no-trade clause, and based on interviews, has basically said that 2008 will be his last season in Boston. I can’t see Boston trading their (arguably) best hitter in the middle of a pennant race, however. I’d bet on him finishing out the season.
  • Speaking of corner outfielders, the Mets need one, and they know it. Having missed out on Nady and Blake, they will likely zero in on Raul Ibanez. Ibanez makes great sense for them, and the Mariners would obviously like to rebuild. I expect this one to get done.
  • There was a report that Roy Halladay came out and told the Blue Jays that he is unhappy in Toronto, which has provoked the Jays to explore their potential options. Halladay’s price would have to be astronomical, I’d think. He’s signed through 2010 and pitching like it’s 2003 all over again. Personal speculation: I think Halladay to the Cardinals with a Colby Rasums centerpiece would make sense.
  • Crisitan Guzman signed a two-year, $16MM contract extension. Guzman has revived his career after surgery following an awful 2005. I like the signing for the Nats.
  • Jorge Posada could be out for the season. The Yankees are looking for catchers. In addition to the names mentioned there, they could take a shot at signing Johnny Estrada, who was DFA’ed by Washington this week. Estrada was terrible in Washington, but has put up solid offensive numbers for a catcher throughout his career.
  • Brian Fuentes, Huston Street, and George Sherrill are all still potential trade pieces. Fuentes is the most likely to go, I’d say, although the Rockies are asking for quite a bit.
  • Tim updated the left-handed reliever and left field markets.

Yankees Eyeing Bannister?

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Should the Jarrod Washburn deal fall apart, the Yankees are exploring an alternative in Brian Bannister for Melky Cabrera.  Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star writes,

"Nothing appears imminent, but the framework for a deal seems to exist because New York has already shown a willingness to part with [Melky] Cabrera. Add this: The Royals nearly obtained Cabrera in a trade-deadline swap two years ago for veteran outfielder Reggie Sanders before Sanders suffered an injury."

In this scenario, David Dejesus moves to left to make room for Cabrera in center.  And Mark Teahen would get back to his natural position at first base.  Cabrera is making $461,200, only $40,200 more than Bannister, and both are set to reach arbitration after this season.

The Yanks prefer Washburn but are in negotiations after the Mariners rejected an offer of Cabrera and Kei Igawa for the lefty veteran.  Seattle might want Brett Gardner as well as for the Yankees to take on all of Washburn’s $14MM contract through next year.

Odds And Ends: White Sox, Bonds, Mariners, Orioles, Rangers

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A few more minor notes from around the MLBiverse…

  • Ken Williams says "the climate is awful" in regards to the trade market.
  • Despite reports that the Yankees were discussing the possibility of signing Barry Bonds, Brian Cashman hints that Bonds is not in the plans for the Bombers.
  • Several scouts feel that the Mariners’ interim GM is in a very tough situation. The scouts think that Seattle may be better suited to wait until the offseason to make deals, but Lee Pelekoudas may not be the GM after the season, forcing him to make an impression now.
  • Andy MacPhail says he is spending a lot of time on the phone with other teams, but he said the Orioles are not close to making any deals.
  • Ron Washington would like to see the Rangers trade for a leadoff hitter, lefty relievers and starting pitching, but knows that a potential deal is unlikely. GM Jon Daniels said that the Rangers won’t be sellers, but they are also not interested in moving their top prospects for rental players.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Washburn To Yankees Close To Done-Deal

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6:15pm: Ken Rosenthal just reported during the Fox telecast that the deal is now being held up by the Mariners demand for a top prospect in addition to the Yankees taking the remainder of Washburn’s contract.

5:53pm: Gregor Chisholm is now reporting that Washburn is still listed as the Mariners starting pitcher for Sunday.

5:04pm: Jon Heyman is also saying that the deal could be done in the next couple of days. He also notes that any compensation for Washburn would not be in the form of an extension from the Yankees.

4:52pm: Peter Abraham is now reporting that the deal could happen as early as tomorrow and that the Yankees are willing to pay all of the salary remaining on the contract "in return for not sending Seattle any player of significance. No, not Kei Igawa." Abraham also feels that any compensation would come from Seattle.

4:31pm: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times spoke with Washburn following today’s game and Washburn gave no indication that a deal was done, or even imminent. Washburn did make it clear that he will seek some form of compensation in return for waiving his no-trade clause.

Buster Olney is reporting that the oft-talked about deal in which the Mariners would send Jarrod Washburn to the Yankees, will likely be completed in the next 48 hours. Olney suggests that the move is a salary dump with $13-14MM still owed to Washburn ($3-4MM in ’08, $10.35MM in ’09). If the Yankees take on most or all of the remaining contract, do not look for any big names to be going back in the other direction.

I spoke with Peter Abraham of the Journal-News and he reiterated that Brian Cashman is saying that the deal is not done yet.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Dodgers, Washburn

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Ken Rosenthal spoke before today’s Yankees-Red Sox game on Fox and had a few items for the Hot Stove…

  • The Braves have yet to decide if they are going to be buyers or sellers at the deadline. If they do decide to sell, they will start taking bids for Mark Teixeira. Earlier this week we heard from Jayson Stark that the Rays, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels and Yankees have contacted the Braves about Teixeira. Today Stark told us that we can scratch the Rays off that list. Rosenthal adds the D-Backs to the list and says they make the most sense, but it is unlikely that they will be willing to offer the right players.
  • The acquisition of Casey Blake means the Dodgers will probably not seek a better bat to play shortstop.
  • The Yankees and Mariners have yet to discuss who the Yankees would give up for Jarrod Washburn.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

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