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Yankees Focused On Gagne, Wheeler, Qualls

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It seems highly likely that the Yankees will make a move to upgrade their bullpen before the Tuesday trade deadline.  They appear to have three main targets.

Kat O’Brien of Newsday says the Yanks have had serious discussions with Texas regarding Eric Gagne.  Though Gagne wants to close, remember that he can be traded to New York without his consent.  A Rivera-Gagne combo would essentially turn every game into seven innings.  O’Brien names righthanders Ian Kennedy and Jeff Marquez as two pitchers the Rangers might be after.  Kennedy is definitely more highly regarded.  The Rangers also like Melky Cabrera but the Yankees are resisting.

Meanwhile, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tells us that the Yankees have "narrowed their sights" to Dan Wheeler and Chad Qualls of the Astros.  The Astros control Wheeler through 2009 and Qualls through 2010, so the asking price will be significant.  Jayson Stark says Houston is looking for a young MLB-ready position player; Cabrera seems to fit the bill.

Another Yankee-related note from O’Brien’s article – the Yankees are not pursuing Ty Wigginton anymore.  Other writers do not agree.  Dan Graziano indicates that Wiggy is still in play and the Yankees might try get Al Reyes added to the deal as well.  Peter Abraham talked to an AL exec who expects the Yanks to get Wigginton.  Graziano adds that the Yankees have had recent discussions about Octavio Dotel and Jon Rauch.

Teams Looking At Ty Wigginton

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UPDATE: You can toss the Cubs into the mix for Wigginton.

One role player drawing a lot of interest is Tampa Bay’s Ty Wigginton.  He plays hard, he’s versatile, he delivered his own baby, and he’s at .274/.325/452 in 372 ABs. 

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says the Dodgers, Twins, Red Sox, and Yankees are in on Wigginton.  Wiggy might have a starting role for the former two teams.  Andrew Friedman may be compelled to find a deal before the deadline, because at $4MM plus Wigginton is a nontender candidate for the D-Rays next year.

Names like Scott Proctor and Scott Baker have surfaced as possible returns for Wigginton, but the general impression seems to be that the Devil Rays would need to improve their offer to get one of them.

Heyman’s Latest: Teixeira, Otsuka

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Jon Heyman of SI.com has been working the phone lines; here are some notable rumors from his latest column.

  • The Braves seemed fairly close to a Mark Teixeira trade yesterday, but the Angels are definitely knee deep in it.  They’ll make a solid offer including Casey Kotchman, Ervin Santana, and Major League player.  Adam Dunn remains Plan B.
  • Heyman says there’s speculation that Akinori Otsuka could need Tommy John surgery, which might compel the Rangers to sign Eric Gagne and/or keep Joaquin Benoit.
  • Refresher on Gagne’s 12-team allowable list can be found here.  Gagne must consent to a trade to Detroit, and it seems the Rangers asked for Cameron Maybin.  Not gonna happen.  The Yankees appear to be out on Gagne because he wants to close.  I’m skeptical – he wouldn’t pitch as a setup man if they guaranteed his entire contract?
  • Seems the Yanks entertained a Morgan Ensberg acquisition.  They would’ve used him at first base.  Joe Torre nixed the idea because Ensberg hasn’t hit for a long time.
  • Heyman’s top five available starters are Matt Morris, Livan Hernandez, Jose Contreras, Jason Jennings, and Kyle Lohse, in that order.  That ranking is reasonable.  A Jon Garland, Noah Lowry, or Joe Blanton would easily jump to that top of the list if made available.

Mariners Pursuing Jon Garland

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Jim Hickey mentioned yesterday that the Mariners have been all over White Sox pitchers lately. Assuming Jose Contreras isn’t helpful and Javier Vazquez doesn’t want to go west, that leaves Jon Garland as the most reasonable target.

The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rogers adds some color to that scenario, noting that one of Bill Bavasi’s henchmen used to work for the White Sox and loves Garland.  Rogers believes the right match would be 23 year-old right fielder Wladimir Balentien.  Wlad has a robust .310/.381/.557 line in Triple A this year.

The two GMs roles were reversed on June 27th, 2004, when the White Sox acquired Freddy Garcia, Ben Davis, and cash for Miguel Olivo, Jeremy Reed, and Michael Morse.

No matter what you think of Garland, there’s no arguing that he’d be a huge improvement over Horacio Ramirez.  Plus, he’s more than just a rental.  This appears to be a move that makes sense for both teams, though Kenny Williams may require more than just Balentien.

The Tribune’s Mark Gonzales notes that the White Sox have scouted the Yankees’ entire farm system, and they’re still in the mix for Garland as well.

Yankees Shopping Damon?

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Here’s a name we haven’t talked about yet: Johnny Damon.  I think he hasn’t come up much because his contract makes him nearly immovable.  He’ll make $13MM annually through 2009 and has a partial no-trade clause. 

Nonetheless, Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that the Yankees have been calling around to see if anyone’s interested in Damon.  The Braves have a touch of interest, but obviously there are many obstacles.  I imagine the Yankees are stuck with Damon.  Hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time. 

Tigers Eyeing Farnsworth

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Kyle Farnsworth really lost it this year; he’s striking no one out but still walking too many.  Last year he at least racked up the Ks.  The Yankees would love to get out from some of the $5.5MM they owe him in 2008.

A few teams have kicked the tires on the Farnz, like the Rockies, Phillies, and Devil Rays.  But maybe it would be best for him to go back to the site of his last success, Detroit.  George King writes that the Tigers are interested, if the money can be worked out.  This makes a lot of sense to me.  The Tigers aren’t desperate for relievers, and this risk would be more in money than players.  Unlike Eric Gagne, who would cost both.  Maybe Chuck Hernandez can right the ship for Farnsworth.   

Mark Teixeira Trade Update

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The Mark Teixeira talks are really heating up, with the Braves, Dodgers, Angels, Yankees, and Red Sox all involved.  Ken Rosenthal has updated this column, and Evan Grant has new info as well.

The Braves still appear to be in front.  The names going to Texas would include Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Elvis Andrus, and one of Matt Harrison or Kyle Davies.  A very nice package, but to get three solid prospects the Rangers would have to pair Teixeira with a reliever.  The Braves have their eye on Eric Gagne, C.J. Wilson, and Ron Mahay, with the latter most likely.  It’s unclear whether Gagne can be traded to the Braves without his consent.

The Dodgers counter with James Loney, Andre Ethier, and a pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw. 

The Angels will give Casey Kotchman as well an outfielder like Terry Evans or Nate Haynes.  Kevin Goldstein considers Evans a prospect, Haynes not so much (he turns 27 soon).  You may remember the Angels got Evans for Jeff Weaver last year.  Rosenthal thinks the Halos will have a tougher time being a division foe, and could turn to Adam Dunn or Jermaine Dye.  There’s definitely a Dodgers rivalry element in play as well.

Grant does not mention the Red Sox or Yankees.  Rosenthal sees the Red Sox involved because of David Ortiz’s knee and Kevin Youkilis’s slump.  The Yanks appear to be showing just their obligatory interest, as they seem unlikely to offer the best package.

Mark Teixeira Update; Halos After Konerko?

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Here’s the latest on Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira as well as a new one involving Paul Konerko.

  • Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News expects Teixeira to be traded.  He seems to think that Jon Daniels can convince John Schuerholz to give up Jarrod Saltalamacchia and a pitching prospect for Teixeira.  Meanwhile, Mark Bowman of MLB.com confirms discussions are in progress and believes Salty is pretty much a necessity in the deal.  Buster Olney considers the Braves and Yankees as the only real serious suitors for Tex.  Olney’s sources make a Teixeira trade seem quite likely. 
  • Will Carroll doesn’t think the Rangers would be getting enough for Teixeira in Salty, Elvis Andrus, and a pitching prospect.
  • Grant sees the Dodgers as less likely due to the fine play of James Loney.
  • Interestingly, the Angels may have switched gears to Paul Konerko.  There’s that big, fresh name I was hoping to see.  The Angels tried hard to sign Konerko after the 2005 season.  He had been viewed as Chicago’s most stable position player entering 2008.  He has a limited no-trade clause, but Peter Yoon and Mike DiGiovanna think he would waive it to come to L.A.  The market has changed since November of 2005, and $12MM annually for Konerko seems like a bargain.  He’s locked in through 2010, and his salary would not top Vlad’s (said to be a concern of Arte Moreno when considering A-Rod).  No doubt it would take at least two of the Angels’ best young players – Casey Kotchman and Nick Adenhart?
  • A couple of ESPN baseball guys have differing viewpoints on Konerko’s availability – Buster Olney thinks he can be had, while Jayson Stark would be shocked to see him traded.  Will Carroll sides with Stark on the issue.
  • Tyler Kepner of the New York Times states something many of us have already deduced: the Yankees can’t acquire Teixeira if they insist on keeping both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.  And keeping that pair seems to be the plan.
  • The Boston Globe says the Red Sox are one of five or six teams in on Teixeira.  Amalie Benjamin doesn’t offer any further information though.   

Teixeira Talk Heating Up

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UPDATE: Jon Heyman of SI.com has a nice rundown of the Teixeira suitors.  His sources seem to indicate that the chances of a trade are now better than Rosenthal’s 50/50.  Good point raised by Heyman and many commenters – even if the Braves wanted to trade Escobar, the Rangers don’t really have a need for a middle infielder.

UPDATE 2: Jim Molony of MLB.com says the Red Sox are the frontrunner.  The Rangers have scouted all of their major pitching prospects.

Ken Rosenthal has the latest on Mark Teixeira, who is now 50/50 to be dealt according to one source of his.

Rosenthal describes the scene as the Braves and Angels at the forefront, with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Giants lingering.  Evan Grant adds the Dodgers to the mix.  He also suggests the Rangers package Joaquin Benoit with Teixeira to get the best possible player.  Interestingly, the Yanks might be after Adam Dunn as another first base option.  They may have to focus on Dunn, because Jon Daniels is demanding Joba Chamberlain for Teixeira.

The Braves were really trying to shake things up; they would’ve done the Jon Garland for Edgar Renteria deal in tandem with a Teixeira acquisition.  The Garland proposal has been rejected, but Teixeira is very much alive.  Rosenthal describes the Braves as unwilling to trade Yunel Escobar and reluctant to trade Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  In my opinion, Salty is the more valuable player.  To me, Escobar for Teixeira is the right move.

I recently talked to ESPN’s Keith Law about Escobar.  He told me the glove is there to play shortstop, but he worries about the bat.  Based on observation, Law could see Escobar developing into a .300 hitter with little power.

Yankees Interested In Garland, Thornton

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According to George King of the New York Post, the White Sox have scouts watching the Single-A Tampa Yankees.  Outfielders Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata are the big names from that team, far as I can tell.

Which White Sox players interest the Yankees?  They’ve already had a go with Javier Vazquez and Jose Contreras, which leaves Jon Garland.  It seems the Yanks might want lefty reliever Matt Thornton as well, according to King.  Thornton had a breakout last year by developing decent control, but he’s regressed this season.  His strikeout rate is down as well.  Rather than go year-to-year with Thornton the Sox decided to lock him in cheaply for 2007-09.

Despite some early indications to the contrary, it’s really starting to look like Garland is in play.  Does he become the best available starter?  Depends on how available Joe Blanton and Ian Snell really are.  The Yankees won’t give up Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes for Garland.  Given Chicago’s desire for MLB-ready players, I wonder if the Yankees would surrender Robinson Cano.  Going after A ball players, no matter how promising, doesn’t seem like Kenny Williams’ style.

The other question: how does Garland fit into the Yankees’ rotation?  He makes sense next year, but I can’t see him bumping Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, or Phil Hughes in 2007.  Wouldn’t make much sense for the Yanks to dump one of the five, unless they decide to become sellers.

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