Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Yankees Rumors

Stark: Phils To Package Abreu and Lieber?

By | at

ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new lead on the Bobby Abreu discussions: the Phils have begun pitching Abreu and Jon Lieber as a package deal.  Stark says that only the Yankees could consider it, and that the price would actually lessen in this scenario because of all the salary.

Check out the Phils’ salary page at Cot’s Baseball Contracts; they’ve got a host of ugly commitments handcuffing Pat Gillick.  Beyond Abreu and Lieber, there are contracts for Pat Burrell, Randy Wolf, Mike Lieberthal, Arthur Rhodes, and Tom Gordon.  In my opinion, if you’re going to blow it up, don’t half-ass it – gut this team Marlins-style.  Well, not to that extent, but Jimmy Rollins probably is the only high-salary player that should be retained.  And only then because the market for shortstops is weak.   

Cuban Star Yuliesky Gourriel Defects

By | at

According to Will Carroll, Cuban third baseman Yuliesky Gourriel has defected.  I’ll try to relay what I’ve learned about Gourriel, who is likely to become quite the hot commodity in short order.

Gourriel is approximately 21 years old.  At least, that’s his reported age.  He’s a third baseman but has experience at second as well.  Last winter he flashed immense power at the baseball World Cup with eight home runs in eleven games; he also performed well in the WBC. 

Baseball America indicates that Gourriel would certainly be a first-round pick if he came up through the American system.  A scout describes him as "a championship-caliber third baseman in the big leagues."  BA likens him to Chipper Jones or Ernie Banks as far as body type and gushes over his bat speed. 

Gourriel accomplished his defection via Colombia.  That country’s Bogota Times said "it appears that his next destination would be the New York Yankees."

Trade Rumor Roundup: 4 Days Left

By | at

What’s cooking this morning in the world of MLB trade rumors?

Gotham Baseball’s Mark Healey spoke to all sorts of baseball sources; here’s his latest Rumor Mill.  New developments: the Mets could pursue various Rockie pitchers, and the Yanks crave John Smoltz.

My Mets guy indicates that the Wilson Betemit for Scott Linebrink deal that’s been bandied about could go down at the last minute.  What?  He hears things outside of the Mets.

SportsBlah sorts through the Alfonso Soriano rumors. 

Jimmy Gobble was scratched from his start last night.  Let the rampant rumormongering begin.  Actually, KC just switched him with Runelvys Hernandez to break up the southpaws in the rotation.   

As the days go by, Doug Melvin sounds more and more like he’ll trade Carlos Lee.

RotoAuthority gives the fantasy take on Shin-Soo Choo, Ben Broussard, Scott Kazmir, and many more recent developments.

All the newspapers are reporting that the Yankees have deemed Scott Proctor "untouchable."  I know good relief help is hard to find, but should a 29 year-old middling reliever at the peak of his value really be deemed untouchable?  Especially the way Joe Torre is abusing him.

Hadn’t heard of the Mets’ interest in Juan Cruz and Jose Valverde until Dan Graziano mentioned it this morning.  Could be a great buy low situation for a real live arm in Valverde.  Cruz I think could be tough to pry away.

There was just no reason to try to start Roger Clemens trade speculation.  The Astros, five games back in the wildcard, have invested way too much to suddenly wave the white flag.

Bidding war for…Cory Lidle?  Looks like Toronto has the lead so far; Lidle starts tonight.

Buster Olney mentioned today in his blog that the White Sox are willing to discuss trades for Freddy Garcia.  He also indicates that the Red Sox are working on a large, creative deal with more than two teams.

Add the Mariners and Cardinals to the Yankees for Shawn Green’s interested parties.  He can veto a deal to any of these three teams and is happy in Arizona.

Trade Rumor Roundup: 7 Days Left

By | at

Here’s the latest from around baseball…

Dejan Kovacevic mentions that the A’s are considering Sean Casey.  Casey’s doing his usual good batting average/low slugging thing and he’s getting $8.5MM for it.  The combined efforts of Dan Johnson and Nick Swisher have been inadequate at first, but would Casey really help?  Johnson is hitting .485/.575/.848 in 33 Triple A at-bats; maybe he deserves another look.  The Athletics, who are dead last in the AL in slugging, wouldn’t be helped by adding the powerless Casey.  They need Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, Pat Burrell, or even Raul Ibanez to make a difference. 

The Yankees have decided to hold on to Philip Hughes, and the Phils aren’t biting on whatever else they offered.  According to George King, the Yanks think assuming Abreu’s contract and exercising his option should be enough.  Still, it would be cool to see a nasty young Phillies rotation in 2008 with Hughes, Cole Hamels, Gio Gonzalez, and Scott Mathieson.

Also, I’m hearing that WPEN in Philadelphia has mentioned a trade rumor: Tom Gordon for Trot Nixon.  Nixon is a good hitter (.400 OBP), though he’s 32 with declining power numbers.  Given that Flash would be hands down the best reliever on the market, I’d expect the Phils to get more.   

Kenny Williams didn’t deny the recent Soriano rumor, so now you know it’s legit.  Kenny has been pretty shrewd with the media, so this is probably all part of his plan.  Despite word of a possible contract extension with Washington, Buster Olney all but assured us of a Soriano trade in today’s blog.

Also, Olney nixed the A-Rod to the Cubs idea, explaining that Rodriguez is a bargain in the Yankees’ world.  This column is kind of weird to me.  Phil Rogers almost seems like he’s just cooked up a brilliant scenario or something, with Aramis Ramirez and Jacque Jones being swapped for A-Rod.  Thing is, Bleed Cubbie Blue broke out this exact trade rumor three weeks ago.

RotoAuthority has a look at which pitchers have been abused this season.

Trade Rumor Roundup: 10 Days Left

By | at

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.

Rumor Roundup

By | at

Another day, another rumor roundup.  Let’s throw everything fresh into the mill.

The Orioles are thinking about taking on one of Philly’s huge outfielder contracts, for some reason.  I guess this could help next year’s push for third place.  Baltimore is one of baseball’s most baffling teams to me.  Abreu rumors have been floating around the Orioles since at least November.

The Cubs and Yankees may have something cooking, with Scott Williamson the likely candidate to be dealt.  If the reliever market is really so inflated, why don’t the Cubs trade Howry and Eyre?

The Pirates are offering up all sorts of non-difference makers, but Mike Gonzalez could actually get them something decent.  The 28 year-old southpaw has a 2.27 ERA in 39 innings this season.  Fantay leaguers should start thinking about Matt Capps as his successor.

Trade rumor All-Star Ken Rosenthal is getting into the game more lately, with a full plate of whisperings posted an hour ago.  Jose Vidro could become a Giant, and the D’Backs would love to trade Shawn Green (of course).

Unfounded rumors: Billy Beane may be shopping Mark Ellis and Jason Windsor, with possible interest in Brian Roberts…the Angels could be after David Dellucci…teams are calling the Mets about Alay Soler…Dallas McPherson is definitely on the block…there’s a decent chance Jon Lieber ends up a Yankee…the Mets and Nats are still talking about Livan Hernandez.

Rumor Roundup

By | at

Here are some trade rumors from the last day or so that we haven’t covered.  All come from various newspapers or other published reports.

Yesterday ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported some Bobby Abreu interest coming from the Brewers.  It was a longshot from the start given Abreu’s contract.  Today it’s been revealed that Doug Melvin hasn’t even spoken to Pat Gillick on the topic, and the rumor was placed by a rival GM.  Any guesses who?

Something seems to be brewing between the Yankees and Royals, and Reggie Sanders is the name that makes sense. The Royals would do well to unload the 38 year-old right fielder’s $5MM commitment for ’07.  A deal could also include reliever Elmer Dessens, who’s signed through next season.  For the second trading deadline in a row, Brian Cashman seems to be taking a more level-headed approach.

Another option for the Yanks is Kevin Mench of the Rangers.  Mench has been jerked around a bit this year by Buck Showalter and could come at a reduced price.  I recently outlined a couple of possible career paths for Mench over at RotoAuthority.  His career may be at a fork in the road; he should take it.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Mariners have become a major player for Alfonso Soriano.  Bill Bavasi has stumbled with some questionable signings, but Seattle remains just four games out in a weak division.  Don’t forget that Bavasi loves to deal with Kevin Towers more than any GM, so he may try to match up with the Padres somehow.

Yanks Set Sights On Roberto Hernandez

By | at

Though relievers are always a hot deadline commodity, this year seems different.  To hear Buster Olney tell it:

"The value of middle relievers (or set-up men, or whatever you want to call them) is increasing, like oil stock."

That’s no excuse for what Wayne Krivsky did, but bashing him isn’t productive.  What is productive is cranking out the trade rumors like there’s no tomorrow.

According to Gotham Baseball, Roberto Hernandez is "the guy the Yankees would like to get."  The 41 year-old righty signed a $2.75MM contract with the Bucs this winter.  He has somehow managed a 3.10 ERA this season despite allowing more than 1.6 baserunners per inning.  Last season with the Mets was Hernandez’s one decent season since 2000.

If Dave Littlefield can spin Hernandez into anything useful, we may see more of this trend.  Non-contenders will snap up free agents like Aaron Fultz, Kent Mercker, Darren Oliver, LaTroy Hawkins, and Brian Meadows for a few million bucks and then peddle them come July.  Maybe the Cubs should consider trading Bob Howry and Scott Eyre?  If there’s another Austin Kearns to be had it’d be foolish not to.

The Gotham report also contains a rundown of various starters on the block and their chances at being dealt.

Now There’s A Trade Rumor

By | at

This is a hell of a trade rumor, and it’d be wrong not to pass it along.  According to the blog Bleed Cubbie Blue:

"The Cubs are reportedly "in discussions" with the Yankees for a deal in which the principals would be Aramis Ramirez…and Alex Rodriguez…This deal, if it happens, might also include Jacque Jones, and other lesser players including prospects on both sides.

This same source told me that the White Sox are "close" to acquiring Andruw Jones from the Braves; the price would be Brian Anderson and young pitching. That deal would also make sense for both sides.

If the A-Rod to the Cubs deal happens, also expect Todd Walker to be moved (maybe to the Tigers), and at that point A-Rod moves back to SS, Ronny Cedeno to 2B, and the Cubs get a placeholder 3B until they can either sign one or trade for one in the offseason."

Just to reiterate, all of the above comes courtesy of Bleed Cubbie Blue.  My own personal feeling is that the rumor did indeed originate from a legitimate source.  Now let’s take a closer look.

As you may know, A-Rod’s contract deserves a webpage unto itself.  As far as I can tell, the Yankees, or any other team, would owe him $16MM annually through 2010.  Based on projections, that’s pretty close to fair value. 

Aramis Ramirez was given the unfortunate ability to opt out of his current deal and become a free agent after this season.  Even if 2006 is an off-year, I think he could top the three years, $33.5MM he’s owed in the deal.  1060west sums it up: Ramirez will probably test the market given the weak class at the position. 

As for the other rumor – Jones would certainly be a sweet pickup for the White Sox.  Brian Anderson has been terrible this year, but he was the organization’s best prospect entering the 2005 season according to Baseball America.  The Sox have some decent if not spectacular pitching prospects, so this one isn’t out of the realm of possibility.  Plus, there’s always Brandon McCarthy.

It will be interesting to see if this one picks up enough steam to catch the eye of the Chicago print media.  They will undoubtedly dismiss it as an Internet rumor and not credit BCB as the source.       

The Yankees and Jacque Jones

By | at

Critics of Jacque Jones have backed off this season, given that he’s currently hitting .296 with 13 home runs for the Cubs.  He’s been one of very few decent hitters on the team this year.  Nonetheless, this trade rumor from the New York Daily News is a breath of fresh air amidst a dismal Cubs season.

If the best Jim Hendry could do for Jones was a bag of baseballs, he should make that deal.  Even if it’d be kind of dumb from New York’s point of view.  Jones is owed $9MM for 2007-08, his age 32 and 33 seasons.  Baseball Prospectus figures him to be worth just a touch over $4MM over that span.  Now is the time for Hendry to sell high.  Jones has a mediocre but excellent for him OBP of .329 right now.  It’s entirely propped up by his .296 average, which is highly unlikely to last when he’s putting the bat on the ball less than 80% of the time.  One would also expect his .522 slugging percentage to plummet, as he hasn’t been over .500 since 2002.

The Cubs’ outfield replacement options at Triple A are grim: Michael Restovich, Buck Coats, Felix Pie, Luis Montanez, and Brandon Sing.  None are good options this year, but it’s a lost season.  Just shed the Jones contract and take another crack at fielding a decent outfield next year.  Hendry failed this past offseason in that task, and can consider options like Kenny Lofton, Cliff Floyd, Luis Gonzalez, Carlos Lee, and Alfonso Soriano in the upcoming free agent market.  Adding a second Lee to the middle of the lineup should definitely be a major consideration.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top