Odds & Ends: Trembley, Konerko, Oswalt, Athletics
Links for Tuesday, as Scott Rolen's big season continues…
- The Orioles should put manager Dave Trembley "gently out of his misery" and fire him, if you ask Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says the D'Backs were smart to acquire Dontrelle Willis.
- Jack Moore of FanGraphs says Oliver Perez and Jeff Suppan have "parasitic" contracts.
- Paul Konerko told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that speculation linking him to the Angels is none of his business and a "non-issue" for him.
- If you're on your cell phone, consider checking out our mobile site at mlbtraderumors.mobi. It's a stripped-down version of the site that just shows headlines on the front page.
- The Cardinals could use a starting pitcher, and Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch runs through some options. One official told AOL FanHouse's Ed Price about a rumor that Roy Oswalt would only accept a trade to the Phillies, Cardinals, or Yankees.
- Josh Willingham, Corey Hart, Jose Guillen, Luke Scott, and Garrett Jones are a few speculative names tossed out by FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi as offensive additions for the Athletics. Keep in mind, though, that Willingham is not known to be available and Jones is slugging .415.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if the Pirates will release Akinori Iwamura, though he admits it'd be "an especially bitter pill for management."
- It's too early for the Rangers to think about trading Vladimir Guerrero, opines ESPN's Richard Durrett. They're only one game out!
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe looks at Theo Epstein's midseason work from years past. This year, Massarotti feels that adding a late-inning reliever is a priority.
- Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues hopes Kanekoa Texeira clears waivers and is offered back to the Yankees. ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that he thinks the Yanks would take him back if given the chance.
Odds & Ends: Burrell, Diamondbacks, Oswalt
Some links to check out following Roy Halladay's perfect night..
- MLB.com's Cash Kruth passes along a quote from Giants' manager Bruce Bochy regarding the signing of Pat Burrell: "The thought of signing him to help us off the bench, give us a right-handed bat, some power, a good threat coming off the bench and help us late in games and maybe play against certain pitchers. Right now he needs some at-bats in the Minor Leagues, and we'll see where he's at in the next ten days or so."
- The Diamondbacks are leaning towards taking a pitcher with the 6th overall pick in next month's draft, according to MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Scouting director Tom Allison has seen Ole Miss lefty Drew Pomeranz and Georgia Tech righty Deck McGuire in the last few days.
- The Astros and Roy Oswalt are in an uncertain state of limbo, writes Tyler Kepner of The New York times.
- The A's knew about Justin Duchscherer's hip troubles before signing him to a one-year deal this offseason, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The righty will earn the base pay of $2MM but now will not have the opportunity to earn up to $3.5MM in incentives.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle speculates as to why the Giants are calling up Buster Posey today.
- Roberto Alomar is looking for a front office job and would like for it to be with Toronto, writes MLB.com's James Hall.
Rosenthal On Diamondbacks, Hart, Rangers
Let's dive into the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- While Dan Haren's trade value isn't exactly peaking, the D'Backs have internally discussed moving the 29-year-old hurler. Another option would be to move No. 2 starter Edwin Jackson. The combined salary of the two pitchers is set to jump from roughly $12.8MM this season to $20.5MM in 2011. That increase could be too much for Arizona to handle, even with Brandon Webb's salary coming off of the books.
- The Brewers are once again drawing interest in outfielder Corey Hart. The Giants, Padres, and A's are among the teams that could use a boost in the outfield and Milwaukee will seek starting pitching in return. Rosenthal doesn't see the Giants as a fit because they won't part with any of their starters and their outfield situation has recently improved. Meanwhile, the A's and Padres want to be comfortable with their overall health and chances before they make any moves. If Jim Edmonds and Jody Gerut get healthy, Hart could be dealt. Hart is under team control through 2011, should his team choose to tender him a contract.
- The Rangers still believe that either Justin Smoak or Chris Davis will be their long-term answer at first base, but they could seek a veteran stopgap for the second half of the season. Paul Konerko is likely too rich for their blood. Cleveland's Russell Branyan would be a more economical solution.
Remembering the 1990 Trade Deadline
Ah, 1990. Times were very different then. Ken Griffey Jr. played for the Seattle Mariners. The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live were on the air. And Congress passed a bill in response to an unprecedented oil spill.
But even if that all seems familiar, the trade deadline of 1990 certainly won't. The action came later in the season, with most of the biggest trades actually taking place in August. Let's meet at the corner of Transaction Avenue and Memory Lane…
- The Boston Red Sox, keen on acquiring a first baseman, grabbed Mike Marshall from the Mets on July 27 for three minor leaguers, headlined by Greg Hansell. Marshall was actually pretty effective for Boston, with a .464 slugging percentage in 117 plate appearances, though he was near the end of his career.
- An August 3 deal between the Braves and Phillies had hidden implications. The immediate deal? Dale Murphy for Jeff Parrett. Both teams also included players to be named later. Atlanta got Jim Vatcher and Victor Rosario. Philadelphia got Tommy Greene, who posted a 3.66 ERA from 1991-93 and and pitched a no-hitter in 1991.
- In a Doyle Alexander-for-John Smoltz-like trade, the Pirates acquired Zane Smith from the Expos for Willie Greene, Scott Ruskin and a player to be named later. At first, the deal seemed one-sided, as Smith went 6-2 with a 1.30 ERA for Pittsburgh as the Pirates won the NL East. However, the PTBNL turned out to be… Moises Alou.
- The Athletics, en route to a World Series appearance, made a pair of interesting moves just before postseason rosters could be set. On August 29, they acquired Harold Baines from the Texas Rangers for Joe Bitker and Scott Chiamparino. The same day, they traded top prospect Felix Jose, Stan Royer and Daryl Green to the Cardinals for Willie McGee. The move froze McGee's National League batting average at .335- he'd go on to win the batting title in absentia. Good thing, too- his .274 mark with Oakland brought his season line down to .324, meaning under today's rules, which combine NL and AL totals, he'd have finished behind Eddie Murray (.330), Dave Magadan (.328) and Lenny Dykstra (.325).
- And the Houston Astros, on August 31, made a blockbuster move, trading longtime second baseman Bill Doran to the eventual World Champion Cincinnati Reds for Terry McGriff, Keith Kaiser and Butch Henry. Oh, and also, they made a throwaway trade, dealing reliever Larry Andersen to the Boston Red Sox for so-so prospect Jeff Bagwell.
Heyman On Prince, Buchholz, Sheets, Padres
We've already heard about Roy Oswalt and Cliff Lee, but Jon Heyman of SI.com introduces us to some lower-profile trade candidates in his latest column. Here's the latest on what trades to expect over the course of the next two months:
- This summer, the Yankees plan on pursuing a reliever plus a hitter to replace Nick Johnson (Twitter link).
- Executives believe there's a real chance the 19-28 Brewers deal Prince Fielder. One NL GM says "Milwaukee can't afford the Prince Fielders of the world.''
- The Indians asked for Clay Buchholz in exchange for Cliff Lee last summer and were rejected by the Red Sox. The Indians were smart to ask, but the Red Sox are surely glad they held onto Buchholz, who has a 3.07 ERA this year.
- An AL GM says Ben Sheets needs to be more consistent to become an appealing trade target. Sheets is pitching better after a slow start.
- GMs around the league would love to see the White Sox make their pitchers available.
- A White Sox insider says Ozzie Guillen isn't going anywhere.
- One GM can see the D'Backs trading Dan Haren for a prospect-rich package, but other executives think the D'Backs will keep their ace.
- Most executives see the Padres holding onto Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell – at least as long as they're playing this well.
July 2 Update: Abad, Peguero, Sanchez
We're still more than a month away from July 2nd, when teams can officially sign a new crop of international talent. That means most of us are thinking about Bryce Harper, Manny Machado and the other American, Canadian and Puerto Rican prospects eligible for the upcoming amateur draft. But Melissa Segura of SI.com has the latest on some international players who are attracting heavy interest (all Twitter links):
- Righty Luis Alvaro Abad is attracting interest from the Yankees, Astros, A's and Blue Jays.
- Six to eight teams are pursuing dominican shortstop Estalin Peguero and interest is heating up.
- Elvis Sanchez is also picking up momentum; the Mets, Pirates and Astros appear to be interested.
Ben Sheets’ Trade Value
At first glance, Ben Sheets doesn't appear like much of a trade target. He has an ERA over 5.00, he's walking a batter every two innings and his team is just two games out of a playoff spot. Not only that, he's making a base salary of $10MM this year. But if the A's fall from contention and Sheets builds on his current hot streak, he could attract interest on the trade market.
Sheets started the season poorly and even gave up eight-plus earned runs in back-to-back starts, but he may have been tipping his pitches early on. Only the hitters who faced him know if he was tipping his pitches, but this much is clear: Sheets has pitched much better recently. Since May 8th, he has a 2.52 ERA, has allowed fewer hits than innings pitched and has 29 strikeouts with 12 walks.
Still, Sheets, who has generally had low walk rates, is now walking more hitters than ever. It's less worrisome when you consider that his walk rates have traditionally improved over the course of the season. Sheets missed all of 2009 with elbow surgery, so he may still be finding his way around the strike zone. That's what Sheets thinks, anyway. He recently told Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle that he's "starting to settle in."
Most MLB starters will look good if you highlight their best four-start stretch of the season, but Sheets' recent success is just part of the reason his trade value is picking up. His average fastball is 91 mph this year, just a bit lower than his career norms. That suggests he's healthy after last year's operation. The A's aren't taking any chances, however; they have only allowed Sheets to reach the 100 pitch plateau twice in his ten starts.
Teams could have interest if the A's fall from contention, but they would probably want to see improved control and continued health from Sheets. He cannot be offered arbitration after the season, so no acquiring team will have the chance to obtain draft picks. Even if Sheets stays healthy, the A’s would likely have to eat salary in any trade, since there are many cheaper, more predictable options available.
Eric Chavez Hopes To Avoid Retirement
MONDAY, 8:05am: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Chavez emphasized he is not retiring. He'll attempt to rehab his neck injury. Chavez has a pair of bulging discs; Slusser has more in her May 22nd blog post.
SATURDAY, 2:09pm: The recent neck injury suffered by Eric Chavez may force him to retire, the A's slugger told Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group (link goes to Twitter).
However, in a follow-up tweet, Stiglich cautions that he has yet to hear from the team trainer and therefore it's hard to say if the injury is even season-ending. Furthermore, Chavez says that he wants to return. The longtime third baseman is hitting .234/.276/.333 in 123 plate apperances this season.
The 32-year-old is in the final year of a six-year, $66MM extension he agreed to in March of 2004. Chavez will earn an additional $3MM when he is bought out of the 2011 season. According to Baseball Reference, the California native has earned more than $75MM in his big league career.
Athletics Sign John Halama
Mike Ashmore of the Hunterdon County Democrat tweets that John Halama has signed a minor league deal with the A's.
Halama, 38, signed a minor league deal with the Brewers this winter, but was released prior to Opening Day. From there, the journeyman southpaw returned to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League where he had pitched in 2009.
Halama was 2-2 in six starts for the Blue Crabs this time around, posting a 1.62 ERA over 39 innings. He held opponents to a .201 average while striking out 22 versus just five walks. His control may have been a bit more erratic than it appears at first glance, however, as he also hit six batters.
Odds & Ends: Green, Oswalt, Mets, Gaudin, Werth
Links for Saturday….
- With Rafael Furcal returning to the Dodgers, the out-of-options Nick Green is a candidate for demotion, writes Evan Drellich of MLB.com.
- Roy Oswalt told Houston owner Drayton McLane that he wouldn't mind coming back and finishing his career with the organization, tweets Alyson Footer of the Astros.
- More on Oswalt: Footer (via Twitter) is skeptical about the Mets' chances of acquiring Houston's ace. Meanwhile, manager Brad Mills doesn't expect Oswalt's trade request to be a clubhouse distraction, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
- At MLB.com, Peter Gammons takes a look at a few underachieving teams who are under pressure to make changes.
- Scott Olsen has been placed on the disabled list, but Stephen Strasburg won't be the pitcher called up to take his roster spot, tweets Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
- Jack Curry of the YES Network (via Twitter) asked Mets GM Omar Minaya if Jerry Manuel is managing to save his job. Minaya answered, "I don't want to say that. I wouldn't say that's the case."
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Chad Gaudin received and turned down a minor league assignment offer from the A's.
- Mike Lowell told Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald that he has no regrets about passing on a four year, $37.5MM contract offer from the Phillies after the 2007 season.
- Jayson Werth said he's "played [his] entire career for this year," according to David Murphy of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Werth, of course, is referring to his contract year and impending free agent payday.
- Chris Iannetta remains the one who got away for the Red Sox, who almost drafted the catcher back in 2004 according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier.
- Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune analyzed the Carlos Gomez–J.J. Hardy trade now that we're six months out.
- John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer notes that the Reds have gotten tremendous production out of their bargain basement left field combo of Jonny Gomes and Laynce Nix ($1.4MM combined salary).