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Backwards Center Field Trade Bait

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Most of Joel Sherman’s column today is filled with the Mark Teixeira stuff you’ve been reading about everywhere else.  (I, for one, am now absolutely sure of how to spell Tex’s name.  A couple of weeks ago?  Not so much.)

But, there are two tidbits buried in the column that are interesting both on their own and juxtaposed.

First, Sherman corroborates Buster Olney’s claim that the Yankees are hot after Dan Johnson.  But he gives us more: Billy Beane asked for Brett Gardner and was rejected.  Uh, Brett Gardner?  Useful player, perhaps, but the Yanks are interested in Johnson because he’s a useful player too, and one who is a lot more likely to help them this year (and next, too, in all likelihood).  Sherman interprets that as New York’s new protectiveness of their prospects.  Too bad there isn’t another ~$15M rental like Bobby Abreu out there this year … unless you count Richie Sexson, whom I don’t.

Second, he repeats the common Gerald Laird-to-the-Cubs refrain, but adds a twist:

The Cubs have interest in Laird and Rangers relievers, and might include center field prospect Felix Pie to get that.

I suppose Laird + Eric Gagne might merit Pie.  Maybe.  It would certainly make the Cubs more credible contenders immediately, but…Felix Pie? 

What an odd world it is, when Brett Gardner is off the block, and Felix Pie is on.

By Jeff Sackmann
Brew Crew Ball

Angels Out On Teixeira?

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According to Mike DiGiovanna and Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times, the Angels are done trying to acquire Mark Teixeira.  Casey Kotchman and Joe Saunders were agreed upon.  The Angels wanted the Rangers to settle on Terry Evans or Nathan Haynes as the third player.  The Rangers, however, wanted one of Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, Howie Kendrick, and Ervin Santana.

Perhaps there is some middle ground, like a Hank Conger, Sean Rodriguez, or Erick Aybar?  The L.A. Times says the door is not completely closed on Teixeira but the Angels won’t relent to Jon Daniels’ list.

Meanwhile, the L.A. Daily News sings a different tune.  Doug Padilla suggests an offer of Kotchman, Adenhart, and Reggie Willits.  He does not believe the talks to be dead.

Jermaine Dye or Mike Piazza look like the logical alternatives for the Angels.  Buster Olney believes Piazza to be a fine idea, and I agree.  Interestingly, the Angels kicked the tires of Miguel Cabrera but were rebuffed.

Teixeira may now be left to the Braves, Dodgers, and Red Sox.  I still expect a deal to be made.  The sticking point for an Atlanta appears to be John Schuerholz’s demand to get a solid reliever back with Teixeira if he is to include Elvis Andrus.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Wheeler, Izzy

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Ken Rosenthal posted a new column last night, and has updated it very recently.  I’ve already spoken about the Teixeira stuff, but there’s other good material in there too.

  • Some of the wilder speculation out there has been that the Twins might trade Torii Hunter or Johan Santana if they decide they’re out of it.  Various Baseball Prospectus reports put the Twins’ playoff chances between 5-10%.  Rosenthal debunks the idea that Minnesota would shop Hunter without first making him an offer, and keeping Santana for at least 2008 makes sense.  Plus, Santana has a no-trade clause. 
  • Rosenthal does have some Twins for us who might be traded: Luis Castillo and Carlos Silva.  Castillo has already been connected to the Mets in rumors, though Silva is a new one.  One could definitely envision Silva’s style working in the National League (I know, I say that a lot).  There was a recent Silva to Atlanta rumor, though Silva’s agent seems to have debunked it.
  • Rosenthal says Dontrelle Willis is not available.  Perhaps he and Tim Brown will engage in fisticuffs over this disagreement. 
  • The Diamondbacks have kicked the tires on Adam Dunn.  He might make sense as a rental – the D’Backs playoff changes sit between 16-27%, worth fighting for.  No doubt they’ve got a stable of young players to offer.
  • Rosenthal says the Astros have yet to receive interest on the Lidge/Wheeler/Qualls troika, while Jayson Stark said yesterday that the Astros hadn’t opened shop on them.  Thunderdome match #2, Rosenthal vs. Stark.  Assuming Ken survives Tim Brown.  Anyway, word is that the Rockies have their eye on Wheeler. 
  • Parties interested in Zack Greinke: Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs.  This gels with Dan Graziano’s findings.  Of course, trading a player like Greinke requires an equally talented youngster in return.
  • The Royals may not be able to do better than Cleveland’s Ben Francisco as a bounty for Octavio Dotel.  More on him in a separate post.
  • Trades of Joe Blanton and Huston Street are "highly unlikely."  So you’re saying there’s a chance?
  • The chances of the Cardinals trading Jason Isringhausen are described as "remote."  The Cards would have a hard time replacing him next year; he’s got a reasonable $8MM option.  He also has no-trade protection, so he’d probably want a better extension if he was to accept a trade.

Molony On Jennings, Slowey

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Jim Molony’s column today at MLB.com has many good trade rumors that I haven’t seen elsewhere.  Let’s discuss.

  • Molony says at least a dozen scouts watched Jason Jennings toss a quality start last night.  He needed it; I was beginning to think he wasn’t right.  Still, the performance probably isn’t enough to cause some team to offer a package for Jennings superior to two draft picks.
  • The Diamondbacks and Pirates had a scouting presence at the Astros-Dodgers game.  Interesting players appearing in the contest included James Loney, Andre Ethier, Wilson Betemit, Mark Loretta, Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, and Brad Lidge. You connect the dots, I have no idea.
  • The Red Sox suggested sending Joel Pineiro to the A’s for Bobby Kielty in a swap of unwanteds; they were rebuffed.
  • The Phillies and Braves watched Matt Morris allow four runs in six innings on Tuesday.  They also may have been monitoring Steve Kline, who also pitched.
  • A Devil Rays scout watched the Twins in Toronto on Tuesday.  Ty Wigginton is thought to be a target for Minnesota.  Perhaps the Rays’ scout fancied Scott Baker, who started for the Twins and went seven innings.  Baker would be a stupendous return for Wiggy, in my opinion.
  • The Phillies had their assistant GM scouting Kevin Slowey’s start on Saturday.  Molony suggests Minnesota might want Pat Burrell.  That would involve a ridiculous amount of salary relief and a lack of Slowey.  Slowey allowed one run in six innings in the game.
  • UPDATE: Just realized that the above pair of bullets seem to have originated from La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  The scout watching the Twins on Tuesday was Lee Elia.  Not sure why Molony didn’t cite this source, but I suppose he may have come across the info independently.

Graziano’s Latest: Livan, Wily Mo

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Dan Graziano at the Newark Star-Ledger has really stepped up in recent days with a lot of insider trade talk.  Let’s see what he has in store for us this morning.

  • Apparently Josh Byrnes is calling around, actively shopping Livan Hernandez.  According to Graziano, the Mets, Braves, and Mariners have expressed interest.  To the contrary, Ken Rosenthal wrote last night that the Mets and Braves are not interested.  Who to believe?  Hopefully the Mariners do better than Livan if they make a move for a starter.  To hear Nick Piecoro tell it, the Diamondbacks are more likely to just opt for the draft picks they’ll get if they let Hernandez leave via free agency.
  • The Yankees are in a quandary when it comes to dealing Scott Proctor or Kyle Farnsworth.  For Proctor, they want more than just a role player like Ty Wigginton.  They want a reliever back, which begs the question – why not just keep Proctor?  With Farnsy, the Yanks are reluctant to pay a big chunk of his $5.5 salary for ’08.  They should toss in $2MM and see if that’s enough to get Wiggy.
  • If the Red Sox can snag Bobby Kielty, they might turn around and trade Wily Mo Pena to the White Sox.  Wily Mo in that ballpark with 600 plate appearances?  40 home runs.  Might make Theo look bad.  Dejan Kovacevic mentions that Epstein is "actively shopping" Pena, and seems to like the idea of the Bucs sending Salomon Torres to Boston for him. 
  • The Brewers, Phillies, and Dodgers are looking at Oakland lefty and impending free agent Joe Kennedy.  Kennedy is only 28 and he has had National League success as a starter.

Tim Brown’s Latest: A’s, Yankees

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Yahoo’s Tim Brown has a new post up, with some trade rumors we’ve heard before and some we haven’t.

  • Clearly the A’s are sellers, and they’re offering up Mike Piazza, Joe Kennedy, and Bobby Kielty.  Brown names the Twins as the club most interested in Piazza.  He also feels the Yankees, Angels, Mariners, and Red Sox would be good fits.  But where would Piazza play on the Red Sox?
  • The Red Sox were apparently close to a deal for Kielty, a 31 year-old switch-hitting extra outfielder.  He hasn’t played much center since ’02, so maybe the Sox have relaxed that requirement.  Kielty was supposed to be moved in a three-team deal that would have sent Wily Mo Pena somewhere.  The deal has stalled, but it’s really starting to look like Pena is on the move.
  • The Yankees and Rangers are still discussing Mark Teixeira.  My guess is that Brian Cashman just wants to see if this can be done without involving Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain.  Failing that, the Yanks have Ty Wigginton and Shea Hillenbrand on their list.  Wiggy would be a useful addition.  Joe Maddon would still find a way not to play Jonny Gomes though.

Dan Johnson For Scott Proctor?

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Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle believes that yesterday’s Jason Kendall trade could be the first in a series of forward-looking moves for the A’s.  Billy Beane doesn’t say it outright, but he seems ready to play for next year.  Simmons says rumors have swirled around Dan Johnson, Esteban Loaiza, and Mike Piazza.

Johnson has been linked to the Twins (DH) and Yankees (1B) previously.  The idea is to clear some room at first base for top prospect Daric Barton.  As a cheap league average 1B, Johnson has decent value.  Simmons says a Johnson for Scott Proctor trade is "all the buzz."  However, the teams have not talked in over a week.  The 30 year-old Proctor has been worked pretty hard by Joe Torre, but has performed decently over the last two seasons.  For a while during the offseason, the Yankees considered using him as a starter.  The A’s could go through with that plan in ’08.

Piazza is said to be a candidate for the same teams as Johnson, plus maybe the Angels.  He’d due back in about a week from a strained shoulder.  He’ll only be able to DH.

Loaiza has yet to make his season debut due to neck, shoulder, and knee injuries.  He recently threw a bullpen session and felt good, but won’t be big league ready until August.  He’s owed $7MM in ’08; not sure if that salary would pass through waivers in August without a claim.

Cubs Acquire Jason Kendall

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The Cubs made a deal tonight, sending catcher Rob Bowen and pitcher Jerry Blevins to the Athletics for Jason Kendall and cash. (ESPN keeps saying it was Sean Marshall going to Oakland, which is silly and not true).

Kendall had a respectable .758 OPS in June, but his bat has been anemic otherwise.  But as signified by the questionable Michael Barrett trade, the Cubs are looking for defense at catcher. (Incidentally, Jim Hendry acquired Barrett from Beane in December of ’03 for Damian Miller).  Kendall can certainly handle the pitching staff.  And it wouldn’t be shocking to see him hit a little bit back in the NL; he rarely strikes out and knows how to draw a walk. 

The Cubs didn’t give up much here.  Bowen is a backup at best.  Blevins, a southpaw reliever, will turn 24 in September.  He’s been dominant in 53 innings between High A and Double A, but he’s not anyone’s idea of a top prospect.  I like the move for the Cubs.  As for Oakland, it gives them a chance to try Kurt Suzuki full-time for a few months as an audition for 2008.

A’s May Trade Piazza Instead of Johnson

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If Mike Piazza can’t catch – and it looks like he can’t – the A’s pretty much have to unload Piazza or Dan Johnson once the former is ready to play.

Susan Slusser notes that possibly interested teams, such as the Twins, Yankees, and Angels, may prefer to go after Piazza.  The cost would mainly be in salary, whereas the cheap and league average Johnson will require a decent player in return.  So the question for Billy Beane is which does he want more?  Relief from the remaining $3.88MM on Piazza’s contract or a solid prospect and an open spot for Daric Barton?

The A’s are not usually sellers at the trading deadline, so we don’t have much precedent.  I like a Johnson move a little bit more.

Twins, Yankees Like Dan Johnson

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There’s a lot of buzz going around that the A’s may become sellers soon, nine games back in their division and eight out in the Wild Card.  Typical impending free agent parts like Mike Piazza and Shannon Stewart are candidates to be moved.

Another player Billy Beane could trade is first baseman Dan Johnson.  Johnson is nowhere near free agency, but top prospect Daric Barton is knocking on the door.  Having Johnson under contract through 2011 (if my math is correct) would make him especially valuable to a cost-conscious team like the Twins.  Makes a lot more sense than Ty Wigginton.

Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press says the A’s are intent on trading Johnson, and speculates that he’d be a fine fit at DH. Buster Olney adds the Yankees and Red Sox to the mix.  However, I think Buster may have accidentally misread the Walters article as far as the Boston part.

Johnson had an off year in 2006, but corrected double vision in the offseason and is hitting a solid .260/.369/.455 this year.  Granted that’s just a hair above average for a 1B/DH, but it’s a lot better than what the Twins have been running out there.  If Beane can pry away one of the Twins’ young pitchers – I keep bringing up Scott Baker – I imagine a deal can get done.

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