According to Scott Lauber, the Rockies told the Phillies Garrett Atkins is available – if they’re willing to surrender top pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco. Lauber says the Phils are "positively unwilling" to trade Carrasco, however.
Phillies Rumors
Derek Lowe Rumors: Wednesday
10:08pm: A note from Dave O’Brien:
Just so you know, one of Boras’ guys also claims the Braves have expressed at least some interest in Lowe.
5:18pm: Jayson Stark has a source saying the Phillies aren’t pursuing Lowe, and didn’t make an offer.
4:27pm: Gordon Edes agrees, Lowe is not on the verge of signing. He does have offers in hand from the Yanks and Phillies, with the Mets and Red Sox in talks. The Brewers made contact but are considered a long shot. Edes says Lowe’s desire to return to Boston has been overstated. Edes says the two offers are in the four-year, $65MM range, and a fifth year could clinch it.
3:14pm: Rosenthal says the Yankees’ talks with Lowe are progressing, but reports that they’re close are overblown. He adds that the Yanks are also in active discussions with A.J. Burnett, and, surprisingly, Andy Pettitte. Kevin Baxter believes it’s the Yanks or retirement for Pettitte.
8:56am: According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Yankees were discussing a four-year, $66MM deal with Derek Lowe late Tuesday night. Via MetsBlog, Heyman said on WFAN this morning that the Yanks are closing in.
Jake Peavy Rumors: Wednesday
8:36pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock learned from Towers that he should know one way or another on a Peavy trade by the end of the Meetings. Towers now believes a fourth team will be required. Towers mentioned that Marquis and DeRosa may be hangups, especially Marquis’ contract. Though he’d prefer not to, under certain circumstances the Padres might pay some of his salary.
There was some goofy Carlos Carrasco/Jason Donald stuff we didn’t link to today, and that was shot down. Brock suggests names like Josh Vitters, Felix Pie, and Kevin Hart could be involved on the Cubs’ part.
8:31pm: Jayson Stark says Peavy to the Cubs doesn’t seem inevitable anymore, and the sides have not made progress in the last 24 hours. The Cubs have leverage, so they’ve dug in their heels. Stark adds that once word of the possible inclusion of DeRosa linked, Jim Hendry has been "bombarded with calls from other clubs interested" in him. Hendry does not want to trade DeRosa.
6:00pm: Buster Olney says the Yankees have talked with the Padres recently about Peavy, but it didn’t go anywhere.
5:19pm: Brock talked to a Padres source who does not believe the Twins are involved.
4:10pm: Buster Olney says Axelrod left the Meetings with no word of a deal but the expectation is still that the Cubs will get it done.
3:48pm: Tom Krasovic reminds us that Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod said going into the Meetings that the Yankees would be more attractive to his client if they signed C.C. Sabathia. Still, Peavy prefers the NL.
3:17pm: Corey Brock says the Phillies might want Scott Hairston from the Padres to use in left field.
2:33pm: Carrie Muskat’s Cubs source says DeRosa will not be traded.
9:45am: LEN3 says the Twins discussed DeRosa with the Cubs yesterday. The Cubs will present the Twins with a list of pitchers they like, which will be influenced by the Padres’ preferences.
9:31am: There’s word from Jim Salisbury that pitcher Kyle Kendrick could be included in this three-team trade.
1:19am: If you dare to sort through yesterday’s Jake Peavy rumors, click here. Today, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times maintains that the biggest obstacle is the Cubs moving part of Jason Marquis’ contract. Another factor – the Padres will need to free up several spots on the 40-man roster. The Cubs’ sale will not be an issue.
Wittenmyer adds that a Phillies official didn’t expect to get Mark DeRosa from the Cubs but rather other players. Also, Cubs officials shot down the John Perrotto rumor that the Cubs might shop Carlos Zambrano after acquiring Peavy.
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune also weighs in. He says the Padres have discussed Phils catching prospect Jason Jaramillo.
Phillies Acquire Ronny Paulino
8:13pm: Lauber has the deal: the Phils receive catcher Ronny Paulino from the Pirates for Triple A backstop in Jason Jaramillo.
7:24pm: Scott Lauber talked to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., who has agreed to a small trade a notch above the Greg Golson/John Mayberry swap. The players traded are on 40-man rosters though. They’re awaiting physicals.
The Pirates could have a small trade in the works as well.
Phillies Looking To Trade Eaton
According to Gerry Fraley, the Phillies are looking to trade starter Adam Eaton. They’ll pay all but $1MM of his $9MM salary for ’09 and don’t want anything in return.
Jake Peavy Rumors: Tuesday
11:07pm: Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune has Phillies sources saying the deal is in place if the Cubs will pull the trigger with the Padres. Sullivan also talked to chairman Crane Kenney, who implied the Cubs included Peavy’s contract within projected budgets to bidders.
Sullivan adds that the Cubs have not had talks for Bobby Abreu yet.
9:17pm: Stark says there’s no way such a complicated trade will get done before the end of the Meetings. He adds that extra teams are not necessarily requirements. The Cubs will need to move a contract and get ownership approval, though.
8:39pm: Ruben Amaro Jr. came close to acknowledging the Phils are involved in the Peavy deal, says Jayson Stark.
8:31pm: Jeff Passan: the lone holdup in this complicated trade is the Cubs moving Marquis. A deal is not imminent, though, according to Towers.
7:26pm: Brock talked to Towers, who met today with Hendry and said a trade seems more likely today than it did yesterday. They’ll meet again tonight. If a deal is reached, it’d be announced after Thursday’s Rule 5 draft. Brock says the Phillies are believed to be the third team.
3:31pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock says nothing is imminent and the Cubs appear reluctant.
2:25pm: The saga continues…Kevin Towers does not think this deal lost steam in the last 24 hours, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown and Gordon Edes. However, they say the Cubs are having second thoughts about this four-team mess. The Cubs source says the price is too steep for them right now and they’re looking at another short-term option for the rotation (Randy Johnson maybe).
2:02pm: Tom Krasovic says the Padres are not seeking J.A. Happ or Chris Coste as has been previously rumored. Also, Ronny Cedeno is not the Padres’ first choice to replace Khalil Greene at short. Krasovic adds that the Braves apparently are now happy the Padres didn’t take their offer for Peavy.
Kras adds that the Padres did some fact-finding with Mark Grudzielanek’s agent. Grudz wants to play for a winner though.
1:10pm: Roman Modrowski of the Chicago Sun-Times says Peavy sang "Go Cubs, Go" at a Vegas bar last night. Good times. But did Roy Oswalt sing along? Also, Modrowski believes the Cubs would be willing to eat as much as $6MM of Marquis’ $9.875MM.
Jayson Stark says an Aaron Heilman-Marquis deal appears unlikely, as the sides cannot agree on what portion of Marquis’ contract the Cubs would assume.
12:08pm: Rosenthal says the Cubs maintain they’re not close on Peavy. And they still need to identify their new owner before a deal can get done. The Cubs are mulling Randy Johnson as a backup plan, and continue to prioritize the lefthanded bat.
10:36am: Phil Rogers says the key to this potential four-team Peavy trade would be the Phillies or Orioles taking on Marquis and some of his contract. Rogers says "it will be a stunner if the Cubs don’t acquire Peavy."
1:00am: Chris De Luca says a source close to Jim Hendry characterized a Peavy deal as "very close." De Luca’s sources say a Cubs-Orioles component is set (Felix Pie for Garrett Olson). This runs counter to Roch Kubatko’s report below. De Luca says the Cubs still want to trade Marquis and acquire a lefthanded hitter before closing the Peavy deal.
12:41am: Ken Rosenthal’s source says the Cubs’ attempts to bring in a third team have involved "probably 20 names with four to five clubs." So it’s not necessarily DeRosa or the Phillies. Rosenthal says an agreement is still not close.
12:30am: To summarize yesterday: Kevin Towers has facilitated an apparent three-team Jake Peavy trade that he will present to the Cubs. I say three because Roch Kubatko says the Orioles don’t know of any agreement. So the best guess right now (based on reports) is that the Cubs would send Mark DeRosa to the Phillies, and both teams would send young players to the Padres. The Cubs could offload Jason Marquis in the deal, and the savings from Marquis and DeRosa would seem to neatly equal Peavy’s $11MM salary for ’09.
Raul Ibanez Rumors: Tuesday
8:09pm: Rosenthal says Mets officials met with Ibanez at a Bellagio restaurant today. He says the Angels, Phillies, Braves and Nationals are also in on Ibanez, though the Braves’ interest is mild.
11:25am: ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Phillies, Mets, and Cubs are in the lead for Raul Ibanez, with the Braves and Angels on the periphery.
Manuel Gets Contract Extension
Scott Lauber reports that Phillies manager Charlie Manuel received an extension that runs through 2011.
Derek Lowe Rumors: Tuesday
5:22pm: Heyman says the Yankees are negotiating with Boras about a four-year deal for more than $65MM.
1:19pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Phillies and Yankees lead the charge for Lowe, who wants $80MM over five years. A team official for one club told Heyman he was "shocked" with the escalating bidding.
8:34am: According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, a Phillies official denied the presence of a three-year offer for Derek Lowe. Does this mean they have two or four years on the table? Cafardo talked to another source who said Lowe likes the idea of pitching for Philly.
Burrell Unlikely To Return To Philly
4:29pm: ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Phillies will not tread water to see if they get DeRosa from the Cubs. A friend of Ibanez told Stark the Phils are his first choice, so there seems to be mutual interest. The problem: the Cubs want Ibanez too and may not be willing to move DeRosa until they get their outfielder.
3:46pm: Pat Burrell’s agent Ed Hayes would be surprised if his client re-signs with the Phillies, as would most observers. Todd Zolecki believes the Phils’ top three candidates to replace him in left field are Raul Ibanez, Mark DeRosa, and Juan Rivera.
