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Stark’s Latest: Cain, Beltre, Burrell, Wigginton

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Let’s take a look at the latest column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.

  • Stark wonders why no one has questioned MLB’s apparent trade deadline extension for the Manny Ramirez deal.
  • Currently the idea of the Brewers swapping Prince Fielder for Matt Cain is just fun speculation.  However, it is true the Brewers will listen on Fielder (he is about to get expensive).  The Giants are known to like the big first baseman.  The hangup is Brian Sabean’s reported unwillingness to trade Tim Lincecum or Cain.
  • The Giants also have their eye on Adrian Beltre.  The Mariners want starting pitching, but one year of Beltre is not equal to four of Jonathan Sanchez.
  • The Phillies still don’t want to go past two guaranteed years for Pat Burrell.  Stark points out another complication – Burrell would gain 10-and-5 rights early in a Phillies contract.  Any NL team inking Burrell for four years is a risky proposition given his defense.  If Burrell leaves the Phillies, Stark doesn’t expect the team to sign a major free agent as his replacement.
  • The Indians deserve props for acquiring Anthony Reyes.  Let’s not overdo it though – it’s only been five starts, and his strikeout rate is just 4.0 per nine in Cleveland.
  • The Indians talked to multiple teams about Cliff Lee last winter.  Interestingly, they thought the hardest about swapping him for Carlos Quentin.
  • The Astros were quite willing to trade Ty Wigginton, prior to his massive August.

Dodgers, Phillies Interested In Iguchi

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Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times talked to Tadahito Iguchi’s agent, who said the Dodgers and Phillies expressed interest in his client.

Iguchi, 33, hit .231/.292/.304 in 330 plate appearances for the Padres – the worst performance of his MLB career.  A separated shoulder caused him to miss most of June and all of July.  Iguchi earned $4MM for his efforts. 

Iguchi picked it up upon a trade to Philly last year, but he’s not likely to find as many at-bats this time around.  The Dodgers are currently using Blake DeWitt at second base in Jeff Kent’s absence.

Odds and Ends: Eaton, Tazawa, Royals, Jays

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Today’s links…

  • SI.com’s Tom Verducci ranks the five best midseason deals of the past 25 years.
  • Peter Abraham thinks the Yankees should stick with Robinson Cano.
  • Pat Gillick says there’s a slight chance the Phils acquire a reliever this month.  He was not able to acquire Kyle Farnsworth in August.
  • MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan doesn’t put much stock in the rumor that Nolan Ryan will clean house in Texas.
  • Phillies GM Pat Gillick admitted signing Adam Eaton was a mistake.  Many MLBTR readers thought so when the signing was finalized in November of ’06.
  • The Red Sox hope to sign a Japanese amateur pitcher named Junichi Tazawa, which may not go over well with Nippon Professional Baseball.
  • Gil Meche, Joakim Soria, and Zack Greinke are pretty much off-limits.  Most other Royals are fair game in trade discussions.  GM Dayton Moore intends to make changes this winter, and may also dive back into the free agent market.
  • The Blue Jays have $15MM to spend, with needs at shortstop, first base/DH, and catcher.  GM J.P. Ricciardi would prefer to fill those holes internally.  Shysterball wonders why Ricciardi is talking about next year.
  • Michael Rosenberg says Ivan Rodriguez is all about the money.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Burrell, Rockies

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Ken Rosenthal over at FOX Sports has up a new Full Count video up:

  • The Phillies want Pat Burrell back, and they feel they have a better than 50-50 chance of re-signing him because Burrell has mutual interest. Rosenthal thinks Burrell should command somewhere between $14MM and $17MM per season.
  • Rosenthal discusses the Rockies’ offseason, throwing out the usual suspects (Matt Holliday, Garrett Atkins, and Todd Helton) as possible trade pieces. Rosenthal points out Helton’s salary makes him difficult, and also proposes a scenario in which the Rockies trade both Atkins and Holliday, sign Burrell to play left field, and move Ian Stewart to third base full-time.

Week In Review: 8/24 – 8/30

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Sunday afternoon is here again… let’s have a look back at some of the moves and rumors since last time:

  • The injury-plagued Red Sox acquired Mark Kotsay to help compensate for their injuries. In exchange, the Braves received minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza. Nice acquisition by the Red Sox; Kotsay has been swinging a solid bat this season.
  • The Twins acquired Eddie Guardado from Texas in exchange for minor league pitcher Mark Hamburger. Guardado has spent the majority of his career with Minnesota and provides a solid arm to the bullpen. To make room for him, they DFA’d Mike Lamb. Nice move by the Twins, with the added benefit of being able to see "Rangers trade Guardado for Hamburger" in the news. Now that’s a headline!
  • The Phillies added a veteran player as well, when they acquired Matt Stairs from Toronto in exchange for minor league lefty Fabio Castro. Stairs should be a decent option off the bench, and he’s still perfectly capable of hitting the ball out of the park.
  • Scott Boras continues to find ways to create controversy. He’s now claiming that Pittsburgh’s top pick Pedro Alvarez verbally agreed to his $6MM signing bonus after the midnight deadline, and is trying to demand that the contract be renegotiated for a higher number. The Players Association has filed a grievance on his behalf. Alvarez could wind up back in the 2009 draft pool. Here’s a look at some baseball blogs’ opinions on the matter.
  • Minor moves: The Diamondbacks claimed Wil Ledezma off waivers from San Diego, the Braves signed Elmer Dessens to a minor-league contract, and the Astros gave one-year extensions to both Brian Moehler and Darin Erstad.

Kris Benson Released

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The Delaware News-Journal reported that Kris Benson was released by the Phillies following last night’s game. Benson had indicated earlier that his preference was to be a starter and the Phillies do not have any openings in their rotation.

Benson was 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA in 11 starts in triple-A. He was making $75K per month without any clauses.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Phillies Acquire Matt Stairs

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5:56pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Jays will receive pitcher Fabio Castro, who warmed up during today’s game against the Cubs.  The 23 year-old lefty has struggled with his control, but still makes for a solid acquisition by J.P. Ricciardi.

12:19am: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies acquired outfielder/first baseman Matt Stairs from the Blue Jays.  The prospect in the deal has yet to be determined.  Stairs was designated for assignment recently.  He fills the Phillies’ need for a left-handed bench bat (likely taking them out of the market for Mike Lamb).

Stairs, 40, hit .250/.342/.394 in 368 plate appearances with the Jays this year.  He was mostly shielded from left-handed pitching.  Stairs is owed $400K this year and $1MM in ’09.

Interestingly, the Jays will now give 20 year-old top prospect Travis Snider a look.

Stark’s Latest: Teixeira, Lamb, Ibanez, Blake

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Hot stove highlights from Jayson Stark’s latest…

  • Stark sees the Mets picking up Carlos Delgado’s $12MM option for ’09, taking them out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes.  He sees the Yankees in the mix for Tex.  Will Teixeira top the $140MM the Rangers offered him?
  • The Yanks will also pursue a top flight starting pitcher, with C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets as Plans A and B.
  • Stark does not see the Braves diving into megadeals for Sabathia, Sheets, or A.J. Burnett.  They’ll have payroll room, but could pursue trades or mid-tier free agents.
  • Stark says friends of Tom Glavine and John Smoltz indicate they both want another go at it in ’09.  They’re hoping the Braves will offer low-base incentivized deals.  If the Braves spurn Glavine, I wonder if he’ll sign with the Nationals.
  • Mike Lamb and the Phillies have mutual interest.  A trade might make more sense than awaiting his release, so that he’d be eligible for the postseason roster.
  • A friend of Raul Ibanez says the Mariners are unlikely to convince him to re-sign.  They’ll snag a couple of draft picks if they offer arbitration and he signs elsewhere.  The prospect of losing a draft pick makes Ibanez less attractive to other teams though.
  • The Dodgers are considering re-signing Casey Blake and moving Blake DeWitt to second base.

Red Sox Acquire Kotsay

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12:01pm: According to ESPN’s Keith Law, the Braves will receive minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza.

10:23am: Rosenthal says it’s done, though the prospect remains unknown.  He is now saying Kotsay did waive no-trade rights, and received $325K to do so.

9:14am: Rosenthal says it’s close, but the teams have not yet agreed on the mid-level prospect.  He says Kotsay does not have no-trade protection this year.

WEDNESDAY, 8:41am: The latest – The Boston Globe’s Amalie Benjamin wrote late last night that a deal had not been agreed upon.  Meanwhile, John Tomase of the Boston Herald notes Kotsay’s strong relationship with Red Sox owner John Henry.  Yahoo’s Gordon Edes says the deal is done pending a physical, and the Braves will receive a minor league pitcher.

TUESDAY, 10:38pm: ESPN’s Peter Gammons and Buster Olney are reporting that the Red Sox are on the verge of acquiring Kotsay.  The two sides are discussing Kotsay’s no-trade clause.  He was held out of tonight’s lineup due to the impending trade.

11:00am: On Sunday, Ken Rosenthal reported the Red Sox were interested in Braves outfielder Mark Kotsay, with the Brewers on the fringes.  Rosenthal now says the Brewers’ interest has diminished, since Ryan Braun seems fine.  Instead, the Phillies are now in the mix for Kotsay given the Geoff Jenkins injury.

Kotsay cleared waivers because of the $1.5MM still owed to him this year.  The Braves weren’t planning on offering him arbitration this winter, as they don’t want to be stuck paying him $8MM in ’09.  He doesn’t project as a Type B anyway.  Rosenthal says a mid-level prospect would get a deal done with the Braves, though the teams covered in Kotsay’s limited no-trade clause are unknown.

Odds and Ends: Burnett, Inoa, Minaya, Glavine

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Today’s links…

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