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Cafardo’s Latest: Buyers & Sellers

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Nick Cafardo kicks the tires in a full page spread in today’s Boston Globe, listing a handful of teams who are winding up to buy and sell. To paraphrase Cafardo’s recap:

Phillies: Smelling World Series, they see C.C. Sabathia, Erik Bedard, A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo, and Derek Lowe as potential targets.

Braves:  Still deciding whether to shop or re-sign Mark Teixeira, or neither, and in turn whether to trade for a starter to win a division, as Cafardo says, "nobody is running away with."

Mariners:  The decision of whether or not to release Richie Sexson is imminent, and the M’s are expected to start shopping Raul Ibanez, Jose Vidro, Carlos Silva, and Bedard.

Blue Jays:  Can their pitching carry them back into contention when Alex Rios and Vernon Wells aren’t producing as expected?  The Jays can sell Burnett, Matt Stairs, David Eckstein, and maybe Scott Rolen.

Reds:  On their way to last place, Arroyo can be dealt and replaced, perhaps, by Homer Bailey next year. Ken Griffey Jr. is still wearing red.

Indians:  Will find it very difficult to deal Sabathia for a package comparable to what the Mets got for Johan Santana.  Paul Byrd could also go.

Dodgers:  Could perhaps deal Matt Kemp or Chad Billingsley for Sabathia.  They’re also looking at Bedard.  They need to get back to .500 to really compete and will need pitching to get them there.

Yankees:  Giving up Melky Cabrera may be the only way the Yankees can land a front line starter to replace Chien Ming Wang, but Brian Cashman is not keen to do so.

Pirates:  Looking for righthanded power, the Pirates still have Jason Bay (among others).

Be sure to check out Tim’s thorough Trade Market Summary for more insight.

By Nat Boyle

Rosenthal’s Latest: Athletics, Phillies

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From his Full Count video update, Ken Rosenthal brings us a couple bullet points:

  • In contention, the A’s suddenly could become a buyer. Rosenthal cites the big names: Matt Holliday, Jason Bay or even C.C. Sabathia, and that the A’s certainly have the prospects to pull it off.
  • The Phillies could enter the mix for Sabathia as well; however, they’d have to give up top pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco is the top rated Phillies prospect for the second straight year by Baseball America.

By Nat Boyle

Phillies Trade Strategy Mired By Parity

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Scott Lauber of the Delaware News-Journal writes in the Phillies/baseball blog about the team’s trade strategy in the looming trade-deadline season.

He spoke to Phillies Assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and GM Pat Gillick, both of whom reiterated the notion that it’ll be tough to trade this year because of the parity among some clubs. There are 15 teams with a .500 record or better, which means some of those teams may still be in contention in mid July. Of course, it also means some of those teams will be out of it by the trade deadline.

To wit: The Brewers reportedly have told teams that they aren’t willing to move Ben Sheets, even though they’re 6-1/2 games behind the Cubs in the NL [Central]. Of course, one losing streak could force them to change their strategy. Within the past week, Gillick has dispatched scouts to evaluate Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia, Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo and Toronto’s A.J. Burnett, a former pupil of pitching coach Rich Dubee in Florida.

This echoes what Buster Olney wrote in his blog about some of the teams contending in the C.C. Sabathia Sweepstakes and how some of them may think they’re in it, but may actually be testing the waters.

***
Speaking of Ruben Amaro Jr., Doc at Balls, Sticks & Stuff writes that a new book by Bob Gordon introduces Amaro Jr. as "currently the club’s general manager." Last year, the actual, current GM, Pat Gillick, said he may step down at the end of the season. Typo? Food for thought?

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Rumors? Comments? Email me, alexo05 [at] umpbump [dot] com.

Phillies Scouting Rumors

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All of these "team X scouts team Y" type reports should be taken with a grain of salt, because scouting does not necessarily imply trade interest.  But hey, this is MLB Trade Rumors.

Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says the Phillies sent special assistant Charley Kerfeld to watch the Brewers play the Blue Jays.  Hagen notes that Kerfeld may have observed Ben Sheets and A.J. Burnett.

Jayson Stark told us Thursday that the Brewers would have to be "way out of it" before making Sheets available.  But Burnett might be fair game, and Stark said the Phillies have already kicked the tires on him.  Stark said the Phils are also eyeing Bronson Arroyo and Jarrod Washburn.  Jim Salisbury believes the best acquisition the Phillies could make is an effective Brett Myers.

Stark’s Latest: Sabathia, Bedard, Phillies, Freel

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It’s Thursday, and you know what that means.  Time for another installment of Jayson Stark’s Rumblings and Grumblings at ESPN.com.

  • Stark runs through a laundry list of candidates for the Mariners’ and Mets’ manager and GM vacancies.
  • The Indians will not be giving a negotiation window for a team hoping to sign C.C. Sabathia while acquiring him.
  • Erik Bedard is "now officially on the market."  Bedard’s value has diminished since the Mariners acquired him, however.
  • The Phillies have already inquired on Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo, and Jarrod Washburn.  Stark sees Bedard joining that group, but believes it’d require Carlos Carrasco and Antonio Bastardo.
  • Ryan Freel is drawing strong interest; Stark names the Phillies, Braves, Mets, and Marlins as suitors.
  • Ken Griffey Jr. apparently still wants to finish his career in Seattle.
  • Stark agrees with Ken Rosenthal – Mark Teixeira is not available.  Nor is Ben Sheets, by the way.
  • The Marlins are looking for center field, catcher, and bullpen help.  Stark believes they’d be willing to give up a near-arb Josh Willingham type for players with less service time.
  • The Yankees seem open to bringing back Jason Giambi next year, after they buy out his option.  Giambi is currently third in the AL in OPS at .979.

Molony’s Latest: Minaya, Oswalt, Arroyo, Redding

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MLB.com’s Jim Molony tackles the hot stove in today’s article.

  • Molony says Omar Minaya is on the hot seat, though others feel his job is relatively safe.
  • Roy Oswalt is not available, but he was recently scouted by the Angels, Braves, Mets, and Phillies.
  • The Yanks have scouted C.C. Sabathia and Bronson Arroyo but haven’t made any offers.  I just don’t see how Arroyo could be effective back in the American League.
  • The Phillies are still looking for a lefty reliever.  Looking at my Trade Market post, Alan Embree, George Sherrill, Brian Fuentes, Eddie Guardado, Damaso Marte, John Grabow, Ron Mahay, or Jeremy Affeldt could fit the bill.  It still doesn’t seem like a pressing need to me, though.
  • Molony speculates that Tim Redding could be a popular name on the trade market.  Redding has a 4.10 ERA, but it’s propped up by a .258 BABIP (as a team, the Nationals have a .307 BABIP).

Possible Destinations For Sabathia

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Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer weighs in on the different teams that could land CC Sabathia.

  • Yankees: Despite Ken Davidoff’s report yesterday that the Yankees would not land Sabathia, Hoynes notes that the Yankees are desperate for an ace but acknowledges that they may wait until the off-season.
  • Phillies: Hoynes points out that Sabathia’s first big league manager was Charlie Manuel, but the Phillies may not have enough in the system.
  • Cubs: Hoynes feels that Lou PIniella would trade for Sabathia right now if he could.
  • Red Sox: Hoynes feels the Sox are more likely to wait until the off-season.
  • Rays: Hoynes notes that the Rays have the pieces in the farm system to land Sabathia, but wonders if they are willing to rent a player for a playoff push.
  • Angels: Hoynes points out that Sabathia is from the west coast and the Angels may have a better chance of resigning him.

Hoynes also talked to scouts about what the Indians can expect to receive if they do decide to trade the free agent-to-be.

One scout said that "they could get two young players that were at or close to the big-league level that they could control for a while" while a second scout speculates the bounty could be " two and three prospects, depending on whether that team could sign Sabathia to an extension before he becomes a free agent this winter."

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex and can be reached here.

Gammons’ Latest: Sabathia, Dunn, Harden

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ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a new blog post up.

  • The Indians are "thoroughly scouting" eight teams that may be interested in C.C. Sabathia, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and Dodgers (the Mets may be another).  Gammons agrees with Ken Rosenthal that Mark Shapiro may trade Sabathia soon to maximize his value.  Gammons does not see the Yanks jumping in with Phil Hughes or a multi-prospect offer, unless Chien-Ming Wang’s injury forces their hand.  He does not think the Cubs or Phillies have the goods, but suggests the Rangers as a dark horse.
  • If the Cubs don’t have enough for Sabathia, Plan B could be Randy Wolf, Greg Maddux, or even Erik Bedard. The Padres and Mariners have been informed of the Cubs’ interest.
  • Gammons seems to indicate that Mark Teixeira could be available if the Braves fall out of the race (although Tex is not mentioned by name).
  • The Dodgers may have been open to trading Brad Penny, but his shoulder injury puts the kibosh on that.
  • Adam Dunn’s whifftastic ways scare the Red Sox, who might pass even if David Ortiz needs surgery.  Gammons suggests Josh Willingham would be a better fit.
  • Rich Harden could be a huge acquisition, one of the game’s most dominating pitchers.  It’s the same story though – will any team be willing to meet Billy Beane’s asking price given Harden’s injury history?

Odds and Ends: Bradley, Floyd, Threets

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Let’s round up some links.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Sabathia, Durham, Bedard

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A few random musings from the Blogosphere…

  • In the wake of the recent C.C. Sabathia-to-the-Yankees rumors, River Ave. Blues lays down a few ground rules for commenting on trade rumors.
  • Bottom 9 insists that the Indians have the pitching to stay in the race and Sabathia is not going anywhere.
  • Indians Confidential is also emphatic that Sabathia is not going to be traded and is still holding out hope that the Indians and Sabathia can agree to a long-term extension.
  • Yankees Chick is not anxious to trade away Robinson Cano and/or Melky Cabrera but notes that if the Yankees are going to make a playoff push the pitching staff needs an upgrade.
  • Rivera’s Cutter speculates that the Yankees could just trade for Sabathia as a rental and let him leave after the season and take the free agency compensation draft picks.
  • Viva El Birdos would like to see the Cardinals upgrade at second base and believe Ray Durham would be a nice alternative if Brian Roberts is unattainable.
  • Phillies Nation is not convinced that Erik Bedard would be a nice addition to the Phillies rotation, noting that Bedard has been awful away from the pitcher-friendly Safeco Field.

Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

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