Pirates Rumors

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Yankees, Dodgers, Pirates

By Mike Axisa | August 1, 2009 at 5:56pm CDT

The tireless Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up. Let's dive in…

Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Rosenthal that he was "very aggressive" going after pitching help, whether it be high-end starters, low-end starters, or relievers. "I was on all of it," Cashman said.
Cashman specifically targeted Jarrod Washburn, but the Mariners asked for top prospect Austin Jackson in return. The Yankees were also "one of several clubs" to inquire about Felix Hernandez.
Rosenthal says Heath Bell was their primary target among relievers, as the idea was to make him the primary setup man for Mariano Rivera, and possibly put Phil Hughes or Alfredo Aceves back into the rotation.
The Dodgers "never got close" in their attempted blockbuster for Adrian Gonzalez and Bell. The deal would have helped Los Angeles' rotation by shortening the game from the back end with another elite reliever.
They still have issues in the rotation however, as Jason Schmidt topped out at 87 last night. Only two National League clubs have gotten fewer innings out of their starters than the Dodgers.
We won't know the true result of the Pirates' firesale until 2011 or 2012, but the early returns on the Jason Bay trade are not good. Rosenthal says the Rays may have been willing to pay more for Bay at the time, possibly including the since-traded Jason Hammel and/or Edwin Jackson in a package.
Hitters and relievers will be in "ample supply" during the August waiver period, but quality starting pitchers … not so much. Doug Davis might be one of the best available starters, and the Diamondbacks will need to be realistic about a return since they are unlikely to offer him arbitration after the year.
There was "precious little action" on Davis in July. When Rosenthal mentioned to a club official that the offers for Davis might not be much better in August, the official responded "they can't be much worse."

Odds & Ends: Peavy, Pirates, Deadline

By | August 1, 2009 at 4:59pm CDT

A couple more links for your Saturday evening enjoyment…

The White Sox introduced Jake Peavy at a press conference this afternoon and Scott Gregor of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald grabbed a few quotes. "I’ve never been more happy to be in a place where they’re committed to winning," said the former San Diego ace.
Evan Grant of Dallas Magazine breaks down the "winners" and "losers" from this season's non-waiver trade deadline, going beyond simply naming teams. Check it out.
According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates have suspended highly-touted pitching prospect Bryan Morris indefinitely for displaying "unprofessionalism" during his Thursday start for Single-A Lynchburg.
The trade deadline has passed, but we here at MLBTR are not slowing down. Keep in mind the August draft-pick signing (August 17) and waiver (August 31) deadlines. And if you haven't already, check us out on Twitter.

Blue Jays Acquire Sean Smith

By Tim Dierkes | July 31, 2009 at 1:50pm CDT

From Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, via Twitter: the Blue Jays acquired Double A pitcher Sean Smith from the Pirates for future considerations.

Pirates Willing To Listen

By Tim Dierkes | July 31, 2009 at 11:33am CDT

According to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Pirates are "probably, but not necessarily," done dealing. The writers suggest the Bucs will listen on pitchers Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, and Matt Capps, but are not shopping them.

Odds And Ends: Inge, Zumaya, Marlins, Wang

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 30, 2009 at 6:35pm CDT

More links with less than a day until the deadline passes…

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he's not prioritizing players who can play third, even with Brandon Inge's knee pain.
As MLB.com's Jason Beck reports, Joel Zumaya will have season-ending surgery.
Speaking of injured pitchers, Chien-Ming Wang could miss an entire year, according to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
Here's a photo of Cliff Lee in Phillies duds, courtesy of AOL FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher.
Marlins president David Samson said on 790 The Ticket that his team has made ten different offers around the league, according to the Miami Herald.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays are involved in "a number of scenarios," but aren't likely to make big trades within the next day or so.
The Pirates, who have been more active than anyone, aren't expecting to make more trades, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Rockies Interested In Hendrickson, Downs, Nick Johnson

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2009 at 4:54pm CDT

4:54pm: Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports says the Rockies also have an eye on Washington's Nick Johnson as a bench bat. A .410 OBP bench bat.

11:00am: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post wrote earlier today that the Rockies "increased their pursuit" of Orioles southpaw Mark Hendrickson (.253/.303/.422 against lefties this year). Renck confirms that the Rox balked at the asking price – Eric Young, Jr. – for John Grabow and Joe Beimel. By the way, in case you missed it, Renck notes that the Rockies signed 43 year-old righty Mike Timlin to a minor league deal.

Via Twitter, Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun throws another name into the mix for Colorado: Blue Jays closer Scott Downs. Downs, signed through 2010, would certainly exact the highest price of all the relievers linked to the Rockies.

Cubs Acquire John Grabow, Tom Gorzelanny

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2009 at 4:50pm CDT

4:50pm: The Pirates' return of Hart, Ascanio, and Harrison is confirmed by a press release from the Cubs. Gorzelanny will head to Triple A Iowa. The Pirates keep adding arms; I guess this means they like Hart more than Gorzelanny.

4:47pm: ESPN Chicago says the Cubs sent pitchers Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio to Pittsburgh for Grabow and Gorzelanny. Ed Price, via Twitter, says the Cubs are also sending third baseman Josh Harrison.

4:43pm: Finally a possible name as part of the package going to Pittsburgh. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, via Twitter, hears pitching prospect Jay Jackson may be in the deal. Jackson, a starting pitcher, was a ninth-round pick last year and ranked ninth on Baseball America's list of Cubs prospects.

3:22pm: Via Twitter, Kovacevic says Grabow and Gorzelanny to the Cubs is almost or "just about" done, while Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times says they closed the deal for Grabow. ESPNChicago's Jon Greenberg says the Cubs are "in the process of finalizing" the deal for Grabow. Heyman terms the deal for both hurlers as "very close."

Gorzelanny, who is from Evergreen Park, IL, has a 2.48 ERA in 15 Triple A starts this year. He won 14 games in the bigs in '07, but was derailed by back, shoulder, and finger problems in '08. We still don't know what the Pirates will get back in this deal, but it ought to be something decent.

2:56pm: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Cubs and Pirates are discussing a deal that would send Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny to Chicago. No deal is in place and other teams remain interested in Grabow.

2:21pm: Heyman (via Twitter) thinks the Cubs are getting closer on Grabow, and could acquire another pitcher as well.

1:27pm: SI's Jon Heyman says the Cubs and Pirates are in "serious discussions" about Grabow.

11:58am: ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Cubs are "strictly mining the lefthanded reliever market" and not looking for a bat. Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald concurs.

10:51am: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say the Cubs prefer Pittsburgh's John Grabow over Washington's Joe Beimel, and they continue to discuss the lefty reliever with the Pirates. The FOX report suggests the Cubs will stay internal for their Reed Johnson replacement.

Grabow currently ranks as a Type A free agent in the wacky world of Elias, but for his team to have a chance at draft picks they'd have to offer him arbitration and risk paying him more than $2.3MM if he accepts.

9:02am: The Cubs are looking for a left-handed hitter who can play right field, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. While they're not optimistic about a deal, the plan would be to create a platoon with the disappointing Milton Bradley. Wittenmyer says the Cubs have about $2-3MM of payroll room to work with.

Two players on the radar: Mark Teahen of the Royals and Jeremy Hermida of the Marlins. The Royals are looking for a center fielder in return, however. Teahen has $1.37MM left on his contract. Hermida has $847K remaining. Both players can be under team control through 2011. Either player would still leave some wiggle room for the Cubs to acquire a left-handed reliever.

Marlins In Serious Talks For Heath Bell

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2009 at 1:48pm CDT

1:48pm: A Rosenthal/Morosi source says the Rangers aren't in on Bell, Sherrill, or Matt Capps.

11:49am: ESPN's Buster Olney says the Marlins declined the request for Miller or West, leaving talks between the two clubs at a standstill.

Meanwhile, Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins are also in on George Sherrill.

11:12am: SI's Jon Heyman tells us the Marlins are "are in serious discussions to try to land Padres closer Heath Bell." Heyman says it looks like it could be Andrew Miller or Sean West, names that have been put forth in previous reports. Either young lefty seems like a solid return for Bell. Heyman notes that the Yanks also have interest, but the Fish "are in good position to make a deal." Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi at FOX Sports acknowledge interest from the Yanks, but say the teams have not had serious discussions. The writers also mention the Rangers "on the periphery."

Rosenthal and Morosi wrote yesterday that 10 to 15 teams are pursuing Bell. He's under team control through 2011 and sports a 2.01 ERA this season.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Mets, Red Sox

By Tim Dierkes | July 30, 2009 at 12:30pm CDT

Thursday linkage…

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Pirates wanted Aaron Hicks or Danny Valencia from the Twins for Freddy Sanchez. LEN3 has a few other hot stove tidbits as well.
ESPN's Keith Law finds the Giants' trade of Tim Alderson for Sanchez reasonable, due to "slippage in Alderson's stuff."
Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe talks about how major additions such as Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, or Victor Martinez would help the Red Sox. Via Twitter, ESPN's Amy K. Nelson heard from a source guessing that Gonzalez has a ten percent chance of being moved.
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reports via Twitter that the Mets designated pitcher Elmer Dessens for assignment to make room for catcher Robinson Cancel.
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say the Mets "do not intend to give up a significant prospect" in their quest to add a left-handed reliever.
Via Twitter, Ken Davidoff of Newsday informs us that the Blue Jays expanded their coverage of the Yankees' farm system. Davidoff feels that this coverage more likely reflects the Yanks' interest in relief help than in Roy Halladay.
The Pirates don't have anything serious going on with relievers Matt Capps or John Grabow, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. They might be done.
Joe Smith and Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times find the Rays unlikely to make a major deal, with Cliff Lee off the table.
ESPN's Buster Olney lists all kinds of holes that could be filled via the trade market for various clubs.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Lee, Rays

By Eddie Schmid | July 29, 2009 at 11:28pm CDT

Some links to (maybe) cap an already wild day in rumor-land:

Joe McDonald at the Providence Journal thinks the Red Sox need to make a major deal.
Dan Novick at the Hardball Times wonders if the Lee trade was a win-win.
John Campanelli at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer gets reactions from Indians fans on the Lee deal. Suffice to say, they ain't happy.
Nationals acting manager Jim Riggleman wants to see the team's core remain intact, says Chico Harlan at the Washington Post.
Marc Topkin at the St. Petersburg Times says the Rays "seem unlikely" to make a big deal.
Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times thinks the Mariners' deals today for Ian Snell and Jack Wilson probably spell some more trades on the horizon–potentially involving Jarrod Washburn.
The Nationals released Julian Tavarez today, who had cleared waivers. Corey Patterson also cleared waivers and has been released from the Triple A club, reports Bill Ladson at MLB.com.
David Laurila at Baseball Prospectus has a profile and some quotes from new Pirate Tim Alderson.

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