Pirates Rumors

Freddy Sanchez Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 10, 2009 at 8:48am CDT

The Giants and Twins are interested in Freddy Sanchez, but no deal is imminent for the Pirates' second baseman. Here are the latest Sanchez rumors from Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Morosi says the Twins and Giants are interested, but would probably want to see Sanchez, who has missed the last six games with a back issue, prove his health before making a deal.
The Rockies don't appear to have serious interest. That's hardly a surprise, given Clint Barmes' work at second base and Colorado's need for relievers.
In addition to the Giants and Rockies, Kovacevic hears that the Pirates have spoken to as many as five teams.
The Giants would move Jonathan Sanchez, but he would not be enough on his own.
Both reporters identify an obstacle for interested teams: the vesting option that will allow Sanchez to make $8MM next year if he continues playing regularly.

Pirates “Pushing Hard” To Deal Sanchez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 9, 2009 at 8:36pm CDT

8:49pm: Geoff Baker reports that one of the Pirates’ top scouts is in Seattle to watch the Mariners play the Rangers. Baker speculates that it could be related to the availability of Sanchez or Jack Wilson.

8:34pm: Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse has a source that says if a Sanchez deal is imminent “it’s not to the Giants.”

4:48pm: Troy Renck of the Denver Post says giving up Young to acquire Sanchez “makes no sense” for the Rockies, who would be more likely to pursue Matt Capps.

3:52pm: Perrotto reports that the Pirates could deal Sanchez by this weekend. The Rockies are frontrunners, and appear to be willing to part with 2007 first rounder Casey Weathers. Apparently Carlos Gonzalez’s name has been mentioned in talks as well. The Twins and Giants still have interest in Sanchez.

Perrotto hears that the Pirates would not have a player replace Sanchez at the All-Star Game if they deal him before Tuesday.

11:49am: One NL executive told Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Pirates are “pushing hard” to deal Freddy Sanchez. The Rockies, Giants and as many as five other teams have spoken with the Pirates about their All-Star second baseman.

Sanchez makes $6.1MM this year and will make $8MM in 2010 if he picks up 271 plate appearances before the end of the season.

10:05am: The Rockies are interested in Freddy Sanchez, according to John Perrotto at The Insider On Pittsburgh Sports. The Pirates apparently “love” Rockies minor leaguer Eric Young Jr., a 24-year-old with 23 extra base hits, 37 walks and 47 steals already.

The Rockies have had Clint Barmes at second base for most of the year, who has the same number of extra base hits as Sanchez and a comparable OPS, so the Rockies would be paying a lot for simlar production if they give up Young.

Marlins & Pirates Talking Capps; Aren’t Close

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 9, 2009 at 8:44am CDT

The Marlins, who have signed three relievers this week, are talking with the Pirates about trading for another. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Marlins have maintained contact with the Pirates about closer Matt Capps, though the two sides are not close to a deal.

The Marlins already included Jeremy Hermida in an offer for Capps, but the Pirates declined, as they have limited interest in Hermida. As Morosi points out, both Hermida and Capps make about $2.3MM this year and will likely hit free agency after 2011, so they match up financially. However, the Pirates aren't necessarily going to move Capps, one source told Morosi.

In their quest to stengthen their bullpen, the Marlins have added Luis Ayala, Brendan Donnelly and Scott Williamson in the last week.

Rosenthal On Vazquez, Hairston, Teahen

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 7, 2009 at 4:58pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Javier Vazquez has more value than any available hitter. Here are the details and the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

Not even Matt Holliday or Corey Hart would be fair value for Vazquez, so Rosenthal asks why the Braves would want to trade him at all.
The Mets inquired on Scott Hairston, who could have been an affordable stopgap, but balked when the Padres asked for Bobby Parnell.
The Marlins offered Gaby Sanchez for Manny Delcarmen, but the Red Sox weren't interested.
The Mariners, Tigers and Rays weren't far from agreeing to a deal that would have sent Edwin Jackson to Seattle and J.J. Putz to Detroit last offseason.
Kevin Towers compares Rule 5 pick Everth Cabrera to Rafael Furcal.
The Royals "do not seem terribly inclined" to deal Mark Teahen.
The Pirates covet Eric Young Jr. of the Rockies.
Some predict that the distribution of amateur talent- through the draft and international signings- will be the biggest issue in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Odds And Ends: Bedard, Astros, Marquis

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 7, 2009 at 10:08am CDT

Links for Tuesday morning…

Be here at 2pm CST for this week's chat.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette profiles controversial acquisition Lastings Milledge, who seems energized and motivated.
It would be hard to argue with Amber Theoharis of MASN.com, who says the Orioles won the Erik Bedard deal since they acquired two All-Stars in George Sherrill and Adam Jones.
As MLB.com's Christian Caple reports, Bedard will be on a 60 pitch limit as he returns to the hill tonight against his former team.
Nomar Garciaparra told Mike McDermott of the Providence Journal that he didn't turn down $60MM from the Red Sox.
Experts consider the Astros' system weak, but at least they have Bud Norris and Yorman Bazardo in Triple A, as Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The Jason Marquis deal has worked out better-than-expected for the Rockies, but, as Dave Krieger of the Denver Post notes, the Rockies have made plenty of smart deals over the years.

Miguel Angel Sano Rumors: Monday

By | July 6, 2009 at 9:25pm CDT

9:25pm: Arangure also notes that the Aroldis Chapman defection could have a major impact on Sano's negotiations. As he tweets,

"Certain teams will save money for run at Aroldis. Last minute offer (for) Sano less likely now."

9:04pm: Seeking more information, I asked Arangure whether the Twins and Pirates also see Sano as a guy not worth a $4MM signing bonus. He was kind enough to respond:

"For me, the Twins aren't real contenders anymore. The Pirates won't give record money because they won't have to."

8:58pm: ESPN's Jorge Arangure, who's been on the ball since the international signing period began on July 2, just rattled off a couple of interesting "tweets" involving 16-year-old shortstop Miguel Angel Sano:

"Am convinced Sano will not get record money. Orioles see him as late-first-round talent, which does not equal $4 million. More like $1-$1.5."

"Those who think Orioles will give record $ for Sano remember: They gave $3.2m to No. 4 pick [Brian] Matusz last year. Gave [Matt] Hobgood $2.4 this yr."

"There's no way Orioles are giving more to Sano than they gave Matusz and Hobgood."

If Arangure is correct, and the other teams tracking Sano follow suit, Wagner Mateo, singed July 2 by the Cardinals for $3.1MM, will go down as the highest-paid international prospect from 2009. Sano has been courted this summer by the Twins, Pirates and O's, who are awaiting the results of an MLB investigation into his age and identification.

Odds And Ends: Escobar, Sanchez, Beimel

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 6, 2009 at 9:03am CDT

Some odds and ends to start the week off…

Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears the Royals "covet" Yunel Escobar. As O'Brien says, Mark Teahen alone would not likely be enough to acquire the Braves' shortstop.
Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus reports that the Tigers signed a pair of shortstops from Panama.
Almost 70% of Cleveland Plain Dealer readers don't think Eric Wedge should be around for the rest of the year.
Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle tells us how some well-placed calls by Ryan Sadowski's mother helped the Giants starter make the big leagues.
Remember that Freddy Sanchez's All-Star Game berth means he only needs 600 plate appearances for his $8MM option to vest in 2010. He needs just 271 more.
As Ben Bolch of the LA Times reports, Joe Beimel would return to the Dodgers if he could.
Scott Hairston had a tough departure from his Padres teammates last night, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock.
The D'Backs are making progress with first round pick Bobby Borchering and hope to sign him this month, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.

Giants, Pirates Discussed Sanchez, LaRoche

By Tim Dierkes | July 5, 2009 at 12:44am CDT

From Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The Pirates and San Francisco have had trade talks regarding second baseman Freddy Sanchez and, to a lesser extent, first baseman Adam LaRoche, each of whom can be a free agent after this season. The Giants have had a scout following Sanchez, a source confirmed yesterday, and their interest in LaRoche goes back several months. Their preference at first base, though, is for a right-handed bat.

Sanchez sports a .316/.355/.477 line, a huge improvement on the .224/.280/.276 aggregate performance from Giants second basemen (primarily the demoted Emmanuel Burriss, though Juan Uribe has snagged recent starts). The Giants have a 1.5 game lead for the Wild Card, but their .705 team OPS ranks second-to-last in the NL. Sanchez's contractual situation will be a factor in the trade talks; an $8.5MM option for 2010 appears likely to vest. Charlie Manuel's All-Star selections will affect Sanchez's contract – if Sanchez makes the team the option vests with 600 plate appearances rather than 635. It figures to be between Sanchez and Zach Duke for the Bucs' representative.

Kovacevic adds that the Pirates have discussed Jack Wilson, John Grabow, and Matt Capps with teams, noting that those talks "vary in their intensity." In another article, Kovacevic digs deeper into the Grabow/Wilson/Sanchez situations. He believes the Pirates will seek shortstops and left-handed relievers in trades. I'm guessing the Pirates would find Jonathan Sanchez desirable (he's currently serving as the second lefty in the Giants' pen).

Odds & Ends: Grabow, Yankees, Orioles

By Mike Axisa | July 4, 2009 at 8:33pm CDT

One more roundup of links for the night…

George. A. King III of The New York Post mentions that the Pirates had two scouts watch the Yankees earlier this week, possibly in advance of a deal involving lefty reliever John Grabow.
He mentions that the Dodgers and Rockies had scouts on hand as well. The Yanks have already expressed interest in Huston Street earlier this season.
King also says that the Yanks refuse to talk about prospects Austin Jackson and Austin Romine in trade talks according to other organizations.
Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun recaps the first half of the Orioles' season and says they're building towards something, he's just not quite sure what. He does however praise the performance of young players like Nolan Reimold.
On the day of his tragic and untimely death, let's not forget that Steve McNair was quite the baseball player as well, getting selected by the Mariners in the 35th round of the 1991 Draft. (hat tip: Jesse Spector of The NY Daily News)

Twins A Distant Third For Sano

By Mike Axisa | July 4, 2009 at 7:03pm CDT

ESPN's Jorge Arangure tweets that the Twins are now just a distant third behind the Pirates and Orioles in the sweepstakes for Dominican megaprospect Miguel Angel Sano. He notes that the Twins don't have unlimited funds, and instead are "simply moving on."

Earlier today we recapped everything we know about Sano, the top prospect on this year international market.

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