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Jason Bay Rumors: Wednesday

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8:37pm: Bay doesn’t seem to be on the Cardinals’ radar.  However, talks continue with Tampa Bay according to John Perrotto.  Bay could also end up in Boston in a three-team deal.

5:59pm: Jayson Stark reports that the Rays and Pirates haven’t had much dialogue today, and that talks have slowed.  The Pirates have backed off just a bit, but may want to see what happens with Manny Ramirez in case they can get the Red Sox interested.

3:16pm: Kovacevic has more.  Brignac and Jeff Niemann’s names are coming up in the Tampa Bay talks.  ESPN’s Jayson Stark heard the same, and adds that Hellickson, David Price, and Wade Davis are off-limits.

The Cardinals are in on Bay but not John Grabow.  Kovacevic says Colby Rasmus is untouchable, making the Pirates lean toward the Rays.  He adds that the Mets seem out of the running.

1:23pm: The Pirates and Rays are still talking, with the Cardinals lingering.  Dejan Kovacevic says Reid Brignac and Jeremy Hellickson are on the Bucs’ radar.

12:30pm: Heyman talked to one NL source who puts the chances of a Bay trade at 50-50.  The Pirates are looking around to see if they can beat the Rays’ offer.

11:13am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman checks in on Bay.  He says the Rays are flirting, while the Mets, D’Backs, and Cardinals are also in the mix.  ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Rays and Pirates are "talking constructively to bridge the gap."  Rays manager Joe Maddon admits some "very interesting stuff" is on the table.

8:43am: According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are deep into talks with the Rays and other teams about left fielder Jason Bay.  However, no "truly elite prospect" has been offered yet, and the chances are better than 50-50 that Bay stays.  And who would move to right field for the Rays – Bay or Carl Crawford?  The Braves are considered out of the mix.

Shortstop Jack Wilson seems likely to stay, while reliever John Grabow will probably be dealt.

Stark’s Latest: Aurilia, Fuentes, Orlando Cabrera

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New collection of rumors from ESPN’s Jayson Stark…

  • The Twins have asked the Giants about Rich Aurilia.  They’ve been dangling Boof Bonser for a position player; would they trade him back to San Francisco for Aurilia?
  • On the Phillies’ radar: John Grabow, Will Ohman, Arthur Rhodes, and Jack Taschner.
  • A Brian Fuentes trade remains doubtful.
  • The White Sox will trade Orlando Cabrera for the right pitcher.  The Sox aren’t generating much interest in their prospects.

Rays Scouting Jayson Werth

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Mike Tingle of ESPN 840 in Charlottesville spoke to Rays scout Mike Cubbage yesterday.  Cubbage said that he plans to scout Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth, and that Werth may be available in the right deal.  Werth, 29, is hitting .272/.358/.485 in 268 plate appearances (most of the damage done against lefties).

Additionally, the Rays offered a package of players for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte but the Bucs chose the Yankees’ offer.  The Rays also looked at Jon Rauch previously, though he was not at the top of their list.  And of course, the Rays would like to acquire Brian Fuentes.

Manny Ramirez Rumors: Tuesday

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9:55pm: Jayson Stark attempts to douse the Manny flames, getting denials (again) from the Dodgers and Phillies.

8:39pm: Ken Davidoff says the Teixeira deal makes a Manny trade more difficult, since that’s one less option for Boston to replace Ramirez’s bat.  The Red Sox will keep trying nonetheless.

6:52pm: Jon Heyman says the Phillies might be the frontrunner for Manny.  Ramirez will want his $20MM options eliminated upon a trade.

The Dodgers are also involved, with the Marlins surfacing as a longshot.

3:07pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Dodgers are not pursuing Ramirez or Teixeira.  So, conflicting reports again.  The Dodgers are also not interested in Adam Everett and unlikely to acquire Jack Wilson.

Joe Christensen agrees that Everett isn’t happening, and notes that the Dodgers once had Ronny Cedeno on their list.

2:36pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post has the Dodgers in the lead for Manny.  The Red Sox would eat most or all of the $7MM remaining on Ramirez’s deal, and then receive a player like Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier.  Such a deal would enable the Sox to enter the Mark Teixeira bidding.

Sherman also talked to one NL exec who believes the Dodgers might instead acquire Brian Roberts, pushing Jeff Kent into a utility role and leaving the shortstop problem unresolved.

1:05pm: Looks like Manny’s going to need his own post, after all.  Earlier today, Dan Graziano said the Mets are still in on Ramirez despite the denials.  Now SI.com’s Jon Heyman adds that the Dodgers are showing interest.  The talks are still in their infancy, and keep in mind that the Dodgers do not want to add payroll.

Dodgers Inquire On Michael Young

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From Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger:

The Dodgers continue to look everywhere for a shortstop, and tons of names have come up in connection with their search. They don’t seem likely to land the Pirates’ Jack Wilson, but they’re scouring other organizations for options, having touched base with Toronto about John McDonald, the Yankees about Alberto Gonzales, the Twins about Adam Everett and even the Rangers about Michael Young, though it’s unclear whether or why Young would be available.

Young is new to the discussion.  The 31 year-old shortstop is hitting .298/.345/.421 in 469 plate appearances this year.  He’s currently dealing with a fractured ring finger.  His five-year, $80MM extension was signed in March of ’07 but doesn’t kick in until next year.  Even if the Rangers would listen on Young, could the Dodgers take on such a contract?

Pirates Rumors: Grabow, Bay, Wilson

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Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the latest Pirates buzz.

  • Lefty John Grabow is drawing interest from the Rays, Cardinals, Phillies, Red Sox, and Angels.  Grabow gave up a couple of homers in his last outing; he missed time earlier this month with arm fatigue.  The 29 year-old southpaw is under team control through ’09.
  • Calls are still coming in on Jason Bay and Jack Wilson, though the Rays are backing off on Bay.  Kovacevic says the Red Sox might provide competition for the Dodgers in the Wilson sweepstakes.  The Bucs interestingly called up shortstop Brian Bixler when Adam LaRoche hit the DL, but that simply may be to cover for an ailing Freddy Sanchez at second base.
  • Nothing to yesterday’s MLB.com report of Pirates’ ownership nixing a Bay-to-Atlanta deal.

Marlins Looking For Catcher, Reliever

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The NL East is a three-team race, with the Mets, Phillies, and Marlins all within a game of each other.  Who’d have thought the Marlins would be contending after trading Miguel Cabrera?

According to Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins have intensified their search for a catcher.  The targets: Bengie Molina, Ramon Hernandez, Gerald Laird, and Ryan Doumit.  Molina and Hernandez are the pricey options.  Doumit would be especially tough to pry loose; he has a .937 OPS this year as a 27 year-old.

MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro wonders if Miguel Olivo, Gregg Zaun, and Paul Lo Duca could also enter the mix.  He says it could even be a three-way possibility where the Jays acquire Olivo and move him to Florida.

The Marlins are also hunting for a lefty reliever, with Arthur Rhodes, Jack Taschner, John Grabow, Eddie Guardado, George Sherrill, Will Ohman, and Alan Embree all considered candidates.  Dejan Kovacevic rattled off five suitors for Grabow this morning, the Marlins not among them.  Also, the Marlins’ interest in Guardado is light.  The Giants and Mariners both scouted the Marlins recently, and Berardino wonders if Mike Jacobs would interest them.

Berardino says acquiring a catcher and reliever in one trade would be ideal.  The one Marlins minor leaguer considered off-limits is Sean West.

Pirates Owners Did Not Kill Bay-Braves Trade

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TUESDAY: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette talked to sources with the Pirates and Braves, who said there is no truth to the report.  New ownership has not vetoed any trades.

MONDAY: According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com:

A proposed deal, which would have brought Jason Bay to Atlanta in exchange for four Minor Leaguers, was killed when presented to the Pirates owners for approval.

Bowman believes Pirates targets might include Brent Lillibridge, Brandon Jones, a talented A ball pitcher, and a marginal position player prospect.  He says the Braves will continue to pursue Bay.

Mets Unlikely To Acquire Outfielder

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes about the Mets’ unsuccessful search for a corner outfielder. 

The Mets find the prospect price too high on players such as Raul Ibanez and Jason Bay.  They don’t seem to care for Adam Dunn or Brian Giles.  They don’t like Randy Winn’s contract or lack of power.   And Manny Ramirez is unlikely for numerous reasons.

While the Mets are fans of Ibanez, they’ve made all of their interesting prospects untouchable.  The Mets may prefer to use some of those prospects in offseason deals.  For now they will stick with the red-hot Fernando Tatis and other internal options.

Week In Review: 7/20 – 7/26

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This one will be a bit lengthy, which can be expected as the deadline approaches. Here’s a review of some of the major moves and rumors of the last week:

  • The Yankees acquired Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates for OF Jose Tabata, RHP Ross Ohlendorf, RHP Dan McCutchen and RHP Jeff Karstens . I agree with Tim that Ian Kennedy would’ve been a better centerpiece, but Tabata is pretty highly-touted himself. Kennedy would have made a more immediate impact, while Tabata is only 19 years old.
  • The Dodgers acquired Casey Blake for minor league RHP Jon Meloan and C Carlos Santana. The Dodgers get a nice boost to their lineup without giving up too much, although Santana’s putting together a very impressive season in Class-A ball.
  • The Nationals sent Jon Rauch to the Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league 2B Emilio Bonifacio. Rauch adds to a strong bullpen for Arizona, while Bonaficio could become a very solid leadoff hitter in the future for Washington. They may have been able to get more for Rauch, but I personally like the move, regardless.
  • The Brewers acquired Ray Durham from the Giants for minor leaguers Darren Ford and Steve Hammond. Rickie Weeks has been a disappointment to an otherwise red-hot club. Can Durham provide a bit more stability? The power’s gone, but he can still get on base.
  • The Astros acquired Randy Wolf from the Padres for minor league pitcher Chad Reineke. This one confuses me a little bit; with all due respect, did the Astros forget they were 12.5 games out? I don’t see the logic in buying on a pitcher.
  • The Cardinals traded Anthony Reyes to the Indians for minor league pitcher Luis Perdoma. I don’t get this one either. I feel like the Cardinals could have gotten more, despite Reyes’ struggles in the past. The Indians could make this one look like a steal, in my opinion.
  • The Yankees are in deep discussion with the Mariners about acquiring Jarrod Washburn. Tim cites Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal in saying that the Mariners want a top prospect in addition to the salary dump, but the Yankees are only offering a marginal prospect. Can’t say I blame them. A top prospect for an mediocre pitchers who’s due an additional $14MM? Sounds like Seattle’s getting greedy…
  • A new, and surprising name surfaced in trade talks: Manny Ramirez. Manny has said he would waive his no-trade clause, and based on interviews, has basically said that 2008 will be his last season in Boston. I can’t see Boston trading their (arguably) best hitter in the middle of a pennant race, however. I’d bet on him finishing out the season.
  • Speaking of corner outfielders, the Mets need one, and they know it. Having missed out on Nady and Blake, they will likely zero in on Raul Ibanez. Ibanez makes great sense for them, and the Mariners would obviously like to rebuild. I expect this one to get done.
  • There was a report that Roy Halladay came out and told the Blue Jays that he is unhappy in Toronto, which has provoked the Jays to explore their potential options. Halladay’s price would have to be astronomical, I’d think. He’s signed through 2010 and pitching like it’s 2003 all over again. Personal speculation: I think Halladay to the Cardinals with a Colby Rasums centerpiece would make sense.
  • Crisitan Guzman signed a two-year, $16MM contract extension. Guzman has revived his career after surgery following an awful 2005. I like the signing for the Nats.
  • Jorge Posada could be out for the season. The Yankees are looking for catchers. In addition to the names mentioned there, they could take a shot at signing Johnny Estrada, who was DFA’ed by Washington this week. Estrada was terrible in Washington, but has put up solid offensive numbers for a catcher throughout his career.
  • Brian Fuentes, Huston Street, and George Sherrill are all still potential trade pieces. Fuentes is the most likely to go, I’d say, although the Rockies are asking for quite a bit.
  • Tim updated the left-handed reliever and left field markets.
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