Mets Hunting For Reliever, Second Baseman
Pretty much the same old story with the Mets, though Joel Sherman and Mark Hale of the New York Post do have some new tidbits.
- The authors name Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel, and Eric Gagne as relievers on the radar. However it seems the asking price is too high for Gagne and the Indians have become the frontrunner for Dotel (they may have passed the Dodgers). Shawn Chacon doesn’t catch the Mets’ eye, and they don’t want Chad Bradford‘s three-year commitment. They had that option with Bradford this winter. I think that logic is silly – Bradford’s pitched well this year, and acquiring him now would be akin to a two-year contract. Sometimes it seems GMs pass over certain players because they simply want to add a fresh name.
- You can add Al Reyes to the mix for the Mets, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
- The Mets think many of the available starting pitchers could be traded in August – Jose Contreras, Kyle Lohse, and Steve Trachsel for example. I don’t agree on Lohse – he’ll be traded today or tomorrow. But Contreras’s contract would probably get through waivers without a claim.
- The Post reports no substantive talks to the Royals about Mark Grudzielanek. An inquiry has been made on Mark Loretta.
- Meanwhile, Newsday says the Twins are open to trading Luis Castillo but don’t want any of the current Major League Mets. Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger seems to disagree, citing a Twins scout at Shea yesterday. Graziano does not believe Castillo would get through waivers unclaimed. He believes the Twins want Double A starter Kevin Mulvey and then some (perhaps Ruben Gotay).
- Graziano says a deal for Castillo could be expanded to include 28 year-old righty reliever Juan Rincon. Rincon had been consistently solid for three years (perhaps aided by steroids) but has seen his strikeout rate and overall performance plummet in 2007. Rincon is under control next year and will make at least $2MM again.
- Graziano notes that the Mets have talked to the A’s about Joe Blanton, but Billy Beane wants Lastings Milledge. The Mets can’t do that without damaging the current team. The Mets could actually add an outfielder in Jay Payton; the Cubs’ interest has waned. The Sammy Sosa rumor also has some legs, as the Mets could bring him in to platoon with Shawn Green if they decide they can tolerate the sideshow.
Latest Mets Rumors: Luis Castillo, Chad Cordero
Let’s have a look at the latest rumors swirling around the Mets.
- Second base remains an area of focus. A Twins scout was at Shea recently, presumably trying to figure out what to ask for from the Mets for Luis Castillo. The Mets were recently scouting the Twins as well. The problem is that Castillo is not yet officially available. A couple of Marks, Grudzielanek and Loretta, remain on the radar. The Astros might consider signing Loretta to an extension, though no details have been discussed.
- The Devil Rays hosted the Red Sox last night, and a Mets scout was on hand. Speculation on my part, but possible targets include Ty Wigginton, Jonny Gomes, Edwin Jackson, Al Reyes, and Casey Fossum. The Mets had some interest in Jackson way back in November.
- According to Dan Graziano, the Mets are still pushing for Chad Cordero or Jon Rauch. Graziano is skeptical that the Nationals can arrive at a trade. Matthew Cerrone believes the Mets might give up Mike Pelfrey to get Cordero.
- Will Carroll has some other relievers the Mets are considering: Matt Thornton, Chad Bradford, and Shawn Chacon.
- The Mets had a scout in attendance yesterday to watch Jon Garland. He gave up ten hits but only three runs in 7.1 innings to the Blue Jays.
Pirates Trade Rumors
Time for a Pirates roundup. They deserve some love here at MLBTradeRumors.
- Dejan Kovacevic reports that Salomon Torres‘s grievance against the Pirates may prevent the team from trading him. On the off chance he wins the grievance, he would become a free agent and the acquiring team would be screwed. While that scenario is unlikely, it does look like this thing needs to be resolved before any deal is made. I imagine that if some team wanted him badly all the involved parties could figure something out.
- The Bucs owe Shawn Chacon a phone call on whether they’re open to negotiating a contract extension with him. Their lack of action speaks volumes; even Dave Littlefield isn’t going to sign Chacon for multiple years at $4MM+ per. Chacon has managed to subdue righties this year and increase his strikeout rate significantly. He’s still got lousy control though. He’s a trade candidate but shouldn’t bring much.
- On the other hand, Damaso Marte is known to be available. He’d be helpful as a lefty-killer. For Marte, Chacon, or Torres, the Pirates want a Major Leaguer of some sort (according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman). Bowman says the Braves would get in on Marte if Littlefield would drop the price.
Molony On Jennings, Slowey
Jim Molony’s column today at MLB.com has many good trade rumors that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Let’s discuss.
- Molony says at least a dozen scouts watched Jason Jennings toss a quality start last night. He needed it; I was beginning to think he wasn’t right. Still, the performance probably isn’t enough to cause some team to offer a package for Jennings superior to two draft picks.
- The Diamondbacks and Pirates had a scouting presence at the Astros-Dodgers game. Interesting players appearing in the contest included James Loney, Andre Ethier, Wilson Betemit, Mark Loretta, Morgan Ensberg, Jason Lane, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, and Brad Lidge. You connect the dots, I have no idea.
- The Red Sox suggested sending Joel Pineiro to the A’s for Bobby Kielty in a swap of unwanteds; they were rebuffed.
- The Phillies and Braves watched Matt Morris allow four runs in six innings on Tuesday. They also may have been monitoring Steve Kline, who also pitched.
- A Devil Rays scout watched the Twins in Toronto on Tuesday. Ty Wigginton is thought to be a target for Minnesota. Perhaps the Rays’ scout fancied Scott Baker, who started for the Twins and went seven innings. Baker would be a stupendous return for Wiggy, in my opinion.
- The Phillies had their assistant GM scouting Kevin Slowey‘s start on Saturday. Molony suggests Minnesota might want Pat Burrell. That would involve a ridiculous amount of salary relief and a lack of Slowey. Slowey allowed one run in six innings in the game.
- UPDATE: Just realized that the above pair of bullets seem to have originated from La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The scout watching the Twins on Tuesday was Lee Elia. Not sure why Molony didn’t cite this source, but I suppose he may have come across the info independently.
Unfounded Rumors
Would you think less of me if I busted out the old Unfounded Rumors category? I know the #1 request at MLBTR is More Rumors. So why not toss a few unfounded ones out there? These are 100% unconfirmed, shaky rumors that have crossed my inbox. Believe them at your own risk.
But since 99% of deadline rumors don’t happen anyway, why not put ’em out there for discussion?
- Word is that FedEx was at Reggie Sanders‘ house today, packing up his stuff. Not sure where he’s headed. This one will have more substance if Sanders is nowhere to be found for tonight’s game against the Yankees.
- If the Cubs somehow traded for Adam Dunn, where would they put him? Hard to imagine.
- Some folks have suggested that the Cubs will acquire Xavier Nady, but Bucco Blog shoots it down.
- Dontrelle Willis has been awful this month; there are whispers that he may need Tommy John surgery. Willis did experience forearm tightness in June, which is often a precursor to or euphemism for elbow problems. Despite his performance and the proclamations that he’s not available, a Mariners’ scout watched him on Monday.
- One rumor that is picking up a lot of steam is that I will be joining MetsBlog Radio tonight at 6pm CST to talk rumors for a half hour.
Blue Jays Not Interested In Jack Wilson
It sounded dubious when it first surfaced, and now J.P. Ricciardi has spoken: the Blue Jays are not interested at all in Jack Wilson. Did the Pittsburgh front office plant that one?
Ricciardi does seem open to trading Josh Towers. As far as I can tell, Towers doesn’t reach free agency until after 2009. For an NL team, Towers could help at the back end of a rotation. Thing is, no one seems to be actively searching for a backend rotation guy.
Latest From Baseball Prospectus: Jacque, Snell
Will Carroll and John Perrotto have teamed up at BP to join the rumor mill, and yesterday’s post is free to nonsubscribers. Some highlights:
- Carroll reports that the Cubs could swap Jacque Jones and a prospect for Jeff Conine. Perhaps such a move would be in tandem with Adam Dunn leaving Cincinnati. The Cubs might want to hold on to Jones though; he’s playing well lately.
- Carroll heard a far out Alex Rodriguez to the Dodgers rumor, but doesn’t buy it. Neither do I – the Yankees don’t seem to be selling. Carroll says Brian Cashman and Co. will wait until the last second to make a buyer/seller decision. There’s a slight chance Jorge Posada becomes available if they choose the latter.
- Perrotto confirms a rumor that surfaced a week ago, that Ian Snell could be had for the right bat. Perrotto would know, as he spent time as a Pirates’ beat writer. Jarrod Saltalamacchia or Matt Kemp are two possible targets for the Bucs.
- The Tigers may be looking for relievers, and some possible names on the radar include Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, Brad Lidge, Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte, Shawn Chacon, and Chad Cordero. That’s most of the market right there, though Lidge seems likely to stay put. And don’t forget that the Tigers have internal reinforcements on the way.
Pirates Ask For Glaus In Jack Wilson Deal
The Pirates are shopping shortstop Jack Wilson, and the Blue Jays are known to be interested. One would expect the Bucs to be happy with the salary relief and maybe ask for a token prospect. Instead, Dave Littlefield asked about Troy Glaus.
Now, it was just an inquiry, and the Jays quickly shot it down. Obviously we don’t know how the phone call went, so Littlefield might’ve devised a reasonable trade scenario involving additional players. The Pirates could definitely use a big bat like Glaus, but he does not seem likely to approve a trade to Pittsburgh even if the two sides did agree on the players.
It’s hard to tell just how available Glaus is, but a recent report indicates that he can be had. A return to the Angels still seems most likely.
Graziano’s Latest: Livan, Wily Mo
Dan Graziano at the Newark Star-Ledger has really stepped up in recent days with a lot of insider trade talk. Let’s see what he has in store for us this morning.
- Apparently Josh Byrnes is calling around, actively shopping Livan Hernandez. According to Graziano, the Mets, Braves, and Mariners have expressed interest. To the contrary, Ken Rosenthal wrote last night that the Mets and Braves are not interested. Who to believe? Hopefully the Mariners do better than Livan if they make a move for a starter. To hear Nick Piecoro tell it, the Diamondbacks are more likely to just opt for the draft picks they’ll get if they let Hernandez leave via free agency.
- The Yankees are in a quandary when it comes to dealing Scott Proctor or Kyle Farnsworth. For Proctor, they want more than just a role player like Ty Wigginton. They want a reliever back, which begs the question – why not just keep Proctor? With Farnsy, the Yanks are reluctant to pay a big chunk of his $5.5 salary for ’08. They should toss in $2MM and see if that’s enough to get Wiggy.
- If the Red Sox can snag Bobby Kielty, they might turn around and trade Wily Mo Pena to the White Sox. Wily Mo in that ballpark with 600 plate appearances? 40 home runs. Might make Theo look bad. Dejan Kovacevic mentions that Epstein is "actively shopping" Pena, and seems to like the idea of the Bucs sending Salomon Torres to Boston for him.
- The Brewers, Phillies, and Dodgers are looking at Oakland lefty and impending free agent Joe Kennedy. Kennedy is only 28 and he has had National League success as a starter.
Mets Mulling Options At Second Base
Jose Valentin‘s fractured tibia on Friday should knock him out about six weeks. Unfortunately for Valentin, this injury and a previous one will stop him from reaching 400 plate appearances this year. That means his $4.3MM option for 2008 will not vest.
The Mets have a number of internal options: Anderson Hernandez, Marlon Anderson, Ruben Gotay, and Damion Easley can all handle second base and offer different skills. Willie Randolph didn’t seem thrilled with the idea of Gotay as the everyday guy, though Omar Minaya expects him to play the most.
Minaya’s not actively looking to trade for a second baseman, but he will listen. Jose de Jesus Ortiz believes Minaya covets Mark Loretta, even speculating on expanded deals involving Chad Qualls or Wandy Rodriguez. I had not previously known that Wandy was on Omar’s radar last winter. Still, it doesn’t make much sense for the Astros to give him up in the midst of a possible breakout season.
Dejan Kovacevic mentions Jose Castillo as another option, though there’s no indication the Mets are after him. Two other options for the Mets are impending free agents Luis Castillo and Tadahito Iguchi. There’s been speculation that the Mets will sign Castillo this winter.