Braves Acquire Adam LaRoche For Casey Kotchman
2:49pm: Danny Knobler of CBSSports says LaRoche will be traded for Kotchman.
2:38pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says LaRoche could be swapped for Casey Kotchman.
2:16pm: LaRoche has been traded to the Braves, according to Yahoo's Gordon Edes.
1:59pm: First baseman Adam LaRoche becomes expendable for Boston if they complete the Victor Martinez trade; Jon Heyman of SI tells us via Twitter that the Braves are interested. LaRoche came up with the Braves; they traded him to Pittsburgh for Mike Gonzalez and Brent Lillibridge in '07.
Red Sox & Indians Considering Three-Way Deal
The Red Sox and Indians discussed a three-way deal Thursday night that would send Victor Martinez to Boston and Clay Buchholz to Cleveland, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The deal would include a third team and send prospects in all directions.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Overbay, Halladay, Peavy, LaRoche
On this date 45 years ago Barry Bonds was born. And even though he hasn't played in a game since September 26, 2007, Bonds has not yet retired. We are one week from the trade deadline, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Statistician Magician makes a case for the Braves going after Lyle Overbay.
- The Oriole Report lists the players most likely to be dealt by the O's before the deadline.
- The Phrontiersman feels the Phillies can win without Roy Halladay but still feels Philadelphia should make the deal.
- The Fowl Balls says the Mets made the right decision in passing on Roy Halladay.
- We're The Team To Beat looks at how Jake Peavy's injury is impacting the current trade market, driving up the price for Roy Halladay.
- SoxSpace dissects what the Adam LaRoche deal means for the Red Sox.
- Around the Majors takes a look back at Oakland's offseason moves and what went wrong.
- Hot Foot examines the Mets' expiring contracts.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Odds And Ends: V-Mart, Tigers, Mets
Some links for the morning…
- ESPN.com's Peter Gammons says the Adam LaRoche acquisition won't prevent the Red Sox from pursuing an impact bat like Victor Martinez.
- MLB.com's Jason Beck predicts that the Tigers will trade close to next Friday's deadline if they decide to deal.
- Manager Jim Leyland spends so little time thinking about trades that he doesn't even know who's available, according to Chris Iott of MLive.com. Someone needs to tell him about MLBTR.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says the notion that the Mets are contenders "borders on delusional."
- Royals GM Dayton Moore tells Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that he will "be very aggressive and put the throttle down" if he sees an opportunity to improve his club.
- Justin Smoak, Martin Perez and Neftali Feliz lead Jamey Newberg's list of top Rangers prospects this week at MLB.com.
- As anticipated, the Seibu Lions acquired minor league reliever Jonah Bayliss from the Blue Jays, according to the Kyodo News.
- More than half of St. Louis Post-Dispatch readers believe the Julio Lugo-Chris Duncan swap was necessary.
Pirates Had Another Offer For LaRoche
Before the Pirates dealt Adam LaRoche to Boston, a second team made them an offer, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. An unknown club proposed a deal that would have sent a major leaguer and a borderline prospect to Pittsburgh for LaRoche. The Pirates would have had to take on the major leaguer's salary in the deal, which wasn't proposed by the Giants.
Red Sox Acquire Adam LaRoche
9:18pm: Baseball America's Matt Eddy has a comprehensive rundown of both prospects Pittsburgh acquired for LaRoche. Eddy likes Diaz's defense, but his bat is "a bit light for a regular role." He says Strickland's fastball gives him a chance to be a big league reliever, but he needs to refine his secondary pitches.
2:09pm: Kovacevic says the Pirates are not sending any cash to the Red Sox.
1:09pm: Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Pirates are sending cash to the Red Sox to contribute to the remainder of the $7.05MM LaRoche makes this year. They also sent cash to the Yankees in the Eric Hinske deal.
1:02pm: ESPN.com's Keith Law says Diaz's glove could make him a legitimate MLB backup in spite of his bat. Strickland is "probably a reliever at best."
12:31pm: Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus says Diaz is a very good defender who doesn't hit much. He says Strickland is a projectable righty with a fastball around 90 mph and average secondary stuff.
12:21pm: Ben Badler of Baseball America says the pair of prospects isn't much, not that the Pirates should expect more for two months of LaRoche.
12:05pm: Speier reports that the Pirates receive pitcher Hunter Strickland and shortstop Argenis Diaz.
11:49am: Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports that Manny Delcarmen will not be part of the trade.
11:45am: What you need to know about LaRoche: He's a 29-year-old first baseman hitting .247/.329/.441; he has a history of playing well in the second half; his defense is slightly below average; he makes $7.05MM this year before becoming a free agent and he's on the cusp of projecting as a Type B free agent, though he's currently below the cut.
11:15am: Kovacevic says the Pirates have traded LaRoche to the Red Sox.
11:00am: John Perrotto says LaRoche has been traded.
10:58am: Kovacevic says LaRoche is not in today's lineup.
10:56am: Ed Price of MLB FanHouse hears that LaRoche has been traded.
10:44am: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates clubhouse is buzzing over the possiblity that Adam LaRoche will soon be traded. However, LaRoche is taking batting practice and is expected to play today.
Red Sox: Center of Every Trade/Rumor?
It's been a busy day for the Red Sox. They acquired Chris Duncan and a player to be named later for Julio Lugo, turning an albatross into a viable left-handed hitter.
They also dealt a pair of prospects for Adam LaRoche, adding a power bat who normally excels in the second half. And according to Jon Heyman's Twitter feed, they may not be finished yet.
"Red Sox dealing up a storm. Now have Chris Duncan (for Lugo). still scouting Victor Martinez, though," Heyman tweets.
No details yet on what it will take to get Martinez, other than continued interest from Cleveland in Clay Buchholz.
More Moves Could Come For Red Sox
Boston's big acquisition could be a prelude to more moves for the AL Wild Card leaders. GM Theo Epstein said this afternoon that his team will continue to be "very active" in discussions around the league, though he addressed the team's main need by adding Adam LaRoche. The 29-year-old first baseman provides the Red Sox with a solid bat against righties and insurance in case Mike Lowell needs time off.
The team added LaRoche to win this year. Epstein said possible compensation picks after the season weren't a key component to the deal because it's "far from a certainty" that LaRoche will rank as a Type A or B free agent after the season. He's not currently ranked as a Type B free agent, but he's on the cusp of becoming one.
Historically, LaRoche's OPS has been 128 points higher after the All-Star break, but the Red Sox aren't expecting monster numbers from their new first baseman. Epstein said the team's defensive metrics rank him as a sound fielder.
LaRoche will join the team in Boston for the weekend series against the Orioles.
Giants Still Eyeing Bats
Jeff Fletcher of AOL FanHouse says the Giants musn't have wanted Adam LaRoche much, if they didn't beat Boston's offer for the recently-traded first baseman. Fletcher says the Giants "must be holding out for a premium player." Could Matt Holliday be their man? Fletcher says he's one of many players on the Giants' list, but warns that rumors of "increased" interest in Holliday are false.
Edes On Lee, Feliciano, Pirates
Yahoo's Gordon Edes says the Phillies and Dodgers are interested in Cliff Lee, but the Indians aren't anxious to move him. Not only would it mean trading Cy Young Award winners in back-to-back years, it would diminish the team's chances at contending next season. Here are the rest of Edes' rumors:
- The Dodgers would have interest in Pedro Feliciano if the Mets become sellers.
- The Brewers scouted Brad Penny over the weekend, but a trade seems unlikely now that Tim Wakefield's on the DL.
- At least one NL executive believes the Pirates are ready to move almost anyone. Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps, John Grabow, Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche and Jack Wilson could all be targets.
- It looks like the Reds would listen to offers for Francisco Cordero. However, he has no-trade protection and an big contract.
- The Red Sox had a scout watch Nick Johnson this weekend.