Mariners Rumors: Rhodes, Bedard, Washburn
Mariners beat writer Geoff Baker has a new blog post up this morning about the team’s trade candidates. In a well thought-out piece, Baker names Arthur Rhodes, Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, Raul Ibanez, and Adrian Beltre as the most likely to go (in that order). A few highlights from the post:
- Solid lefty relievers are available – mainly Brian Fuentes and Damaso Marte. But the price is reportedly high for both, leaving the 38 year-old Rhodes as a fine alternative. Plus, the ’08 Mariners can live without him.
- Baker indicates that both Bedard and the Mariners favor a trade. However, Baker believes Bedard will have to take the mound at least one more time and maybe twice before the deadline to satisfy a suitor. Bedard is said to be 50/50 to make his July 22nd start.
- Washburn has about $14.4MM left on his contract, which runs through ’09 with limited no-trade protection. The M’s would trade him for salary relief rather than prospects.
- Ibanez and Beltre are down on Baker’s list because he believes the team owes it to the fans not to put a Triple A offense on the field. While neither player has an .800 OPS, trading either without a big league replacement could lead to an even more embarrassing second half. Additionally, the Mariners like Ibanez’s leadership skills. Baker finds the Beltre-to-Twins idea improbable. Interesting note: Beltre is thought to want to return to the L.A. area when his contract ends.
Twins Inquire On Adrian Beltre
The Twins’ interest in Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre has graduated from internal to external, according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Neal is not sure how far the two teams got in their trade discussion.
Beltre, 29, is hitting .259/.330/.440 in 388 plate appearances this year. He’s earning $12MM this year and the same in ’09. His limited no-trade clause allows him to block deals to eight clubs. Complications: he’s playing through a painful wrist injury, but also being called out by anonymous team coaches for not taking extra batting practice.
On the Twins’ side, free agent signee Mike Lamb has proven to be a bust, but call-up Brian Buscher is hitting a surprising .316/.341/.418 in 85 plate appearances. Baseball Prospectus projected him at .245/.309/.358 coming into the season.
Week in Review
Here’s a look back at the biggest stories MLBTR covered for the week of July 6 – 13:
- The Brewers completed a deal for C.C. Sabathia, sending Matt LaPorta and other prospects to Cleveland in return. Sabathia’s looked great so far, and LaPorta’s already making an impact in the Indians minor league system. Looks good for both teams right now if you ask this guy.
- The Cubs answered their division rival quickly, landing Oakland ace Rich Harden along with Chad Gaudin in exchange for Matt Murton, Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, and Josh Donaldson. Harden was brilliant in his debut. I think this could be another win-win trade, if Harden stays healthy.
- It was once again made clear that no one has interest in Barry Bonds, even at this juncture of the season. Seems like we’ve heard this once or twice before…
- It was a long time coming: The Mariners released Richie Sexson. Could the Yankees be interested?
- With likely season-ending injuries to both Eric Byrnes and Moises Alou (possibly career-ending in Alou’s case), both the D’Backs and Mets are in the market for corner outfielders. Raul Ibanez should be appealing to both clubs, though the Mariners may not be interested in trading him, Jim Riggleman says. Carlos Beltran voiced his support of acquiring Ibanez. I personally don’t see why Seattle wouldn’t pull the trigger, but I’m not a Major League GM, I suppose.
- Tim updated both the first base and catcher markets in the Trade Market Series.
- The Twins had internal discussions on Adrian Beltre. A third base upgrade would certainly be nice, but they’re not known for making big moves at the deadline. Could Bill Smith change that reputation in his first year as GM?
Twins Discuss Adrian Beltre Internally
WEDNESDAY: Christensen has an update on the Twins’ deadline strategy. He says they are considering options to upgrade on the left side of the infield, though perhaps without a sense of urgency. He notes that they have discussed third baseman Adrian Beltre internally, but probably not with the Mariners.
TUESDAY: According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins don’t have a glaring need and are likely to be quiet at the trade deadline. The Twins are 1.5 games out in the AL Central. They’re 8th of 14 AL teams in OBP and SLG. Nonetheless, they are third in the league with 4.9 runs per game. This can be attributed to a league-best .857 OPS with runners in scoring position. Who knows, maybe they can maintain it.
As for pitching, the Twins rank 9th with a 4.52 starters’ ERA and 6th with a 3.44 relief ERA (admittedly a crude measure). They should probably jettison Livan Hernandez, but Francisco Liriano is the ace in the hole at Triple A.
Just a few weeks ago, I rattled off all kinds of suggestions for the Twins. Commenters on that thread had good points – they probably don’t need to acquire a starter, and shortstop options are not plentiful. However, I still think Barry Bonds and/or Kenny Lofton would be nice complements to this team.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Padilla, Manny, Beltre, Dunn
Rumor man Ken Rosenthal has a new column up.
- At least three teams have inquired on the Rangers’ Vicente Padilla: the Mets, Yankees, and Brewers. Jon Daniels is looking for "quality young pitching."
- Manny Ramirez‘s $20MM option for ’09 isn’t a lock. It’s a tough call – .900 OPS players on one-year deals don’t grow on trees.
- Rosenthal suggests David DeJesus or Melky Cabrera would be nice fits for the Diamondbacks, who aren’t looking for a rental. He also speculates on names like Brian Giles, David Dellucci, and Randy Winn. Note: Rosenthal is playing GM here, not relaying inside info of trade talks.
- Rosenthal believes Matt Stairs would be a nice addition for the Dodgers, and notes that the Dodgers and Blue Jays have spoken. The Jays’ direction for ’08 is still uncertain though.
- Still sounds like it’d take a "knockout offer" to pry Rich Harden loose from the A’s.
- The A’s are said to like Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre. He can block trades to eight unknown clubs though.
- Adam Dunn isn’t generating much trade interest yet.
- KC’s Ron Mahay is "drawing significant interest." The trade market for lefty relievers is fairly robust.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Beltre, Washburn, Escobar, Duchscherer
Ken Rosenthal brings us his latest Full Count video:
- Rosenthal thinks the Mariners should consider dealing Adrian Beltre along with Erik Bedard by the deadline. The A’s and Dodgers would be interested in the 29 year old. Also, Jarrod Washburn‘s stock is rising.
- If Kelvim Escobar makes a strong return to the Angels rotation, Jon Garland could wind up on the trading block. As it stands, Escobar is slated for relief duties initially.
- 30 year old Justin Duchscherer could be Billy Beane’s best trade piece. His sparkling 1.99 ERA in combination with his being signed through this year for only $1.2MM make him a very palatable option.
Heyman’s Latest: Mariners, Brewers
Let’s take a gander at Jon Heyman’s latest column at SI.com.
- Heyman says three GMs who would have interest in Ichiro Suzuki have been told he’s not available. Nonetheless, Heyman suggests trading the face of the franchise would be the best way to shake things up in Seattle.
- The Mariners have other valuable trade commodities: Erik Bedard, Raul Ibanez, and Adrian Beltre. Most of the team’s other vets aren’t valued highly, though Jarrod Washburn has strung together three decent starts. Felix Hernandez would draw a ton of interest, but the Mariners aren’t expected to make him available.
- The Brewers’ have a host of quality prospects to use as trade bait. However, MLB.com’s Jim Molony did say yesterday that he didn’t expect a major acquisition.
Giants Pursuing Corner Infield Help
I’m not sure of the Giants’ plan – are they rebuilding? Playing for 2008? Kind of rebuilding but trying to seem respectable?
At any rate, the Giants don’t have much going on at first and third base. I like the idea of going after a cheap under-30 third base upside play like Dallas McPherson. But I wouldn’t fill the spot with a vet just to fill it. As for first, I’ve said before I’d just toss Dan Ortmeier there for 550 ABs in lieu of adding some stopgap. But that’s just me; here’s the latest on Brian Sabean’s corner infield pursuits:
- Tony Clark is a target, and San Francisco is a good fit for him in terms of playing time. He’d probably get a one-year deal and be paired with Ortmeier.
- The Mariners are apparently shopping Adrian Beltre for pitching. Doesn’t seem to be a smart move for Seattle but it may be a moot point if they are nearing a Carlos Silva signing.
- No doubt Joe Crede can be had. Paul Konerko, not so much. Crede makes sense for the Giants in that they might be able to flip him if he has a good April-May.
- Morgan Ensberg is a free agent who would probably play for $3MM and jump at a full-time chance.
- Pedro Feliz remains on the radar, but apparently still wants three years. C’mon now.
- The Giants have "moved in opposing directions" with McPherson, a Scott Boras client.
Yankees Aiming Higher Than Crede
According to Ken Davidoff of Newsday, the Yankees aren’t likely to trade for Joe Crede. They’re aiming for bigger fish like Mike Lowell, Adrian Beltre, Miguel Cabrera, and Scott Rolen. Garrett Atkins has been deemed unavailable. Additionally, Kenny Williams hopes to deal Crede relatively quickly and the Yankees are in no rush to fill their third base vacancy. Maybe the Phillies will jump into the fray for Crede.
Lowell at least won’t involve giving up young talent. But there are some questions about how he’d hit away from Fenway. And we’re talking four or even five years to lure him. Beltre would be a fine acquisition and is affordable, though I don’t know why the Mariners would part with him. And the Ms would want at least one blue-chipper, I’d imagine. The Yanks would have to mortgage tons of young talent for Cabrera. Davidoff’s dark horse, Rolen, suddenly makes the most sense. It would be a salary dump and a health risk, but 3/36 isn’t that scary for the Yanks. And it’s less than Lowell would sign for.
Davidoff has a tidbit at the end of his column, a one-liner, that the Yanks are likely to re-sign Mariano Rivera at three years, $40MM soon. I’m surprised Newsday didn’t call more attention to that part.
Mariners Considering Beltre Trade?
According to Ben Maller, the Mariners are considering trading Adrian Beltre to clear room on the payroll for Barry Zito.
While he hasn’t lived up to expectations as a Mariner, Beltre may yet earn his contract. He’s only 28 next year, and his .285/.340/.552 line after the break fosters hope. He also plays superb defense by most accounts. If Beltre, a Scott Boras client, were a free agent right now, would he top three years, $36MM? Certainly.
Given that the Mariners don’t have a viable replacement for Beltre, shopping him seems unwise. The Padres wanted him back in July, but they’ve since acquired Kevin Kouzmanoff. Just speculating, but the Orioles could make some sense.
UPDATE: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold confirms this rumor at the bottom of his column today, but doesn’t have details.