Odds & Ends: Yankees, Mets, Red Sox
Thursday linkage…
- La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says the Pirates wanted Aaron Hicks or Danny Valencia from the Twins for Freddy Sanchez. LEN3 has a few other hot stove tidbits as well.
- ESPN's Keith Law finds the Giants' trade of Tim Alderson for Sanchez reasonable, due to "slippage in Alderson's stuff."
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe talks about how major additions such as Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, or Victor Martinez would help the Red Sox. Via Twitter, ESPN's Amy K. Nelson heard from a source guessing that Gonzalez has a ten percent chance of being moved.
- Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reports via Twitter that the Mets designated pitcher Elmer Dessens for assignment to make room for catcher Robinson Cancel.
- Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say the Mets "do not intend to give up a significant prospect" in their quest to add a left-handed reliever.
- Via Twitter, Ken Davidoff of Newsday informs us that the Blue Jays expanded their coverage of the Yankees' farm system. Davidoff feels that this coverage more likely reflects the Yanks' interest in relief help than in Roy Halladay.
- The Pirates don't have anything serious going on with relievers Matt Capps or John Grabow, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. They might be done.
- Joe Smith and Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times find the Rays unlikely to make a major deal, with Cliff Lee off the table.
- ESPN's Buster Olney lists all kinds of holes that could be filled via the trade market for various clubs.
Olney’s Latest: Bell, Washburn, Martinez
Buster Olney at ESPN with a few updates on trade chatter today:
- The Padres are fielding all sorts of calls on Heath Bell. Of the dozen or so interested, the Marlins have probably been the most aggressive.
- Talks have still gone on with the Red Sox about Adrian Gonzalez, but "no significant progress" has been made. The Pads will likely want Clay Buchholz among "four or five of the best and brightest" prospects in the Sox system.
- The Mariners are listening to offers for Jarrod Washburn, but not dangling him. There are also indications they're trying to "reach an understanding" on a contract extension.
- The Sox are definitely in the mix for Victor Martinez, but they're busy scouring the league for various needs.
Sherman On Glaus, Gonzalez, Qualls
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says Troy Glaus and his $11.25MM salary would likely clear waivers in August, so the Cards could trade him then if he isn't fully healthy within the next three days. Glaus currently profiles as a Type A free agent, but Sherman doubts the Cards will offer him arbitration after the season even if they keep him. Here are more of Sherman's rumors:
- An AL official believes the Red Sox "will step up" for Adrian Gonzalez and tempt the Padres with their many prospects.
- The D'Backs may keep Chad Qualls around for next season, but they're still receiving calls about him.
- The Yankees showed interest earlier in the season, but are no longer calling the D'Backs about Qualls.
Heyman On Washburn, Halladay, Red Sox, Rangers
Let's dig into the latest from SI's Jon Heyman.
- The Yankees called the Mariners Saturday to inquire on Jarrod Washburn, and were told at the time that the Ms weren't ready to sell. Perhaps that has since changed, based on today's report from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi. Here's my question: was Seattle's decision to hold on to Washburn last summer prudent, or did they just get lucky? Heyman says Bronson Arroyo is a "fallback option" for the Yanks should the Reds change course and offer to eat significant salary.
- Heyman gives his take on the Roy Halladay situation, explaining where suitors such as the Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Rangers, and Dodgers sit. Heyman still sees the Phils as the favorite. He says the Dodgers "are more focused on Cliff Lee than Halladay" but don't want to break up their Major League roster. Good luck with that. One Heyman source suggested the Red Sox would need to give up Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, and Jed Lowrie (Gordon Edes says Bard is off-limits).
- Heyman also talks a bit about Boston's interest in major bats Victor Martinez and Adrian Gonzalez.
- Heyman finds the Rangers unlikely to acquire Halladay or Cliff Lee, though they have expressed interest. The Rangers won't be restricted, at least by MLB, because of Tom Hicks' financial woes. I don't see why the money owed to Halladay would be an issue for any club. He's a massive bargain.
- The Angles have yet to cop to interest in Rays starter Scott Kazmir. Heyman guesses Tampa Bay would love to be free of Kazmir's contract ($24.8MM through 2011 doesn't seem too burdensome though). Earlier today the lefty was connected to the Rangers and Mets by Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Heyman speculates that one reason the Cards would like to extend Matt Holliday is to impress Albert Pujols.
Heyman On Washburn, Halladay, Red Sox
1:21pm: Heyman hears that Adrian Gonzalez may be Boston's top target now, especially since discussions about Victor Martinez aren't progressing.
11:51am: Jon Heyman of SI.com has the latest on Roy Halladay and the next-best options for pitching-starved teams. Here are the details:
- The Yankees called the Mariners about Jarrod Washburn over the weekend. The Mariners say they aren't selling now, but that could change this week.
- The Yanks would have to give up "a top prospect or two" to acquire Washburn.
- Bronson Arroyo could be an option for the Yankees, but the Reds haven't offered to take on any of the $17MM remaining on his deal.
- The Yankees have a miniscule chance of acquiring Halladay. They wouldn't part with both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain for him, but they might trade one.
- An executive involved in the Halladay talks says "it's early," since no one's taking tomorrow's pre-deadline too seriously.
- Sensing they don't have much of a chance at Halladay, the Dodgers are more focused on Cliff Lee.
- The Red Sox could still make a big move, but don't expect them to deal for Halladay. The Blue Jays could ask for Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie and Daniel Bard, according to one of Heyman's sources.
- Victor Martinez remains an option for the Red Sox, who talk with the Indians "all the time."
- The Red Sox are keeping an eye on Adrian Gonzalez, who's not available now.
- Bud Selig says he won't prevent the Rangers from taking on payroll even though the commissioner's office has helped Rangers owner Tom Hicks make payments.
- The Rangers have inquired on Halladay and Lee.
- The Cardinals will try hard to extend Matt Holliday.
- The Rockies are still looking for a reliever.
- The Giants scouted Nick Johnson and Josh Willingham this weekend.
FOX Sports On Red Sox, D’Backs, Bell
12:59pm: FOX Sports reports that Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski is aggressively looking for a hitter.
The Brewers are reluctant to trade Alcides Escobar and would probably hesitate to move him for Brandon Morrow and two months of Jarrod Washburn.
12:14pm: The Red Sox are "in" on Roy Halladay, but finding offense is the team's top priority, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Here are a few more rumors:
- There hasn't been much interest in Doug Davis or Jon Garland so far, but D'Backs officials are optimistic that interest will pick up later in the week.
- Minnesota has more interest in Freddy Sanchez than any of his other suitors do.
- The Padres will listen on Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez, but aren't likely to deal either player. The Tigers had interest in Bell earlier in the month.
Clubs Will Have To Overpay for Gonzalez, Bell
5:58pm: As ESPN.com's Buster Olney notes, the Red Sox have contacted the Padres about the availability of Gonzalez, but two major obstacles stand in their way.
"No. 1, the Padres would require an extraordinary package of prospects in any deal for Gonzalez, who is young, relatively cheap and a star," Olney writes.
"The second hurdle would be whether the San Diego ownership would approve the deal and risk angering the team's fan base even more." Keep in mind the Padres came close to dealing staff ace Jake Peavy this season and cut ties with all-time saves leader (and fan favorite) Trevor Hoffman this winter.
1:18pm: MLB.com's Corey Brock adds to this, stating that the Padres are getting more calls about Bell than Gonzalez, according to Towers. Brock echoes that it's unlikely we'll see Gonzalez or Bell dealt, but says that Towers feels the conversations he's had regarding Gonzalez and Bell could prove to be very valuable if the club considers trading them in the offseason. He also quotes Towers, saying:
"I could see a couple of smaller deals," Towers said.
Brock names Kevin Correia and Kevin Kouzmanoff as people who could attract some attention, but so far, neither has drawn much interest.
12:11pm: The Padres "were getting a lot of play" on first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and closer Heath Bell as of yesterday according to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, but "club sources were adamant that interested clubs would have to overpay to acquire either." On Friday we learned that the Red Sox had expressed interest in Gonzalez, who is under contract next season for just $4.75MM with a 2011 club option worth just $5.5MM.
Brown says that the "asking price has been so high that Bell might as well be unavailable," and quotes a baseball personnel man as saying "There are about eight good arms available out there and 20 teams looking.”
Padres Aren’t Discussing Gonzalez
The Red Sox have asked about Adrian Gonzalez, but the Padres steadfastly refuse to discuss him, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Boston has enough top prospects to entice most teams, but the Padres "just won't budge."
Red Sox After Adrian Gonzalez?
According to Sean McAdam at the Boston Herald, the Red Sox have been "very aggressive" in their pursuit of Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres, but their offers have been "rebuffed."
The Adam LaRoche acquisition may have just been one domino falling before a major acquisition, McAdam notes, as the Sox have been spending the final week before the trade deadline to hunt for an impact bat. Their interest in Victor Martinez is well-known, but a source tells McAdam the cost for Martinez has been "prohibitive." McAdam also says that if another deal is in the works, it will be for a player "that can upgrade the Sox not only this year, but for several seasons to come."
The Padres haven't formally put Gonzalez on the trading block, and indications are that the first baseman is staying put.
Odds And Ends: Gonzalez, Giambi, Mets
Some links for the morning…
- MLB.com's Corey Brock reassures Padres fans, telling them that Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell are staying put for now.
- But Gonzalez told Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he understands his team's predicament: "To a certain extent, I don't disagree with the people who say the best thing for the Padres is to go out and get a bunch of people for me."
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report saying the Seibu Lions are trying to acquire Triple A pitcher Jonah Bayliss from the Blue Jays.
- Rich Hoffman of the Philadelphia Daily News says the Phillies depend on their scouts and believe only what they see for themselves.
- MLB.com's Mychael Urban wonders if Jason Giambi might shut it down for the season.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy are even major league bench players.
- The Brewers were among the teams scouting Cliff Lee last night, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.