Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Bobby Abreu

The Abreu Option

By | at

Bobby Abreu is really struggling this year – he’s hitting just .250/.325/.309 in 136 ABs.  Even his occasionally Bondsian walk rate is down around 10%.  The Yankees are paying him $15MM this year, and have a $16MM option with a $2MM buyout for 2008.

In my 2008 Club Options post a couple of weeks ago, I voted that the Yankees would decline the option.  At that point I was ignorant to the buyout price, however.  It’s more like a $14MM decision, and that’s a bit more palatable.  If Abreu was on track for a line around .290/.420/.450, I think it’s an easy choice to exercise.  Commenters in the earlier post leaned towards the Yanks exercising it but then looking to trade Abreu.

Since we still have 80% of the season to go, it’s much too early to call.  But if Abreu plays to his 25th percentile PECOTA – .263/.372/.413 – he’ll join the ’08 free agent class.  Does his slow start change your opinion on the option?

Abreu Traded To Yankees

By | at

As many are aware at this point, Bobby Abreu has been pulled from Philadelphia’s lineup today against Anibal Sanchez in favor of Shane Victorino.  It appears that a trade is imminent.

UPDATE: ESPN’s Buster Olney reports the deal is tenatively done – Abreu and Lidle to the Yankees.  Jayson Stark is now indicating that 27 year-old lefty reliever Matt Smith may be part of the deal along with C.J. Henry.  Smith has a 2.08 ERA in 26 Triple A innings this season.

Bobby Abreu Update

By | at

About 29 hours remain for GMs to get their deals done.  Plenty of new stuff popped up this morning, as many sportswriters were saving good stuff for the Sunday edition.

Let’s start off with the Bobby Abreu saga. Late last night, we went to bed with Jayson Stark’s update as the last word.  Seemed like talks between the Yankees and Phillies were in advanced stages, and that it would be Abreu, Cory Lidle, and all their salary for a couple of lower-grade prospects. 

The latest from Ken Rosenthal is that the Red Sox are getting into the game, trying to mess with the Yankees’ stuff. 

Indeed, Abreu’s agent has indicated that he will accept a trade to the Red Sox, Yankees, or Mets.  A deal to these teams would not require Abreu’s 2008 option picked up.  Sam Borden’s article goes back to Jon Lieber and Scott Proctor as part of this deal.  I think I read somewhere that the Phillies could consider Proctor as a starter next year.

Stark: Yanks Close To Abreu Trade

By | at

No, those weren’t Jayson Stark’s exact words.  But he does have a late night trade update indicating that the Yankees and Phillies are hammering out a deal for Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle.

Apparently the two clubs are negotiating which prospects will head to Philly.  The Phillies are said to be targeting shortstop C.J. Henry and starter Steven White.  For some reason Stark says C.J. Wilson in his update, but I believe he meant to say Henry.

C.J. Henry was the Yanks’ first round draft pick in ’05.  He’s the best athlete in the system according to Baseball America.  The 20 year-old has a ways to go with the bat; he’s hitting .237/.326/.350 for low Class A Charleston.

White is a 25 year-old starter who throws in the low 90s.  He’s battled injury issues but conquered Double A this year after his second try.  He’s stumbled a bit in Triple A.

The Yankees are expected to assume Abreu’s entire contract.  I have a feeling that in three years no one will remember which prospects the Phillies got for him, similar to the Mark McGwire trade in 1997.

According to an excellent piece by Baseball Prospectus’s Nate Silver, the Yankees stand to gain about 1.5 wins by acquiring Abreu.  Such an acquisition should increase their chance of making the playoffs by 14%.  And replacing Sidney Ponson with Lidle is definitely a plus.

Stark: Phils To Package Abreu and Lieber?

By | at

ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new lead on the Bobby Abreu discussions: the Phils have begun pitching Abreu and Jon Lieber as a package deal.  Stark says that only the Yankees could consider it, and that the price would actually lessen in this scenario because of all the salary.

Check out the Phils’ salary page at Cot’s Baseball Contracts; they’ve got a host of ugly commitments handcuffing Pat Gillick.  Beyond Abreu and Lieber, there are contracts for Pat Burrell, Randy Wolf, Mike Lieberthal, Arthur Rhodes, and Tom Gordon.  In my opinion, if you’re going to blow it up, don’t half-ass it – gut this team Marlins-style.  Well, not to that extent, but Jimmy Rollins probably is the only high-salary player that should be retained.  And only then because the market for shortstops is weak.   

Trade Rumor Roundup: 10 Days Left

By | at

Couple of fresh rumors surrounding the Padres’ third base vacancy, and I’m proud to say that MLBTradeRumors was able to deduce these in advance.  A week ago I compiled a spreadsheet of Kevin Towers’ trading history since 2001, nerd that I am.  From that we learned that Towers loves working with the Red Sox and also Bill Bavasi.  That he would consider Adrian Beltre and Mike Lowell for his vacancy followed logically.  Today, the Beltre rumor comes courtesy of Ken Rosenthal and Buster Olney threw down the Lowell rumor.  If those two big dogs fall through, Towers could pursue previous acquisitions Joe Randa or Rich Aurilia.

Plenty of speculation, newspaper articles, and quotes involving Julio Lugo heading to Toronto.  Not that this would be a bad move, but this club has a clear need for pitching.  Ricciardi only has so many bullets to fire as far as prospects and dollars.

ESPN’s Stark Market tells us that the Mets may have soured a bit on Lastings Milledge and could consider shipping him to Philadelphia for Bobby Abreu.  Meanwhile, Baseball Prospectus’s Jay Jaffe reminds us that Milledge’s most comparable player is Ruben Mateo, and recommends the deal for New York.

Wacky rumor involving A-Rod to the Phils made the message board rounds yesterday afternoon, but I think it’s safe to say there’s nothing to this one.  Mark Healey agrees.  The best part is that this one actually got all the way to A-Rod himself, who said he’d veto a deal to Philly.  Check out that Gotham Baseball column from Healey for some fresh rumorage.      

I was just checking my referrers, seeing where people are coming from when they land here at MLBTradeRumors.com.  A lot of the traffic comes from search engine queries.  Turns out someone recently found this site by Googling: "what does dayn perry have against royce clayton."  Now that’s a damn good question.

Rumor Roundup

By | at

Another day, another rumor roundup.  Let’s throw everything fresh into the mill.

The Orioles are thinking about taking on one of Philly’s huge outfielder contracts, for some reason.  I guess this could help next year’s push for third place.  Baltimore is one of baseball’s most baffling teams to me.  Abreu rumors have been floating around the Orioles since at least November.

The Cubs and Yankees may have something cooking, with Scott Williamson the likely candidate to be dealt.  If the reliever market is really so inflated, why don’t the Cubs trade Howry and Eyre?

The Pirates are offering up all sorts of non-difference makers, but Mike Gonzalez could actually get them something decent.  The 28 year-old southpaw has a 2.27 ERA in 39 innings this season.  Fantay leaguers should start thinking about Matt Capps as his successor.

Trade rumor All-Star Ken Rosenthal is getting into the game more lately, with a full plate of whisperings posted an hour ago.  Jose Vidro could become a Giant, and the D’Backs would love to trade Shawn Green (of course).

Unfounded rumors: Billy Beane may be shopping Mark Ellis and Jason Windsor, with possible interest in Brian Roberts…the Angels could be after David Dellucci…teams are calling the Mets about Alay Soler…Dallas McPherson is definitely on the block…there’s a decent chance Jon Lieber ends up a Yankee…the Mets and Nats are still talking about Livan Hernandez.

Rumor Roundup

By | at

Here are some trade rumors from the last day or so that we haven’t covered.  All come from various newspapers or other published reports.

Yesterday ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported some Bobby Abreu interest coming from the Brewers.  It was a longshot from the start given Abreu’s contract.  Today it’s been revealed that Doug Melvin hasn’t even spoken to Pat Gillick on the topic, and the rumor was placed by a rival GM.  Any guesses who?

Something seems to be brewing between the Yankees and Royals, and Reggie Sanders is the name that makes sense. The Royals would do well to unload the 38 year-old right fielder’s $5MM commitment for ’07.  A deal could also include reliever Elmer Dessens, who’s signed through next season.  For the second trading deadline in a row, Brian Cashman seems to be taking a more level-headed approach.

Another option for the Yanks is Kevin Mench of the Rangers.  Mench has been jerked around a bit this year by Buck Showalter and could come at a reduced price.  I recently outlined a couple of possible career paths for Mench over at RotoAuthority.  His career may be at a fork in the road; he should take it.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Mariners have become a major player for Alfonso Soriano.  Bill Bavasi has stumbled with some questionable signings, but Seattle remains just four games out in a weak division.  Don’t forget that Bavasi loves to deal with Kevin Towers more than any GM, so he may try to match up with the Padres somehow.

St. Paul Pioneer Press: Tigers Close To Abreu Deal

By | at

I can’t determine who actually wrote this, but it is a published report in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  It’s called Don’t Print That and has a smattering of rumors from various sports.

The baseball notes:

"A little birdie says the first-place Detroit Tigers are close to a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies for right fielder Bobby Abreu.  The Indians, in town to play the Twins, are talking about trading Aaron Boone to the Los Angeles Dodgers."

We’ve all heard of the Tigers’ interest in Abreu, so we’ll have to see what comes of that rumor.  As far as Aaron Boone, I can’t fathom why the Dodgers would want to actually give up a player or cash to acquire the worst third baseman in baseball.  I think Bill Mueller on crutches could outhit Boone.

Phillies Trade Rumors: Cleaning House

By | at

According to Gotham Baseball and other sources, Pat Gillick is ready to cash in on 2006 and free up some payroll.  The Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees should be involved.

Here’s a look at the team’s contract obligations. 

Bobby Abreu makes $15MM next year and then has a $16MM club option with a $2MM buyout.  Maybe he’ll demand that it’s exercised upon a trade.  He’ll still be a 5-7 win player annually for a little while, but that salary is a beast.  The 32 year-old Abreu is willing to waive his no-trade, and my gut tells me that he’d do it for any contender.  Perhaps Gillick mirrors his Thome deal – acquire a solid outfielder and some decent prospects, eat some salary.

Pat Burrell is set to earn $27MM for 2007-08.  The slugger turns 30 in October.  That’s a painful obligation for a player projected to be worth just $8.5MM during that span by Baseball Prospectus.  The Phils might have to swallow half of this contract to move him.  I feel like it would be Burrell or Abreu but not both – that’s a lot of offense to replace next year.

Randy Wolf makes $9MM this season in his walk year.  He’s just finishing up rehab for Tommy John surgery.  He’s a week or two from rejoining the Phils, and a deadline deal seems a long shot.  However, if he returns and stinks maybe Gillick can pass him through waivers and trade him in August.  The southpaw turns 30 next month and will probaby get decent interest as a free agent.

Mike Lieberthal’s lengthy Phillies career should come to an end as this is the last year of his deal.  He makes $7.5 mil, so I’m sure the team would love to move him from a financial point of view.  He should be activated from the DL tonight after a strained hip.  The Rockies could use a backstop if Gillick wants to do yet another salary dump with the fan favorite.

Jon Lieber makes $7.5MM next season in the last year of his deal.  He’s a 36 year-old control artist who probably has a few decent years left.  I think there’s a good chance he’s moved, and the bounty could be decent if he shows well in his next start or two.  Makes sense at the back end of the rotation of various contenders.

Arthur Rhodes makes a whopping $4.8MM this season in his walk year.  However, the A’s and Pirates are paying more than a million of that.  Rhodes turns 37 in October and has pitched poorly this year after dominating last year.  Gillick probably won’t get much for him, though we’ve seen that the reliever market appears inflated this summer.

David Bell, making $4.5MM in the last year of his deal, is one of the worst-hitting third basemen in the game.  He’s a good glove man but wouldn’t make much of a spare part for a contender.

Tom Gordon is the best available reliever this summer.  He gets $7MM in ’07, $5.5MM in ’08, and a $4.5MM option with a $1MM buyout for ’09.  He’s still getting it done at age 38 and could give a nice stretch run/playoff boost to the White Sox or Yankees.

Cory Lidle makes $3.3MM this year and has a solid 2.4 K/BB ratio.  The 34 year-old is far from impressive, but he still adds a couple of wins compared to replacement level crap.  The Phils should definitely trade Lidle.

Brett Myers is a few years removed from free agency, but the team has that whole domestic abuse issue sitting there.  It’s a tough situation because the team needs Myers to front their rotation for the next few years.  But if you’re gonna rebuild, why hold back?  Myers won’t bring a Josh Beckett-sized bounty, but even with the baggage you’d think the Phils could get one good prospect in return.

Aaron Rowand, a fan favorite, really ought to stay put.  Bit players like David Dellucci and a host of relievers certainly could be traded as well.  I have a feeling this will be a very, very different club in 2007.         

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top