More Ken Rosenthal
Ken Rosenthal has been working overtime, posting a second column tonight. To summarize:
- The Astros plan on keeping their relief core of Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, Dan Wheeler, and Trever Miller, despite interest from the Red Sox in Lidge and Qualls.
- In Marcus Thames, Chris Shelton, and Ramon Santiago, the Tigers appear to have a surplus of players. However, Rosenthal spoke to another team’s exec who thinks the trio will stay with the club. It’s nice to have depth. Speaking of which, top pitching prospect Andrew Miller will start his season in A ball but could make an impact in the second half.
- The Cubs and Rangers would like to add shortstop Clint Barmes as a utility man (might even make sense for the Cubs to start him). The Rox still like Barmes though and may keep him around as a 2B option for ’08. Rosenthal mentions the Royals as another fit for Barmes. The Royals need a shortstop like the Marlins need a center fielder.
- The Dodgers want to add a right-handed slugger. Assuming the price tag on Rocco Baldelli remains too high, L.A. could go after Kevin Mench or Reggie Sanders. The Royals would love to get rid of Sanders or Emil Brown. The O’s have some mild interest in Sanders. I guess the offseason helped the Dodgers and Orioles forget that Sanders is 39, makes $5MM, and posted a .729 OPS last year.
Olney: Boston Tracking Lidge
In his blog today, Buster Olney mentioned that the Red Sox are still interested in Houston closer Brad Lidge. This rumor dates back to July.
Lidge’s control and HR rate slipped last year, though he was still dominant in terms of racking up strikeouts. Olney indicates that the Astros aren’t shopping him and the Red Sox would have to overpay, perhaps with Jacoby Ellsbury, Craig Hansen, and more.
Additionally, Peter Gammons mentioned a couple days ago that Chad Qualls might be a target for Boston.
Red Sox Targeting Closer?
The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo has a J.D. Drew update for us. It may be that Boras does not want to revise Drew’s contract given that Boras’s surgeon gave Drew’s shoulder the thumbs up.
More intriguing is a line at the end of the post – the Red Sox are targeting a trade for a closer and are targeting one of Chad Cordero, Brad Lidge, and Mike Gonzalez.
Red Sox Should Trade For Lidge
Given Jonathan Papelbon‘s recent hints about starting in 2007, there’s a lot of hubbub about who might close for the Red Sox next season.
Let me preface this by saying that I agree with Baseball Prospectus’s Nate Silver: Papelbon should remain a closer. His utter dominance in relief, the taxing nature of his splitter, the open question about his ability to throw 200 innings. Why risk it? As Silver says, "A great closer is as valuable as all but the very best starters, once we properly account for the effects of leverage."
But say the Red Sox do use Papelbon as a starter in 2007 (I’m not anywhere near convinced they will). Who’s going to pitch the ninth inning in Boston? It’s really not their style to pursue any of these guys. Only Eric Gagne has the potential to be elite, so the Boston papers are throwing his name around. But let’s not forget that Gagne has thrown all of 15.3 innings over the last two seasons. He’s a very risky signing, especially if he would require an inflated offer to leave L.A.
The better solution, in my mind, is to try to trade for Brad Lidge. Lidge is still healthy and it would be a buy low situation. It wouldn’t be the first time the Red Sox have looked at acquiring him. Lidge is still racking up the strikeouts, though his control has slipped to a dangerous level. He won’t be a free agent until after the 2008 season.
Whether or not the Red Sox target Lidge, relying on one of the available free agent closers doesn’t seem like their style. They gave Keith Foulke a big contract after 2003, but Foulke was one of the game’s dominant closers at the time. There’s no similar free agent option this year. How about a creative solution: give the job to a starter? Matt Clement, Adam Eaton, Ted Lilly, Gil Meche, Kerry Wood, or Randy Wolf could surprise as a closer if one of them is willing to give it a shot.
ESPN: Lidge, Ensberg Deals Dead
Buster Olney informs us that Brad Lidge will not be dealt, and Jayson Stark has indicated that a possible Padres trade for Morgan Ensberg is off. Plan B for the Pads looks like Aaron Boone…ugh.
Justice: McLane Orders Lidge Trade
According to Richard Justice on his SportsJustice blog:
"I’m told Drayton McLane ordered Purpura to trade Brad Lidge. I got this information from an official with another team. I would expect the Astros to deny it."
Justice also mentions that Roger Clemens is pushing Drayton McLane for help, who has in turn orderd GM Tim Purpura to make something happen.
Mets closer Billy Wagner is campaigning for Omar Minaya to bring Lidge in so Wagner can fix him.
Also, I’m told Justice was recently on 610 AM in Houston. He mentioned that if the Astros trade Lidge for Hank Blalock straight up, the subsequent move would be to swap Morgan Ensberg and Adam Everett for Scott Linebrink and Khalil Greene.
Red Sox Trade Rumors
It’s tough to get anything out of Boston these days; Theo Epstein has plugged all of his leaks. Let’s see what we can piece together though.
According to Sean McAdams of The Providence Journal:
"Friends of the Rocket insist he’s sorry that he chose the Astros over the Red Sox." McAdams mentions that Clemens would love a trade to Boston if it could be done without infuriating the Houston fanbase. Also, a source of mine tells me that the Mets have inquired about Clemens.
Then there’s the possible three-way trade with the Rockies and Padres. The Padres would get Mike Lowell, the Red Sox would get Ryan Shealy and a starter, and who knows what the Rockies would get.
Don’t get that rumor confused with the other three-team scenario from Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe. In that case, the Red Sox get Julio Lugo and Scott Linebrink, the Padres get Mike Lowell, and the D-Rays get prospects.
Plus, Jayson Stark mentioned last night that the Red Sox are "making a late run at Alfonso Soriano." He doesn’t have much more than that, but it can’t be dismissed. Stark has also connected Boston to Jason Schmidt and Brad Lidge.
Carroll: Astros-Rangers Trade?
Will Carroll’s latest rumor mill is churning up a new trade scenario: Brad Wilkerson and Rod Barajas for Brad Lidge, Morgan Ensberg, and Fernando Nieve.
Barajas is most certainly expendable with Gerald Laird hitting .347/.380/.579 in 121 at-bats this year. Barajas will be a member of this offseason’s weak free agent catcher class.
Wilkerson’s been subpar this season even while playing at Ameriquest, so I don’t see how swapping out Ensberg’s bat for his helps the club. Even Barajas’s below-average hitting would be an improvement upon Brad Ausmus, but the Astros just wouldn’t gain enough in the proposed deal. I have to think more players from Texas would be involved.
Houston Chronicle: Lidge For Blalock?
Jose De Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle mentions this morning that the Rangers are asking the Astros about Brad Lidge, and that Hank Blalock could be part of a deal.
Such a trade would really pile on the third basemen for Houston, who already have Morgan Ensberg and Aubrey Huff. Ensberg is on the road to recovery from a shoulder injury, but Huff can play the outfield corners or first base.
Brad Lidge On The Trading Block?
Both Ken Rosenthal and Richard Justice are hinting at the same idea: struggling closer Brad Lidge could be trade bait for the Astros.
"If general manager Tim Purpura dangles struggling closer Brad Lidge — as he did last off-season in a deal for Tejada — the possibilities could get interesting."
The possibility first popped up in mid-December, though the situation was much different back then. Now, Lidge is pitching badly and his stock has fallen dramatically. Justice, a sportswriter for the Houston Chronicle, indicated in his blog today:
"By the way, Fernando Nieve was sent to Round Rock to pitch late in games. Phil Garner intends to use him late when he returns to the big leagues. That’s probably an indication the Astros expect to trade a closer by Monday’s trading deadline."
However, as RotoWorld points out this afternoon, Lidge is paid decently and wouldn’t interest the teams looking to trade big bats. They theorize that a longshot possibility could be sending him to the Phillies for Bobby Abreu. Houston, of course, is where it all began for Abreu. Perhaps a three-team deal would be necessary to make this work.