Molony’s Latest: Ohman, Fuentes, Sherrill, Tejada
Here’s a new column from MLB.com’s Jim Molony.
- Will Ohman suitors: the Marlins, Red Sox, Rays, Tigers and White Sox. Molony says the Braves aren’t highly motivated to trade Ohman, as they might want to re-sign him for ’09. Odd.
- The Rockies would need to be bowled over, but the Cardinals, Mets, Phillies, Rays, Red Sox, White Sox and Yankees still like Brian Fuentes.
- George Sherrill suitors: Cardinals, Dodgers, Marlins, Phillies, Red Sox and Tigers. He’s another reliever unlikely to be dealt.
- Molony disagrees with other reports on the Red Sox and Miguel Tejada; he says they did inquire but were rebuffed.
Red Sox Eyeing Relief Options
12:51pm: MLB.com’s Jim Molony says Brocail, Geary, and Jose Valverde aren’t going anywhere since the Astros are actually looking to add to their ‘pen.
11:21am: ESPN’s Peter Gammons says the Red Sox have been discussing Doug Brocail with the Astros.
9:57am: Boston’s top priority at the trade deadline seems to be relief help, if anything. They were linked to several relievers this morning.
Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal says the Sox "are interested again and expect expect to get back to the Royals on Ron Mahay." Mahay is generally believed to be unavailable.
Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald has the Red Sox eyeing Geoff Geary, Brian Fuentes, George Sherrill, and Will Ohman. Ohman seems the likeliest candidate, though they may have competition for him in the division-rival Rays.
Rockies Eyeing Byrd, Duchscherer
MONDAY: The Rockies won’t be acquiring Arroyo, but add Cleveland’s Paul Byrd to their list. Buster Olney wonders whether Byrd might clear waivers in August if need be. He has about $2.7MM left on his contract.
SUNDAY: According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Rockies have inquired on A’s starter Justin Duchscherer as part of their hunt for a starter. Duchscherer is under team control through ’09. As you know, the Rockies also asked the Reds about Bronson Arroyo.
Olney notes that GM Dan O’Dowd continues to talk to other teams about Brian Fuentes. It seems quite possible that the Rockies will try to have it both ways.
Stark’s Latest: Ohman, Rhodes
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has some new rumor material.
- Braves lefty Will Ohman is drawing plenty of interest, with the Tigers, Rays, Yankees, and Cardinals named as suitors. Perhaps the Yanks’ interest will diminish now that they have Damaso Marte.
- The Marlins and other clubs may turn to Arthur Rhodes as a more reasonable Plan B if they aren’t able to pry George Sherrill or Brian Fuentes loose.
- Given the emergence of Jeff Samardzija as a power bullpen arm, the Cubs are no longer looking for pitching. They desire a left-handed hitting center fielder, but that might wait until the offseason. It’s probably too early to say whether Jim Edmonds will be considered.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Fuentes, Laird
Here’s Ken Rosenthal’s latest.
- Rosenthal firmly believes the Braves will find a match on a Mark Teixeira trade. He finds the D’Backs and Angels as the most reasonable fits. ESPN’s Keith Law says the Braves have spoken to at least four teams about Tex within the past two days.
- Despite yesterday’s "highly unlikely" comment from Dan O’Dowd, Rosenthal says the Rockies would trade Brian Fuentes for a young MLB-ready starter.
- It’s still possible that the Mets stand pat on a corner outfielder and just deal with it internally or make a minor trade in August.
- Rosenthal talked to one club official who finds a 50% chance of Gerald Laird or Jarrod Saltalamacchia being traded before the deadline. The Rangers want young pitching.
Holliday, Fuentes Trades Unlikely
SI.com’s Jon Heyman spoke to Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd, who now says a trade of Matt Holliday or Brian Fuentes is "highly unlikely." He talked to multiple teams about both players, but hasn’t found a match. Holliday could instead be shopped in the offseason.
The Rockies are in buying mode, hoping to land a back-end starter. Heyman mentions Josh Fogg and Paul Byrd. We’ve also seen Justin Duchscherer and Bronson Arroyo named in reports.
Week In Review: 7/20 – 7/26
This one will be a bit lengthy, which can be expected as the deadline approaches. Here’s a review of some of the major moves and rumors of the last week:
- The Yankees acquired Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte from the Pirates for OF Jose Tabata, RHP Ross Ohlendorf, RHP Dan McCutchen and RHP Jeff Karstens . I agree with Tim that Ian Kennedy would’ve been a better centerpiece, but Tabata is pretty highly-touted himself. Kennedy would have made a more immediate impact, while Tabata is only 19 years old.
- The Dodgers acquired Casey Blake for minor league RHP Jon Meloan and C Carlos Santana. The Dodgers get a nice boost to their lineup without giving up too much, although Santana’s putting together a very impressive season in Class-A ball.
- The Nationals sent Jon Rauch to the Diamondbacks in exchange for minor league 2B Emilio Bonifacio. Rauch adds to a strong bullpen for Arizona, while Bonaficio could become a very solid leadoff hitter in the future for Washington. They may have been able to get more for Rauch, but I personally like the move, regardless.
- The Brewers acquired Ray Durham from the Giants for minor leaguers Darren Ford and Steve Hammond. Rickie Weeks has been a disappointment to an otherwise red-hot club. Can Durham provide a bit more stability? The power’s gone, but he can still get on base.
- The Astros acquired Randy Wolf from the Padres for minor league pitcher Chad Reineke. This one confuses me a little bit; with all due respect, did the Astros forget they were 12.5 games out? I don’t see the logic in buying on a pitcher.
- The Cardinals traded Anthony Reyes to the Indians for minor league pitcher Luis Perdoma. I don’t get this one either. I feel like the Cardinals could have gotten more, despite Reyes’ struggles in the past. The Indians could make this one look like a steal, in my opinion.
- The Yankees are in deep discussion with the Mariners about acquiring Jarrod Washburn. Tim cites Buster Olney and Ken Rosenthal in saying that the Mariners want a top prospect in addition to the salary dump, but the Yankees are only offering a marginal prospect. Can’t say I blame them. A top prospect for an mediocre pitchers who’s due an additional $14MM? Sounds like Seattle’s getting greedy…
- A new, and surprising name surfaced in trade talks: Manny Ramirez. Manny has said he would waive his no-trade clause, and based on interviews, has basically said that 2008 will be his last season in Boston. I can’t see Boston trading their (arguably) best hitter in the middle of a pennant race, however. I’d bet on him finishing out the season.
- Speaking of corner outfielders, the Mets need one, and they know it. Having missed out on Nady and Blake, they will likely zero in on Raul Ibanez. Ibanez makes great sense for them, and the Mariners would obviously like to rebuild. I expect this one to get done.
- There was a report that Roy Halladay came out and told the Blue Jays that he is unhappy in Toronto, which has provoked the Jays to explore their potential options. Halladay’s price would have to be astronomical, I’d think. He’s signed through 2010 and pitching like it’s 2003 all over again. Personal speculation: I think Halladay to the Cardinals with a Colby Rasums centerpiece would make sense.
- Crisitan Guzman signed a two-year, $16MM contract extension. Guzman has revived his career after surgery following an awful 2005. I like the signing for the Nats.
- Jorge Posada could be out for the season. The Yankees are looking for catchers. In addition to the names mentioned there, they could take a shot at signing Johnny Estrada, who was DFA’ed by Washington this week. Estrada was terrible in Washington, but has put up solid offensive numbers for a catcher throughout his career.
- Brian Fuentes, Huston Street, and George Sherrill are all still potential trade pieces. Fuentes is the most likely to go, I’d say, although the Rockies are asking for quite a bit.
- Tim updated the left-handed reliever and left field markets.
Perrotto’s Latest: Ross, Jacobs, Kent, Burnett
Baseball Prospectus’ John Perrotto has a new column.
- The Mets are looking at relievers Huston Street, Brian Fuentes, Arthur Rhodes, and Eddie Guardado. On the radar for outfielders: Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, and Randy Winn.
- A new suitor for Fuentes has emerged: the Diamondbacks. Would they really make another move for a reliever? Other known suitors were named here.
- The Marlins would consider trading Cody Ross or Mike Jacobs for relief help.
- New name on the Rays’ radar: Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent. They’re better off with Akinori Iwamura aren’t they?
- George Sherrill suitors: Cardinals, Tigers, Dodgers, Marlins, and Phillies.
- The Blue Jays may offer A.J. Burnett an additional $2MM per year to convince him to stay for 2009-10.
- The Rangers are "expected to be among the top bidders" for CC Sabathia this winter.
Odds & Ends: Astros, Tigers, Rays
Some Odds & Ends to reinforce the adage that you can never have enough pitching:
- Astros will be scouting Freddy Garcia when he throws in Miami on August 5th. Garcia could become one of the bigger names after the deadline.
- The Rays continue to look at Brian Fuentes, and feel that pitching may be more of a need than hitting, according to Marc Topkin. However David Price, Wade Davis, Jeremy Hellickson, and Reid Brignac remain untouchable. Price could just be the answer.
- In Detroit, Joel Zumaya has not been the answer to Todd Jones‘ struggles of late. As John Paul Morosi puts it, "Fernando Rodney has been the Tigers’ most consistent reliever lately. But that could be good news or bad news, depending on your perspective." The Tigers have been busy at the deadline for the past two years, trading Craig Monroe to the Cubs last year and acquiring Sean Casey the year before.
Odds And Ends: Gammons, Stark, Giles, Royals
And still more minor notes from around the MLBiverse…
First from Peter Gammons:
- Gammons says that the Marlins will not part with Anibal Sanchez for Brian Fuentes and will instead go after Arthur Rhodes.
- The Cardinals now appear to be the favorite for Fuentes.
- No teams seem willing to pay the asking price for Jason Bay.
- The Indians will pay the remainder of Casey Blake’s $2MM salary.
Next from Jayson Stark:
- The Mets are also showing interest in Randy Winn, but one official from another club feels Winn is just a backup plan.
A couple of random notes:
- Bud Black says Brian Giles does not want to be traded and prefers to stay with the Padres.
- Kevin Murphy notes that the Royals haven’t fared too well in the trade market the last few years.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.