Kubatko’s Latest: Jones, Dotel, Barajas
Roch Kubatko of the Baltimore Sun has a blog update with plenty of new hot stove info.
- Adam Jones never left Venezuela, and has been cleared to play in tonight’s winter league game. Does this means something changed in the Erik Bedard talks? We can only speculate.
- The Orioles have been talking to the agents for free agents Octavio Dotel and Rod Barajas. The Dotel talks were recent. However, Kubatko says "late inning relief isn’t a top priority." Maybe Andy MacPhail just wants to see if he can get Dotel on a nice one-year deal for $6MM or so.
- MacPhail told Kubatko, "We haven’t closed any doors" in response to a question about supposedly dead talks with the Cubs. Nothing seems imminent but perhaps the two sides are still discussing Brian Roberts after all.
Brian Roberts Deal Dead?
A trusted emailer wrote in to tell me about a report today from Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio 1000. According to Levine, Brian Roberts is no longer available. The Orioles were apparently asking for Tyler Colvin or Felix Pie plus multiple pitchers, and the Cubs wouldn’t do it.
Levine says the Cubs may turn their attention to the Rangers’ Marlon Byrd or free agent Jon Lieber.
Brian Roberts Cubs Rumors
UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 6:06pm: WGN Radio’s Dave Kaplan checked in on this situation on his blog. He has "great sources" saying the price for Roberts is much higher than was previously reported. The Orioles want Rich Hill, Felix Pie, or Tyler Colvin. Hill is known to be off-limits.
UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 10:58am: Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune believes this deal "is almost certainly going to happen." He expects it to be for the same players Orioles Hangout mentioned. However, an Orioles official contacted Orioles Hangout to tell them their report was inaccurate.
UPDATE, 1-9-08 at 9:22am: Roch Kubatko (via a team spokesman) and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun talked to Andy MacPhail and report that nothing has changed since last night on the Roberts talks and no deal is done.
FROM 1-9-08 at 7:53am:
Orioles Hangout is reporting that the trade of Brian Roberts to the Cubs is final. They’re saying it’s for Sean Gallagher, Sean Marshall, and Ronny Cedeno. I’ll update the post as info comes along.
Cubs, Indians Interested In Roberts
Ken Rosenthal is back with a bang, penning a new article about Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts trade possibilities. We already updated you on the Bedard situation over yonder.
Rosenthal says the Cubs are still the best fit for Roberts, also noting interest from the Mets and Indians. Last we heard, the Cubs’ offer included Sean Gallagher and Matt Murton but not Rich Hill or Felix Pie. Ronny Cedeno, Sean Marshall, and Donnie Veal could also be in the mix.
Interesting to hear that the Tribe is quietly taking a look at both Roberts and Bedard, just as they were quietly players for Dan Haren. Bedard could fill the void if C.C. Sabathia were to leave via free agency. What would a Roberts acquisition mean? Asdrubal Cabrera to short, Jhonny Peralta to third or traded?
Orioles Could Re-Sign Corey Patterson
It seemed the Orioles had no interest in retaining Scott Boras client Corey Patterson. However, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have renewed their interest in the 28 year-old center fielder.
My guess is that the Orioles backed off when Boras told them his initial demands for Patterson (three years, $24MM maybe?) But now Patterson is still hanging around and no teams seem to be actively pursuing him. Connolly mentions the Cardinals, Braves, Twins, and Pirates as possible fits, but admits they’re long shots. Patterson was born in Atlanta.
Patterson has a chance to be a mild bargain if he rediscovers his power stroke. He’s striking out less and less, which could mean an improvement in batting average. The offensive bar is pretty low for center field if you play good defense.
The Orioles are still entertaining possible trades that could bring them a center fielder and take them out of the mix for Patterson. They could get Adam Jones in an Erik Bedard trade, or a "Chicago Cubs outfield prospect" in a Brian Roberts deal. I doubt this would be Felix Pie.
Nothing Imminent With Orioles
Sean Welsh of the Baltimore Examiner spoke to Orioles’ president Andy MacPhail, clearing up some rumors that had been buzzing around. MacPhail would be "very surprised" if the Orioles strike deals for Erik Bedard or Brian Roberts before year’s end.
Welsh says the Cubs are focused on Roberts, while the Reds are still on Bedard’s trail.
Odds and Ends: Roberts, Otsuka, Walker, DaVanon
A few minor moves to speak of…
- The Cubs don’t appear to be concerned about Brian Roberts‘ steroid admission.
- The Padres’ talks for Xavier Nady are "on hold," according to Bill Center. Also, the Friars continue to eye Akinori Otsuka.
- Aside from the aforementioned Michael Barrett, the Padres signed Robert Fick and Jeff DaVanon. DaVanon, a switch-hitter, has had some decent years against righties. Ken Rosenthal believes the Padres may consider their outfield situation settled now after missing out on Geoff Jenkins and signing DaVanon.
- Todd Walker, remember him? He was released by the Padres this year in Spring Training and hooked on with Oakland. After a month and a half there, they designated him for assignment. He wasn’t picked up, and enjoyed spending the time with his family. Now, however, the Rockies have had preliminary conversations with him according to Tracy Ringolsby. Walker played for the Rox in 2000, posting a .929 OPS in limited duty. He had another half season in Colorado in ’01 before being traded to the Reds for Alex Ochoa.
- Excellent team blogs are going corporate – Bucco Blog was purchased by Baseball Interactive Media, and MetsBlog partnered with SNY. Both seem like positive developments for readers – Jake and Matthew maintain editorial control, but perhaps gain additional access and technology.
Stark’s Latest: Prior, Lofton, Otsuka
ESPN’s Jayson Stark dishes some good rumorage in his latest column.
- Stark dug around to find all the Mark Prior suitors and came up with this list: Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, Mets, Cardinals, Padres, Astros, Giants, Reds, Nationals (11 teams). Let’s compare notes. MLBTR readers have seen the Yankees, Mets, Cards, Padres, Astros, Reds, and Nats linked to Prior already. So Stark has added the Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, and Giants. The idea of the Mariners runs contrary to this MLB.com article. Stark did not name the Rangers, who are said to be aggressively pursuing Prior. Prior is dead set on a one-year deal and would take a big league mound in May in the best case.
- The Phils are focused on Geoff Jenkins and Mike Cameron, offering two year deals to each. They might just take the first one to accept. Stark says Kenny Lofton could be an option if both decline. Lofton batted a career-best .335 for the Phils in ’05.
- Stark rattles off a laundry list of pitchers the Phillies are interested in: Akinori Otsuka, Byung-Hyun Kim, Roberto Hernandez, Kris Benson, John Parrish, Sidney Ponson, Chad Durbin, Kyle Lohse, and Jeremy Affeldt. Given Stark’s 21 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, I imagine he has a connection or two. Most of those are new names besides Benson, Lohse, Ponson, and Affeldt.
- A source of Stark picks the Yankees as the favorite for Johan, but it should be noted that they’re having internal debates about pulling Phil Hughes off the table.
- For all the crazy Cubs fans we’ve got here: Stark says they’ve talked to the Orioles about both Brian Roberts and Erik Bedard, but couldn’t pull off a deal for both. They favor Roberts even though they need Bedard much more.
Cubs Rumors: Fukudome, Prior, Roberts
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago-Sun Times checks in with the latest Cubs buzz.
- The Cubs, Padres, and White Sox are in on Kosuke Fukudome. It seems that both Chicago teams are willing to spend big bucks.
- Wittenmyer’s source indicates sparse interest in Mark Prior, though the Cubs have been shopping him. The Cubs could still choose to non-tender him on Wednesday rather than pay $3MM+. Seems like a reasonable gamble though.
- The Orioles want to figure out their plans with Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada before making a move with Brian Roberts, so talks with the Cubs have cooled. The O’s want Sean Gallagher and a outfield prospect, but not Matt Murton. Could 22 year-old Tyler Colvin be involved? Felix Pie is said to be off-limits. Colvin has drawn Steve Finley/Shawn Green comparisons from Baseball America.
Cubs Aggressively Pursuing Brian Roberts
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 10:58pm: The Baltimore Sun guys have more. The Cubs have a significant offer on the table, and it may include Gallagher and Matt Murton (but not Hill or Pie). The Cubs will have to do better than just Gallagher and Murton, I imagine. According to Jayson Stark, the Cubs would have to be blown away to trade Hill or Pie.
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 10:03pm: ESPN Radio 1000’s Bruce Levine checks in to add that Ronny Cedeno would likely be involved in a Roberts deal.
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 9:39pm: ESPN’s Amy Nelson says Hill is not part of the Roberts talks. Marshall, Gallagher, Felix Pie, and Donald Veal may be in the mix though.
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 8:17pm: ESPN’s Steve Phillips says the Orioles "would get Rich Hill and Sean Marshall" for Roberts. Not sure if that means the Cubs offered it. Seems like a lot, but I am an unabashed Rich Hill fan.
FROM 12-5-07 at 5:31pm:
Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun are reporting that the Cubs are aggressively pursuing the Orioles’ Brian Roberts.
A three player deal is on the table, so I assume the Cubs would send two players over. It’s known that they’d send a starting pitcher, but we don’t have names yet. The authors note that the Orioles have been fond of Rich Hill and Sean Gallagher in the past. Keep in mind that a trade of Roberts would require Peter Angelos’ approval. Per Zrebiec, Angelos would have to be "totally overwhelmed" with an offer.
The authors also note that the Orioles have talked to Tadahito Iguchi‘s agent in anticipation of a possible Roberts trade. The Padres and Dodgers would join the Orioles as his top three choices.