Manny Ramirez Rumors: Tuesday
9:55pm: Jayson Stark attempts to douse the Manny flames, getting denials (again) from the Dodgers and Phillies.
8:39pm: Ken Davidoff says the Teixeira deal makes a Manny trade more difficult, since that’s one less option for Boston to replace Ramirez’s bat. The Red Sox will keep trying nonetheless.
6:52pm: Jon Heyman says the Phillies might be the frontrunner for Manny. Ramirez will want his $20MM options eliminated upon a trade.
The Dodgers are also involved, with the Marlins surfacing as a longshot.
3:07pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Dodgers are not pursuing Ramirez or Teixeira. So, conflicting reports again. The Dodgers are also not interested in Adam Everett and unlikely to acquire Jack Wilson.
Joe Christensen agrees that Everett isn’t happening, and notes that the Dodgers once had Ronny Cedeno on their list.
2:36pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post has the Dodgers in the lead for Manny. The Red Sox would eat most or all of the $7MM remaining on Ramirez’s deal, and then receive a player like Matt Kemp or Andre Ethier. Such a deal would enable the Sox to enter the Mark Teixeira bidding.
Sherman also talked to one NL exec who believes the Dodgers might instead acquire Brian Roberts, pushing Jeff Kent into a utility role and leaving the shortstop problem unresolved.
1:05pm: Looks like Manny’s going to need his own post, after all. Earlier today, Dan Graziano said the Mets are still in on Ramirez despite the denials. Now SI.com’s Jon Heyman adds that the Dodgers are showing interest. The talks are still in their infancy, and keep in mind that the Dodgers do not want to add payroll.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Laird, Washburn, Nady, Bay
Ken Rosenthal has more new material. I’ve updated the post, as Rosenthal updated his.
- The Yankees are looking for catching – Rosenthal and Jon Heyman do not agree with Peter Abraham. Rosenthal says the Yanks have expressed interest in Gerald Laird and Miguel Olivo. The Rangers want young pitching for Laird, however.
- Jarrod Washburn‘s limited no-trade protection includes the Yankees. He might want compensation to waive that, putting him out of the Yanks’ price range. Washburn, a Boras client, wouldn’t mind pitching in New York though. The Mariners are looking for young pitching for him. It sounds like the Yankees aren’t willing to eat the entire contract and send good prospects.
- The Yankees may explore other trades, and are said to have interest in A.J. Burnett and Bronson Arroyo.
- The Nationals were apparently locked in on a second baseman for Jon Rauch, perhaps explaining why they traded him for just Emilio Bonifacio. The jury is still out on the speedy young infielder.
- The White Sox explored a scenario where they would’ve acquired Brian Roberts from Baltimore, traded Orlando Cabrera to the Dodgers, and moved Alexei Ramirez to shortstop. That obviously didn’t work out. The Sox may be currently trying to decide whether to part with third baseman Josh Fields, their best trade chip and third baseman of the future.
- Suitors for Xavier Nady, such as the Rays, Yankees, and Phillies, are balking at Pittsburgh’s asking price. The Bucs continue to insist they’re being reasonable.
- Interestingly, the A’s are still talking to the Pirates about Jason Bay. Rosenthal says a trade seems unlikely.
- The Cardinals had scouts in Baltimore yesterday, and their interest in George Sherrill is well-known. But they might not match up with the Orioles’ needs.
Odds and Ends: Murphy, Vizquel, Roberts
Today’s collection of links and rumors.
- I’ll be doing the weekly live chat here at 2pm CST. Right after that I’ll be on New Jersey’s Fox Sports Radio 1260AM.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams talked about difficult it is to find an impact starter on the trade market.
- River Ave. Blues thinks the Yankees should pursue Josh Bard.
- The Athletics designated second baseman Donnie Murphy for assignment. Murphy, 25, showed a hint of promise at Triple A last year.
- The Giants don’t want to embarrass Omar Vizquel by releasing him.
- The Red Sox aren’t likely to make a major bullpen addition.
- A Brian Roberts trade is unlikely.
- David O’Brien on the difficulty in trading Mark Teixeira.
Odds and Ends: Roberts, Clark, Vidro, Manny
Time for today’s link collection.
- Geoff Baker on "The Ichiro Conundrum."
- Peter Schmuck assesses the Orioles’ trade candidates, noting that several clubs are interested in Brian Roberts.
- Paul DePodesta on the Tony Clark trade.
- Mariners beat writers are stunned that Jose Vidro is still on the roster.
- Manny Ramirez drew a six-figure fine for his altercation with the team’s traveling secretary. It’s suggested that Ramirez showed his displeasure by laying down for an at-bat against Mariano Rivera. UPDATE: Gordon Edes looked into this and found the fine to be much smaller and the at-bat to be of no concern to the Sox.
- Bradford Doolittle of the KC Star looks at the Royals’ trade candidates.
- RotoAuthority names 8 ways to avoid teams quitting on your fantasy league midseason.
On The Failed Brian Roberts Talks
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun dug up some information about the failed Brian Roberts trade talks from the past offseason.
- Zrebiec says one of the Cubs’ offers included Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, and Donald Veal. According to Andy MacPhail, a deal was never close. The O’s continue to hunt for a shortstop.
- MacPhail also talked to the Indians and Twins about Roberts (the Twins are a new one for me). It seems that MacPhail may also have spoken to the White Sox.
- The Orioles don’t seem to be planning to trade Roberts anymore, as they’re 5.5 games out of the wild card. No talks have occurred yet, but the Orioles could even extend Roberts past ’09.
Brewers Not Interested In Brian Roberts
According to Ken Rosenthal today:
Here’s a deal that makes sense: Brian Roberts for Rickie Weeks. The Brewers, who recently had two scouts watching the Orioles, are interested in Roberts, but it remains to be seen whether they are ready to give up on Weeks.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin denies the report, stating that his scouts "were watching the Orioles as part of their normal assignments." The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt has mentioned before that Melvin has always been frank and honest with him, and this is no exception. Melvin even revealed that the Orioles tried to get the Brewers involved during the spring as competition for the Cubs.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Roberts, Bonds, Dunn
Ken Rosenthal has a new column; let’s discuss.
- Rosenthal notes that many contenders will need relief help come July. We’ve got a list of available relievers here.
- The Brewers are interested in second baseman Brian Roberts. Rosenthal suggests they offer Rickie Weeks for Roberts and another player. Rosenthal notes that the various rumored springtime Cubs offers are now off the table.
- Barry Bonds is not a consideration for Boston even if David Ortiz‘s injury becomes long-term. Rosenthal believes Adam Dunn could be on the radar under that scenario.
Indians Prefer Infield Acquisition?
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer believes the Indians’ preference to be to acquire an infielder, if they are to explore the trade market. If so, they might pass on discussing potentially available outfielders such as Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, and Jason Bay. However, Hoynes notes the Indians’ past interest in Dunn.
Hoynes believes the Brian Roberts rumblings could resurface, perhaps a month or two from now. Peter Gammons suggested in April that the Orioles’ decent start might cause Peter Angelos to mandate retention of Roberts.
Some other possibly available infielders: Garrett Atkins, Nick Johnson (perhaps six weeks from now), Aubrey Huff, Mark Grudzielanek, Jose Castillo, Cristian Guzman, Felipe Lopez, Melvin Mora, Chad Tracy, and Mark Ellis (once he recovers from a strained hamstring). It seems easier to acquire an impact outfielder. Regardless, Hoynes believes the Indians would use their starting pitching surplus to engineer a trade.
Odds and Ends: Bay, Roberts, Cliff Lee
And here we have some random links I’ve collected over the past day or so.
- The Bucs will try to fill their open 40-man spots through low profile moves, not unlike the Jason Michaels one. They won’t move Jason Bay or Xavier Nady until they’re truly out of it. 4.5 games out of the wild card, they still have a prayer here on May 9th.
- Keith Law’s top 60 prospects list for the June draft has been published. Shortstop Tim Beckham heads the list.
- Gordon Wittenmyer looks back on the Cubs players rumored to be traded for Brian Roberts.
- Juan Uribe, partially on the strength of a great takeout slide, still has life with the White Sox.
- Nick Piecoro reminds us that the D’Backs were close to acquiring Cliff Lee in a deal for Carlos Quentin this winter. That would just be unfair, Lee as a part of that rotation. Ken Davidoff notes that the Mets discussed Lee as well.
- So…did the Yankees really have a shot at Micah Owings in the Randy Johnson deal?
Rockies Sign Juan Castro
FRIDAY: The Rockies win the Castro sweepstakes. Ken Rosenthal notes in a sidebar that the silver lining to the Tulo injury could be Barmes getting a chance to build up trade value. Rosenthal doesn’t see the Rox pursuing Brian Roberts for second base help unless they battle their way into contention first.
THURSDAY: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News has been all over the Juan Castro situation. The 35 year-old shortstop became a free agent today, and four clubs are in pursuit. The Dodgers, Padres, Orioles, and Rockies are all after him. Jackson says the Dodgers and Rockies would want him to do a brief Triple A stint. Troy E. Renck confirms Colorado’s interest.
The Rockies received devastating news today – star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki could be out until July with a torn tendon in his quad. Clint Barmes will assume the starting shortstop position.