Tim Brown’s Latest: Cordero, Quentin
UPDATE: You can throw Conor Jackson into the mix along with Quentin.
Yahoo’s Tim Brown has some new rumors and info:
- Plan B if the Red Sox can’t get Eric Gagne: Washington’s Chad Cordero. It seems Wily Mo Pena would be a part of that, but I imagine Jim Bowden would want a top prospect as well.
- The Diamondbacks are shopping Carlos Quentin for a starting pitcher; the Indians and Nationals have interest. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Indians are willing to deal Cliff Lee, so maybe there’s a match there. And keep in mind that former Diamondbacks Director of Scouting Mike Rizzo now works as the Nationals’ Assistant GM and VP of Baseball Operations. Rizzo still has a lot of Arizona connections, and he definitely loves Quentin.
- Interestingly, Will Carroll indicates that Justin Upton may be on the verge of a callup.
Conor Jackson Showcased For White Sox?
You may have noticed Conor Jackson oddly playing left field last night. On the surface, the idea was just to get Jackson, Mark Reynolds, and Chad Tracy into the same lineup against Dave Bush.
However, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Diamondbacks’ real motivation was to showcase Jackson for the White Sox. Left field is the only place the Sox could use him.
Rogers writes that while the D’Backs scouted Jose Contreras, they’re after Jon Garland or even John Danks. Javier Vazquez‘s name did not come up, but wouldn’t it be crazy to see the Chris Young trade reversed? [As the always sharp commenters immediately noted, Vazquez has a no-trade clause allowing him to block trades to all nine AL/NL West teams. But it would still be cool to see the trade reversed.] Baseball America had some interesting thoughts on the impending Young/Justin Upton center field logjam today (the On The Brink section).
Rogers also adds that the D’Backs would trade right fielder Carlos Quentin. Quentin is 10 for 22 since his return to Triple A Tucson. Keep in mind that he was dealing with a small labrum tear in his left shoulder in the beginning of the season, which probably contributed to his poor play.
Either player would be a nice pickup for the Sox, who desperately need outfielders for 2008. If you’re a PECOTA fan, here are the projections for ’08 in the AVG/OBP/SLG format:
Jackson: .305/.389/.512
Quentin: .288/.380/.491
Josh Byrnes and Kenny Williams work well together, and match up nicely for another deal this summer.