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Casey Kotchman

Giants Like Kotchman And Mathis

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Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Giants recently inquired with the Angels about first baseman Casey Kotchman and catcher Jeff Mathis.  Baggarly speculates that the Halos might like the idea of a reunion with Bengie Molina (owed $12MM over the next two seasons).

Of course, the value of the two Angels players far exceeds that of Molina.  No deal is close; Angels GM Tony Reagins was frank about that.  The Giants don’t have much in the way of valuable trade chips.  They’ve got overpriced, undesirable veterans plus a strong core of young pitching that they need to keep.

The Angels theoretically could part with Kotchman if they think Kendry Morales is ready (or if they wanted to shift Garret Anderson or Juan Rivera over to first, though neither has played there).  Mathis could be traded now; a separate deal with the Giants could make sense.

Unfounded Rumors: Bonser, Morneau

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UPDATE, 11-28-07 at 10:50am: LaVelle E. Neal III and Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune looked into both of these rumors, and found nothing.

FROM 11-27-07 at 10:25pm:

We have seen some Unfounded Rumors come to fruition in the past; you never know.  No insult is intended towards the originators of these, but they are reports I have not been able to verify.  I know most of you just want rumors any way you can get them.

So there you go, a couple of Unfounded Rumors to mull over this evening.

Angels Out On Teixeira?

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According to Mike DiGiovanna and Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times, the Angels are done trying to acquire Mark Teixeira.  Casey Kotchman and Joe Saunders were agreed upon.  The Angels wanted the Rangers to settle on Terry Evans or Nathan Haynes as the third player.  The Rangers, however, wanted one of Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, Howie Kendrick, and Ervin Santana.

Perhaps there is some middle ground, like a Hank Conger, Sean Rodriguez, or Erick Aybar?  The L.A. Times says the door is not completely closed on Teixeira but the Angels won’t relent to Jon Daniels’ list.

Meanwhile, the L.A. Daily News sings a different tune.  Doug Padilla suggests an offer of Kotchman, Adenhart, and Reggie Willits.  He does not believe the talks to be dead.

Jermaine Dye or Mike Piazza look like the logical alternatives for the Angels.  Buster Olney believes Piazza to be a fine idea, and I agree.  Interestingly, the Angels kicked the tires of Miguel Cabrera but were rebuffed.

Teixeira may now be left to the Braves, Dodgers, and Red Sox.  I still expect a deal to be made.  The sticking point for an Atlanta appears to be John Schuerholz’s demand to get a solid reliever back with Teixeira if he is to include Elvis Andrus.

Braves Make Offer For Teixeira

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According to Ken Rosenthal’s sources, the Braves have made an offer to the Rangers for Mark Teixeira: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison, and Elvis Andrus.  That’s without any relievers coming back to Atlanta.  That’s three young players all with a chance to become above-average big league regulars.  You couldn’t really criticize Daniels for it, no matter how it turned out.

The only other major player seems to be the Angels.  The Halos recently tweaked their original offer of Casey Kotchman plus Nathan Haynes or Terry Evans.  There’s now a pitcher in the mix, apparently one of Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, or Nick Adenhart.  I’d consider this a comparable offer, especially if Adenhart was the one. 

The Dodgers aren’t out of it, but I don’t see them getting Teixeira.

Heyman’s Latest: Teixeira, Otsuka

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Jon Heyman of SI.com has been working the phone lines; here are some notable rumors from his latest column.

  • The Braves seemed fairly close to a Mark Teixeira trade yesterday, but the Angels are definitely knee deep in it.  They’ll make a solid offer including Casey Kotchman, Ervin Santana, and Major League player.  Adam Dunn remains Plan B.
  • Heyman says there’s speculation that Akinori Otsuka could need Tommy John surgery, which might compel the Rangers to sign Eric Gagne and/or keep Joaquin Benoit.
  • Refresher on Gagne’s 12-team allowable list can be found here.  Gagne must consent to a trade to Detroit, and it seems the Rangers asked for Cameron Maybin.  Not gonna happen.  The Yankees appear to be out on Gagne because he wants to close.  I’m skeptical – he wouldn’t pitch as a setup man if they guaranteed his entire contract?
  • Seems the Yanks entertained a Morgan Ensberg acquisition.  They would’ve used him at first base.  Joe Torre nixed the idea because Ensberg hasn’t hit for a long time.
  • Heyman’s top five available starters are Matt Morris, Livan Hernandez, Jose Contreras, Jason Jennings, and Kyle Lohse, in that order.  That ranking is reasonable.  A Jon Garland, Noah Lowry, or Joe Blanton would easily jump to that top of the list if made available.

Joel Sherman’s Ten Trade Candidates

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post has an article today regarding ten veterans who may be traded this month.  He’s packed the column full of insider info beyond the ten players highlighted; check it out.

  • Mark Teixeira is now more likely to be dealt than Eric Gagne.  Sherman sees the Angels as perhaps the best possibility here; they’d have to include Casey Kotchman.  I imagine Ervin Santana’s stock is down far enough that the Rangers would not settle for the two.
  • The Indians appear to be out on Gagne but the Tigers still make sense for all parties.  Would Todd Jones graciously step down from his closer post?  Detroit’s bullpen has actually been doing well lately.
  • The Royals want a righthanded-hitting center fielder in return for Octavio Dotel.  Now that’s a tall order.  Sherman names Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez as two who fit the bill, but such a trade would require young talent like Zack Greinke coming back to the Mets.  Just speculating, but Melky Cabrera and Reggie Willits also fit the Royals’ need.
  • Apparently the Mariners and Braves are "very interested’ in Dmitri Young.  That’s the first I’ve heard of a team besides Atlanta inquiring.
  • Oddly, the Devil Rays appear to have some interest in Kyle Farnsworth if the money can be worked out.  They like Scott Proctor as well, so keep an eye on that Ty Wigginton rumor.  Sherman mentions that the market is heavy with available role players, so look for a lot of boring deals with that type of player.  Just kidding, trade rumors are never boring.  Sherman tosses out Tadahito Iguchi to the Padres; that’s a fresh one.
  • Sherman runs down all of the available relievers we already know about.  Throw Kiko Calero in there as a new name. 

Bucs Still Looking For Hitter

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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates are mulling options other than Adam LaRoche, as talks have stalled somewhat. Trot Nixon appears to be off the radar as a free agent signing. No more Melky Cabrera talk either.

Existing possibilities include Chad Tracy for Mike Gonzalez and another player, or a deal for Ryan Church, Casey Kotchman, or Geoff Jenkins.

Meanwhile, Bucco Blog weighed in on the team’s need to keep Chris Duffy and also suggested Kotchman as a realistic possibility. Jake "heard through the grapevine" that Kotchman could one day entertain a long-term deal with the Bucs.  I haven’t spoken to Jake on this topic recently, but just connect the dots a bit here.

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