Cardinals Rumors: Rolen, Feliz, Capuano
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 9:01pm: About four teams have talked to the Cards about Rolen, perhaps including the Brewers, Giants, and Rangers.
UPDATE, 12-3-07 at 6:38pm: Tom Haudricourt breaks down the Rolen to Milwaukee situation in detail. Talks are ongoing but Doug Melvin doesn’t think there’s anything serious yet.
FROM 12-3-07 at 5:42pm:
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss has an update from the Winter Meetings.
- Strauss notes, as Ken Rosenthal did, that Scott Rolen and Pedro Feliz have the same agents. This somehow makes Feliz a candidate to replace Rolen at third base.
- The Brewers are in the lead for Rolen, with Chris Capuano still being mentioned as the likely return. The Cards will cover Rolen’s salary to a certain extent depending on who they get back.
Rockies Eyeing Burke, Ohman, Capuano
Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News has a list of available players the Rockies like. He names Chris Burke, Mark Redman, Steve Trachsel, Will Ohman, and Chris Capuano as the targets.
Trachsel and Redman we know about; they are two among a slew of starters the Rockies are considering. Capuano is new to the list, however. They’ll have some competition from the Cardinals on him.
Burke is an option for second base and a player the Rox liked a year ago for the Jason Jennings deal. Now he’ll come ultra-cheap. Mark Loretta is considered a long shot.
The Rockies like Ohman, who the Cubs consider expendable. It’s strange, though, because the Rockies are currently shopping a better southpaw reliever in Brian Fuentes. Fuentes wants to close, so Dan O’Down will listen to offers. But it doesn’t make sense that a team would surrender a young, eighth-inning ready reliever for Fuentes.
Scott Rolen To Milwaukee Rumors
Apparently intra-division trading is no problem for John Mozeliak and Doug Melvin. Here are two takes on the rumored Scott Rolen to Milwaukee deal.
- Tom Haudricourt talked to Doug Melvin and learned that nothing is imminent with the Cards. What’s more, Melvin hasn’t talked to the Cards for weeks. Hmmm. This trade would require the Cards eating some salary. Theoretically Ryan Braun would move to left field to accomodate Rolen. The Brewers could send over Chris Capuano and might try to act like Kevin Mench would sweeten the deal.
- Buster Olney said this morning that the Cards "have had their most extensive talks with the Brewers" regarding Rolen. He also names Capuano as the likely target. Olney ponders whether the Cards would be compelled to pursue Miguel Tejada to replace Rolen at third base.
Brewers Rumors: Rolen, Andruw, Mench
MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy posted a Brewers article yesterday that’s worthy of discussion.
- One reliever Doug Melvin has considered that I hadn’t heard before: Eddie Guardado. Hey, at least he’d come cheap.
- Players like Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy, and Corey Hart won’t be moved. No surprise there.
- McCalvy says Melvin confirmed having internal discussions about Scott Rolen. Would John Mozeliak trade him within the division? More importantly, would the Brewers take on the money and injury risk? The obvious match would be to send a starter over to St. Louis for Rolen.
- Which starters are available? Though you can never have too much pitching, Dave Bush, Chris Capuano, or Claudio Vargas might be considered expendable. Their salaries will all be rising as they are arbitration-eligible. None will be non-tendered.
- Aside from Rolen, another unlikely possibility is Andruw Jones. Melvin did at least speak to Scott Boras about him. Moves for Rolen or Jones would of course involve moving Ryan Braun and/or Bill Hall to other positions, something Melvin prefers not to do.
- If Melvin can’t trade Kevin Mench at the Winter Meetings, he’ll probably be non-tendered.
- By the way, Tom Haudricourt echoes the Rolen and Jones rumors in his blog this afternoon.
Mets Targeting Livan Hernandez?
Ben Shpigel of the New York Times has some new Mets info for us today.
- Surprisingly, Shpigel believes the one free agent starter the Mets will seriously consider is Livan Hernandez. That is odd because I had read Livan wasn’t high on Omar Minaya’s list. We’ve seen the Mets connected to free agents Byung-Hyun Kim, Carlos Silva, Hiroki Kuroda, Kyle Lohse, and Jason Jennings so far this offseason.
- As far as some unsung trade opportunities, my Mets guy says Ervin Santana, Chris Capuano, Claudio Vargas, and Noah Lowry are being considered.
- According to Shpigel, the Mets hope to re-sign Ramon Castro as their backup catcher. I don’t see that happening, as he’ll probably be able to snag a starting job elsewhere. Options the Mets are considering to start at catcher include Yorvit Torrealba, Ramon Hernandez, Ronny Paulino, Gerald Laird, and Paul Lo Duca. A source tells me the D’Backs’ Miguel Montero may also be on the radar.
- Shpigel says Luis Castillo might command a four-year deal. Say what? The Mets may yet re-sign Castillo but want to see what the trade market offers first. Shpigel names Orlando Hudson, while I’ve also heard Alberto Callaspo.
Healey’s Latest: Shoppach, Lee, Crawford
Some more submissions from Mark Healey at Gotham Baseball Magazine that I’d like to sift through:
- The first is the Yanks and Mets mutual interest in Indians catching prospect Kelly Shoppach. According to Mark, scouts around the league view Shoppach as "one of the best up-and-coming prospects" in baseball. Says Mark, "The Mets’ needs are more immediate, as their interest in Yankees’ backstop Jorge Posada are a bit ‘overblown’ said one agent." The report goes on to note that GM Mark Shapiro is not looking to deal Shoppach but would listen if Aaron Heilman or Mike Pelfrey. I simply don’t see Shoppach, an already 27-year-old, as having displayed enough to merit a deal for either of them. Dealing a to-date backup catcher for pitching with upside is not common practice…
- In the same report, Mark Healey mentions Omar Minaya’s interest is primarily for starter Cliff Lee, an intriguing starter to imagine in the NL.
- Finally, Gotham Baseball reports on the Brewers’ serious interest in Carl Crawford. The Dev… sorry, The Rays obviously have no interest in trade pieces Ben Sheets or Chris Capuano, both too "pricey", says Healey. Meanwhile, the Yanks have reportedly expressed interest in both, so the Brewers and Rays will be trying to get the Yankees involved. If nothing else, this is a fun one to imagine.
Makes for great speculation.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Andruw, Rowand, Castillo
Ken Rosenthal has cranked out another rumor-filled column. A summary is below.
- The Marlins are insisting on Howie Kendrick in a Miguel Cabrera deal. The Angels are understandably reluctant.
- The Nationals could sign Andruw Jones long-term if they felt it was a bargain – say, $13MM a year. The Giants, White Sox, and Padres may be in the mix as well. Hmmm, White Sox and Boras? And if Scott Boras changes his tune and hunts for a one-year "rebuild value" contract for Jones, the Red Sox could get involved.
- The Phillies think Aaron Rowand will end up getting a 4/52 contract, though Rosenthal expects him to get the fifth guaranteed year. It’s previously been reported that Rowand is looking for a six-year, $84MM deal. Yikes.
- Aside from the Astros and Mets, the Indians, Padres, and Dodgers could get in on Luis Castillo. In the Tribe’s case, it would involve a scenario where Jhonny Peralta was dealt.
- Interesting note on Curt Schilling‘s $2MM in weight incentives – the target weights are aggressively low, and the weigh-ins will be done randomly. So, no cheating the system. By the way, isn’t it ridiculous that one Cy vote gets him $1MM? Sportswriters have given out single votes on a whim for much dumber reasons.
- The Red Sox are apparently asking a lot for Coco Crisp, more than the Twins are ready to give up.
- The Indians and Brewers have an excess of starters. Names that could hit the market include Cliff Lee, Dave Bush, and Chris Capuano. The Nationals have their eye on Lee. He came up as an Expo through Double A.
- The Nationals might be able to get something good for outfielder Ryan Church. In general, Jim Bowden desires a young MLB-ready starter like Kevin Mulvey or Kevin Slowey.