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Clay Buchholz

Cafardo’s Latest: Manny, Dunn, Fielder

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has lots of rumors in his latest article:

  • Apparently the Giants were willing to offer Manny Ramirez a four year deal in the form of a one year deal with three option years. No more details are known, except that the Giants remain interested in Manny.
  • Brad Ausmus has had ongoing talks with the Padres and Dodgers, according to Cafardo’s sources. The Red Sox aren’t interested.
  • The Angels, Giants and Mets are possible suitors for Xavier Nady.
  • Cafardo’s heard other clubs talking about the Red Sox and Rockies restarting the Todd Helton for Mike Lowell trade talk, but hasn’t heard anything similar from the Red Sox.
  • At least one of Cafardo’s sources thinks Prince Fielder would make a lot of sense in Boston. Clay Buchholz could be a starting point if these talks were to start.
  • Ben Sheets is becoming a bargain, so the Braves or Rangers could jump in and sign him affordably.
  • Cafardo calls Atlanta an "emerging" destination for Adam Dunn.

Rosenthal On Fielder, Buchholz, Edmonds

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal…

  • Rosenthal suggests the Brewers trade Prince Fielder for "premium pitching" and then sign Adam Dunn to replace him.  Which begs the question, why wouldn’t the team giving up this premium pitching just sign Dunn instead?
  • Despite signing John Smoltz, the Red Sox still are not willing to trade Clay Buchholz for Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  The Sox may be willing to move Michael Bowden or especially Daniel Bard for Salty.
  • The Yankees’ interest in Mike Cameron "seems to be waning."
  • Despite Jon Heyman’s report, the Phillies, Angels, and Brewers deny interest in Derek Lowe.  Rosenthal says the market for Oliver Perez is even worse.
  • Rosenthal suggests veterans such as Nomar Garciaparra, Frank Thomas, and Jim Edmonds could go the Kenny Lofton route.  Lofton, a capable player, sat out the 2008 season when his salary demands weren’t met.  As I mentioned yesterday, we’ll soon see which former stars are willing to play for a pittance (if you consider more than $500K a pittance).
  • The Orioles have Edmonds on the radar as a first base candidate.
  • Suitors for lefty reliever Dennys Reyes: the A’s, Mets, and Dodgers.  The Tigers and Rangers are also known to be on the lookout for a southpaw in the pen.

Red Sox Attempted To Acquire Hanley Ramirez

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According to Jon Heyman and Tom Verducci of SI.com, "the Red Sox made a play to re-acquire Marlins superstar Hanley Ramirez after losing out to the rival Yankees for star free agent Mark Teixeira."  The Marlins listened, but no agreement was reached and talks have ended.  The Marlins coveted players such as Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz, but they’d need to be bowled over to trade their young shortstop. 

Ramirez, 25, is signed at a discount through the 2014 season.  Juan C. Rodriguez says trading him would make no sense for the Marlins.

Varitek, Red Sox Talking

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According to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox and Scott Boras "continue to exchange ideas on Jason Varitek’s potential return."

If the sides don’t reach an agreement, Benjamin writes that the Red Sox would still like to trade for a catcher, but a team source said no trades are imminent. The price remains high for teams in need of catching help and the Red Sox are reluctant to deal Clay Buchholz.

Rangers Like Clay Buchholz

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11:29pm: Ryan was apparently just joking with the Buchholz lines.

3:01pm: Some chatter today about Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz today.  Rangers president Nolan Ryan admitted to interest, but Theo Epstein values him tremendously.  Ryan’s quote was a tad presumptuous:

I think he’s a real talent. Obviously being a Texas kid we think will look really good in a Texas uniform.

Laird May Be Moving

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The Texas Rangers have excess catching, and the Tigers, Reds, and Red Sox are all looking to benefit from that surplus.

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com has the Tigers and Reds at the top of the list of teams interested in the oldest of Texas’ catchers, Gerald Laird. Laird is arbitration eligible, and therefore the most attractive option for a trade from the Rangers’ perspective. Joshua Roenicke of the Reds and Zach Miner from the Tigers are mentioned as potential trade bait in exchange for Laird.

Sullivan says the Red Sox are more interested in one of Texas’ younger catchers: either Jarrod Saltalamacchia, or Taylor Teagarden. Clay Buchholz would not be included in any deal, but Michael Bowden and Justin Masterson may be available.

In a separate article that followed from a conference call with Texas GM Jon Daniels, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News points out that the Rangers are not in cost cutting mode.  A Laird trade might give that appearance.  Another note from Grant’s article – the Rangers aren’t in on Koji Uehara or Kenshin Kawakami.

Rangers Rumors: Byrd, Valverde, Littleton

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We haven’t discussed the Rangers much lately.  Let’s take a look at the latest from MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan (here and here).  Hat tip: The Newberg Report.

  • The interest shown in Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla has been "tentative at best."
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels wants Clay Buchholz from the Red Sox for one of his catchers, but Sullivan says the Sox made it clear Buchholz is not available under any circumstances.  Sullivan suggests the Sox might be more inclined to trade Justin Masterson or Michael Bowden if they bolster their minor league pitching depth by signing Junichi Tazawa.
  • Sullivan wonders if swapping John Mayberry Jr. for Greg Golson gives the Rangers the outfield depth to trade Marlon Byrd (perhaps because Golson is capable of playing center field).
  • A club official told Sullivan it’s "doubtful" that the Rangers would be interested in Jose Valverde.
  • Wes Littleton has drawn trade interest; he was designated for assignment last week.

Looking Beyond Varitek

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According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, a slew of catchers are being shopped to the Red Sox.  Among them: Jeff Mathis, Mike Napoli, Brian Schneider, Miguel Montero, John Buck, Ramon Hernandez, Bengie Molina, Carlos Santana, Kelly Shoppach, Victor Martinez, Jesus Flores, Kenji Johjima, Jeff Clement, Yorvit Torrealba, and the Rangers’ guys.  Silverman says the Braves, Cardinals, and Rays also have catchers available.  It seems that teams are asking for players like Justin Masterson, Clay Buchholz, or Lars Anderson in some cases.

On the Jason Varitek front, Scott Boras told the AP yesterday that he’s had no financial discussions with the Red Sox.  He expects the matter to be discussed after Thanksgiving.  Curt Schilling commented last week about Varitek possibly playing fewer games in 2009, but Boras shot down the idea of a reduced role.

Gammons’ Latest: Penny, Jenks, Salty

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Let’s take a look at Peter Gammons’ Saturday blog post.

  • Gammons indicates that Brad Penny is working hard this offseason, and teams such as the Cardinals, Red Sox, Rangers, and Blue Jays "appreciate" his past success.
  • The Mets are apparently worried about Bobby Jenks’ declining strikeout rate, a sentiment echoed by Joel Sherman.  Sherman talked to a Mets official who said the chances of acquiring Jenks are "close to zero."
  • The Rangers apparently wanted Clay Buchholz or two of Justin Masterson/Nick Hagadone/Michael Bowden for Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  The Red Sox aren’t biting.
  • The Rangers would probably have to trade Hank Blalock ($6.2MM) to make room for Kerry Wood.

Rangers Rumors: Blalock, Blake, Catchers

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Next up we’ll dig into the latest Rangers rumors, courtesy of Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.

  • The Rangers are expected to pick up their $6.2MM option on Hank Blalock today.  It doesn’t seem that Blalock will spend much time at third base if he’s with the Rangers in 2009.  Instead, he’d play first and DH.  Of course, a trade is possible.
  • The Rangers may look at outside options for third base, and they’ve been in touch with Casey Blake’s agent.  The Rangers have an eye on defense, which might rule out Garrett Atkins.  Grant finds Joe Crede questionable, though he might be a decent fit given his glovework.
  • The focus of the GM meetings for Texas has been shopping catching for pitching.  The main suitors are the Red Sox and Marlins, with the Tigers a fallback.  Names in the mix could include Scott Olsen, Clay Buchholz, Michael Bowden, and Justin Masterson.  Over at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Jeff Wilson profiles the Rangers’ four catchers.
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