Cliff Lee

Stark: Cliff Lee Is “Quasi-Available”

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 23, 2009 at 11:26am CDT

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Indians could deal Cliff Lee, but don't particularly want to. In other words, he's "quasi-available." We heard that the Rays and Indians discussed Lee and Stark says it's "not impossible" that the Rangers could pursue the Indians ace. Both teams would be able to trade the Indians the young, high-upside talent they seek.

Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Indians are more willing to part with Victor Martinez than Lee.

Rosenthal Roundup: Rays Could Make Big Move, Red Sox Out On V-Mart

By Howard Megdal | July 22, 2009 at 9:03pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal's latest is seemingly at odds with the report we noted earlier from Bill Chastain that the Rays will not be major players at the deadline.

"The Rays are engaged in a whirlwind of activity, investigating [Cliff] Lee, [Roy] Halladay and numerous other options — 'major, major stuff,' according to one source," Rosenthal writes.

Other notes from Rosenthal:

The Red Sox deals "should eliminate any chance of them trading for Victor Martinez."
"The Phillies, Rays, Brewers and Dodgers are on Lee, and the Rangers have expressed continued interest" as well.
The Angels are targeting Baltimore's George Sherrill and Cleveland's Rafael Betancourt.
The Rockies are after Baltimore's Danys Baez.
The Giants want to hold onto Jonathan Sanchez, given Randy Johnson's fragility.

Rays, Rangers May Be Left Out

By Howard Megdal | July 22, 2009 at 5:51pm CDT

While many of baseball's contenders are set to stock up on talent, the Rays and Rangers may not be among them. Oh, they're contenders, all right. They just may not add to what they have.

In Tampa Bay's case, MLB.com's Bill Chastain points out that the Rays have already dealt Jason Hammel and Edwin Jackson within the past year, making any further pitching depletion a risky move. He adds:

"Ben Zobrist's improvement has made the right field and second base situations look better, while the double-dose of Gabes in right field — Gross and Kapler — has begun to look like what the Rays hoped it would prior to the season. Both are producing when facing either a right-hander in Gross' case or a left-hander in Kapler's. Finally, a proven closer would be nice, but, again, look at what the bullpen is doing without one and you wonder how much better could the bullpen be with such an addition. Meanwhile, J.P. Howell appears to be taking charge of the closing role."

As for the Rangers, it simply comes down to money, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, though Texas would like to add starting pitching.

"The Rangers are also limited in their ability to take on significant payroll with a possible sale of the club by owner Tom Hicks still pending," Sullivan writes.

Of course, it also hurts Texas that Roy Halladay won't approve a trade to Texas, and Cleveland won't trade Cliff Lee, according to Sullivan.

Odds And Ends: Timlin, Rays, Reds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 1:21pm CDT

Some more links as the trading heats up…

Buster Posey and Clay Buchholz are two of the better-known players on the list of untouchable players compiled by John Manuel of Baseball America.
Mike Timlin worked out at Coors Field and the relief-starved Rockies may offer him a minor league contract, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs implores Andrew Friedman and the Rays to go all out and trade for Cliff Lee.
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer adds Jerry Hairston Jr. to the list of Reds trade candidates and says he'd be "stunned" if they deal Brandon Phillips.
Check out this NBC Sports clip for my take on Roy Halladay, Matt Holliday and others.
I'll be talking trades on The Big 1070 at 4:15 CST and here's a clip from an appearance earlier in the week on the Sports Show Live.

Odds And Ends: Gonzalez, Giambi, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 11:14am CDT

Some links for the morning…

MLB.com's Corey Brock reassures Padres fans, telling them that Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell are staying put for now.
But Gonzalez told Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he understands his team's predicament: "To a certain extent, I don't disagree with the people who say the best thing for the Padres is to go out and get a bunch of people for me."
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report saying the Seibu Lions are trying to acquire Triple A pitcher Jonah Bayliss from the Blue Jays.
Rich Hoffman of the Philadelphia Daily News says the Phillies depend on their scouts and believe only what they see for themselves.
MLB.com's Mychael Urban wonders if Jason Giambi might shut it down for the season.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if Nick Evans and Daniel Murphy are even major league bench players.
The Brewers were among the teams scouting Cliff Lee last night, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Rosenthal On Penny, Yankees, Dodgers, Rays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 9:50am CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Red Sox are open to dealing Brad Penny, even with Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka on the DL. They could add a bat or a prospect for Penny, but it's unlikely they'll actually move him. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

The Yankees could use some rotation depth, as it makes sense to keep Phil Hughes and Alfredo Aceves in the 'pen, but you can rule out a Carl Pavano acquisition. As one Yankee official says, the players would "go crazy" if the Yanks added Pavano.
Rosenthal says Russell Martin wouldn't qualify as the centerpiece of a Roy Halladay trade because he's faltered offensively and the Jays have J.P. Arencibia in the minors.
The Phillies could trade Rodrigo Lopez if Pedro Martinez takes over in the rotation.
The Rays are interested in Halladay and Cliff Lee, even if they don't have financial flexibility. However, a trade seems highly unlikely.

Edes On Lee, Feliciano, Pirates

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 22, 2009 at 8:56am CDT

Yahoo's Gordon Edes says the Phillies and Dodgers are interested in Cliff Lee, but the Indians aren't anxious to move him. Not only would it mean trading Cy Young Award winners in back-to-back years, it would diminish the team's chances at contending next season. Here are the rest of Edes' rumors:

The Dodgers would have interest in Pedro Feliciano if the Mets become sellers.
The Brewers scouted Brad Penny over the weekend, but a trade seems unlikely now that Tim Wakefield's on the DL.
At least one NL executive believes the Pirates are ready to move almost anyone. Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps, John Grabow, Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche and Jack Wilson could all be targets.
It looks like the Reds would listen to offers for Francisco Cordero. However, he has no-trade protection and an big contract.
The Red Sox had a scout watch Nick Johnson this weekend.

Jays-Indians Series Attracts Red Sox Scouts

By Brian Shephard | July 21, 2009 at 9:00pm CDT

Earlier tonight, we heard from Bob Elliott that a number of teams have scouts on hand to watch the Indians play the Blue Jays in Toronto. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe elaborates on this from the Red Sox's perspective, reporting that they "have one of their top pro scouts on hand."

We learned today that Sox All-Star Tim Wakefield was moved to the DL with a back strain. Cafardo mentions this and adds that "John Smoltz and Brad Penny haven't pitched at a high level." The implication seems to be that the Sox are kicking the tires on Toronto's Roy Halladay and Cleveland's Cliff Lee.

Cafardo lists a number of hitters that the Jays and Indians might make available as well, noting the the Red Sox "certainly have an interest in [Cleveland's Victor] Martinez."

Heyman On Halladay, Lee, Rockies

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 21, 2009 at 12:01pm CDT

Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Phillies have decided not to include prospect Kyle Drabek in a package for Roy Halladay. If they haven't informed the Blue Jays of their decision, they're about to. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:

Heyman's sources say the Mets rejected a four-player package centered around Fernando Martinez for Halladay. Others have since disputed this.
The Angels and Red Sox appear unlikely to part with their young prospects for Halladay.
One Jays person believes it's unlikely they deal their ace at all.
The Indians are becoming more open to dealing Cliff Lee, who doesn't have a no-trade clause and would have little say in the matter.
However, they need pitching, so some Indians people believe the team is more likely to move Victor Martinez.
The Rockies have considered pursuing Chad Qualls, George Sherrill, Danys Baez and Takashi Saito.

Indians Seek Pitching; Are “Extremely Busy”

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 20, 2009 at 1:55pm CDT

Indians GM Mark Shapiro has no idea if he'll make any trades this July, but he's "extremely busy and active," according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. Though he's not sure he'll make a deal, Shapiro knows he would want to acquire pitching in return for any of his players.

The Indians are expected to be open-minded about Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez in case a team wows them with an offer. Because fewer teams can spend money, more players are expected to clear waivers, which will likely lead to more trades than usual in August. Players like Kerry Wood and Jamey Carroll could clear waivers, which would allow the Indians to consider trades until the end of next month.

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