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White Sox Acquire Edwin Jackson

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Edwin Jackson has been traded for the fourth time in his young career, this time by the Diamondbacks to the White Sox for pitchers Dan Hudson and David Holmberg. 

The 26-year-old Jackson would be a project for Sox pitching coach Don Cooper, as he has a 5.55 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 4.3 BB/9 on the season despite throwing a no-hitter in late June.  Of course, we're not positive the hard-throwing righty won't be flipped, possibly for Adam Dunn, before Saturday's trade deadline.  At any rate, Arizona shed more payroll with the move since Jackson is owed $1.5MM more this year and $8.35MM in 2011 before he'll be eligible to become one of the youngest members of the 2012 free agent class.

Hudson, 23, rocketed up Chicago's farm system last year with "three solid pitches and natural deception," according to Baseball America.  He's spent most of this season in Triple A, posting a 3.47 ERA, 10.4 K/9, and 3.0 BB/9 with 13 home runs allowed in 93.3 innings.  The D'Backs might be concerned that their revamped rotation is built around flyball pitchers, with Ian Kennedy and Joe Saunders already in the fold, but interim GM Jerry Dipoto told MLBTR, "pitchers with good stuff work just about anywhere" while noting that Kennedy and Hudson miss bats.  The D'Backs will have Hudson under team control through 2016 even if they keep him in the Majors the rest of the season.

Holmberg, 19, was drafted in the second round, 71st overall out of high school by the White Sox last year.  The southpaw was ranked eighth among Sox prospects by BA heading into the season, with the projection of a "middle of the rotation workhorse at best."

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports were first to report the teams being on the verge of the deal, with Yahoo's Tim Brown breaking news of the agreement.  Jon Heyman, Joe Cowley, and Bob Nightengale also contributed to the story.

Adam Dunn Rumors: Thursday

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The latest on Adam Dunn, with more updates to come throughout the day…

  • The Nats are believed to have requested either Gordon Beckham or both Daniel Hudson and Dayan Viciedo in exchange for Dunn, tweets Heyman. That price was too high for the Sox, who told Beckham he wouldn't be on the move this week.
  • The price for Dunn is high, but not ridiculous, according to Heyman (via Twitter). The White Sox and Rays are still involved.
  • The Giants have minimal interest in Dunn at his current price, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Morosi notes that the Tigers are not pursuing Dunn.
  • The White Sox and Tigers have plenty of interest in Dunn, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
  • Three-way scenarios involving the Nationals, White Sox, Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson are in play, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). Rosenthal reported that such talks were underway earlier in the week.
  • The Rays are the favorites to acquire Dunn, according to one executive who spoke to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. The Giants are the only other team Sherman hears in connection to Dunn (Twitter links).
  • The Tigers are not pursuing Dunn, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
  • The White Sox are saying internally that they're out of the Dunn sweepstakes, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). 
  • Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the Yankees are now out on Dunn. Joel Sherman of the New York Post explains that the Yankees would give up top prospects for a piece they need, but not for a luxury like Dunn. The Yanks lead the majors in scoring, so Dunn's bat is not an absolute necessity for the Bronx Bombers.

White Sox Acquire Edwin Jackson

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12:01pm: The D'Backs announced they've traded Jackson to the White Sox for Hudson and pitching prospect David Holmberg.

11:54am: Jackson has been told he's been traded to the White Sox, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.

9:46am: Sox GM Kenny Williams has something big cooking, tweets Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, and if he gets it done the Jackson deal is off.  Meanwhile USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that the Sox would pay all of Jackson's salary if the deal gets done. 

AOL FanHouse's Steve Phillips says the White Sox would try to flip Jackson to the Nationals in a Dunn trade but would be happy to keep him.  MLB Network's Peter Gammons adds that the Nationals are "not that hot" for Jackson, though SI's Jon Heyman tweets that they love him.  Rosenthal tweets that the deal is in the Nationals' hands, but Hudson would end up with the D'Backs either way.  There's almost no chance Hudson makes his scheduled start tonight, tweets Cowley.

1:51am: If the two sides were to agree on a deal, the second prospect heading to the D'Backs would also be a pitcher, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter).

1:14am: The White Sox are on the verge of acquiring Jackson, report Rosenthal and Morosi.  Chicago would send Hudson and another prospect to the D'Backs in the proposed deal.

12:26am: The White Sox are looking into acquiring Edwin Jackson from the Diamondbacks, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Although the Sox have been linked peripherally to Jackson for much of the week, reports to date have indicated that Chicago's only interest in the right-hander would be as a chip to facilitate a three-way Adam Dunn trade. Rosenthal suggests, however, that the Sox may be interested in acquiring and keeping Jackson, rather than flipping him.

While Chicago covets Dunn, they are becoming less convinced they'll be able to work out a deal with the Nationals before Saturday's deadline. As such, they've been focusing more on bolstering their starting rotation. Rosenthal writes that the Sox are exploring other pitchers in addition to Jackson, as they look to replace the injured Jake Peavy.

Peavy's current replacement in the rotation, Daniel Hudson, could be a key piece in a potential trade for Jackson, according to Rosenthal.

Adam Dunn Rumors: Tuesday

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New teams inquired about Nationals slugger Adam Dunn within the past day, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse.  FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi tweets that the Nats are more likely to trade Dunn than Josh Willingham, while ESPN's Jayson Stark hears that Washington might trade one but not both. 

Check back throughout the day for updates, as the Nationals discuss possible deals with other teams and consider keeping their first baseman in Washington long-term:

  • Dunn wants a four-year deal, but would consider a three-year offer if the Nationals make him one, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Dunn explained to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that he does his best to ignore trade rumors and understands the business side of the game.
  • The Nationals want Daniel Hudson plus one of Jordan Danks, Tyler Flowers or Brent Morel for Dunn, a source told Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago. The Nationals offered Dunn for Gordon Beckham, but the White Sox turned the proposal down.
  • Another source told Levine that six teams are bidding for Dunn: The White Sox, Angels, Tigers, Rangers and two NL clubs. As you can see below, the Rockies and Giants have been linked to Dunn, but it’s not certain that those two teams are pursuing him now.
  • The Rays like Dunn, but don't want to push him into a DH role, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. As much as the Rays likes Dunn's bat, they don't want to risk conflict with the slugger. Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reports that the Nationals asked the Rays for Matt Garza last week. Despite those demands, the Rays will keep an eye on Dunn and Jayson Werth this week, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (Twitter link).
  • The Giants also expressed interest in Dunn, according to Knobler.
  • Sherman says the Rockies talked about Dunn, but don't like his poor defense.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Nationals have yet to offer Dunn an extension in any form, so the trade market is likely to heat up.  Rosenthal and colleague Jon Paul Morosi name the White Sox as the most serious suitor, and add that the Tigers, Rangers, and Yankees maintain interest. 

White Sox “Trying To Accelerate” Talks For Fielder

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The White Sox are "trying to accelerate" talks with the Brewers for Prince Fielder, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Unsurprisingly, Rosenthal says the problem is that the Brewers view Daniel Hudson as only a No. 3 or 4 type.  Yesterday ESPN's Buster Olney wrote that the Brewers' "clear preference will be for young power pitching."  Olney tweets today that the Sox "probably can't make a deal unless they offer Gordon Beckham in the package."

Just yesterday, Rosenthal tweeted that the Sox were not on Fielder due to financial concerns and the difficulty matching up.  The market for Fielder appears to be picking up, as evidenced by Rosenthal's tweet today that the first baseman is generating more calls than Corey Hart.  MLBTR provided a full profile of the Fielder market yesterday.

White Sox Focused On Dunn, Not Fielder

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TUESDAY, 12:07pm: The Sox are focused on Dunn, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, and they're not in on Prince Fielder or Lance Berkman.

MONDAY, 11:15pm: White Sox GM Kenny Williams has been trying “desperately” to acquire Adam Dunn from the Nationals, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Cowley’s source says the White Sox don’t want to move Carlos Quentin or Gordon Beckham to acquire Dunn, but would move any minor leaguer, and would trade Dayan Viciedo or Daniel Hudson. But Williams still finds that Nats GM Mike Rizzo is asking a lot, according to Cowley’s source.



"The problem Kenny is finding out is that Rizzo is acting like Dunn is Ryan Howard,'' the source said.


Though the White Sox appear to have interest in Dunn, Williams said that he isn’t optimistic about completing deals this summer.


"If I'm being honest and completely transparent right now of the price that is being asked for some of the players that we've inquired about, for us, it's more detrimental to our present and our future than we'd like,” Williams said.

The White Sox could definitely use an upgrade at DH, but as Williams pointed out, the team could still add a player in August. The White Sox acquired Alex Rios from the Blue Jays in an August 2009 waiver claim.

The Prince Fielder Market

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Earlier this month we learned that the Brewers are listening to offers for first baseman Prince Fielder.  One school of thought is that Fielder's value is at its highest since, as one GM told ESPN's Buster Olney, "he can impact two pennant races."  Another is that Brewers GM Doug Melvin can get more teams involved in the offseason and drive up the price.  At any rate, let's summarize the current Fielder situation.

Contract

Fielder, a Scott Boras client, signed a two-year, $18MM extension in January of 2009.  $4.34MM remains on that contract through the end of the season, and then Fielder will be arbitration-eligible for 2011.  One exec I spoke to feels the slugger could earn around $15-16MM in '11 before reaching free agency and seeking $100MM+ on a multiyear deal.

Performance

Fielder's power is down overall this year, as he's hitting .265/.396/.509 and striking out more than ever.  However, he's slugging .618 since June 1st – more in line with his '09 performance.  And even though doubles and triples are down, Fielder leads the NL with 23 home runs.

Asking Price

In today's blog Olney writes that "the Brewers' clear preference will be for young power pitching."  The deal would have to be built around a household name – a hurler found on Baseball America's midseason top 50 prospects list or a flamethrower who was recently promoted.  I'm guessing the Brewers would want a top 100 prospect as well, and those two players would form the foundation of the deal.

Interested Teams

  • White Sox: GM Kenny Williams says "only a small group of players" can help him, and many baseball writers feel that Fielder is probably on Williams' list.  Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes that the Brewers scouted Daniel Hudson last night.  Is Hudson the type of player you can build a Fielder deal around?  It may be a moot point, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Sox are "not on Fielder." 
  • Rays: They certainly have the goods, with pitchers such as Jeremy Hellickson and Wade Davis.  However, a source of Yahoo's Jeff Passan says the Rays "won't go near" Fielder, perhaps because of his likely 2011 salary.
  • Giants: With Madison Bumgarner or Jonathan Sanchez, Passan feels the Giants could swing a Fielder deal.  They've also got Zach Wheeler, who is further away but rates very highly.  On the other hand, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted on July 3rd that there had been no recent trade talks between the teams.  That same day Olney opined that he didn't think the Giants could acquire Fielder without Matt Cain.
  • Angels: It's believed they prefer a rental at first base, since Kendry Morales will be ready for the '11 season.  For what it's worth, Torii Hunter would like to see the Angels acquire Fielder or Adam Dunn.
  • You could dream up various other scenarios, though we haven't seen anything about the Mets, Dodgers, or Rangers being interested in Fielder.  Things could open up in the winter, as a surprise team could splurge for a year of Fielder in the way that the Athletics acquired Matt Holliday.

Top Trade Chips: AL Central

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Let's continue our look at each club's top trade chips today with the AL Central…

  • Indians: The Tribe have dealt their Opening Day starter in each of the last two seasons, and there's a good chance they'll do it again with Jake Westbrook in 2010. The 32-year-old righty will earn $11MM this season, the last one on his contract. After dumping Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez in cost-cutting moves last year, expect them to shop Westbrook around for prospects this summer.
  • Royals: All four of Kansas City's outfielders come off the books after this season (assuming some options are bought out for six figures), so Rick Ankiel, David DeJesus, Scott Podsednik, and even Jose Guillen could be moved in a deal for a young player. The team would obviously have to eat a lot of money to move Guillen. The contracts of relievers Juan Cruz and Kyle Farnsworth also expire after the season, so there might be some interest in them.
  • Tigers: Detroit isn't going to move any of their young power arms, but if they eat a large chunk of salary like they did with Nate Robertson, there might be interest in Jeremy Bonderman and/or Dontrelle Willis. Young backstop Alex Avila could make Gerald Laird expendable as well. The Tigers have four lefty relievers on their 40-man roster (Phil Coke, Fu-Te Ni, Daniel Schlereth, and Brad Thomas), and that demographic is always in demand.
  • Twins: Minnesota has one of the best trade chips in the league, blocked catching prospect Wilson Ramos. Lefty Glen Perkins is pitching in Triple-A and seems to have fallen out of favor with the club after filing a grievance, so he could be made available as well. He has four years of team control left.
  • White Sox: GM Kenny Williams isn't shy about emptying out the farm system in a trade for an established big leaguer, which has left him with little minor league ammo. Their best young prospects are catcher Tyler Flowers and starter Daniel Hudson, who would seem to have a future with the club, but I'm not going to put anything past Williams. Flowers could make A.J. Pierzynski or Ramon Castro expendable, ditto Hudson and Freddy Garcia. Gordon Beckham should be untouchable, obviously.

Odds & Ends: Felix, Marte, Closers

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Another handful of links before the night is out….

  • Keith Law of ESPN.com is skeptical about Boston's chances of acquiring Felix Hernandez from the Mariners. Law concedes that the Red Sox could offer Clay Buchholz as the centerpiece, but doesn't think they have the necessary major-league ready hitting prospects to complete a deal.
  • Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Andy Marte will meet with Indians GM Mark Shapiro to figure out if Marte has a future in Cleveland. Long considered a top prospect, Marte has yet to enjoy much success at the major league level, and is starting to run out of options.
  • Erik Manning at FanGraphs takes a look at the major bullpen signings of last offseason and how they've played out. Underwhelming performances from Kerry Wood and Brian Fuentes, along with the emergence of low-priced or homegrown arms like David Aardsma and Andrew Bailey may make some teams think twice before investing heavily in a free agent closer this year.
  • Daniel Hudson made the first start of his career tonight for the White Sox, allowing just one earned run in five innings against the Twins. Nonetheless, Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald expects that given Chicago's rotation depth and the 22-year-old's power arm, Hudson will assume a bullpen role for the Sox in 2010.

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