By Tim Dierkes | at
According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Rays reclaimed pitcher Eduardo Morlan today. Morlan had been a Rule 5 pick by the Brewers. To keep a Rule 5 pick you have to keep him on the Major League roster all year, so it can be tough for a contender to pull off. The Rays paid $25K to take Morlan back; a deal could not be reached to keep him with Milwaukee.
Morlan, 23 in March, posted solid numbers in Double A last year for the Rays.
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Brewers claimed reliever Wes Littleton off waivers from the Red Sox. Rule 5 pick Eduardo Morlan was designated for assignment to make room. Morlan could end up back with the Rays if they’ll have him. The Sox had acquired Littleton from Texas for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
By Tim Dierkes | at
UPDATE, 11-28-07 at 9pm: It’s now a done deal. The Twins substituted 21 year-old reliever Eduardo Morlan instead of Rincon.
UPDATE, 11-28-07 at 7:30pm: This thing hasn’t gone through yet because of concerns over Rincon’s elbow. The deal will either be finalized or killed by Thursday, according to Scott Miller. The trade has been in the works for a few days.
UPDATE, 11-28-07 at 4pm: Neal reports that the Twins have interest in Aaron Rowand, which is really surprising given his reported demands. I don’t see it. Neal adds that Craig Monroe may now be non-tendered and the Garza trade will not stop Bill Smith from shopping Johan Santana. By the way, talks for Coco Crisp persist.
FROM 11-28-07 at 2pm:
Wow! That rumor really didn’t die! La Velle E. Neal III says the Twins are close to a multiplayer deal. They’ll send Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Juan Rincon to the Rays for Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie. I can’t remember any kind of young player blockbuster like this recently.
It’s exciting to see Bill Smith pull the trigger on a deal to get that possible elite slugger. Will he be more hesitant to trade Johan Santana now? Or maybe it doesn’t matter since he’d require an elite young hurler like Phil Hughes in return. Beyond Young, you also have to applaud Smith for getting Pridie, who immediately becomes the Twins’ center fielder of the future. The 24 year-old came back from injuries this year to rake in Triple A. Just like that, the Twins have an outfield.
Meanwhile the Rays suddenly have an awesome young trio fronting their rotation in Scott Kazmir, Jamie Shields, and Garza. Rincon’s ability is questionable at this point but he could be the setup man the Rays are craving.
I’ll give the advantage to the Twins but I like this deal for both teams.
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