Cubs, Indians Interested In Roberts
Ken Rosenthal is back with a bang, penning a new article about Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts trade possibilities. We already updated you on the Bedard situation over yonder.
Rosenthal says the Cubs are still the best fit for Roberts, also noting interest from the Mets and Indians. Last we heard, the Cubs’ offer included Sean Gallagher and Matt Murton but not Rich Hill or Felix Pie. Ronny Cedeno, Sean Marshall, and Donnie Veal could also be in the mix.
Interesting to hear that the Tribe is quietly taking a look at both Roberts and Bedard, just as they were quietly players for Dan Haren. Bedard could fill the void if C.C. Sabathia were to leave via free agency. What would a Roberts acquisition mean? Asdrubal Cabrera to short, Jhonny Peralta to third or traded?
Orioles Could Re-Sign Corey Patterson
It seemed the Orioles had no interest in retaining Scott Boras client Corey Patterson. However, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have renewed their interest in the 28 year-old center fielder.
My guess is that the Orioles backed off when Boras told them his initial demands for Patterson (three years, $24MM maybe?) But now Patterson is still hanging around and no teams seem to be actively pursuing him. Connolly mentions the Cardinals, Braves, Twins, and Pirates as possible fits, but admits they’re long shots. Patterson was born in Atlanta.
Patterson has a chance to be a mild bargain if he rediscovers his power stroke. He’s striking out less and less, which could mean an improvement in batting average. The offensive bar is pretty low for center field if you play good defense.
The Orioles are still entertaining possible trades that could bring them a center fielder and take them out of the mix for Patterson. They could get Adam Jones in an Erik Bedard trade, or a "Chicago Cubs outfield prospect" in a Brian Roberts deal. I doubt this would be Felix Pie.
Mariners Offering Three Players For Bedard?
On Monday, Phil Rogers wrote of the Mariners’ continuing pursuit of Baltimore’s Erik Bedard. He says the Ms are shopping a package including Adam Jones, Jeff Clement, and Yung Chi Chen. Rogers notes that the O’s would probably require Brandon Morrow. This is the first time we’ve seen Chen’s name as part of a Bedard deal. He doesn’t fall within Seattle’s top 14 prospects, according to Kevin Goldstein.
Our previous Bedard update came four days ago, with info supplied by Jeff Zrebiec and John Fay. At that time Andy MacPhail said there was a "strong likelihood" that Bedard is the Orioles’ Opening Day starter in 2008.
Orioles To Hold On To Bedard?
UPDATE, 12-22-07 at 4:52pm: John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer says the Orioles have backed off on their demand for Jay Bruce from the Reds in a Bedard deal. He says they still require three top prospects, who would probably be Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto, and Joey Votto. That would wipe out the farm system, as that trio ranks #2-4 in the organization according to Baseball America. Would it be better to substitute Edwin Encarnacion for Cueto?
FROM 12-22-07 at 12:35pm:
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun recently snagged some quotes from Andy MacPhail, the Orioles’ president of baseball operations. MacPhail said there’s a "strong likelihood" that Erik Bedard is the Orioles’ Opening Day starter in 2008. He also said not to expect any Orioles deals before the new year.
MacPhail made the assertion because he hasn’t been impressed with any of the offers for Bedard. The Reds would have to crack and give up Jay Bruce. The Mariners would probably have to give up both Adam Jones and Brandon Morrow, and they seem unwilling to trade Morrow. The Dodgers seem out of the mix given the Hiroki Kuroda signing. It sounds like it would take a dark horse to sweep in and make a monstrous offer. The Indians could fit the bill, in my estimation.
Carlos Silva Signs With Mariners
UPDATE, 12-20-07 at 3:18pm: The bar is raised higher than we thought – four years, $48MM according to Rosenthal. This is the new price of a big league innings eater. The Mariners remain interested in Erik Bedard and Johan Santana.
UPDATE, 12-19-07 at 7:03pm: MLB.com’s Jim Street is reporting via a source that the Silva deal is done. He agrees with Rosenthal’s original figure of four years, $44MM. Remember a year ago, when the Twins weren’t sure whether to exercise his $4MM option?
UPDATE, 12-19-07 at 3:08pm: John Hickey of the Seattle PI expects Silva to be introduced to Seattle on Thursday.
UPDATE, 12-19-07 at 11:11am: The AP is reporting that the Ms are "closing in on a deal" with Silva.
FROM 12-18-07 at 1:59pm:
A scoop from Ken Rosenthal – the Mariners are in "serious negotiations" with Carlos Silva for a deal worth at least four years, $44MM. It appears that talks for Erik Bedard would not be affected by this signing.
Rosenthal notes that $44MM or more would represent the bar for Silva’s tier of starters being moved slightly up. That is to be expected; some have speculated it might take more like $12MM annually to get Silva. Silva may not be anything special, but he’s shown the ability to eat American League innings. Those guys don’t grow on trees.
By the way, Charley Walters says the Royals put out a three-year, $30MM offer to Silva.
Nothing Imminent With Orioles
Sean Welsh of the Baltimore Examiner spoke to Orioles’ president Andy MacPhail, clearing up some rumors that had been buzzing around. MacPhail would be "very surprised" if the Orioles strike deals for Erik Bedard or Brian Roberts before year’s end.
Welsh says the Cubs are focused on Roberts, while the Reds are still on Bedard’s trail.
Stark’s Latest: Prior, Lofton, Otsuka
ESPN’s Jayson Stark dishes some good rumorage in his latest column.
- Stark dug around to find all the Mark Prior suitors and came up with this list: Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, Mets, Cardinals, Padres, Astros, Giants, Reds, Nationals (11 teams). Let’s compare notes. MLBTR readers have seen the Yankees, Mets, Cards, Padres, Astros, Reds, and Nats linked to Prior already. So Stark has added the Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, and Giants. The idea of the Mariners runs contrary to this MLB.com article. Stark did not name the Rangers, who are said to be aggressively pursuing Prior. Prior is dead set on a one-year deal and would take a big league mound in May in the best case.
- The Phils are focused on Geoff Jenkins and Mike Cameron, offering two year deals to each. They might just take the first one to accept. Stark says Kenny Lofton could be an option if both decline. Lofton batted a career-best .335 for the Phils in ’05.
- Stark rattles off a laundry list of pitchers the Phillies are interested in: Akinori Otsuka, Byung-Hyun Kim, Roberto Hernandez, Kris Benson, John Parrish, Sidney Ponson, Chad Durbin, Kyle Lohse, and Jeremy Affeldt. Given Stark’s 21 years at the Philadelphia Inquirer, I imagine he has a connection or two. Most of those are new names besides Benson, Lohse, Ponson, and Affeldt.
- A source of Stark picks the Yankees as the favorite for Johan, but it should be noted that they’re having internal debates about pulling Phil Hughes off the table.
- For all the crazy Cubs fans we’ve got here: Stark says they’ve talked to the Orioles about both Brian Roberts and Erik Bedard, but couldn’t pull off a deal for both. They favor Roberts even though they need Bedard much more.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Prior, Bedard, Haren
The rumor mill is picking up today, thanks in no short part to Ken Rosenthal. Check out his latest column.
- Rosenthal believes the Padres are Mark Prior‘s first choice, but as usual they won’t pay as much as other teams. Both Texas clubs are in the lead for Prior currently. Rosenthal also names the Cards, Mets, and Yankees are suitors, as we knew. The Pirates, by the way, have not inquired.
- Talks for Erik Bedard have slowed down, because the Orioles aren’t impressed with the offers. The Mariners, Reds, and Mets are the top contenders. Rosenthal indicates that the Reds may be overvaluing Homer Bailey, compared to the perception of other clubs.
- Interesting late-game suitors for Dan Haren: the Rockies and Braves. You wonder, then, whether they’ll also inquire on Bedard.
- Rosenthal notes that the Chris Burke acquisition could be a sign that the D’Backs won’t re-sign Orlando Hudson. Burke will have to show something first though.
- The Orioles don’t seem likely to flip Luke Scott; they like his style. The guy could hit 30 bombs this year, in the opinion of Ron Shandler and Co.
- The Twins are up to 39 on their 40 man roster, so they’ll have to be creative to take back four players in a Johan Santana deal. It could mean including a player with Johan.
Cubs Interested In Bedard?
With the volume of rumors that flew around during the Winter Meetings, it’s easy to get confused. Luckily MLBTR has archives of everything. That’s how we were able to research the Cubs’ alleged interest in Erik Bedard.
It started on December 4th with Joel Sherman saying the Cubs were part of a pool competing for Bedard that contained 8-10 teams. Then three days later, Bruce Miles reported that Bedard was "not on the Cubs’ radar screen."
The latest, per an uncredited blurb on ESPN Rumor Central: "In recent days, the Cubs let their interest be known." The blurb also references the Seattle PI, perhaps this article, but there’s no Cubs reference there.
Anyway, it makes sense that Jim Hendry and Andy MacPhail would at least have a high-level Bedard discussion. The Cubs need a pitcher like him, they’ve liked him before, and they do have some decent young talent.
Reds Still Searching For A Starter
John Fay writes of the Reds’ continued search for a starting pitcher. That’s Wayne Krivsky’s focus; his main limitation is that Jay Bruce is untouchable.
The Reds couldn’t get Dan Haren because they wouldn’t give up young starter Johnny Cueto. The focus remains on Erik Bedard; the Reds seem willing to offer Homer Bailey as a starting point. Fay indicates that the Dodgers lead for Bedard, which is odd given their current six-deep rotation.
I have a feeling the hot stove is going to turn to Joe Blanton now. The Reds may be in the thick of it, especially if they’d give up Bailey for him. What do you think, would that be a wise move?