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Latest D’Backs Rumors: Bonderman, Ervin Santana

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Nick Piecoro has the scoop regarding all things Diamondbacks.  Let’s dive in.

  • It had slipped my mind that the D’Backs don’t do incentive-laden contracts when I suggested they’d sign Randy Wolf. Bad prediction on my part.
  • The team’s best trade chip: outfielder Carlos Gonzalez.  The 22 year-old hit .286/.330/.476 in Double A last year, and has star potential.  Kevin Goldstein recently ranked Gonzalez third among corner outfield prospects behind Travis Snider and Chris Marrero.  Gonzalez could bring a coveted starter in a trade.  Carlos Quentin is also talked about as a trade candidate, but he needs to get healthy and hit a little first.
  • Conor Jackson is also a trade candidate, more so if the D’Backs can sign Tony Clark.  They’re thinking something close to the two years, $3.25 Matt Stairs received.  Meanwhile Clark’s agent is thinking he could get a near full-time role elsewhere.
  • Piecoro brings up the intriguing idea of shopping Jose Valverde.  He’s getting pricey soon, and could be at peak value.  I like it.  A safer trade option from the team’s strong pen is Juan Cruz.
  • All these great young players to trade, but who to target?  Piecoro tantalizes by telling us Ervin Santana and even Jeremy Bonderman are in the D’Backs’ sights.  Santana is known to be available for a bat.  Bonderman would be attractive to many teams if not for his late-season elbow woes.  He’s signed through 2010.
  • I could see the A’s poking their head in on all of this, with Joe Blanton and even Dan Haren to offer.

Rays’ Kazmir May Be Available

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The week in hot stove kicks off with a bang: Joel Sherman of the New York Post has a source saying the Devil Rays might listen to offers for ace lefty Scott Kazmir.  Kazmir turns 24 in January and carries a 3.64 career ERA despite pitching in the AL East.  He’s been particularly tough on the Red Sox (2.66 ERA in 101 innings).  You have to think that if the Yankees are entertaining making an offer for Johan Santana, they’d consider Kazmir as well if the Rays would deal within the division.

Sherman notes that Kazmir is under contract for three years as opposed to just one for Santana, which could equate the two pitchers in the marketplace.  Erik Bedard, under control for two years, has to be in that group of elite, possibly available southpaws as well.  Sherman believes the Rays would seek "multiple high-end pitchers" for Kazmir, who is entering arbitration for the first time this winter.  The Yankees could offer a package starting with Phil Hughes, but the Mets don’t seem to have the goods.  It would take a pitcher of that nature – Hughes, Yovani Gallardo, Clay Buchholz.  Otherwise, why would the Rays consider it? 

Sherman also echoes the surprising notion that Tim Lincecum could be had for the right bat.  He speculates that the Giants could pursue Carl Crawford or Delmon Young as the return.  Hey, our Delmon speculation is catching on!

Sherman indicates that the Twins may be compelled to hold onto Santana, afraid of fan backlash if they also lose Torii Hunter.  Meanwhile, another Santana, Ervin, might be had for a bat if the Angels can’t sign Alex Rodriguez.  Sherman’s sources say any club in the A-Rod sweepstakes will move slowly in the market because his contract would dictate the team’s available budget.

Also notable from Sherman’s rumor-packed column:  teams may wait for the Mitchell Report to come out before engaging in serious talks for Miguel Tejada.  I’ve read speculation that MLB could release this report soon as a way of limiting free agent spending.  Also, isn’t it about time for Jose Canseco’s next book, which supposedly has "other stuff" on Alex Rodriguez?

Angels Out On Teixeira?

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According to Mike DiGiovanna and Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times, the Angels are done trying to acquire Mark Teixeira.  Casey Kotchman and Joe Saunders were agreed upon.  The Angels wanted the Rangers to settle on Terry Evans or Nathan Haynes as the third player.  The Rangers, however, wanted one of Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, Howie Kendrick, and Ervin Santana.

Perhaps there is some middle ground, like a Hank Conger, Sean Rodriguez, or Erick Aybar?  The L.A. Times says the door is not completely closed on Teixeira but the Angels won’t relent to Jon Daniels’ list.

Meanwhile, the L.A. Daily News sings a different tune.  Doug Padilla suggests an offer of Kotchman, Adenhart, and Reggie Willits.  He does not believe the talks to be dead.

Jermaine Dye or Mike Piazza look like the logical alternatives for the Angels.  Buster Olney believes Piazza to be a fine idea, and I agree.  Interestingly, the Angels kicked the tires of Miguel Cabrera but were rebuffed.

Teixeira may now be left to the Braves, Dodgers, and Red Sox.  I still expect a deal to be made.  The sticking point for an Atlanta appears to be John Schuerholz’s demand to get a solid reliever back with Teixeira if he is to include Elvis Andrus.

Braves Make Offer For Teixeira

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According to Ken Rosenthal’s sources, the Braves have made an offer to the Rangers for Mark Teixeira: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison, and Elvis Andrus.  That’s without any relievers coming back to Atlanta.  That’s three young players all with a chance to become above-average big league regulars.  You couldn’t really criticize Daniels for it, no matter how it turned out.

The only other major player seems to be the Angels.  The Halos recently tweaked their original offer of Casey Kotchman plus Nathan Haynes or Terry Evans.  There’s now a pitcher in the mix, apparently one of Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, or Nick Adenhart.  I’d consider this a comparable offer, especially if Adenhart was the one. 

The Dodgers aren’t out of it, but I don’t see them getting Teixeira.

Heyman’s Latest: Teixeira, Otsuka

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Jon Heyman of SI.com has been working the phone lines; here are some notable rumors from his latest column.

  • The Braves seemed fairly close to a Mark Teixeira trade yesterday, but the Angels are definitely knee deep in it.  They’ll make a solid offer including Casey Kotchman, Ervin Santana, and Major League player.  Adam Dunn remains Plan B.
  • Heyman says there’s speculation that Akinori Otsuka could need Tommy John surgery, which might compel the Rangers to sign Eric Gagne and/or keep Joaquin Benoit.
  • Refresher on Gagne’s 12-team allowable list can be found here.  Gagne must consent to a trade to Detroit, and it seems the Rangers asked for Cameron Maybin.  Not gonna happen.  The Yankees appear to be out on Gagne because he wants to close.  I’m skeptical – he wouldn’t pitch as a setup man if they guaranteed his entire contract?
  • Seems the Yanks entertained a Morgan Ensberg acquisition.  They would’ve used him at first base.  Joe Torre nixed the idea because Ensberg hasn’t hit for a long time.
  • Heyman’s top five available starters are Matt Morris, Livan Hernandez, Jose Contreras, Jason Jennings, and Kyle Lohse, in that order.  That ranking is reasonable.  A Jon Garland, Noah Lowry, or Joe Blanton would easily jump to that top of the list if made available.

Angels Interested In Garrett Atkins

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Last year, Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins was the second-best hitter at his position, behind only Miguel Cabrera.  Atkins isn’t set to reach free agency until 2011, making him a very valuable commodity.  The Rockies had talks with him this offseason about a deal covering his arbitration years and first year of free agency, but no agreement could be reached.

Now, both the Denver Post and L.A. Times are reporting that the Angels are interested in trading for Atkins.  Troy E. Renck of the Post says Atkins’s name first came up during the Winter Meetings when the two clubs were discussing a Todd Helton deal.  Renck writes that Ervin Santana would be a must in any trade and that the Angels also have interest in Brad Hawpe and Jeff Baker.  He also says Atkins is still considered a core member of the team, so a deal is unlikely.  I wonder if Bill Stoneman is trying to take advantage of a subpar start for Atkins – his defense hasn’t been pretty and his power has been MIA.

From the L.A. side, Mike DiGiovanna adds several players on the Halos’ radar:  Kevin Mench, Jacque Jones, Pat Burrell, Emil Brown, Morgan Ensberg, and Edwin Encarnacion.  DiGiovanna agrees that Santana is the top trading chip.  Santana could really blossom in the National League.  With Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton struggling and Brett Myers in the pen, the Phillies probably have the strongest need.  Starters Joe Saunders and Dustin Moseley could be used if the Angels want to make a smaller deal.

As long as the Angels are making an all-out blitz for a third baseman, let’s speculate on some other possibilities.  Mike Lowell, Chad Tracy, Hank Blalock have all been rumored in the past; the Rangers clearly have the biggest need for a starter.  Santana, however, could be Brandon McCarthy all over again with his flyball tendencies.

Pitchers on the move

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Jason Schmidt has been offered $45 million over three years to join the Cubs.  If that offer has been leaked already, $60M/4 seems within the realm of possibility.  Strangely, Schmidt has already said he’s not interested in the East Coast–you’d think he’d wait until Cashman made an offer and drove up his price before saying no.  Once Schmidt signs, it’ll be fun to watch Scott Boras conduct the sure-to-be-insane bidding for Barry Zito.

Some team (to be announced tonight) won the bidding for Kei Igawa for $25 million.  Hanshin has accepted.  That’s the second largest posting fee ever–somebody must think Igawa is pretty good, definitely on the high side of the typical #3/#4 projection he’s gotten.  I’m guessing it’s not the Cubs, or we wouldn’t be hearing so much about the other pitchers they’re after.  That leaves plenty of other possibilities, though.

The Baltimore Orioles are continuing their quest to build the most expensive bullpen of all time: Chad Bradford is close to a three-year deal with them.  Anybody think it’s a little odd that the O’s traded Chris Britton for a reclamation project and are now probably spending about $8M a year for Bradford and Danys Baez?  (Odd?  Yes.  In character? Absolutely.)

And, this just in: the O’s are also adding Scott Williamson.  He’s cheap–only $900K for the year.  Oddly enough, he could be the best of their new additions.  I’m a little surprised nobody else was willing to go higher for him on a one-year deal.

Many of you have emailed me about a possible Angels-White Sox trade involving Ervin Santana and Chone Figgins for Freddy Garcia and Joe Crede.   As Rotoworld points out, this could be a recycled rumor; regardless, Kenny Williams says no.  And there’s no way Bill Stoneman deals Santana for Garcia without getting a lot more in return.  Five years of a good pitcher under the team’s control for one year of Garcia?  Right.

By Jeff Sackmann

Angels Pursuing Andruw Jones Trade?

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According to Halos Heaven, the Braves hope to send Andruw Jones to the Angels for Ervin Santana and Nick Adenhart.  Of course, Andruw would have to be amenable to this deal to make it work.

Baseball Prospectus’s Kevin Goldstein wrote, "Adenhart has come all the way back from Tommy John surgery to establish himself as one of the top righthanders in the minors."  Among right-handed starters, Goldstein ranked Adenhart behind only Homer Bailey and Philip Hughes.

Meanwhile, the L.A. Times (subscription required) says the Angels have made an offer to Alfonso Soriano and have interest in J.D. Drew.  Mike DiGiovanna speculates that Drew could command a four-year, $56MMish deal.

Kenny Williams, Dealmaker

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Either Ken Williams is keeping busy at the GM meetings, or the reporters covering the Sox have very fertile imaginations.  I’m sure the truth is somewhere in between.  In addition to the Andruw Jones deal I mentioned in the previous post, here’s a roundup of possible White Sox moves:

Chris De Luca reports on a possible Freddy Garcia / Ervin Santana swap.  Oddly enough, his sources say that the "package" would be built around Santana.  Garcia might be a better pitcher right now, but just barely: last year, Garcia was worth 15 win shares, while Santana was worth 13.  Santana’s younger, and is under the Angels control for four more years.  Bill Stoneman couldn’t covet Garcia that much, could he?  South Side Sox chimes in on the improbability of that deal.

De Luca also repeats the thinking that Williams could bring Aaron Rowand back, especially if the Phillies land Alfonso Soriano.

Phil Rogers has a flurry of rumors, some of the recycled variety.  He keeps stoking the flames of Javier Vazquez-to-the-Mets, and suggests there’s the makings of a "monster deal" between the Sox and Rangers with Vazquez or Mark Buerhle headed to Texas.  Rogers is clearly speculating, but if his source is correct that John Danks is in play, there’s certainly the possibility of something getting done.

By Jeff Sackmann

Rosenthal: Angels, Astros Make Tejada Offers

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Ken Rosenthal’s got the scoop on a sweet offer made to the Orioles for Miguel Tejada: starter Ervin Santana and shortstop Erick Aybar.

The Orioles, characteristically an indecisive team, need to pounce on this offer.  Baltimore will not be ready to compete in the AL East for several years, and prime young pitching isn’t offered up every day.  Put Santana under Leo Mazzone’s tutelage and he could blossom into a true ace.  And Aybar, while overshadowed by the Halos’ other infield prospects, looks to be an above average regular for many years.  Not surprising to see Aybar used as a trading chip, but I didn’t expect the Angels to offer up Santana.

As far as the Astros, Rosenthal just states that "prime Major League pieces" were offered.  He also mentions the Tigers and Dodgers as players.

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