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Heyman’s Latest: Street, Durham, Holliday

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman just posted a new column.

  • The Brewers and White Sox inquired on A’s closer Huston Street.  However, A’s GM Billy Beane said "there is nothing going on" in regards to Street.  The Sox were linked to both Street and Jon Rauch today, so Kenny Williams is clearly monitoring the relief market.
  • Heyman says the Rays have not discussed Street with the A’s, and the Dodgers "aren’t believed to be heavily involved."
  • Heyman is on board with the recent rumors about Ray Durham and Jack Taschner possibly heading to Milwaukee.
  • Heyman also confirms Ken Rosenthal’s report of the Phillies’ interest in Matt Holliday.  He agrees that these talks have cooled, but notes a good relationship between GMs Dan O’Dowd and Pat Gillick.  Gillick and O’Dowd have matched up for three deals, two occuring while Gillick worked for the Mariners.
  • The Dodgers continue to consider shortstop a priority.  Heyman wonders if Cristian Guzman would be a fit, especially if extension talks sour.  Jack Wilson and David Eckstein are other possibilities.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Burnett, Ibanez

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Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count video Saturday covered many interesting topics; yesterday he put the info into column form and added even more.

  • Same old story with Adam Dunn – he’s just not drawing much interest.  Even with the whiffs and ugly defense, this is surprising to me.  Rosenthal says the Reds "will take a considerable risk" if they offer Dunn arbitration after the season and he accepts.  Would having Dunn on a one-year deal at market price really be so bad?
  • Rosenthal says "it remains to be seen whether Jim Bowden’s authority will be compromised" in the wake of his involvement in the FBI’s bonus-skimming investigation.  The Nationals have a couple of mildly interesting starters to shop in Tim Redding and Odalis Perez, plus perhaps the top righty reliever in Jon Rauch.  Maybe Rauch will be packaged with a starter.
  • The Angels will try to retain Francisco Rodriguez after the season.
  • The Blue Jays started A.J. Burnett on three days rest in an attempt to maximize his starts before the trade deadline, though the J.P. denies it. Burnett responded well against the Yankees.  Rosenthal wonders whether he would abandon his opt-out clause if his contract was extended through 2011 upon a trade.  A dissenting opinion – Jon Heyman talked to one GM who does not expect Burnett to opt out.
  • The D’Backs apparently do not see Raul Ibanez as much of an upgrade over Chad Tracy. However, Jack Magruder wrote Saturday that the Mariners and D’Backs had discussions on Ibanez.
  • The Dodgers are still interested in Jack Wilson.
  • Rosenthal says some teams are skeptical that the Pirates would offer Damaso Marte arbitration after this season.   Why wouldn’t they?  The Red Sox are interested in the lefty.

Dodgers Looking For Shortstop Help

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TUESDAY, 3:49pm: MLB.com’s Jim Molony chimes in on the Dodgers’ hunt for a shortstop.  He says they’ll give Nomar Garciaparra a chance, but they are also considering Toronto’s David Eckstein.  Back on July 3rd, the Baltimore Sun suggested the Orioles were looking at Eckstein.

TUESDAY, 8:53am: Dejan Kovacevic puts the brakes on the Jack Wilson-to-L.A. rumor.  He says that while Wilson is not untouchable, the Pirates are not likely to trade him.  They consider him affordable and do not have a capable replacement.

Kovacevic says talks with the Dodgers "seem dormant," and the Dodgers never offered a player from their Major League roster.  Additional unknown teams have also called about Wilson.

MONDAY: John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times wrote an article Sunday concerning the Dodgers’ pursuit of Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.  Wilson, 30, is hitting .306/.348/.361 in 160 plate appearances this year.  He’s under contract next year for $7.25MM with an $8.4MM club option for ’10.  Wilson can block trades to six teams.

Perrotto wrote that Wilson is the Dodgers’ primary trade target.  He says "a Dodgers source indicated that Los Angeles might be willing to deal center fielder Matt Kemp."  A Kemp acquisition would create a logjam until the Pirates are able to move Jason Bay or Xavier Nady.  Failing that, Perrotto’s sources indicate the Bucs have interest in pitcher James McDonald and shortstop Chin-lung Hu. 

Ken Rosenthal wrote this morning that the Dodgers’ bid for Wilson is on hold as they restructure their offer.  If the Dodgers get him, that should eliminate any chance of re-signing Rafael Furcal.

Pirates Rumors: Bay, Wilson, Nady, Marte

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Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sums up the Pirates’ trade deadline strategy in today’s article.

  • Jason Bay and Jack Wilson are not being shopped.  The Bucs like having both under contract beyond this year.  It sounds like Neal Huntington would have to be bowled over to move either guy.
  • Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte are the players most likely to go.  Nady is under team control for next year, while Marte’s $6MM option will be declined.  The Pirates are thinking they can decline Marte’s option, offer him arbitration, and let him decline to accept.  Then they might be able to net two respectable draft picks for ’09, assuming he’s a Type A.  So Nady is a more likely trade candidate than Marte. 

Odds and Ends: Jack Wilson, Victor Zambrano, Bedard

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Time to round up some non-Sabathia links.

Week In Review

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Continuing with Tim’s new tradition, here’s my take on some of the top rumors of the week from June 29 – July 6:

  • The C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes is nearing an end, with the Brewers’ Matt LaPorta package being the frontrunner. We’ll let everyone know the full story as soon as possible.
  • The Phillies extended Brad Lidge to a three-year contract. Lidge looks like his old self – great deal for Philadelphia. Looks like this means Brett Myers will remain in the rotation if he can get back on track.
  • We heard a lot about the Rays’ growing interest for Colorado closer Brian Fuentes. They could be preparing an offer. Troy Percival has been good, but injury prone, and you almost hate to move Dan Wheeler from the eighth inning where he’s been so good all year.
  • The shortstop market is hot, as the Dodgers, Orioles, and Jays would all like to upgrade. The Dodgers are interested in Jack Wilson, while the Orioles are looking at David Eckstein and possibly Juan Uribe or Felipe Lopez. The Jays could look to move A.J. Burnett and his contract for an upgrade there as well. Interesting that Toronto wants an upgrade over Eckstein, while Baltimore looks at him as an upgrade…
  • The Indians finally cut Joe Borowski loose, designating him for assignment. Was this too little too late? They tried to sneak Craig Breslow through waivers earlier this year. I’m guessing they’d rather have the 1.42 ERA he’s posted this season than Borowski’s 7.56, but the Twins are enjoying Breslow’s benefits.
  • Could the Angels add Matt Holliday? Seems unlikely with the stockpile of large contracts they already have in their outfield if you ask me.
  • The A’s signed Michel Inoa for $4.25MM on Thursday.
  • The Padres will be sellers this July. The onslaught of injuries have made this a frustrating season for San Diego. If you’d been able to see Adrian Gonzalez’s monster numbers through July 1 before the season started, who would’ve believed this team wasn’t contending? Wow.
  • For those who are interested, Tim looked at this past years’ offseason moves and compiled an All-Star lineup of free agent hitters signed prior to the 2008 season. That’d be a heck of a team to try to beat right now…

Dodgers Interested In Jack Wilson, C.C. Sabathia

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According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers have jumped into the fray for C.C. Sabathia.  They don’t have a Matt LaPorta-caliber prospect, but they could make a substantial three-player offer.  The Dodgers, being a big market club, could try to sign Sabathia before he hits free agency.

Rosenthal says the Dodgers are simultaneously pursuing Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.  He might require some of the same prospects, so L.A. probably can’t get both Wilson and Sabathia. Since Wilson is signed for ’09, such an acquisition might allow the Dodgers to let Rafael Furcal walk as a free agent.  Based on Ned Colletti’s comments to MLB.com, he seems willing to let some talent go to get a regular shortstop.

On the Brewers-Sabathia front – LaPorta is in play, but if he’s included Alcides Escobar is out.  The Brewers do not plan on offering up J.J. Hardy (Tom Haudricourt agrees).  Rosenthal talked to some baseball people who believe Sabathia will be traded before his Tuesday start.

Odds and Ends: Kouzmanoff, Ricciardi, Wilson

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Today’s linkage…

To Be Dealt: Bay, Nady, Marte, Morris, Wilson

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A short but sweet article came out in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette this morning detailing the Pirates’ five main trade candidates.  No new or surprising names appear on the list but it’s a handy roundup for those not up to date on their Bucco news.  As we head into the ’08 season (tonight!) the Pirates may not be contenders, but they could be difference makers.

Jason Bay – $5.75MM in ’08, $7.5MM in ’09 – I was surprised they didn’t deal him in the offseason, but the Pirates are wisely taking a wait and see approach with Bay.  Surely he can’t be as bad as he was last season.  Like the Pirates, PECOTA is predicting a moderate bounce back season, but not quite the elite 30 HR seasons of ’05-’06.

Xavier Nady – $3.35MM in ’08, arbitration eligible in ’09 – To make room for blocked prospect Steve Pearce, Nady needs to go; however, there’s enough doubt around the league that he can hit righties well enough to justify an everyday position.  The Mets are the only listed suitor as they could use a corner OF/1B.

Damaso Marte – $2MM in ’08 with club option for ’09 – The article’s rhetoric seems to imply Marte is the most likely to be dealt with Yankees and Braves as suitors.  When it comes to crafty, lefty relievers, expect a number of teams to come calling.

Matt Morris – $9.5MM in ’08, $9MM club option in ’09 ($1MM buyout) –  Morris had a nice first half for the Giants last year(3.55 ERA) before regressing to his struggling ways.  His talent should make it hard to trade him out of the NL, and his contract and could make it difficult to deal him to any team not desperate for someone to pickup innings.  The Pirates should be crossing their fingers for another strong first half.

Jack Wilson – $6.5MM in ’08, $7.25MM in ’09, $8.4 club option for ’10 – The article notes that the Pirates will need a SS in return for someone on this list before they can comfortably deal Wilson as he’s the only everyday SS in their system.  As Tim noted back in August, Wilson just wants out of Pittsburgh and will waive his six team no trade clause.

We’d love to hear from Pirates fans on all of this.

By Nat Boyle

Pirates Interested In Brad Thompson?

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Scott Wuerz of the Belleville News-Democrat suggests that Cardinals pitcher Brad Thompson is a rumored target for the Pirates.  He could be part of a larger package, where players such as Jack Wilson, Matt Morris, and/or Jason Bay could be involved.

Thompson turns 26 soon.  The Cardinals tried him as a starter last year, and he posted a 4.66 ERA in that role.  He was at 4.91 in relief, but for his career he’s been better coming out of the pen.  Thompson lost his groundball mojo a bit in ’07, and as a result his HR rate rose dramatically.

At one point, the Cards and Bucs discussed a Wilson-for-Chris Duncan deal.  About a month ago Dejan Kovacevic said he expected Wilson to stay put this winter.  Morris was a Cardinals’ target at various times in ’07.   There hasn’t been much buzz about the Pirates trading Bay to St. Louis.

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