Yankees Still In Talks For Washburn
Updating a rumor that seems to have died down in the last few days, the Yankees and Mariners are still having serious discussions about Jarrod Washburn, reports Dan Graziano.
Up until a few days ago, the Yankees wanted to include Kei Igawa and Melky Cabrera in the deal but the Mariner’s didn’t particularly appear interested in neither player.
The Mariners asked about Austin Jackson, but were turned down, and now two other prospects have been thrown into the hat: Brett Gardner and Justin Christian.
Washburn has a no-trade clause, but Graziano thinks he would waive it for a shot at a pennant race.
Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Comments? Rumors? alexo05 [at] umpbump [daught] com.
Jarrod Washburn Rumors
3:09pm: Jayson Stark says the Yankees view Washburn as a salary dump, and won’t include even low-level prospects unless the Mariners eat money or take Igawa.
1:27pm: Peter Abraham says the Yankees are trying a new way to get Washburn. Neither Abraham nor Geoff Baker believes Washburn’s no-trade clause will be an issue or something the Yankees would compensate for.
9:59am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says Seattle’s request of Cabrera and Gardner for Washburn is "a non-starter for the Yankees."
FRIDAY, 9:21am: Joel Sherman says Igawa is not part of the Washburn discussions.
THURSDAY, 5:36pm: According to Ed Price of the Newark Star-Ledger, talks have progressed on a possible Washburn-Yankees trade. Price says the Ms aren’t sold on Kei Igawa, but the Yankees are willing to discuss Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner.
4:56pm: This is a bit out of order, since Abraham’s info below actually came out after this Seattle PI column from John Hickey.
Hickey says the Yankees, Cardinals, White Sox, and possibly Brewers have talked to the Mariners about Washburn. The pitcher’s no-trade clause allows him to block a deal to the Yankees but not the Cards or Sox. He seems willing to waive the clause, anyway.
11:12am: According to Peter Abraham:
One trade the Yankees could make now if they wanted would be Kei Igawa and a B-level prospect to Seattle for LHP Jarrod Washburn and DH/1B Jose Vidro. The Yankees would take on $16 million (plus a $500,000 buyout for Vidro) while shedding the $9.4 million owed to Igawa.
So for roughly $7.1 million, you get Washburn for this year and next and Vidro for this season. Washburn would likely want something to waive his no-trade clause, which includes the Yankees.
I agree with Abraham – that seems pretty reasonable. As he says, you can just DFA Vidro. Washburn alone is worth it, as long as the prospect isn’t anyone special and he doesn’t demand a ton for the no-trade compensation.
Stark’s Latest: Teixeira, Padilla, Sheffield, Beltre
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings up. You may want to grab a glass of water or something, because this is a beast of a column.
- If the Braves have a bad weekend and decide to trade Mark Teixeira, a deal could come together quickly. Stark says the Braves have already touched base with the Rays, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels and Yankees. Where Tex fits on the Rays, I’m not sure. Additionally, interest in Will Ohman is said to be "massive."
- A Jorge Posada move to first base could affect the Yankees’ interest in Teixeira this winter.
- Though Brian Fuentes has many suitors, the Rockies have actually exchanged names with only the Marlins and Yankees. GM Dan O’Dowd has not dropped his price. By the way, Todd Helton‘s injury takes Garrett Atkins off the market. As for Matt Holliday, many execs believe the Rockies will never trade him.
- The Phillies are focused on a left-handed reliever, with Fuentes, Damaso Marte, George Sherrill, and Jack Taschner in the mix.
- The Phillies were scared off by the asking prices on Holliday and Xavier Nady, and never even made an offer. They still could acquire a lesser hitter.
- The Pirates are inspiring much grumbling with high asking prices for Jason Bay, Nady, Marte, John Grabow, and Jack Wilson.
- The Rangers are looking for young, controllable starting pitching. Vicente Padilla is available, with the Tigers and Yankees showing mild interest. Eddie Guardado and Jamey Wright are not available.
- In pursuing Jarrod Washburn, Bronson Arroyo, and Padilla, the Yankees are demonstrating their plan to reduce the prospect price for pitching by taking on a decent-sized contract.
- While A.J. Burnett is "eminently available," no trade talks are cooking. The Jays apparently won’t deal him within the division. Other Jays veterans might be available, though Roy Halladay isn’t among them.
- The Tigers are looking for pitching and a long-term shortstop. They’d be willing to move Gary Sheffield, though they’d have to eat salary.
- Top Rays prospects such as Wade Davis, David Price, and Jeremy Hellickson are off-limits. Rays Index recently ran through the more likely trade candidates.
- The Braves asked the Royals about Jose Guillen, but Dayton Moore is asking for a ton.
- Stark says the Twins’ talks for Adrian Beltre are "far from dead." The Twins are zeroed in on a third base upgrade. Beltre, by the way, has the Dodgers on his no-trade list. Joe Christensen says the Twins have found the asking price prohibitive for various third basemen.
- The Rangers are looking for a young pitcher for Hank Blalock, who is drawing interest from the Twins, Giants, and Dodgers. The Dodgers also like Casey Blake, who is likely to be traded somewhere.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Laird, Washburn, Nady, Bay
Ken Rosenthal has more new material. I’ve updated the post, as Rosenthal updated his.
- The Yankees are looking for catching – Rosenthal and Jon Heyman do not agree with Peter Abraham. Rosenthal says the Yanks have expressed interest in Gerald Laird and Miguel Olivo. The Rangers want young pitching for Laird, however.
- Jarrod Washburn‘s limited no-trade protection includes the Yankees. He might want compensation to waive that, putting him out of the Yanks’ price range. Washburn, a Boras client, wouldn’t mind pitching in New York though. The Mariners are looking for young pitching for him. It sounds like the Yankees aren’t willing to eat the entire contract and send good prospects.
- The Yankees may explore other trades, and are said to have interest in A.J. Burnett and Bronson Arroyo.
- The Nationals were apparently locked in on a second baseman for Jon Rauch, perhaps explaining why they traded him for just Emilio Bonifacio. The jury is still out on the speedy young infielder.
- The White Sox explored a scenario where they would’ve acquired Brian Roberts from Baltimore, traded Orlando Cabrera to the Dodgers, and moved Alexei Ramirez to shortstop. That obviously didn’t work out. The Sox may be currently trying to decide whether to part with third baseman Josh Fields, their best trade chip and third baseman of the future.
- Suitors for Xavier Nady, such as the Rays, Yankees, and Phillies, are balking at Pittsburgh’s asking price. The Bucs continue to insist they’re being reasonable.
- Interestingly, the A’s are still talking to the Pirates about Jason Bay. Rosenthal says a trade seems unlikely.
- The Cardinals had scouts in Baltimore yesterday, and their interest in George Sherrill is well-known. But they might not match up with the Orioles’ needs.
Yankees In Trade Talks For Washburn
11:38pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman checks in on these talks. He says the Yankees want to ship Kei Igawa to Seattle, but then the Mariners could see that and raise them a Jose Vidro.
It would probably be easier for the Yankees to eat all of Washburn’s contract while just sending the Mariners a marginal prospect.
9:34pm: Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger reports that the Mariners are scouting the Yankees’ Double A club. The Ms aren’t big on Melky Cabrera, but may be willing to take minor leaguers if New York takes on all of Washburn’s contract.
1:36pm: According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Yankees are "taking a serious look at Seattle lefty Jarrod Washburn."
Washburn, 34 in August, has a 4.75 ERA in 110 innings this year. For what it’s worth, he has a 3.03 ERA in 62.3 innings since May 25th. That’s cherry-picking, though – 4.50-4.75 is Washburn’s level. He can chew up 190 innings at the back end of a rotation.
Washburn is owed $10.35MM in ’09, and has limited no-trade protection. Olney believes it would mainly be a salary dump, and the Mariners might consider something like Kei Igawa and a secondary prospect. Yankees GM Brian Cashman hasn’t struck a deal with the Ms since ’03, when he worked with Pat Gillick on an Armando Benitez for Jeff Nelson swap.
Odds and Ends: Sexson, K-Rod, Halladay
Random links for the day…
- We’ll have our weekly live chat here today at 2pm CST.
- R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay writes the Rays Comprehensive Trade Post.
- Brian Cashman confirmed interest in Richie Sexson.
- Danny Knobler quotes Francisco Rodriguez as saying that the Angels offered him three years, $34MM in November.
- Josh Hamilton called all his friends to tell them he was a Cub, then had to call them all back.
- People in Pedro Alvarez‘s neighorhood expect him to sign.
- Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay wants to see the team make some progress.
- Viva El Birdos would like to see the Cardinals acquire Jarrod Washburn.
- Ichiro’s profane, annual AL All-Star team pep talk.
Mariners Rumors: Rhodes, Bedard, Washburn
Mariners beat writer Geoff Baker has a new blog post up this morning about the team’s trade candidates. In a well thought-out piece, Baker names Arthur Rhodes, Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, Raul Ibanez, and Adrian Beltre as the most likely to go (in that order). A few highlights from the post:
- Solid lefty relievers are available – mainly Brian Fuentes and Damaso Marte. But the price is reportedly high for both, leaving the 38 year-old Rhodes as a fine alternative. Plus, the ’08 Mariners can live without him.
- Baker indicates that both Bedard and the Mariners favor a trade. However, Baker believes Bedard will have to take the mound at least one more time and maybe twice before the deadline to satisfy a suitor. Bedard is said to be 50/50 to make his July 22nd start.
- Washburn has about $14.4MM left on his contract, which runs through ’09 with limited no-trade protection. The M’s would trade him for salary relief rather than prospects.
- Ibanez and Beltre are down on Baker’s list because he believes the team owes it to the fans not to put a Triple A offense on the field. While neither player has an .800 OPS, trading either without a big league replacement could lead to an even more embarrassing second half. Additionally, the Mariners like Ibanez’s leadership skills. Baker finds the Beltre-to-Twins idea improbable. Interesting note: Beltre is thought to want to return to the L.A. area when his contract ends.
Heyman’s Latest: Mariners, Brewers
Let’s take a gander at Jon Heyman’s latest column at SI.com.
- Heyman says three GMs who would have interest in Ichiro Suzuki have been told he’s not available. Nonetheless, Heyman suggests trading the face of the franchise would be the best way to shake things up in Seattle.
- The Mariners have other valuable trade commodities: Erik Bedard, Raul Ibanez, and Adrian Beltre. Most of the team’s other vets aren’t valued highly, though Jarrod Washburn has strung together three decent starts. Felix Hernandez would draw a ton of interest, but the Mariners aren’t expected to make him available.
- The Brewers’ have a host of quality prospects to use as trade bait. However, MLB.com’s Jim Molony did say yesterday that he didn’t expect a major acquisition.
Stark’s Latest: Sabathia, Bedard, Phillies, Freel
It’s Thursday, and you know what that means. Time for another installment of Jayson Stark’s Rumblings and Grumblings at ESPN.com.
- Stark runs through a laundry list of candidates for the Mariners’ and Mets’ manager and GM vacancies.
- The Indians will not be giving a negotiation window for a team hoping to sign C.C. Sabathia while acquiring him.
- Erik Bedard is "now officially on the market." Bedard’s value has diminished since the Mariners acquired him, however.
- The Phillies have already inquired on Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo, and Jarrod Washburn. Stark sees Bedard joining that group, but believes it’d require Carlos Carrasco and Antonio Bastardo.
- Ryan Freel is drawing strong interest; Stark names the Phillies, Braves, Mets, and Marlins as suitors.
- Ken Griffey Jr. apparently still wants to finish his career in Seattle.
- Stark agrees with Ken Rosenthal – Mark Teixeira is not available. Nor is Ben Sheets, by the way.
- The Marlins are looking for center field, catcher, and bullpen help. Stark believes they’d be willing to give up a near-arb Josh Willingham type for players with less service time.
- The Yankees seem open to bringing back Jason Giambi next year, after they buy out his option. Giambi is currently third in the AL in OPS at .979.
Stark’s Latest: Braves, Robertson, Igawa
Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings column up. Let’s take a look.
- While Greg Maddux is not out of the question, the Braves are more interested in a younger starter they can control for multiple years.
- One possibly available starter who hasn’t gotten much buzz: Nate Robertson. The 30 year-old southpaw hasn’t pitched well since ’06, and he’s signed through 2010.
- The Mariners will probably talk about Miguel Batista and Jarrod Washburn, but not Erik Bedard. No big surprise there. Both Batista and Washburn are signed through ’09.
- Stark rattles off a bunch of available relievers. Mostly names you’d expect, but click through and take a look.
- Kei Igawa, signed through 2011, asked the Yankees if they could find a way to ship him back to Japan during the winter. They couldn’t find a way to make it work.