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Blocked Prospects: Steve Pearce

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During 2007 Pirates prospect Steve Pearce hit a combined .333 with 31 home runs, 40 doubles, 113 RBI, and a .622 slugging percentage. The soon-to-be 25 year-old was named both Offensive Player of the Year by MiLB.com and the Topps Minor League Player of the Year. He ranks #43 on Kevin Goldstein’s Top 100 Prospects list for 2008 and received a callup last September. Yet, as of Monday he was reportedly sweating it when the team announced several cuts.

Pearce had played first base since he was drafted, but with the Pirates looking to locking up Adam LaRoche long term the team rerouted him to the outfield. The Pirates flirted with the transition late last year, giving Pearce 10 games in right prior to his call-up. Once in Pittsburgh he started 17 games in right field and only two at first. He hit .294/.342/.397 over 68 plate appearances; his bat appears nearly Major League ready.

Jason Bay and Xavier Nady await, each simmering on the hot stove. It’s a poorly guarded secret the Pirates would love to ditch Nady, but a recent chat with the Mets didn’t go anywhere. Bay was also the subject of several trade talks during the offseason and would likely come closer to fetching the young pitching prospects GM Neal Huntington craves (his short list is unlikely to include Scott Schoeneweis).

This all puts Huntington in a fairly comfortable position. He can afford to send Pearce back to Indy to get a few more reps at the new position while he waits for the right deal. But with Pearce’s bat looking to be big league ready, how long are Pirates fans willing to wait?

Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle and can be contacted at eastwindupchronicle@gmail.com

Pirates Rumors: Bay, Nady, Capps

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Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a few new Pirates tidbits today.

  • Jason Bay expressed displeasure with the Pirates’ lack of activity, but his comments were respectful.  He hopes to stay with the Bucs and win. Bay says he "found a whole different level of being in shape" this winter, which bodes well for a bounceback. 
  • Kovacevic says Neal Huntington and Kevin Towers have been in touch this week regarding Xavier Nady but nothing is close.  Towers admitted publicly that he was looking at Nady and Matt Murton.
  • There’s been "little progress" on a multiyear deal for Matt Capps. The Pirates approached Capps earlier this month with three or four-year scenarios in mind.

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.

Odds and Ends: Cameron, Inge, Bay

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Here are some random rumors and links I’ve cobbled together today.

  • The Fish officially signed Jorge Cantu to a minor-league deal worth $500K with $100K in incentives.
  • The Cardinals re-upped Aaron Miles for $1.4 mil.  This team needs some good middle infielders.
  • According to Tyler Kepner, Alex Rodriguez has been "privately endorsing" Mike Cameron.  Well, it’s not private anymore!  The Yankees could entertain such a signing if they trade Melky Cabrera but don’t want to move Johnny Damon back to center.  Kepner’s article also discusses the internal struggle between Hank and Hal Steinbrenner.  Hank wants Johan Santana, Hal wants to show a little financial restraint.

  • Lynn Henning digs into the Brandon Inge situation, with help from the always-insightful Keith Law.  Henning believes Inge would view a shift back to catcher "with contempt."
  • Scott Wuerz runs through various possible Cardinals targets.  He notes that the Pirates had considered the White Sox their best possible trade partner for Jason Bay, and are disappointed by Chicago’s Nick Swisher acquisition.
  • Seems that Bartolo Colon has yet to crack 90 mph in the Dominican Winter League.
  • There are rumblings that the Astros are considering bringing Freddy Garcia back.
  • R.J. Anderson snagged an interesting interview with Paul DePodesta.
  • Minor League guru and MLB.com senior writer Jonathan Mayo has a new book coming out about what it’s like to face Roger Clemens.  I’m going to do a Q&A with Jonathan next week; if you have any good question ideas leave ’em in the comments.  By the way, Mayo finished his book before the Mitchell Report came out.
  • Yankees fans – Ray Istorico has an illustrated history of the early Yankees coming out in a few months.
  • I will be appearing on XM Radio’s MLB Home Plate show on Sunday around 2:25 CST.

Mailbag: Nioka, Crede, Snell

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Let’s dig through the ol’ mailbag once again.  Feel free to shoot an email to mlbtraderumors@gmail.com.

Do you have any news regarding Japanese shortstop Tomohiro Nioka? Is he a free agent and are any teams pursuing him? – Bob

It seems that Nioka turned out to be ineligible for free agency.  We’ll have to keep an eye out for him next year.

What’s up with Joe Crede? Will the ChiSox be looking to deal him this summer if they are struggling? And if so, you have to believe the Phillies would be top contenders for him. – Dan

I’m almost certain Crede will be dealt, I’m just not sure when.  Maybe after a week or two of proving his health in Spring Training?  Josh Fields needs his reps at third base, so I’d be surprised if the Sox started the season with Crede at the hot corner.  The Phillies seem like the perfect fit, especially since Kenny Williams and Pat Gillick have gotten together for many deals.

Have you heard anything about a package of Snell and Bay from Pittsburgh to the M’s for some prospects? – Aaron

Jake at Bucco Blog heard this rumor just a few days ago.  Both of them going to Seattle would represent a whole lot of talent.  Seems that it would require Adam Jones and then some.  Might make more sense for the Mariners to target just Snell, since they’re in fine shape in the outfield.

Pirates Pulled Out Of Bay To Cleveland Deal

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Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has some new information for us regarding an aborted Jason Bay deal.  Kovacevic says the Bucs made a decision through the entire chain of command that Franklin Gutierrez, Kelly Shoppach, Cliff Lee, and a minor league pitcher wasn’t enough for Bay and Ronny Paulino.

This situation has been confusing to follow from the start, with plenty of conflicting information floating about.  For instance, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes said on Wednesday that Lee and Shoppach were never involved in these talks – the Bucs wanted three to five of the Indians’ top prospects.  Before that there was that whole business about whether talks had occurred at the Winter Meetings and been revived.

Bay, Pads Talks “Completely Untrue”

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We hear rumors earlier in the day that the Padres and Pirates were in "deep talks" regarding Jason Bay. Now, Dejan Kovacevic says that no such talks have occurred. This comes after the revelation that Chase Headley wouldn’t be involved in any deal.

The only talks between the two clubs, according to Kovacevic, have regarded catcher Michael Barrett. According to the source "those talks didn’t expand beyond Barrett."

–Joe

Padres Deep In Talks For Bay

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UPDATE, 12-12-07 at 3:56pm: Krasovic jumps in to say that the Padres definitely won’t be trading Headley to the Bucs (and probably not at all).  The Pirates and Padres have been talking a lot, and some kind of deal involving some of the players below could definitely happen. 

UPDATE, 12-12-07 at 12:01pm: Buster Olney is reporting that the Padres are "deep into discussions" with the Pirates about a multiplayer trade in which Bay would be the centerpiece.

FROM 12-12-07 at 9:30am:

Tom Krasovic checks in with all sorts of fresh Padres rumors, as he often does.  Below are the ones that haven’t come up elsewhere on the site today.

  • The Padres and Pirates might have mutual ground for some kind of multiplayer deal.  Names like Matt Morris, Jason Bay, Xavier Nady, and/or Nate McLouth are possible future Padres.  The Bucs could go for Michael Barrett and/or Padres’ top prospect Chase Headley.  My challenge to you: create a reasonable multiplayer trade scenario between these two clubs in the comments.
  • Krasovic says the Padres "explored a trade" for the Cardinals’ Anthony Reyes.  The Indians and Phillies have also been linked to the youngster before.
  • As you might expect, Morgan Ensberg will probably be non-tendered today.  He made $4.35MM in ’07, and the Friars don’t want to pay him anything like that.
  • Akinori Otsuka is another non-tender candidate, and the Padres could seek to bring him back if so.  Otsuka has been throwing pain-free since late October, though, so the Rangers will probably retain him.

Indians Rumors: Haren, Blanton, Bedard, Inge

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Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer gets the Indians rumor mill churning.

  • As we mentioned earlier today, the Indians have spoken to the A’s about Dan Haren and Joe Blanton.  They’ve also inquired on Erik Bedard.  The Tribe is quietly looking to pair C.C. Sabathia with another ace.  Such an acquisition would soften the blow if Sabathia leaves after the ’08 season.  Hoynes says a Haren acquisition might require one player from the Indians’ 25-man roster plus at least one near MLB-ready guy.
  • The Tribe had brief talks with Detroit about Brandon Inge, but they’ve moved on.  Doesn’t seem to be much interest in Inge.
  • Cliff Lee and Kelly Shoppach weren’t part of the Jason Bay discussions.  Instead, the Pirates were looking for a slew of the Indians’ best prospects.  It seems the Bay talks have since cooled.

Padres May Learn Today About Fukudome Offer

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Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune has a new column up, chock full of Padres rumors.  Let’s discuss.

  • The Padres have a three-year offer out to Kosuke Fukudome that may make him the highest paid Padre ever, aside from Jake Peavy.  Kevin Towers expects to get an answer today from Fukudome’s agent, Joe Urbon.  Urbon basically said that geography would only come into play if offers from competing teams were similar.  Towers admitted he sees the Cubs as the lead horse in this race.
  • San Diego has a strong need for an outfielder or two, especially now that Milton Bradley went to the Rangers for an extra million bucks.  There was some sentiment from Bradley that the Padres were glad they were outbid, maybe even planned it that way.  It would seem more clever if they’d offered Bradley arbitration, though. 
  • Mike Cameron, Geoff Jenkins, and Jason Bay remain on Towers’ radar as alternatives to Fukudome.  Krasovic recently suggested the Reds could jump in on Cameron if they trade Josh Hamilton.

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