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Cliff Lee Rumors: Thursday

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The Twins aren’t close to a deal for Cliff Lee, but the Rangers are working hard to acquire him and a number of other clubs are involved. The Mariners are seeking a monster return for Lee, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com and Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Click here to check out yesterday’s Lee rumblings and check back throughout the day for the latest on the lefty:

  • MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports that talks between Seattle and the Reds have yet to "hit the serious stages." No formal proposals have been exchanged between the two teams.
  • Lee appeared on ESPN 710's Brock and Salk earlier today, and said that he and his agent approached the Mariners about an extension before the season only to be told that the team wasn't "going to go down that road."
  • The Mariners are interested in some of the game’s top prospects and young players, sources tell Jon Heyman of SI.com. Their wish list includes catching prospects Jesus Montero (Yankees) and Wilson Ramos (Twins) plus Justin Smoak and Wade Davis. A competing team says the Twins are a “real” threat to acquire Lee, though we’re not accustomed to seeing them give up lots of talent at the deadline.
  • A rival executive told Heyman that the Rangers discussed Chris Davis and Jarrod Saltalamacchia in a possible Lee trade. As we heard earlier today, the Mariners prefer Smoak and would want more than Davis and Saltalamacchia.
  • The Mariners asked the Yankees for at least three prospects, including Montero, according to Heyman.
  • B.J. Upton’s name has come up, but Heyman suggests the Rays haven't offered him to the Mariners.
  • Larry Stone of the Seattle Times hears rumblings that the White Sox, who just lost Jake Peavy to the DL, are at least 'kicking tires' on Lee. That would not be a surprise given Kenny Williams' track record.
  • One MLB GM told Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Rangers are the favorites to acquire Lee. The Rangers don’t want to include Justin Smoak in a trade and at least one rival executive believes they would be ‘crazy’ to do so. The Rangers’ desire to hold onto Smoak is one of the biggest barriers remaining between the two teams. If the Rangers trade Smoak, they could call on Chris Davis, who has a .961 OPS in Triple A.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears the Mets mentioned with Lee less and less frequently (Twitter link). The Mariners are looking to obtain a major league-ready power bat, but the Mets don't want to part with Ike Davis. 
  • Jack Curry of the YES Network says the Yankees are being thorough and will inquire on Lee, just as they would on any available player of his caliber (Twitter link). That doesn't mean the Yanks are willing to out-bid everyone else, however.
  • The Rangers and Mariners continue to discuss a possible Lee trade, according to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com. The Rangers have spoken to numerous teams to figure out what it will take to improve the club for the stretch run.
  • In case there was any doubt remaining about the Mariners' asking price, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer clears it up. An insider tells Fay that "it's going to take a ton," but Fay does not get the sense that a trade is about to happen.
  • The Rangers have financial restrictions, but MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that they have some money ‘tucked away’ for making moves. GM Jon Daniels is ‘fully engaged’ in the Lee trade talk.
  • We know a lot of teams are interested in Lee, but how many? “Pretty much every team within five games of the playoffs," a source tells Ken Davidoff of Newsday (That's 17 teams). We’ve heard that the Mets may have trouble adding payroll, but GM Omar Minaya and his front office are operating as though they can add salary. That means Lee and Ted Lilly could be targets for the Mets.

Cliff Lee Rumors: Wednesday

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9:25pm: An AL GM told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that he believes the Twins could acquire Lee with a package built around prospect Wilson Ramos. Rival GMs believe the Rangers may be better off holding onto their prospects than acquiring Lee.

4:15pm: The Mariners have not started making counter offers for Lee, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Rival executives remind Olney that the Mariners may want to deal soon, since an injury would deflate Lee's trade value (all Twitter links)

3:37pm: The Mets, Yankees, Rangers and Phillies appeared to be the only teams scouting Lee last night, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Twins and Dodgers were among the interested teams that did not attend, but it is early and Lee is a known commodity, so the lack of scouts hardly means there's a lack of interest.

10:11am: The Mariners will require a blue-chip prospect in a Cliff Lee trade, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post, even though the last two Lee trades may not have included one.  Sherman suggests the Mets want Lee badly, while the Yankees would just like the Ms to "keep them posted."

Sherman explains that the Mariners like, but don't love, Mets pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia.  He feels that a Mets trade would have to be built around Mejia or Wilmer Flores.  The Mets are willing to trade Flores in a Lee deal, reports Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.  They're reluctant to part with other top prospects.  The Mets would like to trade for a starting pitcher as soon as possible, but Cerrone says the Mariners prefer to wait until after the All-Star break to trade Lee.

From the Yankees side, Sherman recommends they make Jesus Montero available.  They've done so before when Lee and Roy Halladay were on the trade market.  Sherman also notes that the Mariners like Yankees Double A second baseman David Adams.  Baseball America ranked Adams 22nd among Yankees prospects heading into the season, and he sports a .309/.393/.507 line at Trenton.  Should the Yanks prefer to pursue Lee as a free agent, Bill Madden of the New York Daily News learned that old friend C.C. Sabathia would be happy to help recruit.

In a longer blog post, Sherman elaborates on what Lee would mean for the Mets, what the Mariners will require, and how prospects are overvalued these days.

Odds & Ends: Harper, Cardinals, Zaun, Snell

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A few more links to browse, on the night of Buster Posey's first big-league home run….

Top Trade Chips: AL East

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Let's finish off our series with the toughest division in baseball…

  • Blue Jays: The Jays already traded away most of their top pieces, but they still have three desirable relievers in Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, and Kevin Gregg. All three can become free agents after the season. There might be some interest in first baseman Lyle Overbay, who will also hit the open market after the season. 
  • Orioles: Considering how poorly he pitched before landing on the DL, I'm sure a large part of the Baltimore faithful wouldn't mind seeing Mike Gonzalez go. Alas, that won't happen anytime soon. There always seems to be interest in Luke Scott, who still has two more years of team control left. If they decide to sell at mid-season, Kevin Millwood and Jeremy Guthrie could find their way onto the block. 
  • Rays: The Rays are a player development machine, and they have enough young players to get get pretty much anyone they want. They have enough depth that they could trade one of Reid Brignac or Sean Rodriguez plus one of Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis, or Jeremy Hellickson and not miss a beat. If they fall out of it and decide to sell, it doesn't get much better than Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano, and Carlos Pena. I believe the term is "stacked."
  • Red Sox: Boston has held onto Clay Buchholz for this long, but with his name appearing so frequently on the rumor circuit, it really wouldn't be surprising if they moved him for a big time player. They might still be able to find a taker for Mike Lowell, and there would be interest in Manny Delcarmen if he were made available. They did lose a valuable chip when Junichi Tazawa went down with Tommy John surgery. 
  • Yankees: They seem unwilling to trade either Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, so their best chip is the semi-blocked Jesus Montero. Of course, the Yankees have the ability to absorb even the ugliest of contracts, so maybe we should consider that their biggest trade chip.

Blocked Prospects: Jesus Montero

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In 20-year-old catcher Jesus Montero, the Yankees have what is arguably their best offensive prospect since Derek Jeter. But there's a problem: they don't have an obvious place to put him.

Both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein ranked Montero as the 4th best prospect in the game, while ESPN's Keith Law had him 10th. He is clearly one of the game's brightest young minor leaguers, but as Baseball America said in their 2010 Handbook, "the Yankees no longer talk abut him as an every day major league catcher" because he "is somewhat stiff and lacks agility behind the plate." Despite his defensive woes, Montero hit .337/.389/.562 with 17 homers in 92 games across two levels last year. His season ended prematurely because of a broken finger suffered while he was behind the dish.

In most other organizations, Montero would simply move out from behind the plate and learn how to play first base. Of course, the Yankees already have Mark Teixeira penciled into the position for the next seven years. A corner outfield spot may be a possibility, but scouts are skeptical because his lack of athleticism might not allow him to be anything better than below average out there. Designated hitter is less than ideal since he's so young, not to mention that they'll need the spot for some of the older players on the team's roster.

If they so choose, the Yankees could look to trade Montero for a piece to help the big league roster, something they're known to do with their prospects. In fact, they offered Montero to the Blue Jays for Roy Halladay straight up last year. Jorge Posada is under contract through 2011 and isn't getting any younger, so they could try to ease Montero in as a back-up catcher/part-time DH at first. Montero started the season at Triple-A, and it's worth remembering that he'll be just 27-years-old when Teixeira's contract is up.

Odds & Ends: Hairston, Brewers, Reds, Salazar

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Some links for Friday…

Blockbuster Trade Reactions

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One of the biggest trades in recent memory is nearing completion. Here are some reactions to the Roy Halladay–Cliff Lee-prospects swap from around the game.

  • ESPN.com's Keith Law expects Brett Wallace- the player the Jays will obtain for Taylor – to end up at first base. Law likes the prospects Seattle gave up, but doesn't love them. Given that Seattle has other prospects, he says "making a legitimate run at a division title is a pretty good reason to empty out your farm."
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Phillies couldn't afford to have Halladay and Lee in the same rotation because it would have cost too much in terms of money and prospects.
  • Scott Lauber of the News Journal says Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has staked his legacy on Halladay.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan says two teams have reason to celebrate this deal: the Jays and the Mariners. The Phillies, on the other hand, are "not demonstrably better" than before. 
  • One veteran talent evaluator tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the only clear winner is Seattle. Olney hears from some Yankees people who believe the Jays got less than what they were demanding from Brian Cashman & Co.
  • Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Yankees were willing to offer Jesus Montero in a package for Halladay, but not Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain.
  • Rob Neyer of ESPN.com agrees with Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner: the deal is a "heist" for the Mariners. Cameron likes the deal so much he tells Mariners fans to "dance in the streets."
  • Over at FanGraphs, Cameron says all three franchises had understandable motivations for making the trade. Still, he wonders if Philly could have obtained more for Lee.
  • Marc Hulet of FanGraphs wonders why the Phils didn't wait and deal Lee for more.
  • Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star says the Jays "should be embarrassed" by the return they got for Halladay.
  • One member of the Phillies organization tells MLB.com's Noah Coslov that he doesn't understand the trade because Michael Taylor is MLB ready now.
  • Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer says it was never realistic to expect Halladay and Cliff Lee to pitch in the same rotation.

Olney On Damon, Halladay, Molina, Carroll

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ESPN's Buster Olney kicks off his latest blog post with a poignant look at his relationship with Peter Gammons.  As for the rumors…

  • Olney says the Yankees and Johnny Damon appear to be far apart in early contract negotiations.  Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News believes the Yanks will turn to Hideki Matsui, Mike Cameron, or Mark DeRosa if Damon won't take a two-year offer within two weeks or so.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Damon seeks three or four years at $13MM annually, while the Yanks are at two years, $19MM (Bobby Abreu's contract). 
  • Olney heard the Blue Jays' asking price of the Phillies for Roy Halladay "is about the same" as it was in July.  That doesn't seem logical, but we are talking about two different GMs here.  Olney was able to confirm the reported Halladay demands the Jays made of the Yankees: Jesus Montero, Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes, and more.
  • The Mets' initial offer to catcher Bengie Molina contains a vesting option.  Olney doesn't speculate, but do you think the Mets were willing to guarantee the first two years? 
  • The Dodgers, Indians, and A's are among the teams eyeing Jamey Carroll, who seeks a two-year deal.  Carroll may look at Craig Counsell's yet-unsigned deal as a precedent.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Wednesday

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10:32pm: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark hears that Halladay would approve a deal to the Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox and Angels. The Rays and Dodgers are possibilities, and one person "who knows [Halladay] well" doesn't think he'd go to the Mets. Check out Stark's entire article for a detailed breakdown of the "Doc on the block" part two.

10:26pm: One GM tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that the Jays should take the offer of Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar and Peter Bourjos if it's really on the table. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse says the Jays prefer minor leaguers to major leaguers.

9:00pm: Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that he's not likely to trade for a big-time starting pitcher. Such a deal would not be impossible, however.

7:30pm: A major league source tells Bastian that Halladay might waive his not-trade clause to join the Angels.

7:19pm: The Angels have made an offer, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. They'd give up Joe Saunders, Erick Aybar and Peter Bourjos for Halladay. Saunders and Aybar are set to become free agents after 2012. Halladay, of course, would have to approve any deal, but one unnamed executive implies the Angels believe Halladay would accept.

6:56pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Phillies are "joining the fray" for Halladay. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki said yesterday that the Phils have the pieces to complete a deal.

5:52pm: MLB.com's Lyle Spencer reports that the Angels could bring on two elite pitchers this offseason. It's "possible, but not likey," according to GM Tony Reagins. 

5:30pm: Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos says the Jays aren't currently likely to make a deal at the Winter Meetings, according to Bastian. If they do make a trade, they'll look for above average players, not average ones. And what does the manager think? Cito Gaston expects Halladay to leave, he's just not sure when it'll happen.

2:12pm: SI's Jon Heyman says the Blue Jays requested Jesus Montero and one of Phil Hughes/Joba Chamberlain plus more from the Yankees for Halladay.

1:13pm: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian tweets that we should not count out the Phillies for Halladay – they're "still quietly in the mix."  MLB.com's Todd Zolecki did an informal poll and determined that they do have the pieces to get it done.  Still, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. finds a major trade for a pitcher unlikely.

7:05am: ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter) hears from officials involved in the Halladay discussions that the Jays are still in "info-gathering mode" and aren't close to a deal with any team yet.

6:50am: The New York Yankees remain very much in the hunt for Roy Halladay, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Sherman considers Doc to be the Yankees' Mark Teixeira, in that he's not their priority but Brian Cashman will monitor the situation.

In yesterday's round of Halladay rumors, we heard, among other things, that the Yankees' acquisition of Curtis Granderson would make it harder for them to trade for Halladay, since they parted ways with outfield prospect Austin Jackson. However, Sherman suggests that the Yanks have continued discussions with the Blue Jays, with their efforts to acquire Halladay even "intensifying."

The Blue Jays likely don't want to deal Halladay within the division, but according to Sherman's sources, Toronto "loves" New York catching prospect Jesus Montero. If the Yankees were willing to part with Montero and either Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, the Jays would definitely be listening.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Wednesday

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2:09pm: SI's Jon Heyman sees a potential Red Sox-Yankees battle brewing for Halladay.  He says the Blue Jays told the Yankees they're interested in Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Jesus Montero, and Austin Jackson (not necessarily all four).

10:22am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post terms the Yankees as "bystanders rather than aggressive pursuers" when it comes to Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay.  The Yankees remain "averse to giving up both high-end prospects and a top-of-the-market contract extension to secure one player."  Some members of the Yankee front office would prefer to acquire Doc but not extend him.  Speaking in general terms, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian he'd prefer not to give an extension window in a trade.  Sherman also learned that the Blue Jays "have yet to divulge exactly what it would take to land Halladay."

As for Halladay's Spring Training deadline for a trade, Sherman talked to "outside executives" who don't take it entirely seriously.  Regarding agent Jeff Berry's comments to ESPN about the deadline, Anthopoulos told Bastian, "I just want to hear it for myself and talk to him."  Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun notes that George Bell issued the Blue Jays a similar ultimatum at the 1987 Winter Meetings.

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