Odds and Ends: Lowe, Arroyo, Chacon
Here’s today’s link roundup.
- Jacque Jones has elected free agency. Does he have anything left?
- Derek Lowe, Scott Boras, Ned Colletti, and Joe Torre had some kind of cryptic meeting.
- Draft nugget: the D’Backs were eyeing Allan Dykstra as their first-round pick until the Padres took him.
- Jason Rosenberg interviewed agent Matt Sosnick.
- Bronson Arroyo commented on the recent trade rumors. I think this rumor, in particular.
- Shawn Chacon, demoted to the pen, is not a happy camper.
- Koji Uehara is also going to the bullpen.
- Brandon Webb was affected by his contract negotiations.
- ESPN’s Keith Law joined the Drunk Jays Fans podcast to chat about the recent turmoil in Toronto.
- Joe Saunders, originally drafted by the Phillies, had a bad experience (as he tells it).
Orioles Want Jered Weaver, Brandon Wood For Tejada
Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times writes his "State of the Angels" Winter Meetings intro, and some information is revealed regarding Miguel Tejada.
As you know, Tejada is the Angels’ fallback option if they can’t get Miguel Cabrera. Well, it doesn’t sound like the price is reasonable on Tejada either. The Orioles want both third baseman Brandon Wood and starter Jered Weaver for him. The Angels would be comfortable with one of Joe Saunders or Ervin Santana plus a lesser prospect.
Given the lack of interest in Tejada and the multiple question marks, it’s surprising to see such a huge demand for talent. No wonder Ken Rosenthal said the Giants, Astros, and Cards don’t have the young talent to get Tejada. And by the way – the Orioles won’t be eating any of the $26MM owed to Tejada over the next two years.
Angels, Marlins At Cabrera Impasse
The Angels are a bit frustrated in the Miguel Cabrera dealings. According to Jayson Stark, they’ve told the Marlins to come swing by their suite whenever they’re ready to give a little on their demands.
In the deal for sure: Howie Kendrick and Jeff Mathis. One of Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, and Nick Adenhart would be included as well. However, the Fish want two of those starters. The Halos won’t do it, but might be able to give one starter plus Reggie Willits. Either way it’s going to be a major haul.
It wouldn’t be impossible to get Cabrera for three players, but they’d have to be damn good ones. It’s always fascinating to watch the Marlins replenish their system.
Angels Out On Teixeira?
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.
Stark’s Latest: Teixeira, Dotel
Jayson Stark has updated his big ol’ rumor post over at ESPN.com. Some highlights:
- Stark believes Mark Teixeira to the Braves or Angels is "almost certainly going to happen." The Angels’ willingness to offer Joe Saunders instead of Ervin Santana is seen as a big plus. Meanwhile the Braves want the Rangers to tack C.J. Wilson onto their trade but Texas is resisting. Stark’s update counteracts Will Carroll’s latest; Will recently wrote: "It’s looking more and more like Mark Teixeira is going to stay a Ranger." You decide.
- Toss a few more scenarios into the Octavio Dotel mix: to the Red Sox for David Murphy, or to the Mariners for Wladimir Balentien. Big difference there.
- Stark calls Mark Loretta a "very big name to watch." Hmmm, maybe this trade deadline is lamer than I realized.
- OK, the market is now open on Houston’s relievers.
- The Marlins would be happy to trade Armando Benitez or Byung-Hyun Kim. Both would need to shake off major control problems to be of any use.
- Stark says to forget about trades of Daniel Cabrera, Joe Blanton, Richie Sexson, Livan Hernandez, Dontrelle Willis, Todd Helton, Aaron Rowand, and Noah Lowry. C’mon now, that’s no fun. Something tells me the rumors on some of this group won’t disappear, so it’s all good.
Braves Make Offer For Teixeira
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.
Angels Interested In Garrett Atkins
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.
Ervin Santana Trade Hinges On Saunders, Colon
Today comes word from Halos Heaven that any deal of righty Ervin Santana will hinge on the performances of Bartolo Colon and Joe Saunders.
Slowed by a couple of surgeries in his career, Saunders is putting it together in Triple A for the first time. He’s got a 2.51 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 13 starts this year. He’d slot into the rotation in place of Santana. The Angels can deal from their strength, as this rotation could become:
Bartolo Colon
John Lackey
Kelvim Escobar
Jered Weaver
Joe Saunders
That is a deep group, with Jeff Weaver serving as a tolerable sixth starter for the rest of the season. He’s been decent in two starts this month, but could end up in the ‘pen. The Halos can have Saunders and Jeff Weaver competing for the fifth starter spot.
Halos Heaven mentions Carl Crawford, Torii Hunter, and Vernon Wells as targets of Bill Stoneman. Stoneman has also had Alfonso Soriano, Manny Ramirez, Miguel Tejada, and Miguel Cabrera in his sights for months. It certainly seems that the Angels, currently five games back in the West, will acquire a big bat before the trading deadline.