White Sox May Shop Jon Garland
The White Sox have shopped Jon Garland around in the past. You may recall the failed deal with the Astros at the last Winter Meetings – the Sox were supposed to receive Jason Hirsh, Willy Taveras, and Taylor Buchholz. There was even a press conference scheduled for that one. Apparently the deal died when Kenny Williams demanded Hunter Pence as well.
Many teams have had discussions with the White Sox regarding Garland since then. The Red Sox, Rockies, Braves, Yankees, Mariners, Dodgers, Mets, and Phillies all expressed interest. The Braves reportedly offered Edgar Renteria and a top pitching prospect (pre-Teixeira trade) and were denied.
According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Garland is "without question that most likely starter to be moved" by Kenny Williams this winter. He says Williams will shoot for at least two relievers, one proven. Garland makes $12MM in 2008 before reaching free agency. Garland’s got a 4.75 ERA this year; you have to wonder whether he’d be worth the price for an AL team. And even in the NL, is he that much better than Josh Towers right now?
Off the cuff, here are some relievers I think the White Sox might pursue: Manny Corpas, Jonathan Broxton, Jeremy Accardo, Joaquin Benoit, Tony Pena, Jose Valverde, Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, and Huston Street. What are your predictions for fair Garland trades that could actually happen this winter?
A Possible 2008 White Sox Roster
Nathaniel Whalen of the Daily Southtown speculates on a possible 2008 White Sox roster. His scenario sends Jon Garland and Brian Anderson to San Diego for Khalil Greene, Heath Bell, and a pitching prospect. Not sure who the Padres would use at shortstop, then.
Whalen’s scenario also has the White Sox signing Aaron Rowand. Most folks around Chicago expect Kenny Williams to make a run at him, especially if it’s for Eric Byrnes bucks. But that leaves Ryan Sweeney and Jerry Owens as the corner outfielders. Neither fits the profile of a corner outfielder, and I’m not sure the Sox can sacrifice the offense as Thome, Konerko, and Pierzynski all get a year older. Whalen’s picture also includes Darin Erstad on the roster, which could quickly lead to Erstad as a regular again. Yikes.
Baseball Prospectus’s Nate Silver also came up with a plan for the ’08 Sox back on June 14th. His lineup involves free agent signings of Luis Castillo and Kosuke Fukudome, with Ryan Sweeney handling center and Josh Fields in left. He proposed the Sox swap Mark Buehrle for shorstop Brent Lillibridge of the Braves, but that was prior to Buehrle’s extension. He also thought Kenny Williams could swap Jermaine Dye for someone as useful as Chad Billingsley, which was wishful thinking even in June.
What do you think? Williams could go in many different directions, but one way or another he needs to come up with a shortstop and at least one decent veteran outfielder.
White Sox Discuss Vazquez, Garland
There hasn’t been much buzz on Javier Vazquez, but as suspected, Kenny Williams is at least willing to discuss him. According to Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times, Williams was discussing Vazquez with the Phillies before the Phils got Kyle Lohse. Pat Gillick and Kenny Williams really get along it seems. It would be interesting to see Vazquez in play over the next 6.5 hours.
SI.com’s Jon Heyman reports some talks surrounding Jon Garland. Heyman says Garland is "by far the best available starting pitcher right now." The Dodgers, Mets, and Diamondbacks have all inquired and found the price unreasonable, however. And don’t forget the Mariners and Yankees, who liked Garland earlier this month.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Dye, Lamb, Jennings
Ken Rosenthal has a new article up. Let’s see what’s in there beyond the Teixeira stuff.
- The Angels have a few alternatives to Mark Teixeira in Jermaine Dye and Mike Piazza. However, the team isn’t exactly bursting with open outfield/DH spots, especially once Juan Rivera returns. Troy Glaus still makes a ton of sense, but the Blue Jays would want a lot. Probably 2/3 of the Teixeira package.
- Aside from Mark Loretta, the Padres would also like to acquire Mike Lamb from the Astros. Even tossing aside his awful April, Kevin Kouzmanoff has been about average for his position offensively (.271/.328/.476 since May 1). If the Padres instead used Lamb against southpaws and Kouzmanoff against lefties, they’d have a nifty platoon.
- The Mets have inquired on Joe Blanton and Jon Garland but have found the price prohibitive. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that both are just innings eaters. They’re just elevated by a terrible market for starters.
- The Phillies also asked about Blanton, but are more likely to settle for Kyle Lohse or Jason Jennings. Phil Garner decided to offer Jennings’ ERA up for sacrifice today, leaving him in to allow 11 earned runs in two-thirds of an inning. That was a several million-dollar decision, as Jennings is a free agent after the season.
- The Mets seem to have only mild interest in Luis Castillo and Mark Grudzielanek due to salary and injury concerns.
Rosenthal’s Latest Videos: Teixeira, Dye, Garland
Ken Rosenthal has a couple of recent videos up at FOXSports. Check ’em out. Some highlights:
- The Mark Teixeira talks are at a standstill; the Braves and Angels are reluctant to improve their offers. The Dodgers are said to be out of the picture. Daniels, Schuerholz, Stoneman – which one blinks first? I’ll say Daniels; he’ll go with Atlanta’s best offer.
- Jermaine Dye is Plan B for the Angels, but as you know the Red Sox still have interest.
- Jon Garland can be had, but Kenny Williams’ price is sky-high. The Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Mets, and Braves all have interest. The Braves had offered not only Edgar Renteria but a top pitching prospect, and still were rejected. Rosenthal expects Garland to stay put because as the asking price is not met.
- The Dodgers are still the leaders on Octavio Dotel, but the Tribe could jump in if they part with Ben Francisco. Would Francisco really be missed?
- The Cubs are looking at role players like Jay Payton and Jeff Conine. Many Cubs fans have written me looking for some good rumors – anything I would hear would go on the site. My gut feeling is that they do nothing major.
- The Orioles asked about Kei Igawa, but were told he’s not available.
- Rosenthal can see Adam Dunn and Eric Gagne staying put at the deadline. The need to deal Gagne is a bit more pressing, in my opinion.
Latest Mets Rumors: Luis Castillo, Chad Cordero
Let’s have a look at the latest rumors swirling around the Mets.
- Second base remains an area of focus. A Twins scout was at Shea recently, presumably trying to figure out what to ask for from the Mets for Luis Castillo. The Mets were recently scouting the Twins as well. The problem is that Castillo is not yet officially available. A couple of Marks, Grudzielanek and Loretta, remain on the radar. The Astros might consider signing Loretta to an extension, though no details have been discussed.
- The Devil Rays hosted the Red Sox last night, and a Mets scout was on hand. Speculation on my part, but possible targets include Ty Wigginton, Jonny Gomes, Edwin Jackson, Al Reyes, and Casey Fossum. The Mets had some interest in Jackson way back in November.
- According to Dan Graziano, the Mets are still pushing for Chad Cordero or Jon Rauch. Graziano is skeptical that the Nationals can arrive at a trade. Matthew Cerrone believes the Mets might give up Mike Pelfrey to get Cordero.
- Will Carroll has some other relievers the Mets are considering: Matt Thornton, Chad Bradford, and Shawn Chacon.
- The Mets had a scout in attendance yesterday to watch Jon Garland. He gave up ten hits but only three runs in 7.1 innings to the Blue Jays.
Stark’s Latest:
Jayson Stark has a new column over at ESPN.com. Some highlights:
- Octavio Dotel is almost a lock to be traded, and Chin-Lung Hu remains a possibility. Stark adds that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti scouted reliever John Malone, which I think means Jonathan Meloan. The 23 year-old Meloan throws in the low 90s with a hard slider; he commands his fastball well but carries some health concerns.
- Regarding Jon Garland, we’ve already heard that the Mariners, Braves, and Yankees are interested. Stark adds the Dodgers, Mets, and Phillies to that list. However, he thinks Kenny Williams really just wants to trade Jose Contreras.
- The Astros, surprisingly, have yet to open shop on their relievers.
- Michael Bourn is the Phillies’ top trading chip. Some possible targets: Kameron Loe, Scott Olsen, Ervin Santana, Noah Lowry, and Dontrelle Willis.
Mariners Pursuing Jon Garland
Jim Hickey mentioned yesterday that the Mariners have been all over White Sox pitchers lately. Assuming Jose Contreras isn’t helpful and Javier Vazquez doesn’t want to go west, that leaves Jon Garland as the most reasonable target.
The Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rogers adds some color to that scenario, noting that one of Bill Bavasi’s henchmen used to work for the White Sox and loves Garland. Rogers believes the right match would be 23 year-old right fielder Wladimir Balentien. Wlad has a robust .310/.381/.557 line in Triple A this year.
The two GMs roles were reversed on June 27th, 2004, when the White Sox acquired Freddy Garcia, Ben Davis, and cash for Miguel Olivo, Jeremy Reed, and Michael Morse.
No matter what you think of Garland, there’s no arguing that he’d be a huge improvement over Horacio Ramirez. Plus, he’s more than just a rental. This appears to be a move that makes sense for both teams, though Kenny Williams may require more than just Balentien.
The Tribune’s Mark Gonzales notes that the White Sox have scouted the Yankees’ entire farm system, and they’re still in the mix for Garland as well.
Teixeira Talk Heating Up
UPDATE: Jon Heyman of SI.com has a nice rundown of the Teixeira suitors. His sources seem to indicate that the chances of a trade are now better than Rosenthal’s 50/50. Good point raised by Heyman and many commenters – even if the Braves wanted to trade Escobar, the Rangers don’t really have a need for a middle infielder.
UPDATE 2: Jim Molony of MLB.com says the Red Sox are the frontrunner. The Rangers have scouted all of their major pitching prospects.
Ken Rosenthal has the latest on Mark Teixeira, who is now 50/50 to be dealt according to one source of his.
Rosenthal describes the scene as the Braves and Angels at the forefront, with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Giants lingering. Evan Grant adds the Dodgers to the mix. He also suggests the Rangers package Joaquin Benoit with Teixeira to get the best possible player. Interestingly, the Yanks might be after Adam Dunn as another first base option. They may have to focus on Dunn, because Jon Daniels is demanding Joba Chamberlain for Teixeira.
The Braves were really trying to shake things up; they would’ve done the Jon Garland for Edgar Renteria deal in tandem with a Teixeira acquisition. The Garland proposal has been rejected, but Teixeira is very much alive. Rosenthal describes the Braves as unwilling to trade Yunel Escobar and reluctant to trade Jarrod Saltalamacchia. In my opinion, Salty is the more valuable player. To me, Escobar for Teixeira is the right move.
I recently talked to ESPN’s Keith Law about Escobar. He told me the glove is there to play shortstop, but he worries about the bat. Based on observation, Law could see Escobar developing into a .300 hitter with little power.
Yankees Interested In Garland, Thornton
According to George King of the New York Post, the White Sox have scouts watching the Single-A Tampa Yankees. Outfielders Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata are the big names from that team, far as I can tell.
Which White Sox players interest the Yankees? They’ve already had a go with Javier Vazquez and Jose Contreras, which leaves Jon Garland. It seems the Yanks might want lefty reliever Matt Thornton as well, according to King. Thornton had a breakout last year by developing decent control, but he’s regressed this season. His strikeout rate is down as well. Rather than go year-to-year with Thornton the Sox decided to lock him in cheaply for 2007-09.
Despite some early indications to the contrary, it’s really starting to look like Garland is in play. Does he become the best available starter? Depends on how available Joe Blanton and Ian Snell really are. The Yankees won’t give up Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes for Garland. Given Chicago’s desire for MLB-ready players, I wonder if the Yankees would surrender Robinson Cano. Going after A ball players, no matter how promising, doesn’t seem like Kenny Williams’ style.
The other question: how does Garland fit into the Yankees’ rotation? He makes sense next year, but I can’t see him bumping Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, or Phil Hughes in 2007. Wouldn’t make much sense for the Yanks to dump one of the five, unless they decide to become sellers.