Heyman On Blue Jays, Indians, Crawford
Believe it or not, there's more to this year's deadline than Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Jon Heyman of SI.com has the latest on some other trade possibilities:
- Scott Downs, Jason Frasor and Brandon League are coveted around the league, but the Jays want to figure out what to do with Halladay before dealing secondary players.
- The Dodgers are "pressing hard" for George Sherrill.
- Chad Qualls and Michael Wuertz are likely to stay put.
- The Yankees aren't involved in the Cliff Lee talks after hearing the Indians wanted Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes in return.
- It's becoming more likely that the Indians will deal Lee and Victor Martinez.
- The Nationals requested Jonathan Sanchez for Nick Johnson.
- One GM says the Rays briefly dangled Carl Crawford a few weeks ago. Sounds like they'll consider anything.
Rosenthal Roundup: Rays Could Make Big Move, Red Sox Out On V-Mart
Ken Rosenthal's latest is seemingly at odds with the report we noted earlier from Bill Chastain that the Rays will not be major players at the deadline.
"The Rays are engaged in a whirlwind of activity, investigating [Cliff] Lee, [Roy] Halladay and numerous other options — 'major, major stuff,' according to one source," Rosenthal writes.
Other notes from Rosenthal:
- The Red Sox deals "should eliminate any chance of them trading for Victor Martinez."
- "The Phillies, Rays, Brewers and Dodgers are on Lee, and the Rangers have expressed continued interest" as well.
- The Angels are targeting Baltimore's George Sherrill and Cleveland's Rafael Betancourt.
- The Rockies are after Baltimore's Danys Baez.
- The Giants want to hold onto Jonathan Sanchez, given Randy Johnson's fragility.
Odds And Ends: Smoltz, Cards, Rangers
Some links as we begin a week of non-stop rumors…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says John Smoltz, Jonathan Sanchez and Jason Schmidt, who all start tonight, will have an impact on their teams' deadline decisions. Red Sox officials want to see how much they can count on Smoltz, Sanchez can quiet teams' concerns about his control with a good start and Schmidt can provide the Dodgers a back-of-the-rotation arm.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Troy Glaus and Khalil Greene are both advancing to Triple A for the next stage of their respective rehab assignments.
- Evan Brunell of the Hardball Times finds the Padres-Orioles trade baffling from the Padres' perspective.
- Texas Rangers Trades interviews MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan and the chat is worth a read.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram lists 11 pitchers the Rangers could potentially trade for, including Roy Halladay.
Trade Candidates: Starting Pitchers
Roy Halladay's availability changes everything, because teams in search of an ace can target him instead of settling for lesser pitchers. But many arms could be moved in the next 17 days and some could even be traded in August. These pitchers, who could all conceivably be dealt, are ranked from highest 2009 salary to lowest:
- Roy Halladay, Blue Jays – At $14.25MM he's pricey, but he's one of the top pitchers in the game, capable of transforming a team's playoff chances like C.C. Sabathia did last year.
- Javier Vazquez, Braves – The rumors surrounding Vazquez have quieted lately, but he could be moved. He makes $11.5MM this year and next and can't be traded to any Western division team.
- Gil Meche, Royals – Meche makes $11MM this year and has $24MM remaining on his deal afterwards.
- Doug Davis, D'Backs – The D'Backs aren't impressed with the players the Brewers are willing to offer for their pitcher, who makes $8.75MM this year. Davis has been productive all season.
- Jon Garland, D'Backs – Another solid but unspectacular arm, Garland makes $6.25MM this year. No team acquiring him should count on receiving picks if he leaves as a free agent, because Garland has a clause in his contract that prevents teams from offering him arbitration if he has Type A stauts.
- Cliff Lee, Indians – He makes just $5.75MM this year and the Indians have an affordable $8MM option for 2010, so they'd have to see an awesome offer to part with Lee, who's following up his Cy Young season with another solid year.
- Brad Penny, Red Sox – Now that they've called on Clay Buchholz, the Red Sox once again have a surplus of big league pitchers. At $5MM plus incentives, Penny's affordable this year.
- Ian Snell, Pirates – He's pitching well in Triple A, where he struck out 17 in one game. The Pirates have tried to move Snell and his $3MM salary.
- Paul Mahom, Pirates – The Pirates have been willing to sell and Maholm's been effective this year. He makes $2MM, and has at least $11MM remaining on his deal after the year.
- Brian Bannister, Royals – At just $1.7MM, he's one of the cheaper starters out there.
- Carl Pavano, Indians – The Indians aren't contenders and Pavano has pitched better this season than he did in four years with the Yankees. He makes a base salary of just $1.5MM, but that could rise as high as $6.8MM because of incentives.
- Jonathan Sanchez, Giants – He makes less than $500k and, as we found out this weekend, he has the potential to be dominant.
Let's not forget about some free agent pitchers like Ben Sheets (may be injured), Pedro Martinez (about to sign), Odalis Perez and Paul Byrd.
None of the following pitchers are available now, but they could be if their teams fall from contention: Bronson Arroyo, Doug Brocail, Jason Marquis, Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn.
Renck’s Latest: Freddy Sanchez, Giants, Rockies
Troy E. Renck has some thoughts on why it doesn't make sense for the Rockies to acquire Roy Halladay if they can't afford to retain his services beyond 2010. In the same piece, he has a few more footnotes:
- Freddy Sanchez will be traded. The Giants could land him for Jonathan Sanchez and a prospect.
- The Giants are "lukewarm" on Matt Holliday but like Jermaine Dye. Brian Sabean recently defused rumors involving Dye.
- If Garrett Atkins is traded, Seth Smith could become Todd Helton's backup at first base. He's been taking throws in batting practice. Renck feels Smith needs to get more at bats if the Rockies want to make the playoffs. Smith is hitting .295 with 1.04 BB/K and an impressive .902 OPS in 70 games.
Freddy Sanchez Rumors: Friday
The Giants and Twins are interested in Freddy Sanchez, but no deal is imminent for the Pirates' second baseman. Here are the latest Sanchez rumors from Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Morosi says the Twins and Giants are interested, but would probably want to see Sanchez, who has missed the last six games with a back issue, prove his health before making a deal.
- The Rockies don't appear to have serious interest. That's hardly a surprise, given Clint Barmes' work at second base and Colorado's need for relievers.
- In addition to the Giants and Rockies, Kovacevic hears that the Pirates have spoken to as many as five teams.
- The Giants would move Jonathan Sanchez, but he would not be enough on his own.
- Both reporters identify an obstacle for interested teams: the vesting option that will allow Sanchez to make $8MM next year if he continues playing regularly.
Sabean: Giants Still Looking For Bats
Giants GM Brian Sabean told Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News that there are no impact bats available for a reasonable cost. As much as he would like a true middle-of-the-order hitter, Sabean won't deal top prospects like Madison Bumgarner to acquire one.
Edes’ Latest: Giants, Teahen, Relievers
Currently standing atop the National League wildcard standings, the Giants are looking for a lefthanded bat to add to their lineup according to Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports. He cites a major league executive who says that San Francisco has focused their efforts on three first baseman: Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff and Adam LaRoche. Edes also says that the Giants have spoken to the Padres about a potential Jonathan Sanchez–Scott Hairston swap.
Let's round up the rest of Edes' rumors…
- Royals GM Dayton Moore has heard from multiple teams about Mark Teahen, including the Red Sox, Cubs, Angels and Giants.
- The Braves "might be inclined to take a look at" Jose Guillen. The Royals would love to discuss Yunel Escobar.
- We've heard this before, but if Boston moves a reliever, it will most likely be Takashi Saito.
- Padres' closer Heath Bell may command the most attention amongst relievers.
- The Astros are likely to hold on to LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde, barring a collapse before the trade deadline.
- The Blue Jays would love to move BJ Ryan, but are more likely to see interest in Jason Frasor and Scott Downs.
- Bronson Arroyo is back on the trade block.
Jonathan Sanchez’s Trade Value Dropping
Brian Sabean once said he couldn't imagine trading Jonathan Sanchez. Now he may not be able to. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says the lefty flamethrower's stock has declined sharply. Baggarly writes:
Baggarly says the Indians reported interest "has cooled" and that teams view Sanchez as more of a bullpen arm. Baggarly adds,
Heyman On Valentine, Strasburg, Atkins
Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Nationals have already begun searching for a long-term manager, even though Manny Acta remains in charge. Here's what Heyman's hearing about a Nationals team that's been the center of attention recently:
- The Nationals are considering Bobby Valentine, who has a history of transforming losing teams into winners. Valentine's managing the Chiba Lotte Marines now, but they're not expected to bring him back after the season ends in November.
- Acting GM Mike Rizzo, is expected to become the full-time GM eventually.
- One small-market GM said he would have been prepared to spend $15-20MM on Stephen Strasburg if the phenom has slipped to his team on draft day.
- Heyman says the record-setting bonus Strasburg will receive won't change bonuses as we know them because he's an exceptional player who can demand more than others.
- Now that Jake Peavy's hurt and the Padres won't be able to deal him soon, no-trade clauses seem less appealing to GMs. Braves GM Frank Wren doesn't hand them out, and he says it's never prevented him from signing a player.
- It still doesn't look like Roy Oswalt will be dealt.
- The market for Brad Penny hasn't been great so far, but he could be more appealing to teams, without Peavy and Oswalt as options.
- Garrett Atkins makes $7MM, so it's not likely he'll be traded, but the Rockies may decide they're buyers, rather than sellers, if they continue to win.
- Jonathan Sanchez is on the market, but some scouts aren't impressed with his stuff.
- The A's plan to build around their young pitching.