Astros Pushing Tejada
Yahoo’s Jeff Passan talked to one GM who said the Astros are pushing Miguel Tejada hard. Problem is, there are no apparent suitors right now. Also, while Ed Wade will make every effort not to trade Jose Valverde, he wouldn’t rule it out.
Astros Will Not Trade Valverde
7:30pm: Ed Wade assured reporters today that Valverde will not be traded.
11:04am: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Astros are willing to trade Miguel Tejada. Teams are interested in him as a shortstop and third baseman. Rosenthal figures the Twins, Dodgers, Giants, and Angels could be matches. He adds that the Astros realize they’d have to eat some of Tejada’s $13MM for ’09. Richard Justice figures it’d require eating at least half.
Rosenthal says the Astros are not inclined to trade closer Jose Valverde. And Justice figures Ty Wigginton could be tough to move as his salary climbs toward $10MM.
Olney’s Latest: Manny, Peavy, Fuentes
ESPN’s Buster Olney has a bunch of new info in today’s blog.
- Olney continues to wonder if Manny Ramirez and Scott Boras will "wave the white flag" and accept the Dodgers’ offer of arbitration. It could result in a huge one-year salary, and the current market for Manny is not robust. However, Peter Abraham said in July that a condition of Manny’s trade was that he would decline arbitration. Did anyone else write this? Hopefully a journalist will ask Boras about it soon.
- Olney says the Cubs would love to have Adam Dunn in their lineup, but he’s a stretch as a full-time right fielder. The Cubs are willing to sacrifice some defense in right, but how much?
- Could Dunn or Pat Burrell wind up with the Rays on an affordable one-year deal?
- The Cubs and Padres "have a basic framework in place" for a Jake Peavy deal built around third baseman Josh Vitters. Things may pick up after the Cubs’ ownership situation is resolved.
- The Astros don’t have a ton of flexibility to move their high-salaried stars, but Jose Valverde is one they can deal without restriction. He’s due for a nice raise from this year’s $4.7MM.
- Olney suggests the Rockies were wise to trade Matt Holliday when they did, or they might’ve gotten significantly less.
- Olney speaks of "a belief within the Rockies’ organization" that Brian Fuentes could come back on a multiyear deal. The Rockies could trade Huston Street in that case.
- The Braves may push A.J. Burnett for an answer before C.C. Sabathia signs, in case the Yanks miss out on C.C. and come after Burnett.
- Apparently there is "serious tension" between Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland.
- Olney sees Rafael Furcal signing with the A’s.
Astros Decline To Offer Arb To Wolf, Brocail, Loretta
MLB.com’s Alyson Footer makes it official – the Astros did not offer arbitration to Type B free agents Randy Wolf and Mark Loretta or Type A free agent Doug Brocail. The Astros still hope to re-sign Brocail.
Just like the Cubs with Kerry Wood and the D’Backs with Adam Dunn, Wolf is a quality player who was not offered arbitration due to payroll concerns.
Richard Justice figures it may have come down to Wolf or Jose Valverde for the Astros, and they chose Valverde. Another note in Justice’s post – the Astros had their eye on Jose Ceda before he was traded to the Marlins.
Mets Will Try To Trade For Bullpen Help
The New York Times has sources who say the Mets will look to improve their bullpen through trades before starting more involved discussions with Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes.
According to the article, the Mets have had discussions with various teams about trading for Jose Valverde, J.J. Putz, Huston Street and Bobby Jenks and are considering free agent relievers Kerry Wood and Trevor Hoffman.
Even if the Mets add one of these relievers, they could still sign K-Rod or Fuentes in their efforts to completely remodel their bullpen.
This week Mets GM Omar Minaya said Fuentes’ asking price was “a bit high,” so the Mets are considering alternatives even though they will continue to pursue K-Rod and Fuentes.
Rangers Rumors: Byrd, Valverde, Littleton
We haven’t discussed the Rangers much lately. Let’s take a look at the latest from MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan (here and here). Hat tip: The Newberg Report.
- The interest shown in Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla has been "tentative at best."
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels wants Clay Buchholz from the Red Sox for one of his catchers, but Sullivan says the Sox made it clear Buchholz is not available under any circumstances. Sullivan suggests the Sox might be more inclined to trade Justin Masterson or Michael Bowden if they bolster their minor league pitching depth by signing Junichi Tazawa.
- Sullivan wonders if swapping John Mayberry Jr. for Greg Golson gives the Rangers the outfield depth to trade Marlon Byrd (perhaps because Golson is capable of playing center field).
- A club official told Sullivan it’s "doubtful" that the Rangers would be interested in Jose Valverde.
- Wes Littleton has drawn trade interest; he was designated for assignment last week.
Indians Rumors: Valverde, Street, Hudson
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer posted a few Indians nuggets in last night’s column.
- GM Mark Shapiro says he hasn’t made any offers to free agents yet. It sounds like payroll might land in the $75-80MM range, leaving the team with roughly $15MM to spend.
- Shapiro admitted that he would explore a trade for Jose Valverde if the Astros closer is truly available. Astros GM Ed Wade said yesterday, "I would love to see Jose here for a long time." The ‘Stros have him under team control for one more year, and there’s been speculation he could be dealt to save money.
- The Indians may attempt to acquire Huston Street if the Rockies’ asking price comes down.
- The Indians are interested in Orlando Hudson, who reportedly seeks a five-year, $50MM deal.
Odds and Ends: Wade, Crisp, Holliday
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- Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald wonders if Kerry Wood might accept an offer of arbitration from the Cubs.
- Hal Steinbrenner officially took over control of the Yankees from George.
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire takes a look at Jeremy Affeldt‘s motivations in signing early with the Giants.
- Check out recent fan chats with Astros GM Ed Wade and agent Scott Boras. Wade still hopes to sign Randy Wolf and Doug Brocail and doesn’t seem keen on trading Jose Valverde. Some fans didn’t seem to realize that just holding payroll steady will pose problems for the Astros.
- Joe Posnanski discusses the Royals’ acquisition of Coco Crisp.
- Nick Cafardo wonders if the Crisp trade sets up other moves for the Red Sox. They’ll explore signing Rocco Baldelli, according to Amalie Benjamin.
- Sox Machine reflects on Nick Swisher‘s time with the White Sox.
- A’s owner Lew Wolff would prefer to keep Matt Holliday all year.
- Tom Haudricourt wonders if the Brewers will pursue David DeJesus if they trade Mike Cameron.
- MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone lists which teams have been connected to the top free agent starting pitchers.
- Chad Finn wonders if the Red Sox are considering trading David Ortiz.
- Alan Schwarz has a nice article on Junichi Tazawa.
Astros Likely To Trade Valverde, Wigginton?
According to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros "seem likely to trade" closer Jose Valverde and third baseman Ty Wigginton in the next few weeks due to payroll concerns. Both players are arbitration-eligible, a year away from free agency. The Astros stand to save $10-15MM if they move both.
The Astros are aiming for a $100MM payroll, and both players would have to go to get there. And, there still may not be room to sign a starter like Randy Wolf, Randy Johnson, or Andy Pettitte.
It’s not a great time to trade a closer, as supply outstrips demand. The Indians could be a match for both players; they’ve already been linked to Wigginton.
Closer Roundup: K-Rod, Fuentes, Wood, Hoffman
Joel Sherman of the New York Post takes a look at the sudden surplus of potentially available closers in major league baseball, a situation that certainly benefits the Mets considering their need to upgrade the bullpen this offseason.
Two free agent closers that seemed destined to retire with their 2008 teams, Trevor Hoffman and Kerry Wood, now appear to be more available than was expected in October. That pair, along with Francisco Rodriguez and Brian Fuentes, give the Mets and other teams several options in free agency.
Other relief pitchers with experience in the 9th inning have been recently mentioned in trade rumors. The list includes Huston Street, who may move again before the 2009 season begins, along with JJ Putz, Jose Valverde, and Bobby Jenks, mentions Sherman.
Sherman also provides a short list of teams, beyond the Mets, that may need a reliever with closing experience for 2009. The Texas Rangers, seemingly always short on pitching these days, may be a good fit for Kerry Wood; the Detroit Tigers, the St. Louis Cardinals, and most recently the Milwaukee Brewers, faced with the sudden retirement of Salomon Torres, are also in need of 9th inning help.
Sherman suggests Fuentes may be the favorite for the Mets’ closing job at this point.