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Julio Lugo

Red Sox Trade Rumors

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It’s tough to get anything out of Boston these days; Theo Epstein has plugged all of his leaks.  Let’s see what we can piece together though.

According to Sean McAdams of The Providence Journal:

"Friends of the Rocket insist he’s sorry that he chose the Astros over the Red Sox."  McAdams mentions that Clemens would love a trade to Boston if it could be done without infuriating the Houston fanbase.  Also, a source of mine tells me that the Mets have inquired about Clemens.

Then there’s the possible three-way trade with the Rockies and Padres.  The Padres would get Mike Lowell, the Red Sox would get Ryan Shealy and a starter, and who knows what the Rockies would get. 

Don’t get that rumor confused with the other three-team scenario from Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe.  In that case, the Red Sox get Julio Lugo and Scott Linebrink, the Padres get Mike Lowell, and the D-Rays get prospects.      

Plus, Jayson Stark mentioned last night that the Red Sox are "making a late run at Alfonso Soriano."  He doesn’t have much more than that, but it can’t be dismissed.  Stark has also connected Boston to Jason Schmidt and Brad Lidge.

Carroll: Final Offers Made On Tejada

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In his the latest Will’s Mill, Will Carroll indicates that the Astros and Angels have put in their final bids for Miguel Tejada.  He also mentions that the Astros may turn to Julio Lugo if they can’t get Tejada.  In that case they’d have to compete with the Blue Jays.  Lugo was released by the Astros in 2003 by Gerry Hunsicker.  Chuck LaMar was a bad GM, but you have to give him credit for the Lugo signing and the Kazmir deal.  Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, right?

Carroll also tells us that not much is leaking out of Boston’s front office, so reporters are left to connect the dots with info from other teams.  He leaves us with hope for some action soon enough:

"One of my best sources says the first of the Red Sox deals will happen this afternoon."

Trade Rumor Roundup: 8 Days Left

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To begin with, this just isn’t true.  With the Kearns deal and probably Soriano trade, the 2006 deadline just can’t be classified as a dud.  That honor belongs to 2005 for sure.  The trading action never matches the buildup, but this year’s still a good one.

Read Ken Rosenthal’s latest.  The White Sox are in the Soriano game, the Rangers have interest in Luis Gonzalez, the Braves could add another reliever, Julio Lugo still might become a Blue Jay, and the Brewers look like sellers.  In my opinion, some Brewers besides Carlos Lee that could be unloaded: Geoff Jenkins, Corey Koskie, Brady Clark, and Dan Kolb.  Koskie will need to recover quickly from his concussion, however.

Still hearing that the Cubs like Willy Taveras, which would definitely fit their m.o. of players who don’t get on base.  Phil Rogers also mentions that Seattle’s Rafael Soriano is being asked about. It would be surprising to see the Mariners deal that kind of young talent.

Tons of great rumors coming from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  He’s got a rundown of the Red Sox, all sorts of teams scouting Humberto Sanchez, and more. 

Buster Olney mentioned in his blog today that the Astros are among various teams scouting Elmer Dessens.  The Astros are also looking at Damaso Marte.

Unfounded rumor department: Could the Dodgers be after Aramis Ramirez?  Ramirez has picked a fantastic time to heat up, and L.A. has some top shelf young talent…is there anywhere Julio Lugo could go besides Toronto?  How about the Rockies?

Trade Rumor Roundup: 10 Days Left

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Couple of fresh rumors surrounding the Padres’ third base vacancy, and I’m proud to say that MLBTradeRumors was able to deduce these in advance.  A week ago I compiled a spreadsheet of Kevin Towers’ trading history since 2001, nerd that I am.  From that we learned that Towers loves working with the Red Sox and also Bill Bavasi.  That he would consider Adrian Beltre and Mike Lowell for his vacancy followed logically.  Today, the Beltre rumor comes courtesy of Ken Rosenthal and Buster Olney threw down the Lowell rumor.  If those two big dogs fall through, Towers could pursue previous acquisitions Joe Randa or Rich Aurilia.

Plenty of speculation, newspaper articles, and quotes involving Julio Lugo heading to Toronto.  Not that this would be a bad move, but this club has a clear need for pitching.  Ricciardi only has so many bullets to fire as far as prospects and dollars.

ESPN’s Stark Market tells us that the Mets may have soured a bit on Lastings Milledge and could consider shipping him to Philadelphia for Bobby Abreu.  Meanwhile, Baseball Prospectus’s Jay Jaffe reminds us that Milledge’s most comparable player is Ruben Mateo, and recommends the deal for New York.

Wacky rumor involving A-Rod to the Phils made the message board rounds yesterday afternoon, but I think it’s safe to say there’s nothing to this one.  Mark Healey agrees.  The best part is that this one actually got all the way to A-Rod himself, who said he’d veto a deal to Philly.  Check out that Gotham Baseball column from Healey for some fresh rumorage.      

I was just checking my referrers, seeing where people are coming from when they land here at MLBTradeRumors.com.  A lot of the traffic comes from search engine queries.  Turns out someone recently found this site by Googling: "what does dayn perry have against royce clayton."  Now that’s a damn good question.

New Manny Scenario Discussed?

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A source close to the Mets organization has supplied me with a possible trade scenario that is being discussed.  It’s complicated, but I thought I’d put it out there.

Mets trade: Aaron Heilman, Cliff Floyd, Victor Diaz, Brian Bannister
Mets get: Manny Ramirez

TB trades: Julio Lugo, Joey Gathright
TB receives: Aaron Heilman, Victor Diaz, Bronson Arroyo

Red Sox trade: Manny Ramirez, Bronson Arroyo
Red Sox receive: Julio Lugo, Joey Gathright, Cliff Floyd, Brian Bannister

Wow.  I’m not sure if this is any more plausible than the other complicated possibilities floating around, but this is a solid source.  Let’s see if it passes the reality test.

The Mets give up Heilman, Floyd, Diaz, and Bannister for Manny.  That’s a huge bounty, but the only real gem there is Heilman.  Plus, Manny is still a superstar.  Diaz is a good outfield prospect, and Bannister is a B level starter with a low ceiling.  Floyd is a year away from free agency and expendable if Manny is acquired.  The Mets could always try to get Manny and keep Floyd, but Floyd hasn’t played RF since 2002.  I would say this portion is not too far-fetched.

How about Tampa Bay’s side of things?  First off, my guess is that upper management would be reluctant to package Lugo and Gathright together.  As with the Huff/Baez rumors, why not just trade them separately and maximize the return?  The demand is certainly there.  Lugo is a hot commodity right now, and the Rays have been asking for a lot of Gathright (Scott Olsen?).  Arroyo would make a great #2 for TB; I’ve projected him to lead the Red Sox in wins in 2006.  The team doesn’t have a need for Diaz in a stacked outfield.  Then again, he’d be a decent fit at first base.  They’d probably love to have Heilman in the rotation or closing games.  Overall, I’d label this part of the trade as somewhat questionable.

The Red Sox are basically getting three quality Major Leaguers in return for a superstar and a promising young starter.  Given Floyd’s injury record and impending free agency, I can see his inclusion.  Gathright hasn’t proven anything at the Major League level yet; only Lugo is a known quantity, and he’s also got free agency looming.  So if you look at it that way, things seem fair for the Red Sox.  The Mets might even have to throw in some cash to make this work for the Sox.       

Braves’ Andy Marte Available?

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Are you familiar with Atlanta Braves’ third baseman Andy Marte?  Before the 2005 season, Baseball Prospectus rated him the #1 prospect in the game. 

At age 21, Marte had an excellent 2/3 of a season for Triple A in ’05.  Marte posted a .372 OBP and .506 SLG for the Richmond Braves.  After Chipper Jones went down with an injury, Marte got a brief call-up to the Show on June 7th.  He didn’t play regularly, and made several trips back and forth to the minors after that. 

There had been whispers of Marte’s availability through trade, but it didn’t seem logical to me.  Deal away a 21 year-old top prospect simply because of Chipper Jones?  If there’s one thing Jones does not do particularly well, it’s play third base.  I know he’s the well-respected veteran, but a move back to left field to clear the way for Marte seemed like a no-brainer.

On Friday, Will Carroll casually mentioned that Marte could be had for Julio Lugo:

"The Braves are said to be offering BP’s 2005 #1 prospect Andy Marte in return, which would be a nice deal both ways, considering that Marte has fallen as far as fourth on the organization’s depth chart at third base."

Now, I knew Marte was unpopular, but fourth on the depth chart?  How did Pete Orr supplant Marte?  But Carroll proved correct.  Check out this excerpt about Marte from John Schuerholz’s interview Friday with Talking Chop:

Joe Hamrahi: Is there any possibility that Marte goes to camp at a different position or tries to learn a new position?

John Schuerholz: I don’t think so. I don’t think so. He’s too young…he’s a primary dominant third base candidate for a major league team in the very near future, whether it be for our team or someone else’s team. I mean this guy’s total package, offensively and defensively, his power potential, and excellent defensive skills make him a legitimate major league third baseman. Right now, though, there’s a guy named Chipper Jones ahead of him.

Italics added by me for emphasis.  That’s not something you say about the future of your franchise.  I think it’s pretty clear at this point that Marte is trade bait simply because he’s blocked by Chipper Jones.  Now, the Braves have a history of trading away top-billed prospects and having them not pan out.  But Marte looks like a can’t-miss future Eric Chavez (and then some). 

With that in mind, which teams have a need at third base and could give the Braves the players they need?

Dodgers – L.A. has a stacked farm system, but the Braves are probably looking for a shortstop and/or a closer.  While Cesar Izturis could be part of a future package, a deal probably won’t happen now for Marte.

Brewers – The Brew Crew could definitely give Marte an everyday opportunity at the hot corner.  Problem is, the Braves don’t have a strong need for Lyle Overbay.

Twins – I’d love to see Terry Ryan get creative and make a deal for Marte.  He’s got starting pitching and bullpen depth to deal from.

Devil Rays – Ultimately, they’re still in the best shape to acquire Marte.  It’s sounding more and more like Baez and Lugo for Marte would appease both clubs. 

 

Cubs Rumermongering: Lowe, Lugo, and Roberts?

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I caught a well-respected source shortly before he left for the winter meetings in Dallas today. 

He didn’t have anything on which way Rafael Furcal is leaning, but he did confirm that the Cubs’ offer of five years and about $50MM is on the table.  This is nothing new, but now you have one more source authenticating the fact that the Cubs guaranteed the fifth year.  Some sources have claimed that the Cubs came out of the gate with 5/50, but in reality their initial bid was four years and $38MM.

The Cubs are still in on Juan Pierre.  You’ve surely heard mention of interest from the Yankees, White Sox, and Padres lately.  Just a reminder that the Cubs do indeed have Pierre on their radar currently.

We’ve been talking about Milton Bradley for a week now, and talks are heating up with L.A.  Another name the Cubs are seriously considering is Derek Lowe. Lowe had a resurgent year in Los Angeles, and Hendry would feel much safer being able to pencil in 32 starts from him for ’06.  You can never have too much pitching.

Here and there, you may have heard that Carlos Zambrano could be had in a trade.  That’s absurd, of course.

Will Carroll mentioned in his Mill today that the Braves will snag Julio Lugo if Furcal departs.  It works the other way too – the Cubs will be hot on his trail if Furcal re-signs with Atlanta.

Finally, the Cubs are thinking about dealing for Dave Roberts to help out as a sort of utility outfielder.  The Padres have little need for him at this point.      

Cameron For Nady Rumor Has Legs

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A new Ken Rosenthal column was just posted over at Fox Sports.  Some interesting nuggets in there, including a few that confirm rumors we reported on earlier.

The rumored Mike Cameron for Xavier Nady swap we mentioned on Sunday may have legs.  Rosenthal adds that the Mets could spin Nady into a Manny Ramirez package if they don’t want to platoon him with Mike Jacobs.  Nady could make sense for the Red Sox, a team with question marks at third and second base.

Cameron could also end up in Baltimore or Arizona according to Rosenthal.

The column mentions some interest coming from the Braves on Trevor Hoffman.  I don’t buy this matchup, considering Hoffman’s outlandish demands.  The Braves don’t seem like the types to give three years or $27MM to a closer.

Rosenthal also adds some info to the Julio Lugo to the Braves rumor.  We confirmed before that the Braves would need more than Lugo to part with Andy Marte.  Rosenthal suggests Johnny Estrada and another prospect as a more reasonable package going to the D-Rays.

Thanks to Brian B.

   

Julio Lugo To The Braves

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Today the Tampa Tribune’s Scott Carter again brought up the idea of the Rays trading Julio Lugo.  This time, he named names:

"While it remains too early to determine whether any of those players will be traded, Atlanta’s interest in Lugo appears real. Atlanta catcher Johnny Estrada, third baseman Andy Marte and pitcher John Thomson, who had his $4.75 million option for next season picked up recently, are all believed to be available. Meanwhile, Baez and Huff continue to surface in trade rumors with the Mets and Red Sox that erupted at last year’s trade deadline."

RotoAuthority has already busted out 2006 projections for Lugo, so we won’t go into detail about that here.  But is the availability of Andy Marte legitimate?  Marte was ranked the #1 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball Prospectus in 2005.  I asked Scott Carter, the perpetrator of the rumor, to elaborate.  He told me:

"I don’t think you would see any kind of trade straight-up for those two. I’m sure for Braves to depart with Marte, they would want Lugo and possibly Gathright/Gomes or more."

If I’m the Rays, I’m speed-dialing Schuerholz to offer Gathright and Lugo for Marte.  Mark my words, the Devil Rays will be a contender by 2007.

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