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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Holliday, Manny, Swisher, Johnson

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A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…

  • Cardinals Diaspora would love to see the Cardinals land Matt Holliday but does not think the front office will have the guts to make the move.
  • Oriole Post is not sure the Orioles are truly interested in Manny Ramirez. If there is indeed interest, Oriole Post thinks the O’s should pass.
  • MetsBlog does not see the Mets going after Manny Ramirez even if the Yankees and Angels drop out of consideration.
  • River Ave. Blues makes a case for the Yankees trading for Nick Swisher over signing Mark Teixeira to play first base.
  • Talking Chop argues for keeping Yunel Escobar and moving Kelly Johnson for a power bat.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Cards Won’t Rule Out Ludwick/Ankiel Trade

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Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch dug into the rumors that Cardinals outfielders Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel might be available.  It seems that the Cards will listen on them, but with caveats: GM John Mozeliak says there’s a "high likelihood" both stay, and a trade is just one of many scenarios.

Strauss confirms the recent chatter from Dave O’Brien – the Braves are interested, and would be willing to give up Kelly Johnson or Yunel Escobar if they don’t trade one of them in a Jake Peavy deal.  The Cardinals like both infielders, but would probably require "significant minor league pitching" to be added by the Braves.

Braves Rumors: Ludwick, Johnson, Escobar, Francoeur

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David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has all kinds of Braves info, found in the body and comments of his latest blog post.

  • The Braves have expressed interest in Ryan Ludwick, and the Cardinals would be willing to take Kelly Johnson or Yunel Escobar in return.  However, the Braves would probably have to include one of their middle infielders in a Jake Peavy deal and don’t want to trade both this winter.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren publicly acknowledged the Peavy trade talks.  O’Brien believes a package built around Escobar has a chance.  Pitching prospect Tommy Hanson is not available.  The Braves don’t have interest in Khalil Greene, by the way.
  • The Braves aren’t looking to sign health risk-starters like Ben Sheets and Brad Penny.
  • The Braves have an eye on the available White Sox veterans: Jermaine Dye, Nick Swisher, and Javier Vazquez.
  • The latest word on Atlanta’s offer to Junichi Tazawa: a $4-5MM signing bonus and a four-year contract, which wouldn’t be counted against ’09 payroll.  Speaking of Tazawa – the Rangers are in on him too.
  • The Braves are not shopping Jeff Francoeur.  His name has not surfaced in trade talks.

Boras Makes Pitch For Felipe Lopez

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Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has some good stuff tonight:

  • Scott Boras made his pitch for infielder Felipe Lopez, suggesting Lopez "re-established" himself in 169 plate appearances with the Cardinals.  He hopes to find Lopez a starting gig and a multiyear deal.  Piecoro heard Lopez would love to play for Arizona, but isn’t sure if the interest is mutual.
  • Adam Dunn does not have a positional preference – he’s open to first base or either of the outfield corners.  Piecoro’s heard Dunn prefers the NL, just like Pat Burrell.
  • Piecoro likes the fit with Kelly Johnson for the D’Backs, but isn’t sure who they’d send in return.
  • If the D’Backs fail to re-sign Randy Johnson, they’ll probably look at bargain free agent starters in January.  If it’s true that the Diamondbacks have just $3-5MM budgeted for Johnson, he’s gone.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Tex, Furcal, Johnson, Lofton

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Here’s a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • If they are to sign Mark Teixeira, the Angels would like to do it quickly.  However, it’s Scott Boras’ custom to let the market develop until late December or so.  It’s possible the Angels change gears on November 14th.  There are other big names to pursue, though none fit as perfectly as Tex.
  • Rosenthal’s worst case scenario for the Yankees: C.C. Sabathia goes to a West Coast team while A.J. Burnett re-signs with Toronto.  The Jays truly are in the mix for Burnett.  ESPN’s Keith Law says Burnett expects to receive multiple five-year offers.
  • The Orioles plan to make serious offers to Teixeira and Burnett.  Still, both are considered long shots for Baltimore.  Another note: the Orioles were one of the teams the Yankees outbid for Sergio Mitre.
  • The Dodgers are considered "a good bet" to re-sign Rafael Furcal.  The Giants have their eye on him if he hits the open market.
  • About ten teams have inquired on Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson.  We had a Cardinals rumor yesterday.
  • The Rangers figure to trade one or two of their catchers, with Gerald Laird a strong candidate to be traded.  The Red Sox and Marlins are looking for catching, though the Rangers are wary of Florida’s Scott Olsen.
  • Rosenthal wonders if Brandon Webb could leave the D’Backs after the 2010 season.
  • Kenny Lofton wants to play in 2009.

Braves Rumors: Ludwick, Dempster, Francoeur

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David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has been churning out rumors in the comments section of his blog.

  • He believes the Braves are interested in Ryan Ludwick, but is not sure if they’d give up Kelly Johnson.  O’Brien also suggests Rick Ankiel could be available, and that either player would interest Atlanta.
  • O’Brien says the Cubs offered three years, $36MM to Ryan Dempster.  Most folks think he’ll re-sign, but the Braves have spoken to Dempster’s agent.
  • He adds that the Braves will make an offer to Mike Hampton, though Hampton will shop around and may prefer the West Coast.  He’s looking for a one-year deal.
  • The Royals still love Jeff Francoeur.

Kelly Johnson-Ryan Ludwick Rumor

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A whisper from David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Here’s a rumor you might be hearing soon. I repeat, might be hearing.  Kelly Johnson for Ryan Ludwick. Hey, you ask about whispers, I give you whispers. I’ll let you know if I hear it said above a whisper.

Johnson and Ludwick are both under team control for three more seasons.  Johnson is 27 in February, while Ludwick is 30.  Though Johnson plays a premium position, Ludwick was probably more valuable in 2008.  Thoughts?

Peavy Rumors: Wednesday

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Another day, another batch of Jake Peavy links.

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to several executives.  They expect Peavy will be traded to the Braves for Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schafer, and one of Kelly Johnson/Yunel Escobar.  This scenario becomes more plausible to me if Johnson/Escobar is replaced with a lesser player.  But, maybe I am misguided.  Buster Olney also talked to execs who envision a Hanson/Schafer/Johnson package.
  • Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune checked with Towers and Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod, and learned that Peavy has a clean bill of health.  Krasovic also discusses Peavy’s violent delivery and minimal usage of his changeup.
  • Chipper Jones likes the idea of the Braves acquiring Peavy, and also would welcome A.J. Burnett as a teammate.
  • Axelrod agrees that the Braves are the frontrunner and the Astros may not have the goods for Peavy.  He downplayed Peavy’s friendship with Roy Oswalt as a factor in his decision.

Peavy Rumors: Monday

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Let’s kick off the day with a roundup of Jake Peavy rumors.

  • Peavy is not a fan of the American League or New York, so don’t look for him to land with the Yankees or Mets.  The Mets don’t seem interested anyway.
  • David O’Brien figures the Braves will have to surrender Yunel Escobar, Kelly Johnson, Tommy Hanson to get it done.  Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein says Hanson flies under the radar a bit, as he belongs in any discussion of the game’s top pitching prospects.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Padres were doing a lot of background work recently on Braves center field prospect Jordan Schafer.
  • Despite Peavy’s wishes, the Padres have identified four possible AL trading partners for him: the Yankees, Angels, Rangers, and Red Sox.  Peavy’s agent says he hasn’t closed any doors but the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman believes the Red Sox or Yankees would have to pay a steep price in extra compensation to entice the pitcher.

Latest Peavy Rumors

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9:03pm: Lots of good stuff from yesterday’s San Diego Union-Tribune that we haven’t covered.  First, Kevin Towers says he’s looking for young controllable pitching and then middle infielders in a package for Peavy.  No mention of a center field focus, which had been mentioned previously.

Additionally, Towers explained that the Astros do not match up well given his stated desire for multiple young pitchers.  So far the Braves look like the best fit.

On the Cardinals front, Joe Strauss says the team’s scouts met this week and are enthusiastic about pursuing Peavy.  Strauss’s sources say Peavy’s availability "loosened the organization’s grip on younger talent."  Viva El Birdos believes Peavy would cost top prospect Colby Rasmus and then some.  Despite Towers’ stated focus on starting pitching, an offer including Rasmus would have to give him pause.

3:26pm: The latest from the Jake Peavy universe:

While the Astros were high on the list of contenders yesterday, MLB.com Astros beat writer Alyson Footer isn’t so sure. According to Footer, sources named the Dodgers and the Braves as the two teams drawing the most interest, and said a deal could be in place within a week.

12:00pm: We had a good running mill of Jake Peavy rumors yesterday, but the stove is still hot. According to MLB.com beat writer Mark Bowman, the Braves are preparing a pitch for the Padres ace.

Citing a team official knowledgeable on the situation, Bowman reports the Braves have already had preliminary discussions with the Padres to gauge what kind of package would have to be put together to land the former Cy Young winner.

At this point, writes Bowman, the Braves are essentially in a holding pattern, waiting for the Padres to consider other deals from other teams. And it might be a long wait.

According to the report, the package the Braves are preparing would include top prospects, but it could also be improved if either second baseman Kelly Johnson or shortstop Yunel Escobar are included. Bowman thinks the Padres would have to include Khalil Greene for the Braves to consider dealing Escobar.

Peavy has said he’d waive his no-trade clause to pitch for Atlanta.

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 -at- umpbump -dot- com.  Tim Dierkes also contributed to this post.

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