Indians Rumors: Haren, Blanton, Bedard, Inge
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer gets the Indians rumor mill churning.
- As we mentioned earlier today, the Indians have spoken to the A’s about Dan Haren and Joe Blanton. They’ve also inquired on Erik Bedard. The Tribe is quietly looking to pair C.C. Sabathia with another ace. Such an acquisition would soften the blow if Sabathia leaves after the ’08 season. Hoynes says a Haren acquisition might require one player from the Indians’ 25-man roster plus at least one near MLB-ready guy.
- The Tribe had brief talks with Detroit about Brandon Inge, but they’ve moved on. Doesn’t seem to be much interest in Inge.
- Cliff Lee and Kelly Shoppach weren’t part of the Jason Bay discussions. Instead, the Pirates were looking for a slew of the Indians’ best prospects. It seems the Bay talks have since cooled.
Bay To Indians Talks Revived, Then Dead Again?
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 2:24pm: The Indians and Pirates haven’t even talked about Bay since the Meetings began.
UPDATE, 12-5-07 at 10:58am: Buster Olney says these talks are dead.
FROM 12-5-07 at 7:35am:
According to Dejan Kovacevic, the Indians felt pressured when they saw the division-rival Tigers trade for Miguel Cabrera. Their response was to restart their conversations with the Pirates for outfielder Jason Bay.
A five-player trade is being discussed, apparently expanding upon the rumor originally reported by ESPN’s Steve Phillips. The Bucs would send Bay and catcher Ronny Paulino for Franklin Gutierrez, Kelly Shoppach, and Cliff Lee. Looks like the Pirates are seeking MLB-ready guys, though they wanted prospects from the Rangers yesterday. Late last night it was also said that the Padres had jumped into the fray for Bay.
It’s decent value for Bay, who should really only be traded this winter if the Pirates feel his decline is for real. It’s not surprising to see the Tribe in on Bay, since the Pirates’ GM came from their organization.
Crasnick’s Latest: Lee, Wells, Bay
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick just cranked out a bunch of good stuff.
- The Indians have talked to the Cardinals about sending Cliff Lee over for Anthony Reyes and catcher Bryan Anderson.
- The Giants could trade for Ben Broussard, but want to see if he’s non-tendered first.
- Kip Wells is being marketed as a setup man, since things didn’t work out as a starter. Who knows, he puts a few mph on the heater in relief and maybe he takes off.
- Crasnick kills the Bay for Shoppach/Lee rumor…didn’t seem right to begin with.
Pirates Rumors: Bay, McLouth, Morris
MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch jumps into the fray with her own set of Pirates rumors.
- Jason Bay rumors are flying around. Langosch mentions Steve Phillips’ rumor at ESPN: Kelly Shoppach and Cliff Lee for Bay. Andy Marte could be involved as well.
- The Rangers have decided they desire a corner outfielder, and moved from Nate McLouth to Bay accordingly. Langosch suggests the Rangers would send relievers over to Pittsburgh – now that would be a bad trade for the Bucs.
- McLouth, by the way, is drawing interest from the Giants and Padres. He’s also been linked to the Marlins.
- The Rockies may have some interest in Matt Morris.
- Dealing Morris might allow the Bucs to give Brett Tomko what he wants – an opportunity to start. The Pirates will meet with Tomko’s agent this week.
Odds and Ends: Burke, Nathan, Adam Miller
Here we go, another collection of random rumors.
- Chris Burke is definitely getting traded. Though Burke was the 10th overall pick in 2001, he’ll be 28 in March and sports a career line of .249/.319/.377.
- Joe Nathan is in Nashville, and seemed amused by the closer vacancies in San Francisco and Milwaukee.
- The Royals have $25MM to burn, and whether or not it makes sense they’re damn well going to spend it.
- The Indians refused to trade Adam Miller for Delmon Young. Paul Hoynes suggests the Tribe tried to push Cliff Lee for Young instead but Lee was too expensive for the Rays. The Indians have a few extra starters and a backup catcher capable of full-time duty in Kelly Shoppach. They’re reluctant to make a deal on both fronts.
- Lew Ford is closing in on a deal with the Hanshin Tigers.
- Johan Santana WHIFF Profile courtesy of friend of MLBTR Tom Koch-Weser.
Pirates, Indians Talking Bay
We’ve known for a while now that the Pirates have outfielder Jason Bay on the block. A big deal for Bay could put new Pirates GM Neal Huntington on the map. According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, the Indians are engaged in talks for Bay. This isn’t a big surprise, since Huntington came from the Cleveland organization.
Trading Bay now seems like a sell-low move, unless the Bucs feel Bay won’t bounce back in 2008. Andy Marte, Cliff Lee, and Jeremy Sowers could be available from the Tribe. Silverman notes that Indians’ backup catcher Kelly Shoppach has been mentioned in the talks with Pittsburgh. Shoppach would be a capable starter for most teams. The Indians could also part with an outfielder, perhaps Shin-Soo Choo or Ben Francisco.
While the White Sox have also been linked to Bay, Dejan Kovacevic says there’s nothing cooking right now.