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Khalil Greene

Reds Rumors: Pitching, Greene, Hairston

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Here’s the latest from John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

  • GM Walt Jocketty said he will not be trading young pitching for a quick fix.  Still, you have to think Homer Bailey is available in the right deal for another young player.
  • Despite an earlier report to the contrary, the Reds are not interested in San Diego shortstop Khalil Greene.  If Jocketty is to acquire a shortstop, it’ll be a pre-arbitration player.  The Reds are shaky at shortstop – Alex Gonzalez is penciled in for next year, but he missed all of ’08 with a compression fracture in his knee.
  • The Reds like young backstop Ryan Hanigan, but they are still in the market for catchers.  Fay says Jocketty chatted with the Rangers regarding their surplus, though a recent report didn’t have Cincinnati in the mix.  Joel Sherman seems to indicate the Reds have interest in the Mets’ Brian Schneider.
  • Jocketty made progress toward re-signing Jerry Hairston Jr. (also on Philly’s radar), and he plans to talk to the agents for David Weathers, Jeremy Affeldt, and Mike Lincoln this week.

Orioles, Reds, Tigers, Jays Interested In Greene

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THURSDAY: Reds GM Walt Jocketty shot down the rumor that he was interested in Greene.  If he adds a shortstop, it’ll be a 0-3 guy.

TUESDAY, 11:21pm: Tom Krasovic adds the Blue Jays to the mix for Greene.  Padres GM Kevin Towers says Greene would likely be traded in a separate deal rather than packaged with Jake Peavy.

7:42pm: The Red Sox and Padres made a point to officially dismiss the idea of Crisp for Greene.

2:59pm: It seems that LaRue was saying both Crisp and Greene are available, not that one was offered for the other.  So, scratch the Crisp for Greene rumor.

11:13am: The Red Sox are offering Coco Crisp for Greene, according to Larry LaRue of The News Tribune.  That’d be surprising, as the Sox don’t figure to be in the market for a shortstop.

8:46am: According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Orioles, Reds, and Tigers are among the teams interested in Padres shortstop Khalil Greene.  GM Kevin Towers admits to having "nibbles" on Greene.

Prior to his self-inflicted broken hand, Greene hit a woeful .213/.260/.339 in 423 plate appearances.  The Padres filed a grievance to recover salary due to the injury, so they’re probably not on the best of terms right now.  Greene did not impress defensively either – he made four fewer plays than the average shortstop.  Greene is owed $6.5MM in 2009, and Krasovic says he turned down a four-year, $29MM offer a year ago.

Seemingly, the Padres would attempt to acquire a shortstop in a Jake Peavy trade if they move Greene.  Yunel Escobar and Ronny Cedeno have been mentioned in rumors. The Reds’ interest in Greene seems to indicate a lack of faith in Alex Gonzalez, presumably next year’s starting shortstop.

More Odds And Ends: Padres, Francoeur, Manny, Phillies

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A few more notes from the MLBiverse…

  • Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that the Padres have not set their ’09 payroll but that it could be as low as $40MM. Krasovic also notes that the Braves are not one of the teams that have inquired about Khalil Greene. Also, Kevin Towers continues to sound positive about the possibility of resigning Trevor Hoffman. The Padres have offered Hoffman a one-year deal for $4MM with a ’10 option at the same price.
  • Paul DePodesta comments about all of the rumors that are swirling on his personal blog.
  • We have heard this before, but now a Braves official is saying there have been no recent discussions involving Jeff Francoeur.
  • Jayson Stark discusses why a six-year deal for Manny Ramirez makes little sense.
  • Ken Mandel takes a closer look at the Phillies’ contract commitments and what they mean for the ’09 roster.

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

Tigers Want Short-Term Shortstop

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According to Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers seek a short-term solution at shortstop.  The Tigers like the idea of using prospect Cale Iorg in 2010.  That means they won’t be signing free agents Orlando Cabrera and Rafael Furcal.  The Tigers view the relief market in the way – they like their long-term options (Ryan Perry, for example).

The Tigers have "mild interest" in Khalil Greene, who is signed through 2009.  They don’t like his $6.5MM price tag, which might mean Jack Wilson is also too pricey.  John McDonald is a more affordable name on the radar (the pitchers certainly wouldn’t mind).

The Tigers have an eye on the Rangers’ catchers, Gerald Laird in particular.  It might be tough to make a deal, as the Tigers don’t have pitching to spare.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Furcal, Bradley, Greinke

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Another day, another Ken Rosenthal column.

  • The A’s have payroll flexibility, and are expressing "strong interest" in free agent shortstop Rafael Furcal.  Bobby Crosby is set to earn $5.25MM in ’09, but it makes sense to upgrade.
  • Contrary to previous reports, Rosenthal says the Tigers are not in on Furcal.  They’ll also pass on Francisco Rodriguez, which was expected.
  • Rosenthal discusses possible fits for Milton Bradley, including the Rays, Rangers, Blue Jays, Mets, Cardinals, and Phillies.  It will be hard to overlook the health risk and give Bradley a three-year deal, especially for an NL club.
  • Rosenthal confirms interest in Khalil Greene from the Orioles and Reds.  The Blue Jays and Tigers have also been mentioned.
  • There’s no way the Phillies can afford Manny Ramirez; a look at their ’09 commitments makes that clear.
  • The Royals hope to sign Zack Greinke and Alex Gordon to long-term extensions.  Rosenthal feels trade discussions could pick up for Greinke if the Royals can’t sign him.  Keith Law said the same yesterday.
  • The Padres will exercise Brian Giles’ $9MM option in the next day or two.

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.

Odds and Ends: Twins, Big Unit, Rockies

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Links and tidbits for Wednesday.  Remember to check back on this post for updates!

Cardinals Rumors: Pujols, Payroll, Needs

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Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the latest Cardinals buzz…

  • The Cards are going to stand pat with their starting rotation until they learn more about Chris Carpenter’s injury.  He’ll be examined in late November.  Strauss says a swing man type acquisition is possible as insurance.
  • The Cardinals are likely to approach Albert Pujols about an extension before he enters his 2011 option year.  Pujols will earn just $16MM in each of the ’09, ’10, and ’11 seasons.  Teams must be salivating at the prospect of Pujols on the free agent market, but the Cardinals will try to prevent that.  Pitchers Hit Eighth recently did a roundtable about this very topic.
  • The ’09 payroll is projected in the $106-108MM range.  The Cardinals have $20MM+ to spend, with the exact number depending on several arbitration cases.
  • The Cardinals need middle infielders and lefthanded relievers.  Strauss says, "The club prefers to deal from its surplus of righthanded relievers, outfielders, minor-league pitching and corner infielders."  I have argued about this in chats a bit…is there really a surplus here?  To me a surplus in baseball means more starters than positions (rather than just good depth).  The Cards have a starting outfield of Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, and Skip Schumaker, with Colby Rasmus coming on fast.  Rasmus will be a rookie, while Ankiel is a Boras client eligible for free agency after ’09.  There are other interesting players on the roster (Brian Barton, Joe Mather, Chris Duncan), but the Cards aren’t overflowing with starters.
  • Viva El Birdos contests the idea of a surplus of righty relievers, and would like to see Russ Springer re-signed.
  • Strauss says the Cardinals have yet to talk to the agents for Cesar Izturis and Felipe Lopez.  He sees players such as Rafael Furcal and Khalil Greene as possible middle infield targets.

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.

Odds and Ends: Pitt, Manny, White Sox

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Links for Friday…

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