Latest On Peavy
9:53pm: More from Olney. The Padres are aggressively shopping Peavy, with the Braves and Dodgers two possible suitors. Olney’s sources believe Peavy will be dealt "in the weeks ahead." The Padres want two young pitchers and a near MLB-ready center fielder in return. The Braves and Dodgers could both meet that demand.
7:07pm: O’Brien has a new article up; he says the Braves and Padres have discussed Peavy. Not much is known beyond that. Paul DePodesta offers his thoughts on the situation, basically explaining that any player should be available for a compelling return. Thus far, the Padres haven’t received a compelling offer for Peavy.
10:04am: It’s early in the process, but Jake Peavy‘s availability has baseball fans all worked up. As a reminder, Peavy prefers the NL. He specifically likes Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. He considers L.A. a particularly good fit and therefore is open to the Angels. Peavy controls his fate, as he has a full no-trade clause. On to today’s links:
- Dylan Hernandez reminds us that the Dodgers are on Peavy’s short list, and they could lose ace Derek Lowe.
- Dave Cameron looks at the numbers and questions whether Peavy will continue to pitch like an ace. Are the Padres selling high?
- You may recall Buster Olney’s rumor yesterday that one team, "perhaps the Cardinals," is discussing the idea of adding Khalil Greene to a Peavy deal. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wonders if that team is instead the Braves, offering Yunel Escobar.
Latest Peavy Chatter
10:39am: More from Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Peavy has a strong preference for the NL, and wants to play for a winner. Axelrod mentioned Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis as cities that fit for Peavy and his family. Because of Peavy’s willingness to pitch in L.A., the Angels were named as a possibility by Axelrod.
8:27am: Let’s catch up on recent Jake Peavy articles. Dan Hayes of the North County Times wrote about Peavy Monday, quoting Padres GM Kevin Towers saying nothing is imminent. Hayes talked to several sources who say Peavy prefers to stay in the National League. The Padres have already approached him with hypothetical trade scenarios (Peavy has to approve any trade).
Regarding that no-trade clause – Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod is on record saying three AL teams could entice his client. But at the end of the season, Peavy said he wouldn’t accept a deal to the AL. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution spoke to someone claiming to be an old friend of Peavy’s. The friend agrees that Peavy wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause for an AL team, despite his agent’s statement.
The friend gave O’Brien all kinds of info, making the Braves sound like Peavy’s top choice. O’Brien adds that the Braves let Towers know they’re interested. Even if Peavy is picky about his destination, though, there is no reason for Towers to accept a package that does not begin with Jason Heyward or Tommy Hanson. He has plenty of time to explore possible Peavy trades.
The Cardinals may also be in the mix, according to Buster Olney. Olney says that one team, "perhaps the Cardinals," is discussing the idea of adding Khalil Greene to a Peavy deal.
Odds And Ends: Cardinals, Astros, K-Rod
Links for Saturday…
- It doesn’t sound like Jon Daniels has autonomy in Texas.
- Ian Hunter of Country 103.9 in Ontario recently talked to MLBTR about the Blue Jays. Click here to download the mp3.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty has talked to three or four of the Reds’ nine free agents. John Fay speculates those players are David Weathers, Jerry Hairston Jr., Mike Lincoln, and Jeremy Affeldt.
- The Padres’ grievance against shortstop Khalil Greene won’t be heard until spring. The case of Doyle Alexander may be a precedent; the Yankees were not able to recover any money after Alexander broke a knuckle by attacking a dugout wall in ’82.
- Matthew Leach of MLB.com takes a look at the Redbirds’ upcoming offseason. Leach estimates that after all the contract and arbitration items are settled, the Cards will have around $25MM to look for a middle infielder, a middle reliever, and perhaps a new closer or #4 or #5 type slugger.
- Likewise, earlier this week Astros MLB.com beat writer Alyson Footer reported on GM Ed Wade’s offseason plans. Wade is expected to make some tweaks to the roster, but it’s unlikely he’ll make any major moves. Footer suggests the Astros could look for a couple of rotation arms, and speculates on the possibility of signing Ben Sheets.
- The O.C. Register’s Mark Whicker doesn’t see Francisco Rodriguez coming back to the Angels.
Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 {at} umpbump {dot} com. Tim Dierkes also contributed to this post.
Padres Rumors: Greene, Team Needs
New Padres articles over at the San Diego Union-Tribune and MLB.com…
- The Padres filed a grievance against Khalil Greene based on his self-inflicted broken hand bone. They may seek to recover over $1MM. The Padres must be really tight on cash, as I’ve never heard of a team doing this (especially against a player under contract). Greene is owed $6.5MM in ’09.
- GM Kevin Towers admitted payroll may be lower than $58MM in 2009. Towers will surf the trade market for a veteran backup catcher and perhaps a reliever.
Padres Rumors: Maddux, Hoffman, Kouzmanoff, Greene, Bard
4:32pm: More from Towers – he’s had inquiries on Jake Peavy, Trevor Hoffman, Heath Bell, Kouzmanoff, and Greene. Potential deals will be assessed after the season, though Towers wants Hoffman to stay until the end of his career.
2:43pm: MLB.com’s Corey Brock has the latest on the Padres and Greg Maddux.
Maddux apparently will only accept a trade to a West Coast team, preferably the Dodgers. Padres GM Kevin Towers doesn’t mind trading within the division. The only piece missing is interest from L.A. They’ve got good pitching depth, but if Maddux could be added at a reasonable price, why not? The Professor has a 4.18 ERA this year.
Don’t expect to see younger Padres like Kevin Kouzmanoff, Khalil Greene, or Josh Bard on the move. Towers said a trade of any of those three is "very doubtful."
Cubs Rumors: Fuentes, Greene
Cubs beat writer Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald has a new blog post up.
- Miles’ Cubs sources "emphatically" denied interest in Padres shortstop Khalil Greene. And as we noted Monday, the San Diego Union-Tribune killed that rumor several hours after they posted it.
- Jim Hendry is in the market for a reliever, and Miles expects him to be one of many GMs inquiring on Colorado’s Brian Fuentes. Roughly a dozen teams are eyeing the lefty, so the Rox should get something good.
- Miles mentions the possibility of the Cubs pursuing an extra bat, presumably of the bench variety.
Cubs Inquired On Khalil Greene?
10:01pm: The below-referenced article has been pulled from the Union-Tribune website, so I assume it turned out to be untrue.
3:26pm: According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union Tribune, the Cubs recently inquired on Padres shortstop Khalil Greene. The Padres prefer not to sell low on Greene, however.
The Cubs have been linked to Greene in the past, and the Padres were asking about Felix Pie about a year ago. Perhaps Pie has lost the untouchable label with his .264/.315/.442 performance at Triple A. He’s hitting better lately, though.
Greene is on the first year of a two-year, $11MM deal. He’s said he wants to stay in San Diego, though Kevin Towers once suggested he might prefer to be on the East Coast near his family. Greene’s had a rough year with a .216/.264/.329 line in 375 plate appearances.
Olney’s Latest: Sexson, Ibanez, Ortiz
Buster Olney’s blog post is overloaded with rumors today. Here’s a rundown:
- Olney’s Speculation: Will the Red Sox will express interest in Khalil Greene with Julio Lugo on the DL for 4-6 weeks? Olney also wonders if the Dodgers will seek Huston Street if Takashi Saito is seriously hurt.
- Scout Speculation: Huston Street and Matt Murton to the Rays for prospects?
- Bobby Kielty was granted release by the Red Sox.
- Richie Sexson could decide where to go based on greatest offered playing time. I’d say that’s expected for a veteran starter.
- Olney says that requests for Max Scherzer are keeping the Dbacks from making any moves, such as for Raul Ibanez.
- David Ortiz is slated to return to the lineup on July 25th, which leaves the Red Sox less than a week to evaluate him and make a move if necessary. Olney details some options:
- Acquire a hitter during the waiver period after the deadline. This would rule out comparable replacements such as Matt Holliday or Mark Teixeira.
- Make a "preemptive strike" for Holliday or Teixeira costing them "at least one of their best prospects".
- Target a "second or third tier bat" such as Ibanez or Xavier Nady.
- Continue on with or without an effective Ortiz, hoping their offense is good enough.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Braun, Holliday, Kouzmanoff, Greene, Sabean
Let’s take a look at what is being said about some recent rumors, trades and signings in the Blogosphere…
- Right Field Bleachers sees the signing of Ryan Braun and Corey Hart to long-term deals as a "must" for the Brewers.
- Brewers Nation sees the Braun deal as evidence that Prince Fielder will not sign an extension even if the two situations are very different.
- Oleanders and Morning Glories thinks that if Nats’ management was hoping to sign Ryan Zimmerman to a Troy Tulowitzki-type deal, Braun’s deal may have raised the bar.
- Squawking Baseball sees the recent trend in giving long-term deals to young stars and wonders if the absence of top-level free agents in a few years will drive up free agency prices. If that happens, players may stop signing these extensions and the market will correct itself…The point is valid, but these players will still become free agents eventually. The difference is only that they will be free agents in their age 30 season (approximately) instead of their age 28 season. If there is a correction, it will only be minimal and would only last a year or two.
- The Tribe Time Report explains why Matt Holliday would be a perfect fit for the Indians even if it is only for a season and a half.
- Friar Forum does not seem surprised about the notion of the Padres selling off pieces sooner, rather than later. However, they would be surprised to see Kevin Kouzmanoff moved, noting that it is much more likely that the slew of free agents-to-be will be shipped to other clubs.
- The Southpaw would love to see the Jays make a push for Khalil Greene, but their scenario is contingent on the Padres also dealing Kouzmanoff.
- Sorry we missed this before, but in light of Brian Sabean’s recent comments, I felt it was worth noting that Bucs Dugout has been running a series of polls to determine the worst GM in baseball. The finals featured Sabean easily out-distancing his opponent, Ed Wade of the Astros.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Khalil Greene A Possibility For Jays?
Call it informed speculation, but Jeff Blair wonders if the Jays will make a run at Padres shortstop Khalil Greene. Blair points out that J.P. Ricciardi just missed drafting Greene in 2002.
Greene, 28, is off to a slow start this year (.208/.253/.318 in 170 plate appearances). He won’t get on base, but the power is legit. Greene makes $6.5MM in ’09 before free agent eligibility.
The problem is that the Padres likely hope to be competitive next year, and they don’t have any kind of replacement for Greene waiting in the wings. There are decent young shortstops without starting jobs, guys like Chin-lung Hu and Ronny Cedeno. But why would a team swap a cheap near big-league ready shortstop for Greene? Maybe the Padres will seek such a player in a separate deal and then move Greene. Or, Kevin Towers could sign one of the many free agent shortstops this winter.