Giants, Cubs Discussed Rowand-Fukudome Swap
The Giants and Cubs discussed a trade that would have sent Kosuke Fukudome to San Francisco for Aaron Rowand, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (all Twitter links). The bad contract swap appears to be a "long shot," however. If they can't trade Rowand, the Giants may listen to offers for Nate Schierholtz, according to Crasnick.
Cubs GM Jim Hendry pulled off a successful bad contract swap last offseason when he sent Milton Bradley to Seattle for Carlos Silva. Pulling off another such trade will be tricky, though. Rowand will earn $24MM through 2012 and Fukudome will become a free agent after earning $13.5MM in 2011, so the contracts are not perfect matches. Rowand has a limited no-trade clause and Fukudome has no-trade protection, so a potential deal could require the players' approval.
Rosenthal On Cubs, Greinke, Beltre, Pavano
The Mariners could presumably ask for a king’s ransom in exchange for Felix Hernandez, but Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports thinks Seattle should build around the reigning Cy Young Award winner, not trade him. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- The Cubs are still willing to trade Kosuke Fukudome, but they’d likely have to cover some of the $13.5MM the outfielder is set to earn in 2011.
- Were it not for his salary, the Reds might be a more serious suitor for Zack Greinke. However, a rival executive says Cincinnati is “tapped out,” payroll-wise.
- The Nationals’ pursuit of Greinke has slowed and one source says it’s because of the team’s reluctance to include Jordan Zimmermann in a potential deal.
- Adrian Beltre remains a “focus” for the Angels.
- The Rangers, however, are more inclined to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero and add a first baseman than pursue Beltre, according to Rosenthal’s sources.
- Don’t expect Texas to spend on a top free agent reliever, even if Neftali Feliz moves to the rotation.
- Kerry Wood wants a two-year, $12MM deal, Rosenthal reports.
- Another former Yankee, Carl Pavano, is searching for considerably more. He wants a three-year deal worth $10-11MM per season, one GM says. The Rangers are not pursuing Pavano right now.
Stark On Cubs, Kemp, Werth, Quentin
ESPN's Jayson Stark leads his latest Rumblings and Grumblings with scouts' opinions on pitchers Jorge de la Rosa, Vicente Padilla, Carl Pavano, Brian Fuentes, Randy Choate, Joaquin Benoit, and Koji Uehara. His rumors:
- Adrian Gonzalez's labrum cleanup surgery downgrades the chances of an offseason trade considerably.
- The Cubs "seem a lot less inclined" to trade Kosuke Fukudome and Carlos Zambrano, though some clubs believe they'd discuss the latter. Stark says there's a vibe the Cubs will not go after Adam Dunn for their first base opening, instead looking for an above-average defender.
- One team official who kicked the tires says of the Dodgers, "They ain't trading Matt Kemp."
- The Phillies are far apart with Jayson Werth and are exploring right field replacements. They've done extensive groundwork on Chicago's Carlos Quentin, and are considering Jeff Francoeur or Jermaine Dye for lesser roles. The Red Sox, by the way, are not willing to spend $100MM on Werth.
Red Sox Rumors: DeJesus, Matsuzaka, Crawford
There's been lots of chatter about the Red Sox and Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth, but Boston isn't necessarily committed to acquiring an outfielder through free agency. Here's the latest:
- The Red Sox "have their eye on bigger fish" than David DeJesus, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Lauber's source says the Red Sox weren't a serious bidder for DeJesus this week.
- The Red Sox tried to acquire DeJesus from the Royals before the A’s swooped in and made a deal for the outfielder, according to Alex Speier of WEEI.com. Back when the Red Sox tried to acquire DeJesus in July, they were willing to discuss top ten prospects with the Royals.
- Boston’s interest in DeJesus shows that they’re interested in exploring alternatives to free agency as they attempt to improve their outfield.
- Speier hears that the Mets would “certainly” entertain offers for Carlos Beltran.
- The Red Sox would have no interest in trading Daisuke Matsuzaka for Kosuke Fukudome, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald (on Twitter).
- Silverman also argues that Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre and John Buck should top Boston's list of offseason priorities. We heard yesterday that the Red Sox are eyeing Buck.
Chicago Rumors: Dunn, Fukudome, Rasmus, Quentin
Let's round up the latest from the Windy City in one post. First up, Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune with the latest on the Cubs…
- The Cubbies will not go overboard with their free agent spending because they vow to decrease payroll, so GM Jim Hendry needs to get creative to placate the fan base.
- First base is the team's first priority and they'd like to acquire a lefty bat, so Adam Dunn is a popular target. If they can't afford him, they could turn to Aubrey Huff or Victor Martinez.
- The Cubs might need to trade Kosuke Fukudome before signing any free agents, which won't be easy since he's owed $13.5MM in 2011. Hendry did find a taker for Milton Bradley last offseason though, so you never know.
- Starting pitching is also on the team's wishlist. Jon Garland could be one option after hinting at being interested in pitching for the Cubs last offseason.
- They would also like to add a veteran reliever to take some pressure off their young kids, but it's unclear if Kerry Wood will take a pay cut and assume a lesser role to return to the Cubs.
Now we'll head to the south side with Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune…
- The White Sox already have $80.4MM committed to just 13 players for next season, and that doesn't include what is likely to be a sizable arbitration raise for John Danks. That puts them in a bit of bind when it comes to adding a left-handed bat.
- They don't match up with the Cardinals for Colby Rasmus, who they're said to be targeting, though a trade is probably the route they'll have to go to add a bat.
- GM Kenny Williams could try to fill several holes by trading one player, which he did when he sent Javier Vazquez to the Braves and Nick Swisher to the Yankees two years ago. He could use one of excess starters, perhaps Edwin Jackson or Gavin Floyd. That last part is just my speculation though.
- The ChiSox also need to determine whether Carlos Quentin can return to his 2008 level, or if injuries will continue to take a toll.
- They could look to make trades soon, then examine the pool of non-tenders for affordable relief help.
Cubs May Continue Trading
The Cubs have already traded Ted Lilly, Ryan Theriot and Mike Fontenot, but they may not be done yet. Yesterday’s deal could actually be a precursor to more moves in August.
''It's hard to say if it'll be the last one,'' assistant GM Randy Bush told the Chicago Sun-Times. ''Anything that we can do that we feel is to the betterment of the organization we're going to continue to look at.''
Jeff Baker, Kosuke Fukudome and Xavier Nady could be traded this month. Fukudome makes $13.5MM next year, so his contract would clear waivers. Nady, who has just under $1MM remaining on his contract this year, could also be traded. He drew some interest from the Rangers back in July.
Cubs Willing To Eat Part Of Fukudome Contract
The Cubs would pay part of the $4.95MM remaining on Kosuke Fukudome's contract this year and quite a bit of his $13.5MM salary for 2011, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. In mid-June, Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com reported that the Cubs approached the Red Sox about Fukudome but didn't get far due to an unwillingness to take on "an appreciable amount" of the outfielder's contract. If both reporters are correct, the Cubs have changed their stance.
Fukudome, 33, is hitting .253/.356/.410 in 273 plate appearances this season. April has been Fukudome's best month in each of his three big league seasons. He slumped badly thereafter this year and in '08, though he hit well in July and August last year. Fukudome is capable of playing right and center field.
Olney’s Latest: Lee, Mets, Ibanez, Fukudome, DeJesus
In today's blog post at ESPN (Insider req'd), Buster Olney names the winners and losers in yesterday's Cliff Lee deal. Beyond the obvious, he says the Red Sox and Rays win because Lee stays away from the team they're chasing in the AL East while the Athletics and Angels lose because he's going to the team they're chasing in the AL West. Olney also dubs the Phillies losers because yesterday's trade again showed that they didn't receive as much as they could have for Lee when they traded him last winter.
Here are the rest of Buster's rumors…
- People within the Mets' front office are working under the assumption that they will not be able to expand payroll. Earlier this week we heard that the team liked the idea of acquiring Ted Lilly and taking on the now $5.55MM left on his deal as a way to move fewer prospects.
- The Phillies would prefer to move Raul Ibanez and the $17MM left on his deal to make room for top prospect Domonic Brown, but I can't imagine anyone will bite. Impending free agent Jayson Werth might go instead.
- Kosuke Fukudome's stock is falling, but the Cubs are still keeping the eye on the market for his services.
- The Royals are telling teams that they are going to hang on to David DeJesus until the trade deadline before deciding whether or not to move the outfielder.
Odds & Ends: Fukudome, Kemp, Lowell, Harang
Links for Friday, as the Rangers keep streaking…
- A few Cubs people told Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald that they're not trying to move Kosuke Fukudome as aggressively as it seems. The Cubs would still like to trade him, though.
- In a piece for the New York Times, Baseball-Reference creator Sean Forman says the Padres may be one above-average bat away from sustaining their surprisingly good start.
- Should the Dodgers trade Matt Kemp? Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports answers that question with a definite 'yes.'
- Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports that Mike Lowell's hip issues, which have landed him on the disabled list, prevented the completion of the deal that would have sent Lowell to Texas over the winter. Lowell tells Speier he knows his DL stint will hurt his trade value.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer wonders if the Reds could trade Aaron Harang.
- The Padres need to add a bat, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Check out my appearance on Bloomberg Sports' Ballpark Figures series right here.
- Joe Torre told Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that he would have room for Robinson Cano on his all-time Yankees team (Twitter link). Torre also managed All-Star second basemen Chuck Knoblauch and Alfonso Soriano in the Bronx.
- Kevin Kernan of the New York Post says it's the Mets' turn to make a big mid-summer acquisition. Kernan would like to see the Mets bring Cliff Lee back to the NL East.
- A person close to Lee told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that the lefty would not mind playing in New York.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post strongly endorses Bobby Valentine and Buck Showalter as managers. Sherman writes that the two skippers "are both fantastic at running a game" and would fit well in Florida and Baltimore, respectively.
Cubs Approached Red Sox About Fukudome
The Cubs recently approached the Red Sox about Kosuke Fukudome, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. Sources in both leagues told McAdam that the Red Sox did not engage the Cubs in talks because of the $21MM remaining on Fukudome’s contract. The Cubs are apparently unwilling to take on much of the $13MM Fukudome makes this year or the $13.5MM he makes next year.
The Red Sox are debating whether to rely on internal options like Daniel Nava and Darnell McDonald or pursue outside help to fill in while Jeremy Hermida, Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury are injured. They never exchanged names with the Cubs, according to McAdam.
The Cubs would like to deal Fukudome, according to recent FOX Sports reports. The 33-year-old is batting .281/.373/.456 with six homers. So far in his two-plus years in the majors, Fukudome has hit better in the first half (.798 OPS) than in the second (.736 OPS).