Deadline Roundup: Mets, Washburn, Nats, Rays
Two Cy Young Award winners were traded this deadline and neither one of them was Roy Halladay. It's been a wild few days. Here's a recap of the action and here are some more details and reactions:
- Omar Minaya told Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post that the Mets couldn't find a trade partner because of what other teams were asking for.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo says Aaron Thompson is a pretty good return for Nick Johnson. it sure beats losing him for nothing after the season.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Mariners told the Yankees they had to give up an Austin Jackson-type player for Jarrod Washburn, who was dealt to Detroit.
- The Brewers were told they'd have to surrender Manny Parra, Alcides Escobar or Mat Gamel for Washburn, Sherman reports.
- Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that Washburn is open to returning to the Mariners in the offseason, when he hits free agency.
- Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski tells MLB.com's Jason Beck that the Tigers were "not close at all" to completing any other moves.
- Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says the Rays will look for help on the waiver wire in August.
- Any bobblehead collectors? Tomorrow night is still Victor Martinez bobblehead night in Cleveland, according to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.
- The Phillies, Cardinals, Red Sox and Tigers are Jon Heyman of SI.com's deadline winners. His losers? The Nats and Royals.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Wednesday
6:49pm: ESPN's Peter Gammons says the Dodgers are still in the mix for Halladay. Pros for the Dodgers are a number of Single-A and Double-A prospects and the willingness to take on Halladay's contract. Cons are a lack of near-ready pitching prospects, and absence of Toronto scouts at Dodger games.
5:02pm: ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian says he doesn't expect the Jays to deal Halladay because their asking price is "enormously high."
3:40pm: Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd told MLB.com that Halladay is not a fit for his team because the cost would be "devastating" financially and in terms of talent.
12:59pm: Wondering what kind of haul the Jays might bring in? ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick looks back at nine trades for top pitchers and shows that not all blockbusters are created equal.
11:08am: Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Brewers appear to be a threat to acquire Halladay. He's hearing Manny Parra's name and suspects Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar would have to be involved, too.
11:06am: Ricciardi told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark that talks are expected to intensify early next week. The Blue Jays haven't exchanged names with interested teams yet, but Ricciardi expects to tell teams what he's looking for by Monday.
That wouldn't leave much time before Tuesday's self-imposed deadline, but Ricciardi said it's a soft deadline.
Ricciardi says four teams are "really, really serious" about Halladay. The Phillies are believed to be one of his top suitors and Ricciardi confirmed that the Jays will scout Kyle Drabek's upcoming start.
8:33am: Here's what we heard yesterday: the Yankees and Mets aren't major threats to acquire Roy Halladay; the Cards are still involved; the Phillies are considering other options and may have told the Jays Kyle Drabek is off-limits; the Jays have imposed a pre-deadline of July 28th on the negotiations and GM J.P. Ricciardi says a trade is becoming "unlikely."
- Yahoo's Gordon Edes says the Phillies want Halladay more than Cliff Lee, but bellieve the Jays are asking for too much.
- Sportsnet.ca has a clip of Ricciardi saying a deal is unlikely.
- The Phillies won't publicly admit they're pursuing Doc, but Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer hears they're still interested.
- Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports suggests the Blue Jays have to consider trading Halladay because Ricciardi hasn't committed money to the right players.
Brewers DFA Chris Narveson, Call On Parra
The Brewers designated reliever Chris Narveson for assignment to make room for Manny Parra, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Narveson, a 27-year-old lefty, pitched 10.2 innings this year, striking out nine, allowing five walks and fifteen hits for an unsightly ERA of 8.44.
Discussion: Milwaukee Brewers
SATURDAY, 7:44pm: Brewers GM Doug Melvin did not approve of Braun's comments, telling Haudricourt Monday that he was "ticked off" upon hearing them.
“It was inappropriate for him to say what he said, and I’m not happy about it,” Melvin said on Monday. "To make the statements he made and also get on his teammates like that, it was irresponsible on his part. It just ticked me off.”
FRIDAY, 8:10pm: According to Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, you can count Ryan Braun in as a proponent of the Brewers pursuing a pitcher:
"To show everybody we’re for real, we can go out there and make a move and improve our ball club. We want to head in the right direction, not the wrong direction," Braun said after the team lost three of four to the Cubs. He said the Cubs "threw the ball a lot better than our starters did. They certainly swung the bats better than we did as well. Clearly, they were the better team."
11:31am: Yesterday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com suggested the Brewers have some questions to answer, including their rotation and whether or not to send Mat Gamel to Triple-A.
Tom Haudricourt thinks the Brewers need to act quickly to acquire a starting pitcher. "It's a tough market, depleted by injuries to Jake Peavy and Erik Bedard, but the Brewers need another arm to stay in the playoff race. That remains true even if [Dave] Bush and [Manny] Parra return to the rotation in the near future," says Haudricourt.
Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says "it's no secret" the Brewers are trying to add another player via trade before the end of July. However, the market is bare. Witrado says, "Based on what the Brewers are looking for (probably established pitching) and what potential sellers would want in return (probably younger pitching), [Doug] Melvin said there are fewer than 10 teams that could potentially 'match up' with the Brewers."
Witrado notes Gamel and Alcides Escobar are untouchable. "So to pull off a deal and keep the organization's two best prospects, a big-league player would probably have to be involved," says Witrado.
What would you do if you were running the Brewers? Who would you target and what would you give up? What would you do about Gamel?
Melvin On Brewers’ Pitching
Brewers GM Doug Melvin says the Brewers can't keep trading prospects away for pitching, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Brewers pulled off a deal for C.C. Sabathia last year, giving up Matt LaPorta, but they are apparently unwilling to trade Alcides Escobar or Mat Gamel this year. Here are more of Melvin's thoughts:
- It's harder to deal for pitching when other teams perceive you as vulnerable.
- It would be easier for Melvin to deal with Mariners GM and former Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik.
- Manny Parra will likely stay in the minors for four or five starts.
- Melvin talked with the manager and pitching coach down at Triple A Nashville to discuss his options there.
Brewers Discussing Possible Rotation Fixes
MLB.com's Adam McCalvy writes that the Brewers will meet this week to discuss a potential acquisition to boost a struggling rotation. Thursday's starter is currently "to be announced."
With Dave Bush's arm fatigue, and the demotion of Manny Parra and his 7.52 ERA to Triple-A Nashville, the Milwaukee rotation is looking hazy, to say the least. Writes McCalvy:
Melvin has been looking hard at potential trades, but it appears unlikely that he will be able to acquire a starter as early as this week."
Macha has also said that he's hesitant to move Seth McClung to the rotation, because he's so pleased with what McClung has done in relief this season.
McCalvy also names Tim Dillard, Lindsay Gulin, and Mike Burns, who made an effective spot start earlier in the season, as possibilities to be recalled from Nashville.
Personal speculation: the obvious name that comes to mind is Brad Penny, with all of the rumors surrounding the Boston right-hander. Who are some other names the Brewers could target?
Rosenthal’s Latest: Sexson, Dye
I feel bad for Ken Rosenthal’s family, as they won’t be seeing much of him until August 1st. He’s got another update for us tonight.
- The Mariners are hoping to unload Richie Sexson; can you blame them? To trade for Sexson now would be insane, even with the Ms eating half of the $14MM he’s owed in 2008. He has shown almost no signs of life this season. Rosenthal suggests a Sexson for Matt Morris swap but I’d much rather have Morris.
- The Brewers have considered the possibility of a Jermaine Dye trade. Kenny Williams apparently wants Derrick Turnbow or Manny Parra, which actually sounds reasonable.
- Rosenthal also has some info regarding role players Jeff Conine and Mark Loretta. But even I have a hard time getting worked up over that. I’d like to see a new, interesting name tossed into the rumor mill. Like when Roy Oswalt came up a year ago. How about Rafael Furcal or Jim Thome? They’re free agents after the ’08 season, they should be semi-available.