Rosenthal On Buyers And Sellers
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports predicts whether six of the teams on the fringes of the playoff race will become buyers or sellers between now and July 31st, providing some rumors along the way:
- The Cardinals, who are not interested in Miguel Tejada, are tracking Mark DeRosa.
- Carl Pavano, Jamey Carroll and Rafael Betancourt could all become trade candidates.
- The Indians will only move Victor Martinez or Cliff Lee if they're overwhelmed.
- Rosenthal predicts the White Sox will be buyers. After all, their offense has lots of room for improvement and they're just 3.0 games behind Detroit.
- If the Rockies sell, they could have two impressive trade chips in Jason Marquis and Huston Street.
- One GM predicts that demand for Street will be so intense that he'll command more in return than Matt Holliday will for the A's.
- The Yankees, Rangers and Dodgers could have interest if Street hits the market.
- The Astros won't likely add payroll, but Rosenthal doesn't expect them to sell.
- Along with Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn, the Mariners have Adrian Beltre. We don't know if any of them will hit the market, but Beltre's been hitting better for the last six weeks.
- The Marlins are looking for a reliever who can set up for Matt Lindstrom.
- Rosenthal predicts the Marlins will try to compete for as long as possible before considering deals for Jorge Cantu, Dan Uggla and Jeremy Hermida.
Edes On Tejada, Nationals, Shapiro
Yahoo's Gordon Edes updates us on the Cardinals' search for a bat and more in his most recent column. Here are the details:
- The Cardinals aren't interested in Miguel Tejada, but they are looking to add offensive help at third or in the outfield.
- Some have criticized the Pirates for taking Tony Sanchez fourth overall, but Edes hears they chose him because they like his tools and believe he's polished enough to reach the majors before most players in the draft.
- The Nationals would move Elijah Dukes or Lastings Milledge. Ryan Zimmerman is their only untouchable player.
- The Rangers have interest in Nick Johnson.
- There is speculation that Indians GM Mark Shaprio could be promoted to club president, with Chris Antonetti becoming GM. Edes hears that we won't see an in-season shake-up.
- Bill Lajoie, one of the decision-makers behind the deal that sent Hanley Ramirez to Florida, doesn't second guess the move.
- Edes heard from one scouting director who believes Bryce Harper is stronger than Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez or Manny Ramirez when they were in high school. However, some scouts wonder whether Harper would be better if he didn't rush to the majors.
Morosi’s Latest: Orioles, Cardinals, Rangers
FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi writes that with the Orioles buried in fifth place in the AL East, look for the team to start moving some of their veterans. Morosi cites an "industry executive" who says that several teams have called about Aubrey Huff and Luke Scott, both lefthanded bats with some thump. He suggests that the Reds, Tigers, Giants and Braves could match up in a deal, noting that the Tigers pursued both Huff and Scott three years ago.
Here's the rest of Morosi's rumors:
- Triple-A outfielder Wilkin Ramirez is one of Detroit's best trade chips.
- Morosi echoes reports that the Cardinals are looking for a bat.
- One scout says that Miguel Tejada's defense has been better than most give him credit for. I can't imagine that will play a big role in determining his trade value, though.
- Texas is looking for an upgrade for their rotation, and would likely be in on Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt if they are made available.
- It's increasingly unlikely that the Red Sox will make a move for a shortstop with Nick Green holding his own and Jed Lowrie close to returning from a wrist injury.
Gammons On Street, Amezaga, Tejada
It's a fantasy baseball show, but Peter Gammons discussed the trade market on ESPN's Fantasy Focus today. Here are his latest rumors:
- The Red Sox like Ryan Spilborghs, but the Phillies and other teams are interested, too. Plus, the Rockies are looking much better under Jim Tracy, so they're not dealing yet.
- The Angels have targeted Huston Street, in case the Rockies become sellers.
- Several teams have interest in Matt Murton.
- Gammons compares Eric Young Jr. to a young Chone Figgins because of his versatility.
- Another versatile player, Alfredo Amezaga, would interest 6-8 contenders if the Marlins shopped him, but they're not about to make him available.
- The market for Miguel Tejada should be pretty good, if the Astros decide to trade him. The Red Sox could be among the interested teams. Tejada would be a good fit for the Cardinals, but Gammons doesn't see Drayton McLane allowing Ed Wade to trade a key player to their divisional rival.
Cardinals Interested In Miguel Tejada
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Cardinals "expanded their search for an additional hitter to include" Miguel Tejada. Since Troy Glaus is out for a while and Khalil Greene is still rehabbing, Tejada could fit on the left side of their infield and provide some offense.
Draft Roundup: White, Tejada, Fuentes
Here are some updates on the draft as we enter its final day…
- The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Indians will develop their first round pick, Alex White, as a reliever.
- Astros GM Ed Wade told Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle that the team's selection of shortstop Jiovanni Mier doesn't mean Miguel Tejada's about to be moved. Mier had said a scout told him the Astros would get rid of Tejada.
- MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo points out that more high school arms were selected than usual. Seven of the first 19 picks were prep pitchers.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports "indications" that the D'Backs will be able to sign their second and third highest picks, A.J. Pollock and Matt Davidson, soon.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says the Brewers could sign first round pick Eric Arnett soon with a bonus of about $1.2MM.
- As Mike Fitzpatrick of the AP reports, Carlos Beltran has high hopes for his cousin, Reymond Fuentes, who was drafted by the Red Sox in the first round.
Red Sox Discussing Shortstop Options
According to Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have "left no stone unturned" in their search for a shortstop. Rounding out the list of names are Omar Vizquel, Jack Wilson, J.J. Hardy, the aforementioned Orlando Cabrera, Bobby Crosby, Jason Donald, Miguel Tejada and a mystery shortstop with the Braves. Ideally, Jed Lowrie would make a speedy return from the DL before they begin making any decisions.
As noted earlier, the Sox inquired on Cabrera but apparently aren't interested.
What should the Sox do? Just speculation–could the Braves' shortstop be Yunel Escobar or is it someone else?
Heyman On Braves, Tejada, Helton
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Braves gave off the impression that Tom Glavine was merely a "famous, low-priced insurance policy" when they released him two days ago. He has more on the Braves and the rest of the majors; let's take a look:
- John Smoltz told Heyman that he once turned down $53MM from the Yankees to sign with the Braves for $30MM.
- The Braves are now unable to add payroll.
- That could make it tough for them to reacquire Mark DeRosa, who's on the block and would be a nice piece for Atlanta.
- One executive said Justin Upton has "a lot of Ken Griffey Jr. in him." Check out Tim's Q&A with Upton to see how the former number one pick handles the hype.
- Miguel Tejada's name has surfaced in trade talks, but most contenders see him as a third baseman and some don't like his bat anymore.
- The Rockies are willing to discuss dealing "nearly every player" they have. Heyman says "they'd probably love to find someone" to take on Todd Helton's contract. He's owed about $50MM still, so I'd think the chances are slim.
Odds And Ends: Nats, Astros, Putz, Brewers
More links for Friday afternoon…
- Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post believes the Lerner family and Stan Kasten have to take responsibility for a weak Nationals team and turn it around in Washington.
- Former Nats GM Jim Bowden told WUSA9 that in retrospect he wishes he'd kept a closer eye on the Nationals' actions in the Dominican.
- More from Richard Justice on his chat with Astros owner Drayton McLane. It's "likely" that Ivan Rodriguez, Jose Valverde and Miguel Tejada will be shopped.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says he wouldn't be surprised if Braves GM Frank Wren calls the Rockies about Ryan Spilborghs, now Colorado's fifth outfielder.
- Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Vicente Padilla wants to stay with the Rangers.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports J.J. Putz will undergo elbow surgery Tuesday and miss at least two months.
- An interesting tweet from Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: There's talk of the Red Sox having interest in J.J. Hardy.
- MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers are eyeing pitching in this year's draft. They'll have to wait until late in first round to acquire any, however, as they select 26th.
Odds & Ends: Tejada, Lohse, LaRussa
Some late night linkage as you wait to see if Randy Johnson picks up win number 300:
- Jeff Zrebiec says that the Orioles may end up releasing Jamie Walker in the coming days.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins will designate reliever Hayden Penn for assignment. It's unclear who will take his place on the roster.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson says not to expect to see Tom Glavine in a Nationals uniform, but the team wouldn't mind having him as pitching mentor/coach. Glavine and team president Stan Kasten have a long standing relationship.
- Miguel Tejada wants to finish his career in Houston. With the Astros already seven games back of first and a handful of teams looking for upgrades at shortstop and/or third base, Tejada probably won't get his wish.
- Kyle Lohse left tonight's start in the third inning when his right forearm discomfort returned. Just yesterday there was talk of the Cardinals dealing from their pitching depth to address their infield issues, but depth on the mound has a way of disappearing quickly.
- Tony LaRussa is suing Twitter. Whether Tony likes it or not, Twitter is here to stay.
Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.