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Milton Bradley

Perrotto’s Latest: Twins, Damon, Franklin, Penny, Dye

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John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus brings us his latest from around the leagues:

  • When they come off the DL, Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins will be used in relief. So, the Twins are hoping to add a starter who can pitch in the playoffs. This means they have until tomorrow at midnight to do so.
  • The Yankees would like to re-sign Johnny Damon to a one year deal and give Austin Jackson a second year to develop at Triple-A, while pursuing Matt Holliday and Jason Bay in the offseason.
  • The Marlins and Giants are frontrunners to land Brad Penny.
  • The Cardinals expect to exercise Ryan Franklin’s $2.75MM club option and then sign an extension with their closer for 2011.
  • The Royals want to extend G.M. Dayton Moore who is signed through 2010.
  • Perrotto says the Cubs are likely to deal Milton Bradley this winter, even if it means eating a large portion of the $21MM owed to him through 2011.
  • Jermaine Dye will more than likely not see his $12MM option exercised by the White Sox after a dip in production in tandem with the salary demands of Alex Rios and Jake Peavy.
  • For the postseason, the Dodgers are seeking “a left-handed bat with power” for their bench.
  • The Nats are auditioning Livan Hernandez as a veteran innings eater for 2010.
  • The Diamondbacks may non-tender Conor Jackson.
  • Brewers manager Ken Macha said G.M. Doug Melvin “scoured the area for pitching” before the deadline but was unable to add a starter because he refused to trade Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar.
  • After making seven trades this year, the Pirates are the youngest team in the MLB.

Cubs Rumors: Harden, Heilman, Bradley

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SATURDAY, 4:02pm: Ken Rosenthal said during a segment on FOX Saturday Baseball that a deal between the Twins and Cubs for right-hander Rich Harden could indeed happen.

Rosenthal made a couple of valid points: First, Harden is an impending free agent and the Cubs could always re-sign him in the winter. Second, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau have been pining for help and would be more inclined to sign long-term deals if Minnesota management shows a desire to win this season.

FRIDAY, 4:12pm: ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine reports that the Twins were in fact awarded the claim on Harden, and that the Giants were awarded the claim on Heilman.

9:03am: Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman were claimed on waivers yesterday, but that doesn't mean the Cubs are about to trade either pitcher away. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times hears that the Cubs hadn't even been contacted by the claiming teams as of late last night. Even if those teams do contact the Cubs, there's no guarantee that GM Jim Hendry would decide to deal either player.

The Cubs might be more open to moving Milton Bradley, but who would have interest? Wittenmyer considers the possibilities and concludes that the Blue Jays and Royals may be fits if the Cubs are willing to take on some of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's deal. It's been a disappointing season for Bradley, but he has still managed a .387 OBP.

Odds And Ends: Lee, Carroll, Bradley

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Because today's acquisition could be tomorrow's trade bait…

  • MLB.com's Todd Zolecki talks to Cliff Lee about his right to demand a trade after the season, as someone traded mid-year during a multi-year contract. Lee says he's focused on 2009. "I'm not even worried about that at all," Lee told Zolecki. "I've given zero thought to it. I'm worried about my next outing against Atlanta [on Saturday]. I really haven't put any thought into that at all." The Phillies hold a $9MM option on Lee for 2010. Also working against Lee demanding a trade: his new team would own his rights for three seasons, meaning Lee couldn't become a free agent until after the 2012 season.
  • Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer believes Jamey Carroll would be an attractive utility target for contending teams. Hoynes writes, "He's hitting .318 (27-for-85) in his past 24 games and .290 (65-for-224) overall with seven doubles, two triples, two homers, 20 RBI and 42 runs. He's played second base, third base, left field and right field."
  • Chicago Tribune columnist Phil Rogers advises the Cubs that they have only one choice with struggling outfielder Milton Bradley: release him. Says Rogers, "As of Wednesday, when Bradley declared he roots for nine-inning games because he can't wait to get home, Hendry no longer can cross his fingers and hope Bradley becomes the player he pictured he would be in right field at Wrigley Field. He has to do something to get him off the roster, the sooner the better."

Odds And Ends: Ackley, Reds, Bradley

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Some links for the morning…

  • Dustin Ackley will arrive in Seattle Monday to work out with the team, meet the media and officially sign his $7.5MM deal, according to MLB.com's Jim Street.
  • Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News says the Reds are desperate for starting pitching just a few months after it looked like their rotation was set.
  • This is not what the Cubs envisioned when they signed Milton Bradley to a multi-year deal last offseason. Bradley told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he "never" feels comfortable at Wrigley Field because he gets booed. However, he insists that he'll be all right in spite of the hatred he faces "on a daily basis."
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says Mets GM Omar Minaya looks clueless at times, but the mess hardly stops with him.

Cubs Acquire John Grabow, Tom Gorzelanny

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4:50pm: The Pirates' return of Hart, Ascanio, and Harrison is confirmed by a press release from the Cubs.  Gorzelanny will head to Triple A Iowa.  The Pirates keep adding arms; I guess this means they like Hart more than Gorzelanny.

4:47pm: ESPN Chicago says the Cubs sent pitchers Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio to Pittsburgh for Grabow and Gorzelanny.  Ed Price, via Twitter, says the Cubs are also sending third baseman Josh Harrison. 

4:43pm: Finally a possible name as part of the package going to Pittsburgh.   Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, via Twitter, hears pitching prospect Jay Jackson may be in the deal.  Jackson, a starting pitcher, was a ninth-round pick last year and ranked ninth on Baseball America's list of Cubs prospects.

3:22pm: Via Twitter, Kovacevic says Grabow and Gorzelanny to the Cubs is almost or "just about" done, while Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times says they closed the deal for Grabow. ESPNChicago's Jon Greenberg says the Cubs are "in the process of finalizing" the deal for Grabow.  Heyman terms the deal for both hurlers as "very close."

Gorzelanny, who is from Evergreen Park, IL, has a 2.48 ERA in 15 Triple A starts this year.  He won 14 games in the bigs in '07, but was derailed by back, shoulder, and finger problems in '08.  We still don't know what the Pirates will get back in this deal, but it ought to be something decent.

2:56pm: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Cubs and Pirates are discussing a deal that would send Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny to Chicago. No deal is in place and other teams remain interested in Grabow. 

2:21pm: Heyman (via Twitter) thinks the Cubs are getting closer on Grabow, and could acquire another pitcher as well.

1:27pm: SI's Jon Heyman says the Cubs and Pirates are in "serious discussions" about Grabow.

11:58am: ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Cubs are "strictly mining the lefthanded reliever market" and not looking for a bat.  Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald concurs.

10:51am: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say the Cubs prefer Pittsburgh's John Grabow over Washington's Joe Beimel, and they continue to discuss the lefty reliever with the Pirates.  The FOX report suggests the Cubs will stay internal for their Reed Johnson replacement.

Grabow currently ranks as a Type A free agent in the wacky world of Elias, but for his team to have a chance at draft picks they'd have to offer him arbitration and risk paying him more than $2.3MM if he accepts.

9:02am: The Cubs are looking for a left-handed hitter who can play right field, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  While they're not optimistic about a deal, the plan would be to create a platoon with the disappointing Milton Bradley.  Wittenmyer says the Cubs have about $2-3MM of payroll room to work with.

Two players on the radar: Mark Teahen of the Royals and Jeremy Hermida of the Marlins.  The Royals are looking for a center fielder in return, however.  Teahen has $1.37MM left on his contract.  Hermida has $847K remaining.  Both players can be under team control through 2011.  Either player would still leave some wiggle room for the Cubs to acquire a left-handed reliever.

Odds & Ends: Bradley, O’s, Mariners

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Some more interesting nuggets we've mined as we reel from the madness today:

Tigers Interested In Milton Bradley?

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3:01pm: Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reports "there has been no conversation with any team about Bradley."  We can probably now put these rumors to rest.

2:47pm: MLB.com's Jason Beck tweets, "Milton Bradley to Tigers? Not happening. According to one source, his name hasn't come up in Tigers discussions all year."

2:44pm: For what it's worth, the Chicago Sun-Times is also now reporting the rumor, but basically echoes the information below.  We've yet to recieve word from a major media outlet on possible negotiations.

1:41pm: ChicagoNow.com's David Kaplan has heard from "two very solid baseball sources" that the rumor is true.  

As Kaplan writes, "the Tigers have scouted Bradley and are interested depending on how much of his contract the Cubs are willing to eat."  A change of scenery would probably do the 31-year-old outfielder some good.  He's currently batting .242/.375/.368 with six home runs and 22 RBI in 231 at-bats.

1:32pm: According to Steve Stone of WSCR Chicago, the Tigers have shown some level of interest in Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley.  The rumor isn't being reported by any other source, and with Carlos Guillen back in the fold in Detroit, it doesn't make a ton of sense.  Perhaps Bradley could serve as the Tigers' DH.  We'll keep you updated if the rumor grows any more legs.

Milton Bradley’s 2011 Option Vests

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Cubs right fielder Milton Bradley made a pinch-hit plate appearance in the 11th inning against the Phillies tonight, marking his 75th game played in 2009.  The significance?  The games played milestone caused his 2011 option, worth $12MM, to vest.

Bradley's Cubs career has been a disappointment so far.  His .372 OBP is fine, but he's slugging only .369 and showing nothing as a left-handed hitter.  He's also been a negative on defense, based on UZR/150 (though we're only working with 527 innings).

Odds And Ends: Halladay, Yankees, Rangers

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Links for Tuesday morning…

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bradley, Red Sox, Nady, Corcoran, Giants

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Let's take a look at what some fans are writing about their favorite teams around the worldwide netweb…

  • Bleed Cubbie Blue says Milton Bradley must go. Bradley is hitting just .237-.355-.379, but the riff with Lou Piniella and off-the-field issues are the real problem.
  • Fire Brand of the American League wonders if shortstop might end up being a position of strength for the Red Sox.
  • River Ave. Blues looks back on the Xavier Nady trade, and says that even though Nady and Damaso Marte are hurt, it was the right move because the Yankees were just one game back of a playoff spot at the time.
  • USS Mariner says it's time for the team to wave goodbye to reliever Roy Corcoran. Considering he's allowed 37 baserunners in just 13.2 IP, can you blame them?
  • McCovey Chronicles muses about trade philosophies for the Giants.
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