Odds And Ends: Pedro, Milton, Halladay
Some links to check out after a surprisingly quick All-Star Game…
- Pedro Martinez will begin his tenure with the Phillies on the DL, according to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News.
- The Phillies will announce the signing at 11am CST.
- Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Pedro signing can't be the biggest move the Phillies make this month.
- Dodgers pitcher Eric Milton had back surgery and will likely miss the rest of the season according to ESPN.
- Roy Halladay says the Blue Jays have a lot to look forward to, but he's not sure this is their year, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
- I preview the offseason outfield market over at NESN.com so check out the Q&A for some thoughts on Johnny Damon, Jason Bay and Carl Crawford.
Phillies Sign Pedro Martinez
10:35pm: Andy Martino reports that the Phillies signed Pedro.
8:39pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki has confirmed that a press conference introducing Pedro as a member of the Phillies will take place tomorrow.
6:26pm: Gordon Edes, who first broke the news on Pedro's successful physical, now has a full story up on Yahoo! Sports. It's a nice roundup of the events leading towards Wednesday's press conference.
5:32pm: Martino reports the deal is worth around $1MM, with another $1.5MM in incentives. The Phillies are expected to make it all official with a press conference tomorrow.
4:41pm: Pedro Martinez passed his physical with the Phillies and is expected to sign a deal with the defending World Champions soon, according to Yahoo's Gordon Edes.
Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had no comment on Edes' report, according to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Pedro Martinez Rumors: Tuesday
Pedro Martinez starts his physical with the Phillies in about 20 minutes. Here are the latest rumors on the subject:
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says it's not a "slam dunk" that Pedro will pass the physical, but it's the only obstacle he faces and all signs point to an agreement in the near future.
- It's no surprise that David Murphy and Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News hear Pedro will sign if he passes his physical.
- Pedro told TV reporters that his poor showing last season was partially because of his father's death and his own health problems, according to Murphy.
Pedro Martinez To Take Physical For Phils
2:57pm: Martino says Pedro's physical will take place tomorrow morning at 10am CST.
11:52am: Andy Martino reports that Pedro landed in Philly for his physical.
10:37am: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the physical will take place tomorrow, which means Pedro could sign as soon as Wednesday. Pedro, who should be ready for the majors in about three weeks, is expected to sign for less than $5MM prorated.
8:42am: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says Pedro will fly to Philadelphia today and take a physical today or tomorrow. Martinez should sign in the coming days if he passes his physical.
1:35am: WCAU-TV's John Clark is reporting that Pedro Martinez "may be touching down in Philadelphia Monday to meet with Phillies officials." Tentative phrasing, but enough to catch ESPN's eye. That Marc Stein ESPN article credits Jayson Stark with some info as well:
After arriving, it is believed Martinez will take a physical, which appears to be the final obstacle standing in the way of the 37-year-old right-hander signing with the Phillies for the remainder of the season.
I'm thinking Pedro will get a couple million bucks, and we'll all talk about the prorated amount to make him feel better. If a deal is reached, does Martinez have enough left in the tank to bring down the Phils' 5.04 rotation ERA? The team's high-octane lineup would be paired with a rotation of Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ, Jamie Moyer, and Martinez. I'm curious to see where Pedro would slot into the playoff rotation should the Phillies' four-game division lead hold up.
More food for thought: ESPN's Buster Olney said Thursday that a Pedro signing wouldn't affect a Roy Halladay pursuit. Would Moyer be the odd man out in the event of a deal, despite the money owed to him through 2010?
Heyman On Deadline Deals
Jon Heyman of SI.com believes Roy Halladay will be traded before the end of the month. Here are some teams that could pursue him:
- The Phillies have the right combination of money, prospects and need to go after Doc.
- The Rangers probably don't have the money to take on the $14.25MM Halladay makes this year.
- It's hard to see the White Sox obtaining Halladay without surrendering Gordon Beckham in the deal.
- Heyman considers Beckham as close to untouchable as it gets, along with Neftali Feliz, Derek Holland, Brett Wallace and others.
Heyman lists over 30 trade candidates; here are some highlights:
- The A's may have to hold onto Matt Holliday and hope for a pair of high draft picks after the season, as Holliday's shown little power recently.
- The D'Backs aren't impressed by what the Brewers are willing to give up for Doug Davis, so they may try to keep him in Arizona.
- The offers for Chad Qualls may be too tempting for the D'Backs to ignore.
- "Teams will call" about Cliff Lee.
- Jose Valverde would be a trade candidate but for one thing: "the 'Stros don't like to sell."
And finally, a note on Pedro Martinez:
- Pedro should decide on his future soon. The Phillies are the favorites, followed by the Rangers.
Odds & Ends: Berroa, Futures Game, Yankees, Pedro, Rolen
There's no such thing as too many links…
- Most fans expressed their displeasure with the move in our comments, but Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus defends the Mets' signing of Angel Berroa.
- ESPN's Keith Law tell tells you everything you need to know about the prospects playing in this year's Futures Game, and then some. The game is tomorrow at 1pm CST.
- Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer comfirmed to NoMaas' Lane Meyer that the team has signed two draft picks, including seventh rounder Sean Black. Black was the highest unsigned pick in the 2006 draft, heading to Seton Hall instead of signing with the Nationals as the 59th overall selection.
- MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reports that Pedro Martinez "has said the parties are negotiating a deal," referring to his representatives and the Phillies.
- Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail says he's "hearing some interest in (Scott) Rolen." He mentions that there are a dozen scouts at tonight's Blue Jays game, including two from the Dodgers.
Pedro Martinez Rumors: Friday
4:54pm: The Phillies GM tells Stark that ESPN.com's report that he was in the Dominican is false, as he's in Philly, ready to watch his team play.
4:17pm: Stark says Pedro struck out three and allowed three hits over the course of three shutout innings in a simulated game.
3:55pm: Here's the full ESPN.com story. Amaro Jr. watched Pedro throw after a brief rain delay.
3:44pm: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark hears from his colleague Enrique Rojas that Ruben Amaro Jr. flew to the Dominican Republic today to watch Pedro throw.
10:43am: The Phillies are in serious talks with Pedro Martinez. They liked what they saw and they'll take another look at him today. In the meantime, here are the latest Pedro rumors.
- Ray Parrillo and Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer report that Pedro's agent says there's strong interest from both sides.
- ESPN.com reports that a deal with Pedro won't prevent the Phillies from pursuing Roy Halladay.
- Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies can win without Pedro.
Olney On Nats, Rockies, Halladay
ESPN.com's Buster Olney likes the looks of the Mariners, especially with a top three of Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn. Here are Olney's latest rumors:
- Nats GM Mike Rizzo says he doesn't have to dump payroll, which gives the team flexibility when considering deals for Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns and others. If they find a worthwhile deal, the Nationals could likely contribute money to make it work.
- As much as the Rockies would like to add a reliever, there are few desirable options out there now, so they may have to wait until closer to the deadline.
- No team has come forth with an aggressive offer for Roy Halladay so far.
- Olney hears that the Phillies would like to add two starters. Halladay and Pedro Martinez are the names they've been connected to recently.
Heyman On Halladay, Pedro, Ackley, Andruw
SI.com's Jon Heyman hears that the Blue Jays could keep Roy Halladay, especially since Toronto fans would not be receptive to a deal that sends their ace elsewhere. If the Jays do deal Halladay, they say they're looking for two premium prospects who will be ready for the majors next year and two other prospects who are further away from making big league contributions. Here are the details and the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- One executive says the Phillies, Giants and Angels have the best shots at acquiring Halladay.
- The Yankees and Mets have both spoken with the Blue Jays.
- It seems odd for teams to set some prospects off limits when the Jays are making Halladay available, but teams like the Rangers and Giants could conceivably deal for Doc and hold onto one or two of their top prospects.
- Executives haven't heard that the Blue Jays are trying to unload Vernon Wells' salary in a combined deal with Halladay.
- No executives believe teams would take Wells under any circumstances. They have "no shot" at moving him, according to one executive.
- Heyman credits Pedro Martinez's agent, Fern Cuza, for some impressive deals but doubts the report that suggested the Phillies will pay Pedro $4MM, unless it's prorated.
- Scott Boras met Mariners people to discuss second-overall pick Dustin Ackley, but the two sides made little progress.
- Heyman praises Andruw Jones for turning down offers from the Braves and Yankees to sign in Texas with coach Rudy Jaramillo.
Phils In “Serious Talks” With Pedro; No Deal Yet
7:56pm: Stark is now reporting that Pedro has changed his mind and will throw for the Phillies a second time on Friday at 1pm.
7:22pm: A source has told Jayson Stark that the Phillies have requested to see Pedro throw a second time “to see how his arm responds,” but that Pedro has refused. The source told Stark that Pedro feels the Phillies “have enough information to make a decision from his simulated game Tuesday and shouldn’t need him to throw again.”
7:18pm: Here is Todd Zolecki’s summary of the Pedro situation.
5:45pm: The AP has some quotes from Pedro and Amaro. Pedro says this is the best he has felt “for some time.” Amaro reiterated that Pedro has not been signed and that Pedro is “not in town.”
5:30pm: Jon Heyman spoke with Pedro’s agent who says Pedro will make a decision by Sunday.
5:29pm: Nobody has addressed this yet, but if the $4MM figure is accurate, it would most certainly have to be prorated, which would mean the Phillies would only pay Pedro about $2MM for the remainder of the season.
5:12pm: Zolecki is now reporting that Pedro has informed the AP that his agent “is negotiating” with the Phillies.
4:57pm: Amaro told Zolecki the Phillies haven’t signed Pedro, but wouldn’t say whether they had reached an agreement or if Pedro had a physical scheduled.
4:49pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Phils are in “pretty serious talks” with Pedro, but doesn’t confirm the report below.
4:15pm: Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. declined to comment on a report saying the Phillies signed Pedro Martinez, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. The report from CandelaDeportiva.com says Pedro signed for $4MM after showing off a fastball between 88 and 91 mph and good secondary pitches.