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Gammons On The Cubs’ Starter Pursuit

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ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a new blog entry up, with the focus on the Cubs’ desire to add a starting pitcher.  Gammons talked to a Cubs official who said, "We almost certainly will do something.  But we really don’t want to give up Sean Gallagher at this point."

Here’s a quick rundown of the candidates:

  • C.C. Sabathia – Cubs don’t believe they have enough to get him.
  • Rich Harden – Gammons doesn’t specifically say the Cubs are interested, just that they’re monitoring Oakland.
  • Randy Wolf – The Cubs have interest, and Gammons says Wolf would waive his no-trade to go to a contender.  Plus, Wolf treated the Cubs well when they courted him in the 2006-07 offseason.  Gammons adds that the Padres still like Matt Murton.  History has shown that Jim Hendry and Kevin Towers work well together on trades.
  • A.J. Burnett – The Cubs "also keep looking" at him.  Last Thursday, Gammons’ colleague Jayson Stark hadn’t found "any indication that the Cubs have even batted his name around."
  • Aaron Cook – Gammons says the Cubs would love him, but Rockies’ GM Dan O’Dowd said earlier this month, "We’re not doing anything with Cookie."
  • Bronson Arroyo, Kevin Millwood – Gammons says the Cubs have "kicked around" these names.

Padres Likely To Sell

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The Padres have lost eight in a row, slipping to 9.5 games out in the NL West.  CEO Sandy Alderson says "it’s probably easier to see us as sellers at this point."  He added that they could still look to buy if the Padres can creep up to 6.5 games out by the break (which begins July 14th).  Here’s another look at the team’s top trade chips:

  • Tim Sullivan says southpaw starter Randy Wolf is "almost certainly gone."  Wolf was having a very similar season in ’07 but was done by July 3rd.  Aside from health concerns, Wolf has a 14-team no-trade clause that includes many Midwest clubs.  The Phillies, Yankees, or Mets could make sense.
  • Greg Maddux isn’t talking much about whether he’d waive his no-trade clause.  Fans have speculated he could go back to Atlanta or Chicago.
  • Brian Giles wants to stay in San Diego, and can veto trades to eight teams.  He also gets a salary boost if traded.  Would Oakland be a fit?

Olney’s Latest: Wolf, Lohse, Sabathia, Fuentes, Oswalt, Bailey

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Buster Olney has a new column up. Let’s take a look:

  • He suggests Randy Wolf as a "possible trade chip" with the Padres looking increasingly out of it this year. One problem: Wolf has veto power over trades to 14 teams. He’s been decent this year, with a 4.13 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 98 innings, but nothing to get too excited over.
  • Gossip item: the Mets could have had Kyle Lohse for what the Cardinals are paying ($4.25MM), only Omar Minaya passed.
  • Olney doesn’t see much in the speculation about the Angels wanting C.C. Sabathia. With Kelvim Escobar’s rehab going well, great first-half performances from Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, and John Lackey likely to improve going forward, why should they make a push for C.C.? Olney sees the Brewers and the Cubs as more interested parties. (Ken Rosenthal mentioned the Brewers and the Rays as C.C. suitors yesterday.) Later in the post, Olney notes that Sabathia has a 1.96 ERA in his last fourteen starts. Yowza.
  • How the Rockies fare over the next two weeks could determine what becomes of Brian Fuentes.
  • Olney can’t decide whether the Orioles should buy or sell. What do you think?
  • Roy Oswalt won’t get traded, with Olney linking to the Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice for his evidence. (Oswalt has, of course, been talking like he’d prefer to be somewhere else.) Also working against a deal for Oswalt: his continued experiments with pitching to contact (to keep the ol’ pitch count down) haven’t been going very well this year, either. His K/9 has been declining for years, of course, but it may have reached a point of no return this season. Whatever happens, I’m sure the ’stros would prefer to move him at peak value, not right now when he has a 4.77 ERA.
  • Homer Bailey, back in Triple A Louisville, isn’t getting any love from the scout quoted here, who says he threw "batting practice fastballs." Bailey was 0-3 with a 8.73 ERA in the majors this year after a hotly anticipated call-up. Given the bounty of young arms they already have, the Reds would probably prefer to trade him…but alas, his value has dropped the way his curveball used to. 

Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro and can be reached here.

Olney’s Latest: Rockies, Padres, Braves, Sabathia

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Today let’s take a look at Buster Olney’s blog.

  • Executives from the Rockies and Padres are telling other clubs that they will not be sellers.  They’ve climbed back into the race with the recent D’Backs slump.  Popular trade rumor names like Brian Fuentes, Greg Maddux, and Randy Wolf may be off the market.
  • Olney runs through some scenarios for Mark Teixeira trades, if Frank Wren and the Braves decide to punt on ’08.
  • The Rangers have their eye on C.C. Sabathia – maybe now, maybe after he reaches free agency.

Gammons’ Latest: Sabathia, Dunn, Harden

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ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a new blog post up.

  • The Indians are "thoroughly scouting" eight teams that may be interested in C.C. Sabathia, including the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and Dodgers (the Mets may be another).  Gammons agrees with Ken Rosenthal that Mark Shapiro may trade Sabathia soon to maximize his value.  Gammons does not see the Yanks jumping in with Phil Hughes or a multi-prospect offer, unless Chien-Ming Wang’s injury forces their hand.  He does not think the Cubs or Phillies have the goods, but suggests the Rangers as a dark horse.
  • If the Cubs don’t have enough for Sabathia, Plan B could be Randy Wolf, Greg Maddux, or even Erik Bedard. The Padres and Mariners have been informed of the Cubs’ interest.
  • Gammons seems to indicate that Mark Teixeira could be available if the Braves fall out of the race (although Tex is not mentioned by name).
  • The Dodgers may have been open to trading Brad Penny, but his shoulder injury puts the kibosh on that.
  • Adam Dunn’s whifftastic ways scare the Red Sox, who might pass even if David Ortiz needs surgery.  Gammons suggests Josh Willingham would be a better fit.
  • Rich Harden could be a huge acquisition, one of the game’s most dominating pitchers.  It’s the same story though – will any team be willing to meet Billy Beane’s asking price given Harden’s injury history?

Wade Looking To Add Pitching

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MLB.com’s Jim Molony tells us that Astros GM Ed Wade has been working the phones to get a feel for the "general lay of the land." After a busy offseason for Wade, most notably adding Miguel Tejada and Jose Valverde, Wade will likely be in the market for pitching upgrades.

The Astros rank 21st in baseball with a team ERA of 4.50, and their rotation is a combined 20-25 with a 4.77 ERA, and a league-worst 65 home runs allowed.

As Wade himself points out though, starting pitching won’t be easy to come by this year. As usual, there are far more clubs looking to add starting pitching than sell it.

Personal speculation here, but with the Padres nearing a fire sale and Randy Wolf going through a particularly strong stretch, he could make sense for Houston and come at a reasonable price. Wolf is 5-4 this season with a 3.83 ERA through 84.2 innings, and has posted a very nice 75:26 K:BB ratio so far. Even more appealing for the home-run prone Astros, Wolf has allowed a sparkling 0.74 HR per nine innings. His numbers away from Petco, however, are far from impressive, having posted a 5.31 ERA through 40.2 innings. Surprisingly, more of his home runs (4) have been allowed at Petco than on the road. Any other possible thoughts?

Posted by Steve Adams

Odds and Ends: Wolf, Indians, Ensberg

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Random items for today…

  • MLBTR live chat, today at 2pm CST.  Right after I finish my corned beef sandwich.
  • RotoAuthority takes a look at the fantasy value of Randy Wolf.
  • On Sunday I joined the guys from Drunk Jays Fans for part of their podcast.  A button to listen to the show can be found here.
  • Paul Hoynes says the Indians’ Mark Shapiro will need "at least a month to narrow the field of suitors for players such as C.C. Sabathia and Paul Byrd to see if he really wants to trade them."
  • RotoWorld says the Yankees have released Morgan Ensberg.

Olney’s Latest: Bonderman, Perez, Wolf, Bonds

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Buster Olney makes some noise on a quiet Saturday:

  • There is concern Jeremy Bonderman has a circulation problem in his shoulder or arm which would quiet Jayson Stark’s inquiry as to whether or not the Tigers would deal him for (more) offense.
  • Willie Randolph keeps the faith with starter Oliver Perez but, as Olney points out, "if [Perez] were to be dropped from the rotation, it would be an enormous hit for a pitcher expected to be among the better free agents in the fall." I’ll say.
  • Randy Wolf ups his trade value (and likelihood) with every good start.  He’s 3-1 at Petco with a 2.38 ERA compared to 1-3 with a 5.38 ERA on the road.  Maybe the Padres should try to get him a few extra starts at home to up his value.
  • Barry Bonds’ trial was set for next March; however, this doesn’t change his odds of playing, says Olney, because everyone already expected the date to be set after the season.

By Nat Boyle

Rosenthal’s Latest: Sabathia, Bay, Wolf

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Hot stove guru Ken Rosenthal has a new column up.

  • Rosenthal tosses around some fun ideas in case the Indians want to trade C.C. Sabathia for another free-agent-to-be.  Presumably they’d target a slugger in return.
  • Rosenthal applauds the Pirates’ decision not to sell low on Jason Bay this winter.  Signed cheaply through ’09, Bay may have more trade value than Adam Dunn (in my opinion).
  • Randy Wolf is expected to be "among the most available Padres."  The 31 year-old southpaw sports an 8.2 K/9.  A strong, healthy June would give Wolf’s trade value a boost.

Phillies Rumors: Wolf, Feliz, Jenkins

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MLB.com’s Ken Mandel has a Phillies update for us tonight.

  • Pat Gillick’s honesty is refreshing and funny.  On Randy Wolf: "He’s the only guy who’s voiced some concern, but I haven’t heard anyone else voice concern about the ballpark.  He’s always voiced concern. I talked to him last year and talked to him this year, and he always makes some remarks about the park which are quite unfounded."
  • Gillick also weighed in on Kyle Lohse and Carlos Silva, noting their agents want to keep as many clubs involved as possible.  The Phillies expect to sign neither.
  • It’s a bottom priority, but the Phils are considering Pedro Feliz as a third base option.
  • Trot Nixon isn’t on the Phils’ list of outfield targets.  As you know, Geoff Jenkins is under consideration.

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