Renck’s Latest: Freddy Sanchez, Giants, Rockies
Troy E. Renck has some thoughts on why it doesn't make sense for the Rockies to acquire Roy Halladay if they can't afford to retain his services beyond 2010. In the same piece, he has a few more footnotes:
- Freddy Sanchez will be traded. The Giants could land him for Jonathan Sanchez and a prospect.
- The Giants are "lukewarm" on Matt Holliday but like Jermaine Dye. Brian Sabean recently defused rumors involving Dye.
- If Garrett Atkins is traded, Seth Smith could become Todd Helton's backup at first base. He's been taking throws in batting practice. Renck feels Smith needs to get more at bats if the Rockies want to make the playoffs. Smith is hitting .295 with 1.04 BB/K and an impressive .902 OPS in 70 games.
Roy Halladay Rumors: Sunday
Tired of Roy Halladay rumors yet? Have some more.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post has listed 10 do's and dont's for blockbuster deals.
- Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times says Frank McCourt can make World Series champions out of the Dodgers if by acquiring Halladay and he could start by offering Russell Martin in a package with prospects Devaris Gordon and Josh Lindblom. Shaikin concedes, "This is not to say the Jays would accept Martin, Gordon and Lindblom for Halladay, or even that the Dodgers would offer that package. The coaching staff would be reluctant to lose Martin at this point of the season, and the organization has all but deemed Gordon untouchable."
- The Philadelphia Inquirer's Bob Ford says Citizens Bank Park wouldn't deter Halladay from going to the Phillies.
- Troy E. Renck says the Rockies won't change their business model to acquire Halladay. They are committed to building from within and that a seven-year, $150MM contract after 2010 would not happen. If they can't retain him, then Renck can't advocate giving up a hypothetical package of Ubaldo Jimenez, Ian Stewart, and two top prospects to get him. Dave Krieger of the Denver Post agrees.
- In the same piece, Renck says the Dodgers could land Halladay if they will part with Clayton Kershaw, and that the Phillies remain the favorites. Still, Renck expects Toronto to take Halladay off the block and to instead cut payroll by dealing Alex Rios.
Odds & Ends: Stanton, Halladay, Sonnanstine
Even more links on a slow rumors day…
- Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post spoke to Marlins GM Larry Beinfest about top prospect Mike Stanton. Beinfest wouldn't say as much, but it sounds like Stanton is untouchable in trade talks.
- ESPN's Keith Law tweets that a Roy Halladay trade was unlikely two days ago, but seems even less likely now after some conversations.
- Andy Sonnanstine has been placed on the minor league disabled list with mononucleosis according to Joe Smith of The St. Petersburg Times. If he's out for a while, could it impact the club's ability to make a deal given the lessened pitching depth?
- Southpaw reliever Alan Embree is out for the season with a broken tibia according to MLB.com's Cheng Sio. Just two games back of the wild card, will the Rockies look to add a reliever?
- Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball has a complete list of 2009 All Star bonuses.
Odds & Ends: Betancourt, Halladay, Managers
A few more links for this morning…
- Joe Posnanski chimes in with his thoughts on the Yuniesky Betancourt deal. As with all of J-Poz's stuff, it's a must read.
- Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune says to keep an eye on the White Sox in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes. He speculates that they could build a package around Gavin Floyd, but Gordon Beckham or Alexei Ramirez would be dealbreakers.
- Even though it's worked for the Rockies this year, in-season managerial changes rarely work as MLB.com's Thomas Harding points out.
Odds & Ends: Betancourt, Francoeur, Halladay, Angels
We managed to find some rumors in between all of the Jonathan Sanchez no-hitter coverage this morning. Congrats to Jonathan, hopefully Juan Uribe will be buying him a very big and expensive steak dinner. Or ten. On to the links…
- ESPN's Keith Law doesn't like the Yuniesky Betancourt trade for the Royals, saying he might be the worst everyday player in the big leagues.
- David Lennon of Newsday says that Mets GM Omar Minaya wanted to send a message by acquiring Jeff Francoeur, but it's "more like a gentle poke than a full-blown shake-up."
- SI's Jon Heyman tweets that he'd include the struggling Joba Chamberlain in a package for Roy Halladay "no problem."
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure writes that the Angels efforts on the international market stalled this year after the firing of international scouting supervisor Clay Daniels, who is under investigation by Major League Baseball for his part in the bonus-skimming scandal. Arangure also has notes on several other big name international signees, including Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias, who received $8.2MM from the Red Sox.
- MLBTR's own Ben Nicholson-Smith will be on 940 ESPN Radio at 10am CST this morning talking rumors. Click the link to give a listen.
Odds & Ends: Halladay, Rays, Indians, Rockies, Draft
With another round of deals today, we're reminded that the trade deadline is just three weeks away. Here's some evening linkage…
- Joe Haggerty rounds up Peter Gammons' weekly appearance on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike this morning. Among many other topics, Gammons touched on Roy Halladay, saying that he believes "there’s about a 20 percent chance that Halladay gets traded."
- MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun writes that Rays owner Stuart Sternberg says the team is unlikely to cut payroll during the season, assuming they stay in the hunt of course.
- The Indians aren't so lucky. Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer says that when "it comes to setting next year's payroll, the Indians are going to be looking to cut corners because of the economy." He mentions Rafael Betancourt and Kelly Shoppach as candidates to be moved because of their salaries.
- The Denver Post's Troy Renck says the Rockies are unlikely to move Ryan Spilborghs and "aren't in a hurry" to trade Garrett Atkins.
- Team president Frank Coonelly refuted a report saying that the Pirates had "essentially completed a deal" with fourth round pick Zack Dodson, according to Dejan Kovacevic.
- Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports that the Orioles have signed four more draft picks.
Dodgers Looking For A Reliever
Diamond Leung notes that during an interview with Seth Everett and Jim Duquette on Sirius XM Radio, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said that his top priority is adding a bullpen piece.
“If we’re assuming that everybody’s healthy from here on out, I would say that our top priority would be a bullpen piece, especially somebody with veteran stature. I think that would be No. 1. If we can find a starter that’s obviously better than who we have starting now, that would be No. 2. The number of names that have been tossed around out there that we’ve made contact with clubs that would definitively make our starting rotation better…it’s a very, very short list. It might be a longer list in the bullpen. We’re concentrating on both, and hopefully will be able to do one if not both between now and July 31.”
Colletti also said that the price for Roy Halladay may be too high, but didn't rule out potentially pursuing the righthander. Speaking on Sportscenter earlier this evening, ESPN's Buster Olney noted that the Dodgers had two scouts watch Halladay's start in Tampa yesterday.
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.
Odds And Ends: Chapman, Betancourt, Masset
- According to Baseball America, there's no evidence to suggest that Aroldis Chapman is 26 years old and allegations that he's any older than 21 don't pass the logic test.
- ESPN.com's Jayson Stark has the oddest anecdotes and funniest quotes from the first half of the season.
- The AP (via ESPN) reports that this year's All Stars will receive a combined $2.3MM in bonuses for making the team, led by Roy Halladay's $125k. I wonder who pays if Halladay's dealt before Tuesday…
- As Bradford Doolittle of the Kansas City Star shows, Yuniesky Betancourt does not have much of a glove or bat, so it's puzzling that the Royals wanted him.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports that the Reds aren't trading Nick Masset away, especially when his $418k salary makes him so affordable.
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.