Olney On Oswalt, White Sox, Phillies
ESPN.com's Buster Olney discussed the market for pitchers on ESPN Radio; here are some bullet points worth passing along:
- Teams believe they could deal for Roy Oswalt, it would just take a whole lot of talent to acquire the pitcher, who's a favorite of Astros owner Drayton McLane.
- Pitchers perceive U.S. Cellular Field as a bandbox, which makes it less attractive to them. This is a problem the Yankees could face if the new Yankee Stadium continues to be so hitter-friendly.
- Olney predicts the Phillies will trade for a starting pitcher "at some point."
Odds And Ends: Red Sox, Oswalt, Angels
Links to start the week off…
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe suggests a few ways of improving the Red Sox. He says acquiring a catcher like Victor Martinez or Jarrod Saltalamacchia would set the team up for this year and beyond.
- Think the Tigers are happy they parted with Matt Joyce to acquire Edwin Jackson? Aubrey Huff told the Detroit Free Press that Jackson and Justin Verlander are the best back-to-back starters he's seen in his nine-year career.
- ESPN.com's Amy Nelson says (via Twitter) that Roy Oswalt's open to being traded but would like to remain in the NL.
- Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times says the Angels are "believed to be exploring" trades to improve their 'pen.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle argues that Astros GM Ed Wade "cut corners" when assembling his pitching staff.
- Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu likes his current lineup, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law says the two college pitchers who threw 129 and 169 pitches in a 25 inning game were exposed to injury unfairly.
- Brian Joura counts down the worst #1 overall draft choices in baseball history on FantasyPros911.
- And I'm thrilled to be stepping in for a bit here on MLBTR as Tim takes care of far more important things.
Oswalt Would Not Pitch For White Sox
SUNDAY: Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle says Oswalt "would invoke his no-trade clause if the White Sox attempted to acquire him." Ortiz also suggests that despite Scherrer's scouting mission, the White Sox and Astros are not in trade talks.
FRIDAY: According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, White Sox special assistant Bill Scherrer "is following Houston." Gonzales seems to wonder if Roy Oswalt could be the target, given Chicago's willingness to take on Jake Peavy's contract.
Pure speculation, but I wonder if the Sox could also be eyeing Miguel Tejada as a third base candidate. Thoughts?
White Sox Targeting Bedard, Oswalt?
Don't expect Kenny Williams to just sit back and wait for Jake Peavy to change his mind. According to Joe Cowley at the Chicago Sun-Times, the White Sox general manager "is rumored to be smack dab on the trail of the likes of an Erik Bedard or Roy Oswalt." Where Cowley heard these rumors, we do not know. Manager Ozzie Guillen told Cowley he never knows what's next with Kenny.
Cowley also has comments from A.J. Pierzynski, Jim Thome, and Clayton Richard on the situation.
We heard speculation from Jon Heyman earlier this week that if the Mariners move Bedard, they could require a package similar to or greater than what was offered for Peavy. I can't see Williams ponying up like that, but both aces will require a sizeable bounty from anyone who targets them.
Clarifications have been made to the original post. – Tim Dierkes
White Sox Not Done Dealing, Probably
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says "general manager Ken Williams will continue to seek ways to improve the White Sox" and that "more deals seem imminent." Gonzales notes that the pool of prospective players will expand on June 15 when teams can deal free-agent players signed last winter without their consent.
Scott Merkin of MLB.com agrees:
Despite starting the month with 12 losses in 16 games, the White Sox have finished strong in May, going 8-3 with 4 straight series victories. We know they're seeking starting pitching and there's speculation that they have been scouting Roy Oswalt. Jake Peavy insists he could reconsider a deal later in the season. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf implied nobody is untouchable. How would you improve the White Sox?
Oswalt Might Prefer Change Of Scenery
The Chicago Tribune has some rumors for our consumption:
- Would Roy Oswalt waive his no-trade clause if he were dealt? The paper suggests he just may want a change of scenery. He is disappointed that the Astros haven't made an effort to acquire Jake Peavy and has seemed "at odds with manager Cecil Cooper."
- The Yankees and Braves are apparently possible destinations for Mark DeRosa. MLBTR discussed the Yankees as well as the Mets and Cardinals. The Indians are seeking Major League-ready pitching for the 34 year-old DeRosa, who will be a free agent this offseason.
- Peavy "insists he could reconsider" a trade to the White Sox later in the season, although the scenario seems a long shot.
White Sox Looking For Starting Pitching
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times spoke with scouts who say White Sox GM Ken Williams is aggressively looking for "front line pitching." Chicago's bid for Jake Peavy failed, but Cowley hears that Williams is "not done searching."
Phillies To Pursue One Impact Pitcher
Brett Myers is out for the season with hip surgery. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports spoke to Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., who said the Phillies don't have the money to add multiple starters. Instead they'll aim high, with names like Erik Bedard and Roy Oswalt speculated by Rosenthal. So, not a Brad Penny type. SI's Jon Heyman wrote about Bedard's appeal earlier today.
Rosenthal also wonders if Myers' surgery could restore some lost velocity, making him an intriguing free agent after the season.
Stark On Peavy, Oswalt, Phillies, DeRosa, Giants
Let's take a look at the latest Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN's Jayson Stark.
- The Padres' recent winning streak has not changed their intention of trading Jake Peavy. The Dodgers and Cubs are in Peavy's first tier of choices, follwed by the Giants, Cardinals, and Astros. The Angels would be the one AL team he'd consider. The East Coast is a long shot. Also, Peavy will want his 2011-13 partial no-trade clause to become a full no-trade. Peavy's friend Roy Oswalt has been unsuccessful in lobbying Astros owner Drayton McLane, as the 'Stros can't take on Peavy's contract. As for the Dodgers, GM Ned Colletti told the L.A. Times he hasn't talked to the Padres about Peavy since the pitcher vetoed the White Sox deal.
- Stark talked to scouts who believe Oswalt has "lost his edge" and needs a change of scenery. The Phillies have inquired on him, but they've asked about everyone: Peavy, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Chris Young and Jason Marquis. Popular Phillies trade targets include Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco, Travis D'Arnaud, Freddy Galvis, Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown, and Antonio Bastardo.
- The Braves are interested in bringing Mark DeRosa back to Atlanta. He came up with them and was non-tendered in '04 after tearing his ACL. But to deal young arms, the Braves would want an impact bat. Stark says they're "mostly listening" rather than shopping Jeff Francoeur. His trade value is difficult to gauge.
- The Mets seem content to wait out the first base trade market.
- The Giants seek a middle-of-the-order bat, and Jonathan Sanchez is being dangled. Three targets they haven't had success on are Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, and possibly Carlos Lee. Lee, according to one Stark source, doesn't intend to waive his no-trade for anyone.
Rosenthal On Astros, Marquis, DeRosa, Francoeur
Let's take a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Rosenthal recommends the Astros trade veterans to improve their bottom-ranked farm system. He'd especially like to see Houston make Roy Oswalt available. They'd have take Oswalt's no-trade clause into consideration.
- The Phillies continue to seek a starter, and they made an inquiry on Colorado's Jason Marquis. Rosenthal finds Erik Bedard "perhaps the most intriguing fit" and notes that the Phils probably have flexibility to add payroll. This question came up in a recent chat…I do think the Phillies have the pieces to pull off a Bedard trade.
- The Brewers are not going after Cleveland's Mark DeRosa, as they cannot spare Major League pitching for him. Rosenthal also finds Jake Peavy unlikely, as the Brewers probably couldn't pull off a deal without creating a new need. Of Peavy, Rosenthal says, "He will not leave easily."
- The Mets are interested in Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson, who is off to a .338/.445/.471 start.
- The Royals might be the top suitor for Jeff Francoeur if the Braves shop him, but not everyone in Kansas City's front office is keen on him. The Red Sox are known to have an eye on Francoeur.
- Rosenthal's heard speculation that the Sox could trade Daniel Bard, whose value may be at a high point.
- Rather than acquire someone like Yuniesky Betancourt, the Padres will stick with in-house options at shortstop (mainly Luis Rodriguez and Everth Cabrera, once they're healthy).