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Scott Podsednik

Cubs Deals For Podsednik, Stewart Dead

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Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Cubs will not be acquiring Scott Podsednik, and in fact chances were slim from the beginning.  I saw a recent poll where the majority of Cubs fans thought the Cubs should trade for an outfielder.  I disagree – I can’t see a waiver acquisition improving upon the in-house options.  The one possible exception I can think of is Matt Stairs.  Regardless of my opinion, the Cubs will apparently go with what they’ve got.

Similarly, the idea of acquiring Shannon Stewart should be dismissed.  According to the Contra Costa Times, Stewart’s continued presence in an A’s uniform means the deadline has passed for a trade.  Joe Stiglich notes that Stewart could net the A’s a high draft pick if he leaves via free agency.

Random Rumors And Signings

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We have a bunch of rumor-related tidbits today, and for now I’ll put them into one post.

  • There’s a mini-controversy afoot regarding Cubs lefty Will Ohman.  Ohman has indicated that the Cubs have been letting him pitch while hurt, and the Cubs contend that he never visited the trainer.  No matter who you side with, Ohman’s days in the organization are numbered.
  • The Cubs indeed won the Scott Podsednik claim, but the White Sox want a legitimate prospect in return.  I’ve heard Sean Gallagher mentioned.  There’s not much time for posturing here as the teams probably have until today or tomorrow to make a trade.  The White Sox were considered nontendering Pods last offseason, and he didn’t do anything this year that should’ve changed their mind.  Ozzie Guillen even called him "unreliable" publicly.  Kenny Williams should take what he can get and give the playing time to someone else.
  • Casey Fossum’s been released by the Devil Rays; he’ll hook on somewhere.  The little lefty used to throw in the mid-90s with Boston.  Not so much anymore, but he does boast one of the slowest curveballs you’ll find (slower than 50 mph).  Back in ’03, the Red Sox offered him to Toronto for Kelvim Escobar, unwilling to give up Trot Nixon.  He eventually went to Arizona in the Curt Schilling deal and later was traded to the Devil Rays for Jose Cruz Jr.  Fossum’s battled shoulder woes for most of his career, having labrum surgery in ’06.  He’s still only 29.
  • The Rockies signed Elmer Dessens to a minor-league deal.  They might have to throw the 34 year-old into the rotation for lack of better options. 
  • Carlos Silva wants to stay in Minnesota, and would sign at a discount before hitting the open market if the Twins are interested.  Unfortunately, a discount for a Silva-type these days might be three years, $18MM.  Jason Marquis’s contract was something of a benchmark.  If Silva backs it up to two years, $10MM, I can see the Twins going for it. 
  • Victor Zambrano now finds himself toiling for the Pirates’ Triple A affiliate.

Cubs Claim Scott Podsednik?

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UPDATE: Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune seems to indicate that the Cubs won the claim.

Several people have emailed me this morning about an ESPN Radio 1000 report.  Apparently the Cubs have claimed Scott Podsednik.  As with the Shannon Stewart situation, I’m currently unclear on whether the Cubs simply put in the claim on Pods or if they’ve been awarded it.

How Podsednik would help the Cubs is beyond me, but that’s why Jim Hendry gets paid the big bucks.  Podsednik makes another $860K or so this year, and might be a nontender candidate this winter.  By the way, this is where I believe the original rumor began.

Random Rumors: Erstad, Gagne, Podsednik

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Here’s a smattering of random rumors.

  • The Twins have tried and failed to acquire Mike Piazza, Jermaine Dye, and Kevin Mench.  Instead of Dye, the White Sox offered up 33 year-old outfielder Darin Erstad, he of the .671 OPS. The Twins passed.
  • Eric Gagne will apparently earn Type A status as a free agent, despite pitching only two innings in 2006.  Rob Bradford has the details.  This was apparently a big factor for the Red Sox in making the deal.
  • The Chicago Sun-Times debunks a rumor that the Cubs are trying to trade for Scott Podsednik.  How come I wasn’t told about this rumor previously?  Who started it?  I feel left out. 
  • The Pirates and Tigers are still talking about Jack Wilson.  Apparently the deadline version of the deal died when the Bucs asked for Craig Monroe.  Really?  The deal died over that guy?
  • Gordon Edes has a Major League source indicating that the Orioles are "the kind of team that might have interest" in Wily Mo Pena.  That’s not the same as saying that they do have interest, however.

White Sox Retain Podsednik

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The White Sox decided to hang onto Scott Podsednik for the time being, re-signing him for one year and $2.9MM.  I think it’s the right choice even with his lackluster 2006.  In an environment where Juan Pierre is worth 5/44, Pods should have some trade value for his age 31 season on a cheap one-year deal.

Perhaps the Braves or Nats would have interest at the right price.  And, of course, the White Sox could just keep him for one more season.  Their offense isn’t hurting for a big bat, and using Podsednik as a fourth outfielder wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Trade Rumor Roundup: 6 Days Left

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What’s new in the world of trade rumors?

It wasn’t just Humberto Sanchez missing a start – Tigers prospect Jair Jurrjens is skipping two starts because of a stiff neck.  While it certainly seems that recent trade winds could be at play here, it may just be a case of bad luck for Detroit.  Both players can still be dealt despite the minor injuries.

A few more nuggets concerning the White Sox’s efforts to acquire Alfonso Soriano surfaced in newspapers today.  Phil Rogers notes sources indicating that Scott Podsednik, and not Brian Anderson, would be part of a package for Soriano.  In addition, Sam Borden of the New York Daily News suggests that Jim Bowden requested Double A pitcher Lance Broadway but was rebuffed.

Didn’t get to hear Tim Purpura on the radio yesterday personally, but it seems he may have inadvertently indicated that Willy Taveras is not in the team’s future center field plans.  I imagine plenty of teams would have interest in Taveras despite his .280/.319/.331 line in 905 career ABs.  On the plus side, Taveras truly is an excellent defender according to The Fielding Bible.  They actually think he deserved the Gold Glove last year over Jim Edmonds.

Harold Reynolds got the axe from ESPN today; Deadspin has the thirdhand info. 

Dayton Moore did well with reliever Elmer Dessens in a trade back to the Dodgers.

Many thanks to all those who visited MLBTradeRumors.com yesterday. June 24th was our best-ever day for traffic, beating out December 8th.  Keep on comin’ back for all the latest trade rumors; I love writing about this stuff.

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