Heyman On Braves, Tejada, Helton
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Braves gave off the impression that Tom Glavine was merely a "famous, low-priced insurance policy" when they released him two days ago. He has more on the Braves and the rest of the majors; let's take a look:
- John Smoltz told Heyman that he once turned down $53MM from the Yankees to sign with the Braves for $30MM.
- The Braves are now unable to add payroll.
- That could make it tough for them to reacquire Mark DeRosa, who's on the block and would be a nice piece for Atlanta.
- One executive said Justin Upton has "a lot of Ken Griffey Jr. in him." Check out Tim's Q&A with Upton to see how the former number one pick handles the hype.
- Miguel Tejada's name has surfaced in trade talks, but most contenders see him as a third baseman and some don't like his bat anymore.
- The Rockies are willing to discuss dealing "nearly every player" they have. Heyman says "they'd probably love to find someone" to take on Todd Helton's contract. He's owed about $50MM still, so I'd think the chances are slim.
Glavine: “A Couple” Teams Have Called
The AP (via CBS Sports) reports that Tom Glavine says he's received calls from "a couple" clubs that are interested in bringing him on as a pitcher, while others have called him to discuss different jobs. Glavine didn't name the clubs that called and said it would take "a lot" for him to come back and pitch.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Peavy, Glavine, Yankees, Phillies
On this date nine years ago, the Marlins selected Adrian Gonzalez with the first pick of the amateur draft. The 16-year-old would sign a deal later that day that included a $3MM signing bonus. Two trades later, Gonzalez leads the National League with 22 home runs. The 2009 draft is in four days, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse propose a three-way deal in which the Cubs would send Carlos Zambrano to the White Sox and the Padres would send Jake Peavy to the Cubs.
- River Ave. Blues takes a look at what the Yankees may need before the trade deadline and who they may be able to deal with.
- Phlavio's Corner has a list of 20 players that could be moved and where each might end up.
- The Ghost of Moonlight Graham analyzes the early returns on some of the trades from this past offseason.
- Jorge Says No! argues that the Mariners might be better off moving Russell Branyan sooner rather than later.
- MLB Notebook comes up with a list of five clubs that could land Tom Glavine.
- Dodgers Rumors feels that Glavine is a perfect fit for the Dodgers.
- We Should Be GM's says the Phillies need to add a starting pitcher now and generates a list of players to target.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Gammons On Glavine, Pirates, Mets
Speaking on ESPN Radio, Peter Gammons said Tom Glavine wants to pitch again. Here are the details, as well as a transcription on Joe Haggerty's blog, Hacks with Haggs:
- Texas could be a fit for Glavine and though the Dodgers don't appear to be interested, Gammons suggests they could reconsider.
- Gammons says the Pirates are trying to build long term and believes it's the only way for them to end their streak of losing seasons.
- The Mets don't appear likely to trade for an expensive shortstop, but they may have to deal for some offensive help if they want to keep up with the Phillies.
Odds And Ends: Oswalt, Pirates, Glavine
More links for Thursday afternoon as we wait for Randy Johnson to take his first crack at the 300-win plateau …
- Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports that Roy Oswalt doesn't expect to stick around long enough to win 300 games. Instead, he says he'll stop playing once he stops producing.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms the Pirates will shop Jack Wilson, Adam LaRoche and John Grabow.
- Keith Olbermann wonders if the Pirates improved in center field by callling up Andrew McCutchen. Three hits an RBI and a steal made for a nice MLB debut.
- Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune wonders why the White Sox didn't trade for Nate McLouth.
- Jen Langosch of MLB.com reports that the Pirates say the McLouth deal wasn't financially motivated.
- David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Tom Glavine's velocity has dipped noticeably, but laments the rough ending to the future Hall of Famer's Atlanta career.
- Remember to follow MLBTR on Twitter. Become a fan on Facebook to join in and discuss phenom Bryce Harper.
Glavine Rumors: Red Sox, Dodgers, Nats, Mets
- According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, a source close to Tom Glavine says the Red Sox are "close to the top, if not at the top" of the list of teams the lefty would pitch for. The Red Sox seem well-stocked with arms for now and Glavine's friend John Smoltz is nearing his Boston debut, so the team appears to have no room for Glavine now.
- Kevin Baxter of the LA Times reports that the Dodgers are "not likely to pursue" Glavine.
- David Lennon of Newsday has a source who says the Mets aren't interested in reacquiring him.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that the Nationals aren't interested in bringing Glavine aboard as a player, but they would have interest in him as a mentor or coach.
Olney On Glavine, Dunn, Penny
ESPN.com's Buster Olney wonders where Tom Glavine will land and comes up with a couple options. The Rangers, who are looking to shed Vicente Padilla, "will probably talk about Glavine." Olney says the pitcher could also "fit cheaply" with the Marlins and former Braves coach, Fredi Gonzalez. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- Adam Dunn fits Boston's needs, but the Nationals would want a "big-time pitching prospect" in exchange for the slugger. The two teams match up well, but Olney warns this doesn't mean we'll see a deal.
- The Phillies heard that the Red Sox would want infielder Jason Donald in exchange for Brad Penny.
- The Reds are looking for a third baseman.
- Olney hears buzz that the Mariners may pass on Dustin Ackley, who's considered the best college hitter in the draft. If that's the case, the Padres would consider him and Donovan Tate with their 3rd pick.
- The Brewers are "actively looking" to improve their team.
Reactions To McLouth Deal, Glavine’s Release
The Braves caught our attention yesterday with two major moves. They released Tom Glavine and then traded for Nate McLouth an hour later. Here's an assortment of reactions from around the majors:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to one executive who believes the Pirates sent a mixed message by signing McLouth to an extension and dealing him soon after. One team official says the Pirates never shopped McLouth, which suggests they were impressed by the Braves' offer.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says he usually loves deals like this for the team acquiring young talent. In this case, he doesn't believe the Pirates got enough. For the Braves, however, it's a "brilliant" move.
- MLB.com's Adam Rosenberg reports that McLouth will arrive in Atlanta today.
- MLB.com's Jen Langosch sees both sides of the deal for the Pirates: It's possible Neal Huntington could have traded McLouth for more, but the three players he obtained are good ones.
- In spite of all the analysis, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says we won't really know who won this deal for months or even years.
- Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says the fan reaciton has been "mostly negative."
- John Smoltz's reaction to the Braves' decision to release his former teammate: "That's not how you treat people." Smoltz disagrees openly with the move in the rest of his discussion with Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Glavine can prove the Braves wrong by pitching well for another team.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan believes it took a "healthy dose of emotional detachment" to cut Glavine, one that signaled "a clean break from the Braves' old identity."
Odds & Ends: Tejada, Lohse, LaRussa
Some late night linkage as you wait to see if Randy Johnson picks up win number 300:
- Jeff Zrebiec says that the Orioles may end up releasing Jamie Walker in the coming days.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports that the Marlins will designate reliever Hayden Penn for assignment. It's unclear who will take his place on the roster.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson says not to expect to see Tom Glavine in a Nationals uniform, but the team wouldn't mind having him as pitching mentor/coach. Glavine and team president Stan Kasten have a long standing relationship.
- Miguel Tejada wants to finish his career in Houston. With the Astros already seven games back of first and a handful of teams looking for upgrades at shortstop and/or third base, Tejada probably won't get his wish.
- Kyle Lohse left tonight's start in the third inning when his right forearm discomfort returned. Just yesterday there was talk of the Cardinals dealing from their pitching depth to address their infield issues, but depth on the mound has a way of disappearing quickly.
- Tony LaRussa is suing Twitter. Whether Tony likes it or not, Twitter is here to stay.
Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.
Braves Release Tom Glavine
5:48pm: David Lennon of Newsday tweets that the Mets are not considering bringing Glavine back. Also, word via radio reports is that Tommy Hanson will come up to start Saturday. That's Kris Medlen's turn, but he's not in the Nate McLouth deal.
4:42pm: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports the Braves have released Tom Glavine. Glavine signed an incentive-laden deal with the Braves this winter that could have paid him as much as $4.5MM. He would have received a $1MM bonus for making the team. Glavine had just finished rehabbing and had proclaimed himself ready for big league action.
We heard today that Glavine doesn't expect to play in 2010, but his career could be over sooner than that. Ironically, his release comes on the same day fellow-lefty Randy Johnson makes his first attempt at joining Glavine in the 300 win club.