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Odds & Ends: Kazmir, Rays, Hoffman, Byrd

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  • ESPN's Keith Law feels the Rays received "a tremendous return for a pitcher whose value had really nose-dived over the past 10 months" when they dealt Scott Kazmir to the Angels late Friday evening.
  • Manager Joe Maddon says that the team feels they have the depth to cover the loss of Kazmir, and that it won't hurt their chances of getting back to playoffs this year. The depth Maddon speaks of comes in the form of Andy Sonnanstine and prospect Wade Davis, though Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times says Sonnanstine will get the call against the Red Sox on Tuesday.
  • Topkin was all over the Kazmir saga yesterday, and now that the dust has settled he says the team can use the savings to keep it's core intact. Several veterans, such as Carl Crawford, have raises built into their contracts, and several of the club's young players will be due big raises in arbitration.
  • When asked if closer Trevor Hoffman might go to the Giants after being claimed on waivers, Brewers GM Doug Melvin said "probably not," according to Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel.
  • Boston reportedly agreed to give Paul Byrd a September callup, but it looks like his shot may come sooner than that. With Tim Wakefield's back acting up again, the Sox will send Byrd to the mound tomorrow night according to John Tomase of The Boston Herald.
  • Sheldon Ocker of The Akron Beacon Journal takes an early look at some of the players that could help get the Indians back on track in 2010.
  • The Marlins officially introduced first round pick Chad James to the masses this afternoon, writes MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.

Rays, Red Sox Talking Blockbusters With Tribe

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4:33pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hear that the Rays may be shying away from a blockbuster deal. They're 5.0 games behind Boston in the Wild Card race, so their next two games against the Yankees could determine the team's direction.

If the Rays are discouraged after the Yankees series, they could make Dan Wheeler, Chad Bradford, Grant Balfour, Joe Nelson and Lance Cormier available, according to the FOX Sports source.

12:59pm: The Rays have shopped Scott Kazmir to the Mets and Rangers, according to Joel Sherman. The Rangers turned down an offer from the Rays and the Mets just had initial interest. The Rays would consider dealing Kazmir, Carlos Pena and even Carl Crawford to free up enough salary to make a blockbuster deal for Martinez and Lee.

The Rays still have interest in Halladay.

TUESDAY, 11:16am: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has more dish on the idea of a team acquiring both Lee and V-Mart in a blockbuster trade.  The idea has been considered in Cleveland but is considered very unlikely due to the magnitude of prospects required.  While the Red Sox could technically pull it off, the Rays wouldn't have the payroll space.

MONDAY, 4:35pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears the Rays are still "in on" V-Mart and Lee. There's still a chance that they'll trade Scott Kazmir to the Angels, too.

1:35pm: The Rays and Red Sox are each discussing blockbuster deals with the Indians for both Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Here are the details and the rest of Sherman's rumors:

  • The Rays would deal Wade Davis, but the Red Sox are hesitant to deal Clay Buchholz.
  • The Phillies, Brewers and Rangers have interest in Lee and the Giants have interest in V-Mart.  
  • One executive is "1,000%" confident the Indians will move Lee and Martinez to free up money.
  • An AL executive says the Phillies will acquire Lee, Roy Halladay or Jarrod Washburn by Friday afternoon.
  • The Padres may be more willing to deal Heath Bell than expected. As one official says, Bell will be an expensive closer on a bad team if the Padres don't trade him.   
  • The Yankees have been interested in Bell, whose value is higher than ever. 

Rays Pursuing Victor Martinez

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The Rays are now pursuing Victor Martinez, Jon Heyman of SI.com reports. They have Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson to offer the Indians, though the clubs aren't believed to have exchanged names. The Red Sox have many top young pitchers as well and have been discussing Martinez for weeks with the Indians. Boston remains interested in V-Mart, even after adding Adam LaRoche, but one GM believes the two clubs would have completed a deal weeks ago if one was going to happen.

Rays catcher Dioner Navarro has been a disappointment this year, hitting just .223/.253/.327. He has five homers, but his strikeout to walk ratio has deteriorated badly.

The Rays are also discussing Cliff Lee with the Indians and R.J. Anderson of DRaysBay hears that the club has interest in Chad Qualls.

Rays Talked To Indians About Acquiring Lee

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1:07pm: Ken Rosenthal now hears that the Rays may involve a third team in the deal to provide the Indians with more pitching.

8:25am: No deal is imminent, but the Rays and Indians discussed a deal that would send Cliff Lee to the Rays for prospects, accoding to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Wade Davis is believed to be among the top prospects that interest Indians GM Mark Shapiro, but the Rays have been reluctant to deal the 23-year-old righty. 

Davis isn't considered an elite prospect along the lines of Clay Buchholz or Tommy Hanson, but the Rays want to keep him and would be more open to dealing Reid Brignac. The Indians are said to want pitching in exchange for Lee, so it's likely the Rays would presumably have to part with some to acquire the reigning Cy Young Award winner.

The Rays are also interested in Rafael Betancourt, Jason Frasor and Michael Wuertz.

Edes On Francoeur, Nick Johnson, Valverde

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8:10pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the Red Sox-Francoeur rumor:

Talked to someone in Braves organization who sort of dismissed the Red Sox rumor. Said he hadn’t heard one thing about them having any serious interest in Francoeur or scouting him recently.

9:01am: Yahoo's Gordon Edes wrote about many different trade scenarios in his column last night.

  • Edes seconds Ken Rosenthal's rumor that the Red Sox have been scouting Jeff Francoeur.
  • The Nationals have been scouting the Mets' Triple and Double A teams, trying to figure out a possible return for Nick Johnson.  Names of interest for Washington: Jon Niese, Mike Antonini, Eddie Kunz, and big leaguer Bobby Parnell.  The Red Sox also had interest in Johnson, but not for the price of Michael Bowden.  Back to the Mets – Joel Sherman of the New York Post has a list of available players they could consider aside from Johnson, including Jermaine Dye, Ben Francisco, Adam LaRoche, and Eric Hinske.
  • Edes likes the fit of Jose Valverde with the Rays, but speculates that the Astros could ask for Wade Davis in return.  Six years of Davis would be a huge price to pay for a few months of Valverde plus possible draft picks.  Edes also likes Mark DeRosa for Tampa Bay, but they seem well-equipped to handle Akinori Iwamura's injury with internal options.
  • Edes names the Phillies, Brewers, Royals, and Twins as possible suitors for Brad Penny.  Edes adds that the Phillies "are already making plans for life without Brett Myers" after this season.
  • The shortstop market includes Jack Wilson and perhaps John McDonald, but could become more interesting for a team like Boston if the Indians make Jhonny Peralta available.

Jeremy Hermida Rumors

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7:12pm: MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro says Mariners catcher Rob Johnson and Rangers catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia were discussed in these Hermida talks, but no match was found.

6:31pm: Baker says the Marlins wanted catching prospect Adam Moore from the Ms in a Hermida deal.  Baseball America ranks Moore as the Mariners’ sixth best prospect.  They say he looks like a future big league starting catcher; he’ll start ’09 at Triple A.

5:31pm: Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald says the Ms and Rangers initiated the Hermida talks, and they didn’t get far.

4:44pm: Geoff Baker says the Marlins offered Hermida to the Mariners and Rangers for catching.

12:34pm: Rays Index found a note from MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan on Monday – the Rays like Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz.

12:26pm: Berardino has an update.  He says the Marlins proposed trading Hermida to the Rays for two pitchers, likely among Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis, Jeremy Hellickson, and Mitch Talbot.  The Rays rejected the offer and it’s unlikely to be revisited.

Berardino now says the Reds have yet to inquire on Hermida.

12:04pm: Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel discusses Jeremy Hermida trade possibilities in a blog post today (hat tip, Rays Index).  He says the Reds have definitely shown interest, and also discusses the Rays.  Berardino’s sources believe Micah Owings could be had, but not Johnny Cueto.  In the case of the Rays it’d apparently take Andy Sonnanstine rather than Edwin Jackson.

By the way, the Marlins have talked about the possibility of moving Hermida to left field if they keep him.  Hermida has been a slightly above-average right fielder according to the plus/minus system.

Jason Bay Rumors: Wednesday

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8:37pm: Bay doesn’t seem to be on the Cardinals’ radar.  However, talks continue with Tampa Bay according to John Perrotto.  Bay could also end up in Boston in a three-team deal.

5:59pm: Jayson Stark reports that the Rays and Pirates haven’t had much dialogue today, and that talks have slowed.  The Pirates have backed off just a bit, but may want to see what happens with Manny Ramirez in case they can get the Red Sox interested.

3:16pm: Kovacevic has more.  Brignac and Jeff Niemann’s names are coming up in the Tampa Bay talks.  ESPN’s Jayson Stark heard the same, and adds that Hellickson, David Price, and Wade Davis are off-limits.

The Cardinals are in on Bay but not John Grabow.  Kovacevic says Colby Rasmus is untouchable, making the Pirates lean toward the Rays.  He adds that the Mets seem out of the running.

1:23pm: The Pirates and Rays are still talking, with the Cardinals lingering.  Dejan Kovacevic says Reid Brignac and Jeremy Hellickson are on the Bucs’ radar.

12:30pm: Heyman talked to one NL source who puts the chances of a Bay trade at 50-50.  The Pirates are looking around to see if they can beat the Rays’ offer.

11:13am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman checks in on Bay.  He says the Rays are flirting, while the Mets, D’Backs, and Cardinals are also in the mix.  ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Rays and Pirates are "talking constructively to bridge the gap."  Rays manager Joe Maddon admits some "very interesting stuff" is on the table.

8:43am: According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are deep into talks with the Rays and other teams about left fielder Jason Bay.  However, no "truly elite prospect" has been offered yet, and the chances are better than 50-50 that Bay stays.  And who would move to right field for the Rays – Bay or Carl Crawford?  The Braves are considered out of the mix.

Shortstop Jack Wilson seems likely to stay, while reliever John Grabow will probably be dealt.

Stark’s Latest: Teixeira, Padilla, Sheffield, Beltre

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ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings up.  You may want to grab a glass of water or something, because this is a beast of a column.

  • If the Braves have a bad weekend and decide to trade Mark Teixeira, a deal could come together quickly.  Stark says the Braves have already touched base with the Rays, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels and Yankees.  Where Tex fits on the Rays, I’m not sure.  Additionally, interest in Will Ohman is said to be "massive."
  • A Jorge Posada move to first base could affect the Yankees’ interest in Teixeira this winter.
  • Though Brian Fuentes has many suitors, the Rockies have actually exchanged names with only the Marlins and Yankees.  GM Dan O’Dowd has not dropped his price.  By the way, Todd Helton’s injury takes Garrett Atkins off the market.  As for Matt Holliday, many execs believe the Rockies will never trade him.
  • The Phillies are focused on a left-handed reliever, with Fuentes, Damaso Marte, George Sherrill, and Jack Taschner in the mix.
  • The Phillies were scared off by the asking prices on Holliday and Xavier Nady, and never even made an offer.  They still could acquire a lesser hitter.
  • The Pirates are inspiring much grumbling with high asking prices for Jason Bay, Nady, Marte, John Grabow, and Jack Wilson.
  • The Rangers are looking for young, controllable starting pitching.  Vicente Padilla is available, with the Tigers and Yankees showing mild interest.  Eddie Guardado and Jamey Wright are not available.
  • In pursuing Jarrod Washburn, Bronson Arroyo, and Padilla, the Yankees are demonstrating their plan to reduce the prospect price for pitching by taking on a decent-sized contract.
  • While A.J. Burnett is "eminently available," no trade talks are cooking.  The Jays apparently won’t deal him within the division.  Other Jays veterans might be available, though Roy Halladay isn’t among them.
  • The Tigers are looking for pitching and a long-term shortstop.  They’d be willing to move Gary Sheffield, though they’d have to eat salary.
  • Top Rays prospects such as Wade Davis, David Price, and Jeremy Hellickson are off-limits. Rays Index recently ran through the more likely trade candidates.
  • The Braves asked the Royals about Jose Guillen, but Dayton Moore is asking for a ton.
  • Stark says the Twins’ talks for Adrian Beltre are "far from dead."  The Twins are zeroed in on a third base upgrade.  Beltre, by the way, has the Dodgers on his no-trade list.  Joe Christensen says the Twins have found the asking price prohibitive for various third basemen.
  • The Rangers are looking for a young pitcher for Hank Blalock, who is drawing interest from the Twins, Giants, and Dodgers.  The Dodgers also like Casey Blake, who is likely to be traded somewhere.

The Price For Fuentes

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According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies have asked various teams for the following players for closer Brian Fuentes: Wade Davis, Ian Kennedy, Clay Buchholz, and Jon Niese.  Tracy Ringolsby says no concrete offers have been made for Fuentes yet.

Fuentes will provide two months of solid relieving, and possibly two draft picks after that.  But alternatives are plentiful, and the Rockies are in danger of overplaying their hand if the price doesn’t come down soon.  It doesn’t help the Rockies that the Nationals accepted Emilio Bonifacio for for 2.3 years of Jon Rauch.

Phillies No Longer Interested In Fuentes?

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MLB.com’s Trade Talk blog speculates that the Phillies may no longer be pursuing Colorado closer Brian Fuentes, after Philadelphia traded three prospects for Joe Blanton. The blog wonders, "How many chips do (the Phillies) have to play?" Then, the blog hedges its bets:

If an earlier report is correct, the Rockies have asked the Phillies for right-hander Carlos Carrasco or catcher Lou Marson in return for Fuentes, so something could still be possible.

Trade Talk goes on to say that the Rockies would "hit the jackpot if a team came up with a young, talented starter — like, say, the Yankees’ Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy, or a couple of top Double-A prospects such as the Rays’ Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson."

It’s highly unlikely the Phillies will deal Carrasco, the organization’s top prospect, for a set-up man. It’s an absolute impossibility that the Yankees will trade Hughes for Fuentes. The Rays are still considered the front-runners for Fuentes, the blog says.

Coley Ward writes for Umpbump.com and can be reached here.

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