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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Holliday, Manny, Swisher, Johnson

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A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…

  • Cardinals Diaspora would love to see the Cardinals land Matt Holliday but does not think the front office will have the guts to make the move.
  • Oriole Post is not sure the Orioles are truly interested in Manny Ramirez. If there is indeed interest, Oriole Post thinks the O’s should pass.
  • MetsBlog does not see the Mets going after Manny Ramirez even if the Yankees and Angels drop out of consideration.
  • River Ave. Blues makes a case for the Yankees trading for Nick Swisher over signing Mark Teixeira to play first base.
  • Talking Chop argues for keeping Yunel Escobar and moving Kelly Johnson for a power bat.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Thursday

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4:05pm: Ken Rosenthal has some of the names being offered by the Braves for Peavy. According to Rosenthal, the Braves are offering Yunel Escobar, either Jo-Jo Reyes or Charlie Morton and an unnamed player believed to be a top prospect. Rosenthal does not have any details on the Cubs’ package but notes that it is likely to be "fluid".

4:00pm: Chris De Luca has updated his earlier piece and now says Dempster is seeking five years, $70MM.

3:03pm: Peter Abraham says that Kevin Towers has told Peavy that he will be traded and that negotiations have been narrowed to three teams. The Yankees are not in the mix as all three clubs are in the NL. Abraham speculates that in addition to the Cubs and Braves, the third team could be the Astros or Cardinals.

11:27am: Chris De Luca says the Cubs are in heavy pursuit of Peavy, partially because of steep contract demands from Ryan Dempster.  He’s heard Dempster wants five years, $75MM.

No deal is imminent, but De Luca wonders if pitchers Sean Marshall, Rich Harden, or Jeff Samardzija could be involved.  Samardzija has a no-trade clause.

10:02am: ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Padres have interest in Braves prospect Jeff Locke.  David O’Brien says the Padres want Tommy Hanson, but are willing to settle for Yunel Escobar and a few lesser prospects.

9:21am: Ken Davidoff is not buying the Feinsand/Yankees rumor.  Joel Sherman agrees.

8:55am: Let’s kick off a new Jake Peavy post.  Last we heard, Ken Rosenthal was suggesting the Cubs moved ahead of the Braves as the frontrunner.

Today, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says the Yankees’ chances for Peavy are improving as Kevin Towers struggles to find a match with an NL team on the pitcher’s list.  Feinsand says Towers wants two pitchers and an outfielder for Peavy.  He believes the Yanks could build a deal around Phil Hughes or Austin Jackson, though they might need to include Ian Kennedy as well.  Brian Cashman seems a bit more open to trading Hughes than he was a year ago.  The Padres aren’t interested in Robinson Cano.

Cards Won’t Rule Out Ludwick/Ankiel Trade

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Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch dug into the rumors that Cardinals outfielders Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel might be available.  It seems that the Cards will listen on them, but with caveats: GM John Mozeliak says there’s a "high likelihood" both stay, and a trade is just one of many scenarios.

Strauss confirms the recent chatter from Dave O’Brien – the Braves are interested, and would be willing to give up Kelly Johnson or Yunel Escobar if they don’t trade one of them in a Jake Peavy deal.  The Cardinals like both infielders, but would probably require "significant minor league pitching" to be added by the Braves.

Braves Rumors: Ludwick, Johnson, Escobar, Francoeur

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David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has all kinds of Braves info, found in the body and comments of his latest blog post.

  • The Braves have expressed interest in Ryan Ludwick, and the Cardinals would be willing to take Kelly Johnson or Yunel Escobar in return.  However, the Braves would probably have to include one of their middle infielders in a Jake Peavy deal and don’t want to trade both this winter.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren publicly acknowledged the Peavy trade talks.  O’Brien believes a package built around Escobar has a chance.  Pitching prospect Tommy Hanson is not available.  The Braves don’t have interest in Khalil Greene, by the way.
  • The Braves aren’t looking to sign health risk-starters like Ben Sheets and Brad Penny.
  • The Braves have an eye on the available White Sox veterans: Jermaine Dye, Nick Swisher, and Javier Vazquez.
  • The latest word on Atlanta’s offer to Junichi Tazawa: a $4-5MM signing bonus and a four-year contract, which wouldn’t be counted against ’09 payroll.  Speaking of Tazawa – the Rangers are in on him too.
  • The Braves are not shopping Jeff Francoeur.  His name has not surfaced in trade talks.

Jake Peavy Rumors: Monday

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12:08pm: Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says Towers still considers the Braves the best match for a Peavy trade.  Cafardo says the Braves appear willing to trade shortstop Yunel Escobar.  He adds that the Red Sox haven’t been ruled out but they’re far down the list.

9:35am: Padres GM Kevin Towers arrived early at the GM meetings, with trading Jake Peavy high on his to-do list.  The latest from Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune:

  • Towers is "focused on three" teams.  Krasovic believes these to be the Cubs, Dodgers, and Braves.  He’s matched up with Jim Hendry and Ned Colletti before, and has known Frank Wren for many years.  It is believed that Towers would charge the Dodgers a premium for being in their division.  The Braves do not want to include top prospects such as Tommy Hanson and Jason Heyward.
  • Towers isn’t opposed to a three-team deal, but he’s never done one.  He’d prefer to make a normal direct trade. 
  • Towers wants quality over quantity, saying the right two or three players could get it done.

Peavy Rumors: Wednesday

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Another day, another batch of Jake Peavy links.

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked to several executives.  They expect Peavy will be traded to the Braves for Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schafer, and one of Kelly Johnson/Yunel Escobar.  This scenario becomes more plausible to me if Johnson/Escobar is replaced with a lesser player.  But, maybe I am misguided.  Buster Olney also talked to execs who envision a Hanson/Schafer/Johnson package.
  • Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune checked with Towers and Peavy’s agent Barry Axelrod, and learned that Peavy has a clean bill of health.  Krasovic also discusses Peavy’s violent delivery and minimal usage of his changeup.
  • Chipper Jones likes the idea of the Braves acquiring Peavy, and also would welcome A.J. Burnett as a teammate.
  • Axelrod agrees that the Braves are the frontrunner and the Astros may not have the goods for Peavy.  He downplayed Peavy’s friendship with Roy Oswalt as a factor in his decision.

Peavy Rumors: Monday

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Let’s kick off the day with a roundup of Jake Peavy rumors.

  • Peavy is not a fan of the American League or New York, so don’t look for him to land with the Yankees or Mets.  The Mets don’t seem interested anyway.
  • David O’Brien figures the Braves will have to surrender Yunel Escobar, Kelly Johnson, Tommy Hanson to get it done.  Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein says Hanson flies under the radar a bit, as he belongs in any discussion of the game’s top pitching prospects.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Padres were doing a lot of background work recently on Braves center field prospect Jordan Schafer.
  • Despite Peavy’s wishes, the Padres have identified four possible AL trading partners for him: the Yankees, Angels, Rangers, and Red Sox.  Peavy’s agent says he hasn’t closed any doors but the Boston Herald’s Michael Silverman believes the Red Sox or Yankees would have to pay a steep price in extra compensation to entice the pitcher.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Peavy Suitors, Lowe, Cardinals, Marlins

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Ken Rosenthal has a new column up, focusing largely on suitors for Jake Peavy, but also touching on some other news at the end… so let’s take a look!

  • Rosenthal states that the following teams have been speculated to be suitors for the Padres’ ace: Braves, Angels, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, Cardinals, Brewers, Rays, Rangers. While all of these are not serious possibilities, he elaborates on each team. He mentions Yunel Escobar as a likely centerpiece from Atlanta, and states that the Angels would love to acquire a frontline starter to allow them to send Ervin Santana and/or Joe Saunders to Colorado in a deal for Matt Holliday and/or Garrett Atkins. Rosenthal states that Howie Kendrick could be a big part of any trade, but his health seems like too serious of a concern to me. Rosenthal speculates on the possibility of a dominant rotation for the Yankees if they traded for Peavy and signed C.C. Sabathia. One rival executive’s speculative package for Boston included Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, and Justin Masterson. The Padres will likely charge the Dodgers considerably more for Peavy’s service, as they are division rivals. He lists Rickie Weeks and J.J. Hardy as a possible centerpiece for a Milwaukee blockbuster, but also points out that Ben Sheets has made the Brewers wary of injury concerns. The other teams don’t seem to match up well, in Rosenthal’s opinion.
  • Rosenthal says that he was wrong in stating that Derek Lowe would prefer to remain on the West Coast. Lowe has now told him that he’d prefer to go East, with Boston being his top choice. He reiterated this desire to the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo.
  • The Cardinals prefer a short-term solution for their closer situation, and will likely give Chris Perez the ninth inning job, or seek a lower-budget option through the trade market. They may also trade a young outfielder for an established bat at a corner OF position.
  • Kevin Gregg is still likely to be traded (perhaps an option for St. Louis), and four teams have asked Florida about Jeremy Hermida. Rosenthal speculates that the Marlins will begin 2009 with Cameron Maybin in center field and Cody Ross in right.

Latest Peavy Rumors

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9:03pm: Lots of good stuff from yesterday’s San Diego Union-Tribune that we haven’t covered.  First, Kevin Towers says he’s looking for young controllable pitching and then middle infielders in a package for Peavy.  No mention of a center field focus, which had been mentioned previously.

Additionally, Towers explained that the Astros do not match up well given his stated desire for multiple young pitchers.  So far the Braves look like the best fit.

On the Cardinals front, Joe Strauss says the team’s scouts met this week and are enthusiastic about pursuing Peavy.  Strauss’s sources say Peavy’s availability "loosened the organization’s grip on younger talent."  Viva El Birdos believes Peavy would cost top prospect Colby Rasmus and then some.  Despite Towers’ stated focus on starting pitching, an offer including Rasmus would have to give him pause.

3:26pm: The latest from the Jake Peavy universe:

While the Astros were high on the list of contenders yesterday, MLB.com Astros beat writer Alyson Footer isn’t so sure. According to Footer, sources named the Dodgers and the Braves as the two teams drawing the most interest, and said a deal could be in place within a week.

12:00pm: We had a good running mill of Jake Peavy rumors yesterday, but the stove is still hot. According to MLB.com beat writer Mark Bowman, the Braves are preparing a pitch for the Padres ace.

Citing a team official knowledgeable on the situation, Bowman reports the Braves have already had preliminary discussions with the Padres to gauge what kind of package would have to be put together to land the former Cy Young winner.

At this point, writes Bowman, the Braves are essentially in a holding pattern, waiting for the Padres to consider other deals from other teams. And it might be a long wait.

According to the report, the package the Braves are preparing would include top prospects, but it could also be improved if either second baseman Kelly Johnson or shortstop Yunel Escobar are included. Bowman thinks the Padres would have to include Khalil Greene for the Braves to consider dealing Escobar.

Peavy has said he’d waive his no-trade clause to pitch for Atlanta.

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: alexo05 -at- umpbump -dot- com.  Tim Dierkes also contributed to this post.

Latest On Peavy

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9:53pm: More from Olney.  The Padres are aggressively shopping Peavy, with the Braves and Dodgers two possible suitors.  Olney’s sources believe Peavy will be dealt "in the weeks ahead."  The Padres want two young pitchers and a near MLB-ready center fielder in return.  The Braves and Dodgers could both meet that demand.

7:07pm: O’Brien has a new article up; he says the Braves and Padres have discussed Peavy.  Not much is known beyond that.  Paul DePodesta offers his thoughts on the situation, basically explaining that any player should be available for a compelling return.  Thus far, the Padres haven’t received a compelling offer for Peavy.

10:04am: It’s early in the process, but Jake Peavy’s availability has baseball fans all worked up.  As a reminder, Peavy prefers the NL.  He specifically likes Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and St. Louis.  He considers L.A. a particularly good fit and therefore is open to the Angels.  Peavy controls his fate, as he has a full no-trade clause.  On to today’s links:

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