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Randy Wolf Likes San Diego

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31 year-old southpaw Randy Wolf bounced back in his start last night, pitching seven fine innings against the Marlins.  Didn’t hurt that the Marlins have been lousy against lefties all year.

MLB.com’s Corey Brock spoke to Wolf, who said he’d consider re-signing with the Padres for the ’09 season.  Wolf noted that he is comfortable in San Diego and likes working with Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley.  He’s a West Coast guy and he left money on the table to sign with the Padres (and the Dodgers the year before).  Interesting note – Wolf followed a rigorous offseason training program and says he’s throwing harder than ever (he touched 95mph this year).

Wolf has a 14-team no-trade clause that includes many Midwest clubs, which could pose a problem for the Cardinals.  A return to the Phillies still might make sense.  The Yankees could also consider him.  Wolf could always accept a trade but still re-sign with San Diego after the season.

Cubs Pursuing Harden In Wake Of Sabathia Deal

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How will the Cubs counter the Brewers’ C.C. Sabathia acquisition?  They simply can’t match it, but the next best thing might be Rich Harden.  Harden is also a frontline starter, but he lacks Sabathia’s durability.

According to Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times, "the Cubs have spent a lot of time on the phone recently with Oakland Athletics GM Billy Beane trying to pry away Harden."  De Luca says they’ve been discussed a deal for at least a month.  Plan C is apparently Randy Wolf.  Will Carroll says the Cubs "think they match up well for A.J. Burnett."      

Jayson Stark commented on the Harden situation on Thursday:

The A’s will consider any offers that allow them to add and subtract at the same time. But any Harden deal would have to at least approach last winter’s Dan Haren extravaganza.

A reminder: Baseball America ranked Carlos Gonzalez as the game’s #22 prospect, and Brett Anderson was #36.  The Cubs don’t have two players like that.  Then add Greg Smith and Dana Eveland, who have combined for a 3.52 ERA in 207 innings this year.  Oh, and toss in Chris Carter and Aaron Cunningham for good measure.  That was a haul, even for an ace like Haren. 

Week In Review

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Continuing with Tim’s new tradition, here’s my take on some of the top rumors of the week from June 29 – July 6:

  • The C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes is nearing an end, with the Brewers’ Matt LaPorta package being the frontrunner. We’ll let everyone know the full story as soon as possible.
  • The Phillies extended Brad Lidge to a three-year contract. Lidge looks like his old self – great deal for Philadelphia. Looks like this means Brett Myers will remain in the rotation if he can get back on track.
  • We heard a lot about the Rays’ growing interest for Colorado closer Brian Fuentes. They could be preparing an offer. Troy Percival has been good, but injury prone, and you almost hate to move Dan Wheeler from the eighth inning where he’s been so good all year.
  • The shortstop market is hot, as the Dodgers, Orioles, and Jays would all like to upgrade. The Dodgers are interested in Jack Wilson, while the Orioles are looking at David Eckstein and possibly Juan Uribe or Felipe Lopez. The Jays could look to move A.J. Burnett and his contract for an upgrade there as well. Interesting that Toronto wants an upgrade over Eckstein, while Baltimore looks at him as an upgrade…
  • The Indians finally cut Joe Borowski loose, designating him for assignment. Was this too little too late? They tried to sneak Craig Breslow through waivers earlier this year. I’m guessing they’d rather have the 1.42 ERA he’s posted this season than Borowski’s 7.56, but the Twins are enjoying Breslow’s benefits.
  • Could the Angels add Matt Holliday? Seems unlikely with the stockpile of large contracts they already have in their outfield if you ask me.
  • The A’s signed Michel Inoa for $4.25MM on Thursday.
  • The Padres will be sellers this July. The onslaught of injuries have made this a frustrating season for San Diego. If you’d been able to see Adrian Gonzalez’s monster numbers through July 1 before the season started, who would’ve believed this team wasn’t contending? Wow.
  • For those who are interested, Tim looked at this past years’ offseason moves and compiled an All-Star lineup of free agent hitters signed prior to the 2008 season. That’d be a heck of a team to try to beat right now…

Rosenthal’s Latest: Teixeira, Yankees, Padres, Fish

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And now, the latest from Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count video:
  • If the Braves decide to shop Mark Teixeira, they may have a tough time getting as much as they’d like. The Red Sox, Angels, and Diamondbacks – among other contenders – are set at 1B/DH with David Ortiz, Casey Kotchman, and Conor Jackson respectively. Rosenthal notes Boston will only pursue Teixeira if Ortiz’s wrist fails to heal.
  • Brian Cashman isn’t sure whether the Yankees are buyers or sellers.  Most of their high paid players have no-trade clauses.  Should they want to buy, Rosenthal suggests A.J. Burnett is a guy they could make a play for: an underperformer with a contract the Blue Jays would be happy to pass off.
  • The Padres are planning to hold onto Brian Giles with the anticipation that a better replacement will not be available this winter. They continue to shop Randy Wolf, who can veto up to 14 clubs, and Greg Maddux to the Cubs continues to be bandied about.
  • The Marlins need help in the bullpen, at catcher, and particularly centerfield. They could pursue Willy Taveras, Scott Podsednik, or potentially free agent Kenny Lofton, 41, who has generated interest but not signed anywhere.

Cubs Eyeing Harden, Wolf?

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So many diehard Cubs fans hitting up this site…they need their own thread to talk trades.  As you know, the Cubs hope to add a starter this month.

Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times echoes the common sentiment that the Cubs probably don’t have the young players needed to acquire C.C. Sabathia.  I mentioned in today’s chat that I thought the only way the Cubs could be seriously considered would be to include Sean Gallagher.  You can debate the merits of that.

Beyond Sabathia, De Luca says Rich Harden and Randy Wolf "sit atop their wish list."  Jayson Stark noted today that Harden would require quite a bounty.  Wolf’s price might be reasonable, but is he enough of an upgrade?

Wolf’s Audition Goes Poorly

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According to MLB.com’s Corey Brock, it’s likely that scouts were on hand for Randy Wolf’s start last night against the Rockies.  Granted it was Coors Field, but seven earned runs in four innings did not help his stock.  His previous start against the Mariners was also lousy.  Wolf has pitched 102 innings over 18 starts.  Last year, he was finished at the exact same point.

The Phillies and Cubs still might pursue Wolf, perhaps as a fallback.  Steven Goldman recently made a good point in the New York Sun – Wolf and Greg Maddux have drastic home-road splits, and would probably only serve as back-end rotation upgrades for most contenders.

Odds And Ends: International Signings, Lo Duca, Ichiro, ChiSox

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Here’s a list of loose links (sink ships) from today:

  • The A’s officially inked Michel Inoa for $4.25MM.
  • Corey Brock of MLB.com has a piece on the Padres’ international signings. More here from the man himself, Paul DePodesta.
  • The Marlins are still looking for a catcher, and one of their former guys might be available. That would be Paul Lo Duca. With the Nats out of it, could they swap Lo Duca within the division? And would they assume part of Lo Duca’s remaining salary?   Keep in mind that MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro said yesterday that the Marlins were "not serious" about Lo Duca.
  • Ozzie Guillen is completely content with the current White Sox team. Other than an underperforming and injured Paul Konerko, they’re looking solid.
  • Sam Mellinger goes over the Royals trade options. It’s full of the usual suspects: Mark Grundielanek and Ron Mahay. He also mentions Esteban German, who in the past might have intrigued teams as a solid utility player, but who has dropped off considerably in 2008.
  • The best way to rebuild the Mariners? Trade Ichiro, says Scott Miller.

Gammons On The Cubs’ Starter Pursuit

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ESPN’s Peter Gammons has a new blog entry up, with the focus on the Cubs’ desire to add a starting pitcher.  Gammons talked to a Cubs official who said, "We almost certainly will do something.  But we really don’t want to give up Sean Gallagher at this point."

Here’s a quick rundown of the candidates:

  • C.C. Sabathia – Cubs don’t believe they have enough to get him.
  • Rich Harden – Gammons doesn’t specifically say the Cubs are interested, just that they’re monitoring Oakland.
  • Randy Wolf – The Cubs have interest, and Gammons says Wolf would waive his no-trade to go to a contender.  Plus, Wolf treated the Cubs well when they courted him in the 2006-07 offseason.  Gammons adds that the Padres still like Matt Murton.  History has shown that Jim Hendry and Kevin Towers work well together on trades.
  • A.J. Burnett – The Cubs "also keep looking" at him.  Last Thursday, Gammons’ colleague Jayson Stark hadn’t found "any indication that the Cubs have even batted his name around."
  • Aaron Cook – Gammons says the Cubs would love him, but Rockies’ GM Dan O’Dowd said earlier this month, "We’re not doing anything with Cookie."
  • Bronson Arroyo, Kevin Millwood – Gammons says the Cubs have "kicked around" these names.

Padres Likely To Sell

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The Padres have lost eight in a row, slipping to 9.5 games out in the NL West.  CEO Sandy Alderson says "it’s probably easier to see us as sellers at this point."  He added that they could still look to buy if the Padres can creep up to 6.5 games out by the break (which begins July 14th).  Here’s another look at the team’s top trade chips:

  • Tim Sullivan says southpaw starter Randy Wolf is "almost certainly gone."  Wolf was having a very similar season in ’07 but was done by July 3rd.  Aside from health concerns, Wolf has a 14-team no-trade clause that includes many Midwest clubs.  The Phillies, Yankees, or Mets could make sense.
  • Greg Maddux isn’t talking much about whether he’d waive his no-trade clause.  Fans have speculated he could go back to Atlanta or Chicago.
  • Brian Giles wants to stay in San Diego, and can veto trades to eight teams.  He also gets a salary boost if traded.  Would Oakland be a fit?

Olney’s Latest: Wolf, Lohse, Sabathia, Fuentes, Oswalt, Bailey

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Buster Olney has a new column up. Let’s take a look:

  • He suggests Randy Wolf as a "possible trade chip" with the Padres looking increasingly out of it this year. One problem: Wolf has veto power over trades to 14 teams. He’s been decent this year, with a 4.13 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 98 innings, but nothing to get too excited over.
  • Gossip item: the Mets could have had Kyle Lohse for what the Cardinals are paying ($4.25MM), only Omar Minaya passed.
  • Olney doesn’t see much in the speculation about the Angels wanting C.C. Sabathia. With Kelvim Escobar’s rehab going well, great first-half performances from Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, and John Lackey likely to improve going forward, why should they make a push for C.C.? Olney sees the Brewers and the Cubs as more interested parties. (Ken Rosenthal mentioned the Brewers and the Rays as C.C. suitors yesterday.) Later in the post, Olney notes that Sabathia has a 1.96 ERA in his last fourteen starts. Yowza.
  • How the Rockies fare over the next two weeks could determine what becomes of Brian Fuentes.
  • Olney can’t decide whether the Orioles should buy or sell. What do you think?
  • Roy Oswalt won’t get traded, with Olney linking to the Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice for his evidence. (Oswalt has, of course, been talking like he’d prefer to be somewhere else.) Also working against a deal for Oswalt: his continued experiments with pitching to contact (to keep the ol’ pitch count down) haven’t been going very well this year, either. His K/9 has been declining for years, of course, but it may have reached a point of no return this season. Whatever happens, I’m sure the ’stros would prefer to move him at peak value, not right now when he has a 4.77 ERA.
  • Homer Bailey, back in Triple A Louisville, isn’t getting any love from the scout quoted here, who says he threw "batting practice fastballs." Bailey was 0-3 with a 8.73 ERA in the majors this year after a hotly anticipated call-up. Given the bounty of young arms they already have, the Reds would probably prefer to trade him…but alas, his value has dropped the way his curveball used to. 

Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro and can be reached here.

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