Maddux Possibilities
Steve linked to this MLB.com article yesterday, but I wanted to give it a bit more exposure. Braves beat writer Mark Bowman talked to Greg Maddux, who as you know has a full no-trade clause. When asked where he could see himself playing in August and September, Maddux named the Braves and Dodgers. He said he’d likely approve a trade to Atlanta.
Neither team may be interested, however. Bowman says the Braves are looking for offense and prefer to develop their young pitchers. And Maddux himself doesn’t think the Dodgers need pitching (after all, they’ve got Clayton Kershaw in the minors).
We learned on Friday that Padres GM Kevin Towers has informed Maddux of which teams are interested, and Maddux will take the break to consider his options. Would he be up for Philadelphia or St. Louis? Are those teams interested?
Olney’s Latest: Sexson, Ibanez, Ortiz
Buster Olney’s blog post is overloaded with rumors today. Here’s a rundown:
- Olney’s Speculation: Will the Red Sox will express interest in Khalil Greene with Julio Lugo on the DL for 4-6 weeks? Olney also wonders if the Dodgers will seek Huston Street if Takashi Saito is seriously hurt.
- Scout Speculation: Huston Street and Matt Murton to the Rays for prospects?
- Bobby Kielty was granted release by the Red Sox.
- Richie Sexson could decide where to go based on greatest offered playing time. I’d say that’s expected for a veteran starter.
- Olney says that requests for Max Scherzer are keeping the Dbacks from making any moves, such as for Raul Ibanez.
- David Ortiz is slated to return to the lineup on July 25th, which leaves the Red Sox less than a week to evaluate him and make a move if necessary. Olney details some options:
- Acquire a hitter during the waiver period after the deadline. This would rule out comparable replacements such as Matt Holliday or Mark Teixeira.
- Make a "preemptive strike" for Holliday or Teixeira costing them "at least one of their best prospects".
- Target a "second or third tier bat" such as Ibanez or Xavier Nady.
- Continue on with or without an effective Ortiz, hoping their offense is good enough.
Padres Rumors: Maddux, Wolf, Clark
Padres beat writer Corey Brock has the latest on the team’s trade candidates.
- GM Kevin Towers recently told Greg Maddux which teams have expressed interest in him. The Professor will ponder his options over the break, since he controls his fate with a full no-trade clause. Possible suitors like the Cubs and Brewers may have backed off, I imagine.
- As expected, Randy Wolf is drawing interest.
- Tony Clark could be moved within a few days, with Arizona the rumored suitor.
- The Padres are only looking to move veterans, and want prospects in return.
Stark’s Latest: Burnett, Nady, Greinke, Burrell
FRIDAY: We have an update to Stark’s column – he is now saying that Burnett does have veto power over 15 teams.
THURSDAY: Let’s take a look at Jayson Stark’s latest over at ESPN.com.
- The Phillies and Yankees both made failed runs at CC Sabathia. The Phils wouldn’t include Carlos Carrasco or Lou Marson, while the Yanks insisted on a negotiating window. The Phils are looking at Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett by default, while neither of those pitchers makes sense for the Yankees. The Yanks checked in on Aaron Harang, but that’s a moot point since he’s ailing.
- Despite the Dodgers’ run at Sabathia, they’re apparently not looking at other starters.
- Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that Burnett had veto power over 15 teams, but Stark’s source says it’s just a handful of teams. It’ll be tough to convince Burnett not to opt out of his contract after the season, unless he’s hurt.
- The Braves still haven’t made the buy/sell decision. If they buy, Xavier Nady is the top target. If they sell, Mark Teixeira is the best chip. Apparently Scott Boras is talking about $23MM per year for Tex this winter.
- The Giants are pretty clearly not trading Matt Cain.
- The Orioles, making a run at .500, don’t seem motivated to move George Sherrill or othe top veterans.
- The Brewers’ Plan B beyond Sabathia was Zack Greinke, rather than Rich Harden. Ken Rosenthal recently said the Royals were "decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," however.
- Stark says it "wouldn’t be out of the question" for the Cubs to pursue a lefthanded starter like Randy Wolf, despite the Harden acquisition.
- Extension with the Phillies for Pat Burrell did not get very far.
Quiet Deadline For Tigers?
Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press believes the Tigers might be quiet in the trade market this month. However, the team could use starting pitching and relief help.
Morosi notes that the Tigers have not inquired on Randy Wolf or Greg Maddux. What’s more, Wolf has the Tigers on his no-trade list. One starter known to be on Detroit’s radar: Freddy Garcia.
Morosi adds that the Tigers had discussions for John Grabow and Damaso Marte earlier this year. And keep in mind that Barry Svrluga said back in April that the Tigers "will watch Jon Rauch very closely."
D’Backs Interested In Tony Clark
According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres’ callup of first baseman Bryan Myrow increases the likelihood of a Tony Clark trade. Myrow, 31, hit .324/.455/.502 in 87 Triple A games. Granted, he’s had multiple stints at Triple A. But Myrow is a Paul DePodesta favorite who has never gotten a legitimate shot in the bigs despite mastery of Triple A.
DePo had this to say about Clark on his blog:
Tony is the type of player that you’ll often see moved at the deadline. He’s a veteran player who has been very successful coming off the bench in recent years, can change the game with one swing of the bat from either side of the plate, and is known in the industry as one of the finest clubhouse leaders in the game.
DePodesta admits that Clark’s power, his calling card, is down significantly this year. He’s slugging just .314; it may be due to the limited role. Krasovic notes that Clark gets a $500K bonus if traded. According to Jack Macgruder, the D’Backs might be interested in bringing him back. They made a two-year offer to Clark in December, but pulled it off the table.
Odds and Ends: Taveras, Kemp, Mota
Today’s random linkage.
- Correction to the Justin Duchscherer post – he only has one more arbitration year, not two. He’s set to reach free agency after the ’09 season.
- Rob Neyer points us to a quality interview with Yankees beat writer Tyler Kepner over at NoMaas.org.
- MLB.com’s Jim Molony says the Marlins have renewed interest in Rockies center fielder Willy Taveras.
- LEN3 thinks the Twins need a reliever more than anything.
- Dave Cameron wonders if Matt Kemp is overrated.
- Craig Brown of Royals Authority examines the team’s trade candidates.
- The Padres’ Paul DePodesta runs through his team’s top trade candidates as well as general considerations in trading.
- The Dodgers are close to signing their first-round pick, Ethan Martin.
- Oscar Villarreal refused the Astros’ assignment to the minors and may be released. Also at this link, the Astros have an offer out to first round pick Jason Castro.
- The Indians signed Bryan Bullington, the Pirates’ first overall pick in ’02.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Sabathia, Burnett, Fuentes, Guillen
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up. I updated the second bullet about Burnett – I had omitted an interesting rumor accidentally.
- The Dodgers could’ve gotten CC Sabathia, Casey Blake, and Jamey Carroll without giving up Matt Kemp. Owner Frank McCourt may have killed the deal, though he denies it. Rosenthal describes the Dodgers as a "near-impossible trading partner."
- Rosenthal reminds us that A.J. Burnett can veto trades to 15 teams and would probably require compensation to waive that right or his opt-out rights. Rosenthal also says the Jays offered Burnett to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy, but the Brewers passed and then acquired CC Sabathia.
- The Rays are named as the frontrunner for Brian Fuentes. Fuentes has been linked to nine clubs in various reports.
- Players such as Orlando Cabrera, Cristian Guzman, Jack Wilson, and Hardy may be hot commodities this winter given the large number of teams looking for a shortstop.
- The Royals received inquiries on Jose Guillen in the wake of his scuffle with the team’s pitching coach. However, the Royals plan to keep him.
- The Padres hope to acquire up-the-middle players. On a related note, Randy Wolf had a nice start last night.
Randy Wolf Likes San Diego
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
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.