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Odds & Ends: Holliday, Red Sox, Pirates, Kazmir

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Things are picking up, so we've got a fresh batch of links for you…

  • The recently acquired Matt Holliday was non-committal when talking about his impending free agency, according to R.B. Fallstrom of the AP. "I'm going to enjoy myself and try to help this team get to the playoffs and to the World Series and work every day I can to be the best player I can be," Holliday said. "And leave it there. I think there's a time and a place for all those other things and when that time comes is when I'll do my evaluating."
  • Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse tweets that the Red Sox have told people "they are trying to pull off something huge." Earlier today we learned that the Sox were talking about Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez with the Indians.
  • Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review asked Pirates team president Frank Coonelly about the possibility of re-opening extension talks with Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson should they remain with the team past Friday's trade deadline, to which Coonelly responded "At this juncture, I wouldn't say anything is definitely closed. We'd have to see where we are. But, developments in the organization could create a situation that could make it less likely, or more likely, we'd want to extend Jack or Freddy."
  • Scott Kazmir's agent, Brian Peters, reached out to Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman about recent trade rumors involving his client. Friedman indicated the rumors were "merely speculative," according to MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun.
  • Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times writes that Jarrod Washburn has "let it be known he is open to a contract extension to stay in Seattle," but indicated that there has not been much discussion.
  • Bruce Miles of The Daily Herald said he expects the Cubs to look for bullpen help before anything else. He names Joe Beimel and George Sherrill as players of interest.
  • The Cubs have signed third round pick Austin Kirk according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, while Bill Ladson reports that the Nats have signed seventh rounder Andrew Weaver.

Heyman On Washburn, Halladay, Red Sox

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1:21pm: Heyman hears that Adrian Gonzalez may be Boston's top target now, especially since discussions about Victor Martinez aren't progressing.

11:51am: Jon Heyman of SI.com has the latest on Roy Halladay and the next-best options for pitching-starved teams. Here are the details:

  • The Yankees called the Mariners about Jarrod Washburn over the weekend. The Mariners say they aren't selling now, but that could change this week.
  • The Yanks would have to give up "a top prospect or two" to acquire Washburn.
  • Bronson Arroyo could be an option for the Yankees, but the Reds haven't offered to take on any of the $17MM remaining on his deal.
  • The Yankees have a miniscule chance of acquiring Halladay. They wouldn't part with both Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain for him, but they might trade one.
  • An executive involved in the Halladay talks says "it's early," since no one's taking tomorrow's pre-deadline too seriously. 
  • Sensing they don't have much of a chance at Halladay, the Dodgers are more focused on Cliff Lee.
  • The Red Sox could still make a big move, but don't expect them to deal for Halladay. The Blue Jays could ask for Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie and Daniel Bard, according to one of Heyman's sources.  
  • Victor Martinez remains an option for the Red Sox, who talk with the Indians "all the time."
  • The Red Sox are keeping an eye on Adrian Gonzalez, who's not available now. 
  • Bud Selig says he won't prevent the Rangers from taking on payroll even though the commissioner's office has helped Rangers owner Tom Hicks make payments. 
  • The Rangers have inquired on Halladay and Lee. 
  • The Cardinals will try hard to extend Matt Holliday.
  • The Rockies are still looking for a reliever. 
  • The Giants scouted Nick Johnson and Josh Willingham this weekend.

FOX Sports On Red Sox, D’Backs, Bell

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12:59pm: FOX Sports reports that Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski is aggressively looking for a hitter.

The Brewers are reluctant to trade Alcides Escobar and would probably hesitate to move him for Brandon Morrow and two months of Jarrod Washburn.

12:14pm: The Red Sox are "in" on Roy Halladay, but finding offense is the team's top priority, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Here are a few more rumors:

  • There hasn't been much interest in Doug Davis or Jon Garland so far, but D'Backs officials are optimistic that interest will pick up later in the week.
  • Minnesota has more interest in Freddy Sanchez than any of his other suitors do.
  • The Padres will listen on Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez, but aren't likely to deal either player. The Tigers had interest in Bell earlier in the month.  

Brewers, Mariners Talking Washburn?

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9:15pm: Things just got really interesting; this rumor may be growing legs.  From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt: 

"I know for a fact that the Brewers have been discussing Washburn, even though he is a free agent after the season. Because Washburn is a Wisconsin native, maybe the Brewers think they could convince him to stay with another contract after this year."

Haudricourt notes the M's would probably ask for a shortstop in return, naming J.J. Hardy and Alcides Escobar as possible trade chips.  Of course, that's a pretty steep price to pay.  "The Brewers probably would want more than Washburn in return for either shortstop," Haudricourt adds, "considering his pending free agent status." And his 4.03 career ERA.

9:06pm: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times suggests the Brewers might have serious interest in the Mariners' Jarrod Washburn. 

"I'm starting to doubt he'll take the mound on Tuesday night in a Seattle uniform," Baker writes. "A big reason why is that things are happening in Milwaukee and some decisions will have to be made in short order."

"Brewers pitcher Seth McClung went on the 15-day DL on Saturday and today, the Brewers called up Tim Dillard from Class AAA Nashville. But here's the catch: the Brewers are refusing to name Dillard as their Tuesday starter."  Might it be Washburn?

3:08pm: Jeff Fletcher tweets that the Brewers will have a scout in attendance at Justin Duchscherer's rehab start tonight. Duchscherer could be ready to pitch in the Majors in two weeks.

2:15pm: MLB.com's Adam McCalvy writes that Brewers manager Ken Macha may have hinted at an upcoming acquisition of a starter before the deadline for the Brewers. He quotes Macha:

"The trading deadline is coming and Doug [Melvin, Milwaukee's general manager] is trying to help the club," Macha said. "I don't want to try to create expectations, but he's trying to make the club better and I'm sure if he finds a starting pitcher who can help out, it's something he would do."

Macha cautioned that the Brewers want to field a competitive team every year, so they'd have a hard time gutting the farm system. When asked if he would be surprised if Melvin doesn't make an acquisition, Macha replied:

"I just know how much effort has been put into trying to look at our needs as a whole and fill those needs."

McCalvy names Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Doug Davis, Jon Garland, Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, and Brian Bannister as pitchers of interest, although it's safe to cross Bedard off that list now that he's on the 15-day disabled list.

Club Officials Worried Bedard May Be Injured

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Sunday: The Mariners placed Bedard on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation today, according to Baker. Needless to say, he won't be traded before Friday's deadline.

Saturday: Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times reports that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik and manager Don Wakamatsu "caught up" with pitcher Erik Bedard after today's game, saying that they feel he may be hurting after seeing how many pitches it took him to put batters away.

"You watch little signs on the mound," Wakamatsu said. "Really, the result tells you a lot with a guy that has that good a stuff,'' Wakamatsu said. "It was necessary to have that discussion afterwards. I know he doesn't want to say that anything's bothering him. But we'll find out tomorrow in more detail.''

There is no MRI planned as of now, but Wakamatsu says the team will check back in with Bedard tomorrow to see how he feels. If he is in fact hurt and the injury is serious enough, it couldn't come at more inopportune time for Seattle. With the trade deadline just under six full days away and the team struggling, Bedard figured to be the club's best trading chip.

You can find the latest Bedard rumors here.

Odds & Ends: Sheffield, Washburn, Pirates, Irabu

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Some links to start your Sunday morning off right…

  • MLB.com's Anthony DiComo says not to assume Gary Sheffield will be traded. Sheff is currently on the disabled list, but may have been attractive to contenders in need of a bat because he can still produce (.286-.388-.481 in 245 PA) and the Tigers are paying pretty much his entire salary.
  • Bob Klapisch of The Bergen Record mentions in this piece that the Mariners reportedly asked the Yankees for outfielders Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner in exchange for Jarrod Washburn.
  • Pirates owner Bob Nutting says that finances are not dictating moves, according to Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "There is no pressure on Neal to shed any payroll dollars, from me or anyone else. Every decision made will be a baseball decision, not a financial one. Any money saved will remain committed to the baseball operations budget to be used as they see fit."
  • Meanwhile, Chuck Finder of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Bucs are continuing to negotiate with some of their higher profile unsigned draft picks.
  • Patrick at NPB Tracker passes along a report that Hideki Irabu is looking to continue his comeback in Japan. Irabu signed with the Long Beach Armada of the independent Golden League back in April, and has a respectable 3.87 ERA in eight starts.
  • David Mayo of Mlive.com says that standing pat might be the Tigers best option at the upcoming trade deadline.
  • Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes about the Marlins' cache of impressive young position players in their farm sytem.
  • With teams unlikely to risk taking on salaries in a bad economy, we may see more waiver trades in August than usual, writes Pat Mitsch of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Cafardo’s Latest: Martinez, Boston, Pitching

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In his latest piece for The Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo reports that the Indians turned down an offer of Clay Buchholz for Victor Martinez according to an NL scout. The Red Sox then countered with a package of Michael Bowden, Justin Masterson, and an outfield prospect, but the Indians turned that down as well.

Let's round up the rest of Cafardo's rumors…

  • In addition to Boston, the Indians are also fielding offers from the Rays and Giants for Martinez, but aren't inclined to make a deal unless a team's best prospects are involved.
  • Cafardo runs through the list of other pitchers that "could be pried away," including Scott Kazmir, Cliff Lee, Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, and George Sherrill. He says it'll take "a blockbuster package" to land Lee.
  • Aubrey Huff and Kevin Millar are also available.
  • The Red Sox will "dip in the (Roy) Halladay sweepstakes" if the price comes down, but otherwise will look for a righthanded bat that can play the outfield.
  • Cafardo says it will be interesting to see if the Yankees, Phillies and Dodgers are aggressive at the deadline or take a pass, considering all three clubs are playing well right now.
  • The White Sox could pull off something big because GM Kenny Williams "has a bit of gambler in him."
  • It'll be interesting to see if the Giants' plans to add a bat are put on hold after the sudden death of principal owner Sue Burns.
  • Twins GM Bill Smith may add a middle infielder and/or a reliever before the deadline. Last night we learned that they were "deep into talks and talking composition of a deal" with the A's about Orlando Cabrera. The team might be able to stretch it's normal payroll with Target Field opening next year.
  • Cafardo proposes a "swap of underachieving Scott Boras clients," J.D. Drew and Magglio Ordonez.
  • While there is some uneasiness about there not being any substantive talks between the Nationals and Stephen Strasburg, those kind of deals can come together quickly. The signing deadline is August 17th.
  • The Rangers are unable to add payroll, which will hamstring their efforts that the trade deadline.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Saturday

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10:19pm: Heyman tweets that the Yankees might consider giving up Chamberlain for Halladay, but won't entertain both Chamberlain and Hughes.

8:14pm: Ray Parrillo and Jim Salisbury of The Philadelphia Inquirer report that the Phillies "were trying to steer the Blue Jays" towards a package centered around Carrasco and infielder Jason Donald.

7:53pm: Heyman tweets that the Jays suggested to the Yankees today that it would take Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and two more for Halladay.

7:36pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com report that the Jays countered the Angels offer by asking for a four player package that included Joe Saunders, Brandon Wood, Erick Aybar, and one prospect from the group of Trevor Reckling, Peter Bourjos, and Sean O'Sullivan. They also mention that as many as five teams are talking with Toronto about Halladay.

4:17pm: According to Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports, the Angels "did indeed make a run at Halladay, offering Jered Weaver plus the Blue Jays' pick of outfield or infield prospects" Bottom line, it wasn't enough.

3:47pm: Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse has more. Here's his most recent tweet: "Source: 'I'd be shocked' if Phillies reverse course and include Happ [and] Drabek for Halladay. But [second] source [says] Blue Jays 'got to' have both."

3:08pm: ESPN's Jayson Stark reports the Blue Jays have presented similar proposals (or lists of desired prospects) to the Dodgers and Angels.  "The ball is in their court," as Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi said Friday.

2:40pm: Jeff Blair of the Toronto Globe and Mail heard from a Jays scout that "there's one big team yet to make a play for Doc."  Blair hints that one "big team" might be the Red Sox.

1:04pm: According to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian, the Phillies have formally rejected the Blue Jays' proposal.  Philadelphia is reportedly opposed to giving up both Drabek and Happ.

12:43pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi at FOX Sports are reporting that the Angels have "intensified their bid" for Halladay. The Jays are said to be asking for one player from the Halos' major-league roster and "another who could make an impact in 2010."

Additionally, Jays officials are said believe Halladay's past two brilliant outings make their recent offers "reasonable." Sources don't believe a deal will be completed this weekend.

10:46am: Jayson Stark at ESPN says that the Phillies are now balking at the Blue Jays' asking price, which was formally presented Thursday as J.A. Happ, Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown. It's believed they're hoping to substitute Carlos Carrasco for one of Happ or Drabek, particularly Drabek.

9:25am: Talks might be heating up. Jon Heyman at SI says "there's no way he stays" with the Blue Jays, as discussions with the Phils have become "intense." MLB.com's Jordan Bastian saw Halladay emerge from the clubhouse in uniform, though, so nothing's imminent for now.

3:30am: Check out the latest from Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  He says that while the Jays want Drabek, Happ, and Brown for Halladay, they did send assistant GM Tony LaCava to watch Phils prospect Carlos Carrasco pitch.

Salisbury adds that the Phillies have interest in Cliff Lee, Erik Bedard, and Jarrod Washburn as backup plans, and will scout Lee Sunday.

12:20am: We learned yesterday that Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi is in serious discussions with four teams about ace pitcher Roy Halladay.  The Phillies are known to be the favorite.  A piece of info to kick off the Saturday post from Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail:

Know this: Halladay has told people that the Phillies are his preferred choice if he were to be traded. The Blue Jays want pitchers J.A. Happ and Kyle Drabek and one of two outfield prospects: Michael Taylor or Dominic Brown.

That's important, given Halladay's full no-trade clause.  Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports agree that Halladay would approve a trade to Philly.

The Phillies and Yankees were in Toronto last night scouting Halladay's gem against the Rays, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.  Rosenthal and Morosi say "Ricciardi has yet to engage" the Yanks in trade talks though. 

Despite the rumors, Doc told Bastian and other reporters after the game he feels like he's going to remain a Blue Jay.  He doesn't feel the urgency for a trade on his or the team's part.  Halladay also clarified his stance on free agency, for which he's eligible after the 2010 season.

Odds & Ends: Sano, Marlins, Beattie, Mariners, Reds

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Saturday night (link) fever…

  • Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com reports that Orioles director of international scouting John Stockstill met with representatives for Miguel Angel Sano in recent days. "We certainly expressed an interest in him becoming a Baltimore Oriole," Stockstill said.
  • After speaking with president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest, Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald says that the Marlins are definitely not sellers as the trade deadline approaches.
  • Former O's GM Jim Beattie was on 96.3 The Big Jab in Portland, ME earlier today, and told a story about a deal that would have sent A.J. Burnett and Mike Lowell to Baltimore at the 2005 trade deadline had it not been shot down by owner Peter Angelos.
  • MLBTR's own Ben Nicholson-Smith was on the same station earlier today talking trade deadline. Give it a listen.
  • Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times says that if the Mariners get a really good offer for Erik Bedard, Jarrod Washburn, or Russell Branyan, they should take it considering the team's recent swoon.
  • Tyler Hissey at Around The Majors wrote about some of the Reds' deadline options.
  • With the deadline now less than a week away, make sure you follow MLBTR on Twitter to get your updates even faster.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Mariners, Cardinals, Indians

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Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up. Let's round up the rumors…

  • With the Mariners fading out of contention, they could make lefties Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn available. If they do, it could cloud the market for Roy Halladay because teams will have more options.
  • One GM tells Rosenthal that the Mariners are likely to play out the weekend before deciding to sell.
  • The Yankees have been in touch with Seattle, and would love to see Washburn made available again after expressing interest in him in the past.
  • The Brewers remain "on the periphery" of the Halladay sweepstakes, but they aren't playing well enough to justify such a major trade.
  • After moving five players and adding $6MM in salary to acquire Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa, Albert Pujols shouldn't have any questions about ownership's commitment to winning. However with Holliday likely to leave as a free agent after the season, the team will be in the same situation again, looking for a bat to protect Pujols.
  • Indians ownership would need to sign off on a deal involving catcher Victor Martinez or lefty Cliff Lee, neither of which is imminent. The team knows the Red Sox will not trade them Clay Buchholz in a package for Martinez, and moving Lee would be an even bigger blow given how thin their pitching staff is right now.

In a separate video, Rosenthal says that the Phillies and Blue Jays are still haggling over which players would be included in a potential deal for Halladay. The Angels have made a strong offer for Doc, and the Jays expect other teams to get involved this week. Meanwhile, Lee's agent Darek Braunecker says Lee has told his team that he will test the free agent waters at the end of next season after being told "no" when asking about a contract extension last spring. If traded, Lee prefers it to happen sooner rather than later.

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