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With Alou Out, Mets Looking At Ibañez

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The possible career-ending injury to Moises Alou means the Mets have to look at the trade market for a replacement, and baseball sources are telling Newsday’s Anthony Rieber the Mariner’s Raul Ibañez is a possibility.

Joel Sherman of the NY Post reports that if the Mets are willing to take some money, "they might be able to use a Double-A corner player such as Mike Carp, Nick Evans or [Daniel] Murphy to complete a deal."

Ibañez is in the last year of his contract and can become a free agent next year. The Mariners have the worst record in baseball and are in the cusp of full sell-mode.

Ibañez has been one the most consistent players in the M’s roster, but at 36 and in the current trade market he’s more of a commodity than a franchise player.

The Manhattan-native played with Carlos Beltran in Kansas City.

"He’s a great guy," Beltran told Rieber. "Love him as a person, as a player. Great guy, great guy. I think he’s a great, great player. A player no one really talks about, but he always does his job. Driving in 80, 90, 100 runs, hits 25, 30 home runs, plays hard."

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Comments? Rumors? Email me: alexo05 (at) umpbump (daught) com.

Stark’s Latest: Burnett, Nady, Greinke, Burrell

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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.

Mariners Acquire Craig Wilson

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The Mariners acquired Craig Wilson today from the Pirates for a player to be named later. 

Hopefully the goal is not to use Wilson at the big league level, as he’s hitting just .230/.327/.396 at Triple A.  Wilson had some useful years as a Pirate from 2001-06 though.

The Bucs did some additional minor league shuffling, acquiring pitcher Dan Reichert and outfielder Ryan Mulhern from the Indians.

Odds and Ends: Resop, Myers, Gallardo, Fuentes

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Today’s link collection:

  • Joel Sherman says the Mets would be willing to eat some money on a contract to reduce the prospect price for a corner outfielder.  He suggests names like Xavier Nady, Raul Ibanez, Randy Winn, and Adam Dunn.  The salary-eating strategy would probably only help with Winn.
  • The Hanshin Tigers purchased reliever Chris Resop’s contract from the Braves.
  • Ricky Bottalico says Brett Myers wants to be traded, but Myers and the Phillies denied it.
  • It would be cool to see Yovani Gallardo return this year, if only to see him line up with CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets for a brief period of time.  That’s three aces.
  • The Yankees are still interested in Rockies closer Brian Fuentes; the Rox might be interested in Mark Melancon.
  • More rumblings that the Dodger front office is confusing other teams.
  • SI.com’s Jon Heyman ranks the most impactful potentially available players, raising the question of whether impactful is a word.  Heyman also includes odds of each player being dealt.

The Phillies-Bedard Situation

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The Phillies-Erik Bedard situation is an intriguing one.  The details:

  • As you know, the Phillies have had longstanding interest in the lefty.  Bedard recently appeared on a Philadelphia radio show, an odd choice given that he avoids the Seattle media.
  • Possible conflict of interest: what if Pat Gillick trades a bevy of prospects to the Mariners for Bedard, and then gets a high-ranking position with the Ms in ’09?
  • Will Carroll notes that Rich Harden, A.J. Burnett, Randy Wolf, and Bedard all carry injury risk.  However, the Phillies do not seem concerned about Bedard’s health.  He says Gillick wants Bedard at a discount, however.  Bedard has been shut down until after the All-Star break to recover from nagging injuries.
  • I imagine Bedard would command a package similar to the one the A’s got for Harden.  Both pitchers have ace potential and injury risk and are controlled through ’09.  The situations do differ, though – Bedard is less risky than Harden, and the Cubs deal was complicated by adding a good pitcher in Chad Gaudin.  Anyway, I think the Phillies could pull off a Bedard deal if centered around a healthy Carlos Carrasco.

Twins Discuss Adrian Beltre Internally

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WEDNESDAY: Christensen has an update on the Twins’ deadline strategy.  He says they are considering options to upgrade on the left side of the infield, though perhaps without a sense of urgency.  He notes that they have discussed third baseman Adrian Beltre internally, but probably not with the Mariners.

TUESDAY: According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins don’t have a glaring need and are likely to be quiet at the trade deadline.  The Twins are 1.5 games out in the AL Central. They’re 8th of 14 AL teams in OBP and SLG.  Nonetheless, they are third in the league with 4.9 runs per game.  This can be attributed to a league-best .857 OPS with runners in scoring position.  Who knows, maybe they can maintain it.

As for pitching, the Twins rank 9th with a 4.52 starters’ ERA and 6th with a 3.44 relief ERA (admittedly a crude measure).  They should probably jettison Livan Hernandez, but Francisco Liriano is the ace in the hole at Triple A.

Just a few weeks ago, I rattled off all kinds of suggestions for the Twins.  Commenters on that thread had good points – they probably don’t need to acquire a starter, and shortstop options are not plentiful.  However, I still think Barry Bonds and/or Kenny Lofton would be nice complements to this team.

Odds and Ends: Jack Wilson, Victor Zambrano, Bedard

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Time to round up some non-Sabathia links.

Stark’s Latest: Harang, Bedard, Hardy, Weeks, McLouth

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Brand new column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.

  • Stark explains why he feels the trade deadline is overrated.  I guess it all depends on what you expect from it.
  • You may recall Walt Jocketty’s Reds untouchables list from a few weeks ago.  It did not include Aaron Harang.  While the Reds might listen on Harang, there wouldn’t be any kind of discount.
  • The Mariners have pushed Erik Bedard to the backburner, focusing on shopping other veterans.  They’re also not dying to move Raul Ibanez at the moment.
  • The Brewers might be willing to include J.J. Hardy or Rickie Weeks in a trade.  In our chat today, a commenter wondered whether some kind of Hardy-A.J. Burnett swap could work.
  • The Tigers are looking ahead, inquiring about various shortstops they might be able to use in ’09 and beyond.  Perhaps if they find one they’ll decline Edgar Renteria’s option.
  • Add the Marlins to the list of Brian Fuentes suitors.  One source from another team said the cost for Fuentes is "one good piece." 
  • Stark agrees with recent indications that the Royals aren’t dying to move Ron Mahay.  Nonetheless, the Yankees, Marlins, Phillies, and Tigers are named as interested parties.
  • Pirate outfield chatter: some teams are calling on Nate McLouth, though the Bucs prefer to move Jason Bay or Xavier Nady.  Despite earlier reports, Stark says the Bucs could consider trading both.  The Rays are "especially interested" in Bay.
  • Stark talked to one club official who hasn’t heard any indications that the Phillies are willing to trade Shane Victorino.  Also possibly off-limits: Double A catcher Lou Marson.
  • To acquire Rich Harden, a package "would have to at least approach last year’s Dan Haren extravaganza."  So, look for him to stay put.  Harden’s velocity was down yesterday, by the way.
  • Brett Myers’ future with the Phillies could hinge on whether they re-sign closer Brad Lidge.
  • Still no buzz around Adam Dunn.
  • C.C. chatter: don’t write off the Indians’ attempt to sign him to an extension.  "One friend" sees Sabathia as more likely to land on the West Coast than the east if he doesn’t re-sign.

Selling Off The Mariners

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So it’s been a bit Mariners heavy today at MLBTR. It makes sense, though. They currently own the worst record in baseball, yet have some chips that could be valuable to contending teams. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times takes a look at a few teams that might be interested in buying what the M’s are selling.

  • Jason Varitek is hitting poorly. Kevin Cash is doing worse. Could the Sox pick up one of the M’s catchers? Baker notes that Jamie Burke could catch Tim Wakefield and probably hit better than Cash. Or, what about Kenji Johjima? Baker mentions that he could take over for Varitek, who will be a free agent, next year. Problem is, Johjima is hitting even worse this year.
  • With Hideki Matsui’s knee barking, could the Yanks be interested in Raul Ibanez? I think they’d opt to bring in Barry Bonds if Matsui’s knee doesn’t heal up soon. Not mentioned by Baker, but speculated by yours truly, the Yanks might show some interest in Richie Sexson as a defensive backup first baseman.
  • Plenty of teams need relievers, and the Mariners have a few. Baker names Mark Lowe, Sean Green, and Arthur Rhodes as available parties. Just about any team in contention might be interested, though Baker names the Braves and the Rays.
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