Cardinals Rumors

Odds & Ends: Trade Deadline, Brewers, Cardinals

By | July 25, 2009 at 3:42pm CDT

Some more links on a busy Saturday afternoon…

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com presents his "Five Biggest Myths About The Trading Deadline." It's an excellent read as we cruise closer and closer toward July 31.
According to Lindsey Young of the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the Brewers have agreed to terms with pitcher Kyle Heckathorn, the 47th overall pick in this summer's First-Year Player Draft.
As Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes, "The Cardinals may not be done trading, but it will only be fine-tuning or shredding." They're currently trying to deal third baseman-turned-designated hitter Troy Glaus.
Twitter is going to play a major role in this year's trade deadline. Join us on there for even more updates and discussion.

Tigers Not Interested In Troy Glaus

By | July 25, 2009 at 2:13pm CDT

We heard from FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal yesterday that the Cardinals are now trying to move Troy Glaus because he's unable to throw more than 90 feet. He'd work well as a DH-type in the American League or a first baseman, if NL teams decide to step up. Rosenthal listed the Giants, Braves, Rangers and Tigers as possible trade partners, but we can now cross Detroit off that list.

As Chris Iott of MLive.com notes, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said the club has no interest in Glaus: "Believe me, with all due respect to Troy Glaus, his name has never been mentioned here, to my knowledge. "I want to nip that in the bud."

Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Diamondbacks, Indians

By Eddie Schmid | July 25, 2009 at 10:20am CDT

Lots of trade talk means lots of links, so let's get right to the madness:

Corey Brock at MLB.com examines the possibility presented by Chico Harlan at the Washington Post that Stephen Strasburg could end up a Padre.
Bernie Miklasz at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at the Cardinals' five biggest winners in the Matt Holliday trade. Rick Hummel looks at other memorable trades in which the Cardinals dealt top prospects.
According to Nick Piecoro at the Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks are currently in a "holding pattern" with no. 16 overall pick Bobby Borchering.
Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times wonders if the Mariners' brutal 9-0 loss last night will mark the team's transition into selling mode.
Paul Hoynes at the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Indians will have a look at recently departed reliever Rafael Betancourt when he hits the free agent market.
Hoynes also outlines the Indians' payroll obligations for next season, and wonders if low attendance and revenues will force them to trim the team's "luxury items."
Toni Ginnetti at the Chicago Sun-Times talked to Cubs GM Jim Hendry, who expects some upgrades will come after the non-waiver deadline.
Jamey Newberg takes a look at the concept of trading prospects through the lens of the Rangers.
Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel chatted with Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, who will take an "aggressive but smart" approach at the deadline.
Jeff Zrebiec at the Baltimore Sun says director of scouting Joe Jordan is "irked" by the fact that only 20 of the Orioles' 50 picks have signed with the team.
Rumors are swirling that Luis Gonzalez might be heading back to the Diamondbacks as a team official, says Jesse Sanchez at MLB.com.

Rosenthal’s & Morosi’s Latest: Halladay, Cabrera, Glaus

By Mike Axisa | July 24, 2009 at 10:49pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com say that the Phillies and Blue Jays are getting closer on a potential Roy Halladay deal, but nothing is imminent. The Rangers and Dodgers have both expressed interest in Halladay, but did not talk with Toronto on Friday. The Angels have reportedly improved their offer for the former Cy Young Award winner, but it's unlikely they'll match Philadelphia's package. The Yankees have also expressed interest, but Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi has yet to engage them in discussions.

In a separate column, Rosenthal and Morosi fork over a slew of rumory goodness…

Don't be surprised if the Red Sox "show renewed interest" in shortstop Orlando Cabrera before the deadline. O-Cab was hitting .365-.377-.500 in his last 30 games coming into tonight.
The addition of Matt Holliday ensures that the Cardinals will look to move Troy Glaus. The Giants, Braves, Rangers and Tigers are expected to show interest in the former AL homerun champ.
One GM had this to say about the Holliday deal "In light of the current climate, good return on a 70-game guy. All based on what (Wallace) turns out to be. We are not high on the other two guys."
Meanwhile, a scout offered this about Brett Wallace: "He can hit but he throws like a girl. They acquired a DH — I think he might be Jack Cust Jr. with fewer Ks. (Outfielder Shane) Peterson is the hidden gem!"
The Jays are pushing Scott Rolen and Kevin Millar in trade talks, while a number of their bullpen arms are drawing interest.
The Marlins expressed interest in Holliday at one point, but wanted the A's to pick up most of the money owed to him this year. The Reds also inquired.
A bid to get Holliday ended for the Tigers when the A's asked for prospects Casey Crosby and Scott Sizemore.
Anaheim is indeed interested in Scott Kazmir, spurred on by input from pitching coach Mike Butcher, who once held the same position with Tampa.
The Cubs don't appear to be in any serious talks to acquire another catcher.
One scout familiar with the Reds said they "are listening on about everyone."
The Rangers have interest in lefty relievers George Sherrill and Scott Downs.
Sherrill is also on the White Sox's radar.
Oakland is reluctant to move reliever Michael Wuertz, but there is so much interest in him that the team might get the return it desires.
A number of clubs are expected to watch Justin Duchscherer on his rehab assignment as he comes back from elbow surgery.
The article closes with an amusing text message exchange between Skip Schumaker and Mark DeRosa.

Matt Holliday Trade Roundup

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 24, 2009 at 2:47pm CDT

By now you know that the A's sent Matt Holliday to the Cardinals for three prospects, including the highly-touted Brett Wallace. Since everybody's talking about it, let's take a look at what they're saying.

ESPN.com's Keith Law takes an in-depth look at the trade and concludes both teams win. The Cards upgrade in left field and the A's get a trio of prospects that's more valuable than the group they gave up for Holliday in the winter.
Erik Manning, Jon Heyman and Kevin Goldstein all say the A's got a good return for Holliday.
Yahoo's Tim Brown says Holliday will provide much-needed protection for Albert Pujols, who has been intentionally walked 21 more times than anyone else in baseball.
The Giants never called about Holliday, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Brett Wallace won't likely play in the majors this year, but he's excited to join the organization he grew up rooting for.
To see how Oakland's two trades compare, check out my summary of the two deals.

Comparing The Two Matt Holliday Trades

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 24, 2009 at 1:36pm CDT

The A's traded Matt Holliday to the Cardinals less than a year after acquiring him from the Rockies. Let's take a look at what the A's gave up to get Holliday, what he provided in Oakland and what the A's obtained from the Cards. Here's what Billy Beane traded away to get Holliday:

Huston Street – A quality reliever who attracted trade interest himself before the Rockies started winning. The Rockies pay Street $4.5MM this season and control him through next year.
Carlos Gonzalez - Just 23, he hasn't hit much in the majors yet, but "has the tools" to break out, according to Kevin Goldstein.
Greg Smith – The 25-year-old lefty has just pitched in the minors this year, without much success.

Here's what Holliday offered in three and a half months as an Athletic:

He hit .286/.378/.454 with 11 homers and 12 steals in 15 attempts. Holliday has also played strong defense in left.
The A's have paid about $8MM of his $13.5MM salary so far.
Perhaps most importantly, the A's had a chance at contending because they acquired Holliday. It didn't work out, but the chance for a playoff run is worth something.

And what the A's obtained from the Cardinals for him

Brett Wallace – Ranks 21st on Baseball America's mid-season list of the game's top prospects. The 22-year-old is a patient hitter with some power and limited defensive potential at third base.
Shane Peterson – Goldstein says the 21-year-old can play first and both corner outfield positions. He's a line drive hitter with good speed now playing in AA. John Sickels says he can be a fourth outfielder in the majors.
Clayton Mortensen - Goldstein says there are no guarantees with the righty, but he could become a back-of-the-rotation starter.
About $4MM in salary relief – the A's will chip in for $1.5MM, leaving the Cardinals with a $4MM tab.
The A's lose the chance at the compensation picks they would have received if they had offered Holliday arbitration after the season only to see him sign elsewhere.

Some are calling the trade a big win for the A's, but the Cardinals improve their 2009 chances and please their manager and best player all at the same time.

Cardinals Acquire Matt Holliday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 24, 2009 at 1:10pm CDT

2:10: The Cards officially announced the trade, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach.

11:39am: Derrick Goold of the Post-Dispatch says there's been no talk of an extension for Holliday. As Tim asks on MLBTR's Twitter, "when has a Boras client foregone free agency two months out to take a discount?"

11:16am: ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports that the deal is complete. The A's will contribute $1.5MM to the remainder of Holliday's salary, which leaves the Cards with about $4.5MM.

11:11am: Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post Dispatch says the teams are reviewing the players' medical records. The deal will go through unless they encounter an unexpected medical issue.

11:07am: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears the deal will go down. A source tells Price the sides are "finalizing as we speak."

10:58am: Jon Heyman of SI.com says the deal is "very close" to completion.

10:21am: The Cardinals are close to acquiring Matt Holliday from the A's for Brett Wallace and two other players, according to ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian. Outfielder Shane Peterson and righty Clayton Mortensen are also headed to Oakland if the deal goes through.

It's unclear who would pay Holliday the remaining $6MM on his contract should the teams complete a trade.

Roy Halladay Rumors: Thursday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 23, 2009 at 7:56pm CDT

7:56pm: MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says GM Ruben Amaro has dismissed reports that Kyle Drabek is untouchable, confirming Olney's earlier report. Amaro apparently "did not have a sense either way" that the Phils would make any trades before the deadline, but Zolecki still says the Phils are in "hot pursuit" of Halladay.

4:52pm: The LA Times reports that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti knows which of his players the Jays have interest in. The Dodgers have watched Halladay's last two starts, but do not plan on including Clayton Kershaw in any trades.

4:45pm: Angels owner Arte Moreno told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he's interested in acquiring an ace starter and has no "financial constraints." Halladay and Cliff Lee are out there and the Angels say they'll keep all options open.

4:39pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Kyle Drabek is not untouchable, though at least one top Phillies executive would prefer to hold the team's top young talent. Olney's sources tell him that serious talks are expected to begin this weekend.

3:35pm: Ricciardi told Jordan Bastian that Halladay has provided him with a list of teams to which he would approve a deal.

Ricciardi also says Halladay wants to test the free agent market after next season.

3:31pm: Ricciardi told The Canadian Press that talks have become "a little bit more heated up." He believes some teams are trying to make preliminary moves to acquire Halladay.

12:28pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney lists eight reasons why a Halladay trade could work for the Jays and Phillies. Halladay's value is arguably at its highest now and with him, the Phillies could build a legacy of winning.

12:14pm: The consensus the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: the Cards don't have what it takes to acquire Halladay.

11:34am: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian passes on comments Ricciardi made on the FAN 590 in Toronto. Ricciardi says he's exploring deals in part because Halladay wants to test the free agent market after his deal expires next season. Some teams are serious about Halladay; others are delirious, Ricciardi said.

11:02am: J.P. Ricciardi told ESPN Radio he still doesn't expect to trade Roy Halladay. He believes his negotiating partners should be prepared to part with at least as much as the Mariners gave up to acquire Erik Bedard.

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Phillies remain the one team that matches up perfectly with the Blue Jays. However, the Jays continue to seek big-league-ready pitching and other top prospects in any deal. Stark gets the sense that the Jays want to make a deal and doesn't expect them to lower their asking price as the deadline nears.

10:44am: Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun says the Jays could potentially expand a Halladay trade to include Marco Scutaro, Jason Frasor, Scott Downs or Brian Tallet, depending on their trading partner's needs.

One scout tells Elliott that some surprise teams are calling the Jays about Halladay.

9:20am: Here are the highlights from yesterday's Roy Halladay rumors GM J.P. Ricciardi expects to exchange names with interested teams early next week; the Blue Jays would consider dealing after their self-imposed deadline of July 28th; the Brewers remain a threat to acquire Doc; the Dodgers are still involved; the Rockies won't bring Halladay home to Colorado. But it doesn't stop, so here's the latest on the Jays righty, with more rumors to come:

One NL GM believes the Red Sox need Halladay and told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that they have enough to acquire him.

Cards & A’s Discussing Holliday For Wallace

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 23, 2009 at 6:18pm CDT

6:18pm: Ken Rosenthal calls the Cards' interest "mild, for now." However, Jon Heyman has a few updates on the proceedings–as noted in the past, Cards manager Tony La Russa is said to "badly" want Holliday. Heyman also reports that the Cardinals might want the A's to pay a portion of the $1.8MM bonus Wallace received after the 2008 draft.

3:41pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman says the Cards are "seriously pursuing" Holliday, possibly for Wallace. The Tigers are also in the mix for Holliday.

12:55pm: ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Cards and A's are indeed discussing a possible Wallace for Holliday trade. One of Olney's sources says the odds of a deal are 50-50. The Cardinals ownership may be prepared to take on salary, or the A's may pay a portion of Holliday's contract to obtain a better return.

10:00am: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that the Cardinals might be readying themselves to part with prospect Brett Wallace for Matt Holliday. The Cardinals need a bat to protect Albert Pujols and Holliday has a .310/.416/.492 line since May 5th despite a well-documented drop in power. He's walked 41 times in that span and continues to play above average defense in left field.

Holliday makes $13.5MM this year and will likely be a Type A free agent after the season. Wallace is a top prospect, playing in the upper minors with an OPS over .800 in his first full season of pro ball. Washington outfielder Josh Willingham is an option for the Cards in case Holliday costs too much money and too many prospects.

Odds And Ends: V-Mart, Tigers, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 23, 2009 at 10:34am CDT

Some links for the morning…

ESPN.com's Peter Gammons says the Adam LaRoche acquisition won't prevent the Red Sox from pursuing an impact bat like Victor Martinez.
MLB.com's Jason Beck predicts that the Tigers will trade close to next Friday's deadline if they decide to deal.
Manager Jim Leyland spends so little time thinking about trades that he doesn't even know who's available, according to Chris Iott of MLive.com. Someone needs to tell him about MLBTR.
ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says the notion that the Mets are contenders "borders on delusional."
Royals GM Dayton Moore tells Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star that he will "be very aggressive and put the throttle down" if he sees an opportunity to improve his club.
Justin Smoak, Martin Perez and Neftali Feliz lead Jamey Newberg's list of top Rangers prospects this week at MLB.com.
As anticipated, the Seibu Lions acquired minor league reliever Jonah Bayliss from the Blue Jays, according to the Kyodo News.
More than half of St. Louis Post-Dispatch readers believe the Julio Lugo-Chris Duncan swap was necessary.

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