Odds and Ends: Sexson, K-Rod, Halladay
Random links for the day…
- We’ll have our weekly live chat here today at 2pm CST.
- R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay writes the Rays Comprehensive Trade Post.
- Brian Cashman confirmed interest in Richie Sexson.
- Danny Knobler quotes Francisco Rodriguez as saying that the Angels offered him three years, $34MM in November.
- Josh Hamilton called all his friends to tell them he was a Cub, then had to call them all back.
- People in Pedro Alvarez‘s neighorhood expect him to sign.
- Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay wants to see the team make some progress.
- Viva El Birdos would like to see the Cardinals acquire Jarrod Washburn.
- Ichiro’s profane, annual AL All-Star team pep talk.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Holliday, Burnett, Rauch, Ibanez
Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up.
- The Angels are not interest in Matt Holliday, while the Dodgers and Red Sox "could play" on him. Rosenthal names the Nationals as an "intriguing dark horse," saying they’ve been checking up on Holliday. They like the idea of having him for ’09, and could even entertain signing him long-term.
- The Phillies have minimal interest in A.J. Burnett, plus they’re on his 15 team no-trade list. Rosenthal notes that Burnett nearly signed with the Cardinals a few years back, but their interest is not mutual.
- Jon Rauch is a hot commodity, drawing interest from the Rays, Red Sox, and Diamondbacks. His price will exceed that of Brian Fuentes, since he’s under team control through 2010.
- The D’Backs would like to add a left-handed hitting outfielder, and Raul Ibanez is under consideration. Rosenthal suggests Matt Stairs or Tony Clark as possible bench additions.
Heyman’s Latest: Bay, Rivera, Chacon
New column from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
- Fresh Jason Bay rumors: the D’Backs and Cardinals are in pursuit. The Mets and Rays have kicked the tires as well. Heyman believes the Pirates want Emilio Bonifacio from the D’Backs, and maybe Colby Rasmus from the Cards. At any rate, the price will be steep with Bay signed for ’09.
- Juan Rivera is a "surprise target" of the Mets, though they’ve had interest in him since March. Rivera will be hard to acquire, though, because he’s gaining playing time for the Angels.
- Heyman believes Shawn Chacon will win his grievance and get paid his full salary.
Molony’s Latest: Mahay, Loretta, Erstad, Guzman
Let’s check in with MLB.com’s Jim Molony.
- The Rays are scouting lefty relievers Brian Fuentes and Ron Mahay. The issue? The price for Fuentes seems exorbitant, and Mahay may not be available. Troy E. Renck names the Yankees, Mets, Cardinals, and Marlins as the main suitors for Fuentes aside from the Rays.
- A few contenders have inquired with the Astros as to the availability of Mark Loretta and Darin Erstad.
- As you might imagine, the Rangers are open to trading Frank Catalanotto. We mentioned yesterday that his contract is a bit of a burden.
- It seems that Jim Bowden is listening to offers for Cristian Guzman while also trying to sign him to an extension. From Guzman’s point of view, it might make sense to enter a weak shortstop market this winter.
- The Matt Capps injury apparently affects Damaso Marte‘s availability.
- The Marlins may make Mark Hendrickson available. The big lefty was replaced in the rotation by top prospect Chris Volstad.
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.
Andrew Friedman – GM Trade History
Odds and Ends: Bedard, Teixeira, Longoria, Durham
Rounding up today’s links…
- Live chat here today at 2pm CST.
- Geoff Baker has a link and commentary on Erik Bedard‘s Philadelphia radio appearance. I’m with Baker – this was an odd choice by Bedard, who typically avoids the media.
- According to Ken Rosenthal, the Brewers are interested in the Giants’ Ray Durham and Jack Taschner.
- MLB.com’s Mark Bowman believes the Braves will shop Mark Teixeira if they decide they can’t contend. They’re currently six games out.
- Dave Cameron concluded his MLB Trade Value series at FanGraphs. He considers Evan Longoria the most valuable asset in the game, partially because of his team-friendly contract.
- Ken Davidoff runs through starting pitching trade candidates now that CC Sabathia is off the market.
- Sam Mellinger wonders what it would’ve been like if the Royals had successfully signed Hiroki Kuroda. Of course, they were eyeing Andruw Jones and Carlos Silva too.
- With Matt Treanor DL-bound, the Marlins’ search for a catcher may intensify.
Rockies Rumors: Holliday, Fuentes
Let’s dig into those recent Rays-Rockies rumors.
- Southpaw reliever Brian Fuentes has been linked to the Marlins, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, A’s, Cubs, Cardinals, and Rays. Troy E. Renck wrote Saturday that the Rays are the most aggressive suitor, noting that the Rockies like Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson. Trading either for Fuentes does seem crazy and unlikely. Nonetheless, MLB.com Rays beat writer Bill Chastain verifies the Rockies’ interest in Davis.
- As for Matt Holliday, Chastain says the Rockies want David Price. While Price is probably untouchable, we have seen top prospects like Cameron Maybin, Elvis Andrus, Carlos Gonzalez, and Matt LaPorta traded in recent months.
Rays, Dodgers Interested In Casey Blake
The Indians have marketable veterans aside from C.C. Sabathia. Take third baseman Casey Blake, who’s hitting .353/.414/.529 since the beginning of June. He’s owed about $2.8MM for the remainder of the season and figures to draw decent trade attention.
Baseball Prospectus’ Will Carroll says "there’s some rumor that Tampa Bay has interest" in Blake. Blake could fill the role of right-handed hitting right fielder. The Rays have also been linked to outfielders Matt Murton and Xavier Nady.
Blake has also drawn interest from the Dodgers, who wanted to get him in a C.C. Sabathia deal.
Brewers Close To Acquiring C.C. Sabathia
10:11pm: Haudricourt has names. He says the Indians are getting LaPorta, Zach Jackson, Rob Bryson, and maybe Taylor Green. Green could end up in the deal as a player to be named later.
Also, Rosenthal has commentary on the deal, explaining that "in baseball’s new-world order, prospects are power." The ability to draft brilliantly could trump payroll as a competitive advantage.
7:59pm: ESPN’s Buster Olney chimes in, citing sources that say the teams have agreed in principle to a deal. Sabathia himself sent a text message to ESPN’s Amy Nelson implying the same. All signs point to Sabathia making his Brewers debut on Tuesday, with an official trade announcement tomorrow.
By the way, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan has sources saying LaPorta and Green are in the deal.
6:29pm: MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince talked to Indians GM Mark Shapiro, who said "it is definitely not a done deal." We don’t know whether that comment refers to the standard physical, or something more. Meanwhile, Scott Miller says the deal is all but done.
6:05pm: Haudricourt says the Indians and Brewers have reached an agreement on a Sabathia trade. The Brewers will send LaPorta and two lower level minor leaguers to Cleveland for the southpaw ace.
5:53pm: Haudricourt checks back in, stating that a deal is nearly complete. The Brewers will send LaPorta and two other minor leaguers in exchange for Sabathia. One of them could likely be Class A third baseman Taylor Green, but the other will not be Lorenzo Cain, Mat Gamel, or Alcides Escobar. Cain has been promoted to Class AA Huntsville, likely to take LaPorta’s place on the roster.
The Brewers are insisting that the deal be closed tonight, in order to allow Sabathia to arrive in Milwaukee in time to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday.
5:41pm: LaPorta is absent from tonight’s game in AA Huntsville; Alcides Escobar is not. Definitely a sign that LaPorta could be on the move and a deal is getting closer to completion.
4:50pm: Tom Haudricourt tells us that the Brewers and Indians are still in "heavy negotiations." Haudricourt notes that with the Indians having a day off tomorrow, it makes an ideal time for a press conference to announce a big move. Additionally, he reiterates that the Brewers should try to get the deal done in time to have Sabathia make his next scheduled start in a Brewers uniform.
3:54pm: Jon Heyman weighs in on the impending Sabathia deal, stating that the Indians have been trying to pry top shortstop prospect Alcides Escobar away from the Brewers as well. Heyman re-affirms that the Brewers would like a deal complete as soon as possible, in order to get two starts from Sabathia – one Tuesday and one Sunday – before the All-Star Break.
No mention of the unconfirmed report of the deal being completed from Heyman just yet.
3:15pm: Anthony Castrovince from MLB.com takes Rosenthal’s rumor one step further, citing a "Major League source," that says a trade with the Brewers and Indians for C.C. Sabathia has been "completed." If correct, the trade is indeed centered around Double-A outfielder Matt LaPorta, though the other two prospects are not yet named.
Further updates as soon as they are available.
1:58pm: Ken Rosenthal writes that the Dodgers are officially out of the C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes, meaning that the Brewers could be extremely close to securing a deal to bring the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner to Milwaukee.
Rosenthal says that the Rays and Phillies are still in the race, but are also likely unable to top the Brewers’ offer, centered around Class AA outfielder Matt LaPorta. Rosenthal points out the Indians’ strong need for power in the future and LaPorta’s 20 HR and 66 RBI in AA Huntsville. According to Rosenthal, Cleveland will also receive two more prospects from Milwaukee in the current offer. Taylor Green and Lorenzo Cain were mentioned previously on MLBTR.