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Joel Sherman’s Ten Trade Candidates

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Joel Sherman of the New York Post has an article today regarding ten veterans who may be traded this month.  He’s packed the column full of insider info beyond the ten players highlighted; check it out.

  • Mark Teixeira is now more likely to be dealt than Eric Gagne.  Sherman sees the Angels as perhaps the best possibility here; they’d have to include Casey Kotchman.  I imagine Ervin Santana’s stock is down far enough that the Rangers would not settle for the two.
  • The Indians appear to be out on Gagne but the Tigers still make sense for all parties.  Would Todd Jones graciously step down from his closer post?  Detroit’s bullpen has actually been doing well lately.
  • The Royals want a righthanded-hitting center fielder in return for Octavio Dotel.  Now that’s a tall order.  Sherman names Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez as two who fit the bill, but such a trade would require young talent like Zack Greinke coming back to the Mets.  Just speculating, but Melky Cabrera and Reggie Willits also fit the Royals’ need.
  • Apparently the Mariners and Braves are "very interested’ in Dmitri Young.  That’s the first I’ve heard of a team besides Atlanta inquiring.
  • Oddly, the Devil Rays appear to have some interest in Kyle Farnsworth if the money can be worked out.  They like Scott Proctor as well, so keep an eye on that Ty Wigginton rumor.  Sherman mentions that the market is heavy with available role players, so look for a lot of boring deals with that type of player.  Just kidding, trade rumors are never boring.  Sherman tosses out Tadahito Iguchi to the Padres; that’s a fresh one.
  • Sherman runs down all of the available relievers we already know about.  Throw Kiko Calero in there as a new name. 

Marlins Could Trade Scott Olsen

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23 year-old southpaw Scott Olsen is very talented, but he’s earned a reputation as a bit of a hothead.  Take a look at his history: six incidents, including his Saturday arrest.  Performance is 99% of what matters in baseball, though, so Olsen would be very popular on the trade market.  Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post speculates that the Marlins could make a push to trade him.

The Marlins still need a center fielder, so that would figure to be the top target in an Olsen trade.  They had previously entertained sending Olsen to the Devil Rays for B.J. Upton or Joey Gathright.  The chance for Upton has passed, and Gathright is a Royal now.  I imagine the Royals would make the move in a heartbeat.

Here’s a scenario that might make sense for both teams: Olsen to the Diamondbacks for Chris Young.  Young should become a very solid center fielder, but he’s likely to be overtaken by Justin Upton in 2008.  The Diamondbacks have been said to be on the lookout for young pitching, and Olsen is perfect. 

The Marlins are kicking around moving Hanley Ramirez to center field next year, though that would just create a new hole at shortstop.   

Of course I have to make the obligatory Jarrod Saltalamacchia reference.  Olsen would be a fine addition to Atlanta’s staff, and the Marlins would replace Miguel Olivo as his salary starts to rise.

Can you think of any other reasonable scenarios? Leave ’em in the comments.

Ty Wigginton For Scott Proctor?

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According to George King and Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Devil Rays are willing to send Ty Wigginton to the Yankees for Scott Proctor.  The Yanks are willing to trade Proctor because they believe Joba Chamberlain can jump up from Double A and fill in capably.  Chamberlain is flat-out nasty.

Given his previous interest in Wilson Betemit, it looks like Brian Cashman is focused on adding a versatile player who is under control for several more years.  A bonus for Wigginton is that he bats right-handed.  Betemit is a switch-hitter but hasn’t done much from the right side.

It’s unclear how the Devil Rays would use Proctor, but I’m guessing they’d leave him in relief.  Having a decent guy who can pitch 80 solid innings in the AL East for a few seasons is a stronger need than starting pitching right now.  The Rays quietly have a ton of quality pitching in the Majors or in the pipeline.  This is a team with a $24MM Opening Day payroll this year – imagine if they bumped it to $75MM and added three star players to complement the current group.

Another note from the column is that the Rockies like the idea of taking Kyle Farnsworth off the Yankees’ hands, but don’t want to pay too much of his remaining salary.  Farnsy makes another $2.2MM this year and $5.5MM in ’08.  In my opinion, the Rockies should go for it if the Yankees will eat half.

Tim Brown’s Latest: A’s, Yankees

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Yahoo’s Tim Brown has a new post up, with some trade rumors we’ve heard before and some we haven’t.

  • Clearly the A’s are sellers, and they’re offering up Mike Piazza, Joe Kennedy, and Bobby Kielty.  Brown names the Twins as the club most interested in Piazza.  He also feels the Yankees, Angels, Mariners, and Red Sox would be good fits.  But where would Piazza play on the Red Sox?
  • The Red Sox were apparently close to a deal for Kielty, a 31 year-old switch-hitting extra outfielder.  He hasn’t played much center since ’02, so maybe the Sox have relaxed that requirement.  Kielty was supposed to be moved in a three-team deal that would have sent Wily Mo Pena somewhere.  The deal has stalled, but it’s really starting to look like Pena is on the move.
  • The Yankees and Rangers are still discussing Mark Teixeira.  My guess is that Brian Cashman just wants to see if this can be done without involving Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain.  Failing that, the Yanks have Ty Wigginton and Shea Hillenbrand on their list.  Wiggy would be a useful addition.  Joe Maddon would still find a way not to play Jonny Gomes though.

Cantu On His Way Out Of Tampa Bay?

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Jorge Cantu seems to want out of Tampa Bay; he’s dissatisfied with his lack of playing time this year.  He was recently designated for assigment to Durham again.  Most likely, the only reason he’s still in the organization is that Andrew Friedman couldn’t get anything useful for him via trade.  117 RBIs just don’t have the pull they did in the past.

But even if he doesn’t really have a position and doesn’t draw walks, there should be at least a little interest in a 25 year-old with good power.  Cantu slugged .497 with 28 HR in 2005; he still owns those skills somewhere.  He’s never actually had a full season at the Triple A level.  Maybe it’s time to take a step back before his development moves forward.

I think almost any team would be well served to buy low on Cantu, figure out one position he can play tolerably, and get him back on track.

White Sox Interested In Elijah Dukes?

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The Devil Rays optioned Elijah Dukes to Class A and put him on the temporary inactive list back on June 22nd.  He’s earning his Major League salary and getting counseling for his problems.

According to Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus, the White Sox may be interested.  Given their clear need for outfielders for 2008, a Dukes trade makes plenty of sense.  Chicago is a far way from Tampa and would represent a fresh start for Dukes.

Andrew Friedman and Kenny Williams have yet to match up for a trade to the best of my knowledge, though the Rays apparently have interest in Chicago’s available starters.   

White Sox Planted Buehrle To Boston Rumor

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Keith Law, on ESPNEWS yesterday, reported that the Mark Buehrle-to-Boston rumor is bogus and almost certainly planted by the White Sox front office.  Couldn’t hurt to try, unless the plant damages relations with the Red Sox in the future.  This type of practice is probably more common than we realize, though.

Furthermore, Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox are out of this thing (if they were ever really in it).  By the way, the reason for the refusal to allow a 72-hour negotiating window:  Buehrle’s likelihood of signing with St. Louis after the season.    

A loyal MLBTR reader, summing up Ken Rosenthal’s recent comments on WEEI, noted that the Yankees are not actually involved on Buehrle.  A GM always wants the Yankees and Red Sox involved when conducting a player auction, but it looks like that’s not the case with Buehrle.  Perhaps the Mets-Braves rivalry can be exploited instead.

Another Buehrle note – R.J. Anderson of D-Rays Bay informs me that radio host Dan Sileo of 620 WDAE has a source indicating that the Devil Rays are interested in Buehrle.  This doesn’t make much sense on the surface with the Rays out of contention.  However, maybe Andrew Friedman and Co. will offer players that they value less than the two compensatory draft picks.  That could be the main motivation, with the ancillary benefits of sparking the fanbase and having Buehrle around for three months to work with the younger pitchers.      

Elijah Dukes Demoted

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We knew something was coming…the Devil Rays demoted outfielder Elijah Dukes today and also placed him on the temporary inactive list (ie, no pay).

A trade or release is forthcoming.  According to the Tampa Tribune, the Rays spent yesterday exploring potential deals.  You’d think with millions of dollars hanging in the balance, Dukes would just relax and focus on baseball with his new team.

Marlins Still Like Elijah Dukes

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The Marlins have flirted with the idea of acquiring Elijah Dukes for center field for at least a few months.  Back in March, Jayson Stark mentioned the idea.  At that point, Peter Gammons felt that the Fish would not trade young pitching to get their center fielder.

Now they may be able to get Dukes for next to nothing.  The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that the Marlins have Dukes on the radar if they can get him for little.  Any breathing reliever might do the trick.  If the Marlins think, for some reason, that they can alleviate Dukes’ off-the-field issues, it could be a fantastic example of buying low.

By the way, one source tells me that the Nationals are definitely not interested in Dukes.

A less exciting but safe option for Florida would be Brady Clark, who recently became a free agent.  The Marlins have some interest.

Healey’s Latest

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Mark Healey at Gotham Baseball has long been a solid, underappreciated source of inside information.  He’s got another Rumor Mill up at his site.  My summary follows.

  • The Yankees have an eye on big-name 1Bs like Mark Teixeira and Todd Helton.  But more realistically, they’re looking at Tampa Bay’s Carlos Pena.  He’s got the defense, so even if he regresses to a 20 HR bat it’s a nice pickup.  Healey’s source believes Tyler Clippard is too much but the Rays like Sean Henn.  The Yanks have also inquired about the versatile Ty Wigginton.
  • The Reds, Rockies, and others have been scouting the Yankees’ Double A Trenton affiliate.  Joba Chamberlain, Ian Kennedy, and Brett Gardner are probably the most desirable players on that roster.  Gotham Baseball has previously connected the Yankees to Brian Fuentes and David Weathers.  Another reliever the Yankees like is Chad Bradford, though the O’s price may be too high.
  • Gotham quotes an NL scout who doesn’t believe the Mets will acquire a starter by trading Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, or Fernando Martinez.  That scout believes the return of Pedro will supply the needed boost.  Personally, I can see Milledge going.
  • Some former Mets on the radar: Brady Clark, Jay Payton, and David Weathers.
  • Healey says the Mets sent scouts to look at Randy Winn this weekend.  They must not be pleased with Moises Alou’s progress.  As I mentioned earlier, Winn is signed through 2009.  He has a full no-trade clause this year.  For 2008-09 he can block deals to ten teams.
  • The Pirates have some vets to trade, and have contacted the Mets regarding Shawn Chacon and Damaso Marte.  Marte is quietly having a fine season with a 1.21 ERA and 1.03 WHIP.  Marte earns $2.45MM this year, and $2MM in ’08 with an odd $6MM club option for 2009.  He can also earn incentives based on games finished.
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