Odds and Ends: Halladay, Lopez, Glavine
Links for Monday…
- The Cardinals still don’t have a deal with Trever Miller.
- Is a multiyear deal coming soon for Jamie Moyer? Ken Mandel’s source says it’s been delayed only because of scheduling conflicts.
- The D’Backs released infielder Jamie D’Antona, who is headed to Japan.
- J.P. Ricciardi says trading Roy Halladay hasn’t even crossed his mind. Dan Graziano wrote last Wednesday that some continued to insist the Jays would explore trading their ace.
- River Ave. Blues considers Ben Sheets a better investment than A.J. Burnett for the Yankees.
- Jim Allen profiled the five Japanese players who plan to come over to MLB. He’s not high on Junichi Tazawa, Ken Takahashi, or Ryoji Aikawa.
- I never mentioned this, but the Braves released Rodrigo Lopez earlier this month (thanks to Jeff at Cot’s for the link).
- Dave van Dyck of the Chicago Tribune talked to White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen about various hot stove issues.
- Murray Chass talked to Tom Glavine about his future. Chass’ blog is an oddity – a veteran journalist writing and researching newspaper-style articles for his personal site.
- Joel Sherman believes the Angels are the Yankees’ biggest threat for C.C. Sabathia. Ken Davidoff agrees.
- In another article, Davidoff summarizes the situations of the ten big-name players.
- Ken Rosenthal talked to an agent who says the market is moving slowly right now.
- Viva El Birdos assesses the trade value of Ryan Ludwick.
- South Side Sox offers more thoughts on Dayan Viciedo.
Mets Rumors: K-Rod, Fuentes, Vazquez, Garland
The latest on the Mets.
- Joel Sherman believes the Brewers could interfere with the Mets’ attempts to sign Brian Fuentes or Francisco Rodriguez.
- Ben Shpigel of the New York Times wrote this weekend that the Mets don’t appear likely to dabble in the second-tier relief market for pitchers like Juan Cruz or Joe Beimel.
- Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog passes along a John Harper article from the New York Daily News, adding his own commentary.
- Harper believes the Mets may have to move on to Javier Vazquez, Jon Garland, and Edwin Jackson due to the high price tags on Boras clients Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe.
Odds And Ends: Lowell, Vazquez, Tazawa
Links for Saturday…
- Ken Rosenthal comes up with a few possible suitors for Mike Lowell if the Red Sox sign Mark Teixeira. He lists the Dodgers, White Sox, Tigers and Brewers as possible fits.
- Nick Piecoro likes Ramon Vazquez as a fit for the D-Backs.
- Highly coveted Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa pitched a complete game shutout in Osaka, walking no one and striking out 10.
- John Van Benschoten will move on from the Pirates and try to sign with another team.
- Luke Hudson will also leave his old club, moving on from the Royals instead of accepting an assignment to AAA.
- Bobby Crosby is out of the loop amid the rumors swirling about Rafael Furcal.
- Mike Scarr takes a look at the market for middle infielders.
Odds and Ends: Wade, Crisp, Holliday
Links for Thursday…
- New commenters are signing up every day as MLB Trade Rumors grows. Before commenting, be sure to read our policy. If you ever see someone violating the policy just send me an email and I’ll take care of it.
- If you receive an email from noreply@mlbrumors.com talking about some kind of newsletter, that has nothing to do with me or MLB Trade Rumors. We have a daily email of our latest posts, and that comes from dierkes@gmail.com.
- Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald wonders if Kerry Wood might accept an offer of arbitration from the Cubs.
- Hal Steinbrenner officially took over control of the Yankees from George.
- Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire takes a look at Jeremy Affeldt‘s motivations in signing early with the Giants.
- Check out recent fan chats with Astros GM Ed Wade and agent Scott Boras. Wade still hopes to sign Randy Wolf and Doug Brocail and doesn’t seem keen on trading Jose Valverde. Some fans didn’t seem to realize that just holding payroll steady will pose problems for the Astros.
- Joe Posnanski discusses the Royals’ acquisition of Coco Crisp.
- Nick Cafardo wonders if the Crisp trade sets up other moves for the Red Sox. They’ll explore signing Rocco Baldelli, according to Amalie Benjamin.
- Sox Machine reflects on Nick Swisher‘s time with the White Sox.
- A’s owner Lew Wolff would prefer to keep Matt Holliday all year.
- Tom Haudricourt wonders if the Brewers will pursue David DeJesus if they trade Mike Cameron.
- MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone lists which teams have been connected to the top free agent starting pitchers.
- Chad Finn wonders if the Red Sox are considering trading David Ortiz.
- Alan Schwarz has a nice article on Junichi Tazawa.
Brown on Sabathia, Teixeira, Lowe, Peavy
In his latest article, Tim Brown at Yahoo! Sports considers a possibility that others have discussed: maybe C.C. Sabathia doesn’t want to play for the New York Yankees. He certainly has options–Brown’s list includes the Dodgers, Angels, White Sox, Red Sox, Mariners, Tigers, and of course, the Brewers.
Not signing C.C. would increase the likelihood that the Yankees make a serious offer to Mark Teixeira. Nick Swisher seems to have the starting job at first base for now, but failing to land Sabathia might shift the Yankees’ attention to all three of Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe, says Brown.
Lowe might take his time before signing a new deal this offseason, with the news that Scott Boras is looking for the same average annual value obtained previously by Barry Zito ($18MM).
Finally, Brown notes that Padres GM Kevin Towers is waiting to hear from the Cubs about the possibility of continued trade talks regarding Jake Peavy, now that Ryan Dempster has been signed.
Odds and Ends: Mussina, Proefrock, Cuban
Links for Monday…
- Pitcher Kelvin Jimenez was claimed off waivers by the White Sox. The Blue Jays had claimed him from the Cardinals previously.
- The Yankees hope Mike Mussina decides whether he’s retiring soon. He says it might be this week.
- Aaron Gleeman runs through the more affordable middle relief options.
- Roch Kubatko had the scoop yesterday – Scott Proefrock, formerly of the Orioles, is the new assistant GM for the Phillies.
- Trey Hillman is familiar with Kenshin Kawakami, but it’s not known whether the Royals are interested.
- Peter Abraham is wary of five free agents the Yankees might consider.
- Mark Cuban is in hot water for alleged insider trading.
- Ben Davis is apparently pitching these days, and he’ll try to crack the Reds’ Double A rotation.
Gammons’ Latest: Penny, Jenks, Salty
Let’s take a look at Peter Gammons’ Saturday blog post.
- Gammons indicates that Brad Penny is working hard this offseason, and teams such as the Cardinals, Red Sox, Rangers, and Blue Jays "appreciate" his past success.
- The Mets are apparently worried about Bobby Jenks‘ declining strikeout rate, a sentiment echoed by Joel Sherman. Sherman talked to a Mets official who said the chances of acquiring Jenks are "close to zero."
- The Rangers apparently wanted Clay Buchholz or two of Justin Masterson/Nick Hagadone/Michael Bowden for Jarrod Saltalamacchia. The Red Sox aren’t biting.
- The Rangers would probably have to trade Hank Blalock ($6.2MM) to make room for Kerry Wood.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Swisher, Wood, Hermida
A look at the newest column from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Rosenthal believes the Nick Swisher trade is a prelude to other moves for the White Sox, and shouldn’t be judged in isolation.
- Darren Oliver could follow Damaso Marte and re-sign quickly, as his market value is also diminished by his Type A status.
- Texas native Kerry Wood is a good match for the Rangers, though they’re not going to want to do three years at $10MM per (I think). Jim Hendry says Wood will always be welcome to come back to Chicago. Rosenthal says the Rangers also have interest in Colorado’s Huston Street.
- The Cubs and the Rays are two suitors for Florida’s Jeremy Hermida, though they’ve cleared enough payroll already to be deliberate with this one.
Nick Swisher Trade Reactions
The Yankees acquired Nick Swisher yesterday for Wilson Betemit, Jhonny Nunez, and Jeff Marquez. The reactions are clearly in favor of the Yanks; let’s take a look.
- ESPN’s Keith Law says Swisher has upside for the Yankees at a reasonable price. He is unimpressed with Chicago’s return, though mildly intrigued by the idea of the Sox teaching Marquez a cutter.
- Peter Abraham notes that the Yankees see Swisher as their regular first baseman, and Mark Teixeira loses leverage. MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer figures the Angels are thrilled by the trade, as they may not have to compete with the Yanks for Tex.
- Ken Davidoff loves the move for the Yankees, and believes it gives them even more cash to throw at C.C. Sabathia.
- South Side Sox gives us an inside look at the trade negotiations between Brian Cashman and Ken Williams. They really don’t get the move.
- Williams would not commit to keeping the rest of the lineup intact.
- Ken Rosenthal believes the Swisher trade is a prelude to something bigger.
- Sox Machine says the White Sox must be banking on Swisher failing to right himself.
- Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald wonders if Swisher can handle the New York media.
- MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo looks at the prospects involved in the trade.
Yankees Acquire Nick Swisher
3:02pm: Rosenthal now says the White Sox will also receive Wilson Betemit and pitching prospect Jhonny Nunez. Betemit could be an option at third base for the Sox.
2:54pm: Ken Rosenthal says the Yankees also get pitcher Kanekoa Texeira from Chicago.
2:41pm: According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Yankees acquired Nick Swisher from the White Sox for minor league pitcher Jeff Marquez. It’s not yet known if other players are involved.
Swisher, 28 this month, hit .219/.332/.410 in 588 plate appearances this year. He’s set to earn $5.3MM in ’09, $6.75MM in ’10, $9MM in ’11, and has a $10.25MM club option for ’12 with a $1MM buyout. So, about $22MM over the next three years. River Ave. Blues loves the flexibility for the Yanks.