Molony’s Latest: Francoeur, Bay, Blalock
MLB.com’s Jim Molony has a new column up.
- The Braves will listen to offers for Jeff Francoeur and Will Ohman, and maybe Mark Teixeira if the Braves struggle in the next week. The Royals are said to be interested in Francoeur. Mike Gonzalez is unavailable.
- The Braves have scouted Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, in case they decide to become buyers.
- The Phillies had an exec scouting the Pirates recently. The Phils are looking for a lefty reliever. The Phillies also may be looking at relievers on the Jays and Orioles.
- Molony rattles off Freddy Garcia suitors: Astros, Cardinals, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, Royals, Tigers, Mets, White Sox and Yankees. The Royals might be a new one.
- At least five teams are in on Casey Blake, including the Twins. However the Twins seem to prefer Hank Blalock. I like the Blalock idae for the Twins.
- Molony sees A.J. Burnett staying put.
Yankees Looking At Catchers
Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger says the Yankees have inquired on four catchers: Gerald Laird, Paul Lo Duca, Miguel Olivo, and Rod Barajas.
- Laird, 28, is expected to rejoin the Rangers Saturday after his hamstring injury. He’s a Boras client with a $1.6MM salary this year. He’s under team control through 2010, and Ken Rosenthal says the Rangers want young pitching for him.
- Lo Duca, 36, will be a free agent after the season. He’s got about $1.9MM left on his contract this year. He understands that he’s a strong trade candidate.
- Olivo, 30, is splitting time with John Buck in Kansas City. Olivo has hit lefties quite well. He has a $2.7MM club option for ’09. Rosenthal says the Royals are "aggressively shopping" him.
- Barajas, 32, is slumping currently. He has a $2.5MM club option for ’09. Eddie Bajek took a stab at projecting the Elias rankings for catchers, and Barajas seems to be right on the border of Type B status. However, he might choose to accept an offer of arbitration. Peter Abraham says that the Blue Jays might be reluctant to trade within the division.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Laird, Washburn, Nady, Bay
Ken Rosenthal has more new material. I’ve updated the post, as Rosenthal updated his.
- The Yankees are looking for catching – Rosenthal and Jon Heyman do not agree with Peter Abraham. Rosenthal says the Yanks have expressed interest in Gerald Laird and Miguel Olivo. The Rangers want young pitching for Laird, however.
- Jarrod Washburn‘s limited no-trade protection includes the Yankees. He might want compensation to waive that, putting him out of the Yanks’ price range. Washburn, a Boras client, wouldn’t mind pitching in New York though. The Mariners are looking for young pitching for him. It sounds like the Yankees aren’t willing to eat the entire contract and send good prospects.
- The Yankees may explore other trades, and are said to have interest in A.J. Burnett and Bronson Arroyo.
- The Nationals were apparently locked in on a second baseman for Jon Rauch, perhaps explaining why they traded him for just Emilio Bonifacio. The jury is still out on the speedy young infielder.
- The White Sox explored a scenario where they would’ve acquired Brian Roberts from Baltimore, traded Orlando Cabrera to the Dodgers, and moved Alexei Ramirez to shortstop. That obviously didn’t work out. The Sox may be currently trying to decide whether to part with third baseman Josh Fields, their best trade chip and third baseman of the future.
- Suitors for Xavier Nady, such as the Rays, Yankees, and Phillies, are balking at Pittsburgh’s asking price. The Bucs continue to insist they’re being reasonable.
- Interestingly, the A’s are still talking to the Pirates about Jason Bay. Rosenthal says a trade seems unlikely.
- The Cardinals had scouts in Baltimore yesterday, and their interest in George Sherrill is well-known. But they might not match up with the Orioles’ needs.
Heyman’s Latest: Nady, Teixeira, Sherrill
Jon Heyman is cranking out a lot of rumorage. Here’s his latest.
- The price has dropped a tad on Xavier Nady, as the Pirates have become more interested in moving him.
- The Braves still might trade Mark Teixeira right before the deadline, and Heyman thinks they can easily beat two draft choices.
- Many teams scouted George Sherrill recently: the Marlins, Dodgers, Cardinals, Phillies, and Brewers.
- Some execs "expressed annoyance" at the D’Backs underpaying for Jon Rauch.
- Heyman says the Yankees are looking for catching, though Peter Abraham doesn’t agree.
- The Twins, Giants, and Dodgers have interest in Hank Blalock, who has a $6.2MM option for ’09.
Will Carroll’s Latest: Blake, Mike Gonzalez, Fuentes
Baseball Prospectus’ Will Carroll checks in with a slew of rumors.
- Carroll believes Orioles relievers Jamie Walker and Chad Bradford would clear waivers. Bradford isn’t striking anyone out, but he does have a 2.45 ERA by virtue of good control and tons of grounders. He has a reasonable $3.5MM commitment for ’09.
- Casey Blake suitors: Mets, Rays, and Twins.
- Carroll wonders if the Rangers could send an outfielder to Atlanta for closer Mike Gonzalez. MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan also linked the Rangers to Gonzalez. Gonzalez is under team control through ’09; I’d be surprised to see him traded.
- The Marlins are "very aggressively" pursuing Rockies closer Brian Fuentes.
Mets Scouting Rangers
According to Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger, the Mets had a scout watching the Rangers last night. Graziano suggests Marlon Byrd as a possible player of interest.
First baseman/left fielder Frank Catalanotto may be available, but he comes with a $6MM commitment beyond this year. Lefty reliever Eddie Guardado is another possibility. The Rangers don’t seem compelled to trade starting pitching or Milton Bradley.
The Lefty Reliever Market
Let’s take a look at some of the left-handed relievers on the market.
George Sherrill, Orioles
- 31 years old, under team control through 2011.
- Known suitors: Cardinals, Brewers
- Asking price: two or three prospects, possibly a shortstop among them
Brian Fuentes, Rockies
- Almost 33 years old, free agent after season. Type A status likely.
- Known suitors: Marlins, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Phillies, Cubs, Cardinals, Rays, Angels, Brewers, Tigers
- Asking price: Apparently a young starting pitcher – Jon Niese, Ian Kennedy, and Clay Buchholz have been named
Damaso Marte, Pirates
- 33 years old, $6MM club option for ’09 with a $250K buyout. Type A status likely.
- Known suitors: Red Sox, Tigers, Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Cardinals, Rays
- Asking price: Perhaps a package exceeding the value of two draft picks
Ron Mahay, Royals
- 37 years old, signed for ’09 at $4MM.
- Known suitors: Cardinals, Yankees, Rays
- Asking price: Unknown, but Royals intend to keep him. Rany Jazayerli wonders if trading Mahay now would discourage future free agents from signing with KC.
John Grabow, Pirates
- 29 years old, under team control through ’09. Elbow stiffness last year.
- Known suitors: Tigers, Phillies, Cardinals
- Asking price: Less than that of Marte
Eddie Guardado, Rangers
- 37 years old, free agent after season. Type B status possible.
- Known suitors: Cardinals
- Asking price: Perhaps a starting pitching prospect; Rangers are said to be interested in the Cardinals’ Jess Todd
Alan Embree, Athletics
- 38 years old, $3MM club option for ’09. Type A status possible, but may choose to accept offer of arbitration. Embree wouldn’t be surprised if he was traded.
- Known suitors: None
- Asking price: Unknown
Jeremy Affeldt, Reds
- 29 years old, free agent after season. Type B status possible, could accept offer of arbitration.
- Known suitors: Yankees, Rays, Astros, Phillies last offseason
- Asking price: Unknown
Carroll’s Latest: Burnett, Twins, Cardinals
Baseball Prospectus’ Will Carroll has plenty of rumors in his latest post.
- Pat Gillick "doesn’t seem that interested" in going back to work for the Mariners.
- One team asked the Blue Jays to include players to be named later on both sides of an A.J. Burnett deal, to serve as a balance for the pitcher’s uncertain tricky contract. The Jays passed on that idea. By the way, the Toronto Star’s Richard Griffin thinks the Jays will keep Burnett unless offered a player who can improve the ’08 team.
- Carroll wonders whether the Pirates would consider trading Ian Snell. Snell is signed through 2010 with club options for ’11 and ’12.
- Beyond Adrian Beltre, the Twins "have taken a hard look" at Hank Blalock, Garrett Atkins, and Casey Blake.
- The Cards are searching the Triple A ranks for the next Ryan Ludwick. Maybe they were one of the teams inquiring on Nelson Cruz?
Sherman’s Latest: Bay, Nady, Holliday, Fuentes, Blake
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman is working hard today, filing blog posts here and here.
- Multiple teams are in the hunt for a right-handed hitting outfielder: the Mets, Rays, and maybe the Yankees. The Pirates are asking for too much for Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, while the Rockies are waiting to see what Bay costs so they can ask for more for Matt Holliday. The Rays’ might find their solution internally, with Rocco Baldelli.
- Holliday as a replacement for Manny Ramirez this winter? Right now it’s just a couple of execs speculating to Sherman.
- The Rockies want either Jon Niese from the Mets or Ian Kennedy from the Yankees for Brian Fuentes, but the two New York clubs aren’t having that.
- Nolan Ryan doesn’t want to punt on ’08 with the Rangers.
- Sherman wonders if the Marlins could match up with Texas on a catcher.
- Juan Rivera is not available at this point.
- Casey Blake is likely to be traded, partially because the Indians probably wouldn’t offer him arbitration after the season. The Mets and Yankees are said to have "at least mild interest."
Sherman’s Latest: Adenhart, Burnett, Niese, Ibanez
Joel Sherman of the New York Post has been digging up rumors left and right – here, here, and here in recent days. Let’s discuss.
- The Angels have "hinted at a willingness to build a deal around pitching prospect Nick Adenhart." This would apparently involve Mark Teixeira or Matt Holliday.
- The Phillies made an initial offer last week for A.J. Burnett, and the Jays were thoroughly unimpressed. The Phillies won’t discuss prospects Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, or Greg Golson in trades.
- The Yankees have zero interest in Burnett.
- The A’s are willing to move Joe Blanton. He’s not perfect, but he can eat innings and is under team control through 2010.
- Six games out of the wild card with a league-best offense, the Rangers don’t look like sellers.
- At least ten teams watched Mets’ Double A starter Jon Niese pitch Saturday. He’s their top trade chip given the unavailability of Fernando Martinez.
- The Pirates have their eye on the Yankees’ Ross Ohlendorf, if the Yanks become buyers for players like Damaso Marte or Xavier Nady.
- Three Raul Ibanez suitors are named: the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Red Sox.
- At least nine teams are monitoring Freddy Garcia: the Yankees, Mets, Astros, Rangers, Royals, Red Sox, Phillies, Tigers, and White Sox. We’ve seen the Braves, Rays, and Cubs mentioned too. Garcia’s agent isn’t up for an ’09 option with his client. A-Rod is said to be pushing for the Yankees to sign him.
- Sherman notes a rumor around the game that has Pat Gillick becoming Mariners president next year, and Brian Cashman coming on as his GM.