Blue Jays Rumors

Morosi’s Latest: Blue Jays, Sanchez, Correia, Holliday

By Nat Boyle | July 5, 2009 at 10:00am CDT

Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com suggests the Blue Jays might want to set their sights on 2010, after which they stand to lose Lyle Overbay, Scott Downs, Scott Rolen, and Roy Halladay to free agency. Not to mention Cito Gaston and J.P. Ricciardi, whose contracts will both expire barring an extension. Morosi writes,

"Six pitchers currently reside on the disabled list, and ace Roy Halladay was a recent visitor. Vernon Wells and Alex Rios, signed through 2014, haven't been hitting. The team is in fourth place and would probably need to climb the standings quickly in order to convince ownership that additions to an $80 million payroll are warranted this month."

Morosi adds the following:

Halladay is not going anywhere.
Ricky Romero and Scott Richmond are most likely staying put, says Morosi, and I doubt anyone here disagrees.
Pitching is not a need for 2010 with the anticipated return of Jesse Litsch, Shaun Marcum, and Dustin McGowan.
The Jays are almost certain to keep Downs, who has become a premier reliever in the American League.

Morosi suggests, the Jays trade a pitcher or two to boost their team OPS which lags in the AL East behind the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays. Given the above, Morosi suggests Brian Tallet as a trade chip. "Tallet could be looked upon as a viable option for teams looking for a mid-rotation left-handed starter, particularly if the Mariners stay in the race and elect not to move Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn."

They may also look at dealing from their collection of right-handed setup men, such as Casey Janssen, Jeremy Accardo, Brandon League, or Jason Frasor. Just speculating here but Janssen may be the most attractive since he can start. As a reliever in 2007, Janssen had a 2.35 ERA in 72.2 IP with 6 saves before missing 2008 with a torn labrum.

Morosi has a few more bullet points to discuss:

Freddy Sanchez's contract contains an $8MM option for 2010 that automatically vests after 635 PAs, or only 600 if he makes the All Star team. So, it stands to reason that Sanchez will either make the All Star Team or see his trade value increase. This may be moot given Sanchez is on pace for 660 plate appearances. Morosi says one Mariners official doesn't think Pittsburgh is considering trading Sanchez. The M's have need for a pure hitter as well as a second baseman given concerns about Jose Lopez ability to stay at 2B long term.
The M's asked about Jeremy Hermida, but there wasn't a lot of movement. Morosi notes Hermida's trade value has fallen significantly.
Kevin Correia is pitching fantastically but the Padres haven't put him on the open market. Morosi doesn't report much excitement among other clubs.
Morosi says "one person in the industry who knows Oakland general manager Billy Beane well," guessed Matt Holliday will stay with the team so Beane could collect the compensatory draft picks. Morosi quotes the source: "Billy loves the draft."

Odds & Ends: First-Half Stars, Padres, Adams

By | July 4, 2009 at 2:18pm CDT

Happy Fourth of July to all of you. Is there a more perfect day for afternoon baseball?

D.J. Short of NBC Sports' "Circling The Bases" list his "Five Breakthrough First-Half Performers." You can probably guess a few of 'em.
MLB.com's Corey Brock has a quote from Padres GM Kevin Towers on manager Bud Black's upcoming contract extension: "He warrants an extension. I personally feel he's done his best job this season." The Friars are 34-45, 16.5 games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh, the Pirates' Indian-born pitchers, made their professional debuts this afternoon for Bradenton of the Gulf Coast League.
Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star believes Russ Adams will opt for free agency on Monday. The utilityman was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Friday after batting .200/.238/.200 in 20 at-bats.
ESPN's Peter Gammons takes note of the increasing amount of parity in the baseball world, and believes it may make for a slow trade deadline.
Join MLBTR on Twitter for even more updates and discussions.

Edes’ Latest: Giants, Teahen, Relievers

By Mike Axisa | July 4, 2009 at 10:02am CDT

Currently standing atop the National League wildcard standings, the Giants are looking for a lefthanded bat to add to their lineup according to Gordon Edes of Yahoo Sports. He cites a major league executive who says that San Francisco has focused their efforts on three first baseman: Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff and Adam LaRoche. Edes also says that the Giants have spoken to the Padres about a potential Jonathan Sanchez–Scott Hairston swap.

Let's round up the rest of Edes' rumors…

Royals GM Dayton Moore has heard from multiple teams about Mark Teahen, including the Red Sox, Cubs, Angels and Giants.
The Braves "might be inclined to take a look at" Jose Guillen. The Royals would love to discuss Yunel Escobar.
We've heard this before, but if Boston moves a reliever, it will most likely be Takashi Saito.
Padres' closer Heath Bell may command the most attention amongst relievers.
The Astros are likely to hold on to LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde, barring a collapse before the trade deadline.
The Blue Jays would love to move BJ Ryan, but are more likely to see interest in Jason Frasor and Scott Downs.
Bronson Arroyo is back on the trade block.

Odds And Ends: Blue Jays, Cotts, Indians

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 3, 2009 at 11:38am CDT

Manny's back to help celebrate the Fourth of July weekend! Here are some links to start the day off…

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Blue Jays execs will decide what course of action to take this month once they see how the team performs on its ten-game road trip against divisional rivals.
Jamey Newberg ranks this week's top 20 Rangers prospects for MLB.com. Texas just keeps churning out quality players; this week it's Julio Borbon.
Cubs reliever Neal Cotts underwent Tommy John surgery, according to the Sports Network, via the Miami Herald.
Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says the Mariners and Angels have a serious advantage over the Rangers when it comes to making deadline deals now that the Rangers are borrowing money from MLB.
Steve Kornacki of MLive provides five reasons why the Tigers may not make the playoffs and five reasons why they're in first.
As Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes, Seth McClung's preformance has made the Brewers' need for a starter more glaring.
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Indians would need a "staggering" return for either Cliff Lee or Victor Martinez.

Blue Jays DFA Russ Adams

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 3, 2009 at 9:37am CDT

The Blue Jays have designated Russ Adams for assignment to make room for David Dellucci, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. Adams, 28, has been a major disappointment in Toronto since the Blue Jays took him in the first round of the 2002 draft. The converted infielder picked up four hits in 20 at bats, hitting almost exclusively against righties.

The Jays signed Dellucci last month after the Indians released him. It's a minor move, but a clear improvement for the Jays.

Rosenthal On Holliday, Lee, Jays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 1, 2009 at 11:00am CDT

On the MLB Network, Ken Rosenthal says he wouldn't be surprised to see the Indians deal Cliff Lee. Here are the details and the rest of his rumors:

There's a good chance Matt Holliday will be dealt, though the A's aren't shopping him now. They say they'd have to be impressed to deal him, but Rosenthal suggests this is just a more subtle way of asking for offers.
Several GMs believe Billy Beane will trade Holliday this month.
Rosenthal isn't sure Cliff Lee will be in Cleveland for the rest of the year. He says the Indians aren't going to sign him when he becomes a free agent after 2010, so if someone offers the young top-of-the-rotation starter the Indians are looking for, they could deal their ace.
Victor Martinez is less likely to be dealt, as the Indians would consider keeping him after 2010, when they're expected to pick up his option.
There's no chance Vernon Wells gets traded.
Alex Rios, however, could appeal to some teams as a center fielder, so there's a chance he's moved.

Odds And Ends: Halladay, Yankees, Rangers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 30, 2009 at 10:36am CDT

Links for Tuesday morning…

Today's chat will take place at 2pm CST.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports looks ahead to the end of next season when Roy Halladay becomes a free agent if the Jays don't lock him up before then.
As Diamond Leung notes, the Dodgers traded minor league pitcher Brian Mazone to the Phillies for future considerations. Mazone already spent three years in the Phillies organization.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculates on an imagined deal: Luis Castillo for Milton Bradley.
Peter Abraham of the Journal News reports that the Yankees signed two independent leaguers: third baseman Yurendell DeCaster and lefty Edwin Walker.
Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe offers five possible solutions for the Red Sox in case Mike Lowell has to miss much time.
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun asks Orioles fans which player they would pluck from the Red Sox roster if possible. Kevin Youkilis and Jon Lester would sure be nice additions.
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post answers his readers' trade questions.
Anthony Andro of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers signed second rounder Tommy Mendonca.

Odds And Ends: DeRosa, Royals, Jays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 29, 2009 at 3:36pm CDT

The runner-up for Mark DeRosa, thoughts on the Blue Jays and a pair of discussions to listen in on…

Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News says the Reds came in second in the DeRosa sweepstakes.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that DeRosa's already fitting in well with the Cards.
The Phillies, who are scouring the league for starters, could have interest in Gil Meche and Brian Bannister so, as David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News reports, the Royals scouted Lou Marson and others in Triple A.
MLB.com's Mark Bowman notes suspicion that the Braves are unhappy with Yunel Escobar's behavior.
Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail gets the sense that the Jays are ready to move Vernon Wells and/or Alex Rios for just about anything to free up enough money to keep Roy Halladay after next year.
Watch my discussion with Sid Rosenberg right here. We talked about the Mets, Matt Holliday and the best pitching available.
I will also be talking trades on SportsTalkSoup tonight at 10pm CST, so listen in.

Odds And Ends: Sosa, Harper, Pedro, Ibanez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | June 16, 2009 at 3:57pm CDT

Links for Tuesday evening…

Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reports that lawyers with knowledge of MLB's 2003 drug tests say Sammy Sosa tested positive for PEDs that year. Not our domain here at MLBTR, but easily the biggest baseball story of the day.
Tom Verducci of SI.com reports that Bryce Harper has been flooded with interview requests since being profiled on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star believes the Jays should pursue Pedro Martinez.
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark profiles Raul Ibanez and the hot start to the 37-year-old's season.
Not only did the Rockies agree to terms with Tim Wheeler, they made progress with Rex Brothers and signed 27 players in total, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

Odds & Ends: Betemit, Greene, Sano, Draft

By Mike Axisa | June 12, 2009 at 8:30pm CDT

How do you guys feel about interleague play? I understand the problems in creates in terms of the unbalanced schedule, but the fan in me still loves it. Anyway, here's some evening links as rivalry weekend kicks off…

Wilson Betemit has been outrighted to Triple-A according to Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune. Betemit had been designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Gordon Beckham last week.
Khalil Greene has returned to St. Louis not to play, but to "have his status re-evaluated" according to Derrick Goold. The Cards have been looking for middle infield help, and most recently have been connected to Miguel Tejada.
Tyler Kepner notes that prospect Miguel Angel Sano will work out for the Yankees at their Dominican academy next Thursday. Here's the money quote from Sano's agent Rob Plummer: "I would say he has a Hanley Ramirez body and the possible upside of an Albert Pujols-type bat." Oh, is that all?
Maury Brown notes that this week's amateur draft shattered MLB.com's traffic records.
MLB.com's Todd Willis reports that the Rangers have signed six draft picks including Ruben Sierra Jr.
The Blue Jays inked a nostalgic draft pick of their own, agreeing to terms with Tony Fernandez's son Jonathan according to Erika Gilbert.

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