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Stark On Peavy, Oswalt, Phillies, DeRosa, Giants

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Let's take a look at the latest Rumblings and Grumblings column from ESPN's Jayson Stark.

  • The Padres' recent winning streak has not changed their intention of trading Jake Peavy.  The Dodgers and Cubs are in Peavy's first tier of choices, follwed by the Giants, Cardinals, and Astros.  The Angels would be the one AL team he'd consider.  The East Coast is a long shot.  Also, Peavy will want his 2011-13 partial no-trade clause to become a full no-trade.  Peavy's friend Roy Oswalt has been unsuccessful in lobbying Astros owner Drayton McLane, as the 'Stros can't take on Peavy's contract.  As for the Dodgers, GM Ned Colletti told the L.A. Times he hasn't talked to the Padres about Peavy since the pitcher vetoed the White Sox deal.
  • Stark talked to scouts who believe Oswalt has "lost his edge" and needs a change of scenery.  The Phillies have inquired on him, but they've asked about everyone: Peavy, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Chris Young and Jason Marquis.  Popular Phillies trade targets include Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco, Travis D'Arnaud, Freddy Galvis, Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown, and Antonio Bastardo.
  • The Braves are interested in bringing Mark DeRosa back to Atlanta.  He came up with them and was non-tendered in '04 after tearing his ACL.  But to deal young arms, the Braves would want an impact bat.  Stark says they're "mostly listening" rather than shopping Jeff Francoeur.  His trade value is difficult to gauge.
  • The Mets seem content to wait out the first base trade market.
  • The Giants seek a middle-of-the-order bat, and Jonathan Sanchez is being dangled.  Three targets they haven't had success on are Dan Uggla, Jorge Cantu, and possibly Carlos Lee.  Lee, according to one Stark source, doesn't intend to waive his no-trade for anyone.

Odds & Ends: DeRosa, Bruney, Cooper

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Let's kick it off today with some odds and ends.

Edes On Francoeur, Nick Johnson, Valverde

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8:10pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the Red Sox-Francoeur rumor:

Talked to someone in Braves organization who sort of dismissed the Red Sox rumor. Said he hadn’t heard one thing about them having any serious interest in Francoeur or scouting him recently.

9:01am: Yahoo's Gordon Edes wrote about many different trade scenarios in his column last night.

  • Edes seconds Ken Rosenthal's rumor that the Red Sox have been scouting Jeff Francoeur.
  • The Nationals have been scouting the Mets' Triple and Double A teams, trying to figure out a possible return for Nick Johnson.  Names of interest for Washington: Jon Niese, Mike Antonini, Eddie Kunz, and big leaguer Bobby Parnell.  The Red Sox also had interest in Johnson, but not for the price of Michael Bowden.  Back to the Mets – Joel Sherman of the New York Post has a list of available players they could consider aside from Johnson, including Jermaine Dye, Ben Francisco, Adam LaRoche, and Eric Hinske.
  • Edes likes the fit of Jose Valverde with the Rays, but speculates that the Astros could ask for Wade Davis in return.  Six years of Davis would be a huge price to pay for a few months of Valverde plus possible draft picks.  Edes also likes Mark DeRosa for Tampa Bay, but they seem well-equipped to handle Akinori Iwamura's injury with internal options.
  • Edes names the Phillies, Brewers, Royals, and Twins as possible suitors for Brad Penny.  Edes adds that the Phillies "are already making plans for life without Brett Myers" after this season.
  • The shortstop market includes Jack Wilson and perhaps John McDonald, but could become more interesting for a team like Boston if the Indians make Jhonny Peralta available.

Jays Not Looking To Add Arms Or Deal Overbay

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Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail reported yesterday that the Blue Jays are not looking outside the organization for pitching help or trying to deal Lyle Overbay. The Jays are hanging on to first place in the AL East by a half game after losing four straight. Here are the details from Blair's blog entry:

  • The Jays plan to rely on pitchers within the organization such as Casey Janssen and Ricky Romero (both returning to the team).
  • The Jays aren't even scouting Mark Mulder. 
  • The Jays would listen to offers for Lyle Overbay, who has an OPS of .867 and as many walks as strikeouts (17). However, they don't have the depth to deal Overbay because, as Blair points out, Kevin Millar "is not an option" as an everyday player. 
  • Overbay makes $7MM this year and the same amount in 2010, but he plays good defense. Last year he was the seventh-best defensive first baseman in the majors according to the plus/minus system.
  • Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi says he hasn't been proactive on the trade front.  
  • He says he's under no pressure to lower payroll. 

What Snider’s Poor Start Means For The Jays

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The Blue Jays were hoping for more out of Travis Snider this year, but his poor performance so far might be good for Toronto in the end. Snider was just demoted to Triple A and if he stays there until after the All-Star Break, he could end up under team control for an extra season. A month and a half in the minors could mean the Jays hold onto Snider for his age 27 season in 2015. Here's how it breaks down:

  • If Snider had stayed with the Jays all year, he would likely have become arbitration-eligible after 2011, hitting free agency after 2014.
  • If Snider has less than a full year's service time after 2009, he'll still become arbitration eligible after 2011, but it will be as a Super Two player.
  • This would mean he'd go to arbitration four times instead of three. He'd remain under team control through 2015. 
  • So what would it take for Snider to get less than a year's service time? He already has 77 days of the required 172 under his belt, but if the Jays call him up after the All Star Break, he'd collect 80 more at most and remain shy of the full year. 

The Jays expected a better showing from Snider, but his demotion could be good for the team. Here's the bottom line: If the Jays call Snider up after the All-Star Break he'll be shy of a full year's service time after 2009, become a Super Two player after 2011 and remain under team control for a year more than expceted, through 2015. 

Odds And Ends: Padres, Takatsu, Sano

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Links for Friday afternoon…

  • SI.com's Tom Verducci heard one GM argue that the Padres should trade Jake Peavy and Adrian Gonzalez to re-stock the farm system.
  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo breaks down what will happen after Stephen Strasburg's drafted by the Nationals. He predicts that eight or nine college arms could go in the first 20 picks, if you count redrafts like Aaron Crow and Tanner Scheppers. 
  • According to Mike Rutsey of the Toronto Sun, Travis Snider was sent to Triple A by the Blue Jays. Snider was hitting .242/.292/.394, with 25 strikeouts in 99 at bats.
  • According to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker, Shingo Takatsu auditioned in front of the D'Backs and Giants. He threw as hard as 86 mph and impressed scouts with his breaking balls. If the name sounds familiar it's because the 40-year-old sidearmer used to close for the White Sox.
  • Steve Melewski of MASN wonders if Nolan Reimold has seen the last of the minor leagues. After a slow start, the left fielder is seven for his last 18, including a homer off Mariano Rviera.
  • Via Twitter, Keith Law suggests pitcher Sonny Gray would go in the top three picks of this year's draft if he were eligible.
  • Live to Play suggests the list of suitors for Miguel Angel Sano will soon "thin out to the very serious contenders" for the 16-year-old shortstop prospect.
  • Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star writes that the ideal trade for the Royals might be Mike Jacobs or Jose Guillen for a "capable shortstop."

Rosenthal On Blue Jays, Maddon, Nix

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Rosenthal praises Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi for all the successful home-grown pitching this year.  Surprisingly, the Jays are second in the AL with a 3.85 ERA despite losing most of last year's rotation.
  • Why no extension for Rays manager Joe Maddon?  He's unsigned beyond this year.
  • Rosenthal gives props to Reds left fielder Laynce Nix, one of the best minor league signees so far.
  • The Around The Horn section of the column is packed with amusing tidbits; be sure to check it out.

Discussion: What Should The Jays Do?

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The Blue Jays are 24-14, leading the Red Sox by two games. It's early- we're not even a quarter of the way through the season- but the Jays have done better than anyone expected. Heading into the season questions about Roy Halladay's future swirled and some wondered whether the Jays might attempt to unload salary and deal the likes of Lyle Overbay, Scott Rolen, B.J. Ryan and Vernon Wells . So what should J.P. Ricciardi and the Blue Jays do?

  • Decide that the team can't maintain the pace it has set through 38 games and take offers for Halladay and others?
  • Wait it out until they've has played more than just three total games against the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox?  
  • Change the plan and go for broke this season, making whatever moves are required to put the team over the top? 
  • The Jays could use a better backup to Rod Barajas, but don't have other major holes thanks to good health and some breakout performances from Marco Scutaro and Adam Lind.
  • They have so much starting pitching depth that, as Mike Rutsey of the Toronto Sun writes, the team is keeping Casey Janssen and Ricky Romero in the minors for now since there's no room for them. 

 So are the Jays legit? How should they proceed with their season? 

Rosenthal On Royals, Atkins, Baez, Huff

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has trade speculation in the sidebar of his latest column.

  • Rosenthal sees shortstop Mike Aviles as the Royals' weakest link, given his .523 OPS in 97 plate appearances.  Most projection systems had Aviles in the .720-.750 range.  Rosenthal runs through potential trade targets such as Orlando Cabrera, Jack Wilson, Miguel Tejada, and Marco Scutaro.  The first three have their flaws, and Scutaro doesn't figure to be available.
  • Rosenthal suggests the Rockies could accomplish their goal of more playing time for Ian Stewart by trading Garrett Atkins.  However, Atkins is fairly pricey and is off to a .224/.287/.367 start through 108 plate appearances.
  • Orioles reliever Danys Baez is generating trade buzz with his 2.30 ERA through 15.6 innings.  Baez is still owed $4.55MM of his $5.5MM '09 salary, and he also gets a $500K bonus if traded.  So just moving the contract might be a feat for Andy MacPhail, in my opinion.
  • Aubrey Huff, with $6.62MM left on his contract, could eventually draw interest from teams like the Royals and Mariners, in Rosenthal's opinion.  Huff seems back to his pre-2008 level; he's hitting .270/.331/.423 in 124 plate appearances.

Miguel Angel Sano Drawing Attention

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Miguel Angel Sano, a 15 year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic, is coveted by all 30 teams according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  He'll turn 16 in May.  The signing period for international free agents begins July 2nd.  Kovacevic says Sano could command a bonus of $3MM.

Kovacevic says the Pirates are one of the favorites for Sano.  GlobalPost has an informative video about the kid.  In the clip, Sano wears apparel representing the Blue Jays, Cubs, and Cardinals at various times, for what it's worth.  He was wearing an A's jersey when ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. and Luke Cyphers saw him.  Sano is not worried about proving he's 15 years old, saying in the video, "Let them investigate me."  To read a bit about his personality, check out this blog post.

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