Odds & Ends: Nationals, Mets, Padres
Mark Buehrle is human, for now. Aren't we all? Congrats to him on a ridiculous run. Here are some links to chew on in the meantime, with more to come:
- Chico Harlan at the Washington Post runs down the Nationals' trade chips, and says that the Nats' asking price for them is still reported to be high.
- Mets COO Jeff Wilpon has come out to defend the job of GM Omar Minaya, as David Lennon at Newsday reports, after his bizarre meltdown in a press conference yesterday announcing the firing of assistant Tony Bernazard.
- With the Padres apparently more willing to sell their big pieces, Corey Brock at MLB.com wonders whether dealing Heath Bell or Adrian Gonzalez would be more beneficial in the rebuilding process.
- Bill Ladson at MLB.com says that if the Nationals can't trade Nick Johnson, they'll need to figure out his contract situation soon. He's seeking a two-year deal, and reportedly wants a raise from the three-year, $16.5MM extension he previously signed.
- Jayson Stark at ESPN provides some background drama to the positions of the GMs in Philadelphia and Toronto.
- Rob Biertempfel at the Pittsburgh Post-Tribune reports that the Pirates signed fifth-round pick Nathan Baker, but he's only one of 18 signed out of 51 as the deadline looms.
- Lyle Spencer at MLB.com doesn't think you should expect the Angels to include Erick Aybar in any deals.
Freddy Sanchez Scratched
7:24pm: And down goes another rumor (for now): Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi at FOX Sports say Sanchez was not a healthy scratch, as his lingering knee issues forced him from the lineup. Still, with the Pirates in town for a series, the Giants' trainers reportedly personally examined Sanchez's knee last night, and teams are still in talks.
6:53pm: Multiple people have informed us that Freddy Sanchez was a healthy scratch from the Pirates' lineup tonight, and Henry Schulman at the San Francisco Chronicle is "getting more hints" that a trade is on the horizon, though it's not clear to whom. He cites the Giants and Twins as the top suitors. Stay tuned.
Red Sox Not Close To Deal For Cliff Lee
6:21pm: Rob Bradford passes along that the WEEI Twitter account we were sourced was a rather elaborate hoax. Twitter complicates things, but we apologize for being duped, and we're going to push harder to keep our sources verified.
5:40pm: Well isn't this ridiculous. Rob Bradford at WEEI tweets: "I have not reported anything. Somebody is hacking into my account."
5:26pm: Rob Bradford at WEEI reports that the Red Sox are close to a deal that would net Cliff Lee from the Indians for Michael Bowden, Josh Reddick and another prospect. Stay tuned.
MLB Trade Rumors Has The Trade Deadline Covered
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Dodgers, Indians Deny Reports About Lee, Martinez Talks
4:31pm: Kevin Baxter of the LA Times quotes a Dodgers executive saying there is "less than zero truth" to the rumors regarding the trade.
4:26pm: Rosenthal now says that both clubs have "strongly denied" the previous reports that the teams were in serious talks about Martinez and Lee.
Rosenthal says the clubs are talking, but the question now, becomes: about what? The Dodgers have had interest in Lee, but including Martinez is a new development, if it's true.
The names in previous reports have surfaced in talks, but club officials say that trade is not currently in the works.
3:50pm: Rosenthal now suggests that the young starter could indeed be one of Billingsley or Kershaw:
"Lee would replace either left-hander Clayton Kershaw or right-hander Chad Billingsley — it is not known which the Dodgers would part with in the package — giving manager Joe Torre the more experienced starter that he covets."
3:21pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers and Indians are in serious discussions about a trade that would send both Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez to Los Angeles in exchange for James Loney, a young starting pitcher, and prospects.
The deal still faces significant obstacles due to the caliber of players involved, but the Dodgers clearly want to strengthen themselves for a strong postseason showing.
Rosenthal names Class AA third baseman Josh Bell, Class AA outfielder Andrew Lambo, Class AAA starter Scott Elbert and Class AAA right-hander Josh Lindblom as prospects who are being discussed. All of the prospects are in the Dodgers' Top 10, according to Baseball America, with Lambo coming into the season as the Dodgers' top prospect.
It's unknown if the Dodgers would part with Chad Billingsley or Clayton Kershaw in a deal to acquire the Indians' superstars.
Phillies Also Looking At Lee
While we know the Dodgers are in serious discussions to acquire Cliff Lee, Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Phillies are also looking at Lee and may like his price tag better than Roy Halladay's.
Some baseball sources believe that Lee could be had for a package surrounding second-tier prospects such as Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald, preventing the Phillies from parting with standouts like Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown. The Phillies would prefer not to part with Drabek and J.A. Happ in a trade for Halladay.
You have to imagine the Indians would love to see a bidding war for their ace start up between the Dodgers and Phillies.
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Discussion: Suitors For Lugo
Not long after he was designated for assignment this morning, we learned that the Cubs, Cardinals and Mets have expressed interest in former Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo. Whether a club acquires Lugo through trade or by signing him after he's released, Boston will be on the hook for just about every cent left on his contract.
With teams always on the look for capable middle infielders, Lugo figures to draw a ton of interest in the coming days. Where do you think he ends up? The Mets were interested when Lugo was a free agent a few years back and the Cards could use a shortstop, but maybe a mystery team like the Twins swoops in. (Disclaimer: The Twins blurb is pure speculation on my part)
What do you guys think?
Olney On The Battle For Young Talent
Baseball's becoming younger and teams are changing the way they operate, as ESPN.com's Buster Olney shows. In the steroid era, teams relied on players older than 30 for their production. With the help of Baseball Prospectus, Olney shows that teams have become much more reliant on younger players. Here are the reasons why teams rely on young talent and the effect this reliance has around the league:
- Players are cheapest for their first six years in the majors, before they become free agents.
- As Oakland GM Billy Beane says, "everybody" is now working to develop their own talent.
- Even Yankees GM Brian Cashman prefers to develop his own players.
- Since teams are heavily invested in their top minor leaguers, they're providing them with better nutrition and more ways to stay in shape.
- Teams are willing to spend considerably more on amateur players, internationally and in the draft.
- There's now less information sharing between rival organizations, as the competition for talent has increased.
- Some teams, like the Red Sox, are sending multiple scouts to watch players since they want to be more confident in their evaluations.
- Teams have adopted a "broader use of statistics in evaluating players."
- Teams will poach the best coaches from other organizations to maximize their return on every player.
- There's more of a personal emphasis on players than before.
Discussion: Trade Deadline Predictions
Just for fun, why don't we kick off the second half of the MLB season with a few trade deadline predictions? Here are three from me and I'm looking forward to reading yours in the comments below:
- The Blue Jays will trade Roy Halladay to the Phillies for a group of prospects headed by Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor or Dominic Brown.
- The Nationals will trade Nick Johnson to salvage some value from their first baseman before he hits free agency. Johnson missed three quarters of last season, so he's not likely to rank high enough under the Elias rankings to bring the Nats compensation picks and they won't want to let him walk for nothing.
- The A's will hold onto Matt Holliday as the market for pricey ($13.5MM), slumping (no homers since June 5th) players isn't strong.