Nationals Rumors

Marlins Inquire On Ivan Rodriguez

By Tim Dierkes | July 16, 2008 at 1:04pm CDT

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes of the Marlins’ pursuit of a catcher, which has been going on for several weeks now.

The Fish would like to find an upgrade on Matt Treanor, who is currently on the DL with a hip strain. However, they’re not impressed by available backstops Paul Lo Duca, Yorvit Torrealba, and Dave Ross. Jackson adds an interesting name – the Marlins asked the Tigers about Ivan Rodriguez, but he’s not available at this time. They could always sign him in the offseason if the price is right.

We revisited the trade market for catchers about a week ago. Two names I haven’t heard much for the Marlins are Gregg Zaun and Rod Barajas of the Jays.

Odds and Ends: Vizquel, Saito, Burnett, K-Rod

By Tim Dierkes | July 14, 2008 at 2:12pm CDT

So many links, so little time.

Barry Bonds’ agent, Jeff Borris, says the prospects of his client playing this year look bleak.
The Tigers made their first Taiwan signing, adding outfielder Tang Chao-Ting.
Aside from Jim Bowden’s other problems, he’s having a hard time finding common ground with the Nationals’ top five draft picks.
Interesting post at NPB Tracker contrasting Masa Kobayashi with Yasuhiko Yabuta and Kazuo Fukumori.
The White Sox will have to choose between pitchers D.J. Carrasco and Adam Russell soon.
Troy E. Renck heard "simmering buzz" that Omar Vizquel could retire right now, but Vizquel debunked it.
19 year-old Tigers starter Rick Porcello probably won’t see big league time this year, but 19 year-old Mets outfielder Fernando Martinez has a chance.
The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo notes that outfielder Brandon Moss is a top trade chip for the Red Sox, but they don’t want to deal him. Also, check out Cafardo’s Q&A with Globe readers here. All sorts of informed Red Sox hot stove speculation in there. They’re looking at lefty relievers and shortstops.
Takashi Saito’s elbow injury is worrisome – I wonder if they will put in a call on a Jon Rauch type or just ride it out with Jonathan Broxton. At least ten teams are interested in Rauch.
Ron Gardenhire’s wish list for the Twins: a lefty-mashing hitter and maybe bullpen help.
Should the Orioles consider signing A.J. Burnett this winter, if he reaches free agency? They’ve flirted with him before.
Another available lefty reliever to add to the list: the Braves’ Will Ohman.
Kurt Streeter believes the Angels should offer K-Rod four years and $55MM.
Pure speculation – could the White Sox quietly enter the market for a starter?
The MLB Trade Rumors daily email is currently broken…sorry about that. We’re working on it.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dunn, Burnett, Ibanez

By Tim Dierkes | July 14, 2008 at 9:26am CDT

Ken Rosenthal’s Full Count video Saturday covered many interesting topics; yesterday he put the info into column form and added even more.

Same old story with Adam Dunn – he’s just not drawing much interest. Even with the whiffs and ugly defense, this is surprising to me. Rosenthal says the Reds "will take a considerable risk" if they offer Dunn arbitration after the season and he accepts. Would having Dunn on a one-year deal at market price really be so bad?
Rosenthal says "it remains to be seen whether Jim Bowden’s authority will be compromised" in the wake of his involvement in the FBI’s bonus-skimming investigation. The Nationals have a couple of mildly interesting starters to shop in Tim Redding and Odalis Perez, plus perhaps the top righty reliever in Jon Rauch. Maybe Rauch will be packaged with a starter.
The Angels will try to retain Francisco Rodriguez after the season.
The Blue Jays started A.J. Burnett on three days rest in an attempt to maximize his starts before the trade deadline, though the J.P. denies it. Burnett responded well against the Yankees. Rosenthal wonders whether he would abandon his opt-out clause if his contract was extended through 2011 upon a trade. A dissenting opinion – Jon Heyman talked to one GM who does not expect Burnett to opt out.
The D’Backs apparently do not see Raul Ibanez as much of an upgrade over Chad Tracy. However, Jack Magruder wrote Saturday that the Mariners and D’Backs had discussions on Ibanez.
The Dodgers are still interested in Jack Wilson.
Rosenthal says some teams are skeptical that the Pirates would offer Damaso Marte arbitration after this season. Why wouldn’t they? The Red Sox are interested in the lefty.

MLB Investigating Betting, Bonus-Skimming Scandals

By Tim Dierkes | July 14, 2008 at 9:00am CDT

Cheers to MLB for following George Mitchell’s suggestion and creating an investigative unit. It’s already helping to crack down on a couple of serious scandals, along with the FBI. I also like ESPN’s hiring of Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn. If I had something to hide, I wouldn’t want these guys on the case.

First we had several White Sox employees canned in May for possibly skimming bonuses intended for Dominican prospects. Then a week ago the L.A. Times said at least one GM "has already come under suspicion."

On Saturday, the Fainaru-Wade/Quinn team broke the news that Nationals GM Jim Bowden and special assistant Jose Rijo are under investigation for possible roles in the scandal. Bowden says he had no role and is not under suspicion, though. Rijo says he and Bowden are both "clean as a whistle" and "clean as Irish Spring soap."

Meanwhile SI.com’s Jon Heyman discovered that Orioles scout Alan Marr was fired for ties to sports betting. Other scouts may be implicated, but there’s no indication of game-fixing. Heyman believes Marr was tied to a bookmaking operation.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Holliday, Burnett, Rauch, Ibanez

By Tim Dierkes | July 12, 2008 at 10:23pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up.

The Angels are not interest in Matt Holliday, while the Dodgers and Red Sox "could play" on him. Rosenthal names the Nationals as an "intriguing dark horse," saying they’ve been checking up on Holliday. They like the idea of having him for ’09, and could even entertain signing him long-term.
The Phillies have minimal interest in A.J. Burnett, plus they’re on his 15 team no-trade list. Rosenthal notes that Burnett nearly signed with the Cardinals a few years back, but their interest is not mutual.
Jon Rauch is a hot commodity, drawing interest from the Rays, Red Sox, and Diamondbacks. His price will exceed that of Brian Fuentes, since he’s under team control through 2010.
The D’Backs would like to add a left-handed hitting outfielder, and Raul Ibanez is under consideration. Rosenthal suggests Matt Stairs or Tony Clark as possible bench additions.

Odds And Ends: Teixeira, Rauch, Castro, Newman

By Alejandro Leal | July 12, 2008 at 2:50pm CDT

Saturday linkage…

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution keeps asking whether the Braves should trade Mark Teixeira.
Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports several teams have inquired on the availability of Jon Rauch.
The Astros signed first-round draft pick Jason Castro.
Royals claimed Josh Newman off waivers. Newman had been DFA’d by the Rockies.

Cardinals Scouting Nationals

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 1:04pm CDT

Here’s a nugget from MLB.com’s Jim Molony:

The Cardinals had a scout watching the Nationals recently, though it is unclear which player(s) were being scouted — perhaps Tim Redding or Odalis Perez, both available inexpensive options who have been pitching well lately.

You’ll find both starters in our recent Trade Market post, and they do make sense for St. Louis. However, Tony La Russa is primarily pushing for a bat to protect Albert Pujols. Nationals shortstop Cristian Guzman wouldn’t qualify, but he would be an improvement over Cesar Izturis and Brendan Ryan.

Odds and Ends: Kemp, Kearns, Carrasco, Garcia

By Tim Dierkes | July 11, 2008 at 10:32am CDT

Friday linkage…

Yesterday I linked to Dave Cameron’s piece, in which he wondered whether Matt Kemp is overrated. Here’s the other side of the debate, a response from Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness.
Joe Sports Fans names the seven worst trades of the decade. I have some arguments here; what do you think? I wrote this post on the Pierzynski/Nathan/Liriano/Bonser deal two years ago, but I still think it holds that Brian Sabean’s trade looked reasonable at the time.
Joel Sherman wonders if the Mets and Yankees should consider trading for Washington outfielder Austin Kearns.
Matt Gelb takes a look at Phillies prospect Carlos Carrasco, who does not want to be traded.
The Yankees rightfully don’t view Freddy Garcia as much of an upgrade, since he won’t be ready until late August at the earliest.
Tracy Ringolsby runs through various players on the trade market. Interestingly, he does not see A.J. Burnett being traded.
Cardinals Diaspora suggests the Cards tangle with Billy Beane again, this time for Joe Blanton.
Dave Dombrowski doesn’t see Ryan Perry in the Tigers’ bullpen this year, after all.
Armchair GM challenges SI.com’s Jon Heyman to put his money where his mouth is.

Molony’s Latest: Mahay, Loretta, Erstad, Guzman

By Tim Dierkes | July 10, 2008 at 11:01am CDT

Let’s check in with MLB.com’s Jim Molony.

The Rays are scouting lefty relievers Brian Fuentes and Ron Mahay. The issue? The price for Fuentes seems exorbitant, and Mahay may not be available. Troy E. Renck names the Yankees, Mets, Cardinals, and Marlins as the main suitors for Fuentes aside from the Rays.
A few contenders have inquired with the Astros as to the availability of Mark Loretta and Darin Erstad.
As you might imagine, the Rangers are open to trading Frank Catalanotto. We mentioned yesterday that his contract is a bit of a burden.
It seems that Jim Bowden is listening to offers for Cristian Guzman while also trying to sign him to an extension. From Guzman’s point of view, it might make sense to enter a weak shortstop market this winter.
The Matt Capps injury apparently affects Damaso Marte’s availability.
The Marlins may make Mark Hendrickson available. The big lefty was replaced in the rotation by top prospect Chris Volstad.

Olney Rumor Bag: Eckstein, Teixeira

By Alejandro Leal | July 5, 2008 at 11:02am CDT

Another Saturday, another edition of Buster Olney’s weekly blog; along-side the deafening Sabathia discussions, we find some hidden gems:

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are pondering making a deal for David Eckstein. The Blue Jays have a well-stocked infield that has made the veteran short stop and former World Series MVP expendable.

The Orioles have also been inquiring about Juan Uribe of the White Sox and Felipe Lopez of the Nationals.

Mark Bradley of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution thinks the Braves should trade Mark Teixera. Although some veteran leaders think the team is still in the division race, the Bravos do sit 7 games behind Philadelphia and have been hampered by injury all year.

Teixeira signed a one year-deal in January and can become a free agent next year, but he would prefer not to be traded this year.

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Rumors? Comments? Email me alexo05 (at) umpbump (dot) com.

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