Baseball Rumor News

ESPN is reporting that the Brewers have acquired Indians ace C.C. Sabathia. Last years AL Cy Young award winner was the biggest name to be thrown out as a possible trade candidate this season. With the Indians unable to resign their star, it was inevitable that he would be traded. Outfielder Matt LaPorta along with a couple other Brewers prospects will be on their way to Cleveland in return for the huge addition to their starting rotation.

One thing is for sure, the NL Central race just heated up big time. The Brewers are only a few games behind the Cubs, who will need to make a huge splash on the trade market if they hope to maintain the lead in the division. Expect the Cubs, and possibly the Cardinals, to do something soon because if they don’t, they will see the Brewers pass them by. Milwaukee is a team that is playing great baseball right now and Sabathia will only add to their momentum.

In Ken Rosenthal’s most recent story (for Fox Sports) he touches on a plethora of trade possibilities that I found very intriguing. It’s a lot of information, so here are some of the key points:

Dodgers after a slugger: Some of the names that came up as targets for L.A> are Detroit’s Maglio Ordonez, Pittsburgh’s Jason Bay, and maybe even Colorado’s Matt Holliday. Bay and Ordonez seem like more realistic options. Holliday would require a boatload of young talent and I don’t think the Dodgers would love the idea of seeing Kemp, Loney, Ethier, or any other guys they have been developing playing for a division rival. For any one of the three OF vets, expect that Kemp would likely have to be included.

Milton Bradley: Rosenthal sees him as a very valuable commodity if the Rangers give up on the season. They got him on the cheap and could collect a couple high-level prospects for him. Bradley is currently leading the AL in OPS. Starters Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla are two other players that the Rangers will entertain offers for.

Pirates OF available: Either Bay or Nady will be traded, but probably not both. One point that surprised me, the Pirates’ outfield ranks first in the majors in OPS.

Cubs want pitchers: The story is already out there, but the Cubs will strongly pursue C.C. Sabathia, as he is the best starting pitcher who appears available. Chicago is also asking about Rockies’ reliever Brian Fuentes. Fuentes, who has assumed the closer role in Colorado, would be used as a setup man if the Cubs acquired him so that the workload for Carlos Marmol and Kerry Wood could be lessened.

Brewers still looking for a starter: This is nothing new, but the Brewers are still looking. Rosenthal thinks that they have the minor league talent to bring in just about whoever they want. Whether or not they will be in contention when trades start happening is another question, which may take them out of the ‘buyers’ market.

Yankees making LaTroy available:The Yankees are aggressively shopping right-hander LaTroy Hawkins, two rival executives say, intending to clear a spot for a reliever who currently is at Triple-A, Righty J.B. Cox. Hawkins has a 6.08 ERA in 22 appearances, so don’t expect there to be much interest.

Phillies want relief: Philadelphia wants to add another left-handed reliever to complement J.C. Romero. They really want another starter (C.C. Sabathia) but they realize they don’t have the prospects that the Indians will want.

If you want anymore details, click on the link at the top of the page.

Today, Steve Stone was on The Score 670 Chicago discussing what moves he expected the Cubs to make by the trade deadline. He said he is almost certain that the Cubs will try and acquire a top level starting pitcher. Cubs beat reporter Carrie Muskat also thinks the club is in the market for starting pitching due to the unexpected decline in performance of both Rich Hill and Sean Marshall. While no names have surfaced as to who they may be targeting, here are some possible candidates…keep in mind, I’m leaving out starters of lesser effectiveness because I believe what Lou wants is another starter come playoff time. That means that this guy has to be better than what the Cubs already have.

C.C. Sabathia: I see Sabathia as a strong possibility. He isn’t going to sign an extension with the Indians and if they slip further out of contention, which seems likely, they are going to trade him. By not sending a ton of players to Baltimore for Roberts, the Cubs have enough to get this done…especially with Sabathia’s shaky performance so far.

Rich Harden: If he stays healthy Harden could be a great asset to any team. He would fit in nicely at the top of the Cubs rotation. Another Oakland pitcher the cubs might be interested in is Joe Blanton, but Harden has pitched much better this season. Oakland is always looking to make a deal to get valuable young players in return for proven vets.

Erik Bedard: Most people don’t think that the M’s will part with Bedard, after they gave up so much to get him. With the reality setting in that they are a team much further from competing than they thought, Bedard could garner them the up and comers to rebuild quickly.

Ben Sheets: You would have to think that the Brewers wouldn’t want to trade him to a division rival, but if they find themselves out of the picture, it could happen. They would want to move him rather than lose him to free agency and I’m sure the Cubs wouldn’t mind having him around.

Derek Lowe: This is a veteran pitcher who has been dominant this season. An experienced playoff competitor, Lowe could be a great addition for the short term, as he will be a free agent after this year.

Jonathan Mayo now has his predictions for the upcoming draft for picks 1-30. Some have changed, but for those of you that haven’t been keeping up with the predictions here is a list:

1. Tampa Bay Rays: Tim Beckham, SS, Griffin HS, Griffin, Ga.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates: Pedro Alvarez, 3B, Vanderbilt
3. Kansas City Royals: Eric Hosmer, 1B, American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla.
4. Baltimore Orioles: Aaron Crow, RHP, University of Missouri
5. San Francisco Giants: Buster Posey, C, Florida State
6. Florida Marlins: Brian Matusz, LHP, University of San Diego
7. Cincinnati Reds: Yonder Alonso, 1B, University of Miami
8. Chicago White Sox: Gordon Beckham, SS, University of Georgia
9. Washington Nationals: Kyle Skipworth, C, Patriot HS, Riverside, Calif.
10. Houston Astros: Justin Smoak, 1B, University of South Carolina
11. Texas Rangers: Andrew Cashner, RHP, Texas Christian
12. Oakland A’s: Aaron Hicks, OF/RHP, Woodrow Wilson HS, Long Beach, Calif.
13. St. Louis Cardinals: Ryan Perry, RHP, University of Arizona
14. Minnesota Twins: Christian Friedrich, LHP, Eastern Kentucky
15. Los Angeles Dodgers: Zach Collier, OF, Chino Hills HS, Calif.
16. Milwaukee Brewers: Brett Lawrie, C/3B, Brookswood SS, Langley, B.C.
17. Toronto Blue Jays: Brett Wallace, 1B/3B, Arizona State
18. New York Mets: Ike Davis, OF, Arizona State
19. Chicago Cubs: Casey Kelly, SS, Sarasota HS, Fla.
20. Seattle Mariners: Shooter Hunt, RHP, Tulane
21. Detroit Tigers: Ethan Martin, RHP, Stephens County HS, Toccoa, Ga.
22. New York Mets: Jason Castro, C, Stanford
23. San Diego Padres: Daniel Schlereth, LHP, University of Arizona
24. Philadelphia Phillies: Anthony Hewitt, SS, Salisbury School, Conn
25. Colorado Rockies: Jake Odorizzi, RHP, Highland HS, Ill.
26. Arizona Diamondbacks: Josh Fields, RHP, University of Georgia
27. Minnesota Twins: Brett DeVall, LHP, Niceville HS, Fla.
28. New York Yankees: Brett Hunter, RHP, Pepperdine University
29. Cleveland Indians: Jemile Weeks, 2B, University of Miami
30. Boston Red Sox: Lance Lynn, RHP, University of Mississippi

Those are the predictions, but we’ll find out for sure in two days.

- The Kansas City Star reports that Royals DH Billy Butler has been sent down to Triple-A. He will be replaced by infielder Mike Aviles. Before the start of the season, lots of ‘experts’ raved about his fantasy value, as long as he started to hit for some power. Well, he didn’t, and he stopped hitting for average to top it off.

- Ray King is on the move again. After being DFA’d by the Nat’s, King had signed a minor league deal with the White Sox. He probably realized that he wouldn’t have a shot at cracking the major league team with Chicago and went looking elsewhere after only three appearances. Now, he has signed a minor league deal with the Astros. There is a much better chance of him making the club in Houston, in my opinion.

- MLB.com reports that the Twins have claimed Craig Breslow off waivers from the Cleveland Indians. Until this acquisition, Dennys Reyes had been the only lefty in Minnesota’s bullpen.

- According to The L.A. Times, there is no deal in the works that would send Chone Figgins to the White Sox. Angels GM Tony Reagins said that he hasn’t even spoken to White Sox GM Kenny Williams.

- Cha Seung Baek has been DFA’d by the Mariners. Baek was also DFA’d last season by Seattle, but he cleared through waivers and was sent to Triple-A. There are so many teams that are desperate for starters this year, that he probably won’t clear waivers again.

- MLB.com reports that the Indians have claimed a relief pitcher off waivers from the White Sox. Oneli Perez will be added to their 40-man roster, where they have an opening due to Jason Tyner being DFA’d.

- The Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers have DFA’d Franklyn German. He had a high rate of allowing inherited runners to score, so Washington, the Rangers manager, had no confidence in the 28 year old reliever.

- According to The Star-Tribune, the Minnesota Twins have claimed infielder Sergio Santos off waivers from the Blue Jays. Santos will head to the Twins’ Triple-A team.

- The Philadelphia Daily News reports that the Phillies are not ready to sign staff ace Cole Hamels to an extension. You may recall that Hamels was one of the young stars that was upset with his compensation for his play.

- The Rangers have waived Ben Broussard. It seems nobody was interested in picking up the $3.85 million owed to him.

- The Indians have designated OF Jason Tyner for assignment. They needed to open up space for lefty Jeremy Sowers who will be needed to make a spot start for the tribe.

- The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Cardinals reliever Jason Isringhausen is headed to the DL. This isn’t surprising as, the once dominant closer has really fallen apart this season.

Just like the NL picks, consider these standouts through about 5/10/08, not just April.

In a press release, the Pittsburgh Pirates have announced the acquisition of OF Jason Michaels from the Cleveland Indians. He will join the team by Friday and in order to make room for him on the roster, the Pirates have optioned Nyjer Morgan to Triple-A. Cleveland had designated Michaels for assignment a few days ago and were obligated to trade him, release him, or put him on waivers. The Pirates also received cash along with the OF and in return the Indians will get a player to be named later.

- According to The Rocky Mountain News, the Rockies have signed left-hander Aaron Fultz. He will spend some time at extended spring training in an audition for making the big league team.

- The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the Indians have signed Bronson Sardinha to a minor league deal. He was a No.1 pick of the Yankees back in 2001, but has failed to play up to that level so far.

- The Seattle Times clears up some rumors regarding Ken Griffey Jr. today. While his name is being tossed around as a trade candidate, the Mariners have said that they are not currently close to acquiring Griffey.

Mariners president Chuck Armstrong was quoted saying: “I think everybody in Seattle would like to see him retire in a Mariners uniform. He was born a Mariner and I’d like to see him finish up as a Mariner.”

This did not mean that the Mariners even had interest, but it got everybody talking. He was just saying it would be nice to see from a personal level, so take it easy.