Baseball Rumor News

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.

According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Mariners are looking to trade a couple of their starting pitchers. While Erik Bedard and King Felix will be staying put, Miguel Batista and Jarrod Washburn are very much available. Either one of those guys could strengthen a rotation for the playoff push, but they probably wouldn’t even make it on most playoff rosters.

A team like the Brewers might be a good fit for one of these lower-tier starters, but the Mariners would have to be willing to move them soon. That would give their trade partner time to get some use out of one of the veteran pitchers. The question is, are the M’s ready to admit that their season is over? They are already 13.5 games back in the division.

Jayson Stark of ESPN recently wrote an article about who he thinks has the potential to be traded as the deadline approaches. It was part of a much longer article, so I have pulled out the list of relievers that he sees as very available. Of course, this can’t be everybody available, but it gives you some names to think about as possibilities.

Closers:
Brian Fuentes - The Rockies appear out of it already, and they have signed Manny Corpas to a long-term deal. With that being said, Fuentes stands out as an expendable arm. He could seriously strengthen a bullpen somewhere either in the closer role or as a setup man.

Huston Street - The A’s are always out to get maximum value for there trades and should a competing team find themselves without a closer, Street would probably fetch the A’s a solid prospect or two. He has been shaky at times this season, but isn’t far removed from being one of the best closers in the game. Oakland is in the mix as of right now, but should the right offer present itself, Street will be on his way out of Oakland.

George Sherrill - I have heard people refer to Sherrill as the ‘centerpiece’ in the Erik Bedard trade. That just wasn’t the case, it was all about Adam Jones. Sherrill came to Baltimore as a dominant left-handed specialist. Now, he is being regarded as a top-level closer. His value is probably maxed out, and the Orioles can expect to get a lot in return for him as they move forward in their rebuilding process.

Chad Cordero - While he is currently dealing with injury issues, Cordero has been one of the best relievers in baseball for the past few seasons. If he comes back healthy and has a chance to show he’s still got it, he will be traded. The Nat’s have no reson to keep him around and should try to get something for him while they still can. His name has been out there as a in trade speculations for a while, it all just hinges on his health.

Jon Rauch - Another Nat’s reliever that could draw interest is the guy that’s been filling in at closer for the injured Cordero. He’s been solid and at the deadline could fetch more than he is worth from a team in need.

Eric Gagne - The further the Cubs pull ahead, the closer the Brewers get to becoming sellers. If they could move Gagne, I’m sure the would love it. He has been anything but a guy you would want to give the ball to in a save situation. I’m not sure why anybody would want to pick him up, especially if the Brewers want somebody to take on part of his $10 million salary. What a bad signing…but at least it was only a one-year deal.

Set-up:
Juan Rincon, Jesse Crain, Chad Bradford, Jamie Walker, David Weathers, Matt Herges, Guillermo Mota, Tyler Yates, Vinnie Chulk, Jesus Colome, Frankie Francisco, Joaquin Benoit, Alan Embree, Ron Mahay, Jimmy Gobble, and Damaso Marte.

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.

According to The Seattle Times, the Mariners are ‘actively pursuing’ Cincinnati’s Scott Hatteberg. While it seems inevitable that Hatteberg will be traded, the thinking was that Griffey would be the Reds player on his way to Seattle. I’m not saying that isn’t still possible, but Hatteberg might actually be more of what the Mariners need. They have had just about no production out of 1B. It is actually surprising that they didn’t fix this problem after Richie Sexson dismal 2007. Adding Hatteberg would give Seattle a solid veteran 1B and give Hatteberg the playing time that he wants. Sexson is done, time to make a change.

- 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.

The Kansas City Star reports that the Royals have signed 28 year old starter Horacio Ramirez to a minor league deal. The lefty pitcher was released by the Mariners just before the start of the season. Once he gets his arm into shape, he will head to Triple-A.

In four seasons with the Braves, Ramirez was 30-22, so if he can regain his old form, he will be a solid backup plan should the Royals need to call someone up.

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

While it was mostly thought to be rumors at first, The Dayton Daily News reports that the Seattle Mariners have actually sent Duane Shaffer, a special assistant to the executive vice president, to scout Griffey. The thing that stands out to me about the idea of a Mariners-Griffey reunion is…why? Would they bring him back in hopes that he could help them win some games and a WS championship, or would it just be a publicity move to sell tickets. If the latter is the case, and I think it is, I would be furious as a M’s fan. The farm system has already taken a huge hit trading for Bedard. Would Griffey be worth adding at the cost of a few more prospects? At his age he is still productive, but he won’t be the offensive punch that gets the Mariners over the hump.

Oh yeah, he’s also a huge injury risk. You can expect him to spend at least some time on the DL this year.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reports that the Blue Jays have made two seperate moves to acquire two OF, Brad Wilkerson and Kevin Mench. Wilkerson, as was anticipated, was signed as a free agent since he was cut by the Seattle Mariners. Mench comes over from the Rangers for cash considerations. Up until now, Mench had been playing for the Rangers Triple-A affiliate.

The Blue Jays also made some roster changes to create space on the roster for the two new OF. They designated LHP Gustavo Chacin and infielder Sergio Santos for assignment, while optioning infielder Joe Inglett to Triple-A.