Baseball Rumor News

In a Cubs Press Release today the team announced that they have acquired two pitchers from the A’s, Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin. While many people will speculate that this is a direct response to the Brewers acquisition of CC Sabathia, but this move was something the Cubs have needed all season. It is true that the Brewers move may have forced Chicago GM Jim Hendry’s hand a bit, but another top of the line starter was something that the team had coveted for some time. With the depth that the two new pitchers bring to the rotation and bullpen, the Cubs pitching just received a huge shot in the arm.

It appears to me that the Cubs really come out on top with this deal, even though it is hard to second guess A’s GM Billy Beane and his eye for talent. I thought that the Cubs would have had to give up more for these two pitchers. The A’s will receive four players in return: SP Sean Gallagher, OF Matt Murton, 2B Eric Patterson, and C Josh Donaldson. Gallagher and Murton have shown their potential, so they are both very low risk and will probably benefit the A’s this year. Particularly Murton should benefit from increased at-bats. Patterson has speed, but hasn’t shown he can hit Major League pitching consistently and Donaldson was the Cubs 2nd round pick in 2007. Donaldson was also very expendable do to the success of rookie Geovany Soto. The one way the Cubs might get hurt by this trade is if Harden is unable to remain healthy, but they are still deep at the position, having not included lefty starter Sean Marshall in the deal. Only time will tell, but the Cubs have reaffirmed that they are shooting for the top in 2008.

At this ate, expect the Cardinals to make some decisions very soon about where they want to take this season.

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.

- The New York Post reports that the Yankees have released Morgan Ensberg. He was DFA’d a week ago and the are just going to be stuck paying his $1.75 million.

- The Tigers have demoted Dontrelle Willis to A-Ball following the worst start of his career. They say that they just want him to get back to form, but this is looking like one poor acquisition. Injuries aside, Willis has not even resembled a shadow of his ability from early on in his career.

- According to The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Brewers GM Doug Melvin is denying that there is any truth to the rumor the Brewers are interested in Brian Roberts.

- In a Mets press release, the club has announced that they have DFA’d catcher Raul Casanova. Recently he had been on the been on the Bereavement List from June 4th-June 6th.

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.

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.

According to Tom Haudricourt of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Bill Hall would welcome a trade. The reasoning behind the desired change of scenery is playing time lost out to Russell Branyan.

“If Billy’s not going to be an everyday player, it’s probably best for him and the team to be traded,” said Bross (Hall’s agent). “They could get a pitcher for him that would really help the team. I’m sure there are some teams out there that could use a third baseman or shortstop.”

While Hall’s versatility could make him appealing to many teams, there is a reason he has had his playing time scaled back. A platoon seems necessary as Hall is only batting .158 against right-handed pitchers.

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.

MLB.com reports that the Milwaukee Brewers have signed Julian Tavarez. The pitcher, who was recently released by the Red Sox will be added to the Brewers bullpen. It had been rumored that Tavarez might be traded to the Rockies, but no deal was ever worked out, so the Sox had no choice but to cut him.

Tavarez won’t be the answer to the Brewers pitching problems. He will see action out of the pen, but what they really need is a boost to the starting rotation. While I doubt that Milwaukee is done beefing up the pitching staff, they would be mistaken to think their problems are solved with the addition of Tavarez.

Tom Haudricourt of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the Brewers have signed LF Ryan Braun to a 7-year contract extension. It is expected to be the richest deal ever in team history and is definitely the longest. Currently, the richest contract the Brewers have given out was the $42 million to Suppan over 4 years.

This extension will buy out one year of Braun’s free agency, which he would be eligible for after the 2013 season. He wouldn’t actually have been eligible for arbitration for another 3 years, so the Brewers might not be saving that much money on this deal, just to guarantee the 1 extra year. The press conference to announce the deal is scheduled for later today, which is when the exact details of the contract will be available.

According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is willing to pony up for another starting pitcher if the club can’t weather the loss of Yovani Gallardo.

“There is flexibility in the payroll for whatever it turns out we need,” said Attanasio, whose club began the season with an $82 million payroll. “Doug needs to measure that and measure that at the right time.”

The fact that the Brewers can not compete without Gallardo was obvious to me immediately after he went down. This team seems to be in a tailspin and oft-injured ‘ace’ Ben Sheets can not be counted on to pitch even once every five days. Yes, the Brewers do need another starter, but it isn’t the free agent season…no matter how much Attanasio wants to pay, the players aren’t available. To get a player of the caliber that would keep the Brewers in the playoff hunt, a team would have to be willing to part with someone that good. It is simply to early in the season to expect a team to dump highly valued starting pitching.

With that being said, the Brewers would also have to be willing to part with some of their young stars to acquire a top-tier starter (I say top-tier because that is what they need to fill Gallardo’s shoes). If they are not willing to give up the young talent, they will have to settle for some second rate starter who won’t have enough of an impact to make the acquisition worthwhile.