Baseball Rumor News

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.

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.

The Denver Post reports that Glendon Rusch has signed with the Rockies. It is a minor league deal for the left-handed reliever, who was released by the Padres last week. The Rockies only have two lefties ahead of Rusch in the pen, and they will also consider using him as a spot starter if necessity arises. I can not believe Glendon Rusch keeps finding work.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports thinks that Matt Holliday may be the big star to get moved before the trade deadline. Because the Rockies could lose the All-Star LF to free agency after the 2009 season, they may opt to deal him for a bunch of prospects this season. While that idea makes sense, I think the Rockies should push for a long-term extension rather than lose him at all. This guy is the face of the franchise and is the reason they went to the WS last season. The Rockies would return to a shell of last years greatness without Holliday as the Backbone.

It is understandable that the Rockies might not be able to work out a deal for the guy that deserved the MVP last season (his agent is Scott Boras…who loves free agency), and if that becomes the case, they would be better off moving him this year than next because he is more valuable to another team with a whole extra year of service time guaranteed. Also, the Rockies are way out of 1st already so there might not be a reason to pay players to lose.

Rosenthal speculates that the following teams could be good fits for Holliday: Indians, Cardinals, Yankees, A’s, Tigers, Blue Jays, Mariners, and Mets. I expect at least a few of those teams (Cardinals, Tigers, Jays, A’s, and Mariners) to be out of the playoff hunt by the time the trade deadline comes around.

Other possible players that could be moved include closer Brian Fuentes and 3B Garrett Atkins. Fuentes could strengthen any team’s bullpen for the stretch run and Atkins is an effective run producer. It is more likely that Atkins stays around though, as he is under contract for a year longer than Holliday.

Just a little disclaimer, these standout picks are a little bit behind schedule so they are really ‘April+the beginning of may’ standouts.

The Providence Journal reports that the Red Sox have designated reliever Julian Tavarez for assignment. This adds to the rumors that Tavarez may be on his way out of Boston. If the Rockies are serious about working out a deal for Tavarez, they will have to do it in the next 10 days. At that point, the Red Sox will be forced to put him on waivers or release him if they haven’t traded him.

- Ray King, who was recently DFA’d by the Nationals, has signed on with the Chicago White Sox. He will be going to Triple-A, which is interesting because he refused to play minor league ball for the Nats.

- The Providence Journal reports that the Red Sox have released lefty reliever Abe Alvarez. At one point he was considered a solid prospect but never lived up to expectations. This season he compiled a 6.46 earned-run average in 13 games. At age 25, he can probably find another team that wants to see if they can develop him further.

- Apparently the Red Sox and Rockies are still discussing a possible trade that would send Julian Tavarez over to Colorado. The Sox havn’t had much use for Tavarez this season and will soon need to find a spot for Bartolo Colon who is almost done rehabbing.

- The North County Times reports that the Padres have DFA’d Callix Crabbe to make room for utilityman Edgar Gonzalez. Edgar is the older brother of current Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez and is hitting .297 in Triple-A.

Crabbe is a Rule 5 pick from the Brewers and the Pad’s can send him back to Milwaukee if he clears waivers or work out a trade to keep him in the Padre organization.

The Denver Post is now reporting that the Rockies are not interested in adding another starting pitcher. Rockies owner Dick Monfort seems content with being patient and waiting for the guys they have to turn it around. This clashes with all the news concerning the Rockies over the past few days, but it could be the case.

After picking up Jorge DeLaRosa from the Royals, maybe they actually are content with their situation until the guys they have pick it up. I don’t buy it and expect them to continue the pursuit of either Julian Tavarez or Josh Fogg.

According to The Rocky Mountain News, the Rockies have added another name to the list of starting pitchers they might be interested in acquiring. The Cardinals’ Anthony Reyes is now being considered, along with Julian Tavarez and Josh Fogg. Reyes has struggled so far this season and was recently sent to Triple-A. He has shown at times that he has what it takes to pitch at the major league level, but Fogg or Tavarez are probably more of what the Rockies need right now. It is possible that a change of scenery could be good for Reyes as he hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan.

The Rockies need for pitching is immediate because they want someone to fill in while some of their starters get healthy. Who they pick up could come down to which team is ready to deal now.