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Archives for July 2006

Washington Post: Marlins In On Soriano

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Less than fifteen hours to go, and things are getting crazy.

Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports that the Marlins, yes, the Marlins, have made a bid for Alfonso Soriano.  Apparently they have offered pitchers Yusmeiro Petit, Renyel Pinto, and Jason Vargas.  That’s not a bad bounty, though it lacks a future star type guy.

I was surprised to discover this afternoon that the Marlins actually lead the NL in starter ERA.  Scott Olsen’s been lights out since June 1st, one of the best in baseball.  Dontrelle Willis has been a touch above average.  Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco have far exceeded expectations.

The Fish are eighth in the NL in slugging, so Soriano would provide a nice boost.  Where would they fit him in?  Center field? 

If the Marlins miraculously sneak into the playoffs, it’ll make a fantastic story.  Remember back in December, when most people thought this would be a 100-loss team?  I liked the front part of their lineup, but no one expected this kind of starting pitching.         

ESPN: Dodgers Want Maddux

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A report from ESPN’s Amy Nelson indicates that the Dodgers are the "hottest team on Greg Maddux."  According to Nelson:

"The deal would be two L.A. prospects for Maddux; one would be a position player, the other a pitcher. And both would be high-level, likely coming from their loaded Triple-A team in Las Vegas."

Well, let’s have a look at Las Vegas’s roster.  I could see Delwyn Young as a part of this, and maybe Hong-Chih Kuo as the pitcher.  Southpaw starter Greg Miller would be an impressive bounty.  Anything above that – Andy LaRoche, Joel Guzman, or Matt Kemp – seems highly unlikely to me.  Nelson mentions that the quality of the prospects involved increases the more the Cubs pay Maddux’s salary.  About $3.2MM remains; the Cubs should really just eat all of it and get one top-notch prospect. 

Probably meaningless tidbit: Guzman sat out tonight’s wild affair against Iowa.

Gotham Baseball On The Mets

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Gotham Baseball’s Mark Healey has an update with the latest buzz surrounding the Mets.

Healey talks to various team officials and uncovers Billy Beane’s reported asking price for Barry Zito: John Maine, Carlos Gomez, and Aaron Heilman. 

If you’re not familiar with Gomez, here’s a little background.  He’s a 20 year-old CF/RF currently residing in Double A.  Gomez is holding his own with a .281/.341/.432 line so far, including a blistering July (1.096 OPS).  He’s a raw prospect and has struggled with lefties.  Baseball America seems enamored of his tools and ranked him third among Mets prospects entering the season.

Healey also notes that the Mets have put in another inquiry on Livan Hernandez, only to learn that the Nats are trying to force a Soriano-Livan package deal upon the Mets.  In searching for a positive about Hernandez’s performance this season, I did discover that he’s had 12 quality starts this year.  That’s as many as Brad Penny, Jake Peavy, or Aaron Harang.

Stark: Mets, Rangers, Red Sox Inquire On Jason Schmidt

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Jayson Stark’s got a good one for us this evening over in his Stark Market.  Stark indicates that the Giants are now listening to offers for Jason Schmidt on the heels of their recent losing streak.  Apparently the Mets, Red Sox, and Rangers have inquired.

Schmidt will be a free agent after this season, and he’s said he would like to play for the Mariners.  The 33 year-old grew up in Kelso, Washington.

If the Giants really do change gears and pack it in for 2006, Moises Alou and Ray Durham could be a couple of other names that could interest teams as the deadline clock ticks away.   

Soriano Suitors Down To Two

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Word from a source is that the teams still standing in the Alfonso Soriano sweepstakes are only the Astros and Angels.

The White Sox, Tigers, and Twins appear to be out of the game, decreasing Jim Bowden’s leverage.  Would’ve been nice to play off the AL Central rivals against one another. 

Plenty of trade candidates have been connected to the Astros in recent days, including Roy Oswalt, Morgan Ensberg, Willy Taveras, Brad Lidge, and Adam Everett at the Major League level.  L.A. seems to be dealing more in prospects, with Erick Aybar likely on the way out.

Carroll: Astros-Rangers Trade?

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Will Carroll’s latest rumor mill is churning up a new trade scenario:  Brad Wilkerson and Rod Barajas for Brad Lidge, Morgan Ensberg, and Fernando Nieve.

Barajas is most certainly expendable with Gerald Laird hitting .347/.380/.579 in 121 at-bats this year.  Barajas will be a member of this offseason’s weak free agent catcher class.

Wilkerson’s been subpar this season even while playing at Ameriquest, so I don’t see how swapping out Ensberg’s bat for his helps the club.  Even Barajas’s below-average hitting would be an improvement upon Brad Ausmus, but the Astros just wouldn’t gain enough in the proposed deal.  I have to think more players from Texas would be involved.

Roy Oswalt’s Name Enters The Fray

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Here’s a new one: could Roy Oswalt be traded in the next 18 hours?

According to the Baltimore Sun:

"Several industry sources confirmed the Orioles and Astros are negotiating dealing Tejada for third baseman Morgan Ensberg, shortstop Adam Everett and Oswalt, 28, who has already won 91 major-league games."

The O’s have said they are looking for established Major Leaguers in return for their superstar shortstop, and Oswalt fits the bill.  Baltimore would have to have competitive designs for the 2007 season, as Oswalt is a free agent after that.

According to Value Over Replacement Player, Oswalt has been the fourth best pitcher in the league this season.  Last year he ranked fifth in VORP.  It’s tough to see how the Astros would win this year with no dependable starters behind Roger Clemens.  Perhaps a Rodrigo Lopez type pitcher would come to Houston in the unlikely event Oswalt is dealt. 

Rosenthal: Belliard To Cards

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Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Cardinals will acquire Ron Belliard from the Indians sometime soon.  Belliard went 2 for 4 in today’s game against Seattle.  Will Carroll is reporting that Hector Luna would go to the Tribe.

Belliard, a 31 year-old second baseman, was hitting .289/.335/.419 entering today’s game.  He’s been consistently solid since becoming a regular in 2003.  The second base class plays at a higher level in the NL; league average is .276/.341/.424.  Belliard is also middle of the pack as far as defense, but he will make a skilled double play partner for David Eckstein.  Belliard, an impending free agent, makes $4MM this year.

Belliard represents a clear upgrade over Aaron Miles, though I’m not sure that he’s signficantly better than Hector Luna.  Luna, a 26 year-old, has a career line of .276/.336/.398 in 533 ABs.  The versatile Luna has played every position but catcher in his Cardinal career.  Walt Jocketty got him as a Rule 5 pick in 2002.

Based on yesterday’s update from Bernie Miklasz, the Cardinals seem content to tinker rather than make an impact trade.

Abreu Traded To Yankees

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As many are aware at this point, Bobby Abreu has been pulled from Philadelphia’s lineup today against Anibal Sanchez in favor of Shane Victorino.  It appears that a trade is imminent.

UPDATE: ESPN’s Buster Olney reports the deal is tenatively done – Abreu and Lidle to the Yankees.  Jayson Stark is now indicating that 27 year-old lefty reliever Matt Smith may be part of the deal along with C.J. Henry.  Smith has a 2.08 ERA in 26 Triple A innings this season.

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