As you know, Eric Gagne’s contract allows for him to be traded to 12 teams without his consent. Earlier we learned that the Tigers, Indians, and Phillies are not among the 12 allowable teams.
Today, Ken Rosenthal verified the above info and added that the Yankees, Mets, and Angels are on the allowable list. The remaining nine he can be traded to without consent are thought to be inconsequential. And the Angels aren’t going to worry about Gagne.
The Mets have been looking for bullpen help for at least a few weeks now. Gagne has been on the radar, among others. Rosenthal believes Omar Minaya’s focus is instead on players like Mark Buehrle, Jeff Conine, and Mark Sweeney. It’s interesting to note that (by my count) Minaya has yet to make a trade this year. By this time in previous years he’d made five or six. (Coming soon: Minaya trade profile).
The Yankees have been scouting the Rangers for a while. They could be looking at Gagne, or Akinori Otsuka. Mark Teixeira hasn’t been active. I suppose Joaquin Benoit or Brad Wilkerson could be on the radar as well.
