Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post is hearing whispers about the Diamondbacks possibly trading 22 year-old outfielder Carlos Gonzalez to the Nationals for Chad Cordero. The right fielder has come alive to hit .326/.396/.616 in Double A this month. He’d instantly become the Nationals’ #1 prospect.
Chad Cordero
Mets Offer Humber For Cordero
UPDATE: SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the Mets have offered Philip Humber to the Nationals for Cordero, but are holding fast with their bigger name prospects. He also confirms that the Diamondbacks are in on Cordero and could offer Carlos Quentin.
According to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, the fates of Chad Cordero and Jon Rauch might be tied to Eric Gagne. Gagne has the lower asking price and limited no-trade protection, and Jim Bowden may wait until that situation is resolved.
Some possible names on the Nats’ radar include Wily Mo Pena, Carlos Quentin, and Philip Humber. Humber is one prospect the Mets are willing to trade, according to Jayson Stark. Those names don’t exactly gel with the previous demands were hearing from Jim Bowden. Will Bowden back down? Will a desperate team offer a top flight prospect like an Adam Jones? Or will Cordero and Rauch just stay put like last year?
Tim Brown’s Latest: Cordero, Quentin
UPDATE: You can throw Conor Jackson into the mix along with Quentin.
Yahoo’s Tim Brown has some new rumors and info:
- Plan B if the Red Sox can’t get Eric Gagne: Washington’s Chad Cordero. It seems Wily Mo Pena would be a part of that, but I imagine Jim Bowden would want a top prospect as well.
- The Diamondbacks are shopping Carlos Quentin for a starting pitcher; the Indians and Nationals have interest. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Indians are willing to deal Cliff Lee, so maybe there’s a match there. And keep in mind that former Diamondbacks Director of Scouting Mike Rizzo now works as the Nationals’ Assistant GM and VP of Baseball Operations. Rizzo still has a lot of Arizona connections, and he definitely loves Quentin.
- Interestingly, Will Carroll indicates that Justin Upton may be on the verge of a callup.
Cordero/Rauch Not Going To Tigers, Mets
A Nationals source tells me that if traded at all, Chad Cordero and/or Jon Rauch will not be going to the Mets or Tigers.
Dodgers Tracking Cordero and Rauch
Chad Cordero and Jon Rauch are on the Dodgers’ radar, and they would gladly offer shortstop Chin-Lung Hu according to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan.
The Washington Post’s Barry Srvluga confirms the Dodgers’ presence and adds the Mets and Tigers as teams following the relievers. As he mentioned yesterday, Srvluga’s source thinks a trade of one of Cordero or Rauch is likely and the return would be prospects. I’m sure we’ll be hearing much more about this today.
Jon Morosi of the Detroit Free Press ran down the Tigers’ stance on various relievers this morning, but Cordero and Rauch were not mentioned. Morosi doesn’t see the Tigers getting Eric Gagne, C.J. Wilson, or Joaquin Benoit from the Rangers. He also doesn’t think they’re close on Chad Qualls, Kyle Farnsworth, Al Reyes, or Dan Wheeler. Plucking a Pirate reliever in a Jack Wilson trade makes sense.
Nationals Working On Cordero Or Rauch Trade
According to Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post, the Nationals are definitely shopping Chad Cordero and Jon Rauch. Svrluga’s source believes one of them will go for prospects, most likely Rauch. Glad to hear it; I was worried both would stay put. I always prefer more trade action.
There’s also the possibility of packaging both relievers together to get one top-notch prospect. The Dodgers seem most likely to agree to something like that. Matt Kemp would probably work for Jim Bowden. The post mentions that Bowden indeed asked for Cameron Maybin from the Tigers for Rauch.
One last note: Adam Dunn remains on the radar, but right now it’s mostly just interest.
Mets Hunting For Reliever, Second Baseman
Pretty much the same old story with the Mets, though Joel Sherman and Mark Hale of the New York Post do have some new tidbits.
- The authors name Chad Cordero, Jon Rauch, Octavio Dotel, and Eric Gagne as relievers on the radar. However it seems the asking price is too high for Gagne and the Indians have become the frontrunner for Dotel (they may have passed the Dodgers). Shawn Chacon doesn’t catch the Mets’ eye, and they don’t want Chad Bradford’s three-year commitment. They had that option with Bradford this winter. I think that logic is silly – Bradford’s pitched well this year, and acquiring him now would be akin to a two-year contract. Sometimes it seems GMs pass over certain players because they simply want to add a fresh name.
- You can add Al Reyes to the mix for the Mets, according to the St. Petersburg Times.
- The Mets think many of the available starting pitchers could be traded in August – Jose Contreras, Kyle Lohse, and Steve Trachsel for example. I don’t agree on Lohse – he’ll be traded today or tomorrow. But Contreras’s contract would probably get through waivers without a claim.
- The Post reports no substantive talks to the Royals about Mark Grudzielanek. An inquiry has been made on Mark Loretta.
- Meanwhile, Newsday says the Twins are open to trading Luis Castillo but don’t want any of the current Major League Mets. Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger seems to disagree, citing a Twins scout at Shea yesterday. Graziano does not believe Castillo would get through waivers unclaimed. He believes the Twins want Double A starter Kevin Mulvey and then some (perhaps Ruben Gotay).
- Graziano says a deal for Castillo could be expanded to include 28 year-old righty reliever Juan Rincon. Rincon had been consistently solid for three years (perhaps aided by steroids) but has seen his strikeout rate and overall performance plummet in 2007. Rincon is under control next year and will make at least $2MM again.
- Graziano notes that the Mets have talked to the A’s about Joe Blanton, but Billy Beane wants Lastings Milledge. The Mets can’t do that without damaging the current team. The Mets could actually add an outfielder in Jay Payton; the Cubs’ interest has waned. The Sammy Sosa rumor also has some legs, as the Mets could bring him in to platoon with Shawn Green if they decide they can tolerate the sideshow.
Mets and Devil Rays
Ryan McConnell of the New Jersey Star-Ledger posted a run-down of Mets’ rumors, mostly old hat by now. Items of note:
- The Mets are being asked too much for both Chad Cordero and Octavio Dotel, causing them to take another look at Eric Gagne. They are also looking at Matt Thornton (White Sox), Shawn Chacon (Pirates), Chad Bradford (Orioles) and Jon Rauch (Nationals). I think they should go for Chad Bradford, silly contract be damned.
- We’ve all heard about second base possibilities in Mark Grudzielanek, Mark Loretta and Luis Castillo. I think that of these candidates, Grudzielanek is the best defender, while Castillo is the best offensive player, even though Loretta is putting up better numbers this year. All three will be free agents this off-season, with the exception of Grudzielanek if he earns the $4M player option for 2008 which vests with 500 plate appearances, a slim possibility. Castillo is the youngest player and the best choice for the Mets, if they can get him. He’s likely be a Type A free agent if the Mets let him go; if they don’t, he could be their 2008 second baseman. All in all, though, I’d prefer the Mets stick with Damion Easley and Rubén Gotay.
- Now the kicker. This is what makes trade deadlines fun (and painful). From McConnell:
And, finally, the hot, completely unsubstantiated rumor floating around my workplace was that the Mets and D-Rays were discussing a Lastings Milledge and "a Minor League pitcher" (probably Pelfrey, maybe Humber) for Carl Crawford. It didn’t pass my smell test — I’d think Tampa would command a lot more for their stud outfielder — but it’s fun to think about regardless. Plus, for what it’s worth, a Met scout was spotted at Tropicana Field last week.
It doesn’t pass my smell test either, but it’s still fun to think about, unless you’re convinced that Lastings Milledge is the next Gary Sheffield, like I am.
John Peterson writes for the Met-blog Blastings! Thrilledge.
Latest Mets Rumors: Luis Castillo, Chad Cordero
Let’s have a look at the latest rumors swirling around the Mets.
- Second base remains an area of focus. A Twins scout was at Shea recently, presumably trying to figure out what to ask for from the Mets for Luis Castillo. The Mets were recently scouting the Twins as well. The problem is that Castillo is not yet officially available. A couple of Marks, Grudzielanek and Loretta, remain on the radar. The Astros might consider signing Loretta to an extension, though no details have been discussed.
- The Devil Rays hosted the Red Sox last night, and a Mets scout was on hand. Speculation on my part, but possible targets include Ty Wigginton, Jonny Gomes, Edwin Jackson, Al Reyes, and Casey Fossum. The Mets had some interest in Jackson way back in November.
- According to Dan Graziano, the Mets are still pushing for Chad Cordero or Jon Rauch. Graziano is skeptical that the Nationals can arrive at a trade. Matthew Cerrone believes the Mets might give up Mike Pelfrey to get Cordero.
- Will Carroll has some other relievers the Mets are considering: Matt Thornton, Chad Bradford, and Shawn Chacon.
- The Mets had a scout in attendance yesterday to watch Jon Garland. He gave up ten hits but only three runs in 7.1 innings to the Blue Jays.
Rockies Hunting For Relief Help
Playoff odds reports put the Rockies’ chances at 6-8% currently, but they still view themselves as buyers. After all, they’re still just 4.5 games out of the Wild Card and 5.5 games out in the NL West.
Though a crude metric, the Rockies’ bullpen currently ranks 12th in the NL with a 4.42 ERA. Among contenders in the league, only Philadelphia has been worse. Brian Fuentes seems at least another week or two from returning. According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd has been burning up the phone lines looking for a reliever. Renck says the Rockies have inquired on Jon Rauch, Chad Cordero, Akinori Otsuka, Julian Tavarez, and Manny Delcarmen.
Of that list, only Rauch or Cordero are clearly available and would help the team. Otsuka is hurt, Delcarmen is cheap and an essential part of the Boston bullpen, and Tavarez isn’t a great pitcher. However, both Rauch and Cordero are flyball pitchers and may not succeed at Coors Field. Given the high price for either, the Rockies don’t have any attractive options.
