Giants Like Adrian Beltre
According to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle:
The Giants like Adrian Beltre, believing he would thrive in the more fastball-oriented National League, but a source said they have not exchanged names with the Mariners.
Schulman explains that Giants GM Brian Sabean is open to acquiring players who can help in 2009. Hank Blalock was also on the radar, but now he’s back on the DL. The Rangers told a white lie to the public regarding Blalock’s injury earlier this week. The Rangers had their eye on Jonathan Sanchez, but I doubt the Giants would’ve entertained a one-for-one swap even for a healthy Blalock.
The Giants could also try the free agent market this winter. Available third basemen include Casey Blake, Joe Crede, and Dallas McPherson.
The Marlins seemingly would swap first baseman Mike Jacobs for catcher Bengie Molina, but the Giants aren’t interested. They’re also reluctant to trade lefty Jack Taschner, who is under team control through 2011.
Odds and Ends: Street, Zaun, Guardado, Blalock
Let’s round up some odds and ends for a rumor-packed day.
- The Reds had a scout at a recent Rangers-A’s game; they may have been eyeing a Texas catcher.
- Billy Beane is still fielding offers for Huston Street; Jon Heyman mentions the same teams we’ve heard in the past.
- Ed Wade told Miguel Tejada he’s staying put.
- Gregg Zaun would welcome a trade. GM J.P. Ricciardi responded by saying "someone has to want you." The Marlins could make sense; their catcher hunt may hinge on Matt Treanor‘s decision whether to have surgery.
- John Maine has a mild rotator cuff strain. I wonder if this will affect the chances of long-term extension talks with Maine. Anyway, it’d make sense to bring in some rotation insurance.
- Geoff Baker says the Brewers, Marlins, and Tigers are eyeing Eddie Guardado.
- Hank Blalock is on the DL and off the trade market.
- Ken Davidoff believes the Mets are scouting George Sherrill.
Stark’s Latest: Teixeira, Padilla, Sheffield, Beltre
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings up. You may want to grab a glass of water or something, because this is a beast of a column.
- If the Braves have a bad weekend and decide to trade Mark Teixeira, a deal could come together quickly. Stark says the Braves have already touched base with the Rays, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels and Yankees. Where Tex fits on the Rays, I’m not sure. Additionally, interest in Will Ohman is said to be "massive."
- A Jorge Posada move to first base could affect the Yankees’ interest in Teixeira this winter.
- Though Brian Fuentes has many suitors, the Rockies have actually exchanged names with only the Marlins and Yankees. GM Dan O’Dowd has not dropped his price. By the way, Todd Helton‘s injury takes Garrett Atkins off the market. As for Matt Holliday, many execs believe the Rockies will never trade him.
- The Phillies are focused on a left-handed reliever, with Fuentes, Damaso Marte, George Sherrill, and Jack Taschner in the mix.
- The Phillies were scared off by the asking prices on Holliday and Xavier Nady, and never even made an offer. They still could acquire a lesser hitter.
- The Pirates are inspiring much grumbling with high asking prices for Jason Bay, Nady, Marte, John Grabow, and Jack Wilson.
- The Rangers are looking for young, controllable starting pitching. Vicente Padilla is available, with the Tigers and Yankees showing mild interest. Eddie Guardado and Jamey Wright are not available.
- In pursuing Jarrod Washburn, Bronson Arroyo, and Padilla, the Yankees are demonstrating their plan to reduce the prospect price for pitching by taking on a decent-sized contract.
- While A.J. Burnett is "eminently available," no trade talks are cooking. The Jays apparently won’t deal him within the division. Other Jays veterans might be available, though Roy Halladay isn’t among them.
- The Tigers are looking for pitching and a long-term shortstop. They’d be willing to move Gary Sheffield, though they’d have to eat salary.
- Top Rays prospects such as Wade Davis, David Price, and Jeremy Hellickson are off-limits. Rays Index recently ran through the more likely trade candidates.
- The Braves asked the Royals about Jose Guillen, but Dayton Moore is asking for a ton.
- Stark says the Twins’ talks for Adrian Beltre are "far from dead." The Twins are zeroed in on a third base upgrade. Beltre, by the way, has the Dodgers on his no-trade list. Joe Christensen says the Twins have found the asking price prohibitive for various third basemen.
- The Rangers are looking for a young pitcher for Hank Blalock, who is drawing interest from the Twins, Giants, and Dodgers. The Dodgers also like Casey Blake, who is likely to be traded somewhere.
Molony’s Latest: Francoeur, Bay, Blalock
MLB.com’s Jim Molony has a new column up.
- The Braves will listen to offers for Jeff Francoeur and Will Ohman, and maybe Mark Teixeira if the Braves struggle in the next week. The Royals are said to be interested in Francoeur. Mike Gonzalez is unavailable.
- The Braves have scouted Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, in case they decide to become buyers.
- The Phillies had an exec scouting the Pirates recently. The Phils are looking for a lefty reliever. The Phillies also may be looking at relievers on the Jays and Orioles.
- Molony rattles off Freddy Garcia suitors: Astros, Cardinals, Phillies, Rangers, Red Sox, Royals, Tigers, Mets, White Sox and Yankees. The Royals might be a new one.
- At least five teams are in on Casey Blake, including the Twins. However the Twins seem to prefer Hank Blalock. I like the Blalock idae for the Twins.
- Molony sees A.J. Burnett staying put.
Heyman’s Latest: Nady, Teixeira, Sherrill
Jon Heyman is cranking out a lot of rumorage. Here’s his latest.
- The price has dropped a tad on Xavier Nady, as the Pirates have become more interested in moving him.
- The Braves still might trade Mark Teixeira right before the deadline, and Heyman thinks they can easily beat two draft choices.
- Many teams scouted George Sherrill recently: the Marlins, Dodgers, Cardinals, Phillies, and Brewers.
- Some execs "expressed annoyance" at the D’Backs underpaying for Jon Rauch.
- Heyman says the Yankees are looking for catching, though Peter Abraham doesn’t agree.
- The Twins, Giants, and Dodgers have interest in Hank Blalock, who has a $6.2MM option for ’09.
Dodgers Sign Ozuna, Look To Stay Active
Ken Gurnick from MLB.com writes that the Dodgers signed veteran utility player Pablo Ozuna today. The White Sox designated Ozuna for assignment on July 8 to make room for Paul Konerko when he returned from the DL. He elected to become a free agent after clearing waivers. Ozuna had posted a mediocre line of .281/.313/.328 in 69 plate appearances for the White Sox this year.
Luis Maza was designated for assignment to make room for Ozuna, Gurnick writes. Maza was called up as a quick shortstop fix earlier in the year, but had posted an abysmal .228/.278/.282 line through 79 ABs with the Dodgers.
Manager Joe Torre refers to Ozuna as a "safety net" at three positions, and also expects the Dodgers to continue to be active over the next 10 days:
"I know Ned [Colletti, general manager] is on the phone, trying to make our club better," Torre said. "Chances are, we’ll be active. Having said that, we’re trying."
Gurnick mentions that the Dodgers are hesitating to bring pinch-hitting specialist Mark Sweeney off the DL, perhaps signaling that an additional move is near on the horizon. General Manager Ned Coletti said that with shortstop options limited in Rafael Furcal’s absence, his desire to acquire a run-producing third baseman would intensify.
Personal speculation: Adrian Beltre is available, and the Twins look to have thrown in the towel on their attempt to acquire him, but the asking price there is quite high. Minnesota could still offer competition to the Dodgers in an attempt to acquire a third baseman. Here’s a look at the third base market.
Casey Blake’s name has been tossed around with the Dodgers. Hank Blalock could be another option, if he can remain healthy and return to his old self. His great run from 2003-2005 seems like a long time ago at this point, but a turnaround would be a tremendous boost to the Dodgers’ lineup.
Carroll’s Latest: Burnett, Twins, Cardinals
Baseball Prospectus’ Will Carroll has plenty of rumors in his latest post.
- Pat Gillick "doesn’t seem that interested" in going back to work for the Mariners.
- One team asked the Blue Jays to include players to be named later on both sides of an A.J. Burnett deal, to serve as a balance for the pitcher’s uncertain tricky contract. The Jays passed on that idea. By the way, the Toronto Star’s Richard Griffin thinks the Jays will keep Burnett unless offered a player who can improve the ’08 team.
- Carroll wonders whether the Pirates would consider trading Ian Snell. Snell is signed through 2010 with club options for ’11 and ’12.
- Beyond Adrian Beltre, the Twins "have taken a hard look" at Hank Blalock, Garrett Atkins, and Casey Blake.
- The Cards are searching the Triple A ranks for the next Ryan Ludwick. Maybe they were one of the teams inquiring on Nelson Cruz?
Odds and Ends: Bruce, Ensberg, Boone, Weaver
Plenty of links for today.
- Indians top prospect Adam Miller is pretty much done for the season.
- ’09 free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera and manager Ozzie Guillen are not getting along.
- Peter Bendix explains the savings the Reds get by waiting to promote Jay Bruce.
- Morgan Ensberg is a DFA candidate, while LaTroy Hawkins may be getting there.
- Bret Boone‘s comeback attempt has ended.
- Jeff Weaver (6.69 ERA in Triple A) can ask for his release if not called up by June 15th.
- Hank Blalock may not be in the Rangers’ long-term plans.
- The Indians designated Jorge Julio for assignment.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Lidge, Daniel Cabrera, Bonds, Edmonds
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up. I put the Griffey info in a separate post; let’s discuss the rest.
- Rosenthal suggests that Brad Lidge would be harder to replace than Pat Burrell, and for that reason the Phillies will make a bigger effort to re-sign him. I imagine Phillies fans would prefer that course of action. The problem? The Phillies have little chance of offering four years, according to Jayson Stark.
- The Rangers will face a delicate situation in coming years: moving Michael Young to a different position. The chain reaction could make Hank Blalock available. Blalock has a club option for ’09 at $6.2MM.
- Aside from Rick Porcello replacing Kenny Rogers at some point, the questionable Detroit rotation is set and signed through 2010.
- One scout seems to think Daniel Cabrera has turned the corner and shouldn’t be traded. He’ll become a free agent after the 2010 season and earns $2.875MM this year.
- Though it might be seen as a desperation move, the Tigers don’t have much to lose by signing Barry Bonds. Gary Sheffield endorsed it.
- Rosenthal says the Rays and Jays are teams with "possible interest" in Jim Edmonds but are likely to pass. That leaves the Cubs.
- Will Jason Giambi find a job next year after the Yankees decline his option? He plans to try.
- The Red Sox asked about Mark Loretta during Spring Training as "infield insurance." Rosenthal suggests the Sox consider Omar Vizquel, a defensive upgrade over Julio Lugo.
Rangers Expected To Be Sellers
At 7-15, the Rangers have the worst record in the American League. Team president Nolan Ryan doesn’t seem ready for a fire sale yet, but you have to figure the Rangers will be clear sellers come June.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post recently suggested Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Hank Blalock, Frank Catalanotto, and Milton Bradley as trade candidates. As Sherman says, Millwood could be a hot commodity. He looks healthy and would certainly help a contender. Gerald Laird, Marlon Byrd, Jamey Wright, and Joaquin Benoit could also be dealt.
The Rangers already have the fourth-best farm system in baseball according to Baseball America; Jon Daniels’ team could climb even higher with another bountiful July.