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Players To Watch Between Now And The Deadline

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Once the draft ends tomorrow, we'll turn our attention to the trade market and many GMs will be doing the same. We'll monitor dozens of names throughout the next couple months, but here are seven to watch especially closely as the July 31st trading deadline inches closer. First, three players whose teams have to falter before they become trade bait:

  • Matt Holliday has been on a tear since May 5th, walking more than he's striking out with an OPS of .989. The A's have heated up, too. Their seven game win streak ended last night, but they're only 6.5 games out, so they'll have to fall off if Holliday's going to hit the market.
  • Mark DeRosa's Indians are seven games out of first place, and they aren't selling now, but the versatile 34-year-old could be appealing to teams like the Cardinals and Mets if the Indians struggle.
  • Erik Bedard is pitching well, but the Mariners, now five games back, aren't out of it yet. 

These three players aren't on contenders, so they could be moved earlier:

  • Holliday's former teammate, Brad Hawpe, is hitting .335 with power. His OPS is just shy of 1.000 and he's striking out less than ever. The Rockies aren't going anywhere, but they're on a six game win streak of their own, and Dan O'Dowd is not in a hurry to deal.
  • Aubrey Huff will be a free agent after the season and though he's not matching last year's numbers, he's a solid bat.
  • Another lefthanded hitter, Nick Johnson, could be a nice addition, though teams might be wary of his past injuries.  

And finally, a player who's seemingly been on the trading block forever:

  • Jake Peavy's already vetoed one trade and would likely use his no-trade clause to keep himself in the National League. Not many teams can afford to take on his salary, but the Padres would like to move him and he's the best pitcher available.
  

 

Heyman On Contenders’ Needs

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Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Dodgers would have to overpay for Jake Peavy, the Red Sox are going after bats and the Giants are "dangling" Jonathan Sanchez. Here are the details:

  • It's unlikely the White Sox could pry Cliff Lee away from the Indians.
  • The Brewers aren't sure whether they'll go after a hitter or a pitcher.  
  • Heyman cites a source who says the Dodgers believe they'd have to pay "insanely" more than anyone else if they want to acquire Peavy. That's not much of a problem for the Dodgers, who are looking strong as-is.
  • The Red Sox are "aggressively seeking help," according to their competitors.
  • The best player they have a realistic shot at is Victor Martinez. If the Red Sox are going to deal for V-Mart, they'll likely have to part with young pitching.
  • Along with Nick Johnson and Aubrey Huff, Heyman says Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham are "possibilities" for the Red Sox.
  • Not surprisingly, the Mets would not deal Fernando Martinez for Matt Holliday.  
  • The Giants are "dangling" Jonathan Sanchez. 
  • The Cubs remain the favorites for Peavy, though they haven't called the Padres about him recently.
  • The Yankees, Angels and Rangers are looking for relief help. 
  • One AL exec believes Erik Bedard would not adjust well to the attention if he's dealt to the Phillies.  
  • And could George W. Bush team up with Nolan Ryan to re-purchase the Rangers?  

Edes On Francoeur, Nick Johnson, Valverde

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8:10pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the Red Sox-Francoeur rumor:

Talked to someone in Braves organization who sort of dismissed the Red Sox rumor. Said he hadn’t heard one thing about them having any serious interest in Francoeur or scouting him recently.

9:01am: Yahoo's Gordon Edes wrote about many different trade scenarios in his column last night.

  • Edes seconds Ken Rosenthal's rumor that the Red Sox have been scouting Jeff Francoeur.
  • The Nationals have been scouting the Mets' Triple and Double A teams, trying to figure out a possible return for Nick Johnson.  Names of interest for Washington: Jon Niese, Mike Antonini, Eddie Kunz, and big leaguer Bobby Parnell.  The Red Sox also had interest in Johnson, but not for the price of Michael Bowden.  Back to the Mets – Joel Sherman of the New York Post has a list of available players they could consider aside from Johnson, including Jermaine Dye, Ben Francisco, Adam LaRoche, and Eric Hinske.
  • Edes likes the fit of Jose Valverde with the Rays, but speculates that the Astros could ask for Wade Davis in return.  Six years of Davis would be a huge price to pay for a few months of Valverde plus possible draft picks.  Edes also likes Mark DeRosa for Tampa Bay, but they seem well-equipped to handle Akinori Iwamura's injury with internal options.
  • Edes names the Phillies, Brewers, Royals, and Twins as possible suitors for Brad Penny.  Edes adds that the Phillies "are already making plans for life without Brett Myers" after this season.
  • The shortstop market includes Jack Wilson and perhaps John McDonald, but could become more interesting for a team like Boston if the Indians make Jhonny Peralta available.

Nationals Ready To Trade Veterans

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Talking to Newsday's Ken Davidoff, Nationals acting GM Mike Rizzo volunteered three trade candidates from his team:

"Nick Johnson, or (Josh) Willingham, or (Austin) Kearns, anyone on our roster, if we can make a good baseball trade and improve ourselves, not only for our present but also for our future — a player that can impact us — we have to make those kinds of trades."

Also, Rizzo rejected the idea that a Johnson-Manny Delcarmen swap was even discussed with the Red Sox.  

Rizzo said that in general, the Nationals are seeking young, athletic players with high ceilings in trades.  It seems possible Rizzo will deal within the NL East, with the Mets seeking a first baseman and the Braves needing outfielders.

Rosenthal On Astros, Marquis, DeRosa, Francoeur

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Let's take a look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

  • Rosenthal recommends the Astros trade veterans to improve their bottom-ranked farm system.  He'd especially like to see Houston make Roy Oswalt available.  They'd have take Oswalt's no-trade clause into consideration.
  • The Phillies continue to seek a starter, and they made an inquiry on Colorado's Jason Marquis.  Rosenthal finds Erik Bedard "perhaps the most intriguing fit" and notes that the Phils probably have flexibility to add payroll.  This question came up in a recent chat…I do think the Phillies have the pieces to pull off a Bedard trade.
  • The Brewers are not going after Cleveland's Mark DeRosa, as they cannot spare Major League pitching for him.  Rosenthal also finds Jake Peavy unlikely, as the Brewers probably couldn't pull off a deal without creating a new need.  Of Peavy, Rosenthal says, "He will not leave easily."
  • The Mets are interested in Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson, who is off to a .338/.445/.471 start.
  • The Royals might be the top suitor for Jeff Francoeur if the Braves shop him, but not everyone in Kansas City's front office is keen on him.  The Red Sox are known to have an eye on Francoeur.
  • Rosenthal's heard speculation that the Sox could trade Daniel Bard, whose value may be at a high point.
  • Rather than acquire someone like Yuniesky Betancourt, the Padres will stick with in-house options at shortstop (mainly Luis Rodriguez and Everth Cabrera, once they're healthy).

Red Sox Shoot Down Delcarmen/Johnson Swap

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MONDAY: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post has a Nationals source who "dismissed the seriousness" of the Johnson-Delcarmen discussions.  Harlan says the Nationals believe they can get more value by waiting into the summer to trade Johnson, and have "fielded calls from about a dozen teams."  What do you think – will the Nats maximize Johnson's value by waiting?

FRIDAY: Earlier today, we heard that the Nationals had offered Nick Johnson to the Red Sox in exchange for Manny Delcarmen. WEEI's Alex Speier is reporting that the Red Sox have officially turned the offer down.

According to Delcarmen's agent, Jim Masteralexis, the trade was "immediately shot down." Both Delcarmen and Johnson are having fine seasons, but it looks like the Nationals will have to try something else in order to improve their bullpen.

Giants Not Dangling Cain, Not Interested In Holliday

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Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle provides an update on a few Giants rumors.

  • Schulman's "very high-level" Giants source says Matt Cain is not being dangled, contrary to an earlier rumor.
  • Schulman agrees with Juan C. Rodriguez's report that the Giants have asked the Marlins about Dan Uggla.
  • Schulman believes the Giants are talking to the Nationals about Nick Johnson.  However, his source said the team has no interest in Matt Holliday.  Much has been made of Holliday's slow start, but keep in mind he's hitting .296/.406/.494 in May.

Giants Seeking A Bat

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According to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News, Giants GM Brian Sabean held court today.  Baggarly learned that Sabean is actively seeking a bat on the trade market, and the GM has even begun considering hitters who are headed toward free agency (a change from his earlier stance).

Baggarly believes Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson has to be near the top of the list.  Johnson has been linked to the Mets and Red Sox, the Mets perhaps more in a speculative sense.  Nats GM Mike Rizzo has to love the multiple suitors, but he might want to move Johnson while his stock is high.

The Giants are nine games out in the NL West, so the sooner they add offense the better.  The team is dead last in the NL in both OBP and SLG.  Speculating on other acquisition targets: Aubrey Huff, Dan Uggla, Mark DeRosa, Paul Konerko, Matt Holliday, and Felipe Lopez.  Other ideas?  One factor to consider is that the Giants are not willing to trade their top prospects.

Nationals Rumors: Strasburg, Johnson, ‘Pen

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ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian takes a close look at the Nationals in his latest column and concludes that they have good baseball teams to look forward to. Along the way, he turns up some Nats rumors:

  • Stephen Strasburg pulled an oblique muscle Wednesday, but acting GM Mike Rizzo says he's not concerned, repeating a line we've heard before: "If the draft was today, we would select Stephen Strasburg." 
  • Kurkjian hears that it will cost the Nationals between $25-50MM to sign Strasburg for six years. 
  • Since the Washington 'pen has struggled so much, there's a good chance the Nats will add a reliever or two this offseason.  
  • As an alternative, they could deal Nick Johnson for pitching; Kurkjian suggests the Mets or Giants could be interested.
  • Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com heard from a person connected to the Mets that the Nationals would likely want Bobby Parnell in exchange for Johnson.

Gammons On Indians, Nationals, Mauer

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Here are the highlights from Peter Gammons' analysis on Mike and Mike in the Morning. Joe Haggerty of the Boston Metro has the interview transcript on his blog, Hacks with Haggs.

  • The Padres will have a hard time dealing Jake Peavy because there aren't many takers who have the resources to acquire him. The Braves don't figure in now that they have enough pitching and the Cardinals aren't a likely fit either. 
  • "Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee are not on the trade block," according to Gammons.  
  • The Indians would deal Mark DeRosa for "major league ready pitching."
  • Washington would like to deal Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns and some of their "semi-attractive" relievers. 
  • The Nationals offered Johnson to the Red Sox for Manny Delcarmen.
  • Gammons says he believes it's in the best interest of the buyer and the seller to deal earlier, rather than later.
  • The Yankees and Red Sox could offer Mark Teixeira money ($180MM) to Joe Mauer if the catcher hits free agency after the 2010 season.  
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