Todd Walker – MLB Trade Rumors

Orioles Asked For Ceda In Roberts Deal

Tim Dierkes — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 11:01:00 +0000

According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, the Orioles asked the Cubs for 21 year-old righty Jose Ceda as part of a Brian Roberts deal at some point this winter. However, Ceda is untouchable for Jim Hendry.

Ceda is a large righty swiped from Kevin Towers for Todd Walker at the ’06 trade deadline. Baseball America ranks him fourth among Cubs prospects, first among pitchers. When Ceda switched to relief in July, he threw 23 hitless innings in A ball. His fastball and slider are of Major League quality and Lou Piniella has noted that he could make the jump from A ball to the bigs.

Andy MacPhail said yesterday that he didn’t expect to trade Roberts before the Orioles’ Spring Training reporting date next week.

Rockies May Sign Giles, Towers

Tim Dierkes — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 07:54:01 +0000

According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies have several bargain-priced free agents on their radar.

GM Dan O’Dowd has ongoing talks with second baseman Marcus Giles, who prefers Colorado. Seems like the best place to rebuild value for Giles, who will turn 30 in May. Coors Field inflates right-handed batting average by 17% and right-handed home runs bt 23%, according to the Bill James Handbook. Giles made $3.25MM in 2007 but hit just .229/.304/.317.

Giles’ agent says a few other teams are involved on him, and Renck adds that Todd Walker remains an option.

Pitching-wise, the Rockies are targeting Josh Towers, who turns 30 in February. Victor Zambrano is still a secondary option. Towers seems a decent bargain, but his home run issues won’t play well in Coors (obviously). Chad Durbin only required $900K, so maybe Towers will be in that range. I don’t think Rodrigo Lopez is in play; I’m told he may not be ready until the All-Star break at the earliest.

Odds and Ends: Roberts, Otsuka, Walker, DaVanon

Tim Dierkes — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:44:03 +0000

A few minor moves to speak of…

The Cubs don’t appear to be concerned about Brian Roberts’ steroid admission.
The Padres’ talks for Xavier Nady are "on hold," according to Bill Center. Also, the Friars continue to eye Akinori Otsuka.
Aside from the aforementioned Michael Barrett, the Padres signed Robert Fick and Jeff DaVanon. DaVanon, a switch-hitter, has had some decent years against righties. Ken Rosenthal believes the Padres may consider their outfield situation settled now after missing out on Geoff Jenkins and signing DaVanon.
Todd Walker, remember him? He was released by the Padres this year in Spring Training and hooked on with Oakland. After a month and a half there, they designated him for assignment. He wasn’t picked up, and enjoyed spending the time with his family. Now, however, the Rockies have had preliminary conversations with him according to Tracy Ringolsby. Walker played for the Rox in 2000, posting a .929 OPS in limited duty. He had another half season in Colorado in ’01 before being traded to the Reds for Alex Ochoa.
Excellent team blogs are going corporate – Bucco Blog was purchased by Baseball Interactive Media, and MetsBlog partnered with SNY. Both seem like positive developments for readers – Jake and Matthew maintain editorial control, but perhaps gain additional access and technology.

Helton Talks To Resume?

Tim Dierkes — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 10:03:01 +0000

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe talked to four baseball officials about the failed Todd Helton trade. The majority (three, I guess) agreed that the Rockies and Red Sox would rekindle talks in spring training.

Helton, however, has told the Rockies he is prepared to veto all future trades. Will he bend from that stance if the Red Sox and Rockies come to an agreement? I would expect Colorado to lessen their demands a bit if they can get this thing done before the seasons starts.

Helton Talks To Resume?

Tim Dierkes — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 10:03:01 +0000

CBS: Padres Acquire Todd Walker

Tim Dierkes — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 13:59:05 +0000

According to Scott Miller of CBS Sportsline, the Cubs are about to send Todd Walker to the Padres. Another low-rent fix for Kevin Towers.

UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal has learned that Walker was dealt for 19 year-old righty Jose Ceda, currently in rookie ball.

Mariners Trade Rumor: Todd Walker

Tim Dierkes — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:26:02 +0000

According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Mariners are scouting the Cubs’ Todd Walker.

Walker would be platooned with Eduardo Perez at DH and would be used against right-handed pitching. From 2003-05, Walker has batted .290/.346/.458 against right-handers. The 33 year-old impending free agent makes $2.5MM this season. The Cubs have been trying to trade him since spring training.

Todd Walker To The Giants?

Tim Dierkes — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 11:53:03 +0000

According to a source of Bleed Cubbie Blue, Todd Walker will be traded this month. The source indicated that the Giants are the likely suitor and that they would use him at first base.

First base has been a black hole for San Francisco between Lance Niekro, Mark Sweeney, and a few others. The average NL first baseman is hitting .284/.364/.500 this year, while the Giants have gotten .251/.310/.393 out of their first basemen. You need a Lyle Overbay just to be average while the Giants have essentially been suffering through the offensive equivalent of Yuniesky Betancourt at first.

At .290/.361/.392, Walker still makes for a pretty lousy first baseman. However, he is a career .437 slugger so maybe that’ll pick up a bit. The Giants are 2.5 games out in the NL West and 1.5 games out of the wild card. The team will probably lose Jason Schmidt, Barry Bonds, and Moises Alou this offseason, so the time is now. In it this deep, Brian Sabean needs to acquire Pat Burrell, Alfonso Soriano, or Carlos Lee if he wants to actually gain some ground in the next two months. Adding Walker would just be an aesthetic change.

Walker For Matos Swap In The Works

Tim Dierkes — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 09:37:02 +0000

As has been rumored for a couple of days now, the Cubs and Orioles are close to swapping Todd Walker and Luis Matos. According to the Baltimore Sun, the salary difference is the only holdup.

While the Orioles’ purpose for acquiring Walker is reportedly for use as a DH or bat off the bench, a source of mine says that is not the whole story. According to the source, Brian Roberts is not where everyone thinks he is health-wise. He’s been mentioned as perhaps being ready for Opening Day, but that is highly unlikely. His type of elbow surgery is "largely unknown" according to Will Carroll.

Matos hasn’t been used in right field since 2003. He’s a right-handed hitter who has batted .236/.302/.353 vs. left-handers over the last three seasons. In other words, not the ideal platoon partner for Jacque Jones. I’m guessing the Cubs would carry he and Marquis Grissom as backup outfielders and attempt to find at-bats for Matos in left field.

The Cubs and Orioles have an amicable relationship, having worked out deals for Corey Patterson and Sammy Sosa in the recent past. In addition, the teams have talked extensively about Miguel Tejada.

A .290 Spring Training batting average has the Orioles thinking Patterson will make a capable regular for them in center field. While it’s worth a shot, Patterson should again have a hard time topping a .310 OBP.

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Walker For Bradley: Update

Tim Dierkes — Thu, 08 Dec 2005 21:04:04 +0000

I’ve lost track of how many of these Todd Walker for Milton Bradley posts I’ve written. According to an emailer, Bruce Levine of ESPN Radio 1000 is reporting that the Cubs are awaiting word from the Dodgers on this trade – the offer of Walker is on the table. No timetable was given for a decision.

Levine’s been all over this one since November; he mentioned yesterday that it could happen before the weekend.

Thanks to Alex

Bradley For Walker Talks Renewed?

Tim Dierkes — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 13:08:02 +0000

A reader emailed me saying that WSCR The Score (George Ofman) and ESPN Sports Radio 1000 (Bruce Levine) are reporting that the Cubs are talking again about a Milton Bradley for Todd Walker trade, to happen within the next day or two. Levine reported this same rumor on November 29th.

Thanks to Alex

Latest Cubs Rumors – Furcal, Wood, Nixon

Tim Dierkes — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 18:01:01 +0000

As we approach the winter meetings, all kinds of crazy rumors are making the rounds. First and foremost is a possible three-way deal between the Rangers, A’s, and Cubs as reported by Sunday’s edition of the Chicago Tribune. WSCR, a radio station in Chicago, has cited tomorrow’s Phil Rogers column about the trade.

The details: The Cubs send Kerry Wood and $6MM to the Rangers for Kevin Mench. The Cubs would also surrender Todd Walker and prospects and would receive Barry Zito from Oakland. It’s unclear what prospects would go Oakland’s way, although it’s fair to speculate Beane would ask for #1 prospect Felix Pie. Thanks to Alex and Mike for passing it along, and you can read a message board thread on the deal here.

My opinion? Doesn’t sound valid in the proposed form. As mentioned on the Inside The Ivy message board, it sounds more like a Phil Rogers opinion column. Rogers can’t be reached to confirm the rumor. The Cubs have plenty of starting pitcher and outfielder options on the table, and can make a deal without surrendering Pie. Given that Beane holds the cards with six starters, only the Cubs’ very best could entice him. I don’t think this deal happens.

I’ve also been informed that George Ofman from WSCR is reporting that Rafael Furcal will make his final decision by noon CST on December 4th. It’s still unknown which way he’s leaning. It’s well-known that the Dodgers have put in a three-year, $39MM bid for the shortstop. The offer is a smart one and mitigates L.A.’s risk nicely. Given that it could bring Furcal more money in both the short and long term, the Dodgers must be a serious option.

A source in the Red Sox organization mentions that the Cubs have interest in 31 year-old right fielder Trot Nixon. Nixon hasn’t had 500 at-bats since 2002, but he’s hit well when healthy. Nixon mashes right-handers but struggles mightily with southpaws. The Red Sox are rumored to have interest in Corey Patterson.

Thanks to Alex, Mike, Nick, and Cody

Milton Bradley For Todd Walker

Tim Dierkes — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 13:14:00 +0000

According to Bruce Levine on ESPN Radio 1000, the Cubs are talking to the Dodgers about swapping Todd Walker for Milton Bradley. Considering the devaluing of Bradley around baseball, the proposed trade sounds plausible.

If the deal were to go through, it’s most likely that Walker would play third base for Los Angeles. It’s also possible that Jeff Kent moves to first and Walker remains at second base.

Walker has played 60 games at third base in his career, and Kent has spent 105 games playing first.

Thanks to John

Walker For Heilman Trade Legitimate

Tim Dierkes — Wed, 16 Nov 2005 12:55:04 +0000

I’ve noticed various outlets claiming the rumored Todd Walker for Aaron Heilman trade was fabricated. While I’m not sure if the deal will ultimately go through, I can guarantee that the rumor is on the level.

According to Kevin Burkhardt of WFAN in New York, the Mets have been dangling Heilman in front of the Cubs in an attempt to acquire Walker. The rumor originally aired on November 12th, and I’ve contacted Burkhardt in an attempt to get more info.

Cubs To Trade Todd Walker For Aaron Heilman

Tim Dierkes — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 11:06:00 +0000

A new trade rumor has been floated from New York today. We all know Todd Walker is on the trading block; it seems the Mets are interested.

Word is that the Cubs will deal Walker to the Mets for Aaron Heilman, straight up. If the rumor holds up, this could help both teams.

Strangely, the Mets still seem to have little faith in Heilman despite his breakout 2005. Heilman just turned 27, and he misses bats. He has yet to settle into his role as a pitcher. Heilman could serve in the swing role for the Cubs if Glendon Rusch becomes a permanent rotation fixture. Having a pitcher versatile enough to start, close, and do everything in-between may be a new trend in baseball.

Walker is what he is – all hit, no glove. He’s definitely an above average hitter for a second baseman. You’ll see that Walker was the 20th best 2B in 2005 once you consider fielding. If he can stay healthy for 550 at-bats, however, he might crack the top ten in 2006 despite the poor defense.

The move would take the Mets out of their dance with Rafael Furcal and increase the chances the Cubs sign him.

Heilman wasn’t seen as an integral part of the proposed Manny Ramirez trade, so those talks would stay alive.

Thanks to Brian from Edison for the tip.