MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com

Odds and Ends: Pedro, Wells, Tepesch, Zito

2009-07-15T21:55:43-05:00

A few links for your pre-second half entertainment:

Dave Cameron at Fangraphs is counting down the 50 players with the most trade value. Today, he posted #30-#26.
ESPN's Jayson Stark recaps the Pedro Martinez press conference, and contends that the newest Phillie will start off on the DL because he didn't want to sign a minor league contract.
Anthony Rieber of Newsday.com argues that the Yankess are in a unique position to land Roy Halladay - if they are willing to eat the contract of Vernon Wells.
In the latest in a series of short videos on college prospects, ESPN's Keith Law scouts Missouri RHP Nick Tepesch.
And Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News argues that it is time for the Giants to attempt to trade Barry Zito or release him in the off-season.

Discussion: When Is "Now" For The Blue Jays?

2009-07-15T20:20:33-05:00

In this article at SI.com, Joel Sherman argues that the Blue Jays cannot realistically expect to make the playoffs in the AL East anytime soon and thus should start building for the future by trading ace Roy Halladay.

"To have any kind of sustained run," Sherman writes, "the Blue Jays have to turn Halladay into three or four significant pieces that will help the next really strong Toronto team, which is 2011 at the earliest."

On the slowest American (and Canadian?) sports day of the year, I'm looking to start a little discussion. Do you agree with Sherman's assessment of the Jays' playoff chances? In the brutal AL East, what should the Blue Jays' long-term strategy be? Should they stop with trading Halladay, or is completely rebuilding an option?

Orioles Hoping To Deal Before Deadline

2009-07-15T18:51:41-05:00

According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, "The Orioles are one of only a handful of teams entrenched as sellers." Here's a summary of his breakdown of what the Orioles can offer:

George Sherrill "has been the most popular target." The Orioles have him under control for two more years and are looking for a pitcher with "closer" value in return.
The Marlins "still look like the best fit" for Sherrill. They need a bullpen arm and have "a number of corner infield prospects that intrigue the Orioles."
Danys Baez "is probably the most likely Oriole to be moved." Zrebiec notes that the Orioles will have to eat "a good portion" of his contract if they want to get anything substantial in return.
Melvin Mora is available, but has a blanket no-trade clause. According to Zrebiec, Mora "may want a team to pick up his 2010 option in order to approve a trade."
The compensatory draft picks the Orioles might get if Aubrey Huff left via free agency "may be worth more to the club than what they could get for him in a trade."

Zrebiec quotes Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail as saying, "I would hope that we'd do something [before the deadline], I really would. But as I've said before, we're not a farm system for contending teams."

Dodgers Looking For Arms

2009-07-15T17:45:31-05:00

GM Ned Colletti "is on his annual Trade Deadline search for pitching help," according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

According to Gurnick, Colletti "will inquire about" Roy Halladay, although the package of players required to net the Toronto ace would probably need to start with Clayton Kershaw.

The Dodgers also seek a reliever to replace the injured Ronald Belisario in the seventh-inning role. Gurnick writes that "management isn't convinced it has a replacement for Belisario in-house."

Finally, Gurnick says that the Dodgers are in the market for a fifth starter "along the lines of another Randy Wolf."

Olney On The Battle For Young Talent

2009-07-15T17:11:46-05:00

Baseball's becoming younger and teams are changing the way they operate, as ESPN.com's Buster Olney shows. In the steroid era, teams relied on players older than 30 for their production. With the help of Baseball Prospectus, Olney shows that teams have become much more reliant on younger players. Here are the reasons why teams rely on young talent and the effect this reliance has around the league:

Players are cheapest for their first six years in the majors, before they become free agents.
As Oakland GM Billy Beane says, "everybody" is now working to develop their own talent.
Even Yankees GM Brian Cashman prefers to develop his own players.
Since teams are heavily invested in their top minor leaguers, they're providing them with better nutrition and more ways to stay in shape.
Teams are willing to spend considerably more on amateur players, internationally and in the draft.
There's now less information sharing between rival organizations, as the competition for talent has increased.
Some teams, like the Red Sox, are sending multiple scouts to watch players since they want to be more confident in their evaluations.
Teams have adopted a "broader use of statistics in evaluating players."
Teams will poach the best coaches from other organizations to maximize their return on every player.
There's more of a personal emphasis on players than before.

Angels Interested In Aroldis Chapman

2009-07-15T16:30:30-05:00

Aroldis Chapman isn't ready to sign with an MLB team yet, but once he is, the Angels will be interested, according to Mark Saxon of the OC Register. Angels scouting director Eddie Bane told Saxon that the Angels always have interest in top pitchers. They scouted Daisuke Matsuzaka and took a look at Stephen Strasburg even though there's no way he was falling to the Angels at 25th overall.

The Angels have already scouted Chapman and they're impressed with his fastball, but say he needs to develop his secondary pitches.

Discussion: Trade Deadline Predictions

2009-07-15T16:17:31-05:00

Just for fun, why don't we kick off the second half of the MLB season with a few trade deadline predictions? Here are three from me and I'm looking forward to reading yours in the comments below:

The Blue Jays will trade Roy Halladay to the Phillies for a group of prospects headed by Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor or Dominic Brown.
The Nationals will trade Nick Johnson to salvage some value from their first baseman before he hits free agency. Johnson missed three quarters of last season, so he's not likely to rank high enough under the Elias rankings to bring the Nats compensation picks and they won't want to let him walk for nothing.
The A's will hold onto Matt Holliday as the market for pricey ($13.5MM), slumping (no homers since June 5th) players isn't strong.

Odds And Ends: Strasburg, Huff, Pedro

2009-07-15T14:24:37-05:00

Some links to read through this afternoon...

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says the Nats "absolutely, positively must sign" Stephen Strasburg this summer. The Strasburg saga is just one of Crasnick's nine stories to watch in the second half.
Stan McNeal of the Sporting News says a fringe prospect should be enough for the O's to ship Aubrey Huff and his $8MM salary away.
Pedro Martinez said he was pitching hurt with the Mets, but feels better now, according to the AP (via ESPN).
Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues says the Yankees would have to be prepared to give up a painful amount in a possible Roy Halladay deal.
Pirates reliever Tyler Yates had Tommy John surgery, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Check out my thoughts on the market for outfielders this offseason at NESN.com. Evans Clinchy of NESN.com believes it's now time for the Red Sox to lock Jason Bay up.

Cards Willing To Make Strong Offer For Halladay

2009-07-15T13:29:24-05:00

The Cardinals are prepared to offer talent for Roy Halladay, but they're not going to disassemble their entire system to acquire the Jays ace, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

"We may be able to give up an arm or a leg," a Cardinals source told Strauss. "But we're not going to sacrifice the whole body."

Strauss hears that the Jays want major league-ready pitching in return for Halladay. This could pose a problem for the Cards, as they may have to surrender Jess Todd or Francisco Samuel to complete the Mark DeRosa deal. The Blue Jays wanted top Cards prospect Brett Wallace in the 2008 draft.

Not only do the Cards have a history of pulling off big trades (Larry Walker, Scott Rolen), they have a history of picking up former Blue Jays starters. Chris Carpenter, Woody Williams and Pat Hentgen all pitched for the Jays then the Cardinals.

Heyman On GMs, Mulder, Bay, Reds

2009-07-15T12:50:52-05:00

SI.com's Jon Heyman identifies the GMs facing the most pressure heading into the second half of the season and passes along some rumors, too:

Despite "occasional rumblings" about Omar Minaya's job security, injuries are to blame for the Mets' disappointing start, so Minaya's bosses aren't about to blame him for the season.
The Nats plan on hiring a permanent GM soon and acting GM Mike Rizzo is in the running for the position.
Giants GM Brian Sabean saved one of his best showings for his walk year. He's put together a playoff contender and a talented crop of minor leaguers just as his deal's about to expire.
Royals GM Dayton Moore and Braves GM Frank Wren are expected to have some time to work with.
It doesn't look like Indians GM Mark Shapiro will ascend to club president this year.
Heyman likes the Phillies' acquisition of Pedro Martinez.
Mark Mulder could be the next pitcher to sign, as he's 95% ready, according to his agent.
Heyman thinks the Red Sox will be able to lock Jason Bay up once they start talking extension.
Look for the Reds to continue their hunt for outfielders.