Monthly Archives: July 2009
Update, 2:50 pm:
Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com believes the Red Sox will at least give up Justin Masteron and LHP Nick Hagadone to get Martinez.
…there’s are two good players… they are not boston’s best package by any means, leaving me to wonder what the Mets could have given to get martinez… i suspect the Mets could have beaten this, though it would have cost Brad Holt for sure…
Hagadone entered this season as Boston’s third-best prospect, according to Baseball America.
Masterson, 24, is 3–3 with a 4.50 ERA in 31 relief appearances for the Red Sox.
Update, 2:31 pm:
Boston pitching prospects Clay Buchholz and Daniel Bard are not in the deal for Martinez, according to FoxSports.com.
However, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus says Buccholz is in the deal, ‘and there is more,’ he writes.
Original Post:
The Indians are close to trading C Victor Martinez to the Red Sox, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Last night, Jon Heyman of SI.com wrote, “The Mets engaged in brief talks with the Indians about Martinez, but remain a major long shot because they do not want to part with their prospects.”
Prior to yesterday’s game, Omar Minaya said, “I even turned down a couple of trades yesterday,” while noting he has talked to teams about ‘big-time players.’
…i will be interested to see what the Sox gave up… i suspect it will be two, maybe three, mid– to upper-level prospects…
Martinez will earn $7 million next season, after which he is a free agent.
…from what i can gather, the Indians would have requested Jon Niese and one of Brad Holt or Jennry Mejia from the Mets, in a deal for martinez, plus maybe a minor-league hitter, but i don’t believe an official offer was ever on the table…
[poll id="286"]
The A’s have traded SS Orlando Cabrera to the Twins for SS prospect Tyler Ladenorf, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports.
Last week on FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal said the Mets had interest in Cabrera, as did the M’s, Cardinals, Rockies and Reds.
…as i wrote last week, cabrera was barely good when he was considered good… at 34, and about to be a free agent, he makes zero sense for the Mets… zero… unless, of course, he can be had for nothing, and Omar Minaya is simply looking for regular, every-day players to stuff in his lineup…
The 34–year-old Cabrera is batting .274 with a .313 OBP, 25 extra base hits and eight stolen bases in 93 games for the A’s.
He has played with five different teams in the last six years, and will be a free agent, again, at the end of this season.
Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com believes there is a 50–50 chance the Indians end up trading C Victor Martinez.
Mayo also says, “I’m hearing odds of Padres dealing 1B Adrian Gonzalez are very low at this point.”
…it reads to me like too few teams are consumed with the same two or three players, and it’s a merry-go-round… if the Mets have a seat, it’s as a third wheel, basically, helping to facilitate sending a big-time player to another city…
…by the way, the buzz from 
florida indicates the Rays do not want to trade OF Carl Crawford… they’d move him, of course, but the deal must help improve the club’s position to win now, while also freeing up money to help acquire a player like martinez…
…from what i can gather, the Indians have no problem waiting to deal martinez… he could likely net as much in December as he can now… the Indians like Jon Niese and Fernando Martinez, among other Mets prospects, but i do not believe the Mets feel they must make a move – at least to the extent that top prospects are sent packing… i could see them trading one, maybe two, if need be, in a three-way deal… but, otherwise, i think the more likely scenario is trading a mid-level prospect for a bullpen arm, or a spare part for spare part…
…in other words, whether or not Omar Minaya makes a big splash may have more to do with the rest of the market, than with his own skills or farm system…
That said, David Lennon of Newsday explains why the Mets may have already made their best deal before the deadline.
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com believes a ‘handfull of teams,’ including the Giants, continue to show interest in Royals infielder Mark Teahen.
Teahen is batting .290 with 34 extra base 
hits, 36 RBI and a .344 OBP in 97 games for the Royals this season, while playing first base, second base, third base and right field.
Teahen is under contract and arbitration eligible in 2010 and 2011, during which he will likely earn roughly $5 million per season, after which he can become a free agent.
…i like teahen… he seems to fit what the Mets are looking for, in that he’s a line-drive hitter with developing power, he plays a strong defense, he’s 27, he can play multiple positions, he’s under contract and he’s available…
The Royals are willing to trade Teahen, the Chicago Sun-Times said yesterday, ‘but they are said to be looking for a center fielder.’
This morning on ESPN’s Mike and Mike, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney said the big question today is, “What are the Red Sox going to do,’ because people around the game believe Theo Epstein is ‘working on something.’
That said, according to Olney, his 
colleague Peter Gammons believes the Red Sox are making zero progress in their efforts to get C Victor Martinez from the Indians.
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com said today on his blog, “The Indians were pessimistic about their chances of trading Martinez - perhaps an indication the Red Sox were making progress in their efforts to land Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez, perhaps not.”
Olney said yesterday on ESPN.com that the Red Sox and Padres are in detailed talks regarding Gonzalez.
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com believes the Red Sox are still looking in to Gonzalez, Martinez and Blue Jays RHP Roy Halladay.
However, to get Gonzalez, he writes, Boston would need a third team to take on recently-acquired 1B Adam LaRoche.
That said, Stark believes the price for Gonzalez is ‘astronomical.’
…from what i recall, laroche didn’t have many fans in the Mets front office, at least when he was available in Pittsburgh…
…these tea leaves suggest the Rays may be Cleveland’s best suitor for martinez… but, as we know from previous posts, the Rays must first move salary to afford him… from what i can gather, they’d first like to move Scott Kazmir…
Hey, want to see something that isn’t funny, click here.
…unreal… like he says, Stay Classy, Philadelphia… jeeez…
Tagged Phillies |The Mariners traded LHP Jarrod Washburn to the Tigers for two minor-league pitchers, according to 710 ESPN Radio in Seattle.
Yesterday, Jon Heyman of SI.com said the Yankees had been talking to the Mariners about Washburn, but were asked to part with one Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, among others.
…Mets fans will find particularly interesting:
…in talking to people around the game today, 
there is a lot of chatter about how the Yankees are being pressured from investors to cut spending and start delivering a dividend for once… in other words, the Yankees are unable to spend like they used to, and the gravy train may be coming to end, not surprising in this economy… in other words, nothing can last forever, and there is no such thing as an unlimited budget…
For instance, Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Yankees asked the Royals to pick up a portion of Brian Bannister’s salary, when talking with Kansas City about a trade.
According to Sherman, “Steinbrenner has financial clamps this trade deadline.”
Update, 11:22 am:
According to MLB.com, talks between the Rangers and Blue Jays regarding RHP Roy Halladay ‘appear to have broken off,’ as the two sides haggle over top pitching prospect Derek Holland.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post talked with Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi who believes Halladay will still be in Toronto following today’s 4 pm trade deadline.
…like i said last week, the buzz had been either the Phillies get halladay, or nobody gets halladay… at least not until the off season, when, although his value may be less, more teams can be involved because they’ll have the freedom to move around payroll and negotiate a contract extension… the Phillies seemed to be the only team willing to meet j.p.’s ‘wow factor,’ and they instead moved on to Cliff Lee…
Original Post, 10:18 am:
Yesterday, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com said the Rangers and Blue Jays were in talks regarding RHP Roy Halladay, which team president Nolan Ryan confirmed to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
Tagged Roy Halladay |Prior to yesterday’s game, Mets GM Omar Minaya said:
“It’s very important to remember that, a lot of times over the years, you think that the trading deadline is over. If you look at most of the championship
teams, they get a lot of good players after the trading deadline.”
In case you missed it, last night I wrote, here:
“In the end, from what I can tell, the Mets do not feel pressure to make a trade before tomorrow’s 4 pm deadline. They are confident in their prospects, and they’re confident they will get Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado and Billy Wagner back during August, which is a lot more than any other team will acquire in trade. Plus, they seem comfortable with what the waiver wire might make available in August.”
Joe Demayo of NY Baseball Digest believes the Mets have turned their attention to ‘secondary trades,’ such as a Jeremy Reed for Matt Murton swap, or acquiring Scott Downs from the Blue Jays.
…SNY.TV’s Ted Berg will be excited to hear this, since he is always talking 
about how the Mets should take a chance on murton… i’d say he brings murton up at least once every few weeks, when arguing about what Omar Minaya could do better…
The 27-year-old Murton, who was once a highly-touted prospect for the Cubs, hit .267 with six extra base hits in 22 games for the White Sox this season before being option to Triple-A in June.
He is not eligible to be a free agent until after 2012.
The 33-year-old Downs has a 3.18 ERA for the Blue Jays, while left-handed batters are hitting .256 against him.
He will earn $4 million next season, after which he can become a free agent.
Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel believes the Marlins may need to settle for acquiring 1B Nick Johnson from the Nationals.
Earlier this week, Jon Heyman of SI.com said 
the Nationals asked the Giants for LHP Jonathan Sanchez in a deal for Johnson.
Johnson is earning $5.5 million this season, after which he will be a free agent.
…the buzz from DC has long been that the Nationals will seek young pitching in any deal for johnson, who most people believe will get traded today…
According to Rodriguez, the Marlins rejected a deal from the Padres for closer Heath Bell, who would’ve cost OF Cameron Maybin and RHP Andrew Miller.
The Marlins also asked the Royals about Brian Bannister, according to Rodriguez, though Florida may need to settle for bringing back Indians RHP Carl Pavano.
← Older postsNewer posts →
