According to the Boston Globe, the Boston Red Sox have acquired SP Paul Byrd from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for a player to be named. Byrd figures to take the place of Tim Wakefield (DL) in the rotation for the time being.

Minor pick-up here, that could prove to be very useful. Outside of Beckett, Dice-K, and Lester, the Sox rotation has been inconsistent as of late. They sit at 4.5 games out of 1st place in the A.L. East.

On a little side-note, it should be noted that Theo Epstein apparently likes to pick up known “users” of performance enhancing drugs come late in the year. Last year he dealt for Eric Gagne, and now Paul Byrd. Just thought I’d throw it out there!

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians | 3 Comments »

According to SI.com, the Detroit Tigers have signed SP Freddy Garcia to a minor league deal that runs through the end of the 2008 season. Garcia has not pitched since June 2007 due to shoulder ailments. He had held an “open tryout” on August 5th for a variety of major league ball-clubs, and the Tigers have inked the 33 year old starting pitcher.

Well, the Tigers are indeed entering desperation mode. They could have used a “Garcia-type” months ago, actually. Either way, if Garcia is healthy, he should be able to contribute a few decent starts prior to the end of the season in hopes of lifting the Tigers closer to the top of the division.

This has been a season of surprise teams, both good and bad. While the St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, and Florida Marlins have all greatly exceeded expectations, the Detroit Tigers are among baseball’s biggest disappointments (to go along with the Seattle Mariners, and to this point the New York Yankees). They are currently in 3rd place in the A.L. Central division at 58-60, which has them trailing 1st place by 8.5 games with only 44 games to play.

Filed under: Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays | 1 Comment »

According to ESPN.com, the Arizona Diamondbacks have acquired lefty slugger Adam Dunn from the Cincinnati Reds for three prospects. Dunn, currently tied for the major-league lead in home runs, will add some pop to the middle of the Arizona lineup, but will also add to their tendency to strike out. In return for Dunn, the Reds received Single-A pitcher Dallas Buck (3rd rounder in ‘06) and 2 other players to be named later.

The trade for Dunn marks the Diamondbacks desire to stay atop the NL West, as they try to fend off the Los Angeles Dodgers, who sit 1 1/2 games behind Arizona. It seems the D-Backs felt they needed to add a big bat to combat the acqusition of Manny Ramirez by the Dodgers almost 2 weeks ago.

From the Reds perspective, does this potential bounty trump that of the probable 2 draft picks that would have received after letting Dunn walk via free agency? I’m not so sure. They may have fleeced themselves, and their fans!

Filed under: Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Los Angeles Dodgers | 4 Comments »

According to the Boston Herald, Padres’ outfielder has officially vetoed a potential deal that would have landed him with the Boston Red Sox for the remainder of 2008. Boston was one of ten teams that Giles had listed under his “no-trade” clause. Giles wants to remain close to his family and continue the season as a member of the San Diego Padres. It is believed that the Red Sox will continue to monitor the waiver-wire in hopes of adding a bat off the bench.

Not to be insensitive here, but I never quite understood why players do this. San Diego is a great place to play, and it’s gorgeous out there. Let’s be honest, they stink this year. Giles wants to remain close to his family, which is perfectly understood. That being said, why do you play this game of baseball? I mean, I would like to think in a perfect world most players want that ring. The thrill of the chase for a championship. Competition at it’s finest. We’re talking two months here. Giles would not be in Boston beyond that. Consider a mini-vacation, and then return to San Diego after the season. Instead, Giles will continue to play for a last-place team, instead of trying to go for it one last time, perhaps, at age 37. To each his own, I suppose, but Giles fleeced the Red Sox…and himself.

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres | 6 Comments »

There has been some activity today off the waiver-wire, so let’s take a look at what’s gone down so far:

• The Philadelphia Phillies added a left-handed pitcher to their bullpen in Scott Eyre. The acquire him from the Chicago Cubs. It is believed that a single-A pitcher, Brian Schlitter, was a part of the deal. In 19 appearances for the Cubs this year, Eyre went 2-0 posting an ERA of 7.15. The Red Sox had also been interested in Eyre. This move could mean that J.A. Happ might be going back down to AAA.
• The Tampa Bay Rays improve their bullpen by claiming veteran right-hander Chad Bradford. This was a very solid move for the Rays. In 40 1/3 innings, Bradford has posted a 2.45 ERA in Baltimore. Bradford has a little over $1 million left for 2008, with over $3 million due in 2009. Kind of surprising that all other A.L. teams passed on Bradford.
• The Boston Red Sox were awarded Brian Giles from the San Diego Padres. They’ll have 48 hours to work-out a deal. It is kind of surprising here, as well, that Gilescleared through all the teams in the N.L. I would have figured the Mets or even the D’Backs would have been all over this guy. His skills have diminished, but a .400 OBP is still nothing to sneeze at. This could be a “protecting” thing, as the Sox could be playing defense here with one of their division rivals. They already have Jason Bay, J.D. Drew, Coco Crisp, and Jacoby Ellsbury in their outfield mix. On another side note: The red Sox are 1 of only 10 teams Giles can reject being traded to. We’ll see how this plays out. If no deal is reached, the Padres can retain Giles.
• The Rockies officially acquired Livan Hernandez from the Twins. As per Peter Gammons, it is not believed the Mets had put a claim in on Livan. They seem to be trying to work things out by promoting from within.

Filed under: Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays | 2 Comments »

According to Tracy Ringolsby, the Colorado Rockies have claimed RHP Livan Hernandez off waivers from the Minnesota Twins. The Rockies have been in search of a veteranto add to the back-end of their starting rotation. They came up empty at the trading deadline, and Livan could provide them with someone who can “eat innings”. That’s most often the compliment heard when speaking of Livan. He has a rubber arm. How effective he is while “eating those innings”? Well, that could be another story. If the Twins decide to pull Livan back off waivers, the Rockies will instead try and add Josh Fogg, according to Tracy.

Livan was 10-8 for Minnesota thus far in 2008, posting a hefty 5.48 ERA in the difficult A.L. Central. In his last 14 starts, Livan’s ERA was approaching 7.00. Yikes! The Twins are hoping to get a player in a deal for Livan, but that may be difficult if the Rockies agree to take on the $1.5 million owed.

It is rumored that the N.Y. Mets and St. Louis Cardinals also had potential interest in Hernandez.

Filed under: Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals | 3 Comments »

As we all know by now, Joba Chamberlain left the Yankees’ game last night in the 5th inning against the Texas Rangers due to “shoulder stiffness”. The MRI results are not yet back, according to the team, but apparently Joba is being sent to see Dr. James Andrews. Initial reaction would tell you this is not a good sign, but the Yankees could be acting on the cautious side of things here. Then again, if an MRI was “clean”, would this be necessary? Pure speculation at this point…

This would be a crushing blow to the Yankees, as the back-end of their rotation is already up in the air with Sidney Ponson and the cast of characters. Taking away the team’s “ace”, leaving only Andy and Mussina as the reliable starters would certainly put a damper on the team’s playoff chances.

Filed under: New York Yankees | 3 Comments »

The Seattle Mariners have sent Brandon Morrow to the minors in an effort to extend him and make him a starting pitcher. The hope is that he’ll be down in the minors for 3-4 weeks, and come up to start in September to give him the experience heading into 2009. He has been nasty filling in as Seattle’s closer as J.J. Putz has been injured and struggling. He compiled 10 saves, with an ERA well below 2.00. Putz will re-enter the closer’s role.

This is similar to the Joba Chamberlain situation the Yankees went through, except they extended him game-by-game at the major-league level. Morrow has great stuff, and his long-term future with the Mariners will probably be in the starting rotation.

Filed under: New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners | No Comments »

The Arizona Diamondbacks have extended starting pitcher Danny Haren through 2012, with a club option for 2013. It has been reported that Haren will make roughly $31 million in 2011 and 2012, with the club option for 2013 being worth $15.5 million. Haren has been exceptional this year for Arizona, and will team with ace Brandon Webb to form one of the most dominant 1-2 punches in the National League.

Nice job. All in all, the D’Backs locked Haren up and have him “under control” for 5 years at $58.75 million, as per Rotoworld. He surely would have trumped this on the open market.

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According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Twins plan on releasing starting pitcher Livan Hernandez and outfielder Craig Monroe. This has been done in an effort to makeroom for Francisco Liriano and and Randy Ruiz. Livan is 10-8 with a 5.48 ERA while making 23 starts. A move to the American league was never a wise choice for Livan, but his suitors were limited. Monroe was hitting a whopping .202 with 8 HR and 23 RBI.

Liriano will be a welcome addition to the Twins’ rotation as they continue to push for the A.L. Central division. In his last 10 starts for AAA Rochester, Liriano was 9-1 while posting a 2.51 ERA. Ruiz was also very productive at Rochester, as he hit .325 with 17 Hr and 68 RBI. He has to be considered an upgrade over Monroe, regardless.

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According to the Washington Post, Felipe Lopez and Paul Lo Duca have been released by the Washington Nationals. Emilio Bonifacio and Elijah Dukes have been activated to take their roster spots. The Nationals probably tried to trade both players prior to yesterday’s deadline, but each drew little to no interest from other clubs. Lo Duca has struggled through injuries this year, and even upon his return, Jesus Flores had emerged as the team’s starting catcher. He’s hit .230 (in 139 at-bats), with no homers. He had been playing some first base, even some outfield. His lack of power and hitting, and the fact that he was not catching, made him “dead weight” for the Nationals. Lopez struggled this season as well, hitting .234/.305/.314 in a larger sample of 325 at-bats. He only compiled 4 steals, and 5 HR.

Nothing shocking here. The nationals have carried as many as 4 catchers on their roster this year, and Lo Duca was the least productive of the group. Lopez was a disappointment as well. The Florida Marlins have been in search of a better catching option, and while Lo Duca is having a poor year and seems to be on the decline, Florida is familiar with him and could feel a revitalization re-entering a pennant race. That could be a likely landing spot for the journeyman catcher.

Filed under: Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals | No Comments »

Winners:

• New York Yankees: Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte, and Ivan Rodriguez for a bag of balls. Cashman wins the “fleecer of the year” award at this deadline. They were dying to dump Farnsworth, although they’ll never admit it. Guy can’t pitch under pressure, at all. They filled almost all team needs (except back-end of their rotation). That need can still be filled with Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy as they come down the stretch. Then there is always the chance Paul Byrd or Jarrod Washburn becomes available on waivers.
• Chicago Cubs: Got Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin to make their already deep pitching staff deeper. Did not appear to give up any premium prospects to boot.
• Milwaukee Brewers: CC Sabathia was huge. They did not get help for the bullpen, but they’ll hope to find an arm sometime in August. They got swept, at home, by the Cubs this week. Now find themselves 5 games out of 1st place, but still lead wild-card race and will be in it until the end.
• Los Angeles Angels: Mark Teixeira filled a void in the middle of their lineup. That was huge, making the Angels the “team to beat” in the very competitive AL.
• Los Angeles Dodgers: They traded for Manny, and gave up 2 prospects? And Boston is paying him? Pure win for LA, a big-time fleece.

Losers:

• Seatle Mariners** - What are they thinking? Peter Gammons and company had them as the big losers as well. They over-valued Jarrod Washburn and Raul Ibanez, asking for team’s best prospects in exchange. They have had a terribly disappointing season, and this only adds to that.
• New York Mets: Did not make a deal, and they really needed to in order to seperate themselves from the Phillies and Marlins.Omar was in a tough spot, not wanting to deal his top prospects, but that is all every team was asking for. He’ll hope to get an outfielder via a waiver-wire trade, and promote internally to help the bullpen (Eddie Kunz perhaps?).
• Boston Red Sox: Lost Manny, traded two youngsters in Moss and Hanson, and is paying Manny. They got completely ruined here, makes little sense to me. They hurt their pennant chances in the process. I am surprised they could not do better in offering one of the best right-handed hitters of our generation. Astonishing.
• Florida Marlins: On the verge of snagging Manny Ramirez for the likes of Jeremy Hermida, the Marlins backed out of the 3-way deal because of $2 million, so we hear. Terrible job by this organization all around.  

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners | 6 Comments »

UPDATE: (7/31) 4:52pm (EST) - According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers fleeced on this deal. The Pirates will get Andy LaRoche, RHP Bryan Morris, OF Brandon Moss, and P Craig Hanson. The Dodgers get OF Manny Ramirez and cash. As of now, we only know the Red Sox get Jason Bay.

Is Theo alright? He gave up two young players (Hanson and Moss), Manny Ramirez, and cash in exchange for Jason Bay? I know they wanted to get rid of Manny, but c’mon. That is a real bad deal, something Theo is not noted for over the last few years. Smells like pure desperation on Boston’s end to rid themselves of this guy.

July 31st - According to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, Manny Ramirez has been dealt to the LA Dodgers. It appears to be a 3-way deal with the Dodgers taking the Marlins’ place. Jason Bay will be headed to Boston, Manny to the Dodgers, and a package of four prospects to the Pirates. More details to come.

The big losers in this? Obviously the Red Sox from a talent perspective. Replacing Manny with Jason Bay is not a good move for on-field production, no matter how you slice it. Also, the Florida Marlins look terrible right now. I guess I gave them too much credit over the last 24-hours or so. They made a “kind of sort of I guess” effort. The three way deal with Florida failed because of $2 million in salary they’d have to pay to Manny, so we hear. And for that, they come off as large idiots in the whole thing.

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates | 5 Comments »

UPDATE: (7/31) 4:00pm (EST) - The Reds received 2B Danny Richar and P Nick Masset in return for Griffey Jr.

UPDATE: According to Ken Rosenthal , Griffey has waived his no-trade clause and accepted a deal that will land him on the south side of Chicgao. He’ll play in the outfield, but with Jermaine Dye, Nick Swisher, Carlos Quentin, Paul Konerko, and Jim Thome…it is unsure who will lose out on playing time.

July 31st - The Chicago White Sox have agreed to a trade for Ken Griffey Jr., according to Ken Rosenthal. The deal is pending Griffey Jr. waiving his no-trade clause.

No further details are available as of yet, but information will become available if Griffey does waive the clause, allowing the Reds to trade him. He would provide the A.L. Central leading White Sox with a little offensive punch.

Junior has struggled a bit this year. He’s hitting .245 with 15 HR and 53 RBI. The White Sox would hope that a trade, if approved, into a pennant race could re-vitalize Griffey into two more months of very good baseball.

Filed under: Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds | No Comments »

UPDATE: (7/31) 3:57 (EST) - With less than 3 minutes to go, Ken Rosenthal says a deal could be “back on”. Uhm…alright, I am simply confused at this point.

UPDATE: (7/31) 2:37PM (EST) - Peter Gammons is reporting that the Pirates were happy with the return they were getting. So why did the deal fall apart? The Marlins were upset that they were on the hook for $2 million. Is this true? If so, it’s a pathetic crying shame. You held up a deal of this magnitude, you were getting Manny Ramirez, for what? $2 million??

July 31st - Many media outlets, primarily Peter Gammons of ESPN and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, are hearing the 3-way deal isessentially dead at this point. As Rosenthal put it, the deal took numerous “twists and turns” over the last 24 hours, so I guess in theory they can reconcile talks in the next hour and a half or so.

Looks like Manny is staying in Boston, that’s a shocker huh? It is not clear as to whether or not: A) The Red Sox got cold feet about trading Manny, B) The Pirates did not like their return for Bay and Grabow, or C) the Marlins didn’t want to pick up the final $2 million of Manny’s salary. Something went astray, however, and looks like all these talks were for naught.

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates | 1 Comment »

UPDATE: (7/31) 3:54pm (EST) - According to the Tampa Tribune, no deal is official.

UPDATE: (7/31) 3:18pm (EST) - MLB.Com  has the story as well, with the prospects listed below as Pittsburgh’s compensation. It’s great to see Tampa making a push for this thing. We’re waiting for “official confirmation” of this deal.

July 31st - Well, the 3-way is officially dead. According to Jason Stark of ESPN it appears as though the Tampa Bay Rays will acquire Jason Bay in exchange for Minor League prospects. According to other sources, these prospects could include shortstop Reid Brignac and right-hander Jeff Niemann. This is a huge move for the Rays, getting some serious right-handed punch. For Pittsburgh? If they get Niemann, they did much better here than when they handed Nady and Marte to the Yankees for a bag of balls.

Filed under: Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays | No Comments »

The trading deadline is up in roughly 15 minutes or so. So far today, Ken Griffey Jr. was dealt to the Chicago White Sox. The Florida Marlins nabbed Arthur Rhodes from the Seattle Mariners. And it appears the Tampa Bay Rays will acquire Jason Bay from the Pirates. A relatively quiet day “activity” wise, thus far. I guess most of the action occurred over the last few weeks.

Names that have been rumored who might be staying put: Will Ohman, Brian Fuentes, George Sherrill, Manny Ramirez, Raul Ibanez, Adam Dunn, Jarrod Washburn, Paul Byrd, Randy Winn, John Grabow, Scott Schoeneweis, Huston Street, Jack Wilson, etc.

Filed under: Florida Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays | No Comments »

The Boston Red Sox are debating whether or not they should deal outfielder Brandon Moss in a package for Royals’ lefty Ron Mahay. The fear is that if Manny “flakes out” on the team, Moss would be the left-field insurance. If Manny was not such a concern, it seems as though the Sox would agree to the Royals’ terms on this one.

Manny is affecting this team in a variety of ways, now. With Okajima and Lopez as lefties in the pen for Boston, is is obvious they’d like to upgrade this area of their team heading down the stretch.

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On ESPN’s trading deadline special, it was reported that a high ranking official with the Arizona Diamondbacks stated a deal today seems highly unlikely, as they look to go to battle in the N.L. West “as is”. They have a strong rotation and bullpen. They will struggle to score runs, but considering their bullpen and how they play so many close games, they should be in pretty good shape in the N.L. West.

We’re hearing similar reports out of Angels’ and Mets’ camp. Deals at this point seem unlikely. Obviously, the Angels are already one of, if not the best team in baseball, so a deal was not a necessity for them.

As far as the Mets are concerned, Omar Minaya has to be concerned, as I previously noted. They “really” needed to upgrade the bullpen and grab a corner outfielder. We’ll see if the reports are true or not, and if Omar can pull a rabbit out of his hat in the final hour. After the deal for Johan Santana, Omar knew the future of the team was questionable considering the state of their farm system. Well, now it seems like they’re paying the price, as they do not want to deal a top prospect, and their lower level guys appear to be drawing no interest.

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More information available via Jon Heyman. Manny apparently signed his consent to waive his no-trade clause in regards to “any team”, hence the Los Angeles Dodgers are trying to jump back in this thing. Thus far, the Dodgers have offered young outfielder Andre Eithier, not Matt Kemp.

I guess these rumors, much like the Johan rumors last off-season, won’t go away until it either hits 4PM EST, or until Manny is actually wearing another uniform. The Philadelphia Phillies have been rumored in the last few days with this as well. Is Epstein really ‘that’ desperate to unload Manny? We’ll find out in a little more than an hour, folks.

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers | 1 Comment »

According to Jayson Stark, it appears as though Brian Fuentes is staying in Colorado. No team seemed to come close to matching the very high price the Rockies wanted for Fuentes.

This seems to be like, let’s say, prime fleecing season? Tons of names still out there, but all deals are being held up by what is believed to be extraordinarily high asking prices. Little over an hour left. Not much action thus far today…

Filed under: Colorado Rockies | No Comments »

Since the 3-way deal seems dead, the Pirates are once again talking to the Tampa Bay Rays about a potential Jason Bay deal. The Pirates are said to covet top prospect Jeff Niemann in exchange for Bay, among other prospects.

The Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals are also said to be on the outside looking in as far as the Jason Bay situation is concerned.

Filed under: Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays | No Comments »

According to Jon Heyman, the New York Mets have turned their focus to getting bullpen help, with a particular eye on the Nationals’ Luis Ayala. Ayala has a track record of success in the big-leagues, but is amidst a terrible season in 2008. His ERA is well above 5.00, and he is 1-6 out of the Washington bullpen.

Omar has to feel pressure right now. The cross-town Yankees have made some big moves in the last week, and Marlins were in on Manny and got a lefty specialist in Arthur Rhodes, and the Phillies added Joe Blanton (while underwhelming) to try and improve their chances. The expectations have dropped. Minaya wanted Nady, Bay, or Ibanez, but is unwilling to trade his top prospects for these guys. So he turned his focus towards a “difference maker” in the bullpen (like a Huston Street, perhaps?). Well, it is obvious desperation is setting in, as Minaya is now targeting the likes of Luis Ayala and possibly David Weathers.

Filed under: New York Mets, Washington Nationals | No Comments »

As the 3-way trade still hovers in the realm of the unknown, it has become apparent that the Pirates continue to shop Jason Bay to other clubs. Of course, it seems they’d like to deal Bay, and should the 3-way trade fall apart they do not want to be left in the cold without a “back-up” deal in place. Most recently, we hear the Blue Jays have talked to the Pirates about acquiring Bay.

It is not known how extensive talks have been, or even if the Blue Jays will give the 2 or 3 prospects the Pirates appear to be seeking. So we have the Red Sox, Blue Jays, and Rays all vying for Bay’s services. An A.L. East battle till the end!

Filed under: Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays | 2 Comments »

UPDATE: (7/31) 12:57pm (EST)- According to Peter Gammons of ESPN, the deal is close to being dead. This just minutes after Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated said Manny officially waived his no-trade clause to go to Florida. I tend to side with Gammons on this one, I think Manny stays in Boston.

July 31st - According to Ken Rosenthal, inside sources are stating that the rumored 3-way deal is not a sure thing by any means at this point. The haggling over secondary prospects continues, and as we’ve heard today the chances of a deal (which once seemed close to being done) have been diminished to “50-50″.

I am getting the sense this thing may fall apart altogether, just as every rumored Manny deal has in years past. Rosenthal does a great job outlining the deal, as it potentially stands now.

If the Pirates are unable to ship Jason Bay to Boston in this trade, they’ll turn their attention to dealing him to the Tampa Bay Rays. As far as Manny is concerned? It is unsure if Boston has any back-up options, and all this speculation over the last few days could greater increase the rift between management and the disgruntled left fielder.

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Rays | No Comments »

The Florida Marlins are a busy bunch today, aren’t they? They’ve acquired Arthur Rhodes, look to snag Manny Ramirez in a 3-way deal, and are still shopping for a catcher. As per Ken Rosenthal, Florida is still talking with the Texas Rangers about Laird, but to this point they’ve been unwilling to offer back a “major league ready” starter for him.

Laird would be a nice fit in Florida, but Texas has been asking a lot for him. They want a good starter in return, and teams have been unwilling the pay the price thus far.

Filed under: Florida Marlins, Texas Rangers | No Comments »

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, it appears as though Billy Beane will not be making any deals today. After dealing Joe Blanton and Rich Harden, there has been speculation that Beane would look to unload closer Huston Street, or even starting pitching Justin Duchscherer, but an industry source says Beane is not going to make a deal today.

Beane likes to fleece, we all know that. he most likely feels he’ll be able to get more after negotiating the fleece this winter, as opposed to trying to put something together last minute.

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According to Peter Gammons of ESPN, the Florida Marlins have traded for lefty specialist Arthur Rhodes, formerly ofthe Seattle Mariners. In exchange, the M’s get 22-year old right-hander Gaby Hernandez.

Nice deal for Florida, who appears to once again be in 1997 & 2003 mode: “Go for it”. They’re adding some important parts, while trying to surpass the Mets and Phillies in the N.L. East race. Stay tuned to see what happens with the rumored Manny Ramirez deal.

Filed under: Florida Marlins, Seattle Mariners | No Comments »

The Mariners are having a very disappointing season, and by all account should be looking to shed salary, get younger, and build for the future. That has not been the case though. According to Seattlepi.com, the Colorado Rockies were “shocked” when Lee Pelekoudas (stand-in GM) asked for center fielder Dexter Fowler (.337, nine homers at Double-A) and right-handed reliever Casey Weathers (2-1, 3.15 ERA in 41 games of Double-A relief) in exchange for mediocre starter Jarrod Washburn. Is this guy serious? Washburn’s contract for next year is worth $10.5 million, they should be trying to rid themselves of such a deal. They also asked the Yankees for starting center fielder Melky Cabrera in addition to another outfield prospect  (Lee Gardner perhaps?). Washburn has pitched well of late, but come on. This has to be a joke.

On other trade fronts, the New York Mets have been in pursuit of Raul Ibanez (36 years old) who becomes a free agent after this season. In return? The Mariners have yet to come off Mets’ top pitching prospect Jon Niese, and a secondary prospect apparently. Wow. The Cubs also asked about Ibanez. The return? Felix Pie and another prospect. A second tier prospect or two should suffice from either club, but apparently they’re going for the all-out fleeces, and no team is biting.

Both the Mets and Red Sox have asked about J.J. Putz, but the Mariners will need to keep him for next year if they plan on moving Brandon Morrow back to the rotation. Lord only knows what they’ll want for Putz.

Lee Pelekoudas is like the owner in your fantasy league that has some good players, but when you ask about a trade, they ask for your top-3 guys in return, and as a result you never try to deal with him/her again.

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Jayson Stark of ESPN has the latest in regards to rumors today. Let’s take a look:

• The St. Louis Cardinals could look to deal SP Kyle Lohse in the right deal. He is only under contract for this year, and with the return of Chris Carpenter, Lohse could be used to fill other voids. Adam Wainwright is also due to come off the DL within a few weeks. The Cardinals are seeking a bat, or bullpen help.
• Stark says the 3-way deal has a “50-50″ chance of getting done. No team officials have confirmed that a “deal is in place”. Apparently there are still hang-ups over the minor league players involved
• There were many scouts froma  variety of teams present at Arthur Rhodes’ very poor outing last night
• Braves’ left-handed relief pitcher Will Ohman continues to draw significant interest around the league

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Florida Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals | No Comments »

On a regional radio interview this morning in N.Y., Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman said that one deal that has been floated about,but not covered much in the media, is one that would land the New York Mets Ian Snell from the Pittsburgh Pirates. No deal is even close to being done, but this is an interesting rumor. The plan? The Mets would use Snell out of the bullpen this season (as he has struggled), and then next year he would move to the starting rotation most likely taking the place of Pedro Martinez or Oliver Perez (who are both free agents).

Minaya would be getting very creative here, if he’s in fact able to land a “talent” like Snell. Make no mistake about it, Snell has been bad this year. But it’s the type of move Omar is noted for. Help the team this year, and beyond.

I still don’t see the Pirates dealing Snell, so this will most likely be just a rumor to be discussed.

Filed under: New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates | No Comments »

According to the Sun Times, White Sox GM Kenny Williams is trying to get other teams involved in a multi-team deal so his White Sox can add current A’s closer Huston Street to their bullpen. Talks between Williams and Billy Beane broke down in one-on-one talks due to a lack of depth in the Chicago system. You’d have to figure Beane was able to pluck the players he truly wanted in the Nick Swisher deal over the winter, anyways.

The Sox are active this morning. They’ll have added Griffey Jr., if the no-trade is waived, and it is obvious Kenny Williams is looking to add some bullpen depth (especially considering the injury to set-up man Scott Linebrink).

Filed under: Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics | No Comments »

UPDATE: (7/31) 12:18am (EST) - Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman also has the deal being close to completion.

Now that’s a national media “sports” outlet. Heyman agrees with previous reports that the deal has been sent to the commissioner’s office, and now the teams are negotiating over prospects to be included.

UPDATE: (7/31) 12:01am (EST) - The Palm Beach Post reports that a tentative deal has been agreed to. Once again, you have to wait until national media outlets start reporting the same, there are tons of conflicting reports out there. But their version of the deal is outlined like this:

Marlins get: OF Manny Ramirez, cash, a prospect from Red Sox
Red Sox get: OF Jason Bay, RP John Grabow
Pirates get: Ryan Tucker, OF Jeremy Hermida, one prospect from Red Sox

No team officals have confirmed the deal.

July 30th - Despite an internet report earlier tonight stating that the deal was “agreed to”, ESPN’s Peter Gammons has stated