Good morning. Pleasant day, isn't it? The temperature is warm, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the Mexican across the street from my apartment is yelling at his wife because his car won't start. Today looks like a great day to be alive and taking in the great outdoors.
And that's precisely why I'll be inside all day, helping you track the MLB trade deadline. If you're at work, fear not: I have access to all the important rumor-mongerers not named MLB Trade Rumors (they're douchebags, and they're accurate less often than Florio and PFT are accurate). I'll be doing my best to compile all the relevant rumors and put them in a semi-coherent live blog. I'll even link to stuff, because anonymous sources are for gays.
Throughout the day, these are the main subplots I'll be focusing on:
- Will the Twins do anything? They're rumored to be in on Marco Scutaro and a package of Orlando Cabrera and Mike Wuertz, but they don't seem willing to give up any legit prospects. The organization doesn't seem to understand that in order to receive something of value, you have to give up something of value. That said, they'll probably at least do something minor. One fallback option is David Eckstein. The Eckstein-Punto middle infield combination would at least break a record for "scrappiest white duo."
(And no, despite what Jimmy is saying, the Twins don't need to send any fucking message by overpaying for mediocrity. If the right deal comes along, they should take it, even if it means giving up a premium prospect or two. But don't do something just to say you did something. Moving on.)
- Where's Roy Halladay landing? The Halladay sweepstakes seem to be coming down to Boston, Texas, and the Dodgers, but none of those teams are offering attractive packages. Will a sleeper swoop in?
- What about some of the bats? Where's Victor Martinez going? Do the BoSox pull the trigger on Adrian Gonzalez? What about the Nats guys - Josh Willingham and Nick Johnson?
- Who's going to be the team that overpays for a middle reliever this year? Is Brian Sabean done being a dumbass? Will Ned Colletti one-up him?
- And, of course, the Marlins, who are surprisingly still very alive in the Wild Card race. Florida's been pretty busy already: they've (rightfully) rejected a Halladay proposal from the Blue Jays (Mike Stanton and Cameron Maybin + pitching prospects), made a proposal on a package involving Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez, tried to deal for Freddy Sanchez and Nick Johnson, inquired about Josh Willingham, Aaron Harang, and Bronson Arroyo (ugh on Arroyo) and been a finalist in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes. And those are just the published reports of what they've done. I'll give credit to Florida's front office for being aggressive and creative, even though they aren't always smart. Still, chances are the Marlins only end up dealing for a mediocre middle reliever. Which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, because they should probably be selling, not buying.
The live blog will be timestamped. Hit refresh often. I'll probably be updating around every 5-10 minutes, or whenever any news is published. Questions are welcome; just post them in the comments, and I'll do my best to track down the answer.
We'll get going around 8:30 A.M. Let's have some fun, this beat is sick.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:28. Fuck. I'm awake. Indicator 3,421 that I'm old: waking up at 8 feels like "sleeping in."
Also, so that people can come in late and find stuff out quickly, I'll write all completed trades in large, bold font.
8:39. The early morning roundup:
- Minnesota and Oakland are closing in on a deal sending Orlando Cabrera, and possibly a reliever, to the Twins. No word on what's heading back to Oakland.
- The Rangers were close to dealing for Roy Halladay, but couldn't seal the deal. Boston, both L.A. teams, and the Rays are still believed to be in the running for Halladay.
- The Red Sox and Marlins are still in on Adrian Gonzalez, with the Red Sox more likely to deal for him. Boston is also discussing a three way deal that would net them Victor Martinez and ship Clay Buchholz, among others, to Cleveland.
- The Mets are also in on Victor Martinez. The Mets are buying? Jesus.
- The Marlins are waiting on an answer from the Nats regarding a Nick Johnson for Ryan Tucker swap.
- Peter Gammons, on ESPN insider (no link), is reporting the Red Sox backed off from a potential deal for Scott Rolen.
9:03. Gammons is live on Sportscenter. He's reporting that Halladay probably isn't going anywhere; the Red Sox are still interested in Victor Martinez, but that deal probably isn't going to happen; the Rays are in on Martinez; Adrian Gonzalez probably isn't going anywhere; Heath Bell may be on the verge of becoming an Angel; Nick Johnson's probably going to Florida.
So, according to Gammons, this day should be boring.
9:16. Apparently, the Twins didn't get Freddy Sanchez because they wouldn't give up Danny Valencia. If true, wow, that's stupid on the Twins' part. Valencia hits the ball on the ground too much to ever be a real power-hitting 3B, and, while he's a plus defensively, he'd also be 25 when next season begins. Sanchez could have stepped in at 2B now and then shifted to 3B next year if Crede left or another FA 3B wasn't signed.
Bill Smith's overvaluing his own prospects again.
9:23. Detroit may be after Jarrod Washburn. More bad news for the Twins.
9:31. Not deadline related, per se, but Bronson Arroyo admitted to taking Andro and amphetamines before they were illegal. Credit to Arroyo for his candor, even though he didn't break any rules.
9:50. On Sportscenter, Buster Olney re-iterated that the Twins will probably end the day with Orlando Cabrera on their roster.
9:58. The Yankees are making the hardest push for Jarrod Washburn.
10:15. MLB Network's Blue Jays correspondent is reporting that Halladay isn't going anywhere. The Rangers almost acquired him last night, but Texas wanted the Jays to pay Halladay's salary. That's a deal killer.
10:21. Jon Heyman reporting the Dodgers' pursuit of Halladay has stalled, and that they're focusing on relief help.
10:23. On MLB Network, Tom Verducci is reporting the Twins "will get something done to fix their middle infield" and that it will likely be Orlando Cabrera or Marco Scutaro. Apparently, they're still considering Scutaro instead of Cabrera.
10:31. JARROD WASHBURN HAS BEEN TRADED TO THE DETROIT TIGERS. Link coming soon. No word on what's heading west.
10:36. Washburn to Detroit. Luke Fench and Mauricio Robles, two young LHP, to Seattle. Great move for Seattle, since they weren't re-signing Washburn or catching the Angels/Rangers. Detroit gives up a nice prospect in French, but Washburn may put them over the top in the Central.
The Twins really need to do something now. Verlander-Jackson-Washburn is a heck of a top 3 for Detroit.
10:54. Peter Gammons reports the Marlins-Nats exchange is almost done. Rumor is: Nick Johnson heading to the Marlins and Ryan Tucker + another lower level pitching prospect heading to Washington. Johnson would play first base, with his over .400 OBP hitting second. Jorge Cantu would shift to 3B, and Emilio Bonifacio would become a super-utility player.
(confirmed by Rosenthal at 11:02)
11:17. Nothing newsworthy has happened. Sorry.
11:25. Stark and Gammons both report that the Mariners were listening to offers on Felix Hernandez, but didn't find anything worthwhile. The Royals are also shopping Mark Teahen.
11:48. More of the same. Twins are close on Cabrera. Marlins are close on Nick Johnson. Halladay's not going anywhere. Martinez may be on the way to Boston. Adrian Gonzalez is probably staying. Heath Bell's price is too high.
11:54. Jonathan Mayo reports the chances of Victor Martinez being dealt are abou 50/50. How decidedly unhelpful.
11:56. The Angels are still interested in Halladay, but may not have the prospects to get a deal done. Halladay would give them a pretty nasty team, though.
12:00. The Red Sox are still talking to the Padres about Adrian Gonzalez. San Diego is asking for a package headlined by Clay Buchholz, Jed Lowrie, and Dustin Masterson.
12:03. Orlando Cabrera should be a Twin within the next hour or two. Danny Valencia is not part of the deal.
12:05. Nats beat writer Mark Zuckerman is reporting (on ESPNNEws) that Josh Willingham and Adam Dunn won't be dealt from Washington. Stupid. Kurkijan's reporting that interim GM Mike Rizzo, who's actually good at his job, is having trouble dealing players because of the confusion in the front office.
12:08. Kurkijan reporting all Halladay talks are dead.
12:10. Milwaukee Brewers acquire Claudio Vargas from the Los Angeles Dodgers. L.A. gets catcher Vinny Rottini in exchange.
12:13. The Minnesota Twins have acquired SS Orlando Cabrera in exchange for young SS Tyler Ladendorf.
12:14. I'd expect the Twins are done for the day, but you never know if they'll add a bullpen arm.
12:15. Here's the source on the Cabrera trade.
12:18. Ladendorf's not much of a prospect, so while Cabrera may not help a ton, the Twins gave up next to nothing in exchange. Unless Ladendorf breaks out and starts producing at a level he hasn't shown so far, the Twins won't miss him. All in all, this is a pretty good deal. A Cabrera-Grudzielanek middle infield is an upgrade over the current Punto/Harris-Casilla tandem.
12:24. That said, Cabrera won't help the Twins nearly as much as Washburn will help the Tigers.
12:36. The Tigers and Red Sox made inquiries on Felix Hernandez, but were rebuffed.
12:43. For those who have problems with the Twins' deadline approach, I ask: in your opinion, which players should they have made a run at? Remember, these players have to be affordable in terms of prospects, and the Twins farm system is good, but not great.
Personally, I think they should have done a deal for Freddy Sanchez if the headline prospect was Danny Valencia. And if Jarrod Washburn could have been obtained for any package of pitching prospects that didn't include Anthony Swarzak (and the M's may have insisted on Swarzak), he would have been a good acquisition.
But the Twins don't have the prospects to pull off guys like Heath Bell and Roy Halladay. The asking prices from those GMs are exorbitant.
12:54. La Velle Neal was just on ESPNNews. He said: the A's are throwing in cash on the Cabrera deal; the Twins did make a pitch for Jarrod Washburn (a pleasant surprise); the Twins may still deal for a reliever, but it's unlikely.
1:04. USA Today's Bob Nightengale is reporting the BoSox are on the verge of acquiring Victor Martinez. Link will come when I find it.
(Nightengale's tweet. yeah yeah)
1:22. Heyman reporting that Victor Martinez is on his way to Boston.
1:23. The Dodgers and Angels are battling it out for Heath Bell. Twins fans, hope he goes to the Dodgers.
1:36. Gammons confirming V-Mart is on the way to Boston. One seperate report is that Clay Buchholz is NOT in the deal. Presumably, this also kills any Adrian Gonzalez trade unless the Marlins jump back in.
1:41. Heyman reporting the Victor Martinez deal is finalized. Just over an hour to go, but nothing else substantial seems to be on the verge of happening.
1:57. MLB Network reporting the Dodgers are making a run at Adrian Gonzalez. A-Gon would give them an unbelieveable lineup.
1:59. Rosenthal confirming the Dodgers are going after Gonzalez and Heath Bell. Well, that would certainly make them the overwhelming NL favorite.
2:03. The Fangraphs dudes like the Cabrera deal for the Twins.
2:05. Olney and Gammons reporting the Red Sox are giving up SP Dustin Masterson, P Nick Hagadone, and a third prospect for Victor Martinez. Nice deal for both squads, although a bit better for the Sox.
2:12. The Red Sox may be sending Adam LaRoche to the Braves in order to clear room for V-Mart. You may recall the Red Sox only acquired LaRoche a few days ago.
2:14. Olney on ESPN reporting the Marlins are back in on Heath Bell. Another rumor from Florida is Andrew Miller and Sean West for Nick Johnson and Josh Willingham.
2:22. Adam LaRoche is headed to Atlanta. Casey Kotchman is coming back to Boston.
2:26. Olney on ESPN reporting reliver Joe Beimel is headed from Washington to Colorado. Rosenthal reporting the Marlins are done.
2:32. The Victor Martinez deal: Martinez to Boston for Dustin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price, all of whom are pitching prospects.
2:33. The Yankees have acquired Jerry Hairston.
2:39. Jon Heyman reporting on MLB Network that the Scott Rolen is headed to Cincinnati, pending Rolen waiving his no-trade clause.
3:00. Rolen waives his no trade clause. Edwin Encarnacion is headed to Toronto in exchange for Rolen.
3:01. Well, looks like I'm not done. The Marlins have acquired Nick Johnson from Washington, sending AA LHP Aaron Thompson back to the Nats. Thompson has struggled a bit in AA, but he's a lefty with command of all four of his pitches, and he's young. Johnson will immensely help the Marlins offense: his .400 OBP replaces Emilio Bonifacio's sub .300 OBP in the lineup.
3:03. Austin Jackson is rumored to be the prospect going from New York to Cincinnati in the Jerry Hairston deal. If so, that's epic fail on the part of Brian Cashman. (update: the prospect isn't Jackson)
3:15: Even more epic fail: the Reds ended up dealing Edwin Encarnacion and top prospect Yonder Alonso to the Blue Jays for Scott Rolen. Good lord, that's overpaying. Even Brian Sabean is blushing. (update: Yonder Alonso is not in the deal. Nevermind.)
3:25. The White Sox have (re)acquired Jake Peavy, pending him waiving his no trade clause. Oof. That has to hurt the Twins.
3:35: Jake Peavy has waived his no trade clause. He's a White Sock. The package headed back to San Diego is headlined by Clayton Richard and Aaron Poreda.
3:42. According to Jayson Stark, Heath Bell was not traded, despite a late push from both L.A. squads and the Marlins.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At 3:45, I'm really done for the day. Thanks for sticking around, and for all the input you've given me. Maybe we'll do this again sometime with another daytime event.
Posts
