Red Sox Looking To Deal For Erik Bedard

"The Red Sox, reports FOXSports.com, are "all over" M's lefty Erik Bedard and will scout his first start off the disabled list Friday. Boston is not alone, however, as the rival Yankees have interest, too (ESPN)."

Bedard would really help this team right now if he can stay healthy, but that always is a question with Bedard. If the Red Sox could eventually get Buchholz back to 100% and bring in Bedard they would have one filthy rotation heading into the playoffs.

Lester
Beckett
Buchholz
Bedard
Lackey

And since you don't need a 5th starter in the playoffs I would feel fantastic about their chances of winning it all. I agree with what DP said earlier, this might be the best Red Sox team I have ever seen, and they can get this rotation right they will be unstoppable.

Rangers/Giants In Lead For Beltran (2 UPDATES)

The New York Mets are making progress with both the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants in trade talks involving outfielder Carlos Beltran. The Indians actually offered to take on Beltran's entire salary, but Beltran refused to go there using his no-trade clause.

As I stated earlier this week I think the Rangers make a lot of sense, and I would think Beltran would want to go there since they are most likely going to be in the playoffs. That being said, Beltran has stated his desire to play in the NL, unless it is the Red Sox so it will be interesting to see if he uses his no-trade clause again here.

I would still have the Rangers as the favorites, but we will have to wait and see. No matter what Beltran will be wearing a different jersey after the trade deadline.


***UPDATE***

Or not...

Beltran is not going to the Rangers, tweets Rosenthal. The Giants are his presumed frontrunner.

It is also being said that Boris wants Beltran to go to SF, because they have the money to resign him in the offseason.


***UPDATE 2***

The Mets have agreed to send Beltran to the Giants for Zach Wheeler. The Mets are said to be sending back a lot of money. Beltran has 24 hours to agree to the trade, which isn't expected to be an issue.

White Sox Considering "Blowing Up" Team?

The Chicago White Sox are 50-51 and sit 3 1/2 games off the pace in the American League Central, trailing both Cleveland and Detroit. But per ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney via Twitter, GM Kenny Williams is considering blowing up the team, which may mean they place just about everyone on the trade block this week (ESPN).

The White Sox are an interesting little scenario here. On the one hand they have underachieved all year, and they could go out and trade a lot of these "older" guys and revamp their roster. On the other hand, they are only 3 1/3 games back, meaning if they get hot at all down the stretch they could find themselves not only in the playoffs, but in the playoffs with a pretty damn good rotation.

I think they could go a little middle of the road here. They could easily trade a SP without having to give up on the AL Central race, and I think that's just what they will do.

What would you do?

Beltran An Option For Red Sox RF Woes?

Carlos Beltran has long been rumored as someone the Sox could go after at the deadline. The Mets will look to move him, because he is a free agent at the end of the year is still owed $6MM by the time the trade deadline rolls around. I keep going back and forth on this. For one the Mets would have to each some of that money for the Sox to even take a look, on top of that what would the Sox have to give up for a 1/2 season of service?

From a baseball standpoint Beltran could bring a lot. He is a good fielder, and gives you a much better option in the lineup then JD Drew. Beltran is having a nice year for himself (.285 13 HRs 57 RBIs). What is also interesting that he is a type A free agent, so if the Sox got him they could get a 1st round pick as compensation if they didn't resign him.

I still this Cuddyer is more likely, and the most likely scenario is that they will do nothing, but it's something to at least keep an eye on.

What Do The Sox Need?

With the deadline approaching their are a lot of questions surrounding the Boston Red Sox and what their needs actually are. Theo said that a position player is more of a need than pitching and I completely disagree with that. With Lester going down and probably going on a trip to the DL we know only have Beckett and Lackey as our original starters from the start of the year. Andrew Miller is pitching well, Wakefield has been surpassing expectations and whoever they bring up to replace Lester will have a lot of pressure on them too.

I don't see them doing anything bold and making a huge splash during the deadline and trying to trade for a Felix, Liriano or Wandy Rodriguez. But I wouldn't mind if they went after a decent rental like Derrek Lowe, Carl Pavano or Edwin Jackson type guy. The Sox are going to need strong pitching down the line and one of these guys could certainly help, especially if Theo does what he is supposed to do and DL's Lackey for the rest of the season.

As for position players, I would stand pat. What can guys like Jeff Francour, Cuddyer and whoever give you that Josh Reddick or whoever Triple A player can, nothing much more. Other than Jose Reyes, I don't want the Sox to make an offensive move.

Red Sox Trading For A Right Fielder?

As we all know by now Mike Cameron has been let loose. We also know that JD Drew sucks, and won't give us anything (except good fielding). That leaves Reddick in RF when the playoffs come around. One would wonder if the Sox would make a move to bring one in. There have been a couple names that have been popping up on the rumor mill around the league that would seem to fit the Sox (Jeff Francoeur, and Michael Cuddyer).

If we are picking between these two I will go with Cuddyer everytime. Sure is isn't as good of a fielder as Drew or Francoeur, but he tends to talk more then Francoeur and man play a ton of different positions (LF, RF, 1st, and 2nd). That's a great type of player to have on your bench and would give the Sox a lot of options depending on matchups, injuries, ect.

This is just a thought, but I do think he would be a very good fit here for the Sox.

Rangers Going After K-Rod/Beltran?

According to sources the Texas Rangers are interested in Mets veterans Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez. Beltran to me makes sense. He can play CF, and would add just another solid bat in an already potent lineup. K-Rod though is on borrowed time, and is only a couple more appearances from kicking in his 2012 option which is worth $17.5MM. Obviously, in a deal for either the Mets would need to eat a lot of money, but to me trading for Beltran just makes a lot more sense. He is having a decent year (.278 BA, 10 HRs, 49 RBIs), while K-Rod has an ERA over 11.00 through the month of June. We have been hearing for years that his velocity had been dropping, and that might finally be catching up to him.

Carlos Zambrano To Yankees?

Umm, yes please!

There are reports that top advisers to Yankees GM Brian Cashman have been at recent outings of Carlos Zambrano. Obviously, that starts rumors that the Yankees might try to bring him in. I couldn't root for this more to happen. I hate Zambrano so much, and would love to root against him. Plus, he sucks. You add that pressure of New York to this guy and he is going to snap, and I would love to sit back and watch that happen. If that wasn't good enough over $28MM remaining on his contract, and the Yankees are already bleeding money. Sure, they will never run out, but it has to get annoying.

Zambrano is a bum, and his 4.50 ERA in the NL will easily be over 5.00 if he comes to the AL East. I will pray each night, and will a goat for the baseball Gods if they let this happen.

Prince Fielder To Nationals?

Buster Onley pointed out today that there is growing speculation around the MLB that the Nationals will be the front runners for Prince Fielder this offseason. He says the main reason is the Nationals recent ties to Scott Boras (Fielder's agent). The Nationals have signed Anthony Rendon, Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper, along with Jayson Werth.

While I understand why people would think this I have to question if the Nationals would have the money. We listed the other day the teams that are in debt, and the Nationals were on that list. From a baseball perspective it makes a lot of sense, I just question if they can swing the money to do it. Plus, if Werth was worth $126 million what the hell is Boras going to try to get from the Nationals.

Fielder's price tag has been going down over the last couple years. Not because of his play, but because a lot of the major markets have their first baseman signed up long term (Yankees, Red Sox). I wonder if the Cardinals can't sign Pujols if they could swoop in and have Fielder be a very nice replacement.

Slowey To Be Traded Soon

"The Kevin Slowey relief experiment has ended, and a change of scenery appears to be in order. The 27-year-old control artist told Twins manager Ron Gardenhire he doesn't think he can continue as a reliever, according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Slowey is headed back to Triple-A to get stretched out as a starter, but Gardenhire implied on ESPN 1500 that the right thing is to find the righty a starting opportunity with another club. After Sunday's game, Slowey had this to say to Neal:

"I understand our situation here. I understand the starters we have here, and I understand that, even given past successes as a starter, this might not be the right fit for me anymore (MLBTradeRumors)."

We talked about this before the season even started, but it looks like it finally might happen. There are certainly going to be some teams that are interested (Yankees/Royals?), but I don't think you have to worry about the Red Sox getting involved. In my opinion that's a good thing. Slowey is a guy who would be a good pitcher in a large ballpark. As this site says "He's a righty with a 90 mile per hour heater. He's hittable, and his high flyball rate makes him prone to the longball." Those are not things you want to hear if you are playing at Fenway. Unless something really bad happens like Dice-K or Lackey getting shut down for the year I don't see them getting involved.

Red Sox Contact Bengie Molina

"There has been speculation for weeks that the Boston Red Sox are losing patience with catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, with one weekend report by Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com claiming the team had contacted free agent Bengie Molina.

There are already concerns about Salty's defense, and his .203 batting average with three walks and 19 strikeouts this season isn't helping things (ESPN)."

Tek isn't going anywhere, but I could really see the Sox getting rid Salty. I wouldn't do it just yet, as I do feel like he has been a little better at the plate, but we also can't have Tek catching 2 of every 5 games (or more), which seems to be what's going on right now.

Molina hasn't played all season, so maybe it would be a good idea to sign him soon and let him get some swings in the minors, and that would also buy Salty a little time to see if he can get going. Last year Molina played for Texas and San Francisco batting .249 with 5 HRs and 36 RBIs in 118 games. Nothing special there, but he plays good defense, and that offense is way more then we are getting from Tek or Salty.

How Bad Is The Red Sox Catcher Situation?

I think even the most biased Red Sox fans knew there was going to be problems behind the plate. Yet, I don't know if we knew it was going to be this bad. Tek is what he is, he calls a good game, but that's about it. At this point in his career he can't throw anyone out, or hit (let alone play everyday). Salty was supposed to be the future, but his defense looks worse the Teks. On top of that I don't know if these pitchers trust him, or like the way he calls games. I am not putting the pitchers problems just on his shoulders, but when everyone and their mother and stealing bases on him it adds a lot of pressure.

On top of Salty's struggles behind the plate he also isn't doing anything in the batters box either. Right now he is hitting .194, and although he has been hitting better of late he is not someone I trust to be consistent at all. My biggest concern is his relationship with the pitchers, and his ability to control base stealing, because this lineup (on paper) is good enough to take a shitty hitting catcher.

ESPN throws out the rumor that the Sox could make a move and get Ivan Rodriguez, who is getting less playing time with the Nationals. For once I agree with DP and I am all for it. He doesn't hit much anymore, but he throws out about 35% of the runners that steal on him and when you compare that to Salty (usually around 24%), and Tek (20%).

The Sox have so many problem right now (Crawford, bullpen, starting pitching, clutch hitting) that this isn't my main concern, but out of all their problems it's the one I don't see improving.

Now It Sounds Like Feliz Will Start

A week or two ago Neftali Feliz came out and said that he is more comfortable being a closer, but now he has done a complete 180 and sounds like a guy who will be in the rotation. After the Rangers lost Cliff Lee I guess it makes sense. I do always get worried when people start flip flopping guys between the rotation and the bullpen. Plus, I have Derek Holland as a minors keeper in my AL only league, so this pisses me off.

Feliz no doubt has the talent to pull this off. He has been nothing short of amazing this spring. Obviously you will get a lot more innings out of a guy in the rotation then you will out of the bullpen. My worry, if I was a Rangers fan, would be whether or not he can make it through the whole season. Usually with young guys you want to limit their innings. For a team that was in the World Series last year, I wonder if he will have certain level of innings he will be allowed to pitch this year. Feliz is their best arm, so they need to be careful, but if this does workout it could be huge for this team.

The only question now is who will close?

Blue Jays Trading For Kevin Slowey?

"The Blue Jays like Kevin Slowey, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (on Twitter). Christensen hears that the Blue Jays have relievers to spare and had three scouts watching Slowey pitch in a 'B' game against the Pirates this morning (MLBTradeRumors)."

I like Kevin Slowey, he is a solid back of the rotation kind of guy. Last year, Slowey posted a 4.45 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 155 2/3 innings and he is still only 26 years old. With that being said I really don't see why the Blue Jays would be interesting in trading for him. They already have 4 guys (Jo-Jo Reyes, Jesse Litsch, Marc Rzepczynski and Kyle Drabek) fighting for 2 rotation spots. I have heard that Litsch has looked really good this spring, and it seems like it is Drabek's time to break into the majors, so I just don't understand taking away a strength (bullpen) to add another starter.

So What Did Pujols Turn Down?

There is a report today that says that Albert Pujols turned down a 9 year deal worth $200 million (According to Sports Illustrated). If this is true they should be close to a deal. I know there are rumors that Pujols wants a 10 year deal for about $300 million, but that is fucking ridiculous, and I don't think he will get that from St. Louis (or anyone else).

The deal they offered would work out to be about $22.25 million. That wouldn't make him the highest paid player, but with the contract being a guaranteed I think it is a very fair offer. Pujols will be 40 at the end of that contract, and there is little chance he will worth anything near that amount by then. Maybe they just front load the contract, so that Pujols gets to be the highest plaid players for a couple year, and then make it more manageable later.

Either way, this proves to me that they are a lot closer then I ever thought, and I think they will get a deal done at some point.

More Bad News For The Yankees

This has been a terrible offseason for the Yankees. Jeter and the Yankees had a bit of a fallout, Lee went to the Phillies, Pettitte retired, Cashman is blasting moves they make, and Joba looks like he has gone on a bender since the end of last season. Now comes word that CC Sabathia will most likely opt out of his deal after this year.

Almost no one would walk away from $92MM, but CC can, because the Yankees need him that bad. He can basically demand whatever he wants from them, and they will have to cave, because the free agent pitcher for next offseason if looking pretty rough (Buehrle, CJ Wilson, Edwin Jackson, Kuroda, Pineiro). Those guys are decent, but there is no "ace" there. It's a smart move by CC, and he will get an insane contract if he has yet another strong year for them. Now you know why he showed up 25 pound lighter this year.

Michael Young Demands Out Of Texas

"After hearing his name in countless trade rumors and seeing his infield position filled by Adrian Beltre, Michael Young has "grown disillusioned with his diminished role" on the Rangers and wants out of Texas, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown. According to Brown, Texas has told Young that they will push to trade him in the coming days (MLBTradeRumors)."

There had been rumors ever since the Rangers signed Beltre that Young was going to be moved. Most rumors suggest that the Rockies are the most likely landing spot, but today there are also rumors that the Angels have jumped into the mix. The Angels have had a terrible offseason, so adding a bat like Michael Young on top of Vernon Wells would certainly soften the blow. Yet would the Angels be willing to take on another overpaid player (Young is owed $48MM over the next three years)? That seems like a lot for the Angels to take on, but after then taking on Wells silly contract I guess nothing would surprise me.

Yankees Fill Pettitte's Spot Via Trade?

The fallout from Pettitte retiring is causing all kinds of rumors on the internet. Most experts seem to think the Yankees will make some kind of move before opening day, instead of banking on guys like Nova, Colon, Mitre, ect at the back end of the rotation. The question now is who would be available?

Grienke already got dealt to the Brewers, the Indians are saying that Carmona is not on the market (though I have a hard time believing that), Felix Hernandez seems to be just a dream, and Blanton just costs too much for what they would get in return. Their best option might be to turn to the A's who love to trade guys for more prospects, and a player that might fit is left hander Gio Gonzalez. Gio is coming off a really nice year (15-9 3.23 ERA) and would fit the mold of being a Red Sox killer, since the Sox have so many lefties in their lineup.

If it isn't Gio I think the Yankees are going to have to wait and see what teams fall out of the playoffs. The White Sox have arms to deal if they falter. Edwin Jackson could quickly be available, and another name to watch is John Danks. The White Sox have been trying to extend Danks for awhile now, but he seems happy to sit back and wait for free agency in 2 years. Since the White Sox minor league system is pretty terrible they could easily move one of these two guys to rebuild it quickly.

There is a lot of panic in Yankeeland recently, and it will be interesting to see if they make some kind of overreacting move before the season starts to calm the nerves of the Yankee faithful.

Yankees About To Sign More Crap? (UPDATED)

It starting to sound that way....

"The Yankees have added Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia in the last week, but the team is still in contact with Kevin Millwood, reports Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman (Twitter link). It could be that the Yankees just want to give themselves as many veteran starting options as they can, or, as Heyman opines, "they're growing more worried" that Andy Pettitte will retire. Pettitte's retirement would leave the Bombers with two open rotation spots that would be contested between Colon, Garcia, Sergio Mitre, Andrew Brackman, Ivan Nova and potentially Millwood (MLBTradeRumors)."

Wow Cliff Lee really did a number on this team, huh? Last year Millwood was 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA. It really does seem like the Yankees are just going to sign as many pitchers that used to be good and hopes one bounces back. Out of the 3 old fart (Colon, Millwood, and Garcia) I would say Garcia has the best shot. I still think Pettitte will eventually be back, but if I was a Yankees fan I would really be worried with all these signings.

***UPDATED***

Sources say Andy Pettitte will announce his retirement Friday!

HAHAHAHAHA, goodbye Yankees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vladimir Guerrero Situation Getting Interesting

We have been waiting for Vladimir Guerrero to sign with the Orioles for some time now, as he was rumored to have been offered between $4.5 million and $5.5 million. Now Vlad is saying he has a deal on the table for $8 million, but won't say who it is, but we know it is not from the Orioles. So who could it be?

It is really a short list (Blue Jays, Angels, and Rangers), and I just don't see any of those teams offering that kind of money. My guess is that this is complete bullshit. We have heard all along that Vlad has been looking for a 2 year deal, and it is not pleased at all with the offers he has been getting. My guess is that he caves in the next week or so and signs a 1 year deal with the Orioles for about $5 million.