The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the Philadelphia Phillies and Colorado Rockies were serious about a trade that would have netted the Phillies LF Matt Holliday and LHP Brian Fuentes.  According to the paper, this is what was required from the Phillies and why this was deemd serious.

Word had leaked out of Bowie, Md., last week that the Rockies had been sitting on the Reading Phillies for four days, checking the parent club's top Double A prospects.

A source told Morning Report that pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco would have to be included in the deal, and that the Rockies also wanted centerfielder Shane Victorino.

According to Foxsports, the deal would also have cost the Phillies Lou Marson (a top catching prospect) and starting pitcher J.A. Happ

I'm not convinced the Rockies would have done it given their climb in contention in the weak NL West - 6 games out while being 14 games under .500.  Hopefully the deal was killed by the Rockies and not the Phillies.  Both players would have made the Phils the favorite in the NL East and completed the transformation of the Phillies to the 21st century version of the Blake Street Bombers.

Continue reading this post »

Buster Olney at ESPN speculates the trade market for Colorado Rockies closer Brian Fuentes could be torpedoed by the availability of Oakland A's closer Huston Street and Baltimore Orioles closer George Sherrill.  Unlike Fuentes, neither pitcher is a free agent at season's end.  In fact, Street won't be a free agent until after the 2010 season.  Sherrill won't test the market until the 2011 season finishes.

Mr. Olney offers his assessment of who are the best fits for Street and Sherrill.

On paper (and to be clear, what follows is pure speculation), the Orioles would seem to have a great potential fit with the Dodgers, who need a closer, or the Angels, who will need a closer next season if Francisco Rodriguez leaves and could use a lefty now. The Red Sox would probably love to land Sherrill and have a wide array of prospects to offer, but the question remains whether the Orioles would close a deal over such a significant piece with a division rival.  The Brewers could be a match for either Street or Sherrill.

I don't quite see the pressing need for either L.A. club, especially the Angels.  Pre-emptively acquiring a reliever when Fuentes can be signed in the off-season doesn't jibe with the team's inability to trade any of their prospects.  The inability to deal prospects also applies to the Dodgers although strengthening the 7th and 8th innings can be argued with the promotion of Jonathna Broxton to the closer's role.

What I find interesting is debating whether the Boston Red Sox will attempt to deal for another closer at the deadline after the debacle of last year's Eric Gagne trade.  Can they risk seeing three more players from their organization thrive for another team while a middle reliever disappoints?

Instead of projecting my own opinions on to any one reporters distillation of what his or her teams needs or what his or her team wants the reporter to circulate, I am just going to give the links and a money quote.  You decide the merits of the r`umor.

While some of these absolutely scream for a comment, I am refraining. (In the body of the post, that is.  I cannot vouch for restraint in the Comments)  Amongst the players mentioned are Xavier Nady and Damso Marte of Pittsburgh, A.J. Burnett in Toronto, Barry Bonds to the New York Yankees, and Brian Fuentes of Colorado and interest in Clint Barmes and Willy Taveras by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Continue reading this post »

Joel Sherman of the New York Post appears to be the only local writer who can see the needs of the New York teams (outfielders and relievers) and think to report information about what either team will need to pay in the trade market.  He runs down several right-handed hitters who can play the outfield and are current residents of Traderumorville, USA.

Unmentioned is Barry Bonds, the one player Yankees' GM Brian Cashman and Mets' GM Omar Minaya have been forced to comment upon.  The Yankees appear in a better situation to resist the temptation given their deep reservoir of pitching prospects to use to address the outfield.  The Mets don't have that  and may be forced to seriously consider adding Barry Bonds.

Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, Pittsburgh Pirates:
Mr. Sherman confirms what Buster Olney said yesterday.  The Pirates want a ton for either OF - each garnering two premium prospects and Bay fetching a third B-level one.  At that price, I would be very surprised to see either dealt unless the Pirates' definition of "premium prospect" is different from my own.

To me a "premium prospect" is Matt LaPorta.  The Yankees would have to include AA OF Austin Jackson, the team's current #1 overall prospect according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.  The Mets would have to include OF Fernando Martinez.  I don't see either team dealing either player.

Continue reading this post »

The next pitcher to be dealt?  Colorado Rockies' LHP Brian Fuentes is a good guess.  With Manny Corpas seemingly back on track, the Rockies can deal their closer and replace him with Corpas.  Rockies' GM Dan O'Dowd said exactly that according to the Denver Post.

While that info is valuable to fantasy players speculating on the next closer, it is by far the least interesting information reported.  Sit down.  Here is what the Rox would like to receive from the Tampa Bay Rays for Fuentes.

"...any trade proposal has to be better than what the Rockies believe they could get in the draft. The Rockies like Tampa Bay Double-A starters Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson. They would love to pry away former No. 1 overall pick David Price, a starter, but the Rays would only talk about him in a deal involving Matt Holliday.."

Good luck with that.  The Rays would consider dealing Price in a deal for Matt Holliday?  I seriously, seriously doubt that.  As a matter of fact, Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus told Jeff Erickson on Fantasy Focus that this was the most ridiculous rumor he has heard so far this year.

Here is some other trade-related info from across the league.

Continue reading this post »

Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News has a slew of trade rumors involing LHRP Brian Fuentes and LF Matt Holliday.  This morning he reports the injury to Tampa Bay closer Troy Percival has kicked-up the Rays' interest in acquiring Fuentes to shore-up its relief core.  Depending how much the Rockies demand for the free-agent-to-be, this could work favorably in the Rays' favor as Fuentes could end-up a Type A free agent this winter after production of 3.38 ERA, 1.214 WHIP and 33 Saves in 93.1 innings between 2007 and 2008 so far.

The risk for the Rays would be offering arbitration to Fuentes and him accpeting it if no better offers were made in the free agent market.  With a 2008 salary of $5.05 MM, Fuentes could win his arbitration case and become a $7MM middle reliever for the Rays next year.  At 33 years-old this winter, a long-term deal could be more rare than we think.

More interesting than the speculation on Fuentes' free agency this winter, well at least to rumor mongerers and not financial stewards of small-to-mid-market teams, is the rumor Ringolsby wrote on Monday.  He reports the Rockies will decide at the All-Star break (July 14th-17th) whether to become sellers.  His sources (scouts from other teams watching the Rox)) notes that the Cardinals, Rays, Dodgers and Royals have shown some interest in LF Matt Holliday.

Would the Dodgers move some of its prospects to an intra-division rival who stacks-up favorably against itself already?  With a glaring need for a hitter who can be relied upon to hit 20+ HRs can the Dodgers afford the luxury of that concern?

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports offers up the rumor that the Angels are interested in Matt Holliday but only if $11MM a year OF Gary Matthesw Jr can be moved.  If the Rockies have to take back Sarge Jr, then this looks like a dead-end without even considering the reluctance the Angels have shown in parting with prospects.

Do the Angels need a bat like Holliday's?  Yes.  Do they need it in the OF?  No.  The power the Angels need has to come in the infield where Casey Kotchman, Howie Kendrick, Erick Aybar and Chone Figgins cannot be relied upon to it 30 HRs between them.