OK....so everyone had Matt Holliday traded to the Cardinals or Phillies in packages that bordered on the obscene if the rumored trades were actually discussed. Yesterday, we learned that the Rockies traded Holliday to the Oakland A's for a package believed to include closer Huston Street, SP Greg Smith and OFer Carlos Gonzalez.

I can understand trading Huston Street. But, didn't the king of Money Ball just deal his three best starting pitchers, Dan Haren,  Rich Harden, and Joe Blanton, in the last year to begin a rebuilding process? And now he trades FOR Matt Holliday? I don't get it. Especially when you consider Holliday is a free agent after the 2009 season, Scott Boras is Holliday's agent, and he ALWAYS has his clients test the market.

So, don't believe any story you read where Beane is looking to sign Holliday long-term, or thinks he can compete this season. He will be dealing Holliday for a better package than he just gave up come July 31st.

There are also reports that Dan O'Dowd will look to flip Street to a team looking for a closer. I see the Brewers, Mets, Cardinals amongst the teams looking for a closer or set up man. MLB.com's Thomas Harding concurred:

A source with knowledge of the situation also indicated to MLB.com that the Rockies are still intending to use Manuel Corpas as their closer, and indications are Street will be dealt.

And it sounds like Carlos Gonzalez could start in CF per Harding:

The Rockies gained flexibility because Gonzalez can play center field, which gives them added coverage should they trade Willy Taveras, the leadoff man and center fielder the past two seasons. The Rockies were prepared to put right-handed-hitting Ryan Spilborghs in center, but now they can place Spilborghs in Holliday's old spot in left. The Rockies also have one of their prospects, left-handed-hitting Seth Smith, bucking for outfield playing time.

In other trade activity, the Washington Nationals traded 2b Emilio Bonifacio and two minor leaguers for SP Scott Olsen and OFer Josh Willingham. On the face of it, this deal favors Jim Bowden and the Nats. He gets a solid young SP in Scott Olsen and a power hitting OFer in Willingham. Willingham could also play 1b if Nick Johnson isn't healthy, which is likely, but he is coming off a back injury, so I wonder if his power will return.

Does this mean Dan Uggla is on his way out of Florida?? I think it's very possible he will be dealt, possibly to the  Dodgers, DBacks, or Braves(if they deal Kelly Johnson).  Bonifacio is a speedy slap hitter who plays excellent defense at 2b. He could leadoff for the Marlins should they drop their stud SS Hanley Ramirez to the 3rd spot in the order where he belongs.  Should Bonifacio leadoff, look for him to steal 40-50 bases if he can get on base consistently. As a result, HanRam should see an increase in RBI chances, the expense of a drop in stolen base opportunities.

This leads me to wonder if HanRam's value will drop if he hits 3rd in the Marlins lineup?

Sports Illustrated is reporting it.  No players mentioned at this time, but I suspect the A's no longer have a glut of Travis Buck-esque outfielders, and 2B Eric Patterson needn't worry about Mark Ellis' contract extension.

[UPDATE] From Ken Rosenthal:

Over the weekend, the teams discussed A's outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, left-hander Greg Smith and reliever Huston Street, according to one source, but it is not known if any or all of those players will be included in the package for Holliday.

Before leaving work yesterday, I listened to an interview that ESPN's Colin Cowherd did with Ned Colletti. Ned mentioned that he had a 1 1/2 hour meeting with agent Scott Boras the night before to discuss several of his clients, namely Manny Ramirez. He mentioned that the meeting was very productive for both sides. He also mentioned something I had never heard before-he has been dealing with Scott Boras since Greg Maddux was in his 3rd year in the majors. That was a LONG time ago. Made me think that Manny would become a Dodger come hell or high water.

Well, per Tony Jackson at the LA Daily News, Colletti made an offer to Manny Ramirez last evening that would make him the 2nd highest paid player in the history of the game. From TJ's blog over at the Daily News:

What he said was that this is the most lucrative contract ever offered in the history of the Dodgers franchise (in terms of average annual value) and that it potentially would make Ramirez the second-highest paid player (presumably based on average annual value) in baseball behind A-Rod. Ned also said the AAV of the offer is somewhere between the $20 million Manny would have made next year if his option had been exercised by the Red Sox and the AAV of A-Rod's deal, which if you do the math is $27.5 million.

Jackson went on to say that the offer could be for 3 years-$72 million, or an AAV of $24 million/season. Nothing confirmed, but I am sure we will hear more about this offer in the very near future. Signing Manny may be the carrot that helps Rafael Furcal re-sign with the Dodgers, as Furcal apparently wants a 4 year deal, and I would be shocked if any team gives him a 4 year deal with his injury history the last few years.

In addition to the Manny offer, there is a report that the Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd is not demanding a premium pitcher in return for Matt Holliday or Garret Atkins. Troy Renck of the Denver Post had this update in his blog last evening:

Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd increased the likelihood of trading Matt Holliday, and to a lesser degree, Garrett Atkins with his admission today that the club doesn’t necessarily have to get pitching in return.

During afternoon meeting at the St. Regis, O’Dowd said the following:
“There is not much pitching in the market available. Period. And any pitching we get will likely be projection pitching. Not that guy that been there done it. We are completely open-minded to anything.”

He goes on to say that since a premium starter is not a requirement, it will open the door for many teams, including the Yankees and Rays who have young pitching to offer in return.

Finally, Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose News floats the rumor that the Phillies will listen to offers for SS Jimmy Rollins.  I think this rumor smells like the Russell Martin rumor we heard yesterday....it will be shot down pretty quickly.

If prospects are the capital your favorite team has versus money, then LF Matt Holliday is your shortest route to an improved offense in 2009.  Manny Ramirez would offer the same production but will cost $80+ MM.  Holliday will offer the same production and cost just a combination of three or four top prospects/young major leaguers.

Which teams have expressed interest?  From the Rocky Mountain News:

But there is a feeling among his teammates that Holliday is ready to make the next move in his career. He was uncomfortable with growing talk about his contract situation during the summer and knows if he returns in 2009, there will be constant speculation.

Among teams showing the most interest are Washington, Tampa Bay, St. Louis and the New York Mets

Naturally, the Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox are teams the Rockies want involved due to their depth in prospects/young major league hitters.  The New York Yankees do have some pieces especially in the pitching department and are always a positive to have involved in any potential bidding war.

What could the Nationals, Rays, Cardinals and Mets offer?  Here is my guess.

Washington Nationals:  CF Lastings Milledge, pitchers Ross Detwiler and Colin Balester

Tampa Bay Rays: Pitchers Edwin Jackson, Jeff Neimann and Wade Davis

St. Louis Cardinals: CF Brian Barton, major league relievers Jason Matte and Brad Thompson, minor league pitchers Jaime Garcia and Jess Todd

New York Mets:  OF Daniel Murphy, LHP Jon Niese, relievers Joe Smith and Eddie Kunz

Jake Peavy is currently at the forefront of the Hot Stove talk during the playoffs, and for good reason. With the upcoming contracts to be dished out to the likes of CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe and Ben Sheets, Peavy may appear to be a bargain after all is said and done. With that said, the updated Peavy rumormill:

MLB.com Padres' beat reporter Alyson Footer has this to say in today's article:

Major League sources told MLB.com that Peavy is strongly believed to be drawing the most interest from the Dodgers and the Braves, and that a deal could be completed in the very near future, possibly in the next week.

It makes sense for the Padres to want to get this done quickly. One reason, they don't want to repeat how the Twins handled the Johan Santana trade negotiations last offseason. Another is they have no other competition....yet. Pending free agents can't announce their decisions until after the World Series is over. So the Padres don't have to deal with teams who have interest in CC Sabathia or Derek Lowe just yet.

We have already read what it would cost the Braves in a deal for Peavy, but nothing from the Dodgers. They have some young pitching in Clayton Kershaw and James McDonald, and young middle infielders who are ready to play in the majors in Chin Lung Hu and Ivan Dejesus. Matt Kemp may also be a target of the Padres. McDonald was outstanding in his two appearances in the NLCS.

Should LA trade for Peavy, they will turn their attention to dealing one or both of Juan PIerre and Andruw Jones, which will be quite a challenge. Maybe they make the deal sweeter if SD takes one of them.

Matt Holliday was the king of the rumormill back in July, but was not traded. What I find amazing is that we have yet to hear from the Ken Rosenthal's of the world that the Rockies have made him available. But MLB.com Rockies beat reporter Thomas Harding said he would be "surprised if both (Atkins and Holliday) aren't traded". He mentions this as the Rockies top need this offseason is a front of the rotation starter, and Holliday and Atkins are quality chips...Holliday moreso than Atkins.

I can think of one team that needs a LFer and a 3bman, and it's main weakness is power....the Dodgers. But the price would be so steep, that Ned Colletti would probably shy away from any trade talk with the Rockies since they are in the same division. Another is the Phillies, and they have some young arms in their farm system, but the Rockies want a major league ready starter in return, and the Phils also need more pitching depth. Still another would be the Angels, who have young major league ready pitching to trade. The Angels may be the frontrunner for Holliday as they are expected to lose Mark Teixeira to the highest bidder, presumably to the Yankees, and will need to replace his bat in the lineup. Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders may be the chips needed in any deal for Holliday.

Ryan Dempster had a Cy Young caliber season in 2008 for the Cubs. The Cubs GM Jim Hendry was just extended today, and his main priority in the offseason is to re-sign Dempster. Hendy also said that if an OFer presents themselves to the Cubs in the offseason, they would look to sign/trade for that OFer, and that Kosuke Fukudome would have to earn his playing time in 2009. Interesting.

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.

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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.

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The biggest trade rumor to date that did not involve a starting pitcher is the one reported by Peter Gammons of ESPN.  Offered by the Atlanta Braves to the Boston Red Sox was free-agent-to-be 1B Mark Teixeira for 1B Kevin Youkilis and AAA reliever Craig Hansen.  According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, Red Sox Gm Theo Epstein denied it.

In the current trade market where soon-to-be free agents have their minimum value set against the potential draft picks the team would receive if the player was offered arbitration and signed with another team, this offer makes sense from the Braves point-of-view.  Kevin Youkilis is a Gold Glove caliber player at 1B and better than avergae at 3B.  He is a patient hitter with power.  Some could say if he switch hit, he'd be Mark Teixeira.  As a second-year arbitration player, the Braves have multiple seasons of control over Youkilis.  He is worth two draft picks

For the Red Sox, though, this offer falls painfully short.  Teixeira is a free agent and a client of Scott Boras.  He will test the market and cost the team that signs him $100MM plus their first round pick (assuming it is not in the Top 15 of the first round.)

The question is whether a 29-year-old switch-hitting 1B at $100MM for six years is a better investment than a 30-year-old 1B under control for two more years and $20MM?  (All salaries are guesses and ages are for the 2009 season.)

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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.

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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.