Trade Deadline Log

4:36 PM: More bad news, as the Royals TV affiliate has announced the Royals trade Denny Bautista and Jeremy Affeldt to the Rockies for Ryan Shealy.
4:26 P.M: Some surprises as the deadline ends and the Red Sox end up doing nothing:
– Lugo to the Dodgers for Joel Guzman
– Sox passed on Wells because of arm concerns
– Maddux to the Dodgers for Cesar Izturis
– Soriano will not be traded, so the Nationals get zip
– Matt Stairs to the Rangers for a good PH bat in the outfield
– Padres acquire Todd Walker to help at third after Ensberg is kept by Houston
3:58 PM: Kip Wells is going to Texas, not Boston, according to Ken Rosenthal. Tough loss. Craig Wilson heading to New York for Shawn Chacon. At first I thought that trade was a joke. Cashman gets an A+ for the 2006 deadline.
3:25 PM: Mets setup man Duaner Sanchez seperated his shoulder and is out for the season, the reason they acquired Hernandez. Big loss for the Mets as Sanchez sported a 2.60 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and .223 BAA.
3:13 PM: ESPN the Magazine’s Amy Nelson is reporting the Pirates are on the verge of trading Kip Wells to the Red Sox. They’re hammering out the final details to get this done before the deadline. UPDATE: David Murphy to Pittsburgh is what I’m hearing. This sucks.
Kip Wells: 1-5, 6.69 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 18/16 BB/K, .319 BAA in 36.1 IP
– 3.16 ERA, 26 H in 26 IP, .274 BAA in July
I don’t understand, is the upgrade from Snyder to Kip Wells really worth it?
Plus, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Mets have acquired relief pitcher Roberto Hernandez and starter Oliver Perez from the Pirates for Xavier Nady. The Pirates finally gave up on Perez, and maybe a change of scenery (albeit NYC) will do wonders. Not a bad risk, and a good trade for the Mets.
2:57 PM: Sean McAdam: “At some point today, the Sox were in contact with the agent for Julio Lugo, trying to hammer out an extention before completing a trade for him.”
This means a deal is in place for Lugo. More updates to come.
2:29 PM: Andruw Jones to Boston would be spectacular, but it will not happen. Gordon Edes:
Yes, the Sox called the Braves yesterday inquiring about what it would take to get outfielder Andruw Jones. Yes, they were told that it would cost them Jon Lester, Craig Hansen and Coco Crisp. The Sox said thank you very much, and that was it. No counterproposals, no further conversation.
2:15 PM: Jones update: Red Sox countered with Hansen, Crisp and a pitching prospect, which I’m guessing is Clay Buccholz. I would do that trade in a heartbeat. Doesn’t look like Atlanta will settle for that as Lester is the main part of the deal, but the Red Sox will NOT trade Lester under pretty much any circumstance unless Roy Oswalt is named.
Red Sox still mildly interested in Alfonso Soriano and Jason Schmidt. Julio Lugo talks look to be settling down and possibly fading. Sox could still go after Jon Lieber, which is a huge mistake. Everyone needs to stop mentioning Roger Clemens name. Overall, it’s hard to tell what the Red Sox are doing considering they’ve called every team in baseball over the last few days.
11:59 AM: WEEI’s Rob Bradford reports the Red Sox turned down an offer from the Atlanta Braves that would send Andruw Jones to Boston for Jon Lester, Craig Hansen and Coco Crisp. Still says the offer is “not dead.” The only reason the Red Sox would consider the deal is if they had a starting pitcher to replace Lester in another trade…
2:36 AM: Quick Lugo update from Gordon Edes:
The Blue Jays, who have been in the market for a shortstop, had been in talks with the Devil Rays regarding Lugo, although GM J.P. Ricciardi said yesterday morning he was out of the Lugo sweepstakes. A Red Sox source said last week that while the Sox liked Lugo, they expected to have more interest in him this winter if he becomes a free agent.
There was a rumor Loretta left Fenway in street clothes, which was false. I still think Loretta stays past the deadline. More of a gut feeling than the Red Sox not being capable of pulling off a 3-team deal.
It flies in the face of Terry Francona telling third baseman Mike Lowell last week on the West Coast that he would not be traded, but according to a major league executive who said he spoke directly with one of the three teams involved, the Red Sox are working on a three-way deal with Tampa Bay and San Diego in which they would end up with Devil Rays infielder Julio Lugo and Padres setup man Scott Linebrink, with Lowell going to the Padres. The Devil Rays presumably would end up with prospects from one or both clubs.
Makes no sense. By that count, we’d have Youkilis at third, Gonzo at short, Lugo and Loretta at 2nd and no first baseman. Ending up with Linebrink and Lugo is, by all means, a great upgrade on both levels, but Loretta would have to be traded first. I would hate to see him rot in Tampa and it puzzles me why they would even consider him for two months of the season. Another reason why I don’t think this all shakes out.
1:14 AM: Summing up tonight’s trade speculation:
– Steve Phillips has reported the Sox are involved in a 3 or 4 team deal that could send Mike Lowell to the Padres for Scott Linebrink. Julio Lugo and prospects could also be involved. My guess are the Rockies have to be involved, which could send Ryan Shealy our way to play first base for Julian Tavarez or Rudy Seanez, hopefully not Manny Delcarmen.
– The Indians traded Ronnie Belliard to the Cardinals, meaning St. Louis is out of trade talks for Mark Loretta, possibly killing the chance of Lugo coming to Boston. Where would we send Loretta?
– The Astros rejected Scott Linebrink and Geoff Blum for Morgan Ensberg. Good effort by the Padres but to no avail. The Padres will now focus on outbiding the Dodgers for Greg Maddux. I have a feeling he ends up in San Diego, who will win the NL West, and is able to pitch in a roomy ballpark.
– Steve Phillips reports on ESPN that Lugo and Loretta might be traded straight up, probably with prospects involved. Um….not gonna happen. He also said the Rangers offered Hank Blalock to the Astros for Brad Lidge.
– Brian Sabean has made Jason Schmidt (7-7, 3.18, 1.19 WHIP, 52 BB/119 K, .228 BAA) available for offers. The Red Sox should be interested and call up Sabean immediately. Even though the Mets will NOT trade Lastings Milledge for a rent pitcher, the Mets look to be the front-runner early.
– The Astros have given up trying to deal for Miguel Tejada. They almost had a deal struck Friday Night but Angelos pulled the plug. Big surprise! Then discussions started up again, but the Astros were reluctant to trade Roy Oswalt for Tejada because of the fear Oswalt would then be shipped to Texas for Blalock and two top prospects. Why Houston would care that Oswalt winds up in Texas is a total mystery. And why Houston would trade Oswalt is another mystery.
7:28 PM by Evan: Straight from Rotoworld, as the Sox acquire a fringe reliever. This either means Jermaine Van Buren heads to Pawtucket again, Manny Delcarmen is going on the DL, Seavarez is getting released, or there’s another trade in the works.
Red Sox acquired RHP Bryan Corey from the Rangers for RHP Luis Mendoza. Have any of these kind of pitching pickups ever worked out for Boston during the Theo Epstein era? Corey, 32, spent most of his career in the minors until compiling a 2.60 ERA in 17 1/3 innings for the Rangers this season. The Red Sox didn’t give up anything they’re likely to miss in Mendoza, but Corey doesn’t figure to be of any real help. The club will make room for him by placing Manny Delcarmen on the DL or sending down Jermaine Van Buren.
Rangers acquired RHP Luis Mendoza from the Red Sox for RHP Bryan Corey. Mendoza, 22, was available on waivers a couple of times last year. He had a 3.14 ERA in 13 starts for Single-A Wilmington and a 6.38 ERA in nine starts for Double-A Portland this season. It’s unlikely that he’ll make it, and if it does happen, he’ll be a reliever. He’ll be assigned to Single-A Bakersfield.Rotoworld
Quick and dirty analysis from Evan: Well, it certainly can’t hurt.
Oh, and the Bobby Abreu trade is complete. The dirt: Yankees acquired OF Bobby Abreu and RHP Cory Lidle from the SS C.J. Henry, LHP Matt Smith, C Jesus Sanchez and RHP Carlos Monasterios.
BRYAN COREY 2006+CAREER STATISTICS
3:11 PM: Just keeps getting better for the Yankees as the NY Daily News reports:
Talks heated up this weekend when Abreu made it known that he’d be willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to the Yanks, Mets or Red Sox and wouldn’t require those teams to exercise his $15 million option for 2008 in return.
2:30 PM: The Yankees and Phillies have reached a tentative agreement to send Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle to the Yankees for 2005 #1 pick shortstop C.J. Henry and 27-year old pitcher Matt Smith plus two minor prospects. No, that trade is not a typo, and the streets of Philadelphia might be rioting in the next hour. The Yankees ran into a perfect situation with Pat Gillick needing to dump salary, and consequently the Yanks grab a huge OBP threat who will likely thrive with Yankee Stadium’s right field porch + a decent #4 starter for two prospects not named Hughes, Tabata, Duncan or Clippard. I sitll think if the Red Sox can pick up solid pitching (although that is becoming less and less likely), we’ll have the upper hand in the division, but this signing of Abreu really vaults that Yankee lineup to an all-time great.
I’m bewildered the Red Sox couldn’t offer a better package than Henry and Smith, they probably can. My guess is that Theo didn’t want to take on the 37 million owed to Abreu while picking up his option, and simply backed away from the deal. The only way this deal blows up is if Abreu asks for a long contract extension. Just the Yankees using their power to purchase what appears to be an All-Star lineup. The Yanks just got a borderline All-Star for absolutely nothing.
12:13 PM: Will Carroll from Baseball Prospectus in his latest brings us this breaking and somewhat confusing news:
The Sox are also closing in on a deal for Julio Lugo, according to sources with other teams. The holdup there is getting an answer on whether Lugo would move to 2B. The backup option for the Red Sox is Dustin Pedroia, not Ron Belliard.
This means Loretta has to be moved, which would likely result in a 3-team trade that would bring us pitching help. My guess is the Cardinals, but it appears they prefer Belliard instead. I still can’t believe the Red Sox actually are the front-runners for Lugo because Loretta has done such a great job here in Boston (two-strike hitting, clutch knocks, good clubhouse guy, All-Star). Lugo agreeing to play second base could also be an issue. Here’s a quick comparison:
Julio Lugo: 285 AB, .312/.378/.505, 12 HR, 27 RBI, 37 BB/93 SO, 18/22 SB,.337 SecA, 14 errors in 200 attempts
-5th among MLB SS in AVG
-4th among MLB SS in OPS
Mark Loretta: 415 AB, .304/.355/.378, 3 HR, 39 RBI, 29 BB/43 SO, 3/4 SB, .149 SecA, 4 errors in 261 attempts
-4th among MLB 2B in AVG
-28th among MLB 2B in OPS
11:24 AM: Interesting tidbit from Ken Rosenthal’s latest:
The Bobby Abreu trade is likely to happen Sunday, and the Phillies are expected to send the right fielder to the Yankees ?? even though the Red Sox are still in the mix ?? FOXSports.com has learned.
The Yankees would get Abreu and right-hander Cory Lidle in their proposed deal, while the Red Sox are negotiating only for Abreu. However, the Sox are working on several other fronts, and their primary motivation apparently is to muddle matters for the Yankees, according to a source close to the talks.
The only problem with this idea is that, if the Yankees are the only team really committed to landing Abreu, and the Phillies are really committed to dumping his salary, how can Theo attempt to screw this up for New York? It will be awful difficult to “muddle matters” with the Yankees as the only team hotly pursuing Abreu. Unless the Red Sox are still in the mix…
Great article by Cafardo that rounds up all the Red Sox rumors from Saturday involving Linebrink, Lugo, Shealy and the Phillies.
10:25 AM: According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, Bobby Abreu is closer than ever to becoming a Yankee. Some obstacles stand in the way- no-trade clause, 2008 option year, Abreu wanting more money- but it seems like the Phillies have the prospects in mind: shortstop C.J. Henry and pitcher Steven White. Since the Yankees are going to owe Abreu close to 37.5 million over the next 2 1/2 years, their payroll should exceed 200 million. And a 200 million dollar payroll should put out a lineup of Damon, Jeter, Giambi, Rodriguez, Sheffield, Abreu, Matsui, Posada, Cano, which is easily the strongest in baseball.
Abreu’s 2006 stats: .277/.427/.434, 8 HR, 65 RBI, 61 R, .472 SecA, 3.7 WARP, 7.39 RC/27
1:18 AM: Since I’m responsible for both Sunday and Monday, I thought it would be a good idea to merge both days into one big trade deadline discussion log. I’m going to do my best to keep everyone updated on the latest trade rumors up until Monday night while also providing my opinions on each deal. Remember- I might include a rumor that’s not likely to happen just to ponder the possibilities, not just trades that are official. I’ll do my best to post as often as I can in the next 48 hours.
First, I wanted to discuss the Carlos Lee trade that went down on Friday. The Brewers offered Lee a pretty substantial contract offer, basically all they could afford, Lee turned it down, and GM Doug Melvin immediately started calling teams interested. It didn’t take very long for the Brewers to find a partner that would give them major league talent to help fill needs in the bullpen and give the Brewers a replacement for Lee in left field. The Rangers parted ways with setup man Francisco Cordero, left fielder Kevin Mench and minor league outfielder Laynce Nix, while the Brewers gave up minor league outfielder Nelson Cruz in the deal. Cruz was added because the Rangers wanted a replacement in case Lee leaves after this season and the Brewers could deal him because of Corey Hart and Tony Gwynn Jr. being on the big league club.
My view: Good trade for both sides, especially Texas. We all know the Rangers big need is pitching, but anytime you have that trade offer on the table, you must jump at the chance to acquire a lineup changer like Carlos Lee. Lee has already gotten off to a blistering start and it should continue with the bandbox ballpark, the Texas heat and that lineup around him. The Brewers helped their beleaguered bullpen while acquiring a decent power hitter in Mench. Melvin made the right move because there was NO WAY Lee was signing with them this winter. The Rangers are slipping, but acquiring Lee was huge.
The Orioles are dangling Miguel Tejada but not really. Peter Angelos continues to be stubborn and veto any trade. Which is crazy, because the Angels offered Ervin Santana (11-4, 4.25 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 116 H in 131 IP, 46/97 BB/K, .239 BAA, 23 years old) and infielder Erick Aybar (233 AB, .318/.364/.485, 6 HR, 37 RBI, 113 TB, 16 BB/23 K at AAA Salt Lake) for Tejada. If I were the Orioles, I would do this trade in a second. One baseball exec said Tejada-Santana would be a fair deal. Santana is 23 years old and would blossom beautifully under Leo Mazzone’s watch, while Aybar has shown tremendous potential, is a top prospect, and hit .300 while on the Angels earlier this season. Now it looks like the Angels are out of the running, leaving the Astros as the clear favorite. Two rumors:
Tejada to Houston for Brad Lidge, Adam Everett and Fernando Nieve
Tejada to Houston for Morgan Ensberg, Adam Everett and Fernando Nieve
These deals are a little less attractive, but the Orioles should certainly begin seriously pouncing on some of these trade offers. The Rangers look to be hanging Hank Blalock. The Dodgers offered a package of young players but the Orioles rejected and they gave up. Wake up and smell the coffee Baltimore, YOU NEED PITCHING and the Orioles will never be competitive in that division while refusing all of this young talent, even if trading Tejada sacrifices a few seasons (like they would be winning anyway).
The other trade rumor I’ve been following is Bobby Abreu to the Yankees. New York will NOT deal Hughes or Tabata, and Philly seems fine with that if they can dump Abreu’s contract. Some names are Duncan, Clippard, Crosby and Melky Cabrera that could be on the Phillies by Monday. These talks also extend to starters Jon Lieber and Corey Lidle, whom the Yankees want not only to help their rotation but keep away from the Sox. Stay tuned.