Archive for the 'Roy Halladay' Category

Dec 10

Winter Meetings Day 4: Rays Rumors Open Thread

Dioner Navarro, Milton Bradley, Rafael Soriano, Roy Halladay Cork Gaines 20 Comments »

[4:08pm] And of course now we get Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports saying (via Twitter) that if a Milton Bradley deal is close, it is not to the Rays.

[3:02pm] Now that the deal for Soriano looks finalized, we can get back to the endless rumormongering about Milton Bradley. And Bob Nightengale doesn’t waste any time, saying (via Twitter) the Cubs “are close to trading” Bradley. Nightengale says that “all indications” are that he will be traded to the Rays. We are pretty sure we have heard this report everyday this week.

[12:53pm] There was a report that Soriano’s deal is non-guaranteed. That is not correct. It is guaranteed. Had Soriano gone to arbitration the contract would have been non-guaranteed as are all contracts for free agents that accept (and go to) arbitration.

[12:09pm] Ken Rosenthal says (via Twitter) the Rays and Rafael Soriano have agreed to a one-year deal for about $7 million. Teams now have to review players’ medical records before signing off on the deal.

[11:22am] And here comes the news that we were expecting. Ken Rosenthal says (via Twitter) the Rays and Rafael Soriano are negotiating a 1-year deal and that the trade is not official until a new deal is agreed upon. Also, we would not be surprised if the Rays insist that Soriano agree in the contract to decline arbitration next winter if it is offered.

[9:50am] Marc Topkin reports that the Rays have traded Armando Zerpa to the Dodgers for cash. The Rays did lose Mike Wlodarczyk in the triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft, but did not lose Aneury Rodriguez. An update to Topkin’s post shows that the Rays also lost Douglas Salinas to the Reds in the double-A phase but picked up RHP Miguel Sierra from the White Sox in the triple-A phase.

[9:25am] The Rays have selected Armando Zerpa a left-handed pitcher from the Red Sox in the Rule 5 draft. Zerpa, 22, made 38 appearances between single-A and high single-A with a 2.68 ERA. He had 78 strikeouts and 35 walks in 74 innings.

[9:14am] Carrie Muskat says (via Twitter) the Cubs are desparate to trade Milton Bradley, but the Rays feel no obligation to take him. One Rays employee said the team actually prefers one year of Pat Burrell over two years of Milton Bradley. This is actually one of several non-attitude reasons we have always leaned against this deal.

[8:00am] Yesterday was a wild one for Rays rumors. At one point, within minutes of each other, we read a report that there were no “mystery teams” trying to trade for Milton Bradley, and that the Rays were still the favorite, while a second report said there were two mystery teams and that neither was the Rays. We also finally heard of a team expressing interest in Dioner Navarro (the Rangers).

Astros Rays BaseballBut the biggest news of course was that the Rays are close to a deal for closer Rafael Soriano. We heard that the Rays were one of two teams interested, the frontrunner, not the frontrunner and only one of six teams interested and balking at the price. We heard that Andrew Friedman and Frank Wren (Braves GM) rode an elevator together and walked to dinner together, before we finally heard the good news from Marc Topkin late last night.

Now let’s look at what came through late last night and this morning so far. We will update this post throughout the day with the latest buzz, so check back early and often. And if you really want the fresh scoops, be sure to follow us on Twitter.

  • Today is the Rule 5 draft at 9am eastern time. The Rays have the 16th pick.
  • Jayson Stark says the Rays are one of two teams on Roy Halladay’s “maybe” list of teams for whom he would approve a trade (there are 4 teams on the “yes” list). Stark adds that the Rays are “off-the-charts long shots,” and that they are on the list only because of geography…Well at least the Rays have geography going for them.
  • John Manuel of Baseball America lists Aneury Rodriguez, a Rays prospect, as one of the names that “have popped up,” in connection to the Rule 5 draft. Manuel calls Rodriguez a starter that could be stashed as a reliever on somebody’s roster.
  • Richard Durrett of ESPN.com says he “keeps hearing” Dioner Navarro’s name in connection with the Rangers.
  • The Red Sox waiver claim on Ramon Ramirez became official yesterday.
https://twitter.com/jaysonst/status/6509738389
Dec 08

Winter Meetings Day 2: Rays Rumors Open Thread

Dioner Navarro, Milton Bradley, Roy Halladay Cork Gaines 6 Comments »

[Update 5:30pm] Sources cofirm to Jayson Stark (via Twitter) that new teams in mix for Milton Bradley but that “nothing is close.” And Marc Topkin says that if deal happens tonight it won’t be to the Rays.

[Update 5:17pm] Now the Chicago Sun-Times repeats (via Twitter) that a Milton Bradley deal could happen tonight and that it would be with a “surprise AL team.”

[Update 4:57pm] Bruce Levine of ESPN.com is reporting that the Cubs could move Milton Bradley as soon as tonight and that “others teams besides the usual suspects (Tampa bay Rays, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels) have been brought into the Bradley discussions over the past 24 hours.”…Whether you were for or against Bradley on the Rays, we just never thought this deal was close to happening and now we wouldn’t be surprised if the Rays are out of it.

[Update] As far as rumors go, this one is 100% believable: “Lou Piniella and Joe Maddon are the two most visible managers at these meetings. Every time I turn around, I see one of them in the lobby.” Are there two managers in baseball that welcome attention more than Mad Lou and JoeMa?

[Update] Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Rays talked to the White Sox about a Carl Crawford-for-Carlos Quentin trade. Apparently the White Sox were worrieed about how much Crawford will make in 2010. The Rays also asked about the availablity of closer Bobby Jenks but didn’t like what the Sox were asking. Both deals are said to be “flat-lined.”

Yesterday we heard that Pat Burrell had been traded in a report that has since been deleted from the interwebs, Milton Bradley’s agents were trying to convince people that their client is just misunderstood, and that the Cubs may have talked to the Royals about Bradley…or not. We also heard that the Rays are interested in Kevin Gregg, but that they are only mildly interested in Matt Lindstrom. Meanwhile, Andrew Friedman says nothing is imminent.

SP_295860_BORC_rays_5Now let’s look at what came through late last night and this morning so far. We will update this post throughout the day with the latest buzz, so check back early and often. And if you really want the fresh scoops, be sure to follow us on Twitter.

  • Tracy Ringolsby confirms (scroll down to 9:23pm) what most of us suspected, that the Rays are trying to trade Dioner Navarro. He adds that “indications are” that the Rays will non-tender Navi if they can’t trade him.
  • Brian Shouse rejected salary arbitration from the Rays. If he signs with another team that will give the Rays 6 picks prior to the third round.
  • The craziest report of the day said the Rays had inquired about Roy Halladay (no surprise), but that Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi speculated (scroll down to 6:01pm) that the Rays “might be willing to offer” Wade Davis and BJ Upton. That rumor got a lot of play even though Rosenthal and Morosi also added that an executive said there was no way the Rays would do that deal.
  • Marc Topkin responded by calling the report “wrong” and “preposterous.” He added that the Rays did inquire about Halladay (“as they do for just about every available player”) but that the two sides didn’t even talk on Monday. Topkin doesn’t credit any team sources, but he usually doesn’t use such definitive language, so we are assuming that this was indeed shot down by somebody with the Rays off the record.
  • Lou Piniella says Milton Bradley would be super-duper awesome for the Rays (we’re paraphrasing)…Of course, we don’t know what else we expect Piniella to say. He doesn’t want Bradley and right now, the Rays are the only team showing strong interest.
  • Former Rays pitcher Edwin Jackson could be on the way to the Diamondbacks in part of a three-way deal with the Yankees.
  • We have added a quick commentary to the comments section on how all these rumors can be useful even though most never come to fruition.
Jul 25

Latest On Rays Trade Rumors

Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Scott Kazmir Cork Gaines 19 Comments »

hangoverLast we checked in on the Rays trade deadline possibilities, we heard that the Rays were showing interest in Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, a couple of relievers, and Victor Martinez.

Halladay is probably off the table as it looks like he is headed to the Phillies, and the Indians don’t sound like they are interested in moving Lee or Martinez. The possibility of acquiring Lee seems like even more of a longshot when we consider they asked the Yankees for Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain. That means it will take a lot more than Wade Davis to land last year’s Cy Young winner.

We also have heard that if the Rays are to add a big name before the deadline, they would have to clear some payroll first. The big name we have heard so far is Scott Kazmir, whom the Angels were reportedly interested in.

Ken Rosenthal also insists the Angels are interested in Kazmir, noting that former Rays and current Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher is pushing for the Angels to make the deal.

However, the Angels claim that they have not even discussed the possibility of trading for Kazmir.

Meanwhile , Kazmir says he wants to remain with the Rays. Kazmir did sound a bit frustrated when he spoke about signing an extension with the Rays and now hearing trade rumors.

“I thought when I signed, it was kind of a bargain deal (for the team). And I’d be good to go, and I’d be here for a long time, at least until my contract ends,” he said. “But who knows? That’s baseball…You signed a deal with them. You want to show the team that invested the money in you that you’re worth every penny, and you’re going to go out there and prove to them that you are worth it,” he said. “That’s the one thing that kind of bothers you there. That’s the reason why I signed here. I wanted to be here.”

So, where does this leave the Rays with a week to go before the trade deadline? Well, after a 24-hour period where it seemed like a blockbuster deal might be on the horizon, it now looks more like the Rays roster will look the same on August 1st as it does right now. John Romano examined the Rays trade possibilities and concludes that standing pat may “make the most sense.”

But one thing we can count on: With the Rays in the thick of the playoff hunt, we are certain to hear many more of these rumors and notes over the next seven days.

Jul 23

Angels May Be Interested In Scott Kazmir

Andrew Friedman, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Scott Kazmir Cork Gaines 1 Comment »

If the Rays are going to add either Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee, they most likely would have to also trade Scott Kazmir to free up payroll. Now we are hearing that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim near Disney Land may be interested.

One way the Rays could clear payroll would be to move lefty Scott Kazmir, whom the source said is of “some interest” to the Angels. Tampa Bay has been scouting the Los Angeles system recently, as reported earlier.

The same piece also says Andrew Friedman is “eager to do something.” Whatever that means.

Rays Want to Deal, Could Move Kazmir to Angels to Clear Room [Fanhouse]

Jul 23

Rays Kicking The Tires On Halladay And Lee

Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Wade Davis Cork Gaines 7 Comments »

73394596CC025_Toronto_Blue_A week ago we laughed at the notion that the Rays would be players in the Roy Halladay market. This week we still think it is a long-shot, but we are starting to hear some buzz that the Rays have at least inquired as to what Halladay would cost.

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi report that the Rays have looked at Halladay, Cliff Lee and others but indicates that they would most likely have to trade away one of their big contracts to make a deal.

The Rays are engaged in a whirlwind of activity, investigating Lee, Halladay and numerous other options — “major, major stuff,” according to one source…Payroll flexibility remains a significant obstacle, and the Rays might need to move left-hander Scott Kazmir or another high-priced player to clear room for a major acquisition…There are no indications, however, that the Rays are discussing trades involving Kazmir, who is earning $6 million this season, $8 million in 2010 and $12 million in ’11 with a $13.5 million or $2.5 million buyout for ’12.

Still seems highly unlikely, and maybe Andrew Friedman is just doing his job by making courtesy calls. Keep in mind that in most of these cases, these teams are trying to shed payroll, so the Rays would seem like a not very good fit, if they are unable to add payroll.

Marc Topkin has some quotes from Joe Maddon on the subject.

Manager Joe Maddon would not discuss specifics, but he didn’t say anything to diminish the possibility Friedman was making inquiries…”He’s got some interesting things out there,” Maddon said. “He and I have talked, and we’ve talked about different things. You know him. He’s always got good ideas, and he’s definitely willing to take the plunge if somebody else is…It’s all good stuff. But like most years, nothing ever happens. So we’ll just see. And if nothing happens, I am fine. I’m good with our group.”

Meanwhile, Dave Cameron over at Fangraphs makes a strong case for the Rays trading for Lee.

Call up Mark Shapiro and blow him away with an offer. Stick Lee in front of Shields, Garza, Price/Kazmir, and Niemann and run down the big boys. You have talent coming out of your ears, and a real shot at winning the World Series this year. I know you love Wade Davis, but you can live without him – you have 18 other pitchers who could take his place in future seasons.

So, would Wade Davis be enough? If he is, we will drive Davis to Cleveland. But if the deal is Davis and ?, we need to see what the “and ?” is before screaming for Lee to the Rays.

Keep in mind that the next trade the Rays make sending a top prospect for a veteran, will be their first. There is no track record here except that it hasn’t happened. Will it happen this year? A week ago, we said ‘no way’. But ask us again next week.

MLB buzz: News and notes from the trade market [Fox Sports]
Go For Broke, Friedman [Fangraphs]