Trade Deadline looms

Top six names mentioned in trade talks

1 Alfonso Soriano, Nationals LF --
MARKET REPORT
There's nothing Nationals GM Jim Bowden loves more than creating a fun little pre-deadline frenzy over a smoking commodity like Soriano. So the GM is stoking away. He has a half dozen teams in on Soriano. But will any of them really want to meet the Neiman Marcus price tag for a guy who will be a free agent in four months? The Dodgers couldn't say no fast enough when Bowden reportedly asked for catcher Russ Martin, outfield stud Matt Kemp and/or pitcher Chad Billingsley. The Yankees lost interest as soon as the names of their best pitching prospect in a decade (Philip Hughes) and Manny-esque outfield prospect Jose Tabata came up. And the Angels hit the brakes when Bowden asked (according to an official of one interested team) for their leading winner, the sizzling Ervin Santana (11-3, 3.88), plus top-of-the-charts second base prospect Howie Kendrick. So with all those talks stuck in quicksand, the most serious action seems to be swirling around two teams -- Detroit and Seattle. The Tigers look like the easiest fit at the moment. They're trolling for offense. There are indications they actually prefer a rent-a-bat to a guy with a big contractual IOU beyond this year (i.e., Bobby Abreu). And they could build a deal around one of the hottest pitching prospects in the game, right-hander Humberto Sanchez (10-5, 2.29 between Double-A and Triple-A). But don't look past Seattle. The Mariners have a GM (Bill Bavasi) whose job might be at stake. And they have a centerpiece player to offer -- 20-year-old center fielder (Adam Jones), a guy who is such a sensational athlete that he once was a high school pitcher with a mid-90s fastball and then started his pro career as a shortstop. "Adam Jones," says an official of one involved team, "is definitely Jim's type of player." An executive from another team also brought up Jones' name, saying: "He's just what Jim is looking for -- an athletic, middle-of-the-outfield guy. He's an Eric Davis kind of player. And you know how much Jim loved Eric Davis." Washington sent two scouts to watch the Mariners' series in New York this week, and a third to watch their Triple-A team in Tacoma. So this is one rumor that's more than just talk. Still, the buzz among the bidders is that the team Bowden would most like to coax off its derriere is the Angels. "There's no doubt in my mind," says an official of one interested team, "that he's trying to prod the Angels into stepping up. But it's not working." So sit back and watch those rumors fly. You have a bunch of Soriano shoppers intentionally looking the other way because they're sure the price will drop. But never underestimate Bowden's ability to swoop in and make a deal while everyone else is sitting in the waiting room.
2 Bobby Abreu, Phillies RF --
MARKET REPORT
The Phillies are giving their team a few more days to heat up before GM Pat Gillick hits the blow-it-up button. But once they shift into "sell" mode, they'll have a bigger clearance rack than T.J. Maxx. Pat Burrell, Jon Lieber, Cory Lidle, Rheal Cormier, Arthur Rhodes, Ryan Franklin and Aaron Fultz could all be had at bargain prices. But the one contract they're not just looking to dump is Abreu's. To give up a player this productive, the Phillies want an impact player back, plus one other player. And teams that have spoken with them say they're willing to pay a significant chunk of the contract to get that return. So they've asked the Yankees for Hughes, the Mets for Mike Pelfrey, the Angels for Santana, the Red Sox for Jon Lester and the Cardinals for Anthony Reyes. (The Tigers, incidentally, have "no interest at all at this point," says one exec who has talked with them.) So for now, none of those deals is even percolating. "I don't think Pat has really come to the table yet," says an official of one interested team. But other clubs that have spoken with Gillick don't see the price changing, because he can always put Abreu back on the shelves this winter. Then there's the other issue with Abreu: He's going to want more buckaroos (at the very least, a guarantee of his $16 million 2008 option) to waive his no-trade clause. "He's a nice player," says an executive of one team in the running. "But he's probably going to cost you an extension. Which means you'd need to open a 72-hour window to negotiate. And while you're in that window, it could take you out of other deals. So to me, if you're going to trade that guy now, you've got to get it done sooner than later." But the Phillies don't appear to be in any rush. So Abreu is increasingly shaping up as a player who could be easier to deal in the offseason than in midseason.
3 Greg Maddux, Cubs SP --
MARKET REPORT
We hate to say this. But lately, the fabled Mad Dog has looked as if he ought to get shipped off to The Pound. Since his 5-0 April, he's a terrifying 2-10, with a 6.43 ERA -- and 13.4 baserunners allowed per 9 innings. So he has scared off even some of the teams hunting desperately for starting pitching. "The Maddux I saw in April is not the Maddux I saw two weeks ago," says one scout. "Command guys who get up there in years tend to deteriorate later in the year. So I don't see him as a real good guy to go get." An executive of another club is even more blunt: "No interest in him. I love him, but he's coming to the end of the trail." Still, at least three teams -- the Dodgers, Padres and Brewers -- are known to have interest. And one baseball man who has spoken with the Cubs says Maddux has informally told GM Jim Hendry that he would agree to go to "the right team." So what is the right team? Folks we've surveyed are betting it's the Dodgers. "They don't have a leader on that staff," says one GM. "So at the very least, he'd be a tremendous guy for [Derek] Lowe and [Brad] Penny and [Chad] Billingsley to be around."
4 Livan Hernandez, Nationals SP --
MARKET REPORT
Once, Hernandez would have been the easy winner of the Most Likely To Be A Met competition. But two front-office men who have spoken to the Mets now call that talk "overblown." The Mets need "a quality power arm," says one NL executive. "And he's not it." Hernandez has been so unsightly lately (7.29 ERA in his last eight starts), the Nationals are having a tough time convincing clubs that Hernandez will be able to flip the switch back on if he goes to a contender. "If he can still turn it on," says an official of one no-longer-interested club, "he'd better start turning it on now [just to prove he still can]." There has been talk that the Mets have shifted their attention to Baltimore's Rodrigo Lopez. But one executive who has spoken with GM Omar Minaya says: "I wouldn't bank on that, either."
5 Jason Schmidt, Giants SP --
MARKET REPORT
The Giants are more interested in winning than they are in unloading. So they have no desire to export Schmidt just because he's about to shoot down the free-agent exit ramp. But one GM who has talked with them says Schmidt is available if he brings back a package that includes a young starting pitcher they can plug into this year's rotation and beyond, plus another piece or pieces. So while that rumored deal with the White Sox for Brandon McCarthy (plus center fielder Brian Anderson) doesn't look likely, it's the kind of trade the Giants would make. "I don't see them re-signing him," the GM says of Schmidt. "I think he's run his course there. So they're in a funny position. Yeah, they could get hot and win the division. But how far are they capable of going if they do? So is it better to hold onto him, or is it better to get a guy like a McCarthy who can be there for the next four, five years? If you keep Jason Schmidt, he might win seven games the rest of the year. But if you trade for Brandon McCarthy, he might win five. Giving up those two wins, to me, would be worth it. And I think that's how the Giants are thinking."
6 Reggie Sanders, Royals RF --
MARKET REPORT
The longer the Yankees have to wait on Abreu, the more interested they get in Plan B -- which is clearly Sanders. One baseball man who has been in touch with the Yankees says they're "not as interested in Abreu as they were last week." And a big reason is that they now expect Hideki Matsui to be back in mid-August. So if they can't bring in Abreu until July 30, what's the point? But Sanders is less pricey than Abreu (with just one season, at $5 million, left after this year). And new Royals GM Dayton Moore has dropped the asking price, suggesting he would now take a second-tier prospect back. The holdup now, though, is that Sanders is out with a groin strain. So if he's going to be down any length of time, the Yankees could turn to their C list -- which consists of Washington's Jose Guillen, Arizona's Shawn Green and Pittsburgh's Craig Wilson. Or, considering that they're No. 2 in the big leagues in runs scored, they might just forget the bat department and head back to Pitchers 'R Us.

 

Reggie Sanders still plays? Damn.

 

Figures I pick up KC's McDougal in my fantasy league only to see a week later he get traded to Chicago to be a setup guy

Now the Realing Chi-Sox are said to be all set to trade for Soriano and not to trade their young stud pitcher McCarthy (sp) I wonder what the Knights roster will look like after another trade. They didn't trade a Knight away for mcDougal.

If Soriano gets moved to the Sox I wonder what the Yanks or Angels will do and how does this effect Abreau

 

Abreu and Cory Lidle to Yanks for second tier farm hands

Soriano to Angels for prospects

 

Done Deal. Lidle and Abreu for a SS from A ball (Number one selection last year) some RP Matt Smith (27 years old!) and one more name