With the All Star Game in full bloom and Josh Hamilton the talk of everyone in baseball and beyond today, the rumors are pretty quiet, but there’s some:
* With Josh Hamilton and Dan Uggla going from freely available talent to All Stars seemingly overnight, many teams are taking a harder look at the Rule 5 draft. It’s a bit trendy right now for teams to say they’re going to try and find the next Hamilton, but there’s probably going to be a couple teams that actually think they can do it. Jeff Allison is the easy pick there, especially with the touting he gets from Peter Gammons.
* I got a wad of text messages from people inside the game wondering if Hideki Matsui makes the Yankees buyers (looking to replace him rather than going with Brett Gardner and Justin Christian) or sellers. Problem is, no one had any idea what the Yanks would sell. Bobby Abreu could slot in for a lot of teams, but the Yankees would have to eat some salary or take less back in prospects. With Richie Sexson coming in according to several reports, Johnny Damon (still not healthy) might end up forced back to LF full-time.
* Pat Gillick has heard the talk about him moving back to Seattle as team president, but doesn’t seem that interested. As for the conflict of interest in the ongoing Erik Bedard discussions, Gillick has always taken a backseat to Mike Arbuckle when it comes to these and Ruben Amaro has been involved as well with prospect discussions. The deal isn’t going to get serious until Bedard gets back on the mound and proves he’s healthy. For their part, the Mariners seem ready to dump a couple guys, but it’s hardly a fire sale.
* A.J. Burnett’s contract status is holding back trade talks. Unlike pitchers that need to prove their healthy, Burnett’s status for 2009-2010 is acting as a barrier. While most talked about not wanting a player that could opt out, the contract as written is something of a safety net in case he’s injured again. One team demanded a PTNBL be included in the deal on both sides that could be thought of as salary ballast, but the Jays never got close on that.
* Is it possible to be a buyer and a seller at the deadline? Several teams are saying that they’ll keep all strategic options open, while other think that teams like the Braves, Rangers, and even the Rays will be more seller than buyer, leaving many hoping that this will be a last minute buyer’s market.
* Ian Snell is a name that hasn’t been discussed much, but could bring a huge return for the Pirates. He’s durable, solid, and seems the type that would relish being in a pennant chase. The Pirates would have to be overwhelmed, but one FOT I spoke with suggested that Snell is the equal of Rich Harden in talent. I didn’t buy it, but they have similar body types, two pitch repertoires with similar velocity and movement, and some questions about durability. The Pirates are more likely to trade Jason Bay or Xavier Nady, though probably not both. Andrew McCutcheon is a downgrade, but could offer up some hope for fans while either of the vets could bring a solid return. The Rays, Dodgers, and Mets have all taken a look at one of the OFers.
* A lot more discussion of Adrian Beltre to the Twins has come up lately, though the Twins have also taken a hard look at Hank Blalock, Garrett Atkins, and even Casey Blake. The Twins have pitching to trade and seem willing to make a move as they chase the White Sox.
* Tony La Russa has called for some reinforcements, but other than Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, it’s unlikely that the Cards will be in on any big names. The team has reportedly been taking a look at Triple-A players that could be had on the cheap in hopes that they end up becoming the next Ryan Ludwick.
* One crazy scenario I heard involved the Brewers not gaining ground and flipping CC Sabathia at the deadline to the Giants for Matt Cain. Unless the Giants really think they can keep the Bay Area native, this one makes no sense. The Brewers, at worst, load up on picks and still think they can come back on the Cubs, especially with the problems the Cubs may have with an overworked pen. Please note that these crazy rumors get knocked around all the time and as far as I can tell, it should come with the standard Vegas disclaimer: for entertainment purposes only.
* One money quote from a FOT: “The Dbacks? Sleeping giant right now. They’ll break the trade market if they decide they want to go for it now.”
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