No, seriously, I’m on my third pot of coffee and really wish I had some half-caf somewhere in the house. Here’s what’s grinding:
The Pirates appear to be going all or nothing with Jason Bay, willing to walk away from their deal with the Marlins and Red Sox if their price isn’t met. While multiple sources have confirmed what I wrote last night—that the framework is in place to make this deal happen—the prospects continue to be the holdup. While the Pirates are reportedly not insisting on any specific prospect (Stanton, Tucker, etc), they have an overall return in mind and thus far, they haven’t received it. If the deal falls through, Bay will stay with the Pirates.
The Red Sox, on the other hand, will try to deal Manny Ramirez even if the Pirates fall out. They can’t do a deal just to the Marlins, but the Dodgers and one other mystery team have been contacted. The Dodgers are thought to be offering Matt Kemp.
It looks as if the Reds, having moved Ken Griffey, are done. Or is that Dunn? Adam Dunn didn’t draw much attention and there’s some interesting things being rumored in the Griffey deal. First, the Reds continue to pay the deferred salary due Griffey for 2008. It’s unclear if the Reds are still on the hook for any of the buyout due Griffey ($4 million) if the White Sox don’t exercise his 2009 option. Even so, Griffey could force a deal if he chose to, being traded in the midst of a long-term deal.
Here’s a weird quote from a source: “If the Twins can move someone, they’ll call up Francisco Liriano.” That’s “if” not “when.”
Names popping up at the last minute: Marcus Thames, Huston Street, Jonathan Sanchez, and Paul Byrd.
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