MLB Trading Deadline Sunday 4:00 PM ET

[-Slap-]

About a billion rumors out there.

As has been the case for the past couple of years, anybody who wants Manny Ramirez can pretty much have him. Gratis. The only catch, anyone who wants him must pick up all of the $57 million he's owed over the next three years.


Whither Man-Ram?

AJ Burnett has been rumored to be headed to many locations, most notably to the White Sox for a package involving top prospect Brandon McCarthy. Now they're saying AJ might just stay with Florida all year.

Lots of Alfonzo Soriano rumors floating around. The Mets are interested, but Texas wants Jose Reyes plus a prime pitching prospect. The Cubs are also in the mix. Man, if they hated Corey Patterson's plate discipline, they're not going to be too thrilled with Soriano's hackamatic approach, either.

Looks like Phil Nevin has been traded. Again. The Rangers this time. Lets see if they can get this one to stick. Nevin has had three deals nixed by no-trade clauses in the last couple years. He voided the last one to Baltimore, this time its up the Chan Ho Park.

I guess the Reds have four outfielders on the block: Ken Griffey Jr., Wily Mo Pena, Austin Kearns and Adam Dunn. Way to keep a happy clubhouse there, Dan O'Brien. Dunn is rumored to be headed to Oakland. Not sure if I would change anything if I was Oakland right now, but Dunn would be a great fit.

Billy Wagner might have talked himself off another team. The Red Sox want him badly, but deny strong interest. If Wags is traded, Ugueth Urbina will slide into the closer's job in Philly. Separate Urbina rumors floating around. There are always Urbina rumors floating around, though. The guy is one of the biggest a-holes in baseball and he wears out his welcome quickly wherever he goes.

Aubrey Huff is on the market, as usual. Tampa Bay, perennially clueless about trading, will huff and puff and blow all potential deals, as usual. Tampa GM Chuck LaMar's asking price will be laughably exorbitant, as usual. Frigging amateurs down there in Tampa.

[SoCalBronco]

As usual, Ken Williams loves unnecessarily throwing away our up and coming prospects.

[Goobzilla]

I think Gil Meche and/or Randy Winn are on the block in Seattle as well. The Yankees made a run at them before swiping Chacon.

[-Slap-]

Originally Posted by SoCalBronco

As usual, Ken Williams loves unnecessarily throwing away our up and coming prospects.

I think Burnett would be a good acquisition. I'm not sold on McCarthy. His fastball is really straight and his velocity isn't eye popping.

For the sake of my roto teams, I hope AJ remains in pitching friendly Dolphins Stadium.

[Broncoman13]

What do you think the Stros will do Slap. I was hoping for Dunn at first but the more you look at that offense the more you realize that they are pretty much set right now. The line-up is set and bringing in somebody like Dunn might hurt the chemistry. If anything I think they should bring in a 4th starter. Petite has a long injury history since joining the club and the Stros 5th pitcher right now isn't exactly lights out (I know 5th starter) and probably wouldn't even be on most major league rosters. I've seen where they may be interested in Jamie Moyer... what do you think?

[Rock Chalk]

Originally Posted by -Slap-

About a billion rumors out there.

As has been the case for the past couple of years, anybody who wants Manny Ramirez can pretty much have him. Gratis. The only catch, anyone who wants him must pick up all of the $57 million he's owed over the next three years.


Whither Man-Ram?

AJ Burnett has been rumored to be headed to many locations, most notably to the White Sox for a package involving top prospect Brandon McCarthy. Now they're saying AJ might just stay with Florida all year.

Lots of Alfonzo Soriano rumors floating around. The Mets are interested, but Texas wants Jose Reyes plus a prime pitching prospect. The Cubs are also in the mix. Man, if they hated Corey Patterson's plate discipline, they're not going to be too thrilled with Soriano's hackamatic approach, either.

Looks like Phil Nevin has been traded. Again. The Rangers this time. Lets see if they can get this one to stick. Nevin has had three deals nixed by no-trade clauses in the last couple years. He voided the last one to Baltimore, this time its up the Chan Ho Park.

I guess the Reds have four outfielders on the block: Ken Griffey Jr., Wily Mo Pena, Austin Kearns and Adam Dunn. Way to keep a happy clubhouse there, Dan O'Brien. Dunn is rumored to be headed to Oakland. Not sure if I would change anything if I was Oakland right now, but Dunn would be a great fit.

Billy Wagner might have talked himself off another team. The Red Sox want him badly, but deny strong interest. If Wags is traded, Ugueth Urbina will slide into the closer's job in Philly. Separate Urbina rumors floating around. There are always Urbina rumors floating around, though. The guy is one of the biggest a-holes in baseball and he wears out his welcome quickly wherever he goes.

Aubrey Huff is on the market, as usual. Tampa Bay, perennially clueless about trading, will huff and puff and blow all potential deals, as usual. Tampa GM Chuck LaMar's asking price will be laughably exorbitant, as usual. Frigging amateurs down there in Tampa.

As much as I was mad at Wagner for his comments here in Houston, we could use another closer for our playoff push this year. Though, I suspect the kid will never wear an Astro's uniform again, and even if he did, the fans might just boo his ass.

Meanwhile, Beltran $uck$.

[-Slap-]

Originally Posted by Bronco Man 13

What do you think the Stros will do Slap. I was hoping for Dunn at first but the more you look at that offense the more you realize that they are pretty much set right now. The line-up is set and bringing in somebody like Dunn might hurt the chemistry. If anything I think they should bring in a 4th starter. Petite has a long injury history since joining the club and the Stros 5th pitcher right now isn't exactly lights out (I know 5th starter) and probably wouldn't even be on most major league rosters. I've seen where they may be interested in Jamie Moyer... what do you think?

Moyer is a possibility, but a lot of teams tend to stay away from soft tossers in the post season, where power pitchers rule the day. Ausmus and Everett are glaring holes in that lineup, but Houston management seems content to field a team with two offensive cyphers.

I believe any team who lands Dunn will be happy. His power potential is limitless. You just have to be prepared for a trip to DunnLand. That means watching him go 2-30 with 14 strikeouts, followed by an 11-20 tear with four homers, followed by a 3-26 with 12 strikeouts, followed by 9-24 with six homers. Etc, etc.

[Rock Chalk]

Originally Posted by -Slap-

Moyer is a possibility, but a lot of teams tend to stay away from soft tossers in the post season, where power pitchers rule the day. Ausmus and Everett are glaring holes in that lineup, but Houston management seems content to field a team with two offensive cyphers.

I believe any team who lands Dunn will be happy. His power potential is limitless. You just have to be prepared for a trip to DunnLand. That means watching him go 2-30 with 14 strikeouts, followed by an 11-20 tear with four homers, followed by a 3-26 with 12 strikeouts, followed by 9-24 with six homers. Etc, etc.

Ausmus I could do without, but Everett has his moments, and usually they are in clutch situations. I have been especially pleased with Beltran's replacement, Tavaras. He may not be the power hitter Beltran was, but he certainly has speed and has set the single season infield hit record for the Astros (51 last I saw). Power isn't everything, and hustle can help out a lot.

[Hogan11]

I've been hearing that the Astros may have some interest in Matt Lawton (I hope) That guy is the poorest base runner I've ever seen.

Someone...anyone hopefully will take Redman, Wells and Vogelsong for some prospects. Hell, I'd trade Vogelsong for a dozen doughnuts if I was the Buccos...He must go.

Also a buzz going around Pirates circles that Mark Cuban confirmed he will make a push to buy the team off from McClatchy.....that would be great if he gets McCheapo to sell.

[Broncoman13]

Originally Posted by -Slap-

Moyer is a possibility, but a lot of teams tend to stay away from soft tossers in the post season, where power pitchers rule the day. Ausmus and Everett are glaring holes in that lineup, but Houston management seems content to field a team with two offensive cyphers.

I believe any team who lands Dunn will be happy. His power potential is limitless. You just have to be prepared for a trip to DunnLand. That means watching him go 2-30 with 14 strikeouts, followed by an 11-20 tear with four homers, followed by a 3-26 with 12 strikeouts, followed by 9-24 with six homers. Etc, etc.

I agree that Moyer isn't going to be much in the postseason if the Stros get that far, but by then they'll likely have a 3 or 4 pitcher rotation with Oswalt, Clemens, Petite and Backe. Moyer would be the 5th wheel and allow those guys to stay relatively fresh for a push and hopefully the playoffs.

As for Dunn, I'd love to have him. I'm just not real sure the stros need him right now. He wants to play in Houston and that is a plus but I can't see the Reds moving him right now. Plus it's not like the Stros would pay him anyhow. I nearly fell out of my seat when they decided to pay Clemens!

BTW, I called the Stros resurgence back in late May when everybody was expecting them to trade Clemens. They're actually in better shape than last year!

[-Slap-]

Originally Posted by Hogan11

Also a buzz going around Pirates circles that Mark Cuban confirmed he will make a push to buy the team off from McClatchy.....that would be great if he gets McCheapo to sell.

Hey, then you can have the biggest flava clown of all owning your team.

[-Slap-]

Originally Posted by Bronco Man 13

I agree that Moyer isn't going to be much in the postseason if the Stros get that far, but by then they'll likely have a 3 or 4 pitcher rotation with Oswalt, Clemens, Petite and Backe. Moyer would be the 5th wheel and allow those guys to stay relatively fresh for a push and hopefully the playoffs.

As for Dunn, I'd love to have him. I'm just not real sure the stros need him right now. He wants to play in Houston and that is a plus but I can't see the Reds moving him right now. Plus it's not like the Stros would pay him anyhow. I nearly fell out of my seat when they decided to pay Clemens!

BTW, I called the Stros resurgence back in late May when everybody was expecting them to trade Clemens. They're actually in better shape than last year!

Its just hard to imagine how a Reds/Astros trade involving Adam Dunn would work. Both teams have a glut of (mostly) young outfielders already, so they would have to get creative.

Taveras was on my radar screen early. Believe it or not, I was drafting him in the 22nd round on a lot of my roto teams. He helped me build insurmountable SB leads in most leagues, too. I've waived him in every league and only reacquired him in one, but only because I no longer have the need for speed.

I'm sure Cleveland wishes they had him back. Its interesting because you get conflicting opinions on his defense. He has tremendous range due to his speed, but he also misjudges a lot of balls at this stage of his development. He has Gold Glove potential, but he has to get more consistent with the routine plays, not just the spectacular ones.

[-Slap-]

I still have the taste of vomit in my mouth from the thought of Mark Cuban in Major League Baseball.

[-Slap-]

Well, Eric Byrnes felt like a rental and he was. After being rumored in trades to at least a half a dozen teams, he was finally dealt to the Orioles yesterday for a player remarkably similar to himself. Larry Bigbie is slightly younger than Byrnes, 27 to 29 and he bats left handed. He's not as fast, but they're about equal in power. Like Byrnes, Bigbie is an extremely streaky hitter.

The big difference, and the reason I think this was a lousy trade for Colorado, was on defense. Byrnes' speed was a good fit in a spacious outfield like Coors' and his balls out approach chasing flyballs would have been a crowd pleaser. Bigbie is more of a corner OF type.

ORIOLES NOTEBOOK
Bigbie Goes To Colorado For Byrnes

By Jorge Arangure Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 30, 2005; Page E08

BALTIMORE, July 29 -- The Orioles have acquired outfielder Eric Byrnes from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for outfielder Larry Bigbie. The two teams spoke at length about Byrnes on Friday, according to an official with one of the teams involved, but at one point reached an impasse that seemed to kill the deal. Bigbie started Friday's game in left field and then was replaced by Luis Matos prior to the start of the fourth inning. That began the speculation that Bigbie had been traded, but no announcement from the Orioles was made until late in the game.

Prior to Friday, Byrnes was hitting .253 this season with seven home runs playing for both the Rockies and the Oakland Athletics. Byrnes was traded to the Rockies on July 13.

He can play all three outfield positions and has been dubbed the "Human Crash Test Dummy" for his spectacular running and diving catches.

Several in the Orioles organization like Byrnes's relentless energy, comparing it to that of Miguel Tejada. Byrnes likely will become the Orioles' starting left fielder.

Bigbie, 27, has been somewhat of a disappointment in his four-plus seasons with Baltimore. A first-round selection in 1999 (21st overall), Bigbie was hitting just .249 with five home runs and a .316 on-base percentage this year entering Friday's game. He began the season as the starting left fielder but never could get going offensively.

In the past few weeks, Bigbie's name had been mentioned in several trade rumors, including as part of deals for Marlins pitcher A.J. Burnett and Pirates outfielder Matt Lawton. The trade rumors appeared to affect Bigbie on the field. He said he had a difficult time feeling part of the team when he knew he was likely headed elsewhere.

[Hogan11]

Originally Posted by -Slap-

Hey, then you can have the biggest flava clown of all owning your team.

True....but you have to admit, at least he'd put some much needed cash into the team.

Besides, when it comes to MLB, what owner isn't a prick?? I've been thru some of the very worst (Brochu, Loria The Sith Lord and MLB itself) so a flake like Cuban would actually be an improvement.....as whacked out as that sounds.

[Clockwork Orange]

Originally Posted by -Slap-

Well, Eric Byrnes felt like a rental and he was. After being rumored in trades to at least a half a dozen teams, he was finally dealt to the Orioles yesterday for a player remarkably similar to himself. Larry Bigbie is slightly younger than Byrnes, 27 to 29 and he bats left handed. He's not as fast, but they're about equal in power. Like Byrnes, Bigbie is an extremely streaky hitter.

The big difference, and the reason I think this was a lousy trade for Colorado, was on defense. Byrnes' speed was a good fit in a spacious outfield like Coors' and his balls out approach chasing flyballs would have been a crowd pleaser. Bigbie is more of a corner OF type.

That's Dealin' Dan O'Dowd at work again.

This deal sucks, but not nearly as bad as dumping Shawn Chacon for a bag of magic beans. Chacon went from making the All-Star team as a starter, to Clint Hurdle deciding it'd be a great idea to make him a closer (that expirament failed miserably), to moving him back to the rotation where he got little run support yet had the lowest ERA of any Rockies starter.

How O'Dowd & Hurdle still have jobs is beyond me.

[-Slap-]

Originally Posted by Clockwork Orange

That's Dealin' Dan O'Dowd at work again.

This deal sucks, but not nearly as bad as dumping Shawn Chacon for a bag of magic beans. Chacon went from making the All-Star team as a starter, to Clint Hurdle deciding it'd be a great idea to make him a closer (that expirament failed miserably), to moving him back to the rotation where he got little run support yet had the lowest ERA of any Rockies starter.

How O'Dowd & Hurdle still have jobs is beyond me.

Exactly. Chacon was a good soldier, did everything they asked of him, at least to the best of his ability, even when they miscast him. He showed the guts to pitch in Coors and still be effective, so they dump him for two highly suspect prospects. Just a directionless franchise.

To me, the worst part of the Byrnes deal, was that he seemed to be fairly well coveted throughout the league. Bigbie seems like a small payoff. He's a marginal player who's probably not going to get much better.

[Play2win]

Originally Posted by -Slap-

Exactly. Chacon was a good soldier, did everything they asked of him, at least to the best of his ability, even when they miscast him. He showed the guts to pitch in Coors and still be effective, so they dump him for two highly suspect prospects. Just a directionless franchise.

To me, the worst part of the Byrnes deal, was that he seemed to be fairly well coveted throughout the league. Bigbie seems like a small payoff. He's a marginal player who's probably not going to get much better.

And People wonder why I stuck with my Colorado roots and stayed a Cubs fan, and never jumped ship over to the Rockies.

Atleast the Cubs have history. That, and a ballpark that is rich in history, charactor and aesthetics.

[-Slap-]

National League West

San Diego 51 52 .495
Arizona 50 55 .476 - 2
L.A. Dodgers 47 56 .456 - 4
San Francisco 45 57 .441 - 5½
Colorado 36 66 .353 - 14½

San Diego's recent eight game losing streak put every team in the NL West under .500 two thirds of the way through the season.......

The White Sox are 66 and 35. The best record in baseball and a .653 winning percentage. I've looked at that team and all I can say is.......

[-Slap-]

Deadline Rumors du Jour

Here's a quick-and-dirty laundry list of names that have been linked to active deadline clubs in recent hours (Sources: ProSportsDaily.com, Baseball Prospectus) ...

Angels — Mike Cameron, Mets; Brian Fuentes, Rockies; Shea Hillenbrand, Blue Jays; Phil Nevin, Padres; Corey Patterson, Cubs; Ron Villone, Mariners; Billy Wagner, Phillies

Astros — J.C. Romero, Twins

A's — Adam Dunn, Reds

Blue Jays — Kyle Lohse, Twins

Braves — Aubrey Huff, Devil Rays; Rondell White, Tigers

Cardinals — Matt Lawton, Pirates; Melvin Mora, Orioles

Devil Rays — Ryan Madson, Phillies; Dmitri Young, Tigers

Dodgers — Adam Dunn, Reds; Reed Johnson, Blue Jays

Giants — A.J. Burnett, Marlins

Marlins — Bronson Arroyo, Red Sox; Jose Contreras, White Sox; Matt Herges, Diamondbacks; Mark Redman, Pirates; Billy Wagner, Phillies

Mets — Danys Baez, Devil Rays; Sean Casey, Reds; Aubrey Huff, Devil Rays; Jose Mesa, Pirates; Manny Ramirez, Red Sox; Alfonso Soriano, Rangers, Ron Villone, Mariners; Daryle Ward, Pirates

Nationals — Julio Lugo, Devil Rays

Orioles — A.J. Burnett, Marlins; Matt Lawton; Pirates; Mark Redman, Pirates; Nate Robertson, Tigers; Jeff Weaver, Dodgers

Phillies — Bronson Arroyo, Phillies; Danys Baez, Devil Rays; A.J. Burnett, Marlins; Wade Miller, Red Sox; Jamie Moyer, Mariners; Joel Pineiro, Mariners

Rangers — Mike Cameron, Mets; Sidney Ponson, Orioles

Red Sox — A.J. Burnett, Marlins; Jose Cruz Jr., Diamondbacks; Eddie Guardado, Mariners; Aubrey Huff, Devil Rays; Jacque Jones, Twins; Matt Lawton, Pirates; Ricky Ledee, Dodgers; Terrence Long, Royals; Mark Redman, Pirates; J.C. Romero, Twins; Ron Villone, Mariners; Billy Wagner, Phillies

Tigers — Danys Baez, Devil Rays; A.J. Burnett, Marlins

Twins — Chris Burke, Astros; Shea Hillenbrand, Blue Jays; Orlando Hudson, Blue Jays; Bill Mueller, Red Sox; Alfonso Soriano, Rangers

White Sox — A.J. Burnett, Marlins; Scott Eyre, Giants; Aubrey Huff, Devil Rays; Jason Schmidt, Giants; Billy Wagner, Phillies

Yankees — Jose Cruz Jr.; Scott Eyre, Giants; Orlando Hernandez, White Sox; Gil Meche, Mariners; Gary Matthews Jr., Rangers; Jamie Moyer, Mariners; Mark Redman, Pirates; J.C. Romero, Twins; Scott Sauerbeck, Indians; Randy Winn, Mariners

Compiled by Dayn Perry / FOXSports.com

[Breck Bronc]

Originally Posted by -Slap-

To me, the worst part of the Byrnes deal, was that he seemed to be fairly well coveted throughout the league. Bigbie seems like a small payoff. He's a marginal player who's probably not going to get much better.

It's been rumored that Bigbie will be sent to Boston for catching prospect Kelly Shoppach if the Manny Ramirez-to-the-Mets trade falls through.

If the Rox get Shoppach then the Byrnes deal will have at least made more sense. Catcher, along with center field, is the biggest weakness in the Colorado organization now that the J.D. Closser experiment has turned into a disaster. Shoppach is a much better defensive catcher than Closser and has power and patience at the plate. I hope the Rockies get him after the Chacon deal turned out to be such a joke.

Originally Posted by Play2Win

Atleast the Cubs have history. That, and a ballpark that is rich in history, charactor and aesthetics.

Coors Field has character and aesthetics. And it will turn into Wrigley West with all the Cubs fans that will fill it next month when Chicago visits Colorado. Ah, the power of WGN.

[Clockwork Orange]

It's rumored that a proposed 3 team trade between Boston/NY Mets/Tampa Bay that would send Manny Ramirez to NY is almost dead......but not completely.

It's also worth mentioning that Shawn Chacon pitched 6 innings and didn't allow an earned run in his first start for the Yankees today. I hope he does well in NY for two reasons. First, because he's a good guy who did whatever was asked of him and did the best he could here in Colorado. Secondly, to further illustrate the laughable incompetance of Dan O'Dowd and the Rockies front office.

[OrangeShadow]

tell ya what manny can be however he wants 28 hrrs 94 rbis guys.

[phillybroncosnut]

If I'm Ed Wade (thank god I'm not), I get on the horn to Theo Epstein and offer him Abreu and Thome for Manny, Youlkills and Stoppach.

Losing Abreu would hurt but getting Manny will make me forget about Abreu very quickly. Throwing Thome in the deal will even up the contracts. The Sox could use Thome as DH or first.
The Phillies would plug Chase Utley in the 3 hole and have Manny hitting 4th while Burrell slides to the 5 hole. Ryan Howard is the real deal for the Phils at 1st base.
The Sox would get a career .315-.320 hitter who is a consistent 30/30 guy. They would also rid themselves of the disgruntled Manny.
The Phils would also have the chance to finally boot Mike Liebersucks ass to the curb.

I would then deal Wagner to the Fish for Burnett especially if we deal Ryan Madson to the Rays for Beaz. What club needs 3 closers?

The only problem is that Wade is the worst GM in all of sports so we have no shot at acquiring anyone worth a damn.

[-Slap-]

Dude, it would cost you way, way less than Abreu to acquire Manny Ramirez.

I guess Francona told Manny that he would have a certain day off. Before that day's game, Trot Nixon took some minor injury and was forced out of the lineup. Francona explained this to Manny and asked him to postpone his day off. Manny said, "you promised me a day off and I'm taking it".

I would say that was the last straw, but Boston has been trying to rid themselves of Manny for a couple years now. Are people forgetting that they put him on waivers last winter and nobody was biting? That was back when there was still $80 million left on his deal. Now there's $57 million left and it looks like the Mets are the only team considering it. Rumored compensation is Mike Cameron.