Trade Deadline Update

An article by Hojo's Mojo    1 Comment

Here is a quick update of some of the trades and rumors of the last few days.

Done Deals

Phillies get starting pitcher Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco from the Indians for Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald and Lou Marson

This is a steal for the Phillies. Not only does Lee help them now, but he is signed for 2010 for a mere $8 million bucks. Not a bad price for a reigning Cy Young winner whose number will only get better with the switch in leagues. The worst part is that they didn’t have to part with their best pitching prospects Happ and Drabek, to acquire him. The NL East race sadly comes to a close, and the Phillies will have at least one more flag to hoist over their bandbox of a stadium.

Red Sox get outfielder Brian Anderson from the White Sox for outfielder Mark Kotsay

Yawn… Both players were on the outs, so this is just a swap of undesirables. No reason to believe that either of them will make an impact with their new teams.

Giants get outfielder Ryan Garko from the Indians for AA pitcher Scott Barnes.

Scott who? A good move for the Giants who now have passed the Rockies in the wild card race. They give up a pitching prospect in return for a versatile OF/1B who was batting .285 with 11 homers and 39 RBIs. I like his .826 OPS. 

Giants get second baseman Freddy Sanchez from the Pirates for AA pitcher Tim Alderson

The Pirates keep depleting their major league roster and it’s now barely an average AAA team. Sanchez is another solid addition for the Giants who clearly see an opportunity to advance to the NLDS and beyond. He immediately takes over at second base and provides them with a solid bat at the top of the order and good defense and range up the middle. I guess the Pirates are trying to beef up their 2012 rotation. and I’m not sure that they have even achieved that.

Hot Rumors

Victor Martinez – C – Indians

The Indians continue to receive offers for their All Star catcher and there is now no doubt that he will be moved before the deadline. Red Sox and Rays both want him.

Roy Halladay – SP – Blue Jays

The saga continues and the rumors keep swirling, but he still remains a Blue Jay. Ricciardi’s self imposed deadline expired a day ago, but Ken Rosenthal and others believe he will still be traded. The Dodgers apparently balked when the learned what they would have to give up, and some reports said it was as many as five prospects.

Mark Teahen – IF – Royals

The Royals have been fielding plenty of calls on their versatile infielder/outfielder who is having a solid season. Currently, it appears that the Chicago Cubs may be closer than anyone else in acquiring him.

Jarrod Washburn – SP – Mariners

The Mariners say they are not sellers, but their recent activity says otherwise. The Yankees and Phillies (before acquiring Cliff Lee) were kicking the tires on Washburn who would also be a nice fit on the Mets.