Results tagged ‘ Rockies ’
Rockies offer Huston Street to the Mets for Pedro Feliciano, Aaron Heilman
Shortly after the Rockies aquired Huston Street from the A’s in the Matt Holliday trade, the Mets came asking about Street. They offered Aaron Heilman straight up for Huston. Of course, this wouldn’t get it done. The Rox countered by asking for Pedro Feliciano to be included, but the Mets declined. My question is, “What are you thinking?” Street will make only about 5 million next year. After moving Heilman and Feliciano, the money added would probably only be 1 or 2 million. So, your’re getting a solid closer for barely nothing, so you can now spend on a starter, middle reliever, and possibly some more offense.
I understand that they might be afraid to lose Feliciano and count on Scott Schoeneweis, but with the extra money you can just sign a lefty reliever. Joe Bemiel, Brian Shouse, or Arthur Rhodes would be solid aquisitions. The left over money could be used on Derek Lowe. He would make their rotation scary. Spend 16 million on Lowe, and use the other 7 million on middle relievers to replace Feliciano and Heilman.
This could have worked out great for the Mets. This is smarter than committing to Francisco Rodriguez or Brian Fuentes, isn’t it? I have no idea why they declined.
A’s Aquire Matt Holliday!
The A’s have traded for Matt Holliday. Wow! This one is a real shock to me. I mean, I didn’t even know they were even in the bidding for him. They were just sellers, and now all of a sudden they become buyers. I thought the A’s would continue selling off parts, but I guess they want to go for it in 2009. For Holliday, they traded Carlos Gonzalez, Huston Street, and Greg Smith. In my opinion, the A’s did a decent job. I’d probably give them a B because they lost a great outfield prospect and will probably miss the playoffs even with Holliday. I give the Rockies an A because they got a huge return for just one year of Holliday. Carlos Gonzalez is a stud prospect that could become a player only a little worse than Holliday. Huston Street could become their next closer, replacing Brian Fuentes. If they would rather give the job to Taylor Buchholz or Manny Corpas, Street could become trade bait for a starter. Greg Smith is more of a throw in, but he adds depth to the rotation. having him out there instead of Glendon Rusch should make a big difference. The Rockies still need to add some pitching, though. Now that about 8 million is off the books, maybe the Rox will pursue a veteran starter via free agency. Derek Lowe could make sense because he’s a ground ball pitcher. So you wouldn’t have to overpay for him. They might again have to look at trades. Like I stated before, Street could be flipped to a different team for an arm. Maybe even combine him with a player such as Garret Atkins for a top-of-the-rotation starter. I know some people will think that Atkins will be off the block because of Holliday being moved; they’ll want to keep a big bat in there. But Ian Stewart still is without a position if they keep Garret. I think they trade Atkins even though Holliday is gone. Full seasons of Gonzalez and Stewart will make up for his production. The A’s might enter the free agent picture also. They showed that they will try to contend next year by trading for Holliday. They do have 30-35 million to spend if they are willing to raise payroll to 80 million. You’d think that they would be in the market for left side of the infield help. Rafeal Furcal could become a prime target. Casey Blake and Joe Crede could become possible third basemen aquisitions for their team. If they want to, they could even add another big bat like Prince Fielder. Imagine Prince Fielder and Matt Holliday together in a lineup that already features Jack Cust and possibly Rafael Furcal. With that kind of team and with various young players preforming well, they could rival the Angels for the AL East. If they can’t catch them, the wild card is an option. The Rockies might be able to compete in the weak NL West. Overall I like this trade a lot for both teams, but the Rockies definatly won it.
Cardianls and Phillies Frontrunners for Matt Holliday
The Cardinals and Phillies have surfaced as frontrunners for Matt Holliday. I recently wrote about the Cardinals situation. Additionly, they are offering a package of Ryan Ludwick, Skip Schumaker and Mitchell Boggs. This package is very strong, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see the Rox accept. Ludwick could play left field replacing Holliday, and Schumaker could share center field with Ryan Spilborhgs, replacing Willy Taveres if dealt. (which is very likely, especially if this trade goes down) The Cardinals open up two spots in the outfield corners by trading Ludwick and Schumaker. Holliday takes left, Ankiel moves to right, and top prospect Colby Rasmus takes over in center. I really like this trade a lot for both teams.
The Phillies are very interested as well. They can offer a lot, but not as much as the Cardinals. The Phils package would be Carlos Carrasco, Greg Golson, Joe Savery, and Lou Marson. This package is not very enticing to the Rox, however. Dextor Fowler is just as good as Golson is. Chris Iannetta is better than Lou Marson. Carrasco and Savery add depth, but you don’t trade Matt Holliday for just depth. I don’t see the Phillies working a deal out.
So both the Cardinals and Phillies are very aggresive in these trade talks. But the Cards have the undoubted lead.
Rockies Likely to Trade Matt Holliday
The Rockies are motivated to trade Matt Holliday. There isn’t a perfect fit for Matt, but several teams should still have interest. I did a player market for Holliday here. The Rockies prefer proven starting pitching, but are open to anything. One team that has emerged as a legitimate possiblity is the Cardinals. Yes, I know people consider them to have a surplus of outfielders. However, this is the best spot to add a big bat since there aren’t many power middle infielders around let alone available. It is unlikely the Cards would include top prospect Colby Rasmus, and they don’t have much prospect wise after him. Bryan Anderson has a lot of value, but the Rox already have a good catcher in Chris Ianetta. They would probably need to get another team involved. How about this three team trade between the Yankees, Cardinals, and Rockies…
Cardinals get: Matt Holliday
Yankees get: Garret Atkins, Rick Ankiel, Bryan Anderson
Rockies get: Robinson Cano, Ian Kennedy, Alan Horne, Chris Perez
I like this deal a lot. The Cardinals are trading Rick Ankiel, Bryan Anderson, and Chris Perez for Matt Holliday. It’s a steep price, but they add a big slugger as well as get Albert Pujols the protection he needs. So it makes Pujols a better player also. The Yankees greatly help out their offense. They get to DH Jorge Posada now that Bryan Anderson is with the club. They also fill the first base and center field holes with Ankiel and Atkins. The team loses a good second baseman, but they can always just sign Orlando Hudson to take his place. The Rockies are getting a very good deal as well. They lose their top two sluggers, but fill their hole at second base with a player that could easily rebound. Especially in that park. Chris Perez gives them a great late inning option, replacing Brian Fuentes. Ian Kennedy and Alan Horne are two decent back-of-the-rotation options. I know this is unlikely, but I think it makes a lot of sense.
Team’s Payroll
I will put the amount of money teams will have to spend this offseason along with their payroll from the previous year, arbitration eligible players, and the salary they have committed. This will make things easier when trying to guess who could afford the top-notch free agents. I was informed greatly from MLB Trade Rumors. This will be a side-bar link.
|
Teams |
Last year’s payroll |
Salary Committed |
Arbitration Eligible |
Estimated money to spend |
|
Braves |
102 million |
48 million |
Casey Kothman, Omar Infante, Kelly Johnson, Matt Diaz, Jeff Francoeur, Mike Gonzalez |
45 million |
|
Mets |
138 million |
104 million |
Ryan Church, John Maine, Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano, Duaner Sanchez |
28 million |
|
Phillies |
103 million |
100 million |
Cole Hamels, Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Greg Dobbs, Ryan Howard |
15 million |
|
Marlins |
21 million |
20 million |
Scott Olsen, Jorge Cantu, Ricky Nolasco, Mike Jacobs, Jeremy Hermida, Josh Willingham, Dan Uggla, Cody Ross, Matt Treanor, Alfredo Amezaga, Joe Nelson, Kevin Gregg, Logan Kensing, Eulogio de la Cruz, Doug, Waechter |
0 million |
|
Nationals |
55 million |
40 million |
Ryan Zimmerman, Tim Redding, Jesus Colome, Ryan Wagner, Willy Harris |
10 million |
|
Cubs |
118 million |
122 million |
Reed Johnson, Ronny Cedeno, Michael Wuertz, Neal Cotts, Chad Gaudin |
20 million |
|
Brewers |
80 million |
60 million |
Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, JJ Hardy, Corey Hart, Dave Bush, Seth McClung, Todd Coffey, Chris Capuano |
20 million |
|
Cardinals |
100 million |
78 million |
Aaron Miles, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Todd Wellemyer, Brad Thompson |
20 million |
|
Reds |
74 million |
54.5 million |
Bill Bray, Edwin Encarnacion, Mike Lincoln |
15 million |
|
Astros |
86 million |
88 million |
Humberto Quintero, Ty Wigginton, David Newhan, Brian Backe, Wandy Rodriguez, Jose Valverde, Geoff Geary, Tim Byrdak |
15 million |
|
Pirates |
49 million |
31 million |
Ryan Doumit, Adam LaRoche, Nate McLouth, Paul Maholm, Zack Duke, John Grabow, Tyler Yates, Denny Bautista |
8 million |
|
Dodgers |
59 million |
118 million |
Russell Martin, Andre Eithier, Takashi Saito, Jonathan Broxton, Scott Proctor, Yhency Brazoban |
50 million |
|
Diamond Backs |
66 million |
55 million |
Chris Snyder, Augie Ojeda, Conor Jackson, Chris Burke, Edgar Gonzalez, Chad Qualls |
10 million |
|
Rockies |
68 million |
77.5 million |
Garret Atkins, Willy Tavaras, Jorge de la Rosa, Jason Grilli |
3 million |
|
Padres |
73 million |
44 million |
Jody Gerut, Scott Hairston, Heath Bell, Clay Hensley |
4 million |
|
Giants |
76 million |
64 million |
Fred Lewis |
10 million |
|
Angels |
124 million |
87 million |
Macier Izturis, Rob Quinlan, Chone Figgins, Ervin Santana |
30 million |
|
A’s |
48 million |
29 million |
Huston Street, Justin Duchscherer Rob Bowen |
10 million + |
|
Rangers |
67 million |
63 million |
Gerald Laird, Marlon Byrd, Brandon McCarthy, Frank Francisco, CJ Wilson, Kameron Loe |
10 million |
|
Mariners |
117 million |
88 million |
Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard, Jeremy Reed |
20 million - |
|
White Sox |
121 million |
108 million |
Bobby Jenks, DJ Carasco, DeWayne Wise |
10 million |
|
Twins |
57 million |
54 million |
Jason Kubel, Matt Guerrier |
15 million |
|
Indians |
79 million |
64 million |
Kelly Shoppach |
15 million |
|
Tigers |
137 million |
115 million |
Marcus Thames, Ramon Santiago, Fernando Rodney, Justin Verlander, Gary Glover, Joel Zumaya, Bobby Seay |
|
|
14 millionRoyals |
58 million |
52 million |
John Buck, Esteban German, Mark Teahen, Joey Gathright, Zack Greinke, Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies, Jimmy Gobble, Joel Peralta |
7 million |
|
Red Sox |
133 million |
92 million |
Kevin Youkilis, Kevin Cash, Javier Lopez, Jonathan Papelban |
33 million |
|
Rays |
43 million |
49 million |
Edwin Jackson, Dioner Navarro, Jason Bartlett, Gabe Gross, Jonny Gomes, Grant Balfour |
5 million |
|
Yankees |
209 million |
140 million |
Xavier Nady, Wilson Betemit, Chien-Ming Wang, Brian Bruney |
50 million |
|
Blue Jays |
98 million |
80 million |
Jose Bautista, Jason Frasor, Brian Tallet, Brandon League |
15 million |
|
Orioles |
67 million |
63 million |
Freddie Bynum, Luke Scott, Nick Markakis, Jeremy Guthrie, Daniel Cabrera, George Sherrill, Chris Ray, Fernando Cabrera |
15 million |
Garret Atkins to the A’s for Huston Street Makes Sense
I thought of a trade that could make sense between the A’s and the Rockies. Garret Atkins for Huston Street. The A’s have long been in need of a third baseman, and while Atkins is no gold glover, his bat makes up for it. The A’s need to get some power into the lineup, and first base is the perfect place to inject it. Huston Street is not needed with the A’s because of all of their young, power bullpen arms. Also, the A’s would still have enough money to afford Rafeal Furcal because they would only be going up a couple million in salary. This trade also makes sense for the Rockies. They will lose Brian Fuentes to free agency, and I’m not 100% convinced that Manny Corpas can become the closer he once was. If nothing else, Street could make a quality set-up man or perhaps a trade chip to get a starting pitcher. This trade is leaning a little bit in the A’s favor if you ask me, because the Rox don’t really need Street, so maybe the A’s would have to thrown in a pitcher like Dana Eveland or Greg Smith to make the deal work. Or, perhaps they get another team involved and make it a three-way trade. It could happen.
Player Market: Derek Lowe
Next up in our Player Market series is Derek Lowe. Lets look at some interested parties.
Red Sox (frontrunner) The Red Sox are a frontrunner to sign former Red Sox player Derek Lowe. He has said he would like to move back to the east coast, and with the Red Sox trying to add a starter, they could look to sign him. I’m sure he’d like to return, as well.
Mets (frontrunner) They’ll be focusing on starting pithing this offseason, and you would have to think that they would love to slot Derek Lowe in there right behind Johan Santana. They are an east coast team, and Lowe would probably go there if offered the right amount of money. This team makes a lot of sense.
Dodgers (possible) Even though it looks like they aren’t terribly interested, they still have to at least consider bringing him back. He has been so good for them during his contract, and it only makes sense for them to go after him.
Blue Jays (possible) After losing Shaun Marcum for 2009, they’ll be looking at the starting pitching market. Derek Lowe would like to return to the east coast and the Blue Jays make a lot of sense. They also have a lot of money to spend so they can afford him. This one makes a lot of sense.
Braves (possible) It is very likely that the Braves go hard after starting pitching this offseason. Derek Lowe would be at the top of their list. A durable, consistent, ground ball pitcher. I’m sure they would love to add Lowe, but not sure if they would pony up enough cash for Derek.
Astros (possible) Since they play in Minute Maid Park, they probably would prefer a ground-ball-pitcher. They also work well with his agent, Scott Boras. This team makes a lot of sense if they miss out on other targets.
Rangers (possible) Derek Lowe would be very effective as a ground-ball pitcher in the hitter-friendly ballpark in Arlington. The Rangers would be very interested because he’s keeps the ball in the park, and they could use as much pitching as they can get.
Cardinals (possible) They will be looking for starting pitching for sure this offseason. At least one, probably two. Derek Lowe would be a huge addition to this team. If they are willing to spend the dough, I could definatly see Lowe signing here.
Rockies (dark horse) Many teams that play in hitters ballparks would like to add Lowe because he is a sinker-baller. The Rox can use as many of those as they can get because they play at Coors Field. If they decide to go for it in ’09, I could see them signing Lowe.
Player Market: Matt Holliday
The Rockies are likely to entertain offers for Matt Holliday this winter. Lets take a look at some teams that could be interested.
Rockies (frontrunner) There is no clear fit for Holliday, making it likely that he stays put this winter. It seems as though teams would be more willing to sign a Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn, or Pat Burrell before trading top prospects for Holliday. I think he stays.
Rays (possible) If the Rays miss out on the big free agent targets named above then Holliday makes sense here. They would need to be willing to part with some prospects, however. I don’t think the Rox will ask for David Price again just as they did at the trade-deadline. I think Wade Davis and Reid Brignac would definatly get a deal done unless Dan O’Dowd is still asking for the moon like he did with Holliday and Brian Fuentes at the trade-deadline. I don’t know if the Rays would do that deal, either.
Angels (possible) The Angels are a possible destination if they miss out on Mark Teixera and maybe even if they bring back Tex. Nick Adenhart could be available and maybe Adenhart plus Sean Rodriguez = Matt Hoilliday. I think the Angels would do that move. The time for the Rockies to make that trade was July 28, 2008, however, because the Angels might of even offered more and gotten Holliday instead of Teixera. A deal still could be worked out, though.
Yankees (possible) The Yankees could pull off a trade for Holliday. If they let Bobby Abreu walk they could move Xavier Nady to right which opens up a run at Holliday to play left field. They would have to offer Phil Hughes or Austin Jackson, however. The Yankees seem to want to keep Jackson and make him their every-day center fielder at some point next year or in 2010 worst case scenerio. Hughes seems more likely, but that doesn’t mean they’ll move him. The Rockies would jump at a chance to get either, though, and you never know what Hank Steinbrenner will order Brian Cashman to do.
Phillies (possible) This might not happen becasue the Phillies don’t have much young talent. They would have to give up the entire farm to get him and that might not be enough. It would take a package of Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Greg Golson, and Joe Savery. This would kill the system, and I’m not sure they would want to do that for a rentall. They might not be able to afford it, either, unless they make a Ryan Howard trade and that doesn’t make a lot of sense unless they get a great offer. I don’t know if the Rox would even take that. They have a better center field prospect, better catcher, and get only 2 good, not great, pitching prospects.
Nationals (slim chance) It has been stated that the Nats could make a huge offer to the Rox and then ask for a 72 hour negotiation clause. Then they would offer him a major deal and get him to sign an extension with them. This doesn’t make much sense to me because A) Holliday will almost definatly want to test the free agent market unless he gets Scott Boras’ crazy demands in the extension. And B) Why don’t the Nats just keep their young talent and make this monster offer in the offseason of next year. I doubt this happens and if they’re even interested, Jim Bowden needs to be fired right away.
Royals (slim chance) They too are not likely for the same reasons the Nationals aren’t. But, since they are a possibility I will metion them.
Blue Jays (Dark Horse) This would be if my wild trade thought happens. I don’t think it’s likely, but that’s why they are a dark horse and not a favorite. You can see what I think about a possible aquisition in the link.
Wild Trade Thought
I recently throght of a wild trade that could potentially make sense between the Blue Jays and Rockies. The Blue Jays trade Roy Halladay and Lyle Overbay to the Rox for Matt Holliday and Garret Atkins. Yes, the Rockies lose a lot of fire power from their lineup, and the Jays lose their ace pitcher, but it still makes sense. The Rockies are said to be looking for an ace and Roy Halladay definatly fits the bill. They need to move one of Atkins/Holliday anyway to open room for Ian Stewart and could sign a big bat left fielder like Pat Burrell or Adam Dunn to fill the void left by Holliday. They could get Burrell or Dunn at a discount because they play in Coors Field and who wouldn’t want to come play there. It would be easier to lure one of them than it would to lure CC Sabathia or Ben Sheets. They also get a solid first baseman option in Overbay just in case Todd Helton is still hurt. This trade makes a lot of sense for the Rockies.
This also makes sense for the Blue Jays because adding Holliday and Atkins to the lineup would instantly give them a lineup that can compete with the Red Sox and Yankees. They lose their ace pitcher, but AJ Burnett is said to want to come back at the right price. If the Jays are without Halladay, I think they pay that price and bring Burnett back. A front two of Burnett and Shaun Marcum is pretty solid. They have other good pitchers as well. The bullpen is very good, and the lineup becomes good with this trade. I think this trade makes the Blue Jays a better team.
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