Category: Latest News

Trade Talk- Griffey To White Sox, Manny To Marlins

Multiple media outlets are reporting that the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox have a deal in place to move Ken Griffey Jr. to the White Sox pending his approval. He’s got a no trade clause and 10-5 protection, so he must approve the deal. We don’t know what the Reds are getting in return for him.

It’ll be interesting to see if Junior finally approves a trade. The Reds have been trying to move him for years but he’s always turned down the deals, including to the Mets.

Jon Heyman is reporting at SI that a three team deal is in the works for Manny Ramirez to go to the Florida Marlins, Jason Bay to the Boston Red Sox, and prospects plus Jeremy Hermida to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The details haven’t been finalized yet though.

Manny Ramirez has 10-5 protection and has to approve any trade. I’m sure he’ll want something from the Marlins. He may want his two option years picked up at $20 million each, or he may want an assurance that they won’t be picked up so he can become a free agent at the end of this season. Who knows with him?

Mets May Be Forced To Trade For Manny Ramirez

There are some trade rumors blowing around that the Mets and Phillies are two of the most serious teams about trading for Manny Ramirez. Of course, some other teams are in the mix like the Dodgers as well. It’s hard to get a gauge on how much stock to put in these crazy rumors before the non-waiver trading deadline tomorrow at 4:00pm EDT.

In a perfect world, I would say that the Mets shouldn’t trade for Manny. And I say that for all of the reasons that you already know. He’s eccentric (an understatement), and he’s a one dimensional player. Not to mention the fact that this season he’s been more petulant than usual in Boston.

But the Mets cannot let the Philadelphia Phillies obtain Manny in a trade. They need to do their due diligence to find out how serious the Phillies are about Manny. If the Phillies are serious, the Mets need to go to the mat to get Manny from the Red Sox. I mean that they need to trade Fernando Martinez, Jon Niese, Carlos Beltran (has a no trade clause), or whatever it takes to keep Manny away from the Phillies.

The Phillies will still have questions about their pitching, even if they do trade for Manny. A trade with the Red Sox won’t solve that problem. But the Phillies offense would be an unstoppable force. I don’t even want to think about the numbers that Manny could put up playing 81 games at Citizens Bank Park.

Trading for Manny to block the Phillies from getting him is a reality that Omar Minaya and the Mets front office will have to evaluate over the next day or so. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.

Audio- Gary Cohen, Jon Heyman On Trade Deadline

SNY play-by-play man Gary Cohen joins Michael Kay on ESPN Radio to talk about the state of the Mets. He discusses the Mets trade needs, Manny Ramirez rumors, and the bullpen.

ESPN Audio

SI baseball writer Jon Heyman joins Chris Russo on WFAN radio to talk about the trade deadline deals.

WFAN Audio

Teixeira Traded- See You Next Year Braves

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The Atlanta Braves officially threw in the towel yesterday and traded first baseman Mark Teixeira to the Los Angeles Angels. In return, the Braves come away with first baseman Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek. Marek is not considered to be one of the Angels top pitching prospects.

With Tim Hudson on the disabled list, possibly for the rest of the season, and Chipper Jones currently on the DL this trade makes sense for the Braves. Their  season is over. The problem here is for the Braves fans that are season ticket holders. They’re the ones that are now stuck paying for nothing. For their fans it’ll be hard to stay motivated to keep watching a team that’s already given up this season. Whether it’s buying tickets for games or watching on TV, there’s almost no point for their fans. That’s a tough situation.

The National League East is now down to the Mets, Marlins, and Phillies.

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Mets Need An Outfielder- Should Talk To The Rangers

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I’ve written before here that I love what Fernando Tatis and Endy Chavez have brought to the table this season. But with Moises Alou finished for the year (and his Mets career) and Ryan Church a major question mark going forward, the Mets need to get into the trade market for an outfielder. It doesn’t necessarily have to get done by the non-waiver deadline on July 31st. The Mets could see what they’ll be getting out of Church and make a waiver deal in August.

In the meantime, Omar Minaya should be talking to the Texas Rangers about Nelson Cruz of the Triple-A Oklahoma City RedHawks. The Mets don’t need the big splash trade like a Jason Bay, Manny Ramirez, or Matt Holliday. They don’t need to take on Raul Ibanez’ massive salary either.

Cruz is tearing it up at Oklahoma City. He just turned 28 years old this month. He’s a right-handed hitter. And apparently, he isn’t going to break into the Rangers major league roster right now.

Cruz has played 93 games for the RedHawks this season hitting .347/ .443/ .729 with 36 homers and 91 RBI’s and 22 SB’s. He’s ready for the big leagues.

Even if it cost an Aaron Heilman it would be worth it.

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Report: Mets Won’t Trade For Manny Ramirez

Jon Heyman reports for SI.com that the Mets won’t pursue Boston Red Sox disgruntled slugger Manny Ramirez. The Mets have been telling trade potential trade partners that there are several prospects that are untouchable including Fernando Martinez and Jon Niese.

Red Sox GM told Tim McCarver on the Fox Game of the Week broadcast that if Ramirez would waive his no trade clause that he would pursue a trade. There have been whispers for several years now that Ramirez wants to land in Los Angeles when he leaves the Red Sox.

Ramirez is a native New Yorker and certainly would fit the Mets need for a corner outfielder and right-handed power bat. The only problem is that his behavior is so unpredictable, and the Mets would have to unload pretty much all of their top prospects to get him in a trade. I don’t think it’s worth it for two years of Ramirez. The Mets should look for a B-level outfielder that won’t cost all of the Mets top prospects.