Trade deadlline rumors & moves

[Pauly]

Saw this one on Rotoworld tonight: USA Today's Bob Nightengale has indicated that the Cardinals could have an offer on the table of Oscar Taveras, Shelby Miller and their competitive balance pick in exchange for Price.

How on earth could the Rays pass that up?

Also: Lester likely to be scratched for tomorrow's start...looks like he will be moving.

[virgonomic]

I read the Jays have made serious calls about Lester. LA is the other team I've heard mentioned. Does LA need another ace???

[Sour Masher]

I'm sure Jason will chime in to verify that there is no way on god's green earth the Rays would pass on such an offer.

Saw this one on Rotoworld tonight: USA Today's Bob Nightengale has indicated that the Cardinals could have an offer on the table of Oscar Taveras, Shelby Miller and their competitive balance pick in exchange for Price.

How on earth could the Rays pass that up?

Also: Lester likely to be scratched for tomorrow's start...looks like he will be moving.

[Bodhizefa]

Well, the Rays passed up Addison Russell for Price, so why not Taveras and a broken Shelby Miller? Honestly, the Rays screwed up largely by not giving the A's Price for Russell. Everything after that is just them posturing and trying to save face.

[overkill94]

With Beckett not seeming quite right and Haren being Haren, I'm guessing the Dodgers will trade for a starter, but I doubt they would match Taveras/Miller for Price. Could get creative to get Lester, but with all the teams chasing him it'll be tough to offer the best deal.

[Msaint]

Lester scratched, yes, and rumor today is a possible deal with PIT as Tabata was also scratched from his AAA start, might be pure coincidence...hope Sox get more back for Lester than the meh Tabata, though. Doubt PIT would ever include Glasnow or Taillon for a 2+ month rental of Lester. Maybe some package of Nick Kingham, Josh Bell or Austin Meadows? I'd guess Reese McGuire might be in play if Sox didn't have Swihart in waiting, as Sox are very needy at C spot. Could Cherington ever talk PIT out of Polanco, with Polanco scuffling lately? Highly doubt it but that'd be my dream....we get Polanco & Kingham then re-sign Lester as FA. But okay, I'd take Polanco and Glasnow, too. ....Sox also shopping Lackey, but he's cheap next year so they'd have to be wowed.

if TB is indeed just posturing, might STL offer the same Taveras/Miller/pick package for Lester? As J said, Miller is a little broken and I'd prefer taking a flier on Carlos Martinez if he's available, but Kaminsky, Gonzales or Reyes could be involved. With Henry Owens, Allen Webster and Anthony Ranaudo in the pipeline, getting another young prospect might set them up for a very nice rotation in the coming years.

A's also supposed to be in Lester sweepstakes, wish Russell hadn't been dealt, Sox need a SS badly. Their best P prospect, Dillon Overton, is a wayyyys off from the bigs.

Dodgers seem to be best set up to snag Lester...doubt they'd ever part with Seager (would fill aforementioned SS void), Pederson, or Urias, and even Grant Holmes, raw as he is, is prob a keeper for LA...but maybe Chris Anderson or Zach Lee? That said, my dream LA package would be Urias and Seager/Pederson. Never gonna happen, though.

Might Seattle swoop in with Taijuan Walker or James Paxton and Chris Taylor (another SS), or Milwaukee, who seems to be throwing Jimmy Nelson's name around a lot, packaging him with Orlando Arcia (yet ANOTHER SS)?

[james33]

Pretty good rundown of starting pitchers who might be traded here: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseb...7ad77c82c.html

Seems like the Cardinals will end up with one of Lester-Masterson-Hamels-Burnett-Kennedy. The Phillies sent a scout to watch the Cardinals AAA Memphis affiliate play a game. rhd #36 Stephen Piscotty plays CF for Memphis. Piscotty and a couple lower prospects for Hamels or Burnett is my guess.

[james33]

Saw this one on Rotoworld tonight: USA Today's Bob Nightengale has indicated that the Cardinals could have an offer on the table of Oscar Taveras, Shelby Miller and their competitive balance pick in exchange for Price.

How on earth could the Rays pass that up?

As a fan of the Cardinals, I hope they didn't offer that much! With Allen Craig struggling so much, I'm hoping the Cardinals don't trade Taveras, and selling low on Miller would be awful timing. I've read in the past that one challenge in a TB-STL deal is that both teams think quite analytically so they're valuing players pretty similarly. I hope that's true.

[Bodhizefa]

Boy, it went from a seller's market to a buyer's market really quickly for starting pitchers. Practically every non-contender out there has at least one starting pitcher they could sell. These teams asking for the moon for their starting pitchers are in for a rude awakening when one or more GM's crack and start selling for a lot less. There are a lot of aces available out there.

[cavebird]

Where are all the aces? I see Lester. I don't see the Rays moving Price, and they won't for less than top dollar. Amaro is delusional about the value of his players, so nothing will happen on the Hamels front. Lee still looks broken.

[Bodhizefa]

Where are all the aces? I see Lester. I don't see the Rays moving Price, and they won't for less than top dollar. Amaro is delusional about the value of his players, so nothing will happen on the Hamels front. Lee still looks broken.

Lee is available. Hamels is available. Keuchel is available. Price is available. Lester is available. And lesser arms (but still good arms) like Burnett and Travis Wood are available, too.

[Msaint]

Cards shop a little further down the SP rung...

MLB.com's Peter Gammons reports that the Cardinals are set to acquire Justin Masterson from the Indians. The New York Post's Joel Sherman says the Cardinals will send James Ramsey to the Indians in the deal. Masterson has struggled in his walk season, posting a posting a 5.51 ERA over 19 starts. He's battled a knee injury, though, and the Cards are obviously hoping he's healthy and can improve in a move to the National League. Masterson should make his Cardinals' debut on Saturday against the Brewers. St. Louis presumably is out of picture for Jon Lester and David Price now.

[revo]

Cubs acquire Felix Doubront from the Red Sox for a PTBNL

[Pauly]

Bonifacio about to go to the Giants I think...so alcantara owners should be assured he reaches 20 GP at second this year.

[cavebird]

Lee is available. Hamels is available. Keuchel is available. Price is available. Lester is available. And lesser arms (but still good arms) like Burnett and Travis Wood are available, too.

1. Lee hasn't had a good start since his injury. It is questionable whether he is an ace for the rest of this year. He's also owed more money than anyone in baseball over the next two years because of his backloaded contract. The Phillies think that they should get a king's ransom for him which nobody with any degree of sanity will pay. He's not realistically available.

2. Hamels is an ace. He's also getting paid commensurate to his abilities---there is no profit in that contract. But the Phillies want the moon for him. Again, nobody with any degree of sanity will pay the price. Therefore, he's also not realistically available.

3. Dallas Keuchel, prior to this season, had never posted an ERA below 5.00 or a WHIP below 1.500. He's had a good season, but he's not an ace by any realistic definition of the word.

4. The latest I saw was that Price was only available if someone made an offer that the Rays could not refuse. That doesn't scream realistically available to me.

5. Lester is one ace who is available.

6. Burnett is pitching with a hernia and I don't think Travis Wood has ever been more than average.

Yes, there are aces that are technically available. I meant realistically available. Just about anybody in baseball is technically available unless they have a no-trade clause that they will not waive. Even Kershaw or King Felix (although they both probably have said no-trade clauses), if they didn't have no trade clauses, would suddenly become available if the Angels called and said they had this Trout kid available.