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Jason Stark Rumors, Notes

There are four names I think of when I hear MLB rumors: Buster Olney, Ken Rosenthal, Jon Heyman, and Jason Stark. The latter has a new one of his rumblings and grumblings columns out on ESPN.com. Here are a few pieces of information he shares:

• Stark notes that Ozzie Guillen does have a deal in place through 2012 and that the White Sox may not fire him with so many years left on his contract. I still think they could if he goes out of control, but if he keeps winning he’s fine.
•  The Tigers don’t have anymore great prospects left, so Stark and a AL executive wonder if they could make a big trade before the deadline, possibly giving up Jeremy Bonderman. They are committed to winning with that payroll and aren’t completely out of it yet. Also, Gary Sheffield could possibly be released.
• Francisco Lirano will be coming back up to Minnesota this year. Hopefully for the Twins he’ll be staying there a long time. I personally believe he’ll be an effective pitcher in one or two years, just not as good as he could have been before the Tommy John surgery.
• Stark has sources saying the Indians are floating ace CC Sabathia. As you know, Sabathia is a free agent after this season. I would be surprised if this happened. While the Indians aren’t near what they thought they could be, they’re still in it with two questionable teams ahead of them. Plus, it would be nearly impossible to get full value for him. Teams would want to sign him to a deal before they acquire him to ensure he stays with them a long time. CC would be demanding a huge contract, ala Johan Santana. Not many teams would be willing to trade a ton of prospects for him if he could be had in two or three months for the money.
• However, Stark reports that the Red Sox are the team scouting him the most. That would be one heck of a rotation with Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Sabathia at the top. I doubt it happens, though, for the above reasons and the fact that Boston has great pitching depth, especially if Curt Shilling comes back.
• The Braves could look to acquire Kevin Millwood instead of Greg Maddux to provide more pitching depth, as Millwood isn’t a free agent after this season. However, it probably won’t happen because Millwood isn’t too young and due a lot of money over the next two years. Maddux looks to be the better choice to me.
• Aaron Cook could possibly join Brian Fuentes and Matt Holliday on the block, but it’s pretty unlikely anything could happen. Cook is a very good pitcher, but he just signed a huge four-year deal in December and will be paid handsomely.
• Many teams are interested in Joe Blanton because he is an inning’s eater, but no one appears willing to pay Billy Beane’s price of three good prospects. Beane has been asking for this much since last July and no one has offered anything close to it. I doubt anything happens because of this. Teams don’t want to pay that price because Blanton might not be a front of the rotation starter. With the A’s playing as well as they are and Blanton being under control until 2010 I don’t see why Beane would trade him if no offers that he likes come in.
• Rich Harden could also be on the block, but Beane is apparently asking for a lot for him as well. Nobody will give much up for him given his history of injuries.
• The Royals are now completely out of playoff contention and will soon start trading some pieces of their team. Stark lists Mark Grudzielanek, Ross Gload, and Esteban German as players on the block. They might also give up some members of their bullpen. A fire sale of sorts appears to be the best option for Kansas City. They won’t trade any of their centerpieces, but many veterans will go.
• Just how desperate are the Royals to improve their offense?Pretty, as Stark reports their thinking about moving the fences of Kauffman stadium in when they complete their renovations. The stadium is pretty spacious but this just seems like a weak attempt to improve the lineup and possibly lure more free agent hitters.
• Brian Giles, who the Padres have put on the block, could hit more than three homers away from the huge Petco Park, according to a scout. That’s pretty obvious, but it’s still clear that his power has decreased. The Red Sox are a team that has been scouting him.
• Chase Utely, because of the small ballpark he plays in, could be a dark horse for the triple crown. I doubt it, it’s just so difficult to do.
• Vladimir Guerrero is having a tough season, not making as much contact in the past with decreased pop. Stark notes that the Angels haven’t been talking to him about a contract extension as much because of this. It is entirely possible that Vlad is starting to age.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 11:41 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.