Posts tagged AdrianBeltre at FanHouse

Remember how the Twins were interested in Adrian Beltre? Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times explains that one reason talks with the Mariners hit a snag was because Beltre added the Twins to the list of teams in his limited no-trade clause. Beltre apparently did so after learning the Twins expressed interest in sometime last season.

That said, this doesn't completely kill a potential deal -- it's possible (in fact, quite likely) that Beltre simply wanted more leverage in case trade talks heat up. Theoretically he could block a trade if he feels the Twins are giving up too much (Jake Peavy played this card when the Padres talked to the Braves), but considering he's currently playing for a team that lost 101 games last year, it's more likely that Beltre is simply hoping for a few extra dollars. Does it sound a little shady? Perhaps, but it's his right.

Who might Minnesota give up to make a deal happen? The suddenly expendable Delmon Young has been mentioned, though if you ask me that's a steep price for what's certain to be a one-season rental until Beltre leaves via free agency. Young only hit 13 home runs as a rookie in 2007 and 10 last year with the Twins, but he was always a power hitting in the minors and is expected to eventually be one in the majors.

(via Aaron Gleeman)

It's no secret that the Twins are looking for a third baseman. They've been rumored to be after free agent Casey Blake for awhile, but at this point it seems as though those talks have broken down, and they're turning their sights to a familiar target:

The Twins badly want a third baseman and will now step up efforts to get one, including conversations with the Mariners for Adrian Beltre. Minnesota inquired about Beltre last summer, but felt the asking price was too high given the salary they would have had to take on. That salary is now down to $12 million for the 2009 season instead of the $17 million it would have cost to get him last July. Don't forget, the M's want players back in return as well.

Beltre is a far superior player to Blake, and would be a huge upgrade for Minnesota at third. He's only a slightly above average hitter for his position, but is a fantastic defender, one of the best in the league.

In the Seattle Times article linked above, Geoff Baker mentions Michael Cuddyer as the possible centerpiece of the package going back to Seattle. That's reasonable enough -- the Mariners could use a corner bat or three -- but you have to wonder if they'd prefer someone more conducive to their stage in the rebuilding process, such as one of Minnesota's many young pitchers.

For the Twins, even though they'd have to give up a few players and pay Beltre's $12MM contract in 2008, their backup plan may actually be superior to their original one; you know pretty much what you're getting with one year of Beltre, while guaranteeing Blake three years would've been a significant gamble.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.

The Mariners went into 2008 as playoff contenders in the eyes of some, and a sub-.500 team that wasn't going to be able to score enough runs to compete in the minds of others. The latter camp was closer in its expectation, but nobody could have foreseen just how far Seattle would fall.

The offense was bad, as expected, finishing 13th in the AL in runs, OBP, and SLG. The more surprising issue was that the pitching, a unit which looked to be solid at the outset of the year, fell apart as well. Offseason acquisition Erik Bedard and previously dominant closer J.J. Putz both battled injuries, and weren't particularly impressive when they did pitch. They also got some abysmal performances from the back end of the rotation, with Carlos Silva, Ryan Feierabend and Miguel Batista combining for a 6.55 ERA in 308 innings.

It's worth noting that all the blame for the run prevention issues shouldn't fall solely to the pitchers, as the Mariners were 13th in the AL in defensive efficiency.

Right now, the only drama left in Seattle is whether the Mariners will finish with the worst record in the majors or just the American League. Nevertheless, Adrian Beltre has been doing the admirable thing by showing up to work every day even though his shoulder and thumb are shredded and will eventually need surgery. From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

"Right now I'm trying to fight my way into the lineup," Beltre said before the game. "What I don't want right now is to having the guys thinking I quit on them. I don't want to feel guilty for having the surgery too much before the end of the season."

Trouble is, if he doesn't undergo surgery soon he might not be ready for the start of next season considering rehab could take as long as five months. This is a wasted season, one the fans hope they'll be able to soon forget. No one will hold it against Beltre for calling it a year now. I can understand Beltre's reluctance -- beyond the fact that he's playing for pride, he's absolutely tearing the cover off the ball so far this month (.520/.538/.880) -- but in the big picture, it's actually detrimental to the team's future the longer he waits.

Statistically, hitting for the cycle is almost as rare as a no-hitter (276 cycles before tonight, 258 no-hitters) Two players hitting for the cycle in the same day had only happened once before, as Bobby Veach and George Burns (not that George Burns ... settle down, Gracie) both hit for cycles on September 17th, 1920.

Almost 88 years later, we have two cycles in the same day once again. Stephen Drew of the Diamondbacks did it against the Cardinals tonight in their 8-6 victory, and Adrian Beltre cycled against the Rangers tonight in Seattle's 12-6 victory over Texas. Beltre's cycle was particularly interesting because the final piece of the puzzle that Beltre needed was a triple, and Beltre hadn't hit a triple all season (Beltre only had 25 triples in his 10 major league seasons.) But triple he did off Josh Rupe, and thus history was made.

Both players also had five hits in five at-bats for their respective cycles.

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- The Red Sox, Marlins and Pirates are indeed working on a three-way deal that would send Manny Ramirez to South Florida, Jeremy Hermida and prospects to Pittsburgh and Jason Bay (and possibly reliever John Grabow) to Boston. The trade is still a long way from being completed, however, with the teams expected to haggle right up to the deadline on the prospects heading to the Pirates. The deal is fragile because it involves three teams and prospects from both Florida and Boston, so it could go right down to the wire, and there's always a chance the deal collapses.

But there is also a different feeling in Boston this time around with Ramirez, much like the feeling in 2004 when GM Theo Epstein swallowed hard and got rid of the beloved Nomar Garciaparra. If the three-way deal with the Pirates collapses, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Red Sox would then deal directly with the Marlins. And remember this: while the Red Sox would love to have Manny Ramirez in their lineup in October, it won't be as difficult as you'd think to replace his production over the final two months of the season because he is so poor defensively.

- GM Kenny Williams has already added future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. to the White Sox's roster, but he might not be done. With Scott Linebrink on the DL and closer Bobby Jenks just off of it, Chicago is looking for bullpen depth. Williams and the White Sox have been connected with Oakland closer Huston Street for a few weeks now, and there are indications from the Windy City that he'll make a final push to acquire him before the 4PM ET deadline. Eamonn Brennan has already covered the Nick Swisher-Street swap speculation already at FanHouse and correctly assumes that a deal is unlikely.

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- The elephant in the room four days from the trade deadline is Manny Ramirez, who once again is on shaky ground in Boston. In a perfect world, the Red Sox would love to rid themselves of the near-constant headache that Ramirez provides. In practice, they are still very much in the hunt for their third World Series in five years and would need to replace his production in step with any deal. That makes the completion of any trade unlikely in the next few days.

Joel Sherman and Mike Puma of the New York Post run down the potential list of suitors for Ramirez, and because of Boston's desire to ship him out of the American League, it is a very short one. The Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Mets and Phillies are the teams with both the need and the financial wherewithal to pick up the tab for Ramirez's $20 million deal. Because the left fielder has 10-5 rights (10 years in the league, five with the same team) he can veto any deal the Red Sox put together. That leads Sherman and Puma to conclude that Ramirez would only accept a deal to Philadelphia, where he would be reunited with manager Charlie Manuel, who was his hitting coach in Cleveland.

- And what of the Rays? The Yankees have gotten stronger already, and could add Jarrod Washburn or another pitcher at any moment. The Red Sox are embroiled in the latest Manny drama, but are more likely to improve from within. Tampa Bay has been pretty quiet, but they are out there looking for upgrades in the form of a right-handed outfield bat and bullpen depth. With Xavier Nady and Casey Blake off the market, the team may look internally for a right-handed bat, with the rehabbing Rocco Baldelli a possibility. That leaves the club looking to trade for a left-handed reliever with Brian Fuentes at the top of the Rays' list, with Arthur Rhodes, Jack Taschner, Will Ohman and Ron Mahay as backup options.

In the last few weeks, Minnesota Twins general manager Bill Smith has come out and said he wasn't going to look to make any deals before the trade deadline. Then the Twins started talking with the Seattle Mariners about the possibility of trading for Adrian Beltre, but it's been reported that Minnesota balked at the high price tag the Mariners are asking for, and are now backing off.

Before forgetting about Beltre all together, though, Smith may want to have a talk with his manager Ron Gardenhire, because it sounds like Gardy really wouldn't mind seeing Beltre in his lineup.

"All I can control is what I have here in this clubhouse," Gardenhire said. "We're going to play with these guys."

"If they (the Twins' front office) get somebody that can really help us at the end of the game, to set up, to take the place of (injured pitcher Pat) Neshek, that would be really great. Or if they go and find a big right-handed bat to fit in the lineup, that's great. But you'd have to tell me who that is."

Though Gardenhire didn't mention anybody by name, I don't think he'd be against having Beltre playing third for the Twins for the stretch run. The Twins haven't gotten much on offense from the right side of the plate this season, with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau doing the majority of the damage. Delmon Young has come on as of late, hitting .350 with four homers and 24 RBI since June 1st (Delmon didn't have any homers and only 15 RBI before then), but the lineup really has missed Michael Cuddyer's presence.

Cuddyer has missed over 30 games due to injury this season (and when he has played, he's only hit .252/.324/.376 thanks to the injuries), and the team really has no idea when he'll be back as he's scheduled to undergo a CT scan on his right hand today. Beltre could be a perfect fit as he brings gold glove defense, and can provide more power to help out Morneau.

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- How much will it cost to pry Matt Holliday away from the Rockies? We might finally have an idea. Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Angels have inquired about Holliday and Colorado's price started with pitcher Nick Adenhart, Los Angeles' top pitching prospect, and would likely include second baseman Howie Kendrick and either Ervin Santana or Joe Saunders.

Look, it's pretty clear that the Angels are going to coast to the AL West title. It's also become pretty clear over the past few seasons that they need another bat to get out of the divisional round of the playoffs. So it's easy to criticize the L.A. front office for not being aggressive enough in getting another big bopper. But that's an exorbitant price for any player, especially a nice one like Holliday, who happens to be pretty average away from the hitting paradise that is Coors Field. Adenhart and Saunders, in particular, are both a tad overrated, but a trade involving those two and Howie Kendrick would take away players contributing to the Angels right now. That's the definition of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

- As for the other big bat prominently mentioned in rumors, Mark Teixeira, the Braves appear more resolute to hold on to him and make a push in the NL East, despite the fact that the first baseman is likely to walk at the end of the season. Atlanta entered Sunday with the same run differential as the Mets, so perhaps there is reason for optimism. But there is also this: Atlanta is still 5 1/2 games behind New York in the standings and the rotation beyond Tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens is in tatters. There is ground to cover and the Braves' best baseball might already be behind them. It might be time to swallow hard and become a seller.

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- The Mariners are done, and they have been for awhile, which means the next two weeks could bring a flurry of activity in the Pacific Northwest, writes the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's David Andriesen. Perhaps the most intriguing name? Adrian Beltre, who is under contract through 2009 at a somewhat modest $12 million. Beltre won't save a team's offense by himself, but he does have decent pop, he's a terrific defender at the hot corner and he's probably the Mariners' most valuable asset they're actually willing to part with. A reunion with his old team, the Dodgers, could make a lot of sense.

- The Phillies can't be feeling too great about their position these days. The Mets are charging hard in the NL East and the Brewers moved to the head of the wild card class by adding CC Sabathia. All-Star second baseman Chase Utley says he would welcome a pitching upgrade. For now, it appears he'll have to settle for Brett Myers, who will return to the Philadelphia rotation July 23 after a stint in the minors.

The Phillies have been connected to every big pitching name on the trade market that's even been joked about -- from Matt Cain to A.J. Burnett to Erik Bedard. Still, considering the cost and quality of those pitchers and the relative lack of depth in their farm system, the Phils' best bet might be to gamble on Myers, who hasn't pitched nearly as badly as his 5.84 ERA would suggest, returning to form.