The Chicago Cubs are the latest team to trade with the wheeling and dealing Pittsburgh Pirates, acquiring left-handed pitchers John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny Thursday afternoon.
A major-league source with knowledge of the deal confirmed to FanHouse's Ed Price that Pittsburgh received right-handers Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio and infielder Josh Harrison in return.
Grabow, who is a pending free agent, had been on the radar of several teams interested in left-handed relief help. He is 3-0 with a 3.42 ERA this year, following up a solid 2008 campaign in which he went 6-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. He fills a need in the Cubs bullpen, as Sean Marshall is currently their only left-handed reliever.
MLB Power Rankings: Where MLB FanHouse's editors, writers and bloggers team up to break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world.
Big ups to Prez for taking the PR reigns over while I was off last week. But we're back in the saddle, fresh out of the All-Star break and ready to incite you with our rankings. Also, I should point out that this is, relatively speaking, the "home stretch." Where even the most minuscule of mini-streaks can change a team's fate. Or something like that. Anyway, let's go to the list, where we'll find out if an attack on Jack Nicholson by the Phanatic and the addition of Petey was enough to vault the Phillies into the top spot of the Week 16 MLB Power Rankings. Cue drumroll.
After making two trades Tuesday, the Pirates may not be finished.
Pittsburgh has publicly said that it would listen to offers on players who are not under team control for 2010 -- shortstop Jack Wilson, second baseman Freddy Sanchez, first baseman Adam LaRoche and lefty reliever John Grabow.
And according to an official of an AL team, Pittsburgh was particularly considering deals for Grabow and closer Matt Capps.
The Marlins, Twins and Dodgers are seeking bullpen help.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Dare we say it? He's back. The man who won the 2005 Cy Young and finished third the following season is officially back in the Cardinals rotation. He made the Brewers -- one of the best hitting teams in the league -- look stupid for eight innings Monday, which means he's now thrown 23 innings of shutout ball this season. His staggering numbers thus far: 23 innings, 0 earned runs, 23 strikeouts, 10 hits, 4 walks.
So, you're in the waning rounds of your fantasy baseball draft and you have two bench spots to fill. You could go the route of a late round starting pitcher and another reserve outfielder, but let's look at some of the names you'll see. You'll be looking at drafting guys like Joe Blanton, Bronson Arroyo, Jeff Francoeur and Michael Cuddyer. These guys are serviceable bench players, but what if you had a better option for those last two picks?
What if I told you that taking two middle relievers would be a better option for your fantasy team? Let's first look at Blanton's 5x5 stats from last season. He had nine wins, 111 strikeouts, a 4.69 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.
Now, let's look at a few middle relievers who should also be available in those late rounds. J.P. Howell and Matt Thornton both have average draft positions well above 300. If you were to use your final two selections on them and combine their stats here's what you'd get. You have a pitcher with 11 wins, 169 strikeouts, a 2.41 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in 156.2 innings of work.
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.
Meet the ... Pittsburgh Pirates. I mean, what else needs to be said? They haven't been able to rebuild themselves properly in the past decade and a half. The relatively new front office seems to be headed down the right path, but it's early in the process. Fantasy-wise, you won't find much here to like.
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.
- So what are those pesky Yankees up to anyway? First things first: they are absolutely in the AL East race, just three games behind the Red Sox and 3 1/2 behind division-leading Tampa Bay. They've also got clear needs -- namely pitching depth and offensive help, either at catcher, now that Jorge Posada's season is in doubt, or at one of the corners.
Jarrod Washburn, Mariners Buzz: The Seattle left-hander is drawing interest from the Yankees, who could use him to bolster their rotation. While not an ace, Washburn is a reliable innings-eater who would slot nicely into the back of a contender's rotation.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
Huston Street, Athletics Buzz: Though some teams are worried about the recent drop in his arm angle and velocity, Oakland's closer seems to have no shortage of suitors. The Reds are the latest team believed to have expressed interest in Street. The Brewers have also made inquiries about his availability.
Jed Jacobsohn, Getty Images
Brian Fuentes, Rockies Buzz: The closer has reportedly been scouted by seven different clubs over the last few days, but Colorado's asking price -- rumored to be a top pitching prospect -- might be scaring potential suitors off.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
Greg Maddux, Padres Buzz: San Diego would ideally like to move the future Hall of Famer, but he has a full no-trade clause and is rumored to only be willing to accept a deal to a West Coast team.
Marc Serota, Getty Images
Brian Giles, Padres Buzz: Giles is an on-base machine and a solid defender who could give a contender looking for a corner bat a boost. Getting out of pitcher-friendly Petco Park could lead to a power spike.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
Andy LaRoche, Dodgers Buzz: LaRoche, L.A.'s No. 2 prospect entering the season according to Baseball America, is reportedly being showcased for a potential deadline deal.
Christian Petersen, Getty Images
Bobby Crosby, Athletics Buzz: Oakland is willing to move most of its established veterans and the fragile shortstop is believed to be among that group. With Rafael Furcal's status unknown, the Dodgers could show interest in Crosby.
Greg Trott, Getty Images
George Sherrill, Orioles Buzz: The Cardinals and Angels are among the teams who have asked about the closer, with Baltimore's rumored asking price to be two or three prospects.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
Mark Teixeira, Braves Buzz: Teixeira, who was traded at the deadline last year and will be a free agent this winter, might not even be on the block, but one potential deal has the Angels sending top prospect Brandon Wood as part of a package for the slugger.
Jeff Zelevansky, Getty Images
Raul Ibanez, Mariners Buzz: Many teams that are unwilling to spring for one of the star bats on the block see Ibanez as the bargain option on the corner bat market. The Mets are one of the leading contenders for his services.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
New York's top brass will meet tomorrow in Tampa to discuss what, if any, moves they should make before the deadline, but indications are that the team is willing to deal prospects and make a run. The name with the most heat is Mariners left-hander Jarrod Washburn, who wouldn't be a flashy pickup, but would give the Yankees a reliable innings-eater to put at the back of their rotation. He'd certainly be an upgrade over Darrell Rasner or Sidney Ponson. Seattle is not impressed with center fielder Melky Cabrera, but has been scouting New York's Double-A affiliate Trenton. That's where the Yankees' top hitting prospect, Austin Jackson, has been playing all year.
- Concerns about Huston Street's performance and stuff don't seem to be scaring off teams. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Reds have shown some interest in the Oakland closer. Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty certainly can't consider his team a contender, but there is reason to think it can make a run as soon as next season, and Street isn't eligible to be a free agent for another three years. He also has two players with uncertain futures -- Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. Dunn is the type of player you'd figure A's GM Billy Beane would covet, but he might have to send more than Street to land the slugger.
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.
It was only yesterday that we talked about Matt Capps taking Salomon Torres' job as the Pittsburgh Pirates closer. Though manager Jim Tracy insisted it wasn't a demotion for Torres and had nothing to do with his four blown saves, most Pirate fans (and most baseball fans in general) suspected otherwise. It looked like a good idea when Capps made his closing debut last night by collecting three outs with five pitches to close out a 3-1 Pirate win over the Dodgers. The inherent flaw in Tracy's plan, however, was that the rest of the Pirate bullpen is so bad that the erratic Torres still remained as set-up man for the Pirates.
You see where this is headed. Torres came into today's Pirates-Dodgers tilt with a 4-2 lead and bases loaded in seventh inning with two outs. He gave up an infield single in seventh to let the Dodgers close the deficit to 4-3, then served up a two-run homer to Andre Ethier in the eighth to give the margin needed for their 5-4 win. The Dodgers bullpen showed the Pirates how to actually hold a lead, despite closer Takashi Saito leaving in the ninth inning with an undisclosed injury (former Pirate Joe Beimel collected the save).
So how bad is the Pirates' pen right now? Besides Capps, Torres and his 5 blown saves and 4.50 ERA. He's got a decent WHIP (1.15), but that was mostly collected in games that were out of reach. Damaso Marte has been effective this year, but mostly only against left-handed batters. Jonah Bayliss, Josh Sharpless, John Grabow, and Tony Armas are all mostly useless as relievers. Usually ERAs aren't a great indicator of reliever performance. In this case, Bayliss, Sharpless, Grabow, and Armas all have ERAs over 5.00 (and most well over). That is an excellent indicator of how well they've pitched this year. None of the few leads that the Pirates can manage to achieve are currently safe.
The Chicago Cubs are the latest team to trade with the wheeling and dealing Pittsburgh Pirates, acquiring left-handed pitchers John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny Thursday afternoon.
After making two trades Tuesday, the Pirates may not be finished.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through 
With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.
With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.
It was only yesterday that we talked about 
