It’s almost the end of July, which means “who can help the big market teams the most?” You have Los Angeles and Philadelphia looking to add in the National League; and surprising very few, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox looking to add in the American League.
Given that our Indians are nearing full-blown rebuilding mode, teams continue to sniff out our potential available players while trying to offer as little as possible to obtain their services. While we here at WFNY look to move guys like Jhonny Peralta and Jamey Carroll, the Yankees and Sox are dreaming a bit bigger. Ken Rosenthal chimes in…
Of course, [SP Clay] Buchholz also could be the centerpiece of a trade offer for the Indians’ Victor Martinez, a player who would serve as protection against injury or ineffectiveness by catcher Jason Varitek, designated hitter David Ortiz and third baseman Mike Lowell (Martinez could play first with Kevin Youkilis moving to third).
So, the Sox would like an All-Star catcher to serve as “protection” for two guys that he is easily better than? Even Dave Ortiz, at this point, could be a reach if you were ranking the four players. I know Martinez has been in a slump, but come on now. Nevertheless…
It goes without saying that the Yankees are not as deep in starting pitching as the Red Sox. [...]
Meanwhile, the Indians will trade left-hander Cliff Lee only for the right price.
The catch here is two-fold. One, I cannot imagine that Mark Shapiro would trade Lee to a team that he would likely have to face several times per season – which only increases if they re-sign him past 2010 (Same would go for Martinez to Boston, but perhaps not to the same degree). The second part: Do the Yankees have anyone that would constitute the “right price?” The Evil Empire doesn’t exactly pride themselves on their farm talent these days. Is Phil Hughes even considered a “can’t miss” guy any longer? Dellin Bentances could be interesting, but he’s only 21 and wouldn’t likely contribute for a year and his most likely outcome is pegged around a No. 3/4 starter.
Jesus Montero is a catcher – something we have within our system. Brett Gardner could be our answer at the top of the order, but there are hopes that Michael Brantley pans out. Andrew Brackman has a solid heater, but he’s also looking like a middle-of-the-rotation guy.
So, what about if we tone down the trading pieces a bit?
Indians right-hander Carl Pavano?
“We’ve seen that movie,” one Yankees official says. “Our players would go crazy if we did that.”
But wouldn’t it be worth it’s comedic weight in gold? Pavano, he of the expiring deal, is not about to draw anything special when it comes to a prospect. But hey, we did manage to get Carlos Santana (currently rated as our top farmhand) for a then-expiring Casey Blake. Unfortunately, Pavano’s history isn’t exactly that of the workman Blake; you can’t blame another team for just counting down the days until he hits the DL.
Perhaps if the Indians agreed to pay a portion of Pavano’s remaining salary, it would ease the pain?
Word continue to circulate that the Philadelphia Phillies are starting to make a hard move for Lee, feeling that Halladay is will not be had for their bidding price. The conflicting issue here is that the Indians are looking for top pitching prospects or guys that can help contribute sooner than later. There are reports that the Phillies are not willing to move top prospect Kyle Drabek for Halladay, so they wouldn’t likely be doing the same for Lee.
Infielder Michael Taylor (.333, 15 HR, 18 SB for Double-A Reading) and right-hander Carlos Carrasco (currently sporting a 1.72 ERA with 46 Ks in 36 innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley) are intriguing, but would they be enough – within a package – to pry Lee away from the Tribe?
Only time will tell.
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