Month: July 2008 (Page 33 of 39)

Peter Gammons reported on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball that the Red Sox have had “internal discussions” about Barry Bonds. Gammons also noted that bringing in Bonds for a workout was unlikely, however.

The BoSox are looking for more pop with David Ortiz out of the lineup, but he’s supposed to return soon after the All-Star Game so bringing in Bonds doesn’t make a ton of sense.

I get it – Bonds won’t cost much, he can DH and he can still hit home runs. But he’s also a circus that would bring the wrong kind of attention to Boston. Is the risk worth the reward? It doesn’t look like it in this case.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX SPORTS.com reported just days ago that the Milwaukee Brewers were interested in making a move for Indians’ ace C.C. Sabathia. According to FOX SPORTS.com, the deal is now official.

The Indians have agreed to trade the ace Sabathia and two lower-level minor leaguers for a package that includes top prospect Matt LaPorta and other minor leaguers, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

The deal is contingent on the paperwork and medical records, the paper reported.

The Indians badly need power. Center fielder Grady Sizemore leads the AL with 22 home runs, but designated hitter Travis Hafner hit only four before going on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain on May 30 and catcher Victor Martinez had zero before going on the DL June 12 with a right-elbow injury.

LaPorta has 20 home runs and 66 RBIs for Class AA Huntsville.

Sabathia rejected a $72 million, four-year extension from the Indians during spring training and announced he wouldn’t negotiate any deal until after the season.

This was a great deal for the Tribe as LaPorta is highly regarded as one of the best hitters in the minor leagues. Plus, Sabathia was as good as gone as a free agent at the end of the year, so to land a prospect like LaPorta was huge.

As for the Brewers, if Sabathia can help them get to the postseason, then the deal was worth it – period. If they can make the postseason and sign Sabathia to an extension after the year, well then obviously that’s a huge bonus.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX SPORTS.com has been all over the C.C. Sabathia trade rumors of late, reporting Friday that the Brewers were interested in the Indians’ ace. Now Rosenthal is saying the Dodgers are after Sabathia as well.

However, the Dodgers’ bid for Sabathia is complicated by their pursuit of Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson as a replacement for the injured Rafael Furcal, sources say.

To get Wilson, the Dodgers would need to trade the Pirates some of the same players that the Indians want for Sabathia, leaving Los Angeles with a choice of one deal or the other.

While the Dodgers might not offer a prospect better than Brewers Class AA left fielder Matt LaPorta, their proposal for Sabathia would include three players, sources say.
Class AA right-hander James McDonald, Class AAA shortstop Chin-Lung Hu and third baseman Andy

LaRoche are among the Dodgers’ prospects likely drawing consideration form the Indians.
But the addition of Wilson, 30, would fill the void created by the absence of Furcal, who will be out at least eight more weeks after undergoing back surgery.

If Rosenthal’s sources are right, it appears that the Brewers are offering the sweeter deal for Sabathia with LaPorta in the mix. It’ll be interesting to see if Furcal’s injury handcuffs the Dodgers’ chances of landing C.C.