Matt Holliday Update

According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the Cardinals will pursue outfielder Matt Holliday. While pursuing Holliday would give them the best 3-4-5 combo in baseball, it would cost them so many of their top prospects that it might not be worth it. The Cardinals shouldn't make Ryan Ludwick available in this trade, mostly because Ludwick will probably put up better numbers than Holliday. However, if they include Peter Kozma and Colby Rasmus, along with a solid young pitcher, they might be able to land him. 

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Phillies After Holliday

According to Jon Heyman, the Phillies are aggressively pursuing Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday. This would suggest that the Phillies have no interest in bringing Pat Burrell back, and will pursue Holliday as well as other outfielders to find a replacement. The Phillies have the prospects to entice the Rockies, and appear more than willing to deal them. Top pitching prospect Carlos Carrasco would have to be included in the deal, as well as Jason Donald. 

The Athletics, Rays, and Mets, among others are pursuing Holliday, so the asking price could go up if the interest continues to increase.

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Braves After Ludwick?

Aside from pursuing Jake Peavy, the Braves would like to pursue a power hitting outfielder. Braves GM Frank Wren has the prospects to make both deals happen, but may look to an up-and-comer over an established power hitter like Matt Holliday. With that said, the Braves could look to the Cardinals and Ryan Ludwick in a trade. Ludwick, who hit .299 with 37 HR in 152 games this season, would cost the Braves a lot, but it would be well worth it for the Braves. Before Peavy was made available, the Braves were reportedly looking to sign a starter and pursue an outfielder through trade. Now, they may trade away a solid part of their minor league system for two All-Star players, something the Braves definitely need to consider.

One possibility is that the Padres, Braves, and Cardinals work out a three way trade that would get the Braves Ludwick and Peavy, the Cardinals get Yunel Escobar, and the Padres get a boatload of prospects from the Cardinals and Braves, including Cardinals prospect Peter Kozma and Braves prospects Tommy Hansen and Jordon Schafer. While that is unlikely, a deal similar to this could actually go down. We'll see what happens.

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Cubs After Peavy, Dempster

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs are seriously looking to acquire Padres ace Jake Peavy, as well as resign Ryan Dempster. Major league sources have informed Ken Rosenthal saying that the Cubs are now leading the race for Peavy. The Cubs have the money to do it, but it would take a lot of prospects to get a deal done. They might be forced to lose Jeff Samardzjia, Carlos Marmol, or Felix Pie, as well as young top prospects like Donald Veal, Tyler Colvin, and Ryan Flaherty. The Braves and Dodgers are the two other teams that are seriously considering Peavy, and the race has only just begun.

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Dodgers Make Big Offer To Manny

The Dodgers have made a very large offer to outfielder Manny Ramirez, according to FOXSPORTS.com. GM Ned Colletti told reporters that the contract would make Ramirez the second highest paid player in baseball. With that said, the deal is expected to be around a two year deal worth 50-55 million dollars with a performance based option. 

The Phillies, Mets, and Blue Jays are also believed to be pursuing him. 

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Red Sox To Pass On Varitek?

According to the Boston Herald, Jason Varitek's agent Scott Boras told the Red Sox that they will look to Jorge Posada's 52.4 million dollar contract as a "benchmark" for contract negotiations involving Jason Varitek. This is an absolutely ridiculous claim, but we know that Boras will eventually come back down to Earth. It wasn't that long ago that Scott Boras was looking for 200 million dollars for Carlos Beltran, and then had to settle for 119 million dollars over seven years.

The Tigers and Nationals are believed to have some interest in Varitek, but only if his price comes way to down to a one or two year deal with a modest base salary.

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Lowe to Mets?

According to the NY Daily News, the Mets are targeting Derek Lowe and have made him their number one priority. Lowe went 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA in 34 games this season, and dominated the postseason (as usual). Lowe is the perfect pitcher for any team looking for a number two starter to compliment their ace. He can step up for the big game and mentor young guys as well. There really isn't another guy out there for the Mets than Derek Lowe. It might cost them, but his leadership in the clubhouse and out on the field will be well worth the price.

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Braves Make Offer For Tazawa

According to Mark Bowman of MLB.com, the Braves have made an offer to top Japanese prospect Junichi Tazawa. Tazawa, 22, has a fastball that reportedly hit 97 m.p.h. over the summer in the country's Industrial league. The Braves have been following Tazawa very closely over the past month, and hope to sign the 5-11, 180 pound right hander. Tazawa would probably start in Single-A, but would be put on a fast track to the majors if he can stay healthy and pitch successfully. However, drawing comparisons to Daisuke Matsuzaka at age 22 might get him on a major league roster without experimenting in the minors. 

The Cubs, Red Sox, and Mariners are also seriously pursuing Tazawa, who is expected to sign in the next couple of weeks.

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Quick Hits: Street, Blake, Arbuckle, Blalock

Quick Hits:

• The Brewers are reportedly considering making a run for closer Huston Street, according to the NY Post. While the Brewers are intriguing, the plethora of prospects in Cleveland make them much more intriguing. If the Athletics trade Street, expect them to look for three or four mid to low-level pitching prospects. 
• The Indians, who are looking for an upgrade at third base, may target Dodgers third baseman Casey Blake. The Indians traded Blake back in July, but believe there is mutual interest in a reunion in Cleveland. Blake reportedly prefers playing for a smaller venue, and it showed in his split stats between Cleveland and Los Angeles. The Twins, White Sox, and Orioles have expressed interest in signing a corner infielder.
• Former Phillies Director of Scouting Mike Arbuckle is drawing a lot of interest around the majors. Arbuckle is credited with drafting Hamels, Utley, Howard, Rollins, Myers, and Ruiz, among others, and will likely get signed very soon. The Royals are reportedly "very interested," but so are the Brewers and Yankees.
• The Dodgers are hoping to bring in a third baseman for 2009 and could target Hank Blalock if they miss out on Casey Blake. Ned Colletti would like to get a corner infielder and trading for Blalock would really improve their lineup. 

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Rockies Need To Trade Atkins, Holliday

The first step back to the World Series for the Rockies starts with trading Matt Holliday and Garrett Atkins. While some may disagree, the Rockies have several solid prospects nearing the MLB as well as money to spend on the open market. The Yankees are reportedly interested in Matt Holliday, and have the prospects that would entice the Rockies. If they were to package a deal around Phil Hughes, that would be a huge step in getting the Rockies back to the World Series. The Rockies would be smart to target the Rays and their minor league prospects. They have made smart choices in the draft recently, so it makes sense that some of those young pitchers are close to reaching and having success in the MLB.

From there, if they trade Garrett Atkins for a solid position prospect, maybe Shin-Soo Choo of the Indians along with a pitching prospect, they would have a younger, cheaper, and potentially better team in 2009. However this works out, the Rockies need to make sure the prospects they acquire have solid potential and will help them all across the field. Ryan Spilborghs can successfully take over in left in 2009 and probably hit close to what Garrett Atkins did, if not better. Ian Stewart will be at third base, and a Jeff Baker or a free agent will take over at second. The Rockies won't be in the World Series in 2009 (at least not as of right now), but could set themselves up for a serious run down the road by trading Atkins and Holliday.

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Vazquez to Mets, Cubs, or Cardinals?

According to the Chicago Tribune, the White Sox have started shopping Javier Vazquez around to other teams. The Mets have reportedly expressed interest in Vazquez, but may target him only if they miss out on their first targets. The White Sox are probably looking for two solid prospects, along with a bench player to help their depth. One possibility for the Sox is that they trade Vazquez for Luis Castillo and a prospect. That would prevent serious money problems (Vazquez has 2/22 while Castillo has 3/18) as well as help both teams.

The Cubs and Cardinals are both pursuing starters and could target Vazquez as a replacement. If the Cubs lose Dempster, they could pursue Vazquez in exchange for a couple prospects, perhaps Mike Fontenot and a pair of pitching prospects. The Cardinals are hoping to land A.J. Burnett, but have also expressed interest in bringing in a veteran pitcher. Bringing in Vazquez would not cost them too many prospects, and it would be very helpful for them in 2009. 

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Rosenthal's Latest: Peavy, Burnett, Brewers, Mariners

Ken Rosenthal has a new piece up, let's get right to it:

• Padres GM Kevin Towers is aggressively shopping Jake Peavy and has targeted the Braves, Dodgers, and Cubs as the three NL teams to pick from. Of the three teams, the Dodgers have the best prospects, but they are the least willing to trade their prospects. At this point, it seems the best way to make a trade would be a three way trade involving Peavy and another one of their players. That way, they would get three or four prospects from two teams.
• A.J. Burnett is expected to opt out of his contract in the next day or so, and when he does, expect several East Coast teams to pursue him. The Orioles and Nationals are obvious choices, geographically, but the Red Sox and Yankees are also possibilities. He will likely stay in Toronto, but if he moves, don't expect him to go far.
  
• The Brewers made an offer to CC Sabathia today, and it is believed to be around five years and 100-110 million dollars. The Yankees offer is expected to be fifty to sixty million dollars more, so Sabathia is likely gone. At least Brewers fans know that they have money to spend this offseason.
• The Mariners are looking for a manager and are hoping to find someone that can manage a clubhouse. They plan to talk with Joey Cora and possibility Alan Trammell, but will take a close look at Ned Yost, who GM Zduriencik worked with in Milwaukee. Cora is probably the best option, mostly because he is bilingual.
  

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