Angels Willing to Part with Adenhart

The emergence of all-stars Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders has caused the Angels to rethink their stance on trading previously untouchable pitching prospect Nick Adenhart, if it means acquiring a prized bat such as Matt Holliday or Mark Teixeira.  Saunders, previously regarded as a future 4th or 5th starter, and Santana, previously regarded as crap, now combine with John Lackey to form arguably the most formidable front end rotation baseball.  

MLB.com suggests that the Angels would have to part with either Adenhart, Jeff Mathis, Howie Kendrick, or Ervin Santana to get their hands on Holliday.  The latter three have all been integral parts of the Angels MLB best 57-38 record and are unlikely to be traded.  A package including Adenhart, Rivera or Matthews, and another pitching prospect could get a deal done.

The Angels are thought to be more interested in Holliday than Teixeira.  He would likely take over left field for Garret Anderson in '09.   Assuming that Vladamir Guerrero's $15 million option is picked up, the Angels would then only have to focus on resigning Francisco Rodriguez and signing a 5th starter to take the spot Adenhart would have otherwise occupied (although Kelvim Escobar is signed through '09). 

Yankees Reported to be Persuing Richie Sexson

First, be disabused of a certain, unsavory rumor that out-of-work slugger Richie Sexson has moved into a tree house at the top of a Pacific Coast redwood in protest of his being cut by the Mariners. More to the point, Richie Sexson IS a Pacific Coast redwood tree.

The lumbering, 6-foot-8, 245-pound Northwest native -- tallest position player ever to play in the major leagues -- intends to make a comeback with one of several teams reportedly making offers to him, including the Yankees, according to the New York Post.

"I can tell you we are interested," Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman was quoted as saying.

Sexson has struggled all season, hitting .218 with 11 homers and 30 RBI in 74 games, but is crying all the way to the bank considering he will collect from the Mariners $14 million guaranteed in the last year of his contract.

Brett Myers Ready to Return to Phillies After Break

Phillies starter Brett Myers -- who recently accepted a demotion to the minors after going 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA over the first half of the season -- has told The Reading Eagle he is ready to return to Philadelphia after rediscovering his form while facing Triple A and Double A hitters.

"Sometimes you need to take a step back and take a deep breath, and I was able to do that," said Myers. "I think I'm ready to get back up there. I feel like I'm ready."

Appearing against Akron in a Reading home game as General Manager Pat Gillick, assistant Mike Arbuckle and senior adviser Dallas Green looked on, Myers struck out 10 while holding opposing batters to a 1.61 average in his most recent outing, in which he gave up three runs. Though he lost 3-2, he gave up just five hits and two walks over eight innings while throwing 118 pitches. Myers had also been effective in two Triple A appearances for Lehigh Valley -- allowing five earned runs on 12 hits over a total of 12.1 innings.

The Phillies are set to play the Mets in New York on July 22, though it appears likely the team will wait to decide on bringing up Myers until he makes one more appearance at Lehigh Valley or Reading.

Mariners May Deal Raul Ibanez to National League

Various published reports indicate the Mariners favor dealing outfielder-first baseman Raul Ibanez to a National League team, if behind-the-scenes chatter is any indication.

The Mets, Diamondbacks and Dodgers are among the potential suitors, all offering a buffer to keep Ibanez from coming back to haunt his former team.

Yankees Interested in Damaso Marte, Xavier Nady

The jury is out as to whether the Yankees will be buyers or sellers as the July 31 trading deadline approaches.

Right!

Is a bear a Catholic? Does the Pope poop in the woods? Of course the Yankees will be buyers. With $250 million on the line, they can't afford to be anything else.

Those who are still skeptical should watch for a deal with the Pirates, says Daily News columnist Joel Sherman. General Manager Brian Cashman has his eye on lefty reliever Damaso Marte, and outfielder Xavier Nady, says Sherman.

Likewise, the Pirates are believed to be interested in several prospects, key among them young righty Ross Ohlendorf.

Madonna Catholic, A-Rod Faithful

Madonna's Brother outed her as a Catholic on Good Morning America this morning, so her affair with A-Rod must not have happened.

According to her brother, "she's still a Catholic girl" and for that reason it's "highly unlikely" that any fornication took place.

"It seemed absurd to me," he continued.  Yes, absurd.  Absurd like the time she tried to crucify herself.  Absurd like the time she tried to have David Letterman smell her underpants on the air.  None of that happened either.  A Catholic would never do such things.

Alex Rodriguez Back With Wife, Awaits Madonna

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez reportedly was spotted holding hands with his estranged wife Cynthia as he entered a restaurant in Toronto over the weekend, yet he plans to meet with Madonna tonight as he and other patrons of the 40-40 Club in Manhattan watch the MLB Home Run Derby on 60-inch plasma television screens.

Video broadcast by Fox 5 television in New York showed what was purported to be fresh video of the couple -- looking tanned and fit -- amicably walking together, she, 34, wearing a simple blue, printed blouse with a scoop neck and dark Capri slacks, and he, 32, wearing white chinos, a black belt and white polo shirt.

Currently entangled in an anticipated divorce action -- Rodriguez and his wife were described as being enroute to be united with their four-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, The Daily News reported that Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, had met the couple with the intention of working out some type of reunion or settlement.

Yet tonight Rodriguez plans to dine at the posh, 700-seat 40-40 hip-hop club at 6 West 25th Street in the Flatiron District -- and Madonna, 49, is on the guest list. Using numerous 60-inch plasma television screens throughout the facility, patrons will watch the MLB Home Run Derby being broadcast from Yankee Stadium.

Rodriguez, who recently hit home run No. 537 to pass late Yankee great Mickey Mantle, has declined to participate in the derby out of fear that it will disrupt his patented, smooth power stroke.

Though Rodriguez -- who has an apartment on Park Avenue -- has been widely reported as being seen entering Madonna's building on the Upper East Side, Madonna has denied any romantic link to the superstar slugger.

Mets Seek Matt Holliday as Token Anglo American?

An MLB Rumor is circulating that Mets General Manager Omar Manaya is attempting to acquire Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, adding his name a roster with such names as Carlos Delgado, Luis Castillo, Argenis Reyes, Fernando Tatis, Jose Reyes, Endy Chavez, Carlos Beltran, Chris Aguila, Ramon Castro, Moises Alou, Claudio Vargas, Carlos Munoz, Tony Armas, Duaner Sanchez, Johan Santana, Oliver Perez, Pedro Feliciano and Pedro Martinez.

Wait a minute. Does Manaya know what he's doing? What's Matt Holliday's Latin venue of derivation?

Oh, of course, Colorado.

Randy Wolf's Preference May Not Include New York

With pitchers CC Sabathia and Rich Hardin off the market, speculation has intensified that the Yankees and Mets will continue to press for the acquisition of lefty Randy Wolf from the Padres -- but Wolf may have a thing or two to say about that.


Though Wolf's 14-team no-trade clause is widely believed to leave both New York teams as a possibility, the Southern California native native has had diminished interest in pitching for an East Coast team since leaving the Phillies, having recently explained to MLB.com that he left guaranteed money on the table for the chance to pitch along the Pacific.

"I wanted to play here and I thought I would be a good fit here," Wolf was quoted as saying.

Wolf -- whose one-year $4.75 million contract expires at the end of this season -- was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, attended Pepperdine University in Malibu and owns a mansion in the Hollywood Hills not far from the home of former San Francisco slugger Barry Bonds.

Wolf indicated he would consider staying in San Diego, which is little more than a two-hour drive from his residence, depending on traffic.

Wolf currently owns a 6-8 record with a 4.38 ERA , and has notched 12 quality starts in 19 appearances. The Mets are also rumored to be interested in his services, but West Coast teams may discover they have an edge.

Pitchers Keeping Ichiro Suzuki Close to the Bag

Speedy Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has stolen only one base in more than two weeks, as opposing pitchers are holding him close to the bag, according to manager Jim Riggleman.

"When you steal enough, at some point the other manager won't let you," Riggleman recently explained to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "They change how they pitch. Right now they're not letting Ichiro run. They're...about 1.2 seconds to the plate. When other guys are on base, they pitch. When he's on base, they make sure they slow down the run."

Riggleman largely discounted what apparently is a minor hamstring issue.

Suzuki has 33 steals for the season.

Milton Bradley Highlights Future Rangers Fire Sale

The Texas Rangers are trying to burn the candle at both ends -- pretending to compete for a playoff berth while at the same time planning to acquire prospects as proceeds from an anticipated fire sale to include outfielder Milton Bradley, pitchers Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla and others.

That's the perspective of Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Randy Galloway, who says unnamed sources both inside and outside the Rangers organization have hinted as such.

Bradley -- signed only through this year -- is having an outstanding year offensively, but Galloway cautions that his value is hurt by his difficult personality. So how do you market such an individual? Perhaps with comments like this:

"...People talk about his anger issues," says batting coach Rudy Jaramillo. "Well, he’s aiming that anger at pitchers. It’s an intensity that our other guys feed off of. In the clubhouse, or on the field, Milton is a leader for us, and I don’t care what his so-called reputation says. Our players love him. I love him."

As for Padilla, he can be dealt for a "boatload" of prospects because his value will never be higher in light of his career-best first half. But Galloway warns that the team should "never trade any pitcher with this kind of stuff and with age (he’s 30) not a factor."

Millwood's value is tarnished by his huge contract -- up to $23 million including incentives over the next two years --yet "there is interest from other teams," Galloway says.

Outfielder Marlon Byrd and catcher Gerald Laird fall into the "good things come in small packages" category, though Galloway predicts Byrd is more likely to stay with the Rangers as a valuable spare part.

July Finds Orioles George Sherrill Rocked, Doubted

Physicists have calculated that given its wingspan, weight and dimensions, the ungainly bumble bee should be unable to fly. Likewise, stat geeks have shown that a left-handed specialist like George Sherrill of the Orioles -- given his age, propensities and statistical limitations -- should be unable to face everyday hitters on a regular basis.

The bumble bee doesn't understand physics and therefore can fly. Sherrill perhaps doesn't study sabremetrics, and therefore can close games -- uh -- at least until now.

It's a bit early to panic, but the fact is that Sherrill has been and is in uncharted territory, as for the first time in his career he is on a pace to pitch 70 innings out of the bullpen, almost doubling the maximum number of innings he has notched historically when he primarily faced only lefties in the minors and for Seattle in 2006-07.

Though Sherrill is also on pace to notch 49 saves -- eclipsing Randy Myers' 45 team record in 1997 -- an MLB Newsonline statistical analysis warns that Sherrill may be approaching his physical limits.

Not only has he blown four saves since June 2, his ERA was 2.25 in May but jumped to 4.15 for the month of June and 10.12 so far in July.

Yankees Trading Chip Dan McCutchen Adds Slider

Key Yankees trading chip Daniel McCutchen has added a slider to his multi-pitch repertoire, enabling him to lower his ERA to 3.32 after surrendering just three runs over his last 25 innings for Triple A Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound, 24-year-old righty's somewhat lopsided record now stands at 3-6 after it initially appeared as though he was overmatched when first promoted to Triple A. But his ability to find himself has marked a considerable improvement, with his most recent victory being a win over Columbus 7-3.

Most intriguing about the former 13th-round pick is his ability to consistently find the plate often without the wildness so common among hard throwers, as he can occasionally reach the high 90s with his fastball. His willingness to grove it potentially makes him vulnerable to gap balls and deep flies, but he has won praise at various stops in the infancy of his career by generally keeping runners off base.

General Manager Brian Cashman refused to deal him as part of recent, potentially costly trade packages, as McCutchen's name has been widely thought to have been been included in the failed attempt to land CC Sabathia from the Indians.

Along with prospects Alan Horne and Mark Melancon, McCutchen has also been seen as being included in talks for the acquisition of San Diego's Randy Wolf or Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo.

Don Mattingly Set to Return to Dodgers

Normally when a team has basically the worst offense ever, the general manger might expect a "screw you guys, I'm going home" speech from the hitting coach. Which is why Dodgers fans are probably surprised by Don Mattingly's enthusiastic desire to take the job.

Mattingly is set to become the Dodgers full-time hitting coach after the All-Star break.

Fernando Tatis Still Plays Baseball

Fernando Tatis, basically known for nothing more than his elephant ears and hitting two grand slams in one inning off Chan Ho Park like 40 years ago, apparently thinks he has something left.  He went 3-5 with a homer and two doubles Thursday night to lead the surging Mets to their 6th straight victory.  

Tatis sat out 2004, 2005, and 2007 and online played a combined 81 games in 2003 and 2006, but he's hitting .303 for the Mets this year.  Good for him, I guess.

Yeah, Gary Matthews was a Bad Signing

The Angels have finally benched Gary Matthews Jr. and his .236 batting average, in favor of Juan Rivera and his who knows how much below .200 batting average.

Nobody disputes Matthews' gold glove defense (although who needs it with Torii Hunter in center field) but what the hell was Bill Stoneman doing giving him $50 million over 5 years just because he broke .300? Andruw Jones thinks this is a bad contract.

Predictably, Matthews has basically been a No. 7 hitter since he came over from Texas, but now he's a defensive replacement. And Angels fans are pretty much stuck with him. Not only did Stoneman give him an unjustified amount of money (he is owed $10 million, $11 million, and $12 million in 2009, 2010, and 2011, respectively) but he has a FULL no-trade clause through next season. Not that anyone would agree to trade for him anyway, but if he waives the no-trade clause he gets a $500,000 bonus.


The Colorodo Rockies are just about the only team to which that a trade would make sense. The ginormous dimensions at Coors Field require Matthews-like speed and defense in center field, and the thin air could probably turn him into a 30-homer threat. The Angels are rumored to have interest in MVP candidate Matt Holliday, so they may be lucky enough to pawn Matthews (or Rivera, or both) off to the Rockies if they fork over some top pitching prospects.

Unlikely though.

Thanks MLB.com

Headline:  "Dodgers not interested in Bonds." - MLB.com

Thanks for that piece of breaking news.  You people are so wise.

Pirates1B Adam LaRoche Awakens from Slumber

The thunder of little men bowling apparently has awoken Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche from his 20-year slumber in the mountains, as he is hitting .516 with three homers, two triples and 11 RBI in 31 at-bats over his last 10 games, raising his overall average from .221 to .251.

LaRoche -- who typically rounds into form sometime after June 1 -- is a little later than usual this year, but the Pirates are not complaining. With LaRoche finally contributing in the middle of the lineup, the team can hardly be considered a pushover with LaRoche standing alongside Xavier Nady, .322; Ryan Doumit, .319; Jason Bay, .292; Nate McLouth, .280; and Jack Wilson, .298.

Freddy Sanchez, hitting .228 but with much more potential as the winner of the National League batting title with a .344 average only two years ago, is in the process of rediscovering his stroke. When Sanchez comes around the Pirates will look like one of the most feared Murderers' Rows since the 1931 Yankees.

Daniel Cabrera's First Inning Woes Easily Solved

With Orioles starting pitcher Daniel Cabrera having allowed 15 runs during the first inning of 18 games -- and closer George Sherrill having allowed only 16 runs in 38 mostly one-inning appearances -- an easy solution appears to be at hand.

Why not let Sherrill start the first inning of games, then bring in Cabrera to pitch the final eight? (NOT!!!)

Braves Offense Might be Worse than Dodgers

For the third night in a row, a Dodgers starter has taken a no-hitter into the 5th inning against the Braves.  For the second time in three nights, a Dodgers starter has taken a perfect game into the 7th.

The Braves offense might be worse than the Dodgers, which would be terribly embarrassing.