Official Blue Jays/MLB Trade Deadline thread

[Avenger]

**** the Raptors and i'm so sick of the soap opera bull in the NBA. The MLB trade deadline is about three weeks away and the Blue Jays look it to be big time sellers and i don't know about you guys but for me MLB trade deadline is always way more exciting than the NHL and NBA ones.

We don't really have to go to great lengths to find rumors and proposed trades for the Blue Jays, MLBTR takes care of that very well, so we'll just use this thread to discuss anything they find

[Avenger]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/07/p ... downs.html

Phillies Interested In Scott Downs

The Phillies have shown interest in Blue Jays left-hander Scott Downs, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Teams have had interest in Downs all year, though it has picked up recently, according to one of Morosi’s sources.

Downs projects to be a Type A free agent after the season, according to our latest Elias rankings. This means the Blue Jays will have the chance to obtain draft picks for him after the season. Downs, arguably the best left-handed reliever on the market, has substantial trade value.

[Avenger]

hanging on to Scott Downs if he continues to be a Type A is pretty dangerous. He'll make a ton of money in arbitration and how many teams would really offer him a long term deal with more money for him to reject arbitration and get us the draft picks? If he does that, we'll end up with no draft picks and a high priced non-closer reliever, Downs deserves that money and what not but the Jays don't really need a 7 million dollar reliever at that point.

[Schad]

hanging on to Scott Downs if he continues to be a Type A is pretty dangerous. He'll make a ton of money in arbitration and how many teams would really offer him a long term deal with more money for him to reject arbitration and get us the draft picks? If he does that, we'll end up with no draft picks and a high priced non-closer reliever, Downs deserves that money and what not but the Jays don't really need a 7 million dollar reliever at that point.

Downs is good enough that I would expect him to decline arbitration; at 34, he'll be probably looking to get a final multiyear deal, rather than stringing together one-year contracts, and 3 years, $16m or thereabouts probably trumps 1 year, $7m as he reaches his golden years.

[Avenger]

who do you see giving him the 3 years, 5-6 million per year deal? How many non-closer relievers have gotten that kind of money?

[Avenger]

Seattle just got an awesome return for Cliff Lee

3:57pm: The Rangers will acquire Lee and Mark Lowe for Justin Smoak and three others, according to Sherman (via Twitter). Lowe will miss the rest of the season with back surgery, so his inclusion in the trade is puzzling. Rosenthal confirms that the Rangers are acquiring Lee and says the Mariners are sending cash

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/

just when you thought Texas was doing things the right way. The M's might have gotten more for half a season of Lee than we got for 4 years of Halladay(with the extension that he agreed to with the Phils)

[Schad]

who do you see giving him the 3 years, 5-6 million per year deal? How many non-closer relievers have gotten that kind of money?

Scott Shields, Scott Linebrink, and Brandon Lyon come immediately to mind; all paid around or over $5m a year for 3+ years, and all significantly worse pitchers than Downs. And should Downs decide to take arbitration, you still have the option of trading him next season...a 1 year, $6-7m deal isn't going to scare off people.

I don't mind trading him for the right deal, but we aren't bent over the barrel here.

[Geddy]

If Overbay continues to get his numbers up then there should be a team out there that would want his services. The Angels could be a possibility.

[aligator]

Buck is the guy we need to move asap. At least he's worked himself up to a class B but we'll be ok with Molina and Arencibia this year and next. Agree that moving Downs should also be a priority. As he is the best left handed reliever available, someone will step up - it's going to take a top prospect though, no question.

[Avenger]

“I heard: ‘Downs to the Red Sox’ so often this week watching Boston at Tampa Bay, I was half expecting him to come out of the bullpen,” said one American League scout

Jays scouts have been watching the Milwaukee Brewers farm system. The Brewers, likewise, have been scouting the Jays system and like some of the Jay’s young arms in the minors. Could general manager Alex Anthopoulos be chasing former first-round pick Brett Lawrie, the Canadian catcher who is hitting .293 at double-A Huntsville with 22 doubles, 11 triples, six homers and 41 RBIs in 86 games?

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/column ... 68531.html

[Avenger]

Jays make RP Kevin Gregg available, re-route a Tor scout into Seattle for final 2 games of Yanks-Sea series

http://twitter.com/elliottbaseball/status/18333770681

Kevin Gregg is an interesting case, while he's not an elite closer he's almost become a little underrated. After that implosion against Tampa, he's pitched a lot better and seems to be back on track. He's only owed like 1.3 million pro rated and he should be worth half a win for the rest of the season, i don't see a better bargain for a closer in the market right now. Not to mention, he'll fetch a pick in the range of 35-45 which is worth about 2.5 million, overall Gregg should provide about 4.5 million in value, while making a less than a third of that. I hope AA doesn't give him up that easily.

[SargentBargs101]

http://www.fan590.com/media.jsp?content ... 82559_6164
AA on the fan

[OldNo7]

Buster's blog today:

If any of those players generate offers for second-line, mediocre prospects, the may be more inclined to just keep the players and angle for the draft-pick compensation, in the belief that their access to high-end talent will be improved if they take chances on high-ceiling players in the draft.

Says Downs will be Type A, while Buck, Gregg and Frasor will be Type B.

[luvtheteam]

Buster's blog today:

If any of those players generate offers for second-line, mediocre prospects, the may be more inclined to just keep the players and angle for the draft-pick compensation, in the belief that their access to high-end talent will be improved if they take chances on high-ceiling players in the draft.

Says Downs will be Type A, while Buck, Gregg and Frasor will be Type B.

Would that be about 5 first rounders (or supplemental 1st) picks if they all go? You could do a lot of damage with those picks!!

[Geddy]

Looks like Yankees are looking for relievers - anyone that the Jays can peddle to them for picks or prospects?

[Avenger]

Peter Gammons says Alex is asking for Jose Igleasis in return for Scott Downs. Theo Epstein tends to overvalue his Prospect so that's not happening any time soon and we would have to throw in quite a bit to get him to seriously think about it. Scott Downs + John Buck or Frasor and cash since they're over the luxury tax should be much closer to fair value and i would probably do that. I don't know if you guys read that Morgan Campbell story on Igleasis and Hech being best friends who grew up together but it would be pretty cool to see them turning double plays together, although neither of them would probably hit well enough to play 2nd.

[Hoopstarr]

"Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweets that Tampa Bay expressed interest in Yunel Escobar before he was dealt to Toronto. He also tweets that Reid Brignac was part of the talks."

Braves must really like Collins/Pastornicky to turn down a package with Brignac. Great to hear we cockblocked an AL East team.

[-MetA4-]

The Red Sox and Yankees have "big-time" interest in Blue Jays reliever Scott Downs, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Downs, a free agent after the season, has a 2.56 ERA, 7.0 K/9, and 1.9 BB/9 in 38.6 innings this year.

Neither team's interest comes as a surprise. The Red Sox have been linked to Downs since this July 6th report from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Yankees are known to be seeking relief help. The Phillies are also said to be interested in Downs. Last week on WEEI's The Big Show, former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi praised Downs as a potential Red Sox acquisition but had harsh words for Jason Frasor and Kevin Gregg.

[-MetA4-]

JP with some behind the scenes stuff from past trade deadlines:

We’ve also had players, this is another big-name player that I can’t mention right now, but that had a chance to go to the Red Sox the year they won the World Series in ’04 and he exercised his no-trade clause. He had a chance to play on a World Series team, but he didn’t want to opt out of his no trade, so that’s the other thing that happened at the trade deadline. A lot of guys have no-trades and you go to them and say, “Hey, we have an opportunity to move you, would you be interested.” “Let me know what team it is.” And you come back with a team and then they sit their for 24 hours and say, “No, I am not interested.”'

And another one about a trade not made.

I can’t say monumental, there has been enough stories of really come close and not pull things off on just different types of players. But I had a trade done a couple of years ago where the trade was finalized, I won’t mention the players, but a pretty prominent player. Had him traded, everything was all set, told the president this is what we are trying to do, kept him in the loop. I went back, already signed off with the team, I said, I’ll just get right back to finalize, let me run it by my president.

I went and told the president and the president told me, You know what, I’m a really big fan of that guy, and I think the fans are, too. I think if we trade him, we’re really going to catch it. And I said, OK, it’s your call. I said I recommend we do this, but he said no, and we didn’t trade him and the guy we could have traded him for is absolutely tearing it up right now. So, that’s why you can’t be a fan when you make those choices.

[Hoopstarr]

Interesting. The first one sounds like Delgado not waiving his NTC to go to the Sox. I remember reading that Delgado wouldn't waive it in 2004 so just connecting the dots.

Second one sounds like either trading Wells or the Rios/Lincecum trade. Probably Wells.