Obsessive Ted Lilly Trade Watch: Might Have to Cross Phillies Off the List
Late yesterday, a rumor started circulating that the Cubs and Phillies had agreed to swap lefties Ted Lilly and JA Happ, but it seems to have died on the vine. Whether it was because of Ted Lilly’s partial no-trade clause (which includes the Phillies), or because there wasn’t anything to the rumor in the first place, we might never know.
That’s because the Phillies are on the verge of landing Roy Oswalt.
Major League baseball sources told FOX 26 Sports the Houston Astros have a deal in place to trade pitcher Roy Oswalt to the Philadelphia Phillies if Oswalt agrees to waive his no-trade clause.
Sources told FOX 26 the Astros have approached Oswalt. He is aware of the deal that is on the table and the club is waiting for his response.
MLB sources told FOX 26 the Astros and Phillies have agreed on the amount of money Houston will take back in the deal and the two teams have agreed on the players Philadelphia will be sending. Fox Houston.
Can you tell that writer was really excited to have “sources”?
If the Phillies manage to land Oswalt, they’ll obviously no longer have a need for Lilly, and the Cubs will have to turn their attention back to the Mets, Dodgers, and Twins.
Obsessive Ted Lilly Trade Watch: Bundle of Rumors
A trio of rumors has popped up on Twitter regarding the Cubs’ efforts to deal Ted Lilly:
The market for Lilly has picked up, according to Stark. The Tigers are involved, and so are the Dodgers, Twins and Phillies.
The Phillies have inquired on Lilly, according to Rosenthal. Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears rumblings about a possible Lilly-J.A. Happ deal. However, Stark hears that the Phils won’t deal Happ for Lilly. The Twins and Dodgers remain involved, but the Mets are waiting to hear “from above” before pursuing Lilly more aggressively, according to Rosenthal.
The Cubs have indicated a recent willingness to assume some of the $4.43MM owed to Lilly, reports ESPN’s Jayson Stark. That’d help the chances of a Dodgers deal. Unfortunately for the Cubs, potential Lilly suitors like the Mets and Tigers may be reassessing their chances. MLBTradeRumors.com.
Of the trio, the most intriguing bit is about JA Happ. You may recall that Happ was a studly semi-rookie last year for the Phillies (albeit at the ripe old age of 26/27), putting up a 2.93 ERA and a 1.235 WHIP. He fell on hard times this year, and has been recovering from the dreaded “sore elbow” for the better part of the season (he’s set to return this week).
Even with the injury concerns, getting Happ for Lilly would be a steal. He’s under cheap control for several years, and he’s proved effective at the Major League level. For those reasons, the odds that the Cubs could land Happ for Lilly straight up seem slim, unless of course Happ’s elbow concerns are more serious than the Phillies are presently letting on.
Obsessive Lilly Trade Watch: Cubs Would Like to Deal Lilly Before Tuesday
The Chicago Cubs are now actively shopping pitcher Ted Lilly, and would like to have a deal in place before Lilly’s next start, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
With contenders struggling to find the right match for available starters Roy Oswalt and Dan Haren on the trade market, interest in Cubs left-hander Ted Lilly has stepped up dramatically and a trade could be completed by the end of the weekend, major-league sources said Friday.
Lilly’s trade value skyrocketed after he held the Houston Astros to one run in 7 1/3 innings Wednesday. His next scheduled start is Tuesday in Houston, and sources say the Cubs would like to complete a deal before that outing. CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Before we get too excited, it’s worth pointing out that, if the only reason these “sources” believe a Lilly deal will get done soon is because of other teams’ struggles to acquire Oswalt or Haren, the sources may be a day or two behind the curve. Indeed, teams may not be struggling to acquire Oswalt or Haren as much as is suggested in that article. At present, the Astros have scouted and/or exchanged names with three teams – the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Phillies – so they may be getting close to finding a partner. Haren is officially on the Yankees’ radar, and the teams are reportedly getting close to a deal.
That said, it’s unlikely a traded Haren would affect the Lilly trade market, primarily because the Yankees have never been interested in Lilly. In that regard, taking Haren off the market, to a team that was never going to get Lilly, could actually help the Lilly trade market. Thus, I’m rooting strongly for the Yankees to acquire Haren – and soon.
As for Oswalt, each of the Phillies and Dodgers has been connected to Lilly, at least in small ways. Still, the two most likely Lilly destinations – Detroit and New York (Mets) – are not involved.
Series Preview: Phillies v. Cubs, July 15 – July 18, 2010
It’s series preview time again as the second half begins, and the Chicago Cubs are set to DOMINATE! Ha. Snap.
But seriously, the Cubs welcome the Philadelphia Phillies to Wrigley for a four-game set. You should probably set your phasers to “lose,” as any glimmer of hope at this point in the season will be (1) a tease and (2) a deterrent to making meaningful trades. A refresher on the series preview here at Bleacher Nation:
The idea is to hook you up with the bare minimum of what you need to know about every series this year. That way you can look like a genius, hardcore fan in front of all your friends, with minimum effort. Oh, and there will be pictures of beautiful women, too.
Check out the Phillies series preview, after the jump
Zambranogate: When Will Carlos Return?
Carlos Zambrano remains on the restricted list, suspended by the Chicago Cubs, and theoretically out until he completes anger management counseling. But when will that be? And even if he completes it very soon, how quickly can he actually come back to the team?
Cubs manager Lou Piniella said Sunday that Zambrano, the temper-tangled right-hander who has been on the restricted list for two weeks, definitely won’t return during the four-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies that opens the post-All-Star schedule.
That takes the process into the third week of the month, with a minor-league rehabilitation assignment still necessary to get him physically ready to perform out of the bullpen when he returns.
And that can’t even begin until Zambrano gets through enough of his anger-management process to be allowed to resume formal baseball activity. He has been playing catch on his own since going on the restricted list, team officials say. The Cubs haven’t been given the OK from his doctors to contact him about a more formal throwing program.
”We’re still in limbo as far as that’s concerned,” said Piniella, who plans to meet with general manager Jim Hendry on Wednesday in Chicago to go over team issues, including that one, before second-half play begins. CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
With even a moderate minor league rehab stint, it’s hard to imagine Zambrano back before the end of July. That being the case, it seems highly unlikely that he’ll be traded in-season, given that July 31 is the non-waiver trade deadline. He could be traded up until the end of August if he clears waivers (he would), but it’s generally less likely – if it was likely at all.
The Cubs, I expect, hope Zambrano returns a truly changed man, so they at least have the option of keeping him next season, and aren’t faced with a Milton-Bradleyesque need to dump this offseason. At a minimum, they probably hope he pitches well in August and September, making efforts to deal him just a slight bit easier.
Ted Lilly to the New York Mets?
Now that Cliff Lee is off the trade market, Chicago Cubs starter Ted Lilly becomes the best available lefty starting pitcher on the market, and remains one of the best two or three available overall. It seems highly likely that, if the Cubs decide to move Lilly and he’s amenable to waiving his limited no-trade clause, the Cubs will be able to find a taker for Lilly. Their first calls no doubt will go out to the losers in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, including the Yankees, Mets, White Sox, Phillies, Dodgers, and division rival Cardinals and Reds, among others.
At least one of those teams – the Mets – have already been attached to Lilly for a couple of weeks now. And according to Joel Sherman, the Mets are expected to “turn strongly” to Lilly, now that Lee is off the market.
When it comes to moving Lilly, there are, of course, some hurdles. There is the aforementioned limited no-trade clause, though Lilly has never indicated a desire to remain in Chicago no matter what. There is also the matter of the $5.5ish million remaining on his deal this year, though the Cubs would be willing to eat some of that, depending on the return.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle to trading Lilly, however, is his recent performance. Back-to-back terrible outings in July have seen his ERA climb from 3.12 all the way to 4.08. He gave up five homers in those two starts, and 18 hits in just over 10 innings. They were about as bad as it gets.
Still, he had a 2.53 ERA in June, and sports an excellent 1.15 WHIP. The last two starts notwithstanding, Lilly is generally a durable, consistent starter. He’s also likely to be a Type A free agent, which could further enhance his attractiveness to a team willing to offer him arbitration after the season.
Alfonso Soriano is Patient
If you’ve noticed one thing about Alfonso Soriano’s performance over the last couple of weeks, you’ve noticed that he’s hitting really well.
If you’ve noticed two things about Alfonso Soriano’s performance over the last couple of weeks, you’ve noticed that his patience at the plate is truly impressive, and he’s clearly seeing the ball very well.
If you’ve noticed three things, you’ve noticed that he hasn’t actually cut out that stupid hop on fly balls – but hey, this is a positive article about Soriano.
And while Derrek Lee and Geovany Soto were among the league walk leaders with 15 each entering Tuesday, nobody’s patience has stood out more than Soriano’s.
”A lot of walks, a lot of good at-bats,” Soriano said. ”I feel good at home plate.”
Consider that Soriano was 15 for his last 40 through Monday after a rough first week, and his comfort level has been especially good in his last six starts, with six walks during that span.
Not bad for a guy who averaged a walk every four games in his career before this season.
”It’s the same approach. I just trust my hands more,” said Soriano, who credits hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo with improving his mechanics — specifically, getting his front foot down quicker — to give him a split-second longer to recognize the pitch.
”I’ve got time to see the ball,” he said. ”Having better timing. That’s what hitting’s all about.”
Whether he keeps up the pace with the walks, the bigger benefit so far has been recognizing breaking pitches quick enough to lay off more of the bad ones — a major adjustment for the only hitter in the majors who saw a higher percentage of breaking balls than the Phillies’ Ryan Howard.
”They used to throw me those pitches and I’d go for it, but right now I’m not going for it and I’m taking it,” he said. ”They know they have to give me better pitches to hit. I think I have more hits with breaking balls than fastballs.” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
If Rudy Jaramillo is the reason Alfonso Soriano has turned things around, he’s worth every penny of his highest-paid-hitting-coach-in-baseball salary. Soriano simply looks like a professional hitter again – like he knows what pitch is coming, and knows what to do with it.
Of course, we might point to Aramis Ramirez’s terrible start as a counterpoint… but again, this is a positive article!
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Series Preview: Nationals v. Cubs, April 26 – April 28, 2010
It’s Series Preview time again, as the Chicago Cubs welcome the Washington Nationals, who’ve won far too many games lately. Perennially the Pittsburgh Pirate equivalent of the NL East, they can not currently be counted on for a series win. The Cubs might actually have to play well.
A refresher on the series preview here at Bleacher Nation:
The idea is to hook you up with the bare minimum of what you need to know about every series this year. That way you can look like a genius, hardcore fan in front of all your friends, with minimum effort. Oh, and there will be pictures of hot chicks, too.
