BigEd76 wrote:Wanted to break this off from the usual random topic so we had a place to talk about trade and FA rumors

-- Crasnick says Boras is shopping Choo above the 7/$126M Werth deal, and according to Heyman, the Mets think Choo is the only FA worth $100M+
-- Heyman thinks McCann will get $100M+ if the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Rangers are involved, but AJC thinks 5/$75M is more likely
-- Tim Brown says Beltran will reject St. Louis' QO and wants a 3- or 4-year deal
-- Heyman says the Nats will listen to offers for Span, but it might be just in case they sign Ellsbury or a corner OF (and move Bryce to CF)
-- RealKen says the Dodgers will listen to offers for Kemp, Ethier and Crawford, and Heyman says the Mets aren't interested in any of the three
-- Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Indians aren't expecting Ubaldo, Kazmir, Joe Smith or Matt Albers to re-sign
-- Passan says the Yankees are expected to go hard after Masahiro Tanaka and made him their "1A" priority after Cano
-- AJC says the Braves will trade Uggla if someone agrees to pick up at least $7M of the remaining $26M
-- AJC offers the idea of Doc signing with the Braves if Hudson leaves. Hudson has received offers from the Braves, Indians, Royals, Rockies, Giants, Red Sox, Athletics and Rangers
-- Besides Hudson, the Giants are also interested in Haren and Arroyo
-- ESPN Dallas says Josh Johnson's agent has talked to pretty much every team, and Johnson prefers to pitch in a "pitching-neutral ballpark"
-- Olney says there isn't a lot of demand for Bartolo Colon and he might get only a 1-yr deal from a big-market team
-- Sweeny Murti says at least a dozen teams have inquired about Joba but the Yankees aren't one of them
-- Denver Post says the Cardinals have asked about trading for Tulo but the Rockies say he and CarGo are untouchable
-- Ervin Santana wants 5/$100M and Nolasco wants 5/$80M

BigEd76 wrote:-- Denver Post says the Cardinals have asked about trading for Tulo but the Rockies say he and CarGo are untouchable

ReadingPhilly wrote:mauer is going to play 1b full time next season

Which Scott Boras outfielder -- Jacoby Ellsbury or Shin-Soo Choo -- will provide better value over the course of his next deal?
Choo 12; Ellsbury 8. One general manager declined to choose, observing, "Neither will match what they will get."

Which of these starting pitchers -- Matt Garza, Ervin Santana or Ubaldo Jimenez -- do you like the most in free agency?
Garza 10, Santana 5, Jimenez 4. Two respondents declined to make a pick. "They will all be way overpaid," said a National League assistant GM.

Which aging pitcher has the most left in the tank: Roy Halladay, Tim Hudson or Hiroki Kuroda?
Responses: Kuroda 12; Hudson 8; Halladay 1.

"Kuroda, and it's not particularly close," said a National League assistant GM. "Halladay has lost 4 mph and was just plain bad last year. He's a warrior, but I'm not sure that will make a difference. Hudson hasn't been as good as Kuroda in years and now is recovering from a major injury, too."

Kuroda will be 39 on Opening Day and tailed off badly after mid-August, but his velocity held firm and his problems were at least partly attributable to a higher batting average on balls in play. The Yankees still value him highly enough that they gave him a $14.1 million qualifying offer last week. Kuroda has held his own against rugged competition in the AL East over the past two seasons, and that's a significant point in his favor.

Hudson, 38, went 8-7 with a 3.97 ERA in Atlanta before suffering a season-ending ankle injury that required surgery in late July. He has been cleared to begin running later this month and is reportedly on the radar in Boston, Cleveland, Kansas City and numerous other cities.

"He still has the ability to command and sink the ball consistently," an AL scout said. "He can probably pitch until he's 42. He's probably the safest bet of these three guys."

Halladay's shoulder problems cast considerable doubt over his ability to come back at age 36. But he's built up so much credibility in the game because of his commitment and work ethic, some observers are hesitant to proclaim him finished. The Doc Halladay mystique is tough to kill.

"Maybe the chances of him coming back aren't real good if you look at it objectively," a scout said. "But if the guy wants to [keep pitching] and be successful, I wouldn't put it past him."

Grotewold wrote:Apparently Ervin Santana's agent(s) put out a $112M contract proposal

Is that a thing now?

CalvinBall wrote:Yanks talking trade for David Freese.

#Royals official on Butler trade rumors: "Do the math. We're looking to add offense. If we trade Butler, we'd have to add a lot of offense."