The Buzz- Mike Lowell, Cliff Lee, Chicago White Sox

Welcome to a special Saturday addition of “The Buzz”, where of course we cover anything and everything rumors wise. Traditionally it still is early to speculate on who is a “buyer” and who is a “seller”, but you genuinely get a good idea of what teams are going to do what at the trade deadline. So with that being said, let’s get to checking out the rumors from the past week.

Mike Lowell in his Final Days in Boston

As I said last week, the Red Sox have been shopping Lowell since the off-season. Given that the Red Sox hardly play, he is virtually making the Red Sox play with a 24 man roster instead of a 25 man roster. The reason the Red Sox have played Lowell in limited is because he is not going to replace two gold glove corner infielders in third baseman Adrian Beltre, and first baseman Kevin Youkilis. And, with David Ortiz as the designated hitter, Lowell virtually has no place to get into the lineup.

But, the Red Sox may soon find a trade partner for Mike Lowell. As, Ken Rosenthal tweeted yesterday, that the Red Sox are in talks with the Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers regarding Mike Lowell. Rosenthal also mentioned, that the Angels are lurking as well for a possible location for Mike Lowell.

Even though the Red Sox have wanted to trade Lowell all along, they probably hurt his trade value with all the times they have left him sitting on the bench this season. If Lowell was in the lineup more often this year and he posted like he did last year where he hit .290 with 17 home runs, instead of hitting .230 with 2 home runs like he is this year, then the Red Sox would have been in a position to command a quality return for Lowell.

Cliff Lee is Going to be a Yankee

The Yankees or going to acquire Mariners starter Cliff Lee, the only question is when. Many believe the Yankees are going to try and pursue Lee at this year’s trading deadline, but that might not be the case.  With the Yankees already having a good rotation that consists of CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, Andy Pettite , Javier Vazquez, and AJ Burnett. Which means the Yankees could just wait till Lee hits the open market this off-season, and then presumably they would be the highest bidder for him.

However, given that Lee is a “top of the rotation starter” that may persuade the Yankees to go out and make the trade for him now instead of waiting to sign him int he off-season. The Mariners have already started to scout the Yankees, and they have stated that they would like one of the Yankees catching prospects as well as triple A shortstop Eduardo Nunez.  The Yankees, obviously would not send that high of a package to the Mariners if they were not assured that Lee would re-sign with them.

Looking back at the past, the Yankees have historically passed up on trading for start pitchers and then take their chances in free agency. The Yankees passed up on the possibility of trading for starter Johan Santana, and waited a year to sign CC Sabathia instead.

The Chicago White Sox are Open For Business

Chicago White Sox General Manager Kenny Williams  is telling the media, as well as other teams that the White Sox are now open for business. After a disappointing homestand, the White Sox have become the first sellers of this year’s trading deadline. Among players that could be moved are Paul Konerko, Bobby Jenks, A.J. Pierzynski, and JJ Putz.

The Los Angeles Angels have been speculated to have interest in Konerko, as they are looking for a possible replacement for injured Kendry Morales. Even with the no trade clause that Konerko holds in his contract, it is likely he would waive it, if it meant being closer to home on the west coast, and especially being with the Angels. In 55 games this season, Konerko is hitting .287/.392/.605 while hitting 17 home runs and driving in 44 runs. Konerko would entice any interested team given the fact that he is a rental player, as he is set to become a free agent after this year.

Bobby Jenks, and JJ Putz are two relievers that the Philadelphia Phillies have had on their radar for over a month now. While I’m sure they do not want to acquire both of them, I think they could be looking for one of them to be their closer. But, a lot of it depends on what Phillies closer Brad Lidge does once he gets back from his rehab assignment. If Lidge is capable of closing out games, then the Phillies would go after Putz, if not, then they will make a run at Jenks. Closers are always in demand in the MLB, and teams often get a return for even mediocre closer. And, Jenks for the most part has been a good closer as he has a career ERA of 3.32 with 156 saves. However he has struggled this year as he as an ERA of 4.76, but he has converted 10 of 11 save opportunities. On the other hand, Putz would be a very good set-up man for whatever team wants him. So far in 2010, he has posted an ERA of 2.61 while averaging 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Texas Rangers have serious interest in White Sox Catcher A.J. Pierzynski. The Rangers admire the his leadership quality and that coupled with his winning experiences make him a player that Rangers want to acquire. After Sunday, Pierzynski will become a 10-5 guy, meaning since he has been the majors for over 10 years and now he has 5 years with the White Sox, he will gain the right to veto any trade he is in. But to be honest, those are over-rated, as any player would waive it if it meant getting a chance to compete with a contender. Question remains, however, on whether or not the Texas Rangers would be able to trade for him. As since the Rangers are going through a bankruptcy process, and are technically owned by MLB, they may have a hard time adding on salary. In 2010, Pierzynski has a posted a line of .237/.272/.376 while hitting 4 home runs and driving in another 18 runs.

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