Giambi, Teixeira

I'm making this post with the door locked for fear of Elijah Dukes breaking in and threatening to kill me and my unborn children.

MLB Trade Rumors and FanNation have reported over the past two days a trade rumor involving Jason Giambi to the Angels. Today, the New York Post reports that Giambi, who has a full no-trade clause, will veto any such deal. I'm pretty sure the Yankees would have had to pay a significant portion of Giambi's contract to get this done, especially if they expected one of two of LA's much-heralded prospects. I don't see Giambi going anywhere, with the steroids and the money and the possible drop off in production.

The Detroit Free Press reports today that the Tigers have not inquired about trading for Mark Teixeira. As I've noted before, the New York could be his eventual destination if Giambi does in fact get moved. As a Tigers fan, I would love to acquire Tex, what with Sean Casey being the most worthless first baseman in the game and all. However, I'm not sure what Jon Daniels would require in the way of prospects or MLB ready players; probably some pitching. Also, Teixeira is a free agent after 2008. Things to think about. Possible destinations apart from the Yankees, in my mind, would include the Angels, Red Sox, and Dodgers. But then again, every high profile hitter is rumored to go to one of these four teams.

If the Red Sox choose to not extend Lowell's contract, though it is noted below that they are mulling that option, they could move Youkilis to third and stick Teixeira at first. Ortiz-Manny-Teixeira?????? Yikes.

Evan Chan of the Dallas Morning News also suggests Baltimore as a possible destination for Tex, with a possible return of Erik Bedard or Adam Loewen. Strangely enough, he believes Peter Angelos' pride in his "Greek heritage" would prohibit the O's from dealing Nick Markakis.....?

If I was talking to Baltimore, my hope would be to get Bedard or Adam Loewen and Nick Markakis. Not sure Baltimore would do that even if they were guaranteed of having Teixeira around for several years. Not sure Peter Angelos (who is very proud of his Greek heritage) would permit the Orioles to trade a talented Greek-American outfielder. And I really don’t think the addition of Mark Teixeira and the subtraction of the players I mentioned is going to help the Orioles win now or in 2008. But if I’m the Rangers' GM, the only reason I care about that is because it may be a hindrance to the deal.

He goes on to note a possible return from Boston including Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury or Kevin Youkilis, which I think is a lofty projection from a hometown sportswriter, but interesting nonetheless.

A-Rod Speculation

A-Rod's opt-out clause is the sexiest topic of the young baseball season, along with the trade rumors that have been swirling since his unimpressive October last year. With the Yankees flirting with the prospect of dropping out of contention already this season, we might see Brian Cashman cut his losses (and his payroll, significantly) and shop Rodriguez.

FanNation links to a Boston Herald story which speculates that the Red Sox, long considered a front-runner for A-Rod's services after he opts out of his current contract, may go another direction and offer a contract extension to Mike Lowell:

Three weeks ago, it seemed A-Rod’s next stop might very well be Boston. This is where A-Rod wanted to be when he left Texas in 2003. The Red Sox have the money, the flair for the dramatic and a potential opening at third base. It was the perfect storm for the current Sox administration: a move that would make Theo Epstein as giddy as Charles Steinberg.

But this is how well things have gone for the Red Sox as they bring their gaudy American League East lead into the Bronx this week. Instead of angling to add A-Rod to the mix, it may be time to talk contract with their incumbent third baseman, Mike Lowell [stats].

Lowell is currently off to a hot start, hitting .333/.391/.560. He was surprisingly effective last year as well, with an .816 OPS. He's certainly a cheaper alternative to Rodriguez, who looks to be in line for another $20 million+ AAV deal for a significantly longer time commitment.

Another possible suitor for A-Rod is the White Sox. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Kenny Williams is pissed at the team's slow start. Williams has never been shy about making a bold trade to better his club. There is a significant blockage at third base, with Joe Crede already blocking top position prospect Josh Fields at the hot corner. Both have gotten off to abysmal starts, however, and Williams' patience is apparently wearing thin. Another option would be to move Rodriguez back to shortstop, and keeping one of Crede or Fields at third. I don't think I'm alone in my belief that A-Rod would be a bit of an offensive upgrade over Juan Uribe.