By Dejan Kovacevi
c | 1:56 p.m. Wednesday
The Pirates and Tampa Bay continue to discuss Jason Bay, a process that became deep yesterday, and two prospect names known to be in the mix on the Rays' end are shortstop Reid Brignac and pitcher Jeremy Hellickson.
Brignac, 22, is 6 feet 3, 180 pounds, and was the Rays' minor league player of the year in 2006. He is batting .254 in 90 games for Class AAA Durham. Tampa is so deep at shortstop -- including recent No. 1 overall draft pick Tim Beckham -- that he might not be missed.
Hellickson, 21, was drafted out of high school and moved through the system slowly, but he was 13-3 with a 2.67 ERA last year in low Class A and 7-1 with a 2.00 ERA in high A this year before moving up to Class AA Montgomery, where he is 1-3 with a 4.58 ERA in seven starts. One scout for another team told me this afternoon "he would be a great pickup" for the Pirates.
To be clear, although these names have come up, that does not mean they could be lumped together. Brignac was ranked No. 3 in the rich Tampa system by Baseball America, Hellickson No. 8, and early indications have been that Bay will reap no bounty of prospects.
More on St. Louis in a bit.
UPDATE 2:23 p.m.: An American League team source just called from Toronto (where the Rays are playing): Says Brignac and pitcher Jeff Niemann are the names coming up most often. Another source -- not with a team -- says the Rays will not part with the following three pitchers: David Price, Wade Davis and Hellickson. But a push from other teams could change that if the Pirates are eager for Hellickson, as it seems they are. Niemann, 25, is a 6-foot-7 guy capable of throwing hard, but he is not seen in the same class as the other three even though he is BA's No. 7 guy.
2:27 p.m.: Neglected to mention this earlier, but Tampa sure is making things sound as if something will get done. The Pirates? Not so sure but, as the notebook mentioned earlier today, about 50-50.
2:31 p.m.: OK, to St. Louis: The Cardinals are interested in Bay, but not John Grabow (which surprised me to learn), according to a source there. They absolutely, positively will not give up outfielder Colby Rasmus, one of the best prospects in the game, but the Pirates probably would be able to pick off the list of pretty much any pitching prospect they have. But that is not nearly as enticing as it might sound: The Cardinals' system is basically Rasmus. Chris Perez, their No. 2 prospect, is a reliever in Class AAA Memphis. The top starter is the No. 4 prospect, Jaime Garcia, also in Class AAA. ... Be very sure that the Pirates would prefer to make a deal with Tampa, as it will be quality rather than quantity that they want in return for Bay, their biggest trading chip in years.
2:43 p.m.: The Mets, who had been in this, seem out.
3:09 p.m.: The St. Petersburg Times' Heater blog mentions outfielder Fernando Perez as a possible component in the Bay deal, but that most certainly could not be as a primary component. For one, he is 25 and, given Tampa's needs, if he were worth it, he already would be in the Rays' outfield. For another, outfield help is just about all the Pirates have, even if Bay is gone. The Times also mentions Niemann, and it reports that Rays manager Joe Maddon this morning told reporters in Toronto: "There are still some things on the table, and they're interesting, actually, so we'll see. I mean really interesting, possibly."
3:41 p.m.: Still nothing on the shortstop front, according to outside-the-Pirates sources. Looks like Jack Wilson will stay but, obviously, things can change in one phone call.
4 p.m.: Twenty-four hours until the deadline.
4:43 p.m.: Good luck trying to get info out of 115 Federal Street. Really hunkered down over there, and it is not because they are plotting how to beat Aaron Cook tonight.
4:46 p.m.: St. Petersburg Times reports "nothing imminent" and "a lot to be resolved" regarding Rays and Bay. Speculates that Pirates are fishing for better.
4:56 p.m.: ESPN's Jayson Stark supports the Brignac-Niemann foundation for the trade.
5:09 p.m.: Scout with whom I just spoke -- not from the Pirates -- is not terribly excited by Niemann. Called him "OK" as far as a prospect, mostly because he is a really big guy who could hold up well. Just loves Hellickson. ... Having difficulty unearthing Grabow stuff, but I remind from the Notebook today that expectations for a return are low here.
5:12 p.m.: Luis Munoz claimed off waivers by Seattle, assigned to West Tennessee. That is a surprise. Munoz has been awful at every level this season.
5:34 p.m.: Rays' charter is in the air, and it is a three-hour flight from Toronto to Tampa, so chances of an announcement while the team is at 35,000 feet seems remote. Stuff like this invariably gets run by the manager. Also, just want to throw this out there: The Rays are looking for relief and, although I never have heard them connected to John Grabow, it certainly seems possible -- pure speculation here -- that the same thing could happen with this deal as what happened when Brian Cashman approached the Pirates about Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte last week.
5:41 p.m.: Totally frivolous update, but this spring, Munoz mistook me for a clubhouse attendant after a game at Legends Field and asked me for a Sprite. Your PBC's middle infielders, seated nearby, got quite the kick out of that.
6:03 p.m.: A source on the scene in San Diego, where Arizona is playing, emails me with definitive word that the Diamondbacks are not a player for Bay. And this is not speculation. Moreover, it sounds like the Diamondbacks might never have been a player for Bay. ... One wonders how many suitors there actually are beyond Tampa and St. Louis.
6:58 p.m.: Stark reports a slowdown in talks.
7:05 p.m.: Bay takes the field at PNC Park. Now, if he is dealt, everyone will know.
7:19 p.m.: Word from Oakland: The Athletics are not as interested in Bay as the Pirates would like them to be.
8:52 p.m.: I am aware of the three-team scenario that has been floated in some circles -- some more definitively than others -- that would get Bay involved in a three-way trade between Boston and Florida that would send Bay to the Red Sox, Manny Ramirez to the Marlins and Jeremy Hermida to the Pirates. But I just spoke with a source in Miami who threw water over the whole thing, even the more commonly reported Ramirez-Florida straight-up suggestions. Waiting for independent confirmation either way.
9:09 p.m.: St. Louis sounds out of the Bay running.
Posted
Jul 30 2008, 01:56 PM
by
Dejan Kovacevic