MLB Trade Rumors: March 15, 2007

With just two weeks to go before Opening Day, the MLB Trade Rumor Mill is heating up. Here's the latest news.

The Marlins and Mariners Want an Armando Benitez Trade

The Florida Sun Sentinel reported on Wednesday, March 14, that the Marlins sent two scouts to watch Armando Benitez pitch in the San Francisco Giants spring training game on Tuesday. The scouts reported that Benitez threw his fastball well and had good control.

An Armando Benitez trade may be the best thing for both the pitcher and the Marlins. In 2004, he had the best year of his 13-year career while pitching for the Fish, saving 47 games and logging an ERA of 1.29.

Also at the game watching Benitez were two scouts from the Seattle Mariners.

Byung-Hyun Kim is on Trading Block

The Denver Post reported on March 14, 2007 that the Colorado Rockies have made it clear that a Byung-Hyun Kim trade is likely to happen soon. After closing games for the first six years of his career, Kim has been used primarily as a starter for the past two seasons, going a combined 17-24 with an ERA of 5.28. His relatively low 2007 salary ($2.5 million), and the fact that he posted those poor numbers in the thin air of Colorado, make a Byung-Hyun Kim trade a strong possibility for several teams who are actively looking for starting and relief pitching.

A-Rod Not on the Move

A lot of baseball writers are twisting the words of the New York Yankees third baseman once again. A-Rod appeared on the New York radio station WFAN on Wednesday, March 14. He expressed that he was loyal to the Yankees, and wanted to stay in New York until the end of his career. That doesn’t sound like a man who is looking for a trade. Nevertheless, because Rodriguez mentioned that he knew that “five or six” teams were interested in trading for him last winter, the mainstream baseball media is all over his case. Claims of “contract tampering” and “A-Rod wants a trade” are all over the papers and the internet today. It’s all rampant speculation. A-Rod is not going anywhere. Not anytime soon, at least.

Marlins ‘Not Even Close’ to Trading for Jorge Julio

A scout for the Marlins went to Arizona to see Diamondbacks reliever Jorge Julio, who threw two scoreless innings against Colorado on Monday. But a Marlins source said the team is not close to proposing a deal for Julio, who is owed $3.6 million in 2007.

Phillies Will Move Lieber Before Opening Day

The Philadelphia Phillies have a fearsome lineup and a strong starting rotation. They also have an experienced closer in Tom Gordon. But their middle relief is lacking a bit. Don’t be surprised if the Phillies make a move for a bullpen stalwart before Opening Day. They have a pretty solid trading chip in starter Jon Lieber, who is pitching well this spring. The Phillies will take the best long reliever they can get for Lieber in the next two weeks.

Yankees Not Looking to Jettison Pavano

A baseball executive whose team is interested in acquiring Yankee pitcher Carl Pavano quelled MLB Trade Rumors yesterday when he said that he did not believe that New York will trade the righty this spring. Nevertheless, the executive confirmed that his team scouted Pavano's March 12 start against Boston and reported a positive outcome.

"He was free and easy, which is a big deal considering his injury history,' the executive said. "His fastball was good, better than anticipated." Perhaps most important is that the righty reported no physical issues yesterday.

And that’s the MLB Trade Rumors for today, March 15, 2007.

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