March 2006

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ESPN Deportes: Ortiz Nearing Extension

Thanks to reader Nick for the tip. A rough translation of this article: David Ortiz is nearing a four-year, $50MM contract extension with the Red Sox. The source has family ties to Ortiz. Ortiz's agency, SFX declined to comment   Continue Reading

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Who Could Use Melvin Mora?

Melvin Mora is still a pretty good third baseman, tied for tenth best in baseball in 2005 according to WARP. He enters his age 34 season with free agency looming. Mora set a deadline for today for the Orioles to work out a contract extension with him, but Orioles VP Jim Duquette is pretty much ignoring that. Reports say Mora wants $10MM annually, but there is no indication on a number of years. Mora will make just $4MM in 2006, and he should be worth about twice that. He can only hope he ages like Jeff Kent, one of his..   Continue Reading

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Gotham Baseball's Zito Rumor

Gotham Baseball's Executive Editor, Mark Healey, had some informed speculation on Monday about a possible trade of Barry Zito to the Mets for Lastings Milledge and Brian Bannister. I figured I'd pass it along, as these guys seem to have some good front office type sources. Here are some highlights quoted from Healey from the thread: "Call me nuts...but I still think something is happening here and will in the next couple of days... Mike and I talk to scouts, front office people every week, sometimes daily....mostly to check on things, etc... Before and after our respective trips to ST...we..   Continue Reading

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Twins Trade Brewing?

Some message boards are abuzz with the possibility of a significant Twins trade on the horizon. I've tried to dig up something concrete for you, but I've come up empty so far. I do know that Terry Ryan has hinted recently that a deal is possible but wouldn't elaborate. Speculation is that the Twins would try to shore up the left side of their infield, possibly by dealing from their starting pitching surplus. Julio Lugo, Mike Lowell, Hank Blalock, and Melvin Mora could all be targets. If the Twins want one of the bigger dogs out there they'll probably have..   Continue Reading

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Top 50 Free Agents Review #1-10

With the season on the horizon, I figured that it's time to take a look back at my Top 50 Free Agents list. I published this baby on October 25, 2005, which was before any of the other lists came out. My goal was to beat Steve Phillips and ESPN, so we'll tally it up at the end. The list is in the format Player - Prediction/Actual. 1. Roger Clemens - Astros/Undecided. The Rocket has been holding up this entire review for quite some time. He'll probably come back to Houston, so this one will be a win. But does..   Continue Reading

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Ask Jim Bouton A Question

Have a burning question for Ball Four author Jim Bouton? If yours is one of the ten best, Armchair GM will ask him in an email interview. Click here to read more and submit a question. If you're a youngster like me and you weren't around when Ball Four came out back in 1970, pick up a copy now and get acquainted with a baseball classic   Continue Reading

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Royal Rumblings

Today's KC Star reports this morning that the Royals, with the first waiver wire claim, will probably snag Tony Graffanino to plug into a utility role once again. They have a spare $4-5MM with which to do so. Take that, Mets! Furthermore, a new Royals source of mine (yes, they do exist) mentions that lefties Jimmy Gobble and Jeremy Affeldt are currently on the trading block. Mike Wood may also be available. According to the source, a deal might happen before the end of the week. Affeldt is probably the most intriguing of the bunch. The 26 year-old has a..   Continue Reading

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More Miscellaneous Rumors

Jim Bowden wants Nook Logan on his team...surprised? I suppose fantasy leaguers should take note, as a full-time Logan could steal 35-40 bags. And do nothing else whatsoever. Melvin Mora is getting annoyed that the Orioles won't give him a huge contract extension to compensate him for a string of very lucky high batting average seasons in 2003-04. While a good third baseman, Mora is entering his age 34 season. To be fair, he's been underpaid for a while now, making $10.5MM over 2004-06. If Mora settled for a mild raise to $12MM over the next three seasons, the Orioles..   Continue Reading

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Rumor Roundup

Let's see what we've got here. The Red Sox placed Tony Graffanino on waivers, so that tells you a lot about the trade market for second basemen right now. Some teams that are questionable at second base: Blue Jays, Marlins, Mets, Cardinals, Cubs. Braves starter John Thomson is on the block, though I'm not sure Atlanta has the pitching depth to deal him. Smoltz has to be considered a health risk and I'm not sure what they're going to get out of Davies and Sosa. Then again, Chuck James could step in if either falters. Still, it's better to be..   Continue Reading

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Jays Want Craig Wilson, Burnett To Miss A Month?

Columnist Marty York is "one of Canada's most popular sports columnists with a track record for breaking big stories." Works for me. In yesterday's column, he tells us that the Blue Jays would like to acquire Craig Wilson by Opening Day. York mostly disses the team's interest in Wilson, comparing him to other "slow, white guys who can hit relatively well but who cannot run much and who are so subpar defensively that they have to be hidden at positions where they’re least likely to cause problems." He ignores Wilson's .363 career OBP in his comparison. That's the difference, Marty...   Continue Reading

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Juan Gonzalez Tries Out For Rockies

The Juan Gonzalez saga is fairly amusing for a lazy Friday afternoon, so let me take another crack at translating a new El Nuevo Dia article. Yesterday, Juan Gonzalez tried out for the Colorado Rockies in Puerto Rico. He's reportedly in magnificent physical condition. That report has been passed along to Colorado's front office, but there is no agreement as of yet. Gonzalez tried out for the Athletics on Monday, and worked for the Red Sox and Cubs previously. Despite reports that Gonzalez was due in Red Sox camp this week, a close friend of Gonzalez's told El Nuevo Dia..   Continue Reading

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Friday Afternoon Reading

Armchair GM has taken on the task of categorizing all the baseball blogs out there so you don't have to. It's pretty comprehensive - have a look. Also, a cool Mets news site I've recently come across: SheaBaseball.com. Got a fantasy draft this weekend? My 2006 Fantasy Guide is just $9.99 and is drawing rave reviews from hundreds of customers. Check it out. Start gearing up for this bad boy, which will start rolling on Opening Day. Download the free spreadsheet to get in on the gambling mayhem. Bronson Arroyo's Cincinnati projection at RotoAuthority. AllCubs looks at some spring training..   Continue Reading

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Angels Interested In Ruben Sierra

Hold on to your hats, kids - the Angels almost acquired Ruben Sierra the other day. The L.A. Times has made it known that the Halos need a lefty bat off the bench and are willing to part with Esteban Yan or Kevin Gregg. Apparently one of those two intrigues the Twins enough to toss Sierra their way. That plan may have been dashed by Sierra's strained hamstring, however. At this point it's possible that the Twinkies release him and give his spot to Jason Kubel (fantasy leaguers, take note). If Sierra isn't released, he'll start the season on the..   Continue Reading

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MLB Free Agents 2007: Eric Gagne

Recently I got to thinking about Eric Gagne. 30 years old. An unstoppable relief ace from 2002-04 (a 1.79 ERA and 13.3 K/9 over 247 innings. Imagine if he did that in one season as a starter! Roto Immortality.) Tommy John surgery in 1997 plus another cleanup type surgery last summer. A $10MM salary for 2006 with a $12MM option for 2007. With Scott Boras as his agent, Gagne may elect to void that '07 option. Or the Dodgers may simply choose not to exercise it. The Dodgers are one probably the only team in baseball with two established "closers"..   Continue Reading

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Graffanino to Mets?

Did you know that Baseball America scouts and ranks 12 year-olds? That's kind of weird. I learned this after reading that Austin Jackson, a Yankees outfield prospect, ranked at the top of his age group when he was 12. They should've been scouting my age 11 season. I was the leadoff hitter for the Foxes and posted an OBP over .500. I could lay a mean drag bunt despite well below-average speed to first base. The third baseman knew it was coming but still couldn't throw me out. But even then, my makeup was in question with all the rampant..   Continue Reading

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Latest Mets/Soriano Rumor

A source of mine reports some info concerning the Mets' interest in Alfonso Soriano: The Mets do want Soriano, but they'll only make a deal if the Nats will accept Kaz Matsui. The Nats would use Matsui at shortstop and would also receive Victor Diaz. Matsui will be out until mid-April with a sprained knee ligament. He last played shortstop in 2004, appearing in 110 games there. This morning, Soriano plans to announce whether he's willing to play left field for the Nationals. The fact that he's even considering it leads me to believe that he will play out there...   Continue Reading

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Cards Sour On Anthony Reyes?

The fine Cardinals blog Viva El Birdos pieces together the latest info about hotshot pitching prospect Anthony Reyes. Sidney Ponson has won the fifth starter competition, and Reyes will be optioned to Memphis soon. Furthermore, Larry gets the impression that the organization is not committed to Reyes and is priming things for a trade. Even with a less than stellar spring, Reyes's stock is high coming off a 3.64 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in Triple A last year. He's a 24 year-old Major League-ready starting pitcher with #2 starter potential within a year or two. How many of those are..   Continue Reading

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Getting Paid To Watch

A former assistant athletic trainer for the 1986 Mets, Bob Sikes, has a blog called Getting Paid To Watch. Check it out, he's got some good info in there. Click here to read his thoughts on various Mets injuries, including Pedro and Matsui   Continue Reading

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Speculation: Choi or Pena to Reds?

Publicly, the Reds' plan seems to be using Scott Hatteberg as a full-time first baseman and shifting Adam Dunn back to the outfield now that Wily Mo Pena is gone. Hatteberg authored a .256/.334/.343 line for Oakland last year in 464 at-bats. That's just nowhere near the work of a starting first baseman, even if he does dial that OBP up to .370 again. A commenter on the Wily Mo thread, Mike Murphy, had this to say: "I predict... the Cincy Reds will wind up with either Carlos Pena or Hee Seop Choi." To that I say, good call! One..   Continue Reading

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Borchard For Thornton Trade Completed

The White Sox sent Joe Borchard, object of many fans' scorn, to the Mariners for lefty reliever Matt Thornton. U.S.S. Mariner has detailed analysis if you're interested. I was reading the Tribune this weekend, and it had a section where fans explained what to do when you visit U.S. Cellular. One suggestion was along the lines of: 1. Order a polish and an MGD. 2. Heckle Joe Borchard. 3. Have another polish. 4. Repeat. So who's the new whipping boy   Continue Reading

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Wily Mo Traded For Arroyo

It's official: the Red Sox have sent Bronson Arroyo to the Reds for Wily Mo Pena. This is an intriguing trade. The Reds needed a solid affordable starter like Arroyo. It's unclear yet which Reds starter will be pushed out of the rotation. Eric Milton is terrible but well paid. Paul Wilson will probably begin the year on the DL, so the club won't have to sort things out until he returns. So far in his career, Arroyo has done an above average job keeping the ball in the park with a 0.95 HR/9 in 588 innings. This will come..   Continue Reading

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DailyBaseballPicks.com Launches

It's been a few weeks since I started a blog, so I was due. My latest venture: DailyBaseballPicks.com. The name is self-explanatory. I'm going to make a daily baseball pick based on the moneyline. I like baseball, and I like gambling, so it's high time those interests cross paths. Bookmark the page; I'll begin on Opening Day. Follow along and we'll keep an eye on my overall record with profit or loss. I have no idea how this will go but it should be a good time   Continue Reading

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Red Sox After Craig Wilson?

Sometimes all it takes is an educated guess to put two and two together. Hell, maybe Theo and Dave got the idea from this site yesterday - sort of a GM matchmaker (alright, that's wishful thinking). But it's always interesting when speculation turns to real trade talks. Yesterday I mentioned: "If the Pirates want Arroyo back, Craig Wilson would be a decent fit given that Youkilis can play third...the Pirates have two vacancies in their rotation but a host of candidates to fill them." Then today in Rob Rossi's article for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, he revealed that the Pirates are..   Continue Reading

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Astros/Red Sox Deal Cooking?

Buster Olney tosses a little trade rumor nugget out in today's blog: "By the way: the Red Sox had multiple scouts tracking the Houston Astros on Thursday, at a time when the Astros are looking for a starter (Matt Clement? Wells? Arroyo?)" Let's see here...what might the Red Sox want in return? Jason Lane to replace Trot Nixon? Seems that if the Sox need anything, it's a corner infielder in the event Mike Lowell doesn't pan out. I can't really find a good match just perusing the Major League rosters. Perhaps a three-team deal is in the works or it's..   Continue Reading

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Friday Morning Reading

Let's start off the Friday Morning reading with some Bobby Jenks projections. I think Sox fans should at least be mildly concerned. For you fantasy baseball nuts, my 2006 Fantasy Guide is still just $9.99. Everyone's drafting soon, so pick up a copy. Some customer feedback from Kay H: "Just wanted you to know how helpful your guide has been. I drafted my first team last week and feel that I have a wining team this year, due only to the information I received from your guide. Your guide is the most complete source of up-to-date information I have seen...   Continue Reading

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2007 MLB Free Agents: Andy Pettitte

New York papers are abuzz with Andy Pettitte talk, so I thought I'd get in on the act. Pettitte opened up to reporters yesterday, saying that retirement after the 2006 season is an option if his elbow can't handle any more. Pettitte turns 34 this June and will make $17.5MM this season in the last year of his backloaded three-year contract. One article mentioned that before the 2004 season, Pettitte asked his agent to limit the contract to three years. Given that obvious uncertainty and Pettitte's desire to be with his family, retirement is entirely feasible even with the lefty..   Continue Reading

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Soriano for Griffey Deal In The Works?

It's always fun to find trade rumors in Spanish newspapers. El Nuevo Dia's latest discusses an Alfonso Soriano for Ken Griffey Jr. trade that is cooking up. The following is a rough translation (hat tip to Mariloren on the translation!): The Reds and Nationals have been negotiating the Soriano for Griffey trade over the last few days. Soriano refused comment when approached by the newspaper. Details are the proposed transaction are still unknown. If traded to the Nationals, Griffey would be reunited with former Reds GM Jim Bowden. My own commentary: I think the Reds would be the winners in..   Continue Reading

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Steroids Were Banned In 1991

The Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice always has something interesting to say in his blog. Yesterday he cleared up a common misconception about steroids being banned only in recent years: "Commissioner Fay Vincent sent the clubs a memo in 1991 reminding them that players were forbidden from taking any illegal substance. He specifically mention steroids in the memo and encouraged the clubs to take a get-tough policy on players thought to be using steroids. What could a team have done if it suspected a player of using steroids? Probably nothing. Vincent simply wanted to be on the record as letting the..   Continue Reading

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Walker For Matos Swap In The Works

As has been rumored for a couple of days now, the Cubs and Orioles are close to swapping Todd Walker and Luis Matos. According to the Baltimore Sun, the salary difference is the only holdup. While the Orioles' purpose for acquiring Walker is reportedly for use as a DH or bat off the bench, a source of mine says that is not the whole story. According to the source, Brian Roberts is not where everyone thinks he is health-wise. He's been mentioned as perhaps being ready for Opening Day, but that is highly unlikely. His type of elbow surgery is..   Continue Reading

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Will Carroll Was Right...

But I doubt he's happy about it. Paul Sullivan, the same Paul Sullivan implied Will Carroll didn't deserve to be called a journalist, reports that Mark Prior has left camp with shoulder soreness. Maybe he should print an apology? As Carroll has mentioned, he's a huge fan of the Cubs and Prior. It's a shame to see that the Cubs' ace will already have his first start pushed back after all the quasi-claims of good health   Continue Reading

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Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Gyroball

Japan's Daisuke Matsuzaka brings his mysterious gyroball against Vinny Castilla and the Mexican team tonight. I've written quite a bit about Matsuzaka back when we thought there was a chance he could come to the United States this offseason. Here's a link with all four of my posts on the topic - scroll to the bottom to start at the beginning. UPDATE: Fittingly, Jeff Passan's interview with Matsuzaka recently reveals that he does not throw the gyroball regularly. Hat tip to Will Carroll, who pointed me to that article and brought the gyroball to the forefront in the U.S   Continue Reading

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Astros Could Pursue Zito

For months (seems like years) both New York teams have been claiming ownership of Barry Zito. We know that he kind of likes the city and won't re-sign with Oakland. Both the Mets and Yankees sorely need a dependable #2 like Zito. But Ken Rosenthal reminded us recently that the Astros will have a ton of free cash after 2006 for a player like Zito. Jeff Bagwell and Andy Pettitte make a combined $34.5MM this year, and there's little chance Roger Clemens is still around. That will leave a lot of money and a huge void in the starting rotation..   Continue Reading

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Nick Johnson Signs Extension

Wondering why you had that empty feeling this weekend? I'm pretty sure it was because I briefly stopped churning out new content for you. But never fear, we're fully moved into our condo and I'll try to start writing regularly again between unpacking. One of the weekend's stories that I wanted to comment on was Jim Bowden's signing of first baseman Nick Johnson. Six days ago, I remarked: "My hunch is that the Nationals will re-sign him to a one or two year contract worth maybe $7MM annually. It doesn't seem like a team would commit more than two years..   Continue Reading

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Friday Morning Reading

Expect a lack of trade rumors, fantasy advice, and email replies this weekend - I'm moving on Saturday. Good times. Anyway, I thought I'd throw you some quick Friday morning reading: Read The Danger of Closers at RotoAuthority. I promise that it applies to real baseball too. I posted the Cubs projections from my Fantasy Baseball Guide. Do you agree with them? Viva El Birdos pleads for the Cardinals to just let Anthony Reyes pitch already. The definitive word on the Bonds saga at Sportszilla. I love this book . Kept me up all night   Continue Reading

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Cubs Still Looking At Soriano?

An emailer tells me that AM 670 The Score in Chicago reported yesterday that the Cubs are looking at Alfonso Soriano again. They're hoping that Brian Dopirak or Brandon Sing put up big numbers in Spring Training to boost their trade value. There's nothing on Score reporter George Ofman's blog to this effect yet. Currently, Dopirak is 5 for 9 with two home runs this spring. Sing is 4 for 7 with two homers. Logically, the trade rumor makes some sense for the Nationals. Nick Johnson is an impending free agent, so it'd be nice to have some depth at..   Continue Reading

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Calling All Basketball Writers

Well, I'd like to try recruiting for HoopsBuzz...again. It's a blog very similar to this one where you'll establish some contacts, hopefully scoop a rumor or two, and just analyze all that is buzzworthy in the game of basketball. I'm not able to pay you, but you will get a built in audience of at least several hundred people a day and something to put on your resume. I've been kind of slacking lately as far as keeping this site alive and well, so I want to try again. People seem to like the general idea if not the execution...   Continue Reading

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Cardinals Kicking Tires On Cabrera

That's right, a friend of MLBTradeRumors informs us that a team source has confirmed that the Cardinals are "checking into" Miguel Cabrera. An unknown third team would definitely be involved to broker a deal. Seems to me that Jocketty's been looking to make that big splash all offseason, and obviously this would qualify. I would expect Anthony Reyes to depart as well as whatever other big-name prospect the team could wrangle. Reyes fits the bill as a Major League-ready, front rotation type starter. The Cards would use Cabrera in left field and could improve the club by as many as..   Continue Reading

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Jason Marquis for Victor Diaz?

Just got word from my main Mets source with all sorts of good info. With Pedro's status a question mark at this point, Omar Minaya would like to add a proven veteran starting pitcher to the middle of the rotation. The Mets first preference is Jason Marquis (a New York native, for what it's worth). They've offered a package beginning with Victor Diaz to entice Walt Jocketty. Diaz would probably be an upgrade over the Cards' current left field options. The Mets aren't thrilled with Diaz's defense and would be content to try Xavier Nady in right field. Other options..   Continue Reading

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Marlins Looking To Trade Cabrera

Halos Heaven is the best Angels blog on the 'net. I recommend bookmarking it as a daily stop. I was perusing Rev Halofan's latest material after fending off some angry Angels fans. They were less than amused that I ranked Dan Haren over John Lackey in 2006 fantasy baseball value. It brought up an interesting topic for another day: would the baseball world have praised the Esteban Loaiza signing if he were adopting an Angels cap instead of an Athletics one? Anyway, let's get down to business. Trade rumor business. Back on Monday, Halos Heaven reported various detailed trade rumors..   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Looking At Hidalgo?

With Jayson Werth possibly out til May, the Dodgers are in the market for a good fourth outfielder. Word is that Los Angeles is considering signing Richard Hidalgo to fill the role. The source is an emailer citing 1540 The Ticket, a radio station in California. Hidalgo was last seen entertaining offers to play in Japan. Reportedly, the station's related rumor is that the Dodgers could ship Joel Guzman and Greg Miller to the A's for Barry Zito before picking up Hidalgo. Despite what Billy Beane has said, a source of mine tells me that at least twelve teams have..   Continue Reading

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Bonds Used Wide Array of PEDs

Must read: Wow. Bonds sounds like a chemistry experiment. Could the publicity surrounding this drive him into retirement? Interestingly, ESPN and Fox Sports haven't picked up on this, probably because they don't want to drive traffic to SportsIllustrated. C'mon guys, you can't ignore this for much longer. Even MLB.com still hasn't mentioned the story. UPDATE: Now that the major outlets have begun discussing the new evidence, we should make a tally of how many times the word "damning" is used   Continue Reading

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Assessing The Texas Rotation

The Rangers' starting rotation currently consists of Kevin Millwood, Adam Eaton, Vicente Padilla, Kameron Loe, and Juan Dominguez. Guys like C.J. Wilson, John Wasdin, and knuckleballer R.A. Dickey could enter the picture as well. The front three, while health risks, are fairly solid. I know the Rangers are enamored of Loe following his 3.42 ERA in 92 innings last year. But the lack of Ks and abnormally low accompanying hit rate spell darker days ahead. Still, if Loe can keep his ERA in the low 4s the Rangers would be ecstatic. So he's not a problem. Dominguez just needs to..   Continue Reading

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Signs of Reds OF Trade Mounting

More and more, it's looking like the Reds will deal one of their outfielders before the season begins. First off, Jon Heyman's column from yesterday: "Now that Scott Hatteberg has been signed for first base, the Reds might shop that extra outfielder they've been carrying for a while. They have Adam Dunn, Wily Mo Peña, Austin Kearns and Ken Griffey Jr., with Peña most likely to go for young pitching. Previous owner Carl Lindner rejected deals for Griffey (including one with the Cubs last year), but maybe new owner Rob Castellini will do the right thing." I must say, I..   Continue Reading

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MLB Free Agents 2007: Nick Johnson

On a slow trade rumor day, I figured it would be fun to take a good look at Nick Johnson. Johnson will be a free agent after the 2006 season, and his name was previously bandied about in a trade rumor involving the Red Sox. However, Nationals GM Jim Bowden has expressed a desire to re-sign his oft-injured first baseman. Johnson is entering his age 28 season. Last year he set a professional career high in at-bats, with 453. He hit .289/.408/.479 with an extreme pitchers' park as his home stadium. His OBP was ninth in baseball. Given his playing..   Continue Reading

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Cards Looking For A LF

You can't help but be a little skeptical that the Cardinals plan to go with Larry Bigbie and So Taguchi as their left fielder all year long. Bigbie's had a few tolerable years in '03-'04, but let's face it: he's basically Todd Hollandsworth. You want him coming off the bench. Taguchi is in his mid-30s and certainly won't manage league average production for a left fielder. Not to mention he'll be needed to back up Jim Edmonds for a signficant amount of time. And third-stringer John Rodriguez may be on the outs. I did what I always do when I..   Continue Reading

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Unfounded Soriano Mets Rumor

Alright, here's a new one. I can't really verify the source, but it still seems ripe for discussion. Word is that the Mets could send Xavier Nady, John Maine, and Jeff Keppinger to the Nationals for Alfonso Soriano, Bill Bray, and Jason Bergmann. Let's discuss. Could the Mets do without Nady? Absolutely. Wright doesn't need much time off, and Franco can spell Delgado. I'm of the opinion that Victor Diaz does not need a platoon partner in right field. Nady would be more useful for Washington. He could handle right field for three months while Jose Guillen is out, and..   Continue Reading

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Wood To Have Knee Surgery

Looks like Kerry Wood will have minor arthroscopic knee surgery. Chicago radio station The Score speculates that it could put him back another couple of weeks. Wood apparently threw this morning, so the need may have popped up today. It seems that a June return to the Majors may be Wood's new target   Continue Reading

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Will Carroll Interview

Will Carroll's report about possible shoulder problems for Mark Prior raised quite a hubbub around the Chicago area, perhaps approaching the level of a ruckus at one point. Will was kind enough to answer every question I could think of on the topic. MLBTradeRumors: Why isn't Prior on the same course as the Cubs' healthy pitchers? Can a December illness really set a pitcher back like this? Will Carroll: Good question and one I don't have a good answer to. Prior almost certainly was sick and almost certainly had some effect. We don't know how serious - ER sick is..   Continue Reading

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Is Billy Beane Messing With Us?

I hate to keep plucking info from ESPN, but I can't ignore some good stuff from Peter Gammons's blog this morning. Gammons quotes Billy Beane as saying this about Barry Zito: "I have not had one call on Barry, nor have I made any inquiring about interest." I find it hard to believe that Omar Minaya and Jim Hendry didn't do so much as place a single phone call about Zito's availability. Were a dozen different sources misinformed about Zito trade rumors, or is Beane using Gammons to transmit a message? We know Beane rarely talks to reporters other than..   Continue Reading

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Could Greinke Retire?

ESPN's Buster Olney has the scoop on Zack Greinke's mysterious departure from spring training. Sounds to me like he doesn't like his bosses and has perhaps lost the desire to play baseball: "Talked to several folks in baseball yesterday about Zack Greinke's departure from Kansas City's camp. Greinke, according to these sources, was going through some drills halfheartedly last week, and K.C. manager Buddy Bell got on him, pushing him to improve his effort; Greinke, displeased, later met with Bell. And then, a couple of days later, he packed up and walked out of camp. According to one source, Greinke..   Continue Reading

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Thursday Morning Reading

At RotoAuthority we have some thoughts on Matt Cain's 2006 projection. Viva El Birdos suggests that John Rodriguez may be a good fit for the Phillies' fifth outfielder vacancy and also pines for Ryan Church. The White Sox look to bolster their weak starting rotation with the signing of Hideo Nomo, three-time sixteen game winner. AllCubs defends Greg Maddux against the haters. Deadspin finds Barry Bonds's latest stunt just a taaaaaad bit contrived. A little more feedback on my Fantasy Guide, still just $9.99: "The RotoAuthority Guide has completely changed the way I approach fantasy baseball and is the perfect..   Continue Reading

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In Defense Of The Jack Wilson Signing

Yesterday I noticed that the contract extension given by the Pirates to Jack Wilson was universally panned throughout the Internet. Maybe someone somewhere liked the deal, but I haven't seen it in print yet. While I won't go as far as to say I liked this extension, I will say that I don't mind it. Faint praise, yeah, but let's not tear the Bucs a new one over this just yet. I have to admit that the Pirates didn't do a good job exploiting Wilson's lousy year with the bat. He hit .257/.299/.363 in his age 27 season last year,..   Continue Reading

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Gammons: Astros Expect Clemens Back

Peter Gammons's inside info on Roger Clemens in this morning's blog has received surprisingly little press. His stance: "...Unless owner Drayton McLane kills this (yeah, right), the Astros expect Clemens to sign on May 1, work out with Koby's minor-league team, and make his first start June 2 against the Reds." Our source pretty much had this pegged back in December. That means my 144 inning projection in my Fantasy Guide should hold up well; he's still probably a top 25 starter in just two-thirds of a season. What I don't get is why Clemens needs to milk $15MM (or..   Continue Reading

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