Kielty Stays With Red Sox

Outfielder Bobby Kielty will not opt for free agency; he'll head to Triple A for the Red Sox. Kielty, a 31 year-old switch-hitter, batted .218/.287/.287 in 87 ABs for the A's and Red Sox last year. In his defense, he battled back and calf issues. Kielty can handle all three outfield positions and typically handles lefties well. He'll await a Coco Crisp trade to create an opportunity for him in Boston.

Braves Sign Scott Spiezio

According to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Braves have signed Scott Spiezio to a minor league deal. Spiezio, 35, hit .269/.354/.386 in 223 ABs for the Cardinals last year. Spiezio was released by the Cards in February when they learned of his arrest warrant related to a drunk-driving incident in December. The Cardinals paid him $2.4MM to go away.

Orioles Sign Alex Cintron

The Orioles inked shortstop Alex Cintron today. That he's probably the team's best option at short now is damning with faint praise. Cintron, 29, hit .243/.281/.324 for the White Sox in 185 ABs last year. He dealt with bone spurs in his elbow, a bruised thumb, and time spent on the bereavement list for his grandfather. Cintron had been with the Cubs this spring, but they no longer had a need for him after they decided not to trade Ronny Cedeno.

Latest On Rios Negotiations

12:24pm: J.P. Ricciardi is optimistic the Rios extension will get done, and the two sides are pushing their deadline back a few days. 8:17am: According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the holdup in the Alex Rios negotiations is the amount of money for the option year. It might be the salary or the buyout amount. Sounds like a minor stumbling block before completing the six-year, $65MM pact. J.P. Ricciardi is cautiously optimistic; the Jays kick off their season in less than four hours. That is supposedly the deadline, but stretching it another day or two doesn't seem like...

No Multiyear Deal For Aaron Hill

From Buster Olney's blog this morning: The Blue Jays attempted to sign second baseman Aaron Hill to a multiyear deal but could not reach an agreement. Hill, 26, broke out last year with a .291/.333/.459 line. He could be even better this season, with a shot at 20 home runs. His defense is among the best in the game at second base. Hill will reach arbitration for the first time after this season. Orlando Hudson might be a solid comparable. Hudson made $2.3MM, $3.9MM, and $6.25MM in his arbitration years.

Odds and Ends: Cashman, Matsuo, Durham

Some random links to ponder today... Peter Abraham submitted nine reader questions to Yankees GM Brian Cashman. I liked reading about how Cashman deals with agents who lie to him. The Red Sox signed free agent Terumasa Matsuo, who was pitching in a Japanese independent league. I have no idea what the 26 year-old pitcher is capable of. Tracy Ringolsby says the Giants really want to move Ray Durham and Dave Roberts, and will pick up some salary to do so. Durham makes $7.5MM in '08. Roberts gets $6.5MM in each of the '08 and '09 seasons. The Big Lead...

Three July Trade Predictions

I'm in a prognosticating mood; here are three July trade deadline predictions. Phillies acquire Joe Blanton for Carlos Carrasco and Adrian Cardenas. Pat Gillick's last hurrah. Padres acquire Jason Bay for Kevin Kouzmanoff and Wade LeBlanc. Bay returns to San Diego to provide some power and solve the left field issue. Chase Headley takes over at third for the Padres. Rays acquire Javier Vazquez for Wade Davis and Desmond Jennings. Just a fun prediction to ponder. In this scenario the Sox opt for a complete rebuild and the Rays make a somewhat surprising playoff push. Your turn. Why are my...

2008 Cy Young Predictions

Let's make some 2008 Cy Young picks... AL: Justin Verlander. Runner up: Erik Bedard. NL: Johan Santana. Runner up: Jake Peavy. Who are you taking?

MLB Roundup Video

Let's kick off the week with a new MLB Roundup video. My segment examines three under-the-radar trades from the offseason.

MLBTR Logo Contest

I received dozens of excellent submissions for the MLBTR logo contest. I appreciate each and every one of them. The winner comes from a guy named Aaron, who you can reach at aaron4289@yahoo.com if you'd like to hire him. Here it is; what do you think? Click to enlarge it.

Blocked Prospects: Brent Lillibridge

One of the key components of the Adam LaRoche to Pittsburgh deal in early 2007 was shortstop Brent Lillibridge, who came over to the Braves along with Mike Gonzalez. Lillibridge, who had a decent shot of making the Braves as a utility player this spring, was one of the team's final cuts and will start the year in Richmond. Lillibridge's instincts have always drawn raves and he's matured quickly. Many would argue he's Major League ready now. But for the foreseeable future he's blocked by Yunel Escobar, himself a newly appointed starter. Lillibridge managed a .400 OBP during two Class-A...

Rangers DFA Tejeda, Cruz

As expected the Rangers DFA'd outfielder Nelson Cruz and pitcher Robinson Tejeda over the weekend. Tejeda is a casualty of the Rangers' Friday deal for Dustin Nippert, and has been undergoing a thus far unsuccessful transition to the bullpen. He went 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA during the spring, but did manage to run a streak of four scoreless appearances prior to giving up a game-ending RBI triple to Felix Pie last week. Cruz's release was expected. There was some light talk of him possibly being moved to Tampa last week, but that evaporated when the Rays acquired former Angels...

Odds And Ends: Quintero, Rios, Pierre

A few random notes from around the MLBiverse... Henry Schulman says the Giants are in need of a backup catcher and a logical choice may be Astros backup Humberto Quintero, whom Bruce Bochy is familiar with from his days with the Padres. He also notes that the Rays have two experienced catchers that were just reassigned to the minor leagues in Josh Paul and Mike DiFelice. The Jays and Alex Rios are closer today to an agreement on a long-term extension than they were yesterday. That according to Rios' agent, Paul Kinzer. Yesterday it was reported that the Jays had...

Orioles Release Jay Gibbons

The Orioles today released their second longest tenured player, Jay Gibbons. In doing so, the O's must eat the remaining $11.9MM in salary. Gibbons batted .230-6-28 in only 84 games last season. His 62 OPS+ was only the second time in his career that he posted a number below 100. Injuries have hampered Gibbons who has only played 100 games once in the past four years. His best season came in 2005 when he hit .277-26-79 with an OPS+ of 118. Gibbons is still facing a 15-game suspension for use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. The suspension was recently postponed as...

Rosenthal's Latest: DeWitt, Murton, Vargas, Hatteberg, Pena, Baek, Piazza

Ken Rosenthal has his latest column up at FoxSports.com. As usual he is not shy about stirring up rumors. Let's take a look at what the rumor-guru has to say: Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers will go with Blake DeWitt at third base who has never played a game above AA. This comes after the Dodgers failed to acquire either the Astros' Mark Loretta, who was unavailable and the Royals' Esteban German, who was too expensive. The Royals were asking for the Dodgers' third best prospect, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu. He indicates that the Padres and the Rays are pursuing Matt...

Rockies Want De La Rosa As PTBNL

Last Wednesday, the Royals acquired Ramon Ramirez from the Rockies for a player to be named later. Well, later appears to be now as the Rockies have expressed interest in Jorge De La Rosa assuming he clears waivers and accepts the assignment. For more clarity, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star breaks down why it wasn't just a straight trade of Ramirez for De La Rosa: "Any club claiming De La Rosa on waivers would be on the hook for his $1.025 million salary. He can choose to become a free agent if he clears waivers but would forfeit...

K-Rod Won't Negotiate During Season

The Daily News LA has a brief update on the Angels and their attempt to re-sign Francisco Rodriguez. Apparently neither party has made much headway on getting a deal done before the season and now that Spring Training is ending K-Rod and his agent, Paul Kinzer, won't negotiate during the season. "...Kinzer said he has 'absolutely not' given the Angels a deadline or ultimatum to sign Rodriguez before the season starts or watch him leave as a free agent next fall. Rodriguez conceded Saturday that seems to be the likely outcome. 'Everything's headed that way,' he said. 'But there's going...

Giants Designate Steve Kline

Chris Haft at MLB.com reports the Giants have designated lefty reliever Steve Kline for assignment. Adds Haft, "Dropping Kline... was not completely unexpected. Kline, 35, is coming off his worst season since his rookie year of 1997, having posted a 4.70 ERA and more walks than strikeouts last year. He also allowed left-handed batters to hit .318 off him. This spring, Kline owned a 5.40 ERA in 11 appearances and had yielded 17 hits in 11 2/3 innings." Lefties who can't get lefties out aren't well sought after. Still, somebody will probably take a flier on Kline. Any ideas as...

Sheets & Sabathia Head Next Year's Free Agent Class

A couple nice nuggets to confirm what we already suspect regarding a couple big fish on the 2009 Starting Pitcher Free Agents list. As MLBTR covered here, this should be Ben Sheets' last year with the Brewers. Further affirming the inevitable, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says, If the 29-year-old right-hander finally has a healthy season and puts up impressive numbers, the Brewers would be hard-pressed to meet his asking price on what has been a runaway pitching market in recent years. And, should Sheets break down again and turns his four-year, $38.5 million contract into a complete...

To Be Dealt: Bay, Nady, Marte, Morris, Wilson

A short but sweet article came out in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette this morning detailing the Pirates' five main trade candidates. No new or surprising names appear on the list but it's a handy roundup for those not up to date on their Bucco news. As we head into the '08 season (tonight!) the Pirates may not be contenders, but they could be difference makers. Jason Bay - $5.75MM in '08, $7.5MM in '09 - I was surprised they didn't deal him in the offseason, but the Pirates are wisely taking a wait and see approach with Bay. Surely he...

Tigers Sign Fultz

The Tigers have signed left-hander Aaron Fultz to a contract with AAA Toledo. Fultz, an eight-year big-league veteran, was released this week by Cleveland. Bobby Seay is currently the only left-hander in Detroit's bullpen. So if Fultz can get his act together, there's probably a spot for him on the big league club. PECOTA projects Fultz will have a 3.92 ERA in roughly 45 innings pitched in 2008. But, as we all know, predicting what a reliever will do from one season to the next is far more difficult that predicting a position player, or even a starting pitcher. Coley...

Brewers Make Offers To Braun And Fielder

When the Brewers renewed Prince Fielder's contract at the beginning of the month, he wasn't happy about it. He told the press, "My time is going to come. It's going to come quick, too." He may have been more right than he knew. The Brewers have submitted multiyear contract proposals to Fielder and Ryan Braun. Each deal would buy out at least one year of free agency and include an option for an additional year past that. No word yet on how much money is involved. Bet on Braun getting at least as much as Troy Tulowitzki -- six years,...

Astros Release Woody Williams

3:47pm: According to the AP, Williams plans to retire rather than scavenge for another job. 10:36am: According to Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros released 41 year-old starter Woody Williams. The Astros will pay Williams $6.5MM to not play for them. It's good to see Ed Wade looking at Williams as a sunk cost, opting for a better pitcher in Chris Sampson. Williams joins guys like Russ Ortiz, John Thomson, Jeff Weaver, and David Wells in the free agency ranks.

Mariners Keep Dickey

The Mariners have sent Minor League catcher Jair Fernandez to the Twins, allowing them to keep Rule 5 Draft pick R.A. Dickey, who Seattle acquired from Minnesota in the Major League portion of December's Rule 5 Draft. Dickey had a hot spring. The knuckleballer went 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in seven spring contests for the Mariners. Now he's headed for AAA Tacoma. Fernandez, 21, hit .260 with two home runs and 13 RBIs in 52 games at Class A Wisconsin of the Midwest League last year. Dickey cleared waivers before the Mariners and Twins worked out the deal, which...

Tigers Roster Set, No Trades Likely

The Tigers have been at the center of a number of recent trade rumors. There was the Huston Street rumor, and the Mike Wuertz rumor. But the one player that seemed the most likely to go, Brandon Inge, is still a member of the Tigers and now it appears that he will not be going anywhere in the near future. Jim Leyland was asked yesterday if there would be any last-minute deals. "My boss (general manager Dave Dombrowski) said it was OK to tell you that's the team." In fact it now looks like Inge will be the everyday center...

A Look At Nathan Haynes

As you know, the Rays snagged outfielder Nathan Haynes off waivers yesterday from the Angels. I liked this move; let's take a closer look at the 28 year-old outfielder. MLB.com's Lyle Spencer speaks of Haynes' "sprinter's speed" and defensive talents at all three outfield positions. Haynes' prospect status expired years ago, but he seems equally as valuable as many free agents signed for millions in the last few years. I think there's still a lot of talented late-20s players who just need a chance, guys like Haynes, Marcus Thames, and Jack Cust. Haynes' path has been slowed by many knee...

Odds And Ends: Lahey, Gibbons, Freel

A couple minor notes this morning... The Phillies claimed reliever Tim Lahey off of waivers from the Cubs. Lahey was the top pick in the Rule 5 draft from the Twins' system. The Cubs had to expose Lahey to waivers prior to offering him back to the Twinkies. Rule 5 rules still apply with the Phillies, so Lahey must remain on their 25-man roster all season or be offered back to Minnesota. John Fay notes that after the Reds latest round of cuts the roster sits at 26 which could open the door for a trade. He doesn't offer any...

June Draft Order

Baseball America's Jim Callis has the June '08 draft order, with supplemental and compensation picks accounted for. The Rays have another #1 pick - who's it going to be? Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein expects the Rays to pick corner infielder Pedro Alvarez, shortstop Tim Beckham, or starter Aaron Crow. Here's a scouting perspective on Crow, by the way.

Jays Close To Long-Term Deal With Rios?

SATURDAY, 9:41am: The six-year, $65MM offer is on the table for Rios. If the sides can't make a deal this weekend, the talks will be pushed until after the season. TUESDAY, 11:57am: This deal remains close, but not done. The Jays have a firm Sunday deadline with their offer to Rios. MONDAY, 11:02pm: Ken Rosenthal reports that the Blue Jays are nearing a long-term extension for right fielder Alex Rios. The six-year deal would cover two arb years and four of free agency, starting with the '09 season. The amount would be around $65MM, apparently with a 2015 option for...

Open Thread: Best/Worst Trades For Every Current GM

Slow news day here at MLBTR, so let's try something a little different to get us warmed up. I have been working on a little side project and could use your help. What would you consider the best and/or worst trade that your team's current GM has ever made? Leave your thoughts in the comments section. Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.

Rangers Acquire Dustin Nippert

Smart move by Jon Daniels tonight, as the Rangers acquired out of options pitcher Dustin Nippert from the Diamondbacks for minor league reliever Jose Marte. Nippert, 27 in May, was said to have "top of the rotation stuff" by Baseball America in their '07 handbook. The 6'7" TJ survivor throws in the mid-90s with a strong curve. He hasn't had any big league success, but there's upside here. The Rangers can afford to stash Nippert on the active roster and let him struggle in '08; the D'Backs couldn't. I can't tell you much beyond stats about Marte - he's a...

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Matt Murton

Yesterday, Tim asked the question, "Who Wants Matt Murton?" As we await the answer to that question, only one thing is clear, the Cubs don't. Surprising for a player that is only 26 and PECOTA projects to have an .821 OPS, 19.8 VORP and 2.4 WARP in 2008 assuming he can find a team that will give him big league at bats. With only two years of service time, Murton is still a year from arbitration and four years from free agency, so he should be able to command a solid relief pitcher in return. Let's take a look at...

Odds And Ends: Gotay, Register, Haynes

A couple of minor pickups this afternoon: The Rays have claimed left-hand-hitting Nathan Haynes off waivers from the Angels. Rocco Baldelli will be moved to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man. Marc Lancaster speculates that Haynes, who is out of options, will take a roster spot that was presumed to be Eric Hinske's. The Mets have given up trying to trade for Rule V pick Steven Register, and are letting him go back to Colorado. He'll report to Triple A. Ruben Gotay, who had been DFA'd by the Mets, has been picked up by the Braves. Adam...

Reds DFA Mike Stanton

Can't say that I exactly understand this one, but the Reds have informed Mike Stanton that his services are no longer required. It's not that Stanton is too good to let go -- far from it, actually. Rather, the move is puzzling because of the team's recent decision to option lefty reliever (and former first-rounder) Bill Bray to the minors last night. Jeremy Affeldt stands as the team's lone lefty reliever. Stanton was pretty bad for the Reds last year, posting a 5.93 ERA over 57.2 innings. His splits against lefties weren't that encouraging, either: .306/.333/.429. The Reds will eat...

Odds And Ends: Eaton, Balfour, McAnulty

Couple of minor notes for this Friday afternoon: Paul McAnulty, who is out of options, is going to make the Padres 25-man roster. With Scott Hairston filling in for injured Jim Edmonds in center, McAnulty could get a fair share of playing time in left. The other candidate for playing time is Jody Gerut. It appears the Rays have decided on their final bullpen spot, giving the job to Scott Dohmann. The loser in this deal is Grant Balfour, who is out of options. The Australian reliever has some promise, and I would imagine will be claimed on waivers. Not...

Rays Looking To Deal Jackson Or Hammel?

We're getting towards rosters becoming finalized, and that means making a number of decisions on guys who are out of options. The Rays have a bit of a good problem. WIth James Shields, Matt Garza, Andy Sonnanstine, and eventually Scott Kazmir in their rotation, there is only room for one of Edwin Jackson and Jason Hammel. With Kazmir slated to start the season on the DL, they could have room for both temporarily. But they'll eventually have to cut back. This could coincide with GM Andrew Friedman's desire to acquire an outfielder. He's said that they'll "be aggressive if something...

Reds Shopping Freel?

John Fay, writing on his Reds Insider blog, notes that the reason for the lack of cuts in Reds camp is that they might be looking to move Ryan Freel. He didn't elaborate much, other than to say he heard talks of Philadelphia, Minnesota, "and others." Freel is pretty versatile, having handled all three outfield positions, as well as second and third base. The Twins could use his bat in the lineup. But where would he play? Second? Displace recently-acquired Carlos Gomez in center field temporarily? Or just a utility role? The same situation appears to be in place in...

Video Mailbag: Murton, Fields, Garcia

Time for another edition of the MLBTR video mailbag.

Rays Trade Talks To Pick Up?

Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times says the Rays' trade talks for an outfielder "should intensify in the next couple days." Smith suggests the Mariners, Dodgers, and Angels as teams with outfielders to spare. He believes the Rays might part with an out of options pitcher like Edwin Jackson or Jason Hammel. Hat tip to DRays Bay, which speculates on Andre Ethier, Delwyn Young, Reggie Willits, Juan Rivera, and Jeremy Reed as possibities. The Halos seem like a pretty good match. Additional outfielders the Rays could consider: Matt Murton, Gabe Gross, Xavier Nady, Jason Bay, Jay Payton, Coco Crisp,...

Indians Inquire On Freddy Garcia

SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that the Indians inquired on free agent starter Freddy Garcia. Garcia, 31, hopes to return around June from rotator cuff and labrum surgery. Garcia was linked to the Rangers and Red Sox this offseason; the Mets denied interest. I said in today's video mailbag that I think Garcia will be a non-factor this year. Ozzie Guillen suggested the same in January.

MLB Investigating Salcedo's Birthdate

Baseball America's Ben Badler has the latest on 16 year-old Dominican shortstop Edward Salcedo. He says MLB is currently investigating Salcedo's birthdate (not an uncommon practice). Scott Boras and Co. represent the kid, but they're not talking. There were rumors he'd signed with the Tribe, but the Indians said two weeks ago that it wasn't true. Badler adds that Salcedo rejected a $2.5MM offer from the Giants and the D'Backs may be interested. Badler also writes: Adding to the intrigue is Major League Baseball's recent firing of three investigators in the Dominican, including one who was working on Salcedo's case....

2008 MVP Predictions

I'm not going to make wacky, sleeper MVP picks just for the sake of it. Here's who I've got: AL: Alex Rodriguez. Runner up: Miguel Cabrera. NL: David Wright. Runner up: Matt Holliday. Let's see your picks in the comments!

Who Wants Matt Murton?

26 year-old Cubs outfielder Matt Murton is very much available now that they've signed Reed Johnson. PECOTA gives Murton a .295/.359/.462 projection for '08; ZiPS says .289/.360/.465. Here are the league averages from 2007: AL left fielder: .275/.335/.426 NL left fielder: .278/.358/.478 AL right fielder: .288/.359/.465 NL right fielder: .275/.344/.442 These numbers are presented in the form of batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage. You can see that Murton is comfortably in the league average offensive range for a corner outfielder. He'll be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season. Let's look at some trade possibilities. (As for what the Cubs...

Dodgers Release Rudy Seanez

THURSDAY: Seanez might not retire if he finds the right fit. A few clubs have already contacted his agent. WEDNESDAY: According to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News, the Dodgers released reliever Rudy Seanez last night. The move should save the Dodgers about $400K and could open up a bullpen spot unless the Dodgers begin with an 11-man staff. Jackson believes the 39 year-old Seanez will now retire. If so, he leaves on a high note - he posted a 3.79 ERA and 8.6 K/9 in 76 innings last year. Seanez played in 11 different organizations in his career.