Links out of the AL and NL East …
- Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters, including Marc Carig of the Star Ledger, that they coveted recently traded-for catcher Chris Stewart, acquired from the Giants, for his penchant for framing pitches. The Yankees consider this skill to be undervalued.
- Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino called a National League GM about Roy Oswalt but was dissuaded from signing him, tweets Peter Gammons of MLB.com. Gammons adds that this is proof that Lucchino is willing to consider adding to the payroll.
- Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg sounded guardedly optimistic about progress in stadium talks when he spoke with reporters prior to yesterday's game against the Yankees, writes Ira Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune. However, there have been no recent meetings between the club and St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster.
- Michael Morse and Rick Ankiel are set to return soon for the Nationals and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post looks at who might be left on the outside looking in. Both Roger Bernadina and Brett Carroll are out-of-options and at risk. Bernadina has started in center field the Nats’ first two games but he is not a lock to stay.
I think Bernadina stays over Carroll
Why would the Red Sox CEO call a National League GM about Roy Oswalt? Really, I’m positive that he’s going to get a good ‘objective’ view on Oswalt the pitcher.
i was wondering the same thing…
Seriously, why would a NL GM ‘dissuade’ him? Maybe the NL GM would like to add him to his OWN team? Shouldn’t he have his own opinion and shouldn’t he do that with his own observations and research? Players get branded by organizations in all sorts of ways; if you take it as gospel, you are going to miss out on something good.
I’m not advocating the Sox sign Oswalt. I wouldn’t because of his back issues and because his style of pitching probably wouldn’t play well at Fenway. But there is no way I’d rule him out because an NL GM said to. Heaven help the Sox if the guys in charge are asking everyone else for their opinions before they make decisions.
The only thing I can think of is calling the Phillies, but even then it seems strange.
Still, not everything is purely business. He may have some friends running other teams whose opinions he feels he can trust.
Yeah. He’s been around the game for decades and you know GM’s have circles of friends some of them talk in.
Agree that Lucchino probably has some in Philly, Baltimore and probably still in San Diego. Maybe even Chicago if the Epstein saga didn’t ruin prior working relationships.
only the yankees can make acquiring a backup catcher be considered newsworthy
It was a pretty confusing move. The Yankees weren’t choosing to make it newsworthy, they were just explaining themselves. And if they’re trying to find value in the undervalued, well, everyone loves a little Moneyball, right?
i wonder who will play cashman in moneyball part 2
Brad Pitt
Clint Howard.
Maybe Clint Walker.. A remake of Daniel Boone would be better…
Kevin Spacey with contacts.
Just like the Jets can make acquiring a backup QB newsworthy
They know where he is at at least today. More than could be said of a several of QB’s of the last decade + in the NFL who have been locked up and served time for amoral acts.
Jeff Mathis is still in the big league’s because teams value his ability to simply catch the ball. Really under valued.
Does Joe Girardi know that Chris Stewart was once a Yankee? He appeared in 1 game for them and 164 games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees between 2008-09.
Blame the reporters for making it a story.