Wednesday night linkage..
- Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens is drawing some trade interest, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Jurrjens earned $5.5MM last season and could be a non-tender candidate for next season. While he finished the year healthy, he may not have a spot in Atlanta's deep rotation next year.
- Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey now sounds very optimistic about his future with the Mets, a marked change from his tone just a couple of months ago, tweets Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.
- Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (via Twitter) hears that the Blue Jays may sign a second baseman in the next few days, though it's not clear who it might be.
- Dodgers GM Ned Colletti says that he is “probably unlikely” to trade for a starting pitcher this winter and might instead address that need in the free agent market, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers are looking to add a No. 2 or 3 pitcher to put alongside ace Clayton Kershaw.
- Earlier today, the Dodgers formally announced that they have hired Mark McGwire as their hitting coach. McGwire previously served as the Cardinals' hitting coach but hooked on with the Dodgers as he can now work closer to his home in Irvine, California.
- Shortstop Alex Gonzalez has hired Praver Shapiro Sports Management to represent him, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. You can keep track of every player's representation with MLBTR's Agency Database.
- Rays pitcher Jeremy Hellickson interests the Cubs, but they don't have the trade chips to land him, Heyman tweets.
- The Red Sox announced that they have named Juan Nieves as their new pitching coach. Nieves spent the last 14 seasons in the White Sox organization and most recently served as their bullpen coach.
- Agent Joe Urbon told Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer (via Twitter) that outfielder Grady Sizemore plans to play in 2013. Indians GM Chris Antonetti has said that he is open to bringing Sizemore back, but for less than the $5MM he received last year.
- Mets assistant GM John Ricco says that the club won't rush to fill their void in the outfield, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Instead, the Mets plan to let the market define itself first.
Kelly Johnson…..
…..lol jk it’s probably Maicer Izturis
It probably is. But I have to believe that isn’t all they are going to do at 2B. Aviles/Izturis would have been a good platoon, but now again we just have half of a platoon
Grady has MORE than 9 lives with Cleveland. Unbelievable!
Man, this is like Ross and Rachel. Cut the cord, Antonetti. It’s okay. (Hug).
Chandler guy huh. Friends references…..wow haha.
I was thinking the same thing. Wow to us for knowing it, too?
Well, Ross & Rachel did get together at the end, so perhaps the same here?
Lmaooo. Died laughing.
Jair Jurrjens is actually being looked at? Wow what ever you can get Atlanta.
I don’t think it’s SO unbelievable to think he has value. If you give him away for nothing, you’re essentially saying you believe the 48 innings from 2012 more than the almost 700 innings from 2008-11.
right? you gotta remember he’s only 26, too.
26 with a history of arm problems and velocity on the rapid decline. Sure, velocity isn’t everything but at some point you need to at least top out at about 89-90 to use your other stuff. He could get away with a slower fastball if he slowed down his breaking pitches also. I think he should learn the knuckle ball.
No history of arm problems it’s his knee.
Wow that was my bad. I thought his I injuries were arm related. Couldn’t have been more wrong, lol.
Yeah, knee problems, but that makes his significant drop in velocity that more puzzling. Considering the drop, I’d almost want to see arm problems, then you can attribute it to something.
Well, it’s possible he never regained all of his muscle in his leg yet. Gotta remember most of the power comes from the legs, so that could contribute but from what I read his surgery was kinda a while ago. So, yeah, it is puzzling.
I love the “he may not have a spot in Atanta’s deep rotation”. “May”? Derek Lowe has a better shot at the spot than Jurrjens.
JJ is about to hit the same point that Andrew Jones did – the point where nobody wants you. Perhaps their country allows them to misreport their birthdays or something
He hit that spot late 2011, then reinforced that spot in the few starts in 2012. Sure, there are some GMs that would like buy low for him, but the biggest advantage we’d get from him is not affecting the salary and protecting the rotation, because you know they’d give him another shot at some spot starts if the opportunity was there. I’m totally against that. He’s played his last day with the Braves if anyone will give us anyone alive for him.
“Braves pitcher Jair Jurrjens is drawing some trade interest, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.”
The Twitter link for Jurrjens actually goes to a tweet by Jon Paul Morosi, not Ken Rosenthal.
Well as much as I’d like to get Scutaro back, that isn’t happening. So I have to hope it’s Jeff Keppinger.
Probably unlikely… is that more than less likely, or less than more likely?
Most likely unlikely I would think.
That’s likely it
Could be.
As a Braves fan, I’d take the Pittsburgh Pirates’ bat boy for Jurrjens….although that might be too much of a steal for ATL.
Sizemore should be on a minor league deal by now.
Sizemore should be making payment to return his salary from last year.
I suspect IF Jurrjens is moved, it’s as an add in for a deal for Fowler or Span or somethin… maybe they get an old relief arm, or similar non tender reclamation project from somebody else.
Why couldn’t a team wait for ATL to non-tender him at not give up anything?
Really the Cubs don’t have the trade chips?
If they move Hellickson they want a major league ready bat. Who do the Cubs have? Soriano? That trade isn’t happening.
Rizzo
Forgot all about him. Not sure that makes sense for the Cubs though.
The Rays could use Soriano, though. The Cubs would have to send along a lot of cash and get a prospect or two.
Not to get Hellickson they dont. Cause about the only guy who would interest the Rays other than Starlin would be Rizzo and he is going nowhere.
This is correct. Even though Rizzo for Hellickson would be a fair trade.. Young, premium players for cheap… I do not see how the Cubs could do it
it would be fair for both but Theo and Jed are in love with Rizzo. Jed has packed him up and taken him along everywhere he has gone. Now if the Rays would take a package around Vogelbach then it would be something that could get done.
I don’t know who Chicago has made off limits, but I’d think that with guys in their system like Almora, Baez, and Soler, in addition to Rizzo and Jackson, give them plenty of trade chips.
Its not that they dont have the prospects its that they dont have the right kind of prospects. The Rays seem to want someone who can help in 2013 not 2015 which is generally when most of those guys will be ready.
They absolutely have the trade chips. They just aren’t willing to give them up, understandably.
Very suprised about JJ. I wonder if teams like KC would be interested in this former All star.
Teams like KC should be interested. Probably wouldnt take much if the club picking him up was willing to pick up the tab for whats owed to him.
Teams “like KC” aren’t retarded. We may need pitching, but 6 million to that bum AND giving up a player for him is ridiculous. It’s bad enough that may keep Hochevar….and I’d rather have HIM than Jurrjens.
didnt KC just pick up santana who costs more and has done less with his career and is older…..
Take a poll, I think anyone who is not a Braves fan would rather have Santana.
Include Braves fans (I’m one) and I’d take Santana if the same rotation spot were up for grabs and Jurrjens was making league minimum. As inconsistent as Jurrjens is, Santana is more consistent with shot at being very good.
I really can’t wait for 5 years from know and looking at the Dodgers payroll and see how much it ruins the team
How is it going to ruin the team?
Paying a AGonz 25 million a year at the age of 36 (31 now), Crawford will get 20mil in 5 years at 36, kemp around 15mil at 34-35, Either around 15mil at 35, may I continue?
So you know what the farm system and budget will look like in five years?
What are they going to do, trade them? Who’s going to take a 35 year old making 20M? What farm system? You mean the one they traded away this summer?
So five years isn’t long enough to build up a farm system?
Even if the team can afford the payroll, spending all that money is bound to hurt their karma.
There is a backjam in the Jays OF so I always get called insane and stupid for this, but Lawrie at second. Joey bats at third and in the future if the OF does goes as plan Gose/Rasmus/Sierea
Can’t see anyone trading for Jurrjens – they would then have to pay the arbitration salary, expected to be over $5 million. Braves will non-tender, then someone will sign him to an incentive deal.
Jurrjens only makes sense for a team that could make room for him and has options if he doesn’t work out. I’d put the Brewers in that category. They could take a chance on him with an incentive laden one year deal. If he pitches like he did in 2011, they’d be happy to pay the incentives. If he doesn’t, they have guys at the cusp they can replace him with. I don’t see them trading for him though. They’d wait until he’s non-tendered.
Jurrjens is sort of in the category of Liriano. Both are huge question marks based on recent results, but both have had seasons if they can be duplicated, make them very attractive at their ages.