Alex Rodriguez Rumors

Odds and Ends: Giles, Crisp, A-Rod

Nothing huge cooking this morning, so here are some odds and ends. Doesn't look like the Dodgers will acquire Marcus Giles. Rany Jazayerli writes about how Kansas City is home to many of the country's best baseball journalists. On a related note, the Star's Sam Mellinger has a chat with Brian Bannister on his blog. Coco Crisp rattles off the trade rumors he's heard: Cubs, Sox, A's, Padres. No deal appears imminent, though Crisp was healthy enough to pinch-run this morning. John Harper snags an exclusive with Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod admitted he chose the Rangers over the Mets for money...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Garland, Linden, A-Rod

Time to round up various tidbits and rumors. Jon Garland says that unless his agent kept him in the dark, a long-term deal was never discussed with the White Sox. But in the unlikely event the Sox pursue Garland this winter, he'll listen. Here's a look others who will be free agents after this season and under 30 years old for '09. We've heard the Brandon Inge/Joe Crede rumors regarding the Dodgers. Tony Jackson speculates that Wes Helms or Jeff Cirillo could also be options. Paul Sullivan says Aaron Rowand was the Cubs' Plan B to Kosuke Fukudome. ShysterBall can't...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Crede, Marlins, Canó, Bonds

Some interesting tidbits this afternoon before I check out: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that one of Brian Sabean's top advisors, Ted Uhlaender, was present to witness Joe Crede's homer off of Arizona's Max Scherzer on Saturday. Seems more and more likely, as Crede proves his back is fine, that he will be moved to the Giants. Will the White Sox get Kevin Correia in exchange for Crede? The White Sox need a back-of-the-rotation guy, and Kenny Williams and company think they can win this year. So prospects probably won't get it done. While the Giants could...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Hillenbrand, Tsao, Uehara

Here are some random bits and pieces to hold us over until front offices re-open... Shea Hillenbrand has only received one inquiry this winter - from the Giants. He probably won't be earning $6MM again. Hillenbrand posted a .599 OPS in 267 ABs for the Angels and Dodgers this year. I thought perhaps that was one of the worst performances of the decade for guys with 250+ ABs. However it's only the 49th worst since 2000. Homer Bush's 2000 takes the cake - a .524 OPS for the Blue Jays in 297 ABs. The Royals inked Chin-Hui Tsao to a...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Hunter, A-Rod, Bedard

Sunday morning minor rumor collection... There's always some skepticism from readers regarding Charley Walters rumors. Nonetheless I'll report that he names the Nationals, White Sox, Braves, Yankees, and Dodgers as teams that will bid for Torii Hunter. I don't see the Braves getting involved at $15MM per. And are the Dodgers ready to move Juan Pierre to left field already? The other clubs named seem reasonable. As expected, the Cardinals interviewed Chris Antonetti for their open GM position. No doubt it's an attractive position but you have to wonder what kind of autonomy he'd have with Tony La Russa around....   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: A-Rod, Boras, Pettitte

Early Monday morning reading material... Interesting article in the New York Daily News regarding Scott Boras and Alex Rodriguez. Boras insists that many of his clients have not taken the largest deal offered to them, giving examples. The article also touches upon recent Boras clients connected to performance-enhancing drugs (Rick Ankiel and Scott Schoeneweis). Boras' agency is known for its obsessive attention to detail for all of its clients, and seeing a few of them busted raises some questions. Last winter, we discussed the possibility of Hiroki Kuroda coming over from Japan. Well, he's a free agent again, and Nick...   Continue Reading

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Early Retirement For A-Rod?

Alex Rodriguez, in an interview with Bob Costas from way back in September, talked about retiring after the 2010 season when his current contract is up. He backpedaled a little bit, but his words are causing a stir. Kind of like a delayed steal since he said it in September. Does this mean A-Rod is less likely to opt out after 2007 to try to get more security? Bill James gives Rodriguez a 31% chance to reach 756 home runs and a 5% chance to reach 4,000 hits   Continue Reading

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Healey On Bonderman, Belliard

Mark Healey has another rumor mill up with some interesting hot stove information. He talked to a source regarding Jeremy Bonderman, the Tigers' 24 year-old righty. Healey says the Tigers could look to acquire Alex Rodriguez for Bonderman. In addition, the Reds reportedly offered Adam Dunn, Jason LaRue, and Brandon Phillips and were turned down. Rightfully so. Healey also reports that Ron Belliard is the Mets' top choice for 2B, despite today's reports about Mark Loretta. He's got plenty more, including info on Manny and Mark Mulder among others   Continue Reading

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What Leads You Here

Today, someone arrived at MLBTradeRumors.com by asking, "Is Alex Rodriguez on the Cubs?" I hate to disappoint, my friend, but he is not. But there's no such thing as a stupid question. In another news, I should have my 2007 Top 50 Free Agents list done around the end of the month. I like to put it out kind of early. It includes my rankings as well as predicted destinations. Let's hope I can do a little better than last year   Continue Reading

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Gotham Baseball: Mets and Yankees Rumors

Check out the latest from Mark Healey of Gotham Baseball. A summary is below. Healey's Cubs source indicates Mark Prior and Alex Rodriguez could be the main pieces of a trade. That'd be a tough sell for Brian Cashman so I'm sure the Cubs would have to spice up such an offer. Healey's source mentions Mark DeRosa as a possible A-Rod replacement in New York. A couple of names associated with the Mets include Ray Durham and Mark Mulder. Durham is a new one for me, though the Mulder info jives with what I heard last week. I also have..   Continue Reading

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Would You Trade Alex Gordon For A-Rod?

Tom Keegan would. I can only hope Dayton Moore disagrees. Sure, the contracts of Mike Sweeney and Angel Berroa are painful...but a team looking to win in 2008 or 2009 shouldn't be giving their best prospect to the Yankees. Perhaps the Royals win an extra game or two over the next few seasons with Rodriguez instead of Gordon at third. Even that is an open question. But I don't think A-Rod would put butts in the seats any more than Gordon will. If Moore wants to make a splash and spend some money, he should put in the top bid..   Continue Reading

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Let The A-Rod Speculation Begin

In most towns, when the third baseman hits .290/.392/.523, no one considers it "sucking." Among 3Bs, only Miguel Cabrera, Garrett Atkins, Chipper Jones, and David Wright outhit A-Rod. His OBP was third best for the position. Everyone's favorite whipping boy enters his age 31 season in 2007. The Rangers are covering a large part of his contract, so he's owed $16MM annually through 2010. While it's still huge, Rodriguez at four years, $64MM is a reasonable commitment for a superstar. Even the fairly conservative PECOTA projection system from Baseball Prospectus says he'll be worth over $66MM over that time period...   Continue Reading

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Trade Rumor Roundup: 7 Days Left

Here's the latest from around baseball... Dejan Kovacevic mentions that the A's are considering Sean Casey. Casey's doing his usual good batting average/low slugging thing and he's getting $8.5MM for it. The combined efforts of Dan Johnson and Nick Swisher have been inadequate at first, but would Casey really help? Johnson is hitting .485/.575/.848 in 33 Triple A at-bats; maybe he deserves another look. The Athletics, who are dead last in the AL in slugging, wouldn't be helped by adding the powerless Casey. They need Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee, Pat Burrell, or even Raul Ibanez to make a difference. The..   Continue Reading

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Trade Rumor Roundup: 10 Days Left

Couple of fresh rumors surrounding the Padres' third base vacancy, and I'm proud to say that MLBTradeRumors was able to deduce these in advance. A week ago I compiled a spreadsheet of Kevin Towers' trading history since 2001, nerd that I am. From that we learned that Towers loves working with the Red Sox and also Bill Bavasi. That he would consider Adrian Beltre and Mike Lowell for his vacancy followed logically. Today, the Beltre rumor comes courtesy of Ken Rosenthal and Buster Olney threw down the Lowell rumor. If those two big dogs fall through, Towers could pursue previous..   Continue Reading

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Now There's A Trade Rumor

This is a hell of a trade rumor, and it'd be wrong not to pass it along. According to the blog Bleed Cubbie Blue: "The Cubs are reportedly "in discussions" with the Yankees for a deal in which the principals would be Aramis Ramirez...and Alex Rodriguez...This deal, if it happens, might also include Jacque Jones, and other lesser players including prospects on both sides. This same source told me that the White Sox are "close" to acquiring Andruw Jones from the Braves; the price would be Brian Anderson and young pitching. That deal would also make sense for both sides...   Continue Reading

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