Heyman On Teixeira

Jon Heyman's latest column does a fine job analyzing Mark Teixeira's future. To sum it up: Heyman's source expects the asking price to be around ten years and $200MM. Personally, I don't see him getting a term nearly that long. Heyman and his sources do not see the Braves re-signing Tex. The suitors, in order of likelihood: Yankees, Mets, Orioles, Mariners, Braves, Red Sox, Giants. A battle of the New York powers is a reasonable prediction - both clubs should have first base open and the market for the position is otherwise poor. In a February MLBTR poll, the Yankees...

Braves Acquire Greg Norton

The Braves just put out a press release; they've acquired Greg Norton from the Mariners for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Norton, 35, certainly didn't do anything wrong with the Mariners. He was 7 for 16 with a couple of doubles before they DFA'd him. He's a solid switch-hitting bench bat, a nice pickup for Frank Wren. We might be able to give Norton a mulligan for his off-year in '07; he was coming off knee surgery and finished the year with elbow surgery.

More Rosenthal's Latest

Slow day for rumors, and yet Ken Rosenthal gets two posts! No surprise there. This time from his nifty sidebar Notes of Importance: With John Smoltz returning as the closer, the Braves will be exploring trades for a starter. Rosenthal says Atlanta could afford to give up prospects but won't overpay. MLBTR covered this a couple days ago. Doing his best Monty Python, Rosenthal looks on the bright of life and sees the Troy Tulowitzki injury as an opportunity for Clint Barmes to rebuild his trade value. If he can produce anywhere near the level of his 80+ games in...

Odds and Ends: Gallardo, NPB, Braves

Today's link collection... Check out the latest MLB Roundup video. The crew hands out April awards, assesses Billy Beane's gameplan, and looks at Jeff Ma's third-place Tout Wars team. RotoAuthority helps Yovani Gallardo owners pick up the pieces and find a replacement (he has a torn ACL). The Brewers have guys they can plug in but Gallardo seemed primed for a stellar season. They'll keep an eye on the trade market. Mike Hampton could retire, but it's highly unlikely that he'll abandon the rest of his '08 salary. Nippon Professional Baseball might shorten the tenure needed for free agency, except...

Braves, Angels Scouting Cardinals

Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioned in a Wednesday chat that the Braves are scouting the Cardinals heavily and the Angels have also been watching recently. One rumor that's been floating about consistently is that the Cardinals are willing to trade pitcher Anthony Reyes. Yesterday Jayson Stark relayed that John Mozeliak wants "an upper echelon prospect back, plus another piece."

Smoltz Situation Could Prompt Trade

John Smoltz is planning to return from the DL as a reliever in three weeks or so. This leaves the Braves with question marks in the rotation beyond Tim Hudson, Tom Glavine, and Jair Jurrjens. The fifth starter job is often in flux for a lot of teams, but it seems the Braves need to figure out one more long-term starter for the year. The Braves do have some arms to bring up from Triple A, namely lefties Jo-Jo Reyes and Chuck James. Reyes has a 1.17 ERA in five starts. In my opinion, the Braves need an innings eater...

Schreiber DFA'd, Lillibridge Called Up

In a move that could have trade implications for both players involved, Braves prospect Brent Lillibridge is making his major league debut today, as shortstop Yunel Escobar suffered a shattered fingernail in last night's game. To make room for Lillibridge on the 40-man roster, the Braves designated righty reliever Zach Schreiber for assignment. Lillibridge is pretty much blocked by Escobar, unless the Braves want to make him into a utilityman. However, with Escobar out until at least Tuesday, the slumping Lillibridge will have a chance to make an impression. Whether he'll be auditioning for manager Bobby Cox or for the...

Oswalt Staying Put

Last night on Baseball Tonight, Peter Gammons suggested that Roy Oswalt might become available and that he was willing to waive his no-trade clause. The Astros, however, are far from cashing in their chips. They've won their last four and have no intention of trading Oswalt. Oswalt is signed through 2011 with a full no-trade clause. Oswalt repeated his stance from last year - he'd consider waiving it if the Astros approached him (and if the acquiring team is the Cardinals, Braves, or Red Sox). I imagine most players feel this way. It's a moot point right now; Ed Wade...

Odds and Ends: Klesko, Street, Davis

I've got a slew of links for you. Saberscouting has a mock June draft up. Ryan Klesko officially retired. Chipper Jones let the cat out of the bag in February. Voros McCracken sees the Evan Longoria contract as a low-risk proposition for the Rays. The A's are still discussing an extension with Huston Street, though nothing appears imminent. The Giants DFA'd Rajai Davis. Anyone need an outfield burner? Sam Mellinger explains how the Hideo Nomo signing was the type of move the Royals need to make. Our Brian Bannister Q&A continues to get mileage, this time snagging a mention in...

Stark's Latest: Stanton, Hamels

ESPN's Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings column up. The Rays may have a pitching surplus when Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza return in May. Teams will probably be eyeing Edwin Jackson, Jason Hammel, and Andy Sonnanstine - not that the Rays are anxious to give them up. Jackson seems least likely to go. If I had to pick a team deficiency perhaps it would be their middle infielders. The Phillies have "mild interest" in Mike Stanton, who would like to play for them. The Phils already inked Steve Kline to a minor league deal though. The Braves...

Braves Hurting For Pitching

With Tom Glavine ailing and the fifth starter spot an open audition, the Braves are facing a starting pitching shortage. The bullpen could use a hand as well, but one thing at a time. Healthy, possibly available free agent starters include Roger Clemens, Russ Ortiz, Horacio Ramirez, Jeff Weaver, and David Wells. Obviously they all have warts - age, baggage, ineffectiveness. But if one of them can eat innings at a 4.50 ERA, it might make sense. How about acquiring a starter via trade? Here are some names to ponder: Daniel Cabrera, Joe Blanton, Jason Marquis, Matt Morris, Dave Bush,...

Odds And Ends: Crisp, Spiezio, Lahey, Longoria

Here are a few notes from the MLBiverse... Terry Francona sounds like a manager that is frustrated and wishes the Red Sox would go ahead and trade Coco Crisp. After starting Crisp for the second straight game, Francona said "The more [Jacoby Ellsbury] plays, the better he's going to be, and I clearly feel that responsibility...I'm trying to balance [playing time] the best I can." It only took a couple of weeks, but Scott Spiezio managed to mess up his latest opportunity with the Atlanta Braves. After failing to show to his AAA Richmond game "ready to play", Spiezio was...

Phils Designate Lahey For Assignment

Earlier today, the Phillies activated closer Brad Lidge from the 15-day DL and, to make room for him on the roster, designated young right-handed reliever Tim Lahey for assignment as foreseen. He'll now be looking for his fifth job in as many months. The wandering Lahey has already been part of the Cubs, the Rays, and the Twins. He's still relatively new to pitching, having been converted by the Twins from catching. He posted a 3.45 ERA in 78 and a third innings at AA New Britain last year, and gave up three runs in three innings at AAA Rochester....

Helms Designated For Assignment

3:07pm: According to David Murphy, Helms has been DFA'd. Any suitors will probably try to wait it out so as not to pay his salary. 8:53am: Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says it's likely that Wes Helms will be moved by Saturday, when closer Brad Lidge is set to come off the DL. Hagen suggests the Dodgers as a good fit. Ned Colletti could offer up a player to be named later, or just wait and see if the Phils release Helms. He has $2.9MM left on his contract. The Dodgers had been eyeing Alex Cintron and almost...

Pirates Rumors: LaRoche, Duffy

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the latest Pirates hot stove buzz. The Pirates and Adam LaRoche have reached an impasse in extension talks. LaRoche is set to reach free agency after the '09 season; his free agency years have to be worth $10MM each. Kovacevic notes that the Pirates might be permanently done trying to sign LaRoche. Kovacevic reports "no recent movement" on a Matt Capps extension. Last time we checked, talks with Capps inexplicably fizzled after Manny Corpas signed a team-friendly deal with Colorado. Capps probably isn't going anywhere, but LaRoche certainly could be traded. The presence...

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.

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...

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...

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...

Pirates Acquire Tyler Yates From Braves

10:23am: Byung-Hyun Kim's gone, in the accompanying move. So is Jaret Wright, according to RotoWorld. 8:40am: Dave O'Brien was right - the Braves chose Tyler Yates as the out of options reliever to deal. They sent him to the Pirates today for a minor league hurler named Todd Redmond. On Monday, O'Brien said he expected the Braves to trade one of Scott Thorman or Brayan Pena as well. Yates, a 30 year-old Hawaiin, has a solid 8.3 per nine innings strikeout rate in his 162 inning career. He needs to work on his control though. Yates was drafted by the...

Braves Expect Trades

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien talked to Braves GM Frank Wren, and he learned that Wren expects to "make a deal or two." DOB says the Braves are looking to add a proven bench bat. They can spare an out of options reliever from the group of Blaine Boyer, Chris Resop, Tyler Yates, and Royce Ring. O'Brien sees Yates as the one to go. Catcher Brayan Pena and first baseman Scott Thorman are other possible trade chips. As for who's coming to Atlanta, O'Brien pretty much ruled out Reed Johnson and Robert Fick. He considers Wes Helms a possibility. The...

Odds and Ends: Braves, Cruz, Breslow

Some nuggets from today... The Braves look to be the market for a bat off the bench and according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution it's not likely to be a minor name. O'Brien asked Wren if the Braves "had money to add a player of significant salary to their payroll," throwing out an accompanying figure of $3-4MM, to which Wren said yes "without hesitation." Let's use this to set the stage for what should be an interesting late spring Reed Johnson sweepstakes. Evan Grant of the The Dallas Morning News believes that Jason Botts 2 for 5 performance...

Javy Lopez Retires

After being reassigned to minor league camp by the Braves, Javy Lopez says he will retire. "It didn't happen in spring training," Lopez said. "This is the only chance I get. They give me the opportunity to come back and prove to myself that I can still play. I had the chance and didn't do what I'm supposed to do, or at least not good enough." The 37-year-old was banking on a comeback with the Braves, the team with which he played the bulk of his career (1992-2003), but his .188 average all but killed his chances of becoming Brian...

Rosenthal's Latest: Loretta, Ensberg, Lopez, Ring

Ken Rosenthal has some Spring Training odds and ends this morning. Rosenthal adds Mark Loretta as a possible third base acquisition for the Dodgers. Given their desire for a relatively affordable guy who can also handle second, Rosenthal has linked them to Ron Belliard and Esteban German previously. Loretta shouldn't be too hard to pry away from the Astros. Though he can't play second, Morgan Ensberg could be an option if the Yankees let him leave. The Nats are shopping Felipe Lopez, who's said he wouldn't be content on the bench. Rosenthal says the Nationals have their eye on awful...

Could Tigers Trade For An Atlanta Reliever?

7:21pm: David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution confirms Detroit's interest in the Braves' Out Of Options Four. DOB can envision a scenario where the Braves carry three of the four and trade one. 3:23pm: Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press speculates that the Tigers and Braves may match up well for a trade. Morosi notes four out of options relievers for Atlanta: Blaine Boyer, Chris Resop, Royce Ring, and Tyler Yates. He also mentions "frequent trade discussions" in recent years between the two clubs. ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote yesterday that the Tigers "would like to add a big-time...

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Rule 5 Draftees

Last year the Reds selected Josh Hamilton in the Rule 5 draft despite only 23 games above Single-A and only 15 games anywhere since 2002 (actually the Cubs picked Hamilton and traded him to the Reds the same day). Hamilton went on to hit .292-19-47 in 90 games. This year, 18 players were chosen in the Rule 5 draft (14 pitchers). These players must remain on the 25-man roster all season or be offered back to their original club for $25K. By my count, three players (Sergio Valenzuela, Lincoln Holdzkom, Jose Capellan) have already been offered back to their original...

What To Do With Wes Helms?

In the 2006-07 offseason, Wes Helms had just finished his best year (in terms of rate stats, at least). He hit .329/.390/.575 for the '06 Marlins, facing a disproportionate number of lefties. David Bell and Abraham Nunez had combined for an OPS under .700 at the hot corner for the '06 Phillies, so they figured Helms would be an upgrade even stretched as a full-timer. They gave him a two-year, $5.45MM deal with a $3.75MM club option for '09. Part of the motivation was to save money for an Alfonso Soriano bid. Plus, Mark DeRosa had already signed with the...

Braves Interested In Juan Rivera?

Juan Rivera is in a tough place - he doesn't have an opportunity to prove he can be a healthy and effective outfielder despite heading into his contract year. He's been very respectful to the Angels about his situation though. Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times recently speculated that Rivera would have a starting role on teams like the Braves, Mets, or Giants. Rivera's best year was '06, when he hit .310/.362/.525 in 124 games. But then Rivera broke his leg in winter ball in December of that year and it's been a long time coming back. Ken Rosenthal suggested...

Heyman's Latest: Crede, Ethier, Teixeira

SI.com rumor guru Jon Heyman has a new column up; let's take a gander. Heyman talked to an NL scout who considers Joe Crede a below average third baseman right now. If that scout's opinion is the consensus, it makes sense that Kenny Williams is inclined to wait for Crede to build more value. The Rangers pushed hard to acquire Andre Ethier from the Dodgers, both in a Mark Teixeira deal and after L.A. signed Andruw Jones. If I were a Dodger fan, I'd be angry to see the team put its pride ahead of winning by playing Juan Pierre...

Braves Shopping Thorman

Scout.com writer Bill Shanks is reporting that the Braves are shopping backup first baseman Scott Thorman and are considering other options at first base, including Mark Kotsay, Brayan Pena, Matt Diaz, and Joe Borchard. Atlanta Journal-Constitution baseball writer David O'Brien confirms this report in the comments section of his blog. Thorman is out of options, so this makes sense. Shanks points out that Pena is also out of options, "but with his time at first and his ability to be a third catcher he could have more value than Thorman." O'Brien says he doesn't think Pena will make the team....

Odds and Ends: Thames, Sosa, Inge, Crisp

Here's today's link roundup. MetsBlog passes along a Jon Heyman WFAN appearance tidbit. The SI.com writer said the Mets and Tigers are discussing a Marcus Thames for Jorge Sosa swap. Thames definitely fits the Mets' needs, though Sosa seems a little light for him. I did a fantasy baseball mailbag for Hardball Times. Brandon Inge tries to explain his comments about catching. John Smoltz has advice for Cole Hamels. Nice to see a popular player legitimately spending time to sign fan mail. Buster Olney says the Red Sox and A's are still discussing Coco Crisp. Olney also notes that "talent...

Francoeur Not Expected To Sign Long-Term

The odds that Jeff Francoeur and the Braves agree on a long-term deal "appear to be getting dimmer" says Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Instead, Francoeur seems to favor year-to-year deals followed by arbitration. Carroll adds, "Players who are renewed might make $10,000 or so less than they would have had they reached a deal, but sometimes they do it to make a point in negotiations. Wren said another renewal wouldn't negatively affect any future dealings with Francoeur." This is standard procedure. Francoeur made $427,500 in 2007 and is eligible for a contract renewal any day now. By Nat...

Best Fit For Bonds: Atlanta?

UPDATE: Martin Johnson at The Root is taking a path-less-tread by calling for a "happy ending" to the Barry Bonds saga. He says Bonds can still hit, and where better than Pittsburgh, a city in need of attendance since Bonds left in 1992. Personally, I can't see how Bonds can be anything more than a DH, which nixes this suggestion. Further, San Fran teammate Dave Roberts was quoted saying Bonds "is going to want to be in a situation where he can win," and the Pirates are not that. Still, Martin says, "Bonds should offer his services to his first...

Managers On The Hot Seat

It is a slow news day, so we are going to venture a bit off the beaten path...As spring training is now in full swing, a number of managers may have their jobs on the line during the '08 season. Three managers are in the final year of their deals and another 12 managers have two years left on their contracts. This second group will be due either an extension or a pink slip next winter as few teams are willing to play out a season with a lame-duck manager. Therefore, any manager with two years remaining on their contracts...

Where Will Teixeira Sign?

In today's Baltimore Sun, Dan Connolly hashes out the oft-rumored idea of the Orioles signing hometown boy Mark Teixeira after this season. He opines: If Peter Angelos sets a club salary record, it would be for Teixeira. Connolly also notes the team's repaired relations with Scott Boras and the agent's occasional tendency to push clients to bad teams to maximize paydays. For his part, Teixeira's not saying much. There's plenty of reason to stay in Atlanta if they offer something competitive. If Teixeira has a huge 40 HR, 120 RBI year, he'd seemingly be in line for at least Connolly's...

Odds and Ends: Crisp, Stewart, Meyer

Let's round 'em up! I'm doing a fantasy baseball mailbag feature at The Hardball Times. Check out the first entry. Nothing really new from Coco Crisp...if he loses the center field battle, he'll probably prefer a trade. The Brewers are close to a minor league deal with Russell Branyan, who might have a hard time sniffing the big league roster anytime this season. The Toronto Star relays from J.P. Ricciardi that the Blue Jays no longer have an offer on the table for Shannon Stewart. Turns out Oakland's Dan Meyer has a fourth option, meaning he's likely to lose the...

Odds and Ends: Kelly Johnson, Nathan, Crede

Time for some early Monday odds and ends. Remember how White Sox GM Ron Schueler embarrassed Cubs GM Ed Lynch in 1998 by acquiring Jon Garland for Matt Karchner? Rany Jazayerli sees a parallel to that heist with the Royals' acquisition of Daniel Cortes as part of the July '06 Mike MacDougal trade. Mike Berardino's blog continues to entertain; this time with a Dan Miceli story. Ah, knife fights with siblings. Who among us can say they haven't had one or two? Buster Olney learned from Braves GM Frank Wren that Kelly Johnson has been the team's most asked-for player...