Brad Ausmus Rumors

Odds And Ends: Tazawa, Hoffman, Halladay

Links for Saturday... Junichi Tazawa is expected to announce early next week that he will sign with the Red Sox. He turned down offers from the Rangers, Mariners and Braves. The Padres recently offered to talk with Trevor Hoffman, but he hasn't responded. Tom Krasovic also has a Sandy Alderson quote that the Padres are "highly unlikely" to offer Hoffman arbitration. Robert MacLeod talked to Blue Jays insiders who believe trading ace Roy Halladay would send "the wrong signal" to fans since the Jays want to compete in 2009. Rob Neyer wonders how C.C. Sabathia's weight will affect his performance...   Continue Reading

---

Odds and Ends: El Duque, Tazawa, Ausmus

Links for Tuesday. Be sure to check back on Odds and Ends posts, as I update them throughout the day with minor links. The Jays may no longer have A.J. Burnett under contract, but they continued their claiming frenzy by adding pitcher Les Walrond. The A's re-hired Jason Giambi's strength coach. Does it mean anything? The Cardinals remain intrigued by the idea of bringing Edgar Renteria back. The Dodgers bought out catcher Gary Bennett for $50K; he's a free agent now. Mike Cameron thinks C.C. Sabathia has a good chance of re-signing with the Brewers. He says Sabathia could be...   Continue Reading

---

Cafardo's Latest: Ausmus, Towles, Mariners, Giants, Sheffield, Salty

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has a few items in his Sunday column... Cafardo says that the Red Sox, despite being in the market for a catcher, are not interested in Brad Ausmus. They did inquire with the Astros about J.R. Towles, who is currently in Triple A, but were told he is unavailable. One executive told Cafardo that the Mariners continue to demand other teams take entire contracts and give up prospects for players like Raul Ibanez, Jarrod Washburn and Adrian Beltre. In the cases of Ibanez and Beltre, that position is defensible. Cafardo interviewed Brian Sabean about...   Continue Reading

---

Week In Review: 8/3 - 8/9

Here's a quick look back at some of the bigger stories on MLBTR over the past week: D'Backs ace Dan Haren signed a very affordable extension with the team, which would keep him in Arizona through 2012 with an option for 2013. Great deal for the D'Backs and their fans. Brian Giles was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox, which is now believed to have been an effort to block the Rays from acquiring him. Giles blocked the trade to Boston with his no-trade clause. The Rockies acquired Livan Hernandez from the Twins. Minnesota won't receive a player in...   Continue Reading

---

Marlins Sign Lo Duca, Claim Ausmus

According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, the Marlins signed Paul Lo Duca to a minor league deal today. Lo Duca will head to Triple A as the team's insurance plan. The Nationals signed Lo Duca for a hefty $5MM in December of '07, three days before he was named in the Mitchell Report. The 36 year-old hit just .230/.301/.281 in 153 plate appearances, hobbled by knee surgery and a broken bone in his throwing hand. Lo Duca was a Marlin for part of the '04 season and all of '05, though he did not hit well for them. Additionally, Joe...   Continue Reading

---

Astros Re-Sign Ausmus

As expected, the Astros inked Brad Ausmus to a one-year deal. It cost $2MM, about the going rate for backup catchers these days. Hopefully J.R. Towles will get 120 games behind the plate as the starter as Ausmus can teach him a thing or two about handling a big league pitching staff   Continue Reading

---

Astros Make Offer To Ausmus

The Astros hope to bring back Brad Ausmus one more time, recently offering him a one-year, $2MM contract. Ausmus, who will be 39 next season, hasn't decided what he wants to do yet. $2MM per year is becoming the going rate for backup catchers, which is probably the role the Astros have in mind for Ausmus next year. In November of last year, the Cubs set the market by giving Henry Blanco $5.25MM over two years. Mike Redmond and Vance Wilson had each signed for two years, $2MM a few months prior. Mike Lieberthal got one year and $1.25MM. The..   Continue Reading

---

Mets Catching Priorities And More

Talked to my Mets source recently, and their priorities for catcher are as follows. 1. Ramon Hernandez, but only at the right length (three years) and price (maybe $8MM per). The Mets are pretending publicly they'd start the season with Ramon Castro behind the plate. That posturing is similar to the Yankees' assertion that they could begin the '06 season with Bubba Crosby in center. Not gonna happen. 2. Bengie Molina, if he takes less cash than Hernandez. 3. Brad Ausmus. 4. Toby Hall through trade. Ivan Rodriguez is not on the club's radar due to injury concerns and his..   Continue Reading

---

Search MLBTR

MLBTR Mailing List

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

MLBTR Features

Recent Posts

Rumors By Team

Monthly Archives

Live Chats

Tuesdays at 2 p.m. CST