Casey Kotchman Rumors

Odds and Ends: Sabathia, Teixeira, Ibanez, Giles, Lee

CC Sabathia is 6-0 since getting traded to the Brewers, and naturally his teammates are thrilled to have him. Especially Prince Fielder, who said of his new ace, "I'm like his mini-me." Angels owner Arte Moreno said it was "emotional" for him to trade home-grown first baseman Casey Kotchman, but that he won't regret the move even if new Angel Mark Teixeira leaves as a free agent after the season. He mentioned budding AAA star Kendry Morales as a possible replacement. The News Tribune's Larry LaRue worries that the Mariners won't be able to keep Raul Ibanez after the season....   Continue Reading

---

Rosenthal's Latest: Ibanez, Ohman, Fuentes

The latest from rumor guru Ken Rosenthal: The Mariners are not having much luck stirring interest in Jarrod Washburn and Raul Ibanez. Only the Mets are seriously looking at Ibanez, and they don't like the price. The D'Backs aren't interested. Exacerbating the situation is that interim GM Lee Pelekoudas may feel compelled to make a good impression on the higher-ups. The Braves chose Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek over an offer of Chad Tracy and Micah Owings from the D'Backs. I'm surprised the Diamondbacks didn't go a little further. The Braves tried to expand the deal and send Will Ohman...   Continue Reading

---

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Monday

12:10am: SI.com's Jon Heyman is hearing the Braves are locked in on the D'Backs, so I'm not sure who to believe. Heyman believes the Rays could be the fallback. 11:42pm: Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune has a source saying there's "no way" the D'Backs acquire Teixeira or Manny Ramirez. The Braves proposed a package of Scherzer, Parker, and Tracy for Tex. Sounds like these two teams are not close to being on the same page. 11:29pm: MLB.com's Mark Bowman checks in. His source says the Yankees, Rays, and Angels are more likely to acquire Teixeira than the D'Backs....   Continue Reading

---

Mark Teixeira Roundup

More on the Mark Teixeira front: Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution names four guys the Braves have been reportedly targeting in deals for Teixeira. Nobody new appears, but it's good fodder for conversation: Kevin Youkilis: Ortiz is healthy and Youkilis has been arguably the Red Sox MVP so far this season, not far off from Teixeira in production. Both sides deny it. Mixed reviews from MLBTR readers. Can we put this to rest? James Loney: Keith Law reported yesterday on the Dodgers as a good fit with the caveat that Loney would have to either be included in...   Continue Reading

---

Locking Up Young Stars: Martin, Kendrick, Kotchman, Pedroia, Uggla

Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times takes a look at the spate of recent long-term deals for young stars. Talking to different players and agents, Shaikin found no consensus on whether such contracts are a good idea. Some folks (including Shaikin and Pat Gillick, apparently) believe it's wise for richer clubs to go year-to-year to avoid getting stuck with a bad contract. I'm sure teams have done comprehensive studies on these types of contracts, but my guess is that flops are few are far between. I can only think of a handful (Angel Berroa, Eric Hinske come to mind). As...   Continue Reading

---

Rangers DFA Tejeda, Cruz

As expected the Rangers DFA'd outfielder Nelson Cruz and pitcher Robinson Tejeda over the weekend. Tejeda is a casualty of the Rangers' Friday deal for Dustin Nippert, and has been undergoing a thus far unsuccessful transition to the bullpen. He went 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA during the spring, but did manage to run a streak of four scoreless appearances prior to giving up a game-ending RBI triple to Felix Pie last week. Cruz's release was expected. There was some light talk of him possibly being moved to Tampa last week, but that evaporated when the Rays acquired former Angels...   Continue Reading

---

Giants Like Kotchman And Mathis

Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Giants recently inquired with the Angels about first baseman Casey Kotchman and catcher Jeff Mathis. Baggarly speculates that the Halos might like the idea of a reunion with Bengie Molina (owed $12MM over the next two seasons). Of course, the value of the two Angels players far exceeds that of Molina. No deal is close; Angels GM Tony Reagins was frank about that. The Giants don't have much in the way of valuable trade chips. They've got overpriced, undesirable veterans plus a strong core of young pitching that they...   Continue Reading

---

Unfounded Rumors: Bonser, Morneau

UPDATE, 11-28-07 at 10:50am: LaVelle E. Neal III and Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune looked into both of these rumors, and found nothing. FROM 11-27-07 at 10:25pm: We have seen some Unfounded Rumors come to fruition in the past; you never know. No insult is intended towards the originators of these, but they are reports I have not been able to verify. I know most of you just want rumors any way you can get them. DRays Bay has some chatter about a possible Boof Bonser to Tampa Bay deal. Apparently quotes from Bonser himself played a part in..   Continue Reading

---

Angels Out On Teixeira?

According to Mike DiGiovanna and Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times, the Angels are done trying to acquire Mark Teixeira. Casey Kotchman and Joe Saunders were agreed upon. The Angels wanted the Rangers to settle on Terry Evans or Nathan Haynes as the third player. The Rangers, however, wanted one of Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, Howie Kendrick, and Ervin Santana. Perhaps there is some middle ground, like a Hank Conger, Sean Rodriguez, or Erick Aybar? The L.A. Times says the door is not completely closed on Teixeira but the Angels won't relent to Jon Daniels' list. Meanwhile, the L.A. Daily..   Continue Reading

---

Braves Make Offer For Teixeira

According to Ken Rosenthal's sources, the Braves have made an offer to the Rangers for Mark Teixeira: Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Matt Harrison, and Elvis Andrus. That's without any relievers coming back to Atlanta. That's three young players all with a chance to become above-average big league regulars. You couldn't really criticize Daniels for it, no matter how it turned out. The only other major player seems to be the Angels. The Halos recently tweaked their original offer of Casey Kotchman plus Nathan Haynes or Terry Evans. There's now a pitcher in the mix, apparently one of Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, or..   Continue Reading

---

Heyman's Latest: Teixeira, Otsuka

Jon Heyman of SI.com has been working the phone lines; here are some notable rumors from his latest column. The Braves seemed fairly close to a Mark Teixeira trade yesterday, but the Angels are definitely knee deep in it. They'll make a solid offer including Casey Kotchman, Ervin Santana, and Major League player. Adam Dunn remains Plan B. Heyman says there's speculation that Akinori Otsuka could need Tommy John surgery, which might compel the Rangers to sign Eric Gagne and/or keep Joaquin Benoit. Refresher on Gagne's 12-team allowable list can be found here. Gagne must consent to a trade to..   Continue Reading

---

Joel Sherman's Ten Trade Candidates

Joel Sherman of the New York Post has an article today regarding ten veterans who may be traded this month. He's packed the column full of insider info beyond the ten players highlighted; check it out. Mark Teixeira is now more likely to be dealt than Eric Gagne. Sherman sees the Angels as perhaps the best possibility here; they'd have to include Casey Kotchman. I imagine Ervin Santana's stock is down far enough that the Rangers would not settle for the two. The Indians appear to be out on Gagne but the Tigers still make sense for all parties. Would..   Continue Reading

---

Bucs Still Looking For Hitter

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates are mulling options other than Adam LaRoche, as talks have stalled somewhat. Trot Nixon appears to be off the radar as a free agent signing. No more Melky Cabrera talk either. Existing possibilities include Chad Tracy for Mike Gonzalez and another player, or a deal for Ryan Church, Casey Kotchman, or Geoff Jenkins. Meanwhile, Bucco Blog weighed in on the team's need to keep Chris Duffy and also suggested Kotchman as a realistic possibility. Jake "heard through the grapevine" that Kotchman could one day entertain a long-term deal with the Bucs. I haven't..   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