Craig Monroe Rumors

Odds and Ends: Manny, McDonald, Bradford, Bowden

Collection o' links... Craig Monroe has cleared waivers and become a free agent. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick talks to Pirates GM Neal Huntington about his deadline deals. Pirates players Chris Duffy and Franquelis Osoria cleared waivers and will head to Triple A. Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi says manager Cito Gaston will be back next year. Yesterday Dan Shaughnessy wrote a few sentences about the commissioner's office investigating Manny Ramirez's final hours with the Red Sox. It's become a national story. More on the situation from the L.A. Times. Sean McAdam wonders if the Red Sox could acquire Toronto shortstop John...   Continue Reading

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Week in Review: 7/27 - 8/2

We saw the non-waiver trade deadline come and go this week, and plenty of action to go along with it. Let's recap the big moves of the week: The Dodgers, Pirates, and Red Sox completed a three-team, blockbuster trade that sent Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles, Jason Bay to Boston, and Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen, and Brandon Moss to Pittsburgh. The Pirates got a pretty nice haul, and while Bay won't necessarily replace Manny's production, he's much more affordable, signed through '09, and doesn't disrupt the clubhouse. The Dodgers add the big bat they need for a push...   Continue Reading

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Livan Hernandez To Be Designated

3:25pm: Joe Christensen says both Hernandez and Craig Monroe will likely be DFA'd today. Both were questionable acquisitions from Day 1. Francisco Liriano and Randy Ruiz will join the Twins. 8:23am: According to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins are expected to designate Livan Hernandez for assignment today to make room for Francisco Liriano. The Twins are prepared to eat the remaining $1.66MM on Hernandez's contract. It's the right move, just several weeks too late. Hernandez turned into a pumpkin in late May, while Liriano has been on a tear for about a month. It...   Continue Reading

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Twins Rumors: Bonser, Beltre, Roberts, Monroe

La Velle E. Neal III and Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune have the latest Twins buzz. The Twins would like to trade Boof Bonser to make room for Francisco Liriano. The Giants and Rangers might be interested. Targets for the Twins: relief help, third base, and second base. Talks for Adrian Beltre are not dead. The Mariners are eyeing Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, and Denard Span. The Twins aren't biting. Sounds like the Mariners want a premium arm for Beltre from the Twins or Giants, but those teams see it as more of a salary...   Continue Reading

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Twins Looking For A Second Baseman?

According to Bob Dutton of the KC Star, the Twins are in the market for a second baseman. Alexi Casilla has a serious thumb injury. Dutton mentions Mark Grudzielanek, Rich Aurilia, and Brian Roberts as possibilities. Roberts, however, may be off the market. Dutton says the Twins could use Boof Bonser and Craig Monroe as bait. Here's a look at the trade market for second basemen.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Deeds, Tejada

Some random tidbits for you; I may add to this post if I find a few more. RotoAuthority analyzes the hottest fantasy baseball pickups from this week. The Twins completed the Craig Monroe deal by sending 25 year-old outfielder Doug Deeds to the Cubs. He looks like a long shot to make the Majors. Monroe hasn't looked like much of a big leaguer lately, either. Richard Justice notes that the Cardinals targeted Miguel Tejada this winter but couldn't get it done. As if they needed any more steroid stigma. It's interesting to see the Tejada deal looking so good for...   Continue Reading

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Twin Sign Craig Monroe

UPDATE, 12-11-07 at 8:05pm: Jerry Crasnick says Monroe will get $3.82MM plus incentives based on plate appearances. Joe Christensen notes that it's a non-guaranteed contract. FROM 12-11-07 at 4:49pm: A brief note, the Twins have signed outfielder Craig Monroe. They were planning on non-tendering him if they couldn't get him to sign for '08 at less than the $4.8MM he earned in '07. It's hard to figure out where exactly Monroe fits in now that the Twins have Delmon Young. He's kind of too pricey to be a bench guy but there's no clear starting role for him   Continue Reading

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Matt Garza Traded For Delmon Young In Blockbuster

UPDATE, 11-28-07 at 9pm: It's now a done deal. The Twins substituted 21 year-old reliever Eduardo Morlan instead of Rincon. UPDATE, 11-28-07 at 7:30pm: This thing hasn't gone through yet because of concerns over Rincon's elbow. The deal will either be finalized or killed by Thursday, according to Scott Miller. The trade has been in the works for a few days. UPDATE, 11-28-07 at 4pm: Neal reports that the Twins have interest in Aaron Rowand, which is really surprising given his reported demands. I don't see it. Neal adds that Craig Monroe may now be non-tendered and the Garza trade..   Continue Reading

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Rumor Roundup: Colon, Barrett, Clement, Monroe

Rounding up some of today's rumors... The Phillies have had conversations about Randy Wolf and Bartolo Colon. It's assumed they have about $10MM to spend. The Rockies are talking to Michael Barrett's agent. They've also got some interest in Mike Maroth. He doesn't seem like a great match. LaTroy Hawkins hasn't had any recent discussions with the Rockies, and other teams are knocking on his door (including the Brewers). The White Sox may look to Japan for relief help. They've been linked to Yasuhiko Yabuta in the past. Richard Griffin notes that the Blue Jays pursued Matt Clement three years..   Continue Reading

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Twins After Craig Monroe?

UPDATE: The deal is official. This is odd: Joe Christensen reports that the Cubs may send Craig Monroe to the Twins for a player to be named later, perhaps today. For the Cubs, getting something for Monroe is gravy since they would non-tender him otherwise. I guess the Twins like the idea of Monroe on a one-year, $5MM commitment as opposed to the free agent options in left field. I wonder if any other non-tender candidates might be moved? Guys like Ben Broussard, Joe Crede, Morgan Ensberg, Kevin Mench, Mark Prior, Josh Towers, and Claudio Vargas are possibilities   Continue Reading

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Cubs a Good Fit for Barry's Bat

Tim mentioned in this post that fielding know-it-all John Dewan thinks Barry Bonds can still play a tolerable outfield. Well, Bob Nightengale has broken the rumor-ice and brought two NL teams into the "Where Will Bonds Play Next" game: Chicago and Florida. The Cubbies, heavy in right handed hitters, would love a bat like Bonds' in the lineup. They probably have the money, though they'll add $10MM in payroll for '08 just to maintain the current group. With Bonds' regular need for time off, there'd still be plenty of playing time for Matt Murton. Bonds, meanwhile, just may be the..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Acquire Craig Monroe

Today, the Cubs acquired outfielder Craig Monroe and cash considerations for a player to be named later. Monroe has approximately $1.06MM left on his contract for 2007. The 30 year-old outfielder enjoyed a career season in '06, smacking 28 homers and knocking in 92. As a right-handed hitter he's typically better off facing southpaws. It'd be nice to platoon him with Jacque Jones if he can handle center field. Monroe played eight games there last year and 33 the year before. More likely, he'll be employed in right field once Alfonso Soriano returns. Jake Fox seems to be the odd..   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Damon, Glaus, Wells

Ken Rosenthal has a new column up; here are some rumor-related points of interest. As you know, it doesn't make sense for the Yankees to keep both Bobby Abreu and Johnny Damon around for 2008. It's just not an efficent way to spend $29MM. Rosenthal says Damon would be open to waiving his no-trade clause, if the Yankees struck a deal with a team that fell under his 12-team protection. Damon is apparently open to regular playing time on teams not located on the West Coast. The White Sox, Phillies, Braves, or Astros might make sense, in my opinion. The..   Continue Reading

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Monroe Out; Maybin In

The Tigers shook up their roster today, DFAing outfielder Craig Monroe and calling up 20 year-old top prospect Cameron Maybin. They also sent Omar Infante to Triple A in favor of Ramon Santiago. Apparently they wanted more of a "true shortstop" to back up Carlos Guillen. You never know, a Jack Wilson deal could still be in the works. Wilson has cleared waivers. Monroe makes $4.775MM this year, so he's a nontender candidate for his new team this winter. It's unknown whether he's been placed on or has cleared waivers, which would have to precede a trade. The 30 year-old..   Continue Reading

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Random Rumors: Erstad, Gagne, Podsednik

Here's a smattering of random rumors. The Twins have tried and failed to acquire Mike Piazza, Jermaine Dye, and Kevin Mench. Instead of Dye, the White Sox offered up 33 year-old outfielder Darin Erstad, he of the .671 OPS. The Twins passed. Eric Gagne will apparently earn Type A status as a free agent, despite pitching only two innings in 2006. Rob Bradford has the details. This was apparently a big factor for the Red Sox in making the deal. The Chicago Sun-Times debunks a rumor that the Cubs are trying to trade for Scott Podsednik. How come I wasn't..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Considering Outfielders

Multiple readers have emailed me about a radio report on WSCR 670 The Score out of Chicago today. According to the report, the Cubs are considering multiple trade possibilities to fill the monthlog gap left by Alfonso Soriano's quad injury. On the radar: Craig Monroe, Matt Stairs, Jeff Conine, and Adam Dunn. Additionally, Cubs GM Jim Hendry came out and said today that he's working the phones to find some help. Contract situations of each player: Monroe - $1.5MM left in '07, should earn $5MM+ in '08 before reaching free agency Stairs - $267K left in '07, free agent after..   Continue Reading

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Tigers Trade Rumors: Barmes, Dotel, Qualls

The Detroit Free Press has a Tigers update for us today. The Tigers are intent on acquiring a backup shortstop. They recently sent a scout to watch the Rockies' Clint Barmes at Triple A. Barmes is at .310/.374/.464 in the minors this year. Perhaps the Tigers envision him as a possible successor to Carlos Guillen at short. Relievers on the radar: Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls, Octavio Dotel, and Kyle Farnsworth. Eric Gagne does not seem likely right now, and we know Lidge is a long shot. Farnsworth might make the most sense, as the cost would mainly be money. The..   Continue Reading

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