Doug Brocail Rumors

Astros Decline Option On Doug Brocail

The Astros declined their $2.85MM option on reliever Doug Brocail, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Instead they'll pay the $250K buyout on the righty, who turns 43 in May. Brocail pitched only 17.6 big league innings this year due to shoulder and hamstring injuries. Astros GM Ed Wade told McTaggart he respects Brocail but won't try to re-sign him. Instead, the Astros have interest in keeping Brocail on for a player development role. McTaggart learned a month ago that retirement is a consideration for Brocail, but he'll play again if his shoulder is OK.   Continue Reading

---

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Sabean, Weeks

Tuesday linkage: Chat today, 2pm CST. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke with commissioner Bud Selig, who was adamant that the Pirates are not pocketing their profits. Pirates starter Zach Duke was pulled last night from an 11-1 game, one out away from a complete game, with 103 pitches thrown. Talking to Kovacevic, team president Frank Coonelly "strongly rejected" the idea that manager John Russell made the move to weaken Duke's bargaining position at the arbitration table. Joe Posnanski questions Russell's explanation of his decision. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News feels that Giants managing partner Bill...   Continue Reading

---

Astros Sign Doug Brocail

According to a press release, the Astros signed Doug Brocail to a one-year deal today. He'll get $2.5MM plus incentives in '09 and there's a club option for $2.85MM plus incentives for '10 with a $250K buyout. The Astros declined Brocail's $3.25MM '09 option in October and did not offer him arbitration yesterday. Brocail, 41, posted a 3.93 ERA in 68.2 innings this year. His strikeout rate was up significantly from '07. He struggled in July and August, but pitched well in September.   Continue Reading

---

Astros Decline To Offer Arb To Wolf, Brocail, Loretta

MLB.com's Alyson Footer makes it official - the Astros did not offer arbitration to Type B free agents Randy Wolf and Mark Loretta or Type A free agent Doug Brocail. The Astros still hope to re-sign Brocail. Just like the Cubs with Kerry Wood and the D'Backs with Adam Dunn, Wolf is a quality player who was not offered arbitration due to payroll concerns. Richard Justice figures it may have come down to Wolf or Jose Valverde for the Astros, and they chose Valverde. Another note in Justice's post - the Astros had their eye on Jose Ceda before he...   Continue Reading

---

Astros Rumors: Wolf, Brocail, Ross

Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle has the latest on the Astros: Astros GM Ed Wade said that he's had to slow down negotiations with free agent lefty Randy Wolf because he's unsure how much payroll he's working with. Negotiations are on hold at least until next week, but the Astros would still like to sign Wolf to a multi-year deal. The Astros still hope to bring back reliever Doug Brocail, but they haven't negotiated with his agent in over a week. Wade said he'll try to address the team's catching needs via trades or free agency. Houston is interested...   Continue Reading

---

No Agreement Yet For Moyer

12:01pm: David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News says everyone expects the Phils to re-sign Moyer. He says not to read into the Lowe/Burnett inquiries; the team has inquired on more than 25 free agents. MLB.com's Ken Mandel names six of them: Doug Brocail, Russ Springer, Raul Ibanez, Rocco Baldelli, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Nick Punto. 10:16am: According to Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies are still talking to free agent pitcher Jamie Moyer but don't have an agreement yet. Moyer apparently wants a multiyear deal. The Phils recently contacted Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett to hedge their...   Continue Reading

---

Odds and Ends: Wade, Crisp, Holliday

Links for Thursday... New commenters are signing up every day as MLB Trade Rumors grows. Before commenting, be sure to read our policy. If you ever see someone violating the policy just send me an email and I'll take care of it. If you receive an email from noreply@mlbrumors.com talking about some kind of newsletter, that has nothing to do with me or MLB Trade Rumors. We have a daily email of our latest posts, and that comes from dierkes@gmail.com. Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald wonders if Kerry Wood might accept an offer of arbitration from the Cubs. Hal...   Continue Reading

---

Stark's Latest: Abreu, Arroyo, Hudson

ESPN's Jayson Stark is back with a look at needs and plans for all 30 teams. I highly recommend you read the article, but here are a few highlights. He's also got a fresh blog post here. The Phillies are eyeing Doug Brocail and Russ Springer. The Mets like Bobby Abreu, but not his three year, $45MM asking price. The Reds are quietly listening on Bronson Arroyo, and the Rangers may be interested. Contrary to previous reports, Stark believes the Mets' first order of business is getting a starting pitcher. Here's a new one - the Marlins are interested in...   Continue Reading

---

Wolf Will Test Market

THURSDAY: Wolf told KRIV-TV in Houston last night that he's flattered by the Astros' efforts, but he plans to test the market. His main goal is playing for a winning team, and he says his urge to play on the West Coast is overstated. Astros GM Ed Wade says he'll look at alternatives starting Friday. WEDNESDAY, 5:30pm: The Astros also made an offer to reliever Doug Brocail. His agent says about a dozen teams have inquired, the Red Sox among them. The Astros would also like to re-sign Mark Loretta, but conversations have not yet begun. 1:46pm: According to Brian...   Continue Reading

---

Red Sox Inquire On Lowe

According to Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox have inquired on free agent starter on Derek Lowe. Scott Boras even gave them one of his infamous books hyping the 35 year-old righty. Massarotti figures the Red Sox consider Lowe a safer bet than A.J. Burnett or Ben Sheets. Massarotti adds that the Red Sox are looking for groundballing strike throwers in terms of bullpen additions. He wonders if Doug Brocail or Brandon Lyon could work. I noticed that Brian Shouse, Todd Coffey, Dennys Reyes, and Jeremy Affeldt also fit the profile, for what it's worth.   Continue Reading

---

Top Stories

Search MLBTR

Lijit Search

MLBTR Features

Recent Posts

MLBTR Mailing List

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Rumors By Team

Monthly Archives

Live Chats

Tuesdays at 2 p.m. CST