Felipe Lopez Rumors

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

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Felipe Lopez Signs With Cardinals

The Cardinals announced yesterday evening that they have signed infielder Felipe Lopez for the remainder of the season. The Nationals released him on Thursday. The Cardinals will use Lopez as a utility infielder and occasional outfielder. Lopez, 28, hit .234/.305/.314 this year in 363 plate appearances. He had a similar season in '07. He banged out 23 home runs in '05, which apparently was his career year. The Scott Boras client is earning $4.9MM this year, most of which the Nationals will cover.   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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Nationals Release Lo Duca, Lopez

The Washington Post is reporting that the Nationals released both Paul Lo Duca and Felipe Lopez following tonight's game. The move was made to free-up space on the roster for Elijah Dukes and Emilio Bonifacio. Lo Duca was hitting .230/.301/.281 in 139 at bats this season and made $5MM on a one-year deal. Lopez was hitting .231/.303/.309 in 324 at bats and was in his final arbitration-eligible season, making $4.9MM. Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.   Continue Reading

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Rockies Rumors: Fuentes, Redding, Fogg, Byrd

1:38pm: Jayson Stark says Fuentes is staying put. A little more than an hour left til the deadline. 9:33am: Mark Zuckerman of the Washington Times says the Nationals are leaning toward keeping Redding, and have even had preliminary extension talks with him. Trades of Paul Lo Duca, Odalis Perez, and Felipe Lopez are also unlikely. THURSDAY, 8:31am: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post indicates the Rockies want to keep Fuentes. He says they're looking at starters such as Tim Redding, Josh Fogg, and Paul Byrd. Redding's stock dropped last night with an ugly start. WEDNESDAY, 9:12pm: On Sunday, Rockies...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Mets, Tigers, Rays, Nats

Tying up loose ends before lunch: The Mets are one of three teams that have inquired on the availability of Brian Giles. The Padres may be asking for Fernando Martinez in return. Larry Brooks of the NY Post, however, thinks the Mets shouldn't force a trade for an outfielder. The Tigers will intensify their hunt for relief help if Freddy Dolsi's shoulder keeps acting up. Dolsi was off since Monday, resting what the team deemed as a fatigued shoulder, and said he felt better after a side session on Friday. The Rays are still looking for a corner outfielder. MLB.com...   Continue Reading

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Week In Review

Continuing with Tim's new tradition, here's my take on some of the top rumors of the week from June 29 - July 6: The C.C. Sabathia sweepstakes is nearing an end, with the Brewers' Matt LaPorta package being the frontrunner. We'll let everyone know the full story as soon as possible. The Phillies extended Brad Lidge to a three-year contract. Lidge looks like his old self - great deal for Philadelphia. Looks like this means Brett Myers will remain in the rotation if he can get back on track. We heard a lot about the Rays' growing interest for Colorado...   Continue Reading

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Olney Rumor Bag: Eckstein, Teixeira

Another Saturday, another edition of Buster Olney's weekly blog; along-side the deafening Sabathia discussions, we find some hidden gems: According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are pondering making a deal for David Eckstein. The Blue Jays have a well-stocked infield that has made the veteran short stop and former World Series MVP expendable. The Orioles have also been inquiring about Juan Uribe of the White Sox and Felipe Lopez of the Nationals. Mark Bradley of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution thinks the Braves should trade Mark Teixera. Although some veteran leaders think the team is still in the division race, the...   Continue Reading

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Orioles Interested In Felipe Lopez

12:37pm: Ken Rosenthal says the O's "have engaged in substantive conversations" to acquire Lopez. The likely return: just a marginal prospect. 9:49am: According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles have intensified their hunt for a starting shortstop. Zrebiec runs through some options and suggests Felipe Lopez would make sense. The O's have scouted him before. Jim Bowden's asking price shouldn't be too high - Lopez becomes a free agent after the season and hasn't hit well for years. Here's a look at our shortstop market post. One player I omitted from there who has been connected to...   Continue Reading

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Could Cubs Switch From Roberts To López?

Nationals infielder Felipe López has been adamant about being their starting second baseman, but word out of National's camp is that Ronnie Belliard is their guy at second. López has played some short this spring, but Cristian Guzman has that position locked up, which all but ensures López a backup role and a warm seat in the bench. López isn't too happy about that, but will he demand a trade? The Nats' front office says it won't be forced into making a deal. However, according to the Washington Post, the Nats are indeed actively shopping López. The Cubs had scouts...   Continue Reading

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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...   Continue Reading

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Nationals' Surpluses Could Lead To Trades

Nationals GM Jim Bowden signed veterans Dmitri Young and Ron Belliard to curious two-year extensions last year. He's now faced with a logjam at two infield positions. Ben Goessling of the Washington Times describes the first base battle between Young and Nick Johnson, who get along well. Johnson has more trade value, given his age. Neither player is a lock for 150 games though. Johnson is injury-prone, but his perennial .400 OBPs are appealing. He and Young are both signed through '09; Young has a vesting option for '10. The Yankees or Mets could be in the market for Johnson...   Continue Reading

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Nats To Pass On Weaver

Scott Boras found a deal for Kyle Lohse; will he now focus on getting Jeff Weaver a job? On Monday, Jeff's brother Jered said the Nationals and Cardinals had expressed interest. The Cards are surely out of the mix now, and MLB.com's Bill Ladson says Weaver has seemingly "priced himself out of the Nats' pay range." I'll guess the Nats were thinking $2MM or so. So if the Nats and Cards are both out, what's the elder Weaver to do? Baltimore seems to be his best option. Toronto could work. Perhaps the Astros as a long shot. In a note...   Continue Reading

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Reds Send Kearns, Lopez To Nats In Blockbuster

I was fairly baffled by this trade. How in the world does swapping out Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, Royce Clayton, and Brendan Harris make the Reds a better team this year? (Ryan Wagner and Daryl Thompson were also swapped in the deal). Let's analyze. Lopez is a below average defensive shortstop. He's probably amongst the five worst defensive shortstops in the game, as indicated by The Fielding Bible. The Reds are ranked just 12th in the league in defensive efficiency this year. Still, Royce Clayton is no defensive whiz at this point - he's..   Continue Reading

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Reds Send Kearns, Lopez To Nats In Blockbuster

I was fairly baffled by this trade. How in the world does swapping out Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez for Gary Majewski, Bill Bray, Royce Clayton, and Brendan Harris make the Reds a better team this year? (Ryan Wagner and Daryl Thompson were also swapped in the deal). Let's analyze. Lopez is a below average defensive shortstop. He's probably amongst the five worst defensive shortstops in the game, as indicated by The Fielding Bible. The Reds are ranked just 12th in the league in defensive efficiency this year. Still, Royce Clayton is no defensive whiz at this point - he's.. --   Continue Reading

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