Rosenthal's Latest: Reds, Marlins, Turnbow

Ken Rosenthal has a new column; let's take a look. Aside from Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr., Rosenthal suggests Walt Jocketty could look to trade veterans Paul Bako, Scott Hatteberg, David Weathers, Jeremy Affeldt, and Kent Mercker. Most of the Marlins' best players will reach arbitration for the first time after this season, which could prompt a trade or two. Rosenthal expects collusion investigations to go nowhere. The Brewers don't plan on paying any of the $2.5MM remaining on Derrick Turnbow's contract in order to trade him. They might end up losing him and paying it anyway, however.

Padres, Marlins Interested In Jacque Jones

According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, the Marlins and Padres have inquired on recently designated outfielder Jacque Jones. The Tigers, on the hook for $3MM of Jones' salary this year, would obviously prefer a trade. Many Padres are not hitting, including outfielders Jim Edmonds and Scott Hairston. Jones might not hit for much power anymore, but he can play a quality center field. The Fish nearly acquired Jones last summer. They haven't gotten much out of Alfredo Amezaga and Cody Ross in center, and left fielder Josh Willingham is on the DL with a sore lower back. The Marlins are...

Marlins Acquire Wes Helms

TUESDAY: The Fish are only taking on Helms' $750K buyout; the Phillies will cover the other $2.15MM. SATURDAY: According to an FSN broadcast via RotoWorld, the Marlins acquired Wes Helms from the Phils for cash. So I guess that means the Fish were willing to take on the $2.9MM owed to him? If so, quite a commitment for them. Helms, 32 in May, had his best year with the Marlins in '06. He posted a .965 OPS in 240 ABs, facing lefties almost half the time.

Helms Designated For Assignment

3:07pm: According to David Murphy, Helms has been DFA'd. Any suitors will probably try to wait it out so as not to pay his salary. 8:53am: Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says it's likely that Wes Helms will be moved by Saturday, when closer Brad Lidge is set to come off the DL. Hagen suggests the Dodgers as a good fit. Ned Colletti could offer up a player to be named later, or just wait and see if the Phils release Helms. He has $2.9MM left on his contract. The Dodgers had been eyeing Alex Cintron and almost...

Giants Claim Jose Castillo

According to Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Giants claimed infielder Jose Castillo off waivers and the Marlins didn't pull him back. I believe the Marlins can now either work out a trade with the Giants or just let them have him and his $650K salary. One of today's writers, Alejandro, noted that Castillo is already on the Giants' 40-man roster on MLB.com. Pure speculation, but this may be a signal that the Giants are done considering trade options such as Wes Helms, Brandon Inge, and Joe Crede. Giving up something decent for Inge or Crede never...

Marlins Waive Jose Castillo

The Marlins put infielder Jose Castillo on waivers today, though they have the option of pulling him back. It seems like a way to gauge interest. The Marlins may prefer to let Jorge Cantu play third regularly, as he's had a strong spring and has a decent track record (insert obligatory 117 RBI season mention here). The Marlins also have Dallas McPherson in the mix if he can get healthy. Castillo could make sense for the Dodgers given his versatility, though he's never hit much.

Marlins Looking For A Starter?

Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez originally said he'd announce the team's Opening Day starter and entire rotation on Tuesday, but then changed his mind. Both Joe Capozzi and Joe Frisaro wonder whether that's because the Marlins may yet acquire a starter. Frisaro implies that first baseman Mike Jacobs could be a trade candidate. The free agent market offers Jeff Weaver and David Wells, neither of whom are more deserving than Mark Hendrickson for an Opening Day nod. Otherwise, potentially available starters include Kyle Snyder, Kei Igawa, Dave Bush, Claudio Vargas, Jason Marquis, Daniel Cabrera, Matt Morris, Woody Williams, Matt Belisle, Justin...

What To Do With Wes Helms?

In the 2006-07 offseason, Wes Helms had just finished his best year (in terms of rate stats, at least). He hit .329/.390/.575 for the '06 Marlins, facing a disproportionate number of lefties. David Bell and Abraham Nunez had combined for an OPS under .700 at the hot corner for the '06 Phillies, so they figured Helms would be an upgrade even stretched as a full-timer. They gave him a two-year, $5.45MM deal with a $3.75MM club option for '09. Part of the motivation was to save money for an Alfonso Soriano bid. Plus, Mark DeRosa had already signed with the...

Conine To Sign One-Day Contract With Marlins

According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, Jeff Conine, a holder of a number of Marlins' records and nicknamed "Mr. Marlin," will reportedly be signed to a one-day contract on March 28th and then retire. Conine, who was with the team for their two World Series titles, will be honored on the field during the Marlins season opener versus the Mets at Dolphin Stadium on March 31st. It is rumored that the Marlins have not ruled out bringing Conine back to the club as an advisor. Posted by Matt Birt

Odds and Ends: Baldelli, Salcedo, Piazza, Rivera

Time for today's linkage. RotoAuthority looks for some fantasy baseball sleepers at second base. Rocco Baldelli has a rare muscle condition that does not allow his body to recover after a short workout. He'll hit the DL but won't retire. The Rays will likely decline his option but maybe they'll re-sign him at a lower price. The Indians are in the running for 16 year-old shortstop Edward Salcedo, but the Boras client remains unsigned. IGN has their own What Might've Been type series, and recently they took a look at the Mike Piazza trades of 1998. Haven't heard much on...

Odds And Ends: Crede, Marlins, Canó, Bonds

Some interesting tidbits this afternoon before I check out: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that one of Brian Sabean's top advisors, Ted Uhlaender, was present to witness Joe Crede's homer off of Arizona's Max Scherzer on Saturday. Seems more and more likely, as Crede proves his back is fine, that he will be moved to the Giants. Will the White Sox get Kevin Correia in exchange for Crede? The White Sox need a back-of-the-rotation guy, and Kenny Williams and company think they can win this year. So prospects probably won't get it done. While the Giants could...

Odds and Ends: Crede, Rodriguez, Marlins

Just a couple items worth mentioning: Matt Hurst notes Elasticman Scot Shields says "(Heck) yeah" to whether or not the Angels should dish out the big bucks for Francisco Rodriguez, this despite incentives in Shields contract that would kick in should he be transitioned into the closer role. Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times touches in on Joe Crede's fate after notching his first homerun of the spring, easing concerns for his surgically repaired back. Says Cowley, "Crede's agent, Scott Boras, already has told general manager Ken Williams that they want to explore the market. With Josh Fields waiting...

Managers On The Hot Seat

It is a slow news day, so we are going to venture a bit off the beaten path...As spring training is now in full swing, a number of managers may have their jobs on the line during the '08 season. Three managers are in the final year of their deals and another 12 managers have two years left on their contracts. This second group will be due either an extension or a pink slip next winter as few teams are willing to play out a season with a lame-duck manager. Therefore, any manager with two years remaining on their contracts...

Stark's Latest: Patterson, Lohse, Lofton, Clemens

Finally, new info regarding some of the remaining free agents. Jayson Stark has the scoop. Seems there's a chance Corey Patterson takes a cheap deal to return to Baltimore. He could be relegated to fourth outfielder duty in that case. Stark says the Marlins have discussed Patterson internally, but aren't sure if they could afford the Boras client. Patterson would be a nice stopgap for Cameron Maybin, who'd be well-served with some time in Triple A. Ken Rosenthal also mentioned the Florida possibility. One of the most surprising free agents at this point is Kyle Lohse. Stark shoots down the...

Rosenthal's Latest: Lohse, Furcal, Lofton

FOX's Ken Rosenthal checks in with the latest buzz from Spring Training. The Mets, Cardinals, and Orioles are listed as possibilities for Kyle Lohse. However, the Mets may deem him unnecessary, reports are conflicting on the Cards' interest, and the Orioles are wary of the price. Rosenthal says Rafael Furcal's agent met with Ned Colletti a few days ago, but the Dodgers would likely want to see Furcal return to form before entertaining an extension. Click here to see the other shortstops eligible for free agency after the '08 season. The Dodgers may have a viable replacement for Furcal in...

Odds and Ends: Spiezio, Pavano, Gross, Jackson

Links, rumors... Scott Spiezio is in trouble with the law, and the Cardinals decided to release him for it. Joe Ostermeier notes that the Cards now have about $20MM in dead money on the payroll for '08. Evan Grant believes the Rangers would want Jose Ceda or Donald Veal in a deal for Marlon Byrd. Call it informed speculation, but Mike Berardino wonders whether Carl Pavano could end up back with the Marlins eventually. Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that the Padres were eyeing Gabe Gross. Tom Haudricourt found out that Kevin Towers never inquired on the Brewers outfielder, but that...

Ryan Howard Fallout

Ryan Howard winning a $10MM salary yesterday was kind of a big deal. Let's examine this first-year arbitration record. A source of Jayson Stark's thinks the Phillies would've won had they submitted above Miguel Cabrera's $7.4MM. Seems that even slightly above would've done it, because then Howard losing would've still set a record. Tom Haudricourt talks about how Prince Fielder is now in line for the same $10MM for his '09 salary. And he doesn't see Scott Boras relenting and doing a multiyear deal. Stark adds Ryan Braun, Ryan Zimmerman, and Hanley Ramirez as other young stars who will be...

Odds and Ends: Kelly Johnson, Nathan, Crede

Time for some early Monday odds and ends. Remember how White Sox GM Ron Schueler embarrassed Cubs GM Ed Lynch in 1998 by acquiring Jon Garland for Matt Karchner? Rany Jazayerli sees a parallel to that heist with the Royals' acquisition of Daniel Cortes as part of the July '06 Mike MacDougal trade. Mike Berardino's blog continues to entertain; this time with a Dan Miceli story. Ah, knife fights with siblings. Who among us can say they haven't had one or two? Buster Olney learned from Braves GM Frank Wren that Kelly Johnson has been the team's most asked-for player...

Marlins Reach Stadium Agreement

Great news for Marlins fans - an agreement has been reached to build a new stadium for the team for $515MM. It still needs to be approved by county and city commissioners on Thursday though. The Marlins don't have any players earning even $3MM on their roster. Baseball Prospectus sees them finishing fourth in the NL East this year with a 76-86 record. BP thinks the Nationals, Astros, Cardinals, Pirates, and Giants will all be worse than that.

State Of The Marlins

The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson has all sorts of info concerning the state of the Florida Marlins. We've heard this before - the Fish can't afford to keep both Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. Do you trade the cheaper guy, or the more valuable one? As Jackson says, it really just depends on the offers. It wouldn't be a complete shock to see both traded if the Marlins received separate knockout offers on each. The Marlins are likely to non-tender Miguel Olivo, with an eye on bringing Paul Lo Duca back to Florida to provide veteran leadership for the young...

Marlins To Focus On Rotation, Defense

Marlins starters posted a 5.58 ERA this year, worst in the National League. The five with the most starts were Dontrelle Willis, Scott Olsen, Sergio Mitre, Byung-Hyun Kim, and Rick VandenHurk. Only Mitre was able to avoid posting an ERA above 5.00. Marlins president Larry Beinfest has labeled the rotation the team's #1 area of need this winter. Olsen and Mitre are cheap, and you can find positives with both. VandenHurk whiffed a batter per inning, and deserves a look in the #5 slot. Kim will depart via free agency. Josh Johnson will miss all of 2008 with Tommy John...