Gregg Zaun Rumors

Astros Interested In Ross, Zaun

According to Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle, the Astros have spoken to the agents for free agent catchers Gregg Zaun and Dave Ross. Ross we knew about, but Zaun is a new name. The Tigers have been linked to Zaun as well. It's also known that Paul Bako would be interested in playing for Houston. McTaggart also mentions in the article that pitcher Brandon Backe is a non-tender candidate (that deadline is December 12th; we'll see a many additional players enter the free agent pool).   Continue Reading

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Tigers Rumors: Renteria, Wilson, Zaun, Treanor

Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press has the latest on the Tigers. GM Dave Dombrowski wasn't sure Edgar Renteria would turn down an offer of arbitration, and he didn't feel two draft picks were worth the risk. Discussions with the Pirates regarding Jack Wilson are ongoing, but concrete proposals have yet to be exchanged. The Tigers have interest in free agent catcher Gregg Zaun. Zaun, 38 in April, hit .237/.340/.359 in 288 plate appearances this year while earning $3.75MM. Morosi adds that the Tigers also like Marlins catcher Matt Treanor, but no deal is imminent. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro...   Continue Reading

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Jays Offer Arb To Burnett, Not Zaun

According to the AP, the Blue Jays offered arbitration to A.J. Burnett and declined to offer it to Gregg Zaun. No big surprise here. Burnett's a Type A free agent, so he'll cost a draft pick to sign.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Pettitte, Zaun, Blanco

Links for Tuesday... Scott Bordow feels the D'Backs and Randy Johnson should meet at $5MM, which still seems light. David Murphy explains why the Phillies make more sense than the Mariners for Jamie Moyer, geographically. David Ortiz would like the Red Sox to add a 30 home run bat. Richard Justice wants the Astros to sign both Randy Wolf and Andy Pettitte. He says the Cubs and Cardinals will be talking to Pettitte even though his heart is with the Yankees. El Lefty Malo recommends the Giants sign Derek Lowe. The Giants are at least considering the big-ticket free agents....   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Cuban, Zaun, Hall, Mariners

Saturday morning linkage: Cubs GM Jim Hendry didn't consult the prospective new owners before picking up Rich Harden's option, and that's fine by Mark Cuban. The Blue Jays are expected to pick up Rod Barajas' option; there's still a possibility that Gregg Zaun will return. The 37-year old Zaun is eligible to become a free agent. Speaking of catchers, Sox Machine analyzes the pros/cons of the White Sox keeping or moving backup catcher Toby Hall. The Yankees are correctly focusing on their rotation and will sign one or two free agent pitchers, thinks the LoHud Journal News' Peter Abraham, which...   Continue Reading

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Blue Jays To Retain Barajas, Not Zaun

According to Robert MacLeod of The Globe and Mail, the Blue Jays plan to exercise Rod Barajas' option while allowing Gregg Zaun to leave as a free agent. Barajas has a $2.4MM option with a $500K buyout, so it's a net cost of $2.1MM. He's hitting .249/.294/.410 in 377 plate appearances, fluctuating quite a bit month-to-month. Meanwhile Zaun is hitting .222/.332/.344 in 262 PAs while earning $3.75MM. At this point he does not qualify as a Type B free agent, so there's no point in offering arbitration.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: LaRoche, Bradley, Burnett

Digging into today's random links... Joel Sherman looks at what went wrong for the Yankees this year. Did they fall too in love with their farm system? At least six teams have called the Pirates about third baseman Andy LaRoche in recent weeks. If LaRoche pans out and Pedro Alvarez comes aboard, the Bucs could have a surplus at some point. Craig Harris examines the rise of D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes. Eddie Bajek updated the Elias rankings for the AL 1B/OF/DH category. They're fluctuating wildly. Eddie also did catchers for both leagues; Ivan Rodriguez is headed into Type B territory....   Continue Reading

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Marlins Interested In Bard, Zaun?

5:33pm: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick talked to a baseball source who finds Zaun to Florida unlikely, on account of the money owed to the catcher. 12:18pm: Dan Hayes of the North County Times reports that the Marlins inquired on Padres catcher Josh Bard yesterday. However, Bard is under team control through 2010 and the Marlins weren't offering nearly enough. 11:48am: An unconfirmed report is floating about that the Marlins might have interest in bringing back catcher Gregg Zaun. It couldn't take too much to pry him loose. Also, I can't pass up an opportunity to link to Zaun's website. Make sure...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Street, Zaun, Guardado, Blalock

Let's round up some odds and ends for a rumor-packed day. The Reds had a scout at a recent Rangers-A's game; they may have been eyeing a Texas catcher. Billy Beane is still fielding offers for Huston Street; Jon Heyman mentions the same teams we've heard in the past. Ed Wade told Miguel Tejada he's staying put. Gregg Zaun would welcome a trade. GM J.P. Ricciardi responded by saying "someone has to want you." The Marlins could make sense; their catcher hunt may hinge on Matt Treanor's decision whether to have surgery. John Maine has a mild rotator cuff strain....   Continue Reading

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Marlins Looking For Catcher, Reliever

The NL East is a three-team race, with the Mets, Phillies, and Marlins all within a game of each other. Who'd have thought the Marlins would be contending after trading Miguel Cabrera? According to Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins have intensified their search for a catcher. The targets: Bengie Molina, Ramon Hernandez, Gerald Laird, and Ryan Doumit. Molina and Hernandez are the pricey options. Doumit would be especially tough to pry loose; he has a .937 OPS this year as a 27 year-old. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro wonders if Miguel Olivo, Gregg Zaun, and Paul Lo Duca...   Continue Reading

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Graziano's Latest: Sherrill, Arroyo, Rhodes, Zaun

Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger has a new Trade Winds column. Graziano notes how incredible the Erik Bedard trade could look for Baltimore if they spin George Sherrill for prospects. He names the Cardinals, Rays, Marlins, and Red Sox as suitors. The Mets fear Sherrill's price tag, while the Yankees don't expect a deal within the division. The Yankees haven't spoken to the Reds about Bronson Arroyo (although based on previous reports, they have scouted him). The Yanks aren't likely to sign Barry Bonds, and aren't terribly thrilled with the catching market. Fernando Martinez's possible injury could increase the...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Thomas, Jays, Myers, Nomo

Expect another one of these today. There's lots of little stuff, but not much in the way of substantive rumors. The Mariners were one of four teams contacted by Frank Thomas's agent. The A's were obviously another. So who were the other two? With 24-year-old backstop Robinzon Diaz mashing in AAA, the Jays might look to spin off either Gregg Zaun or Rod Barajas come July. 39-year-old southpaw Mike Myers requested and was granted his unconditional release from the Dodgers. After DFAing him on Sunday, the Royals have placed Hideo Nomo on release waivers. If unclaimed by noon on Tuesday,...   Continue Reading

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Lots of signings

Adam Eaton is going to the Phillies for $24M over three years. It's an interesting harbinger of the contracts to come-that isn't far out of line of all the $21/3 contracts that have been signed in the last couple of years. Eaton is a bit of an injury risk, I suppose, but there's nothing else keeping his value down. Aside from the obvious cases-Barry Zito, Andy Pettitte, and Jason Schmidt-the only pitchers on the market who may get bigger deals that Eaton are Gil Meche and Ted Lilly. It would be fascinating if the market for pitching remained as people..   Continue Reading

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Drew, Roberts, Aurilla, and Dunn

SI reported yesterday that the Red Sox are close to signing JD Drew. Are sign's of desperation starting to appear? Gregg Zaun's agent has been in 'consistent' contact with Cashman and Julio Lugo has already talked to the Cubs and agreed to play CF. Speaking of Zaun, Mercury News is reporting that Zaun's agent is having 'consistent' contact with the Giants, that the Giants are close to signing Dave Roberts and Rich Aurilia, and that they haven't closed the door on re-signing Pedro Feliz or second baseman Ray Durham. I hope Zaun's agent gets paid by the hour. The Pittsburgh..   Continue Reading

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Kansas City Star: Zaun To Return To KC?

Ah, finally a legitimate Royals rumor. I know there are some Royals fans out there. Jeffrey Flanagan of the Kansas City Star reports that the Royals may have an interest in bringing back catcher Gregg Zaun. The Royals acquired Zaun from the Tigers via trade in March of 2000. He hit quite well for them in limited duty but wasn't retained when he hit free agency. Zaun will be representing himself this winter and may seek a three-year, $9MM deal   Continue Reading

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Blue Jays Trade Rumors

There's no doubt that the Blue Jays will need to address their pitching staff if they want to make the playoffs, as I detailed in this post. Today I've got a source giving us the latest buzz coming out of Toronto. The Jays have approximately $2-4 million in the budget to compensate their deadline acquisitions. J.P. Ricciardi knows he'll need more salary room than that, so look for Shea Hillenbrand ($5.8MM) or Eric Hinske ($4.3MM) to change addresses before the deadline. Hillenbrand has an .821 OPS, pretty much average for a corner infielder. Hinske stands at .887 thanks to a..   Continue Reading

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