Jason Kendall Rumors

Odds and Ends: Kendall, Laird, Giles, Manny

Today's linkage... A friend pointed out to me how strange it is that the Twins were willing to take on Jarrod Washburn's salary and give up Boof Bonser but chose to trade Johan Santana before the season. If Bill Smith could go back in time, would he still make that deal? A Gary Sheffield acquisition by the Rays is "unlikely but not impossible," according to one Buster Olney source. As expected, Jason Kendall's option for '09 vested. He's off the list! The Rangers were willing to trade Gerald Laird and a solid prospect to the Marlins for Chris Volstad. The...   Continue Reading

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Brewers Sign Jason Kendall

UPDATE: It's a one-year contract with a vesting option for '09 if he plays 115 games. The Brewers have signed Jason Kendall, pending a physical. The amount and length is unknown. Let's hope it's around one year, $3MM. Tom Haudricourt had said the Crew had offered both one and two-year options. Kendall, 33, hit .242/.301/.309 last year in 466 ABs. On the plus side he was a much better hitter for the Cubs, posting a .362 OBP in that stint. He threw out 15.3% of runners, better than only Johnny Estrada among regular backstops in '07. He's going to really..   Continue Reading

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Astros Close To Kaz Matsui Deal?

UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal notes that the Astros are close to a deal with Geoff Blum, and believes the Astros are behind both the Rockies and Cubs for Matsui. Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News is reporting that Kaz Matsui "appears headed to the Astros." Maybe Ed Wade will save the Cubs from themselves. The Cubs were reportedly going to offer Matsui a three-year pact. Ringolsby adds an interesting twist: the Astros and Rockies could swap second basemen. The Rockies like Chris Burke, and he will probably be deemed expendable if Matsui is signed. Seems to me there's a decent...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Kendall, Crisp, Gagne

I'm back in the swing of things, kind of. We're still living out of boxes, but I've got a laptop and I'm digging into all the rumors I missed. Joe did a great job the last couple of days. Be sure to visit his Yankees blog, River Ave. Blues. On to today's random rumors... I'm hearing that Jason Kendall could be a fallback for the Mets if they can't pry Ramon Hernandez loose from the Orioles. The Blue Jays have about $4MM to spend, and J.P. Ricciardi likes the idea of Michael Barrett splitting time behind the plate with Gregg..   Continue Reading

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MetsBlog: Lo Duca The Best Choice

Matt Cerone at MetsBlog takes on the question that's been facing the Mets since mid-day yesterday: Who starts at catcher next year? Ramon Hernandez, who was offered a contract by the Mets two years ago when he was a free agent, is said to be Omar Minaya's top choice. However, this presents a problem. Hernandez won't come cheap, and the Mets would need to retain their best trading chips if they want to acquire a front-line starter. This would seemingly rule Hernandez out, since "word from [B]altimore had bee that [H]ernandez would cost a high-end prospect." A cheaper trade option..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Kendall, Matsui, Fukumori

Here are some non A-Rod/Lowell rumors from today... MLB.com's Adam McCalvy says the Brewers are interested in Jason Kendall. Kendall is somehow seeking a two-year deal. The Rockies are in on him as well. The Brewers still have Johnny Estrada, but they're not happy with him. He could be traded or non-tendered. WGN Radio's Dave Kaplan reported that the Cubs could complete a contract with second baseman Kaz Matsui this week. It'd be a multiyear deal; not sure if the Cubs would have to go three years on it. This would be an indefensible signing. UPDATE: A source of Troy..   Continue Reading

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Rockies Rumors: Atkins, Barrett, Fukumori

What are the Rockies up to as they plot to defend their NL pennant? Tracy Ringolsby and Troy E. Renck have the latest. Ringolsby says Garrett Atkins is staying put, which should help the third baseman relax a little bit. This echoes Renck's sentiments yesterday. Renck also noted that the Rox won't be offering Atkins a multiyear deal anytime soon. Yesterday Renck said that after Yorvit Torrealba, the Rockies were considering Jose Molina, Paul Lo Duca, Jason Kendall, and Ramon Castro for catcher. However Ringolsby says today that Michael Barrett and Kendall are the main targets. Renck has come on..   Continue Reading

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Latest Rockies Rumors: Matsui, Torrealba, Holliday

As usual, the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck has the scoop on all things Rockies. The Rockies have made a two year offer to Kaz Matsui in the neighborhood of $6MM total. That's fair; we all know his home/road splits. The Cubs and Padres were named as other interested parties yesterday, but the Padres have decided to go with internal options at second base. Why the Cubs would add a second baseman is still beyond me. They already have Ryan Theriot, Mark DeRosa, Mike Fontenot, and Eric Patterson. The Cubs' plan to add speed concerns me. The Rox have also..   Continue Reading

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Rockies Expect A Quiet Offseason

Nate Silver of Baseball Prospectus recently wrote in reference to the Rockies: Teams that overachieve expectations tend to keep everything in place, and in fact that’s exactly what Charlie Monfort is saying. This is likely to be one of the bigger misplays of the offseason. Indeed, no one is expecting any kind of shake-up or blockbuster. That said, Tracy Ringolsby indicates that teams will inquire on Brian Fuentes and Garrett Atkins over the next few months. The free agent market for closers and third basemen isn't robust. Ringoslby notes that Josh Fogg may seek the Jason Marquis special - three..   Continue Reading

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Padres Rumors: Crisp, Pie, Andruw, Eckstein

Tom Krasovic continues to set the standard for Padres inside information. Today's column is especially delicious for rumor junkies, with tons of new material to chew on. Kevin Towers expects to fill his center field vacancy via trade. He may first want to wait to see if Mike Cameron accepts the team's upcoming offer of arbitration. Cameron is a Type B free agent. Remember that he will be limited to 137 games in '07. As for trade candidates, Coco Crisp is on the radar but the Padres smartly won't part with Chase Headley. Krasovic notes that Bud Black's connection with..   Continue Reading

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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..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Acquire Jason Kendall

The Cubs made a deal tonight, sending catcher Rob Bowen and pitcher Jerry Blevins to the Athletics for Jason Kendall and cash. (ESPN keeps saying it was Sean Marshall going to Oakland, which is silly and not true). Kendall had a respectable .758 OPS in June, but his bat has been anemic otherwise. But as signified by the questionable Michael Barrett trade, the Cubs are looking for defense at catcher. (Incidentally, Jim Hendry acquired Barrett from Beane in December of '03 for Damian Miller). Kendall can certainly handle the pitching staff. And it wouldn't be shocking to see him hit..   Continue Reading

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Zito, Kendall For Floyd, Abreu, Lieberthal?

A wild rumor has surfaced on the A's page of MLB.com. According to the site: "Late Wednesday, another rumor popped up, with the Phillies said to have offered outfielder Bobby Abreu, catcher Mike Lieberthal and pitching prospect Gavin Floyd for lefty Barry Zito and catcher Jason Kendall." Lieberthal and Kendall had about equal value on the field in 2005. Comparing contracts, the catcher part of the deal is a big win for Oakland. Kendall's on the hook for $19MM through 2007, while Lieberthal is owed $7.5MM for 2006 only. So the A's come out a good $11.5MM ahead here, especially..   Continue Reading

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