Jeff Kent Rumors

Dodgers Offer Arb Only To Manny, Lowe, Blake

The Dodgers' numerous arb decisions are in, courtesy of MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe, and Casey Blake get offers. Joe Beimel, Brad Penny, Jeff Kent, and Greg Maddux (all Type Bs) don't. The only real surprise here is Beimel, who earned less than $2MM this year and seemed worth the risk.   Continue Reading

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Crasnick On Retirement Candidates

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick looks at nine veteran players and estimates their chances of retiring. He assesses the situations of Jim Edmonds, Garret Anderson, Ken Griffey Jr., Cliff Floyd, Jeff Kent, Nomar Garciaparra, Luis Gonzalez, Frank Thomas, and Moises Alou. Crasnick feels Edmonds, Anderson, Griffey, and Floyd are likely to play, while the rest are not. Of the long shots, Thomas seems most intent on playing in '09.   Continue Reading

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Latest Dodgers Info

Alex Speier of WEEI has the latest Dodgers chatter, as GM Ned Colletti held court this evening. Ned wasn't in a very revealing mood. Colletti reiterated that no offer has been made to Manny Ramirez. He hasn't met with Scott Boras yet. Since the Dodgers have so many needs, Colletti would like to resolve the Manny situation quickly. In Jerry Crasnick's survey of 15 executives, 10 chose the Dodgers as Manny's destination. It's unlikely that the Dodgers are able to sign Ramirez and C.C. Sabathia. Those other needs include shortstop, third base, the bullpen, and the rotation. Colletti was not...   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Rumors: Manny, Furcal, Peavy

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti talked to the media yesterday; here's the latest. Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News believes Colletti will pursue a competent backup catcher to allow more rest for Russell Martin. A decision is due on Gary Bennett's $900K option within seven days. So far this offseason, Colletti and Scott Boras have exchanged two voicemails. They'll meet in person to discuss Manny Ramirez and other Boras clients (Derek Lowe, Greg Maddux, Andruw Jones, maybe Joe Crede) at next week's GM meetings. Colletti will not put the other team needs on hold to deal with Manny. Colletti has...   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Rumors: Manny, Nomar, Lowe, Penny, Kent

Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times discusses the Dodgers' upcoming busy offseason, while Bill Shaikin focuses on Manny Ramirez. Nomar Garciaparra is undecided about playing next year. He hit .264/.326/.466 in 181 plate appearances in 2008 while earning $8.5MM. Manager Joe Torre seems to consider pitching the top offseason priority. Makes sense, with the statuses of Derek Lowe and Brad Penny in question. Hernandez's sources say Lowe felt underappreciated during his time in L.A., and he is expected to leave. It's unknown whether the Dodgers will choose Penny's $9.25MM option or the $2MM buyout. Hernandez doesn't see GM Ned Colletti...   Continue Reading

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Perrotto's Latest: La Russa, Offseason Moves

John Perrotto at Baseball Prospectus has his Every Given Sunday column up. Here's the highlights from the Rumors and Rumblings section (with some added speculation here and there from yours truly): There's a growing rumor that Cardinals manager Tony La Russa could step down after this season and pursue a job as a general manager. We all know Seattle's looking... The Diamondbacks love Adam Dunn's production so much that they are considering re-signing him and possibly having him play first base. Dunn's racked up a .474 OBP since coming to Arizona... what's not to like about that? The Padres seem...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Taveras, Brewers, Kent

A few notes from around the MLBiverse... Troy E. Renck says Willy Taveras prefers to stay with the Rockies, despite being claimed off waivers. Taveras speculates that he was claimed by either the Yankees or the Nationals. Renck says it is unlikely that Taveras will be traded during the season. Tom Haudricourt is reporting that the Brewers don't expect to make any deals prior to tonight's deadline to acquire players that would be eligible for the post-season. Tony Jackson of the LA Daily News is reporting that Jeff Kent's knee injury could be career-ending. Kent is contemplating retirement following the...   Continue Reading

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Carroll's Latest: Torrealba, Wheeler, Dunn

Here's the latest from Will Carroll at Baseball Prospectus. Some of this info is from this afternoon, so I apologize for the tardiness. The Rockies may still move a lesser player like Yorvit Torrealba, if anyone's interested. There doesn't seem to be a match with the catching-hungry Marlins though. Carroll tosses a new name into the relief market: Dan Wheeler. Would the Rays part with him? Carroll's sources don't think much of the recent Jeff Kent rumor. The White Sox have been aggressive in their relief pursuit; the Twins have been passive in general. The Mets, Rays, and Phillies have...   Continue Reading

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Perrotto's Latest: Ross, Jacobs, Kent, Burnett

Baseball Prospectus' John Perrotto has a new column. The Mets are looking at relievers Huston Street, Brian Fuentes, Arthur Rhodes, and Eddie Guardado. On the radar for outfielders: Jason Bay, Raul Ibanez, and Randy Winn. A new suitor for Fuentes has emerged: the Diamondbacks. Would they really make another move for a reliever? Other known suitors were named here. The Marlins would consider trading Cody Ross or Mike Jacobs for relief help. New name on the Rays' radar: Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent. They're better off with Akinori Iwamura aren't they? George Sherrill suitors: Cardinals, Tigers, Dodgers, Marlins, and Phillies....   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Scrambling for Infield Help

With veteran infielders Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent both likely to miss opening day, the Dodgers are scrambling to find themselves some backups. Ken Rosenthal says that since the Astros are unlikely to trade Mark Loretta while Kaz Matsui is out, L.A. is considering Ron Belliard of the Nationals and Esteban German of the Royals. Another possibility, Morgan Ensberg, seems unlikely, as the Yankees added him to their 40-man roster yesterday. Joe Crede of the White Sox and Brandon Inge of the Tigers are both probably too expensive. This could impact roster decisions Los Angeles will make on Monday, when...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Mench, Kent, Durbin, Wang

Rounding up this morning's Odds and Ends, to be updated periodically... The Pirates are talking to the Tigers about acquiring Chad Durbin. The arbitration-eligible Durbin doesn't have a place in Detroit's rotation, but could be useful for the Bucs. Chien-Ming Wang would like a three or four-year deal with the Yanks. The Phillies will pass on Kevin Mench, though they've still got their eye on Nate McLouth. The Royals' disinterest in Mench was noted yesterday. We've assumed it for a while, but Jeff Kent playing in 2008 is now official. The Twins may have non-tendered Jason Tyner   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Riske, Bedard, Wolf

And now for your daily jumble o' rumors. More to come. The Twins cleared several spots on their 40-man roster...will they be active next week? The Yankees have "reached out" to free agent reliever David Riske. Troy Percival and Ron Mahay have also been linked to the Yanks this offseason. The Dodgers have an interest in Tony Clark, which has to bum out James Loney. Dylan Hernandez also notes that the Dodgers' talks for Erik Bedard have stalled because the Orioles want to see what happens with Miguel Cabrera first. Ned Colletti expects Jeff Kent back, by the way. The..   Continue Reading

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Dodgers To Seek Pitching Via Trade

Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times has some insight into Ned Colletti's gameplan this offseason. Colletti still isn't a fan of the free agent market for starting pitchers. He feels that the Dodgers' best chance of upgrading the rotation is via trade. Though the Dodgers have been previously linked to Hiroki Kuroda, Colletti seemed unimpressed by the Japanese market. Trade options might include Erik Bedard, A.J. Burnett, Cliff Lee, Jon Garland, Jose Contreras, Johan Santana, Dan Haren, Joe Blanton, Chris Capuano, and Dave Bush. Did I miss anyone? As far as third base, Colletti says the Dodgers haven't decided whether..   Continue Reading

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Larry King Expects Kent To Return

TV's Larry King spoke to Jeff Kent recently, and came away convinced he'll return to play in 2008. Odd source of information. The same sentiment about Kent has recently been expressed by Joe Torre and Ned Colletti. It sounds like the Dodgers will be set at second base for '08. Torre also provided thoughts on Andy Pettitte and Alex Rodriguez recently. Torre said Pettitte was "leaning towards staying home" and it was "possible" the Dodgers could sign A-Rod. Such a signing would not cost the Dodgers their valuable 15th overall pick next year. The Yankees have to be rooting against..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Glavine, Kent, Kuroda

Picking up some rumors and tidbits that haven't been otherwise posted during this busy day... An Atlanta TV station states that Tom Glavine would take a lot less money to play for the Braves. Also, the Astros have reportedly been in touch with him. Joe Torre senses that Jeff Kent will return in 2008. The Dodgers certainly hope so; he led the team with 20 home runs in '07. Trey Hillman took a parting shot at Japanese reporters (hat tip to JapanBall). Reliever Masafumi Hirai might come over to MLB. I'll have to learn more about him. Hiroki Kuroda prefers..   Continue Reading

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Buzz Around The Game

Let's see what we've got going on today in a potpourri-style format. As predicted, Eric Byrnes was non-tendered last night. I can't possibly think of a better way for the Cubs to turn the Jacque Jones signing into a positive. If you sum up Byrnes and Jones' salaries, you'll be getting solid stats from RF for the price. Assuming Dusty Baker understands what a platoon is and how all that works. Of course, it's probably one more roster spot than the Cubs wanted to use on this type of thing since they already have John Mabry. But Mabry can back..   Continue Reading

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Mets Renew Interest In Jeff Kent?

The Jeff Kent to the Mets rumor first surfaced in early December. Now it's rearing its ugly head again, this time courtesy of Gotham Baseball. According to author Mark Healey, Anderson Hernandez would be involved and the deal could happen soon. I asked my Mets source for his take on the Kent possibility. He told me the deal isn't nearly as close as the article might imply. He said the Mets are willing to part with Anderson Hernandez, but the catch is that the Dodgers have to take Kaz Matsui too. No money would be exchanged. My source thinks this..   Continue Reading

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Jeff Kent To The Mets?

Just got a tip I thought was worth mentioning. A frequent poster over at NY Fan Sites named Monte offered this rumor: "The Mets are reportedly close on a deal that would bring Jeff Kent into the fold. Might be on hold until the winter meetings but very close to finished. No details on what they are dealing but it is something that has been worked on and actually got the Mets to back out of the Furcal chase so LA could finish the deal." Now, I haven't been able to establish Monte's credibility; I haven't been in touch with..   Continue Reading

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