J.J. Hardy Rumors
By Mark Polishuk [November 10, 2009 at 8:09pm CST]
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has the latest on the Brew Crew's off-season maneuvering.... As reported earlier today, the Brewers are expected to pursue veteran starters Jarrod Washburn and Doug Davis. Scott Boras, Washburn's agent, said that he hadn't met with Brewers management yet, but expected the team to "resume their interest" (via Twitter). Haudricourt tweeted that the Brewers have already made contact with Davis' agent. Milwaukee could be battling with (among other teams) the Mariners over Davis' services, as FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi noted that Seattle "may be keen" on Davis themselves. Milwaukee GM...
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By Ben Nicholson-Smith [November 10, 2009 at 3:12pm CST]
Let's round up a few more links in a busy day of rumors.... John Smoltz wants to pitch next year, according to this tweet from ESPN.com's Peter Gammons. The Mets will ask the Blue Jays about the price for Roy Halladay, as they did this summer, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. As Chad Jennings of the Journal News reports, Andy Pettitte isn't likely to return to the Astros. We knew Matt Capps could be a trade chip for the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason. According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates offered Capps to the Milwaukee Brewers for...
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By Mike Axisa [November 6, 2009 at 9:23pm CST]
Here's a few links to close out the night... Tony Massarotti of The Boston Globe says that the Red Sox "had been engaging with the Brewers in on-and-off discussions involving (J.J.) Hardy since the trading deadline." Massarotti's source says the Brewers wanted either Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard, but Boston was only willing to part with Michael Bowden. MLB'com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Astros' GM Ed Wade said “At this point, we’re prepared to commit to Tommy Manzella playing shortstop," but noted that Miguel Tejada could return as a third baseman. Matthew Leach of MLB.com takes a look at some...
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By Mike Axisa [November 6, 2009 at 8:21pm CST]
The Tigers already removed Marcus Thames and Matt Treanor from the roster today, making both players free agents, and now Lynn Henning of The Detroit News has some more hot stove talk for us... GM Dave Dombrowski replied "Nothing hot and heavy" when asked if there was any trade dialogue ongoing. The Tigers would "likely bite on an affordable two-year deal" for Fernando Rodney, but would probably not want to gamble on anything longer. Brandon Lyon's agent, Barry Meister, emphasized that his client wants to know what his job description in 2010 will be ahead of time. The Tigers may...
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By Tim Dierkes [November 6, 2009 at 3:02pm CST]
MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has the latest on the Reds... GM Walt Jocketty told Sheldon the Reds will decline catcher Ramon Hernandez's $8.5MM option, as expected. Jocketty hopes to negotiate a new deal with Hernandez. Bad news for Ryan Hanigan, who posted a .361 OBP in 293 plate appearances this year. Jocketty hopes to re-sign catcher Corky Miller and outfielder Darnell McDonald to minor league deals. Jocketty said he talked to the Brewers several times about J.J. Hardy, but "We didn't match up and they didn't want to trade within our division, which was understandable." It's a sign that the Reds...
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By Tim Dierkes [November 6, 2009 at 12:55pm CST]
12:55pm: A bunch of Tweets from the Brewers' side: Brewers GM Doug Melvin said he won't pursue re-signing Cameron, and will look to the free agent market for starting pitching. Melvin contacted Mark Mulder's agent but hasn't heard back. Melvin even mentioned John Lackey's name. (Reporting: Haudricourt and MLB.com's Adam McCalvy). 12:04pm: I asked Hardy if he's closed the book on the service time issue, and he said yes. A grievance does not seem likely; Hardy admitted it'd be hard to prove. Twins GM Bill Smith said on today's conference call that he talked to free agent Orlando Cabrera this...
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By Mike Axisa [November 5, 2009 at 11:08am CST]
Here's some Thursday links... Brett Myers said it would be "upsetting" to leave Philadelphia, according to FOXSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi. It would make sense for Myers to market himself as a starter this offseason, but Morosi points out that the Phillies already have five starters returning in 2010. Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com doesn't see the Orioles opening their wallet for John Lackey. He points out that Jeremy Guthrie's numbers are on par wth Lackey's over the last few years. Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press says it wouldn't be surprising to see the Twins pursue J.J. Hardy if Orlando Cabrera...
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By Steve Adams [November 1, 2009 at 3:29pm CST]
In his latest blog post (ESPN Insider required), Buster Olney discusses what he refers to as baseball's "next great economic disparity," referring to the large number of players, young and old, who stand to make more money through arbitration than they would on the free agent market. One executive referred to the arbitration process as "outdated." Multiple general managers feel that there will be dozens of non-tendered players over the course of the next 41 days. In total, Olney and some baseball executives counted 93 "solid" non-tender candidates as they examined each team's roster (check out Tim's list here). If...
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By Tim Dierkes [October 7, 2009 at 2:52pm CST]
Brewers GM Doug Melvin spoke to reporters today, and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has quotes. A few highlights: Melvin feels that re-signing closer Trevor Hoffman early will aid the Brewers in attracting free agent starting pitchers. Melvin hopes to add two starters. When asked about trading Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun, Melvin responded, "I don't see that happening." Might as well close the book on those rumors. The Brewers view Rickie Weeks as their starting second baseman, which implies they'll let free agent Felipe Lopez leave. Melvin told Haudricourt it would "be very difficult" for the Brewers to...
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By Zach Links [September 28, 2009 at 4:45pm CST]
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio believes that Prince Fielder is at his maximum trade-market value right now, writes Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Fielder is due to receive $10.5MM on the back end of a two-year $18MM agreement and is hitting .297/.406/.596 with 43 HRs. With that level of production and a reasonable contract, Fielder could fetch an awful lot - especially from AL squads that could put him at DH. While Attanasio says that he doesn't like thinking about the Brewers sans Fielder, he also acknowledged that one player's strong performance doesn't automatically translate into wins. At the...
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