Jonathan Papelbon Rumors

Discussion: Jonathan Papelbon

MLB.com's Ian Browne doesn't think Jonathan Papelbon's final appearance with the Red Sox will be his meltdown in Game 3 of the ALDS. A reader inquired in Browne's mailbag column whether Papelbon could be jettisoned, with Daniel Bard getting a shot at closing duties. Browne notes that Papelbon has been an All Star during each of his four years as closer, and says of Boston, "I think the Red Sox would much rather work with Papelbon to try to get him back to his 2006-08 form than trade him away." There are some reasons to think the Red Sox would...   Continue Reading

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Red Sox Rumors: Bay, Baldelli, Papelbon

Boston's season may have ended prematurely, but that just means the New England hot stove fires up sooner. Here's some notes from Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe and Joe McDonald of The Providence Journal: To no one's surprise, Jason Bay indicated that he'll dip his toe in the free agent waters, saying he'd be doing himself "a disservice" if he didn't look around. Alex Gonzalez's $6MM club option "might be a little rich for the Sox," so the two sides are likely to sit down and find a more palatable number. Nick Green could also come back, though it...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Yankees, Varitek, Sheffield

A few links to browse while we watch to see if the Phillies can finish off the last of the Division Series.... Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues wonders how Johnny Damon's recent slide and Hideki Matsui's hot streak will affect the New York Yankees' decisions this winter. Josh Beckett wants Jason Varitek back in Boston in 2010, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com. MLB.com's Kelly Thesier writes that Joe Mauer has spoken to agent Ron Shapiro about his contract status, but that there haven't been any "serious discussions" yet. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports that Gary Sheffield...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Rockies, Crede

Links for Monday... The Astros received permission to interview Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar for their managerial job, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford. Brad Mills and Manny Acta will also interview, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (via Twitter). McTaggart adds Bob Melvin, Dave Clark, and Al Pedrique as other candidates, while Alyson Footer adds Ned Yost, Randy Ready, Phil Garner, and Pete Mackanin. Nationals scouting director Dana Brown has been hired away by new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Rockies owner Dick Monfort told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post that the team's...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Papelbon, Jeter, Jurrjens, Braves, Nats

On this date 11 years ago, the Dodgers hired Kevin Malone to be their General Manager, replacing Tommy Lasorda. Three months later, the "new sheriff in town" signed Kevin Brown to a 7-year/$105MM contract, making Brown the first $100MM player in baseball history. The deal would cover Brown's age 34-40 seasons. Malone also avoided salary arbitration with Carlos Perez that off-season, giving him a 3-year/$15.5MM deal. Perez would spend the final year of the deal in Triple-A and never signed another big league contract. As most teams start looking to the off-season, let's take a look at what is being...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal On Garcia, Pirates, Papelbon

The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports... Rosenthal says Florida's Chris Coghlan deserves the NL Rookie of the Year award. Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones, J.A. Happ, Randy Wells, and Tommy Hanson are also in the mix...who do you like? For the AL ROY, Rosenthal sticks with his preseason choice of Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus. Jeff Niemann, Andrew Bailey, Nolan Reimold, and Gordon Beckham are other top contenders. Rosenthal has a few possible Nationals managerial candidates: Diamondbacks third base coach Chip Hale, Bobby Valentine, and Bob Melvin. It's also possible Jim Riggleman is retained. I was not aware of this...   Continue Reading

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Stark On Lackey, Rays, Jeter

More from Jayson Stark's Rumblings and Grumblings column at ESPN.com... One of Stark's sources says the Angels' acquisition of Scott Kazmir is not linked to John Lackey's future. Lackey is said to have dropped his price from the C.C. Sabathia range ($161MM over seven years) to A.J. Burnett money ($82.5MM over five years) due to his recent injury history. The Angels will attempt to re-sign Lackey, but they have their limit. Stark's suggestion that Lackey had a "Sabathia-esque" price tag in Spring Training runs counter to Mike DiGiovanna's report that the pitcher wanted Burnett money at that time. Stark feels...   Continue Reading

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Heyman On Rockies, Wagner, Gonzalez

Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Rockies are in contention because GM Dan O'Dowd has made more worthwhile moves than anyone in the last year. He acquired Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez for Matt Holliday, turned Luis Vizcaino into Jason Marquis and acquired Rafael Betancourt. Here are Heyman's latest rumors: O'Dowd's contract expires after the season, when Giants GM Brian Sabean and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti can also become free agents. One rival GM would be shocked if the Rockies didn't offer O'Dowd an extension. Heyman imagines the exact same scenario that Buster Olney brought up earlier today. The Red...   Continue Reading

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Olney On The Market For Billy Wagner

If he finishes the season well, Billy Wagner could see multi-year offers as a free agent after the season, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. If, as expected, Wagner becomes a Type A free agent, teams would have to surrender a draft pick to sign him, but a mid-nineties fastball and high-leverage success could be enough to attract teams regardless. Of course, there's a chance Wagner pitches to mixed results with the Red Sox. If that's the case, he could become this year's Juan Cruz and see limited interest because of his Type A status. Olney breaks down possible suitors in depth...   Continue Reading

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Drama Brewing Over Wagner Claim

9:15pm: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, "the Red Sox's chances of landing Mets reliever Billy Wagner are in serious jeopardy." There are two main problems: Wagner wants to have the option of leaving after the 2009 season, and the Sox are not willing to guarantee that his 2010 club option will go unexercised. Boston management also wants to have the choice of offering the veteran salary arbitration, an idea to which Wagner's agent is adamantly opposed. The two sides have about 40 hours to come to an agreement. 6:14pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman is keeping tabs, via Twitter, on a...   Continue Reading

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