Josh Hamilton Rumors

Dallas Morning News: Jon Daniels Q&A

Mike Hindman of the Dallas Morning News recently conducted a Q&A with Rangers GM Jon Daniels. A few highlights: Daniels thought the Rangers had a great chance to sign Michael Inoa, as ownership made a budget exception to pursue him. Daniels doesn't seem inclined to trade his top pitching prospects for a young big league starter. He still has certain targets though. A contract extension for Josh Hamilton will probably be explored during the first three months of 2009. Daniels knows what he wants to do with Milton Bradley, but wouldn't reveal it. He expects to exercise Hank Blalock's $6.2MM...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Hoyer, Denker, Manny

Links for Monday... Baseball America ranks the teams by their total draft expenditures. The Royals spent over $11MM, leading the pack. SI's Tom Verducci talked to one "club pitching expert" who considers free agent Chan Ho Park a sleeper starter for next year. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan figures a long-term extension for Josh Hamilton will be a top priority for the Rangers this winter. Sullivan also has a note about Jake Peavy only wanting to go to an NL team, despite the recent article about Peavy being open to three AL clubs. Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer turned down a...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Sexson, K-Rod, Halladay

Random links for the day... We'll have our weekly live chat here today at 2pm CST. R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay writes the Rays Comprehensive Trade Post. Brian Cashman confirmed interest in Richie Sexson. Danny Knobler quotes Francisco Rodriguez as saying that the Angels offered him three years, $34MM in November. Josh Hamilton called all his friends to tell them he was a Cub, then had to call them all back. People in Pedro Alvarez's neighorhood expect him to sign. Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay wants to see the team make some progress. Viva El Birdos would like to see...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Yorman, Hamilton, Ng, Carrasco

Some odds and ends before you fire up the grill... The Twins signed their other first round pick, Carlos Gutierrez. According to Jeff Passan, 15 year-old Venezuelan center fielder Yorman Rodriguez may have already agreed to a deal with the Reds. MLB.com's Jim Molony notes that the Phillies' director of Major League scouting watched a recent Red Sox-Astros game. Like Brian Bannister, Arizona's Max Scherzer uses an understanding of BABIP to his advantage. Josh Hamilton sensed jealousy in the Reds' clubhouse. Wayne Krivsky says it wasn't a factor in the trade but that "there were issues in the clubhouse." Yahoo's...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Bonds, Davis, Chulk, Ichiro

Time for some random linkage. I'll be on XM Radio today at about 5pm CST - channels 176-189 with Mike Ferrin. The Dodgers signed Jerome Williams - remember him? Viva El Birdos runs through starting pitchers who might be on the Cardinals' radar. Sam Mellinger of the KC Star takes a look at Dayton Moore's trade record. Meanwhile, Joe Posnanski explains why the Royals should sign Barry Bonds. Ken Rosenthal doesn't want to let Ed Wade off the hook in the Shawn Chacon dustup. Red Reporter thinks the Reds are winning the Edinson Volquez-Josh Hamilton swap. Rangers first base prospect...   Continue Reading

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Volquez For Hamilton Revisited

Recently Bob Nightengale of USA Today revisited the off-season deal that sent Edinson Volquez from the Rangers to the Reds for Josh Hamilton. Nightengale noted that both teams have no regrets and that the deal "continues to reverberate around baseball". Rarely does a deal work out so well for both teams, especially so soon. Volquez is one of the early candidates for the NL Cy Young and Hamilton is an early leader for the AL MVP. Both are expected to be All-Stars next month. It is rare for two teams to swap young players of this caliber, although this was...   Continue Reading

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Josh Hamilton Switches Agents

TODAY: The blog It Is About The Money, Stupid got a call from agent Matt Sosnick and learned a little more about Hamilton's decision. 6-2-08: According to SI.com's Jon Heyman, Josh Hamilton and the Rangers were closing in on a long-term deal until the player decided to switch agents. Heyman says Hamilton switched from Sosnick Cobbe Sports to Moye Sports Associates because he "wanted to be with a Christian stable." Hamilton, 27, is the early favorite for the AL MVP award. He won't be eligible for arbitration until 2010.   Continue Reading

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Rangers Talking Long-Term Deal For Hamilton

According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, the Rangers have discussed a long-term deal for center fielder Josh Hamilton internally as well as with his agent. Hamilton, 27, has to be considered the current frontrunner for the AL MVP award. No pair of teammates in the AL has combined for more offensive production than Hamilton and Milton Bradley. Hamilton's arbitration years will be from 2010-12. The Rangers shouldn't be in a huge rush, as Hamilton will make less than a million bucks in '09.   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Hamilton, Lowry, Brewers, Tejada

I'm not so happy about kicking off the day with an odds and ends post, but what can I say? I can't go around making up rumors. Evan Grant talks about how well the Josh Hamilton acquisition has worked out. I say acquisition, because the trade worked out smashingly for the Reds, too. Looks like there won't be a six-man rotation in San Fran anytime soon. Noah Lowry isn't throwing anymore, as the pins and needles in his arm have returned. He could miss the entire first half of the season. So much for being a trade candidate. Brewers GM...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Rule 5 Draftees

Last year the Reds selected Josh Hamilton in the Rule 5 draft despite only 23 games above Single-A and only 15 games anywhere since 2002 (actually the Cubs picked Hamilton and traded him to the Reds the same day). Hamilton went on to hit .292-19-47 in 90 games. This year, 18 players were chosen in the Rule 5 draft (14 pitchers). These players must remain on the 25-man roster all season or be offered back to their original club for $25K. By my count, three players (Sergio Valenzuela, Lincoln Holdzkom, Jose Capellan) have already been offered back to their original...   Continue Reading

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Rangers Trade Volquez For Hamilton

Today we had another bold swap of young players. The Rangers sent young pitchers Edinson Volquez and Danny Ray Herrera to the Reds for outfielder Josh Hamilton. You all know the story with Hamilton. Former first overall pick by the Rays in '99, immensely talented. Derailed by drug problems for many years, then posted an incredible half season in the Majors for the Reds despite little experience above A ball. He put up a .922 OPS for the Reds, and seems like a great gamble by Jon Daniels despite health concerns. He'll turn 27 in May; hopefully the Rangers let..   Continue Reading

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Rangers Rumors: Guardado, Cameron, Hamilton

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has all the latest hot stove buzz around the Rangers. The Rangers are nearing a deal with Eddie Guardado. Everyday Eddie might be a dark horse to close, if he can flash his late season form again. The Reds decided in October that he was not worth $3.5MM, and declined his option. Guardado is 37. The Rangers hope to add some kind of veteran starter. Bartolo Colon and Jason Jennings are still options, but Mark Prior and Freddy Garcia pretty much are not. Sullivan names Mike Maroth, Mark Hendrickson, and Josh Towers as pitchers of interest. Mike..   Continue Reading

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Dontrelle For Josh Hamilton Was Discussed

UPDATE, 12-8-07 at 2:47am: More excitement...throw Abraham Nunez into the mix of Marlins third base targets. This team is going places. FROM 12-7-07 at 11:27am: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro posted a new column last night full of good Marlins hot stove chatter. The most interesting note is that the Marlins talked to the Reds about swapping Dontrelle Willis for Josh Hamilton, prior to the blockbuster with Detroit. With Miguel Cabrera, the White Sox and Rangers were involved during the Meetings before the Tigers jumped in. The Rangers backed out when they couldn't get an extension window for Cabrera. The Tigers wanted..   Continue Reading

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Reds In On Cameron?

According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Mike Cameron's agent tonight said he has a new suitor. Krasovic makes an educated guess that the Reds are that team. He cites Cameron's desire to play for Dusty Baker, the possible defensive improvement, and the availability of Josh Hamilton as factors. It would be odd for the Reds to spend their remaining money on a position player though. Cameron enjoyed his time in Cincinnati in 1999, hitting .256/.357/.469 as a 26 year-old before being included in the Griffey trade. Wouldn't it be interesting if the Reds brought back Cameron and..   Continue Reading

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Rangers Like Patterson, Ethier, Hamilton, Fukudome

According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers are targeting various young outfielders. Corey Patterson, 28, is a free agent and Scott Boras client. He's looking for multiple years while the Rangers only want to give one. His talent might tantalize somebody, though he hit just .269/.304/.386 this year. He's shown in the past that he can hit like a league average CF and play plus defense, so he could be a bargain. Patterson reversed his platoon split this year, hitting lefties pretty well. He's an Atlanta native; maybe the Braves would be a match. Andre Ethier, 26 in April, is..   Continue Reading

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Rays Rumors: Pena, Floyd, Scott

UPDATE, 12-6-07 at 2:17pm: Molony confirms that the Rays have talked to the Astros about Scott, though the Padres are still the frontrunner. FROM 12-6-07 at 8:29am: A few minor Rays nuggets (hat tip Drays Bay)... Marc Lancaster talked to Scott Boras about the possibility of Carlos Pena signing a long-term deal with the Rays. Pena is eligible for free agency after the 2009 season. Boras indicated that Pena would go year to year. If 2008 and 2009 are in the stratosphere of what Pena did in '08, he's looking at four years, $60MM easily in my opinion. Adam Rubin..   Continue Reading

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Willits Not On Braves' Radar

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 6:50pm: O'Brien corrects himself - Willits is not on the Braves' radar. Nor is Josh Hamilton, in case you were wondering. They've got some mild interest in Chris Duffy. FROM 12-4-07 at 8:26pm: According to David O'Brien of the AJC, the Braves have talked to the Angels about outfielder Reggie Willits. The Braves could plug Willits into their center field spot for a few years. But what could they offer the Angels   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Guillen, Crede, Hamilton, Boone

Rounding up some of the day's random rumors and tidbits... Jose Guillen might get a light suspension for his exploits. There was a report that the Brewers were close to obtaining Joe Crede, but it was published last night. The BBWAA approved a new resolution for 2013. Any player with a contract provision linked to a major award of theirs will not be considered for that award. Makes sense - to repeat Curt Schilling's situation. Curt Schilling could get a million bucks by netting one Cy Young vote in 2008. The BBWAA would rather preserve its right to have members..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Rumors: Fukudome, Prior

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:58pm: MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone says there is "very minimal buzz"that the Mets may have inquired on Prior. UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 7:04pm: Tasty rumor morsel: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says Fukudome is "almost certainly" going to sign with the Cubs. UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 12:20pm: Some new stuff from ESPN Radio 1000's Bruce Levine. The Cubs have talked to the Royals about Mark Teahen; the Royals like Matt Murton. Levine says there's nothing to the Josh Hamilton rumor. FROM 12-4-07 at 12:11pm: Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times discusses the rumors around the Cubs. Wittenmyer implies that..   Continue Reading

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Crasnick's Latest: Hamilton, Figgins, Andruw, Inge

Jerry Crasnick filed more rumors ripe for discussion. The Reds may consider trading Josh Hamilton, but not to an NL Central team. There was nothing to the Hamilton-Cubs rumor anyway, according to Bruce Levine. And now officials from both teams have debunked it. The Cubs actually want to add two left-handed hitting outfielders, for some reason. Beyond Kosuke Fukudome, Geoff Jenkins remains on the radar. Jim Hendry likes Chone Figgins, but the Angels would ridiculously ask for Aramis Ramirez in that one. Scott Boras is still saying Andruw Jones isn't looking for a one or two-year deal. The Rays have..   Continue Reading

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Cubs Looking At Hamilton, McLouth

The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan has a new column up discussing a couple of outfielders in the Cubs' sights aside from Kosuke Fukudome. Apparently they're after someone who can handle center field in case Felix Pie falters. Those Josh Hamilton rumors are real - and the Reds are asking for Sean Marshall. I think the Cubs would pull the trigger on that one. Jerry Crasnick first suggested this match about five hours ago. He thought Marshall wouldn't be enough and I agreed. Guess we'll see. Sullivan notes that Lou Piniella had some contact with Hamilton back when he managed the..   Continue Reading

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Crasnick's Latest: Encarnacion, Hamilton, Jenkins

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick has been working hard all day to get us some good rumors. Here's the latest. The Reds want to acquire a starter, but they spent all their money on Francisco Cordero. The plan is to trade a young player for a cheap starter. Joey Votto and especially Jay Bruce would be near impossible to acquire. However the Reds will listen on Josh Hamilton and Edwin Encarnacion. They never seemed to like Encarnacion. Crasnick thinks the Cubs could work for Hamilton but they'd need to pony up more than Sean Marshall. Would Rich Hill be too much? It's..   Continue Reading

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Rangers Rumors: Dunn, Hamilton, Kemp

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has some interesting hot stove banter surrounding the Rangers. A three-year deal for Kosuke Fukudome or a two-year pact for Mike Cameron might be the most sensible options to fill the Rangers' center field void. Aaron Rowand is probably too expensive. While the Rangers have a touch of interest in Adam Dunn and Coco Crisp, they prefer the idea of acquiring a young bat. Names they like: Fernando Martinez, Carlos Gomez, Carlos Gonzalez, and Matt Kemp. Sullivan notes that the Rangers have talked to the Reds about Josh Hamilton. If the Rangers sign starting pitching it's likely..   Continue Reading

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Stark's Latest: Santana, Hamilton, Snell

Ah, a new Rumblings and Grumblings from Jayson Stark. Let's dig in. It sounds like the Yankees would discuss Phil Hughes and the Red Sox might part with one of Ellsbury/Lester/Buchholz to acquire Johan Santana. The acquiring team would need an extension window though. The Mets are in on Santana big-time and would have to give up Carlos Gomez and then some. If the Twins do trade Santana, they would probably hang onto Matt Garza. But otherwise Garza could be traded for a young hitter, as we've been hearing. The Fish want four 0-3 players for Miguel Cabrera, pretty much..   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Cordero, Livan, Jenkins

Somehow, I missed a Ken Rosenthal column. This thing is already 14 hours old. I'm slipping. A Mystery Team has already made a four-year offer to Francisco Cordero. We know the Brewers made an offer on Monday but Rosenthal may be referring to another club. Rosenthal suggests Scott Linebrink could be reunited with Bruce Bochy to become the Giants' closer. It's known that the Astros already have an offer out to Linebrink. Teams interested in Geoff Jenkins: the Cubs, Padres, Giants, Rangers, and Royals. Several of those are new to me. The Tigers' payroll is expected to exceed $115MM. Time..   Continue Reading

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