Kelly Shoppach Rumors

Odds & Ends: Halladay, Rays, Indians, Rockies, Draft

With another round of deals today, we're reminded that the trade deadline is just three weeks away. Here's some evening linkage... Joe Haggerty rounds up Peter Gammons' weekly appearance on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike this morning. Among many other topics, Gammons touched on Roy Halladay, saying that he believes "there’s about a 20 percent chance that Halladay gets traded." MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun writes that Rays owner Stuart Sternberg says the team is unlikely to cut payroll during the season, assuming they stay in the hunt of course. The Indians aren't so lucky. Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer...   Continue Reading

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The Jason Bay Trade Revisited

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsbugh Post-Gazette recounts the details of the deadline deal that sent Jason Bay to Boston, specifically the final 7 minutes that reshaped the future of the Pirates organization. It's a really interesting read for any rumor-enthusiasts. Some points of interest: According to Kovacevic, before finally dealing Bay at the buzzer, Pittsburgh had been working on dealing Bay for over a year and a half. Before the 2008 season, the Bucs had come close to dealing Bay and catcher Ronny Paulino to Cleveland for Cliff Lee, Franklin Guttierez, and Kelly Shoppach. The Pirates did not feel it...   Continue Reading

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Indians Avoid Arb With Kelly Shoppach

According to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince, the Indians avoided arbitration with catcher Kelly Shoppach, signing him to a one-year deal. The AP says it's worth $1.95MM. Shoppach is under team control through 2011.   Continue Reading

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Rangers Could Still Trade Another Catcher

3:58pm: Both Peter Gammons and Ken Rosenthal are saying the Rangers could still trade another catcher (for a young starter). Gammons cites Salty specifically. 10:48am: WEEI's Alex Speier takes a look at the market for catching. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti is on record saying he's "probably not" interested in Jason Varitek. The Red Sox, Reds, Marlins, and Astros continue to hunt for catching. Speier talked to an official who believes the Rangers would have to be overwhelmed to trade a second catcher. Keeping in mind that Max Ramirez may have to move out from behind the plate, it may make...   Continue Reading

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Looking Beyond Varitek

According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, a slew of catchers are being shopped to the Red Sox. Among them: Jeff Mathis, Mike Napoli, Brian Schneider, Miguel Montero, John Buck, Ramon Hernandez, Bengie Molina, Carlos Santana, Kelly Shoppach, Victor Martinez, Jesus Flores, Kenji Johjima, Jeff Clement, Yorvit Torrealba, and the Rangers' guys. Silverman says the Braves, Cardinals, and Rays also have catchers available. It seems that teams are asking for players like Justin Masterson, Clay Buchholz, or Lars Anderson in some cases. On the Jason Varitek front, Scott Boras told the AP yesterday that he's had no financial discussions...   Continue Reading

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Indians Rumors: Shoppach, Roberts, Street

Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer discusses the Indians' offseason needs. With Victor Martinez, Kelly Shoppach, Carlos Santana, and others, the Indians have a surplus of catching (and mad guitar skills). The Red Sox, Marlins, Reds, and Tigers are known to be in the market, so maybe the Indians can deal a catcher to fill another need. Those other needs: an infielder, a late inning reliever, and a starter. Hoynes believes the Indians will fall short of meeting the demands of free agents Francisco Rodriguez, Brian Fuentes, and Rafael Furcal. Hoynes implies the asking price for one year of...   Continue Reading

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Cafardo Rumors: Wigginton, Ibanez, Rodney

A few rumors we missed from Nick Cafardo's Sunday column... The Indians would want a young closer type in return for catcher Kelly Shoppach. The Tribe has Houston's Ty Wigginton on the radar as a third base possibility. But then who would play third for the Astros? The Yankees have been calling around aggressively, even inquiring on Roy Oswalt and Lance Berkman. They're not available. The Mets are said to be eyeing Raul Ibanez for left field. The Tigers are dangling setup man Fernando Rodney, hoping to acquire a better closer. Jon Paul Morosi believes the Tigers might aim for...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Indians, Rays, Jays

Time to cobble together today's links. The Dodgers designated Tanyon Sturtze for assignment. The 37 year-old pitched only 2.1 innings for the big club. Dejan Kovacevic does not believe the Pedro Alvarez issue will prevent the Pirates from working with Scott Boras in the future. RotoAuthority assembles a fantasy team entirely of players who went undrafted in March. Dave Cameron wonders if the Indians will make a trade due to their catching surplus. Rays Index wants to make it clear that drafting high is only a small factor in the Rays' success. Drunk Jays Fans caught an amusing exchange between...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Giles, Dodgers, Indians, Fielder

Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up over at FOX Sports. Here's the highlights: The Red Sox wanted to use Brian Giles in right field against certain right-handers, and shift J.D. Drew over to center field for those games. Giles blocked the trade for family reasons, according to Rosenthal, despite the chance at an increased pay day and an opportunity to play in the postseason. Rosenthal says that while the Dodgers are under pressure to re-sign Manny Ramirez, there may be more pressure to sign Casey Blake after this season. Rosenthal points out that Blake is batting .333...   Continue Reading

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Pirates Pulled Out Of Bay To Cleveland Deal

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has some new information for us regarding an aborted Jason Bay deal. Kovacevic says the Bucs made a decision through the entire chain of command that Franklin Gutierrez, Kelly Shoppach, Cliff Lee, and a minor league pitcher wasn't enough for Bay and Ronny Paulino. This situation has been confusing to follow from the start, with plenty of conflicting information floating about. For instance, the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes said on Wednesday that Lee and Shoppach were never involved in these talks - the Bucs wanted three to five of the Indians' top prospects...   Continue Reading

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