Kris Benson Rumors

Kris Benson Released

The Delaware News-Journal reported that Kris Benson was released by the Phillies following last night's game. Benson had indicated earlier that his preference was to be a starter and the Phillies do not have any openings in their rotation. Benson was 1-4 with a 5.52 ERA in 11 starts in triple-A. He was making $75K per month without any clauses. Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.   Continue Reading

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Benson Stays With Phillies

Rehabbing starter Kris Benson chose not to opt out of his contract with the Phillies; his window to do so has passed. According to Todd Zolecki and Jim Salisbury, his contract was restructured yesterday to allow him to opt out on May 15th if he's not on the Phils' 40-man roster. Benson, 33, had surgery a year ago to repair a partially torn rotator cuff. He signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in February. Do the Phillies have sufficient depth behind Brett Myers and Cole Hamels? Kyle Kendrick, Jamie Moyer, and Adam Eaton have the last three slots....   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Giles, Crisp, A-Rod

Nothing huge cooking this morning, so here are some odds and ends. Doesn't look like the Dodgers will acquire Marcus Giles. Rany Jazayerli writes about how Kansas City is home to many of the country's best baseball journalists. On a related note, the Star's Sam Mellinger has a chat with Brian Bannister on his blog. Coco Crisp rattles off the trade rumors he's heard: Cubs, Sox, A's, Padres. No deal appears imminent, though Crisp was healthy enough to pinch-run this morning. John Harper snags an exclusive with Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod admitted he chose the Rangers over the Mets for money...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Closers, Benson, Reed Johnson

Some random links for the day... I have created a Fantasy Baseball Closers page at RotoAuthority. With the help of readers it will be constantly updated with current closers and the pecking order of each team. Kris Benson will throw for teams again, probably a week from now. The Phillies will again be in attendance. Benson may only get a minor league deal this time around. I remember when he set the standard with his three-year, $21MM deal. Also, the Phils could look to move Wes Helms or Greg Dobbs now that they've signed Pedro Feliz. The Red Sox had..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Hinske, Doumit, Colon, Greene

It's up to an impressive 5.7 degrees where I am, but I still don't think I'll be going outside much today. Hence, some odds and ends. Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald believes Eric Hinske might sign with the Diamondbacks this week. The 30 year-old former ROY has a career line of .255/.336/.434, with much better work against righties. John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus says the Red Sox are interested in the Pirates' Ryan Doumit. However Perrotto says the Bucs are reluctant to trade the versatile Doumit, who turns 27 in April. Only past Doumit rumor I can find was..   Continue Reading

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Olney's Latest: Hall, Cameron, Benson

Buster Olney's ESPN blog is always a good read. A few nuggets from today's posting: Olney wonders whether the Brewers and Dodgers will revisit talks about Bill Hall. There seems to be this general vibe that Hall is upset about moving positions again, even though he hasn't said anything publicly. Plus, he'd have to move back to third as a Dodger anyway. According to Olney: "The Yankees were never seriously engaged in talks to sign Mike Cameron." However you can't really say Cameron's agent used the Yankees to pump up Cameron's price, since he signed for just one year and..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Barrett, Koufax, Santana

A few notes from this evening... Michael Barrett and the Padres avoided arbitration, arriving at a $3.5MM deal. A little less than I expected given his $4.6MM salary in '07. If some team acquires Barrett on the cheap he could bounce back if he's comfortable. Wasn't long ago he was one of the better-hitting catchers in the game. Is there even a slight chance he wouldn't embarrass himself back at the hot corner? Great ShysterBall post in reference to Curt Schilling's attempt to call out Roger Clemens. Sandy Koufax did not do steroids. Derrick Goold looks at how David Eckstein..   Continue Reading

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Stark's Latest: Prior, Lofton, Otsuka

ESPN's Jayson Stark dishes some good rumorage in his latest column. Stark dug around to find all the Mark Prior suitors and came up with this list: Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, Mets, Cardinals, Padres, Astros, Giants, Reds, Nationals (11 teams). Let's compare notes. MLBTR readers have seen the Yankees, Mets, Cards, Padres, Astros, Reds, and Nats linked to Prior already. So Stark has added the Red Sox, White Sox, Mariners, and Giants. The idea of the Mariners runs contrary to this MLB.com article. Stark did not name the Rangers, who are said to be aggressively pursuing Prior. Prior..   Continue Reading

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About Nine Teams Watch Benson

UPDATE, 12-19-07 at 11:07am: The Braves were in attendance, according to a source of mine. UPDATE, 12-19-07 at 8:42am: The Giants were in attendance, so we know eight of the nine teams that watched Benson. Is it normal for each team to send three scouts, by the way? It's been said that 25 of them watched. UPDATE, 12-18-07 at 1:39pm: The Yankees, Mets, Astros, and Phillies definitely attended. I also received an email about a radio report indicating the Cards were there. That's seven of the nine. FROM 12-18-07 at 10:40am: According to Todd Zolecki, about nine teams watched free..   Continue Reading

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Mark Prior Rumors: Astros, Cardinals

More info coming in on Mark Prior, who's starting to seem like a hot commodity. I can see how teams find him tantalizing, though a decent half-season from him is probably the upside. The Astros have an offer out to Prior; throwing out tons of early offers seems to be Ed Wade's style this winter. Wade says the expectation is for Prior to be ready by late May; you can easily push that back a month if you want to be realistic. The 'Stros will also watch Kris Benson throw. That means only two of the ten clubs interested in..   Continue Reading

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Phillies Interested In Cameron, Benson

ESPN's Jayson Stark wrote recently that the Phillies have expressed interest in center fielder Mike Cameron, now that the Padres are out of the mix. Pat Gillick, who had Cameron back in Seattle, may have warmed to the idea of a two-year contract. Back on December 6th Todd Zolecki said the Phils didn't even want to go that far. Stark says the White Sox and Rangers are other contenders for Cameron. Also, both the Phillies and Padres remain on the trail of Geoff Jenkins, according to Zolecki. His choices have been narrowed down to those two clubs since Friday. The..   Continue Reading

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Phillies Interested In Otsuka?

UPDATE, 12-14-07 at 10:09am: Ah, now the true story comes out on Otsuka. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers were going to send him to the White Sox for Chris Carter but the Sox nixed the deal after looking at Otsuka's medical reports. No surprise the Rangers non-tendered him, now. Hat tip to Rangerfans.com. FROM 12-14-07 at 8:47am: Reliever Akinori Otsuka hit the free agent market on Wednesday; he turns 36 in January. With a career ERA of 2.44 in 232 innings, it's surprising the Rangers chose to non-tender him. Otsuka earned $3MM in 2007, and even with a raise..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Mench, Patterson

Some random rumors for this evening... The Royals, once fans of Kevin Mench, have no interest in him now. He'll be a free agent soon. Missed this tidbit - the Yankees have interest in Corey Patterson. They'd almost have to trade an outfielder for that to make sense. George King says they also have minimal interest in Kris Benson   Continue Reading

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Cardinals Turn To Free Agent Market

The Cardinals want to add at least one starting pitcher. Once thought to be interested in Carlos Silva and Kyle Lohse - the "premium" options - John Mozeliak is already digging through the bargain bin. Matthew Leach and Joe Strauss have the latest. Mozeliak has talked to Bartolo Colon's agent and the Cards will take a look at his medical records. It's been suggested that Colon will not take a one-year deal. Livan Hernandez is under consideration, but Mozeliak says he's "not yet" a fit. Josh Fogg is on the radar too. The Cardinals have marginal interest in Kris Benson,..   Continue Reading

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Braves Offer James For DeJesus?

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 4:21pm: Debunked! David O'Brien says the Braves aren't in talks about DeJesus, and the Royals have a negative opinion of James anyway. FROM 12-4-07 at 2:09pm: According to the KC Star's Bob Dutton, the Jose Guillen signing puts the Royals in a better position to trade David DeJesus or Joey Gathright. The Rangers and Braves are on DeJesus' trail. Dutton believes the Braves offered up lefty Chuck James for him. It seems a little light, as I'm not sure James could be effective in the American League. Royals GM Dayton Moore, of course, came from the Atlanta..   Continue Reading

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Phillies Rumors: Rowand, Benson, Colon, Reyes, Tavarez

A few articles on the Phillies have surfaced this morning; let's see what's cooking on the hot stove. The Phils would pay extra to get Aaron Rowand to take a three-year deal. Jim Salisbury quotes Rowand's agent as saying ten clubs are after him. Salisbury names the usual suspects but throws in the Twins, Royals, Rangers, and Orioles depending on the term. Todd Zolecki confirms the Phillies' interest in Kris Benson. He'll be throwing for teams a few weeks from now. The Phils like Benson best among the rehab project group, now that Randy Wolf is signed. They've also contacted..   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Rolen, Blalock, Benson

Ken Rosenthal never sleeps, and he has a few new tidbits early Tuesday morning. The Cards are reluctant to trade Scott Rolen within the division to the Brewers. A lot of that going on lately - the Cubs like Josh Hamilton, the Jays like Erik Bedard. Hank Blalock is a popular name around the lobby. Despite the various squashed rumors Rosenthal says he would be a good fit for the Cardinals, Phillies, or Dodgers. The Phils plan on taking a look at Kris Benson when he throws for teams a couple of weeks from now   Continue Reading

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Phillies Make Offers To Kuroda, Wolf

According to Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies currently have offers out to free agent starters Hiroki Kuroda and Randy Wolf. There are other unknown offers out as well. The Phils are thought to have roughly $10-12MM to burn this winter. Jayson Stark reiterated that the Phils are after Wolf, noting that he's high on their list. Stark adds Matt Clement, Kris Benson, and Mike Wood to those coveted by the Phils. Seven other teams are after Benson, including the Royals and Marlins. MLBTR readers also know the Phils like Jon Lieber, Bartolo Colon, Kenny Rogers, Livan Hernandez,..   Continue Reading

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Olney's Latest: Benson, Lowell, Chavez, Mulder, Eckstein

Buster Olney's ESPN Insider blog is always a good source for links from around the league. Let's see what's up today. Kris Benson's agent Gregg Clifton says his client will to throw in Arizona about a week after the Winter Meetings. He says that the Yankees "haven't put forth any offers that would give them a serious chance to get Mike Lowell." So did the Yankees pull back their offer, or did they even make one in the first place? Eric Chavez just underwent his third surgery in the past two months. With three years and $37 million left guaranteed..   Continue Reading

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Royals Rumors: Cordero, Silva, Guillen

Some good info surfacing regarding the Royals, as usual courtesy of the KC Star's Bob Dutton. While Joakim Soria will remain in the pen, the Royals want to add more relief help. They could re-sign David Riske, and even plan to contact Francisco Cordero's agent (Bean Stringfellow). Bringing back Octavio Dotel is also being considered, though Soria would remain the closer. Ron Mahay is on the radar. It's thought that he'll require something close to a three-year, $12MM deal as one of the better southpaw relievers out there. Riske wants a deal like that too. Dayton, just take the draft..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Cabrera, Schilling, Stewart

Your daily collection of random rumors and links... MLB.com's Free Agent Frenzy has begun. You can win Opening Day tickets by closely predicting where 15 free agents will land. A good strategic move would be to wait until deadline day, November 15th, before submitting. That way you'll have more info (keep your browser right here for all the latest free agent info). By the way, my Top 50 Free Agents list should be ready around Monday. Fielding Bible has their 2007 awards (click the Winners tab). So much for those who say Andruw is slipping! Miguel Cabrera is available, according..   Continue Reading

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State Of The Marlins

The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson has all sorts of info concerning the state of the Florida Marlins. We've heard this before - the Fish can't afford to keep both Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. Do you trade the cheaper guy, or the more valuable one? As Jackson says, it really just depends on the offers. It wouldn't be a complete shock to see both traded if the Marlins received separate knockout offers on each. The Marlins are likely to non-tender Miguel Olivo, with an eye on bringing Paul Lo Duca back to Florida to provide veteran leadership for the young..   Continue Reading

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Orioles Sign Steve Trachsel

UPDATE: The O's wasted no time replacing Benson, signing Steve Trachsel to a one-year $3.1MM deal with a $4.75MM club option for '08. PECOTA says the Orioles overpaid by $625,000. Assuming he can hold together for 180 innings, Trax should be a tolerable replacement. The big news today courtesy of Ken Rosenthal is that Orioles starter Kris Benson is out for the season because of a rotator cuff tear. It's a bummer for Benson, as it may result in his $7.5MM option for '08 being declined. The injury leaves the Orioles scrambling to find a starter who can provide 180..   Continue Reading

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Orioles Sign Steve Trachsel

UPDATE: The O's wasted no time replacing Benson, signing Steve Trachsel to a one-year $3.1MM deal with a $4.75MM club option for '08. PECOTA says the Orioles overpaid by $625,000. Assuming he can hold together for 180 innings, Trax should be a tolerable replacement. The big news today courtesy of Ken Rosenthal is that Orioles starter Kris Benson is out for the season because of a rotator cuff tear. It's a bummer for Benson, as it may result in his $7.5MM option for '08 being declined. The injury leaves the Orioles scrambling to find a starter who can provide 180..   Continue Reading

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Benson Dealt To Orioles; Zito Implications?

Many of you have already noticed by now that Newsday is reporting that the Mets traded Kris Benson to the Orioles for Jorge Julio and John Maine. A tip of the cap to Orioles Hangout; I'm pretty sure they confirmation first. The question on most people's minds is this: is the Benson swap the initial movement indicating a trade of Barry Zito to the Mets? If you recall, my Mets source indicated yesterday that Benson would be traded to Baltimore to acquire a prospect to Billy Beane's liking. I've got word out to a couple of sources to see if..   Continue Reading

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New Possible Zito Scenario

Just got a note from my Mets source on a possible Barry Zito trade scenario. Here's how this could play out: The Orioles still have some interest in Kris Benson; VP Jim Duquette likes him. Benson would be dealt to the O's for young players of Billy Beane's choice. Victor Diaz would be shipped off by the Mets as well, but again for prospects coveted by Oakland. The A's don't have room for Diaz given their glut of 1B/DH/OF types. The prospects from both deals would then be packaged with Aaron Heilman and the Mets would receive Zito. The Mets..   Continue Reading

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Wild Rumor From Gotham Baseball

Gotham Baseball's Mark Healey has heard a massive trade rumor from "multiple independent baseball sources." Of course, it's subject to change, isn't close, and all the usual disclaimers. Here's the Cliff Notes version of it: "Mets would send Heilman and Matsui (and $5 million) to Tampa Bay for Lugo. Then New York would send Lugo, Kris Benson, Brian Bannister and Victor Diaz to Baltimore for Tejada, and then send Tejada to the Red Sox for Manny Ramirez." Let's stop right there. My opinion on each step of this possible deal: Aaron Heilman for Julio Lugo sounds like fair value to..   Continue Reading

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Mets Scoop: Tavarez, Zito, Benson, Baez

A slew of information coming from my Mets source today. Let's see what we've got. My source believes the Mets will give Julian Tavarez the four-year deal he's looking for. The market explosion has necessitated this length, and Omar Minaya will go to great lengths to avoid a subpar bullpen like last year's. The Mets are the current frontrunners for Barry Zito, and Lastings Milledge is still a requirement. As reported earlier, the Mets plan to request a 72 hour contract extension window upon trading for Zito, but would make the trade with just a verbal agreement from the pitcher...   Continue Reading

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Barry Zito To The Mets

Just heard from my Mets source, who's out at Shea (not in Dallas). The Mets are apparently very interested in Barry Zito. Here are the details. The Barry Zito deal is contingent on the Mets shedding Kris Benson first. The Mets want Mike MacDougal and a prospect for Benson, while the Royals only want to give Jeremy Affeldt. It's not likely the Mets acquire both relievers. The Mets have talked to the A's about Zito, and Lastings Milledge will be included in any deal. Aaron Heilman is a possibility. My source is saying that the Mets will make the trade..   Continue Reading

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Soriano, Benson, Casey Deals Close

Wow, I stepped out for a couple of hours and a billion trades/rumors occurred. Here's three, with more in-depth analysis to come tomorrow. Peter Gammons is saying the Dodgers are close to acquiring Alfonso Soriano for Jonathan Broxton. I suppose Soriano could take over at third base; he's yet to play a Major League game in the outfield. Broxton would fit well in either the starting rotation or the 'pen. The hefty right-hander split time between the roles at Double A Jacksonville in 2005. One of Broxton's specialties (besides the palmball) is limiting the home run, a trait that will..   Continue Reading

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Kris Benson Trade: Update

Wondering what's up with that seemingly inequitable Kris Benson for Jorge Julio deal that fizzled last night? My Mets source has the scoop. "Mets are hanging onto Benson for now. Rumor of the deal being close to completion was leaked to NY Post so that other teams who may have interest in Benson could come back to them with a better offer next week." This is the same source that gave me the Billy Wagner deal, so I'm confident in his take on Benson. Seems the Mets played the Post to test the waters. Many analysts wrote the inequity of..   Continue Reading

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Kris Benson For Jorge Julio Possible

At least three sources are reporting that the Mets have officially dealt Kris Benson for Jorge Julio. On the other hand, MetsBlog says the above sources jumped the gun. In case the deal or something like it occurs, here's a rundown of the pitchers. A recap of my synopsis of Benson from a week ago: He was much worse away from Shea Stadium. He hasn't pitched 200 innings in a season since 2000. His 2005 strikeout rate was a career low. Nonetheless, Benson makes a passable #3 starter. As a flyball pitcher moving from one of the toughest parks in..   Continue Reading

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