LaTroy Hawkins Rumors

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Cubs, Red Sox, Hawkins

Some more links to read through as we count down the hours until teams can start serious negotiations with all free agents... GM Neal Huntington tells MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch that the Pirates won't be spending big on relievers this year: "Our focus is going to be more on the borderline-type guys that may not get $3-4 million or may not even get a Major League contract," Huntington said. The Cubs probably can't afford Rich Harden or Reed Johnson, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Harden and Erik Bedard appear on Jeff Zrebiec's list of ten free agents the O's might target....   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Gordon, Uribe, D'backs, Igawa

Links for a busy Wednesday, as writers, agents, and GMs catch their flights out of O'Hare... Welcome to Twitter: ESPN's Buster Olney. ESPN's Keith Law assesses the Mark Teahen, J.J. Hardy, Jeremy Hermida, and Akinori Iwamura trades. The Royals are committed to Alex Gordon as their third baseman despite acquiring Josh Fields, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Fields instead could play left field in the event David DeJesus is traded. DeJesus' name popped up in our left field trade market post. Rosenthal and Morosi also note that the Giants are talking with Juan Uribe...   Continue Reading

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Olney On Wagner, DeRosa, Betancourt, Wolf

The free agent rankings are out, so ESPN.com's Buster Olney breaks down the winners and losers. Here are the details from his latest blog post: Billy Wagner is a Type A free agent, so teams will have to surrender a draft pick to sign him if the Red Sox offer arbitration, as expected. This hurts Wagner's value, since he's coming back from Tommy John surgery and teams will hesitate to give up a top pick for an injury risk. Olney wouldn't be surprised to see Mark DeRosa field two and three year offers. The versatile 34-year-old is a Type B...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Hawkins, Uribe, Hill, Hazen

Here's a few links to end the night... MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Astros GM Ed Wade said the team "is talking with LaTroy Hawkins, who wanted to see who the manager was going to be first." Hawkins will be a free agent this offseason for the fourth time in as many years. Juan Uribe has informed the Giants that he plans to test the market, according to Andrew Baggarly of The Mercury News. MASNSports.com's Roch Kubatko reports that the Orioles outrighted three players off their 40-man roster, including southpaw Rich Hill. Meanwhile, MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince says the Indians outrighted...   Continue Reading

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Astros Rumors: Valverde, Hawkins, Manager

The Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice has a five-point plan to solve the Houston Astros' problems -- or at least to point the team in the right direction. Here are some of his ideas: Bring Jose Valverde and LaTroy Hawkins back to the bullpen. Focus on pitching and defense, which would mean installing players like shortstop Tommy Manzella, second baseman Edwin Maysonet, and catcher Jason Castro (a 2008 first-round pick) into the 2010 starting lineup. Sign a "reliable" free-agent starting pitcher to add to a rotation led by Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez. Justice's wishlist includes most of the market's biggest...   Continue Reading

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Ed Wade On Biggio, Bagwell, Matsui, 'Pen

Astros GM Ed Wade told Houston Chronicle readers that he doesn't expect Craig Biggio or Jeff Bagwell to become the team's next manager. Here are the details from Wade's online chat with fans: The Astros are looking for an experienced manager who relates well with players. Wade expects Kaz Matsui to be the team's everyday second baseman next year. Expect the Astros to be younger next year. Wade says he'd "love" to have LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde back next year, but doesn't say whether he thinks the club has a realistic shot at re-signing either free agent-to-be. The Astros...   Continue Reading

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Hawkins Willing To Return To Astros

Ever since being acquired just before the 2008 trade deadline, LaTroy Hawkins hasn't just been one of the most effective relievers in the Astros' bullpen, he's been one of the most effective relievers in baseball period. His 1.77 ERA in 81.1 IP since the trade is second only to Jeremy Affeldt's 1.74 mark among pitchers with at least as many innings pitched. According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Hawkins would like to return to Houston next year, but doesn't seem to be in a rush to get anything done. "I'll just sit and wait," he said. "I'm not in a hurry,...   Continue Reading

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Astros Unlikely To Be Significant Players in Free Agency

Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle writes that the Astros are "unlikely to be significant players in free agency this winter." The team is trying to lower payroll and get younger, something signing free agents generally won't accomplish. Justice does say that the club would like to retain relievers LaTroy Hawkins and Jose Valverde, both of whom will be free agents after this year. Houston started the season with close to a $103MM payroll according to Cot's, but they could shed $17.75MM by letting Miguel Tejada, Mike Hampton, and Darin Erstad walk as free agents. However, a significant chunk of...   Continue Reading

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Hawkins Claimed, Pulled Back

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, reliever LaTroy Hawkins was claimed off waivers by a team Wednesday but has been pulled back by the Astros. It's not clear which club made the attempted claim. Rosenthal correctly predicted this outcome Wednesday morning and now notes that Hawkins is no longer eligible to be traded this season. The 36-year-old right-hander has a 1.99 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 49 2/3 innings for the 61-64 Astros. He's owed about $1MM for the rest of '09 and is eligible for free agency this winter.   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal On Wagner, Rays, Hawkins

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from one GM who believes Billy Wagner's best financial move may be to accept arbitration after the season. The Red Sox have the right to offer Wagner arbitration, but they'd have to offer over $8MM, so they could choose not to. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors: Jeff Niemann and Jason Hammel have performed well for their respective clubs, so the Rays' decision to trade Hammel worked out for everyone. A number of teams are sure to claim LaTroy Hawkins by noon CST today, when his waivers expire, but it's likely the Astros...   Continue Reading

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