Luis Gonzalez Rumors

Marlins Decline To Offer Arb To Rhodes, Gonzalez, Lo Duca

According to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, the Marlins declined to offer arbitration to Type B free agents Arthur Rhodes, Luis Gonzalez, and Paul Lo Duca. Rhodes might've been worth the risk, but the Marlins will play it safe.   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Furcal, Burnett, Halladay

Ken Rosenthal has a new column up this evening. The A's and Giants remain the top suitors for Rafael Furcal, and the team that's willing to give him four guaranteed years may win the bidding. The Dodgers, Braves, and Cubs are also in the mix. Rosenthal talked to a source with knowledge of the Blue Jays' thinking, and that person can't imagine them giving A.J. Burnett five years. Rosenthal says to forget the idea of a Roy Halladay trade, unless they attempt and fail to sign him to an extension. And if Burnett is signed, a Halladay extension would be...   Continue Reading

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Crasnick On Retirement Candidates

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick looks at nine veteran players and estimates their chances of retiring. He assesses the situations of Jim Edmonds, Garret Anderson, Ken Griffey Jr., Cliff Floyd, Jeff Kent, Nomar Garciaparra, Luis Gonzalez, Frank Thomas, and Moises Alou. Crasnick feels Edmonds, Anderson, Griffey, and Floyd are likely to play, while the rest are not. Of the long shots, Thomas seems most intent on playing in '09.   Continue Reading

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Heyman's Latest: Manny, Holliday, Peavy

SI.com's Jon Heyman has a new rumor-packed article up. Heyman suggests the battle for the three elite free agents - Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, and C.C. Sabathia - will mostly be fought by the New York and Los Angeles clubs. Heyman talked to one GM who believes the country's economic situation will not affect the big names but could be bad for the lower-tier guys. Heyman's potential Manny suitors: the Mets, Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles, and Phillies. The Phillies' interest will depend on whether Pat Burrell stays. I'm not sure why the Orioles would be in the mix. The Rockies...   Continue Reading

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Luis Gonzalez Wants To Return To D'Backs

According to Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic, Luis Gonzalez wants to finish his career with the Diamondbacks. Money is not an issue for him. If the D'Backs can add Gonzo for $1MM or so, why not? Gonzalez, 41, hit .261/.336/.413 in 387 plate appearances this year. He allowed 11 more bases than the average left fielder in his 503.2 innings there, according to the plus/minus system.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Castillo, Avila, Young

Links for Wednesday... Chat today, 2pm CST. Mets GM Omar Minaya regrets the Luis Castillo contract. In another post, Minaya admits that in an ideal world he wouldn't have to give multiyear deals to relievers, but that's the way it is. The Tigers decided not to allow the Mariners to interview assistant GM Al Avila. Outfielder Luis Gonzalez would be open to re-signing with the Marlins, but it doesn't seem likely. Gonzo hopes to play in 2009, as he'd like to reach certain statistical milestones. Viva El Birdos examines the Cardinals' trade chips. Charley Walters wouldn't be surprised if the...   Continue Reading

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Molony's Latest: K-Rod, Helms, Valverde

Let's dig into the latest blog post from MLB.com's Jim Molony. Molony believes the Mets, Cardinals, Rays, Tigers, Indians, and Cubs are considering signing Francisco Rodriguez this winter. I think K-Rod's demands could cause a nice ripple effect for Brian Fuentes, the second-best closer on the market. Regarding Molony's six teams, a strong case can be made against several of them signing Rodriguez. The Rays and Indians will probably take a careful approach to free agency, while the Tigers may not have room in the budget. The Cubs seem likely to bring Kerry Wood back. Also on the topic of...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Manny, Pavano, Gonzalez

Some Saturday mid-day linkage: Hitoki Iwase was lit up in the Olympics, possibly dropping his stock as a prospect. Iwase was one of several Japanese players being scouted by Major League clubs in Beijing. Luis Gonzalez reminisces about his trade to the Diamondbacks ten years ago. Manny Ramirez is not interested in talking about those old Philadelphia rumors. I'm shocked, shocked. J.D. Drew's back spasms are actually a herniated disk. According to Nick Cafardo, the Red Sox would love to add another outfielder, but can't seem to lay their hands on one. No offense to Jason Lane. He's baaaa-aaaack: Free-agent-to-be...   Continue Reading

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Luis Gonzalez Signs With Marlins

UPDATE, 1-31-08 at 12:26pm: Rosenthal confirms the signing. He believes it to be for $2MM guaranteed plus another $1MM in incentives. Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel doesn't understand the signing. FROM 1-31-08 at 10:41am: According to azfamily.com, outfielder Luis Gonzalez has signed with the Marlins. It was said on Sunday that Gonzalez balked at a $2MM offer from the team. I'm not sure how this is going to work - the Marlins' outfield seemed set at Willingham, Maybin, and Hermida. Maybe Gonzalez can spell Willingham and Jacobs   Continue Reading

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Wilkerson Signs With Mariners?

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times is being told that "the Mariners already have a one-year deal with free-agent Brad Wilkerson in their back pocket for the moment a Bedard trade is finalized." Wilkerson will pass on a one-year, $2MM plus incentives offer to be a Red Sox backup. This all gels with MLBTR's report from January 24th. ESPN's Jayson Stark mentioned that Luis Gonzalez could be another option for the Ms. Gonzalez recently scoffed at a $2MM Marlins offer. Gonzo made $7.35MM in '07   Continue Reading

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Marlins Interested In Luis Gonzalez

A new suitor has emerged for free agent left fielder Luis Gonzalez: the Marlins. According to Ken Rosenthal, they like the idea of bringing him aboard as a mentor and using him at first base and in left field. Gonzo will have to choose between playing time or a contending team. Rosenthal notes the Brewers and Mariners as other possibilities. The Giants and Twins could also consider him. Gonzalez hit .278/.359/.433 for the Dodgers in '07, earning $7.35MM. Rosenthal notes that he's 498 hits shy of 3,000, but that would take four seasons of semi-regular playing time at the least   Continue Reading

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Brewers Considering Luis Gonzalez, Kenny Lofton

The Brewers are in the hunt for a left-handed hitting left fielder. Luis Gonzalez and Kenny Lofton remain under consideration. With Gonzo, the interest is mutual. I'm thinking Gonzalez would be happy with $4MM or so, maybe some incentives too. I think he just wants to get 400+ ABs somewhere. He could only play left field, which would seemingly lock Ryan Braun in at third. Lofton could play left and Braun could stay at third. Or, Lofton could shift to center, Bill Hall to third, and Braun to left. I'm not sure which alignment is optimal. Thoughts   Continue Reading

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Youngman's Latest: Tejada, Eckstein, Inge

Randy Youngman of the OC Register has a few new rumor tidbits for us. Let's discuss. The Angels won't include Jered Weaver in a Miguel Tejada trade. Youngman says the O's asked for the moon as a way of gauging Tejada's market value. Now they'll get serious. Both the Padres and Angels like David Eckstein as one-year possibilities, not that he's open to that. The Halos actually have a bench role in mind for him, according to Youngman. The Padres, by the way, spoke to Eckstein's agent today. Youngman says the Dodgers have interest in Brandon Inge and Pedro Feliz...   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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Teams Interested In Luis Gonzalez

Luis Gonzalez has seemingly gotten lost in the free agent shuffle, but he did post a .359 OBP last year. Gonzo's agent has actually talked to many teams (per Jerry Crasnick): the Rangers, Twins, Giants, Rays, and White Sox. My guess a month ago was the Twins   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Glavine, Kent, Kuroda

Picking up some rumors and tidbits that haven't been otherwise posted during this busy day... An Atlanta TV station states that Tom Glavine would take a lot less money to play for the Braves. Also, the Astros have reportedly been in touch with him. Joe Torre senses that Jeff Kent will return in 2008. The Dodgers certainly hope so; he led the team with 20 home runs in '07. Trey Hillman took a parting shot at Japanese reporters (hat tip to JapanBall). Reliever Masafumi Hirai might come over to MLB. I'll have to learn more about him. Hiroki Kuroda prefers..   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Sign Luis Gonzalez

According to MLB.com, the Dodgers have signed left fielder Luis Gonzalez to a one-year, $7MM deal. This one had been rumored all day. With the signing, L.A.'s outfield appears set. It features Gonzo in left, Juan Pierre in center, and Andre Ethier in right. Sound good? It's quite mediocre. Let's compare the trio to the league averages from 2006. Left field NL average: .277/.359/.478 Luis Gonzalez: .273/.357/.447 Center field NL average: .264/.335/.418 Juan Pierre: .292/.330/.388 Right field NL average: .268/.345/.453 Andre Ethier: .308/.365/.477 Looking at Ethier's second half, I'd say there's a good chance the Dodgers are below average offensively..   Continue Reading

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Cards Still Looking For Starters

Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has a roundup this morning of Walt Jocketty's remaining agenda. With one starter (Kip Wells) and a second baseman (Adam Kennedy) now in tow, the mission is to find two more starters and an affordable outfielder. Goold names Jason Schmidt, Jeff Suppan, Jeff Weaver, and Mark Mulder as players whom Jocketty has contacted or will contact soon. As Larry Borowsky of Viva El Birdos has told us, the Cards always target a top flight starter before settling for less (see Burnett, A.J. last year and many more). The outfielder of choice seems to..   Continue Reading

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Cardinals Tidbits

Several good items from Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Scott Spiezio is resigned to a 2-year deal. Jocketty's focus seems to be on pitching at the moment: talking about Vincente Padilla, Adam Eaton, and Kip Wells, and trying to bring Jeff Weaver back. Also looking for a Mark Mulder-like rotation filler-a nice thought, but I would think that a pre-FA starter would be incredibly pricey in this market. Luis Gonzalez and Julio Lugo are unlikely. By Jeff Sackman   Continue Reading

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Luis Gonzalez To Sign With Cardinals?

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that Luis Gonzalez is "leaning heavily towards signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals shortly after the market opens" (scroll to the bottom). If true, the Cardinals' outfield would be set: Gonzalez in left, Jim Edmonds in center, and Juan Encarnacion in right. Chris Duncan could be expendable, and the only other chance to improve the offense would be second base   Continue Reading

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Bucco Blog On Luis Gonzalez

Over at the fine Bucco Blog, the author makes a case for the Pirates to sign Luis Gonzalez and move Jason Bay to right field. The argument is that Gonzo would be a perfect fit for PNC Park and would play better defense in left than Bay. He says: "Littlefield might propose an incentive laden package to Gonzo.. 3 year deal at $10m with base incentives that could get him another $10m or more. Three years is the deal Gonzo wants and the Pirates are probably one of the few who would be willing to give it to him."   Continue Reading

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2007 MLB Free Agents: Luis Gonzalez

When we last checked in with future free agent left fielder Luis Gonzalez, he'd been informed by the D'Backs that they didn't want him back. Now, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has a few interested teams for us: "Don't feel bad about Luis Gonzalez's Diamondbacks career being over. The Orioles, Tigers, Rangers, and Cubs are already considering him as a DH and/or left fielder for next year." Word was that Gonzo wanted to stay in the NL, meaning a return to the Cubs might be at the top of the list. The problem? The Cubs already have a left..   Continue Reading

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2007 MLB Free Agents: Luis Gonzalez

It's been reported in multiple papers that the Diamondbacks will not be offering left fielder Luis Gonzalez a contract for 2007. He'll join a robust free agent left fielder market this winter. The average left fielder posts an OPS in the .810-.825 range, while Gonzalez stands at .824 this season. A second half doubles surge, which included a .906 OPS, has brought him up to that mark after a subpar first half in the power department. Baseball Prospectus projects a .266/.355/.463 line from him next year (that'd be an .818 OPS in his age 39 season). Such a performance would..   Continue Reading

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Trade Rumor Roundup: 8 Days Left

To begin with, this just isn't true. With the Kearns deal and probably Soriano trade, the 2006 deadline just can't be classified as a dud. That honor belongs to 2005 for sure. The trading action never matches the buildup, but this year's still a good one. Read Ken Rosenthal's latest. The White Sox are in the Soriano game, the Rangers have interest in Luis Gonzalez, the Braves could add another reliever, Julio Lugo still might become a Blue Jay, and the Brewers look like sellers. In my opinion, some Brewers besides Carlos Lee that could be unloaded: Geoff Jenkins, Corey..   Continue Reading

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Cards Looking For A LF

You can't help but be a little skeptical that the Cardinals plan to go with Larry Bigbie and So Taguchi as their left fielder all year long. Bigbie's had a few tolerable years in '03-'04, but let's face it: he's basically Todd Hollandsworth. You want him coming off the bench. Taguchi is in his mid-30s and certainly won't manage league average production for a left fielder. Not to mention he'll be needed to back up Jim Edmonds for a signficant amount of time. And third-stringer John Rodriguez may be on the outs. I did what I always do when I..   Continue Reading

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Luis Gonzalez Trade Possibilities

Nick Piecoro's article today for the Arizona Republic implied that the Diamondbacks would have a tough decision to make on Luis Gonzalez's 2007 option. Now, as a reporter covering the D-Backs, Piecoro has to use a certain amount of tact when discussing Gonzo's situation. I like Gonzalez as much as the next guy, but there's no chance Josh Byrnes exercises his $10MM option. Gonzalez is 38 and is said to have his "elbow and shoulder injuries behind him." He comes out of baseball's home run era with a 57 HR season under his belt, though he's never topped 31 in..   Continue Reading

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Trade Candidates Part 2

Last time we looked at players in their contract year and trade possibilities. Today we'll open the field and see who else could be available. Dealing Shea Hillenbrand or Eric Hinske would probably make sense for the Blue Jays. It looks like the two will enter 2006 splitting DH duty for the Jays, and Hillenbrand may have twice as much value with the bat as Hinske. The problem is figuring out which team actually has a need for a middling 1B/3B/DH type. The Red Sox have six starters (seven if you think Papelbon is rotation-ready), but they shouldn't be so..   Continue Reading

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Don't Expect Luis Gonzalez Return For Cubs

Thinking a Luis Gonzalez homecoming to the Cubs might be an adequate solution? The Cubs don't. I recently spoke to Daily Herald writer Bruce Miles, who told me that the Cubs have "no interest." Apparently, the Cubs are turned off by Gonzalez's weak arm being a part of their outfield defense. While a notch above Jeromy Burnitz, the 38 year-old Gonzalez is slipping offensively. His .459 SLG in 2005 was his worst since 1997. Gonzalez is known to be on the trading block along with Javier Vazquez and Shawn Green. Gonzalez is most notable for his face, which makes it..   Continue Reading

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New Rumors: Luis Gonzalez, Brad Lidge

In his latest article, Dayn Perry threw out some interesting trade bait names that I hadn't heard too much previously. Assuming Perry ran them by Rosenthal for a gut check, there could be some truth to these. Brad Lidge to the Braves. Now there's an intriguing thought. Could the Braves somehow emerge with the best closer on the market? One who no one even knew was on the market? I wouldn't put it past Schuerholz. I can't see Houston doing the deal for anything less than catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia or shortstop Elvis Andrus. Luis Gonzalez to the Cubs. This one..   Continue Reading

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