Dodgers Almost Sign Marcus Giles

THURSDAY, 1:45pm: Not so fast. Miller has an update to his initial report below, which came from Marcus' brother Brian. Marcus' agent is now saying that Brian was misinformed - they never finalized anything with the Dodgers and he's not playing for them, after all. THURSDAY, 8:14am: Scott Miller says Giles will report to Triple A for the Dodgers, after all. The Dodgers still seem to have some interest in Wes Helms though. TUESDAY: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News chronicles the odd tale of the Dodgers' near-signing of infielder Marcus Giles. Apparently an agreement was reached but Giles...

Rockies Release Marcus Giles

The Rockies have released veteran Marcus Giles; they're going with Jayson Nix at second base to open the season. Giles had a good spring, hitting .321/.457/.536 in 28 ABs. The Dodgers are one team with possible mild interest. Giles is not yet 30 but he's scramlbing for work these days. Back in '05 he posted an .826 OPS; what happened?

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...

Rockies Notes: Giles Fails To Make Team

The Rocky Mountain News is reporting Marcus Giles was informed he won't make the club despite his solid spring. Giles wasn't on the list of players being sent to the minors (a list which included Victor Zambrano), but the speculation is that he will be released and given a chance to hook on with another team. The Dodgers would seem like an obvious fit, but it's likely several teams will be in the running. Giles hit .321/.457/.536 over 13 games, with four doubles and nine runs scored. He was also 3 for 3 in steal attempts. However, the likely starter...

Perrotto's Latest: Giles, Crisp, Wells

John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus has some hot stove tidbits to consider in his Sunday column. Perrotto notes that Jeff Baker's success this spring for the Rockies could lead to a trade of Marcus Giles. Baker is hitting .316/.350/.579 in a 19 AB sample. Giles is at .385/.500/.615 in 13 ABs (yes, it seems silly to be talking about these stats). Giles hasn't hit much since '05, so I doubt he'd bring anything in return. Perrotto says the Padres are "considering trying to trade for Coco Crisp." However, Tom Krasovic wrote on Friday that the Padres pursuing Crisp was doubtful...

Atkins, Holliday Wait For Big Payday

With yesterday's signing of Brad Hawpe the Rockies have now locked up five young players through at least 2010 over the past 14 months. Impressive. The Denver Post says Garrett Atkins would be "the next logical candidate" for a deal, but that his situation continues to be complicated by Ian Stewart, who the Rockies are attempting to move over to second to avoid a logjam. Naturally Matt Holliday's name came up in light of the Hawpe signing, but owner Dick Monfort tried to keep that at bay, calling the situation "a different animal, not related to these contracts." This spring...