Matt Clement Rumors

Perrotto's Latest: Red Sox, Mets, Burnett, Blalock

John Perrotto over at Baseball Prospectus has his weekly column up... let's take a look at what he has to say: Couple of notes about the Red Sox: Perrotto expects Theo Epstein to re-sign Jason Varitek to a two-year deal in the $16MM range. This seems like drastically overpaying for what Varitek has become, in my opinion, but as Perrotto points out, there's very little on the free agent market. Epstein will then look to trade for a young catcher who can become the starter in 2010 or 2011. Additionally, he'll try to move Mike Lowell to open up a...   Continue Reading

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Mulder, Prior, Clement, Correia Prefer San Diego

Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Petco Park remains the preferred choice of free agent pitchers returning from injury. In particular, the agents for Mark Mulder, Mark Prior, Matt Clement, and Kevin Correia admit their clients have San Diego at the top of their list. If the Padres trade Jake Peavy, they'll have all kinds of uncertainty in the rotation and some payroll to play with. A few more names from the injury bargain bin: Kris Benson, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Mike Hampton, Jason Jennings, Pedro Martinez, Sergio Mitre, Carl Pavano, and Brad Penny.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Bay, Clement, Fuentes, Cabrera

We've got plenty of links today. There is speculation that Andruw Jones could be sent back to the minors. Joel Sherman wonders if MLB should've gotten involved when Manny Ramirez decided to orchestrate his own exit. Kind of reminds me of Gary Sheffield intentionally botching plays to force a trade out of Milwaukee in '92. Gordon Edes stands by his report that Manny pledged to give full effort if the Red Sox dropped his options. That phone call between Scott Boras and Theo Epstein occurred within an hour of his trade to the Dodgers. Jon Heyman takes us inside the...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Gross, Weaver, Encarnacion

Ken Rosenthal is on the scene with some new rumors. Astros president Tal Smith arguing other teams' arbitration cases. Rosenthal finds it a bit awkward, while Keith Law finds it to be a hilarious conflict of interest. Possible trades of Matt Murton to the Padres or Rangers seem to have fizzled. The Padres may turn to the Brewers' Gabe Gross, a player who previously caught the eye of the A's, Indians, and Braves. Our good friend PECOTA sees a .267/.366/.467 line from Gross this year. With Gross and various veteran starters, the Brewers have some surpluses to work with. Rosenthal...   Continue Reading

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Cards Eyeing Weaver, Colon

With the price of free agent starting pitching dropping by the day and Matt Clement looking questionable, it's only natural that the Cardinals would explore the market. Indeed, John Mozeliak is looking at Jeff Weaver and Bartolo Colon. Seems that Impacto Deportivo may have been misinformed on the whole Colon-to-Chicago thing. Weaver seems the smarter option for a team looking for healthy innings. If nothing else, Weaver can provide that. Something tells me he's not getting $8MM this time around. His most recent success was in St. Louis, so maybe Dave Duncan can guide him to a league average season....   Continue Reading

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Fogg Still Looking For Work

Every year some free agent unexpectedly finds himself without a job in late February. This year, that guy is Josh Fogg. To rejoin the Rockies, Fogg would have to take a pay cut from his '07 salary of $3.625MM, and he'd have to be open to bullpen work. Will anyone take Fogg in for $4MM and give him a rotation spot? The Nationals, Reds, Astros, and Cardinals seem like viable options. Viva El Birdos isn't thrilled with the Cardinals' portrayal of Matt Clement's health. Since Clement won't be ready for the start of the season, maybe St. Louis will add...   Continue Reading

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Matt Clement Signs With Cardinals

UPDATE, 1-3-08 at 6:20pm: Clement gets a $1.25MM base with another $5.25MM in incentives for '08. The '09 option is for $8.75MM, an amount that can increase based on innings pitched. Seems a low-risk deal for the Cards. UPDATE, 1-3-08 at 3:21pm: The deal includes a club option for '09 and as you'd expect is heavy on incentives. The base salary is not known yet. FROM 1-3-08 at 2:27pm: According to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals have signed Matt Clement to a Major League deal. Clement, 33, jumps back to the NL Central after spending 2002-04..   Continue Reading

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Matt Clement Rumors

FROM 12-31-07 at 11:20am: Wuerz says Clement balked at the idea of a minor league deal with the Cardinals. FROM 12-30-07 at 12:26pm: John Perrotto believes Clement is leaning towards the Pirates or Indians, partly because of a new home he built in Butler, PA (same place he was born). FROM 12-30-07 at 2:10am: Here's a rumor I missed from a couple of days ago. Scott Wuerz of the Belleville News-Democrat, a Southern Illinois newspaper, indicated in his blog that the Cardinals were close to signing Matt Clement. Haven't seen recent buzz about this in the Post-Dispatch, but maybe Wuerz..   Continue Reading

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ESPN's Latest: Sosa, Prior, Kuroda, Reyes

UPDATE, 12-4-07 at 11:19pm: Ah, the truth comes out. Sammy Sosa's people approached the Royals, but they weren't interested. FROM 12-4-07 at 3:17pm: ESPN has a huge team at the Meetings; here are some tidbits that haven't appeared elsewhere on MLBTR. Enrique Rojas says the Royals have interest in Sammy Sosa. Could that indicate a Mark Teahen trade is in the works also? Teahen is expected to move to first base to accomodate Jose Guillen, which would push Billy Butler to DH. But Sammy can only DH. Buster Olney says the Rangers and Padres are in on Mark Prior. The..   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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Padres Rumors: Peavy, Fukudome, Clement

Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune has a new column up with some good Padres info. The Padres are still hammering out Jake Peavy's deal. It'll include no-trade protection and a player option for 2013. Brandon Webb and his agent will be watching closely. The Friars have stepped up their interest in Kosuke Fukudome, who they'd use as a center fielder. The Cubs are also in hard on him. I recently broke down Fukudome's suitors here. Randy Wolf will get $4MM guaranteed, with another possible $5MM in incentives. Matt Clement's top choice is the Padres, but they're not treating..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Colon, Clark, Gagne

Random rumors, let's round 'em up. How about Bartolo Colon to the Mets? David Lennon notes that Omar Minaya sold the farm to acquire him in 2002 as the Expos' GM. Scott Lauber says Aaron Rowand is insisting on a five-year deal. He adds that the Phils have interest in Geoff Jenkins but he might be too expensive. Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller are considered untouchable, so don't look for the Tigers to make any big trades. Patrick Saunders runs down some free agents the Rockies may consider for the back end of their rotation: Tony Armas, Matt Clement, Steve..   Continue Reading

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Blue Jays Like Lo Duca, Clement, Armas

J.P. Ricciardi is going bargain-shopping this winter. The Jays won't be in on any big-name free agents. Instead, names like Paul Lo Duca, Matt Clement, and Tony Armas are on Ricciardi's shopping list. The Jays like the idea of pairing Gregg Zaun with another veteran backstop, but don't want to give out a deal greater than one year. It doesn't seem like Lo Duca would go for that, but sometimes the last catcher standing has to settle. It happened to Bengie Molina in '06 and he was coming off a decent year. The Marlins could pluck one of Lo Duca..   Continue Reading

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Crasnick's Latest: Kuroda, Marquis, Morris

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick has an in-depth look at the pitching market. I'll highlight a few new tidbits. Hiroki Kuroda might require four years, as some teams are viewing him as the best available free agent starter. Scott Boras might wait out the market a bit and then push for five years for Kyle Lohse. That's right, five years for Kyle Lohse. Matt Clement to the Reds is a possibility I hadn't considered. Clement did pitch for Dusty Baker with the Cubs. Crasnick reports there would be huge interest in Mark Prior if the Cubs non-tender him. As in, pretty much..   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Cabrera, Bay, Liriano, Clement, Dotel

Lots to go over this morning, so this might not be the last bullet point list you see. The Angels and Marlins are progressing in talks for Miguel Cabrera. It's believed that the Angels are willing to deal players like Reggie Willits, Howie Kendrick, and Jeff Mathis, but the sticking point here is the inclusion of Nick Adenhart. If the Angels want Cabrera, I would have to think Adenhart would be a part of any deal. Pirates GM Neal Huntington says that he is not actively shopping any of his players. However, he acknowledges that if he hears an offer,..   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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Blue Jays, Nationals, Rays Notes

We'll start with the Blue Jays. Jordan Bastian has an article up on MLB.com reporting that the Jays have been in contact with Matt Clement. He says that the team has "always liked Matt," but added that he think "it depends on what Matt's looking for a this point." Indeed, Bastian opines that the club "would likely take a shot on Clement if the pitcher agreed to a Minor League contract with a chance at competing for a job with the Jays." With interest from a few other clubs, that seems unlikely. So this is likely one big non-rumor. The..   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Cordero, Torrealba, Koskie, Clement

Just browsing the web this morning: Troy Renck of the Denver Post speculates that the Mets deal with Yorvit Torrealba might have fallen apart because of the catcher's shoulder issues. This is based on Torrealba having missed time in 2006 with two shoulder injuries. The deal fell apart when it was thought to be complete, with only the physical remaining. The Rockies have also inquired on Matt Clement. Renck mentions the Diamondbacks as also having interest in the 33-year-old righty, adding them to the aforementioned Padres and Royals. Clement has thrown just 65.1 innings in the past two years. The..   Continue Reading

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Wood On BoSox Radar

In Nick Cafardo's column in the Boston Globe today, he mentions that Kerry Wood is on Sox's radar. He says they envision him as the guy they were looking for when they traded for Eric Gagne on July 31. Unfortunately, this may not jibe with Wood's intentions. As Tim has discussed here, he might be looking to remain as a starter, though that would limit the teams that are interested in him. Presumably, given his injury history and temporary success as a reliever in '07, more teams would line up to have Wood in their bullpens. The Cubs, who could..   Continue Reading

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D'Backs Eyeing Clement, Colon

One fact I foolishly didn't consider when predicting Randy Wolf would sign with Arizona is that as an organization they almost never give incentives in contracts. This was a big factor a year ago when the Diamondbacks were making a pitch to Mark Mulder. However, maybe we shouldn't rule the D'Backs out on pitchers coming back from injuries. That's where the bargains are. Today Nick Piecoro reported that Josh Byrnes has checked in with the agents for Bartolo Colon and Matt Clement. Maybe they could offer one year, $10MM to Colon or one year, $6MM to Clement as a way..   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Pursuing Aaron Rowand

Buster Olney's blog today had some good rumors to digest. Olney writes that the Dodgers are making a "heavy play" for Aaron Rowand. Apparently they love the idea of adding a good character guy to the clubhouse. They'd be paying $25MM for Rowand and Juan Pierre in their outfield for the next several years. The Phillies are making a "big play" for Mike Lowell. This certainly doesn't jive with the speculation that the Phils only have $10MM to spend and it's going toward pitching. By the way, Ruben Amaro Jr. ruled out the possibility of signing Torii Hunter. Olney has..   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Kendrick, Uggla, Haren

Another random collection of rumorage... The Braves have "many millions more" to spend on players this winter. One emailer suggested that maybe the Braves will offer arbitration to Andruw Jones and he'll accept. Corey Patterson and the Nationals have mutual interest. Baseball Prospectus' Joe Sheehan considers him a possible bargain, noting that he is only 28. We figured the Padres and Matt Clement had mutual interest. Now it's official. Clement wants a one-year deal with incentives. Tracy Ringolsby confirms that Yorvit Torrealba wants a three-year deal. He says the Rockies are at two years, $7MM, the Marlins are in the..   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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Clement Drawing Interest From Padres, Royals

Matt Clement is an interesting rehab project. The 33-year old had rotator cuff and labrum surgery, and was last seen topping out at 87 in September. With the right strengthening work, plus the National League, he could be a nice surprise in 2008. I'm sure he wants to start, so there wouldn't be a fit with the Red Sox. Nick Cafardo says the Padres and Royals are in on him so far. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Nationals get involved. I think Clement will land in San Diego with $2-3MM guaranteed and maybe another $3MM in incentives. He..   Continue Reading

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Red Sox Rumors

The Boston Globe's Gordon Edes has some mild hot stove chatter today. Tim Wakefield's $4MM option is likely to be exercised. There was some speculation a week ago that it could be declined, but no one really believed it. It's still a bargain. Julian Tavarez's $3.85MM option is a borderline call, and Edes seems to think it will be declined. Nothing new with Mike Lowell - he wants to return, but the door's open for the Phillies or Yankees if the Red Sox won't pony up enough years. Most folks expect Curt Schilling to leave. But if he's still up..   Continue Reading

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Mailbag: Matt Clement

Let's get this mailbag thing rolling, see if anyone enjoys it. You can send me mailbag questions at mlbtraderumors@gmail.com. This question comes from Yochai of Brookline, MA: What's the deal with Matt Clement? What are the Red Sox's plans in regards to him? Are they basically going to wait until his contract expires or are they actually waiting for him to come back to pitch? Clement underwent shoulder surgery last September. An exploratory procedure found labrum and rotator cuff damage, and that was repaired. Clement's agent has compared the work done to that of Saints QB Drew Brees. Serious stuff...   Continue Reading

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Red Sox After Craig Wilson?

Sometimes all it takes is an educated guess to put two and two together. Hell, maybe Theo and Dave got the idea from this site yesterday - sort of a GM matchmaker (alright, that's wishful thinking). But it's always interesting when speculation turns to real trade talks. Yesterday I mentioned: "If the Pirates want Arroyo back, Craig Wilson would be a decent fit given that Youkilis can play third...the Pirates have two vacancies in their rotation but a host of candidates to fill them." Then today in Rob Rossi's article for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, he revealed that the Pirates are..   Continue Reading

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Latest Red Sox Rumor - Clement, Vidro, Milledge

Several emailers have alerted me to a post made over at Sons of Sam Horn late last night. A respected poster lays out this scenario: Red Sox trade Matt Clement and Alex Cora Nationals trade Jose Vidro and Jay Bergmann Mets trade Lastings Milledge and Xavier Nady (with some chance of Victor Diaz instead of Milledge) Red Sox receive Milledge and Nady Nationals receive Clement and Cora plus cash if Clement pitches over 150 innings Mets receive Vidro and Bergmann plus a PTNBL from either Nats or Sox depending on Vidro's health. (Livan Hernandez could end up with the Mets..   Continue Reading

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Phils' Attempted Starter Acquisitions

Remember about a week ago, when Pat Gillick mentioned that the Phillies's deal for a #1 or #2 starter had fallen through? I'm received a fair amount of emails on this topic, so I wanted to address it. I talked my Phils source, and he gave me the lowdown. He mentioned that most if not all of these names had previously appeared in the media linked to the Phillies, but I'll present the information anyway. Mark Prior was never the Phillies' number one choice. They've always been lukewarm on him due to his health record. Had the Cubs parted with..   Continue Reading

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Agreement For Manny Trade?

The latest Manny rumor making the rounds comes courtesy of commenter Wild Bill from the Orioles Hangout Forum. As far as Bill's track record, I can direct you to a thread over at Sons of Sam Horn. According to the poster: "There are three reputed "insiders" [at Orioles Hangout] and all three seem to agree that the trade has been agreed upon in principal but that Manny's request for an extension will likely cause the deal to fall through. As for their validity, it seems each does have a source either within the Orioles organization or one who is once..   Continue Reading

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