Turnbow Heads To Nashville

Derrick Turnbow has accepted his assignment to Triple A Nashville, rather than forfeit his remaining salary. Four teams (the Mets not among them) had interest in trading for Turnbow. Brewers GM Doug Melvin was frank with MLB.com's Adam McCalvy about the situation - teams wanted him to eat much of the $2.5MM Turnbow is owed, but weren't offering decent prospects. Turnbow passed through waivers because no team wanted to take on his salary while keeping him in the bigs.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Wells, Griffey, Olney, Tavarez, Edmonds

A lot of links today, so let's get to what is being said about some trade and signing possibilities in the Blogosphere... The Darth Boss George Brigade wants Hank Steinbrenner to sign David Wells to prove that Hank is indeed his father's son. River Ave. Blues says the Yankees are too smart to sign Wells and then goes on to list about 87 pitchers that should be given a shot in the Highlanders' rotation before Wells. Redlegs Rant feels that Ken Griffey Jr. is behind the recent stories that speculate on him being traded. Mariners Central speculates on some of...

Pirates Acquire Jason Michaels, Brewers Mull Turnbow

After being designated for assignment back on May 5, Jason Michaels has been traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for, what else, a player to be named later. As Tim noted on Monday, Michaels has been pretty terrible so far this year. Not that he was so hot during his tenure in Cleveland. He wasn't able to get his OBP above .330 or his SLG above .400. Not so hot for a corner outfielder. The Pirates options OF Nyjer Morgan to Triple A to make room for Michaels. The Bucs now have two open spots on the 40-man roster. Feel free...

Buster Olney Drops Uncommon Trade Thoughts

Buster Olney talks trade in his latest insider-only piece. Let's have a look at the guys he names. Ryan Howard. This is a tough one. Philly is in second place right now, and they should be in contention throughout the year. Howard has started poorly, but you can figure a rebound. While the Phillies might not be eager to pay Howard $25 to $30MM over the next two years, some other team might. I figure they could get a decent haul from, say, the Angels. Still, it's hard to justify trading away your best power hitter (at least in name)...

Rosenthal's Latest: Reds, Marlins, Turnbow

Ken Rosenthal has a new column; let's take a look. Aside from Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr., Rosenthal suggests Walt Jocketty could look to trade veterans Paul Bako, Scott Hatteberg, David Weathers, Jeremy Affeldt, and Kent Mercker. Most of the Marlins' best players will reach arbitration for the first time after this season, which could prompt a trade or two. Rosenthal expects collusion investigations to go nowhere. The Brewers don't plan on paying any of the $2.5MM remaining on Derrick Turnbow's contract in order to trade him. They might end up losing him and paying it anyway, however.

Pie-Greene Rumor Denied

MAY 7th: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald discussed the Pie-Greene rumor with Cubs officials, and it was "emphatically shot down." APRIL 30th: Yesterday Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote of Kevin Towers' pursuit of a long-term center field option. Jim Edmonds remains a question mark, and his contract is up after '08 anyway. Krasovic says the Cubs "have kept tabs" on shortstop Khalil Greene, while the Padres are still eyeing Felix Pie. The Cubs' win-now approach could lead to that move, as Reed Johnson is doing fine in center field so far. Greene is signed through the...

Mets Discussing Turnbow

TUESDAY: David Lennon adds that the Mets would only be willing to offer Turnbow a minor league deal. Meanwhile, Gordon Edes hasn't heard anything about the Red Sox pursuing him. MONDAY: According to John Delcos of The Journal News, the Mets are "discussing whether to sign Derrick Turnbow" (hat tip to MetsBlog). Turnbow seems like a reasonable gamble for the Mets. Most teams could stand to add relief depth. Turnbow was designated on Friday; Ken Rosenthal recently suggested that four teams are interested. The Brewers would have to do something about his $3.2MM salary if they are to strike a...

Rosenthal's Latest: Hudson, Turnbow, Laird, Kershaw

Rumorland Ambassador Ken Rosenthal has posted yet another Full Count video. Let's get sifting: Rosenthal thinks Orlando Hudson could be shown the money this offseason if he opts to explore free agency. Hudson most likely won't be offered market value by the Dbacks. Rosenthal posits the Orioles, Cards, Dodgers, and Mariners as potential buyers. 4 unnamed teams are interested in Derrick Turnbow, who is making $3.2MM this year. According to KR, the Brewers would need to throw money in a deal or get a comparable salary in return - as the saying goes, you trade contracts, not players. Turnbow needs...

Odds And Ends: Hamilton, Lowry, Brewers, Tejada

I'm not so happy about kicking off the day with an odds and ends post, but what can I say? I can't go around making up rumors. Evan Grant talks about how well the Josh Hamilton acquisition has worked out. I say acquisition, because the trade worked out smashingly for the Reds, too. Looks like there won't be a six-man rotation in San Fran anytime soon. Noah Lowry isn't throwing anymore, as the pins and needles in his arm have returned. He could miss the entire first half of the season. So much for being a trade candidate. Brewers GM...

Odds and Ends: Gallardo, NPB, Braves

Today's link collection... Check out the latest MLB Roundup video. The crew hands out April awards, assesses Billy Beane's gameplan, and looks at Jeff Ma's third-place Tout Wars team. RotoAuthority helps Yovani Gallardo owners pick up the pieces and find a replacement (he has a torn ACL). The Brewers have guys they can plug in but Gallardo seemed primed for a stellar season. They'll keep an eye on the trade market. Mike Hampton could retire, but it's highly unlikely that he'll abandon the rest of his '08 salary. Nippon Professional Baseball might shorten the tenure needed for free agency, except...

Turnbow Designated

FRIDAY, 9:34am: It's official - Turnbow has been designated for assignment. FRIDAY, 8:53am: Adam McCalvy says the Brewers will call up outfielder Joe Dillon today, leading to speculation that Turnbow will be designated. THURSDAY: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel wonders whether the Brewers will decide to eat Derrick Turnbow's $3.2MM salary and release him. Not only is Turnbow unhappy, but he's been rocked in eight appearances this year. He probably needs a fresh start. I am not a fan of the "relief ERA" metric, but the Red Sox, Mariners, and Rangers fare poorly by it. In reality, there are...

Odds and Ends: Bonds, Zito, Bush

Today's link compilation. Dusty Baker spoke to Barry Bonds on the phone a few weeks ago, and came away feeling that Bonds does not miss baseball. A mere ten million bucks, a team can eat that. But, as Andrew Baggarly says, "They don't make mouths big enough to eat the roughly $112.5 million that Barry Zito is guaranteed." Zito could be exiled to the bullpen. Dave Bush went unclaimed by the other 29 teams because with option waivers, the team can pull the player back if claimed. Jim Callis tosses out some options for the Astros with the 10th pick,...

Gabe Gross Traded To Tampa

In a quick, surprise move, the Brewers have traded outfielder Gabe Gross to the Rays for 23-year-old Class-A right hander Josh Butler. There is no word on Tampa Bay's roster move to make room for Gross, who can play all three outfield positions. Presumably, it will be Justin Ruggiano, but I suppose it could be Nathan Haynes. Gross has 48 plate appearances in the young season, but is hitting only .179/.303/.205. That's just extra base hit, a double. He does have eight walks to seven strikeouts, which is a plus. But certainly not enough to keep him around once Mike...

Rosenthal's Latest: Gross, Rios, Perez

The tireless Ken Rosenthal has another column up today. Not a whole ton in the way of trade rumors, but let's see what we can salvage from the article. The A's could be a team interested in trading for the Brewers' Gabe Gross, who is the likely casualty once Mike Cameron returns from suspension. Gross can play all three outfield positions, and it's not clear whether the A's view him as a roving fourth outfielder, or a replacement for Emil Brown. Rosenthal notes that the Blue Jays are following the lead of David Eckstein, hustling like crazy to first base....

Turnbow Unhappy

According to Tom Haudricourt, reliever Derrick Turnbow had his agent contact Brewers GM Doug Melvin about his current mop-up role. Turnbow has been marginalized following this winter's acquisitions of Eric Gagne, David Riske, and Salomon Torres. He's not requesting a trade, but he's not happy. An uncharacteristic bout of good control in 2005 allowed Turnbow to save 39 games and earn a three-year extension the following spring. He's paid $3.2MM this season, the last of the deal. If my calculations are correct, he still won't be a free agent until after the '09 season. Turnbow has whiffed a ton of...

Brewers Sign Jeff Weaver

Sounds like Scott Boras finally found a job for Jeff Weaver. According to Tom Haudricourt, Weaver signed an incentive-laden minor league deal with the Brewers. I never would've guessed it - the Brewers will already have an extra starter on their hands when Yovani Gallardo returns. Haudricourt has further details on Weaver's contract here. It's a risk-free move by Doug Melvin, especially with Weaver willing to start at Triple A (as he should given the late start). Weaver, 31, posted an ugly 6.20 ERA last year in 27 starts for the Mariners. Perhaps between Mike Maddux's tutelage and a return...

Dave Bush Could Be Available

Tom Haudricourt outlines the Brewers' roster crunch - something has to give this weekend to make room for Yovani Gallardo. The best solution may be to risk losing Seth McClung on waivers while moving Dave Bush to the bullpen. But trading Bush has to be considered. Bush, 28, has been knocked around in two starts this year. He doesn't even have his customary strong K/BB (last year his ratio was an impressive 3.0 despite a 5.12 ERA). If nothing else, Bush is an innings eater with strong command. He earns $2.55MM this year and is under team control through 2010....

Baseball Blogs Weigh In

Bunch of random topics so let's just get to it and see what it being said in the Blogosphere... Big League Stew talks to Bless You Boys about the idea of Barry Bonds signing with the Tigers. BYB argues against signing Bonds noting that the Tigers already have a bunch of slow players (base cloggers?) and what they really need is some more speed in the lineup...Although we keep hearing about collusion and have not heard any numbers bandied about, Bonds has always made it very clear how much he values the almighty dollar. Does anybody else think that Bonds...

Odds and Ends: Braun, Cueto, Pelfrey

An assortment of links... Ryan Braun's agent is in town to talk about extension scenarios with the Brewers. Perhaps the Brewers could get him for slightly more than the $30MM Troy Tulowitzki received. As Tom Haudricourt writes, a Prince Fielder extension seems less likely. The Blue Jays once offered Frank Catalanotto for Johnny Cueto, when Wayne Krivsky was new on the job. Nice try, J.P. Buster Olney believes tonight's start by Mike Pelfrey might determine the likelihood of the Mets pursuing outside pitching help. Claudio Vargas remains unsigned.

Francisco Cordero Drama

There's been a little drama unfolding the last few days regarding closer Francisco Cordero's defection from Milwaukee to Cincinnati for a difference of $4MM. According to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, the Crew stretched beyond their comfort zone to offer him four years and $42MM. Melvin set a deadline for Cordero and his agent Bean Stringfellow on his offer, as he didn't want to be played. Stringfellow figured the Brewers were at their limit and never came back to Melvin to see if he'd match the Reds' $46MM offer. Cordero himself has a different account; he says Stringfellow did come back...

Phils Designate Lahey For Assignment

Earlier today, the Phillies activated closer Brad Lidge from the 15-day DL and, to make room for him on the roster, designated young right-handed reliever Tim Lahey for assignment as foreseen. He'll now be looking for his fifth job in as many months. The wandering Lahey has already been part of the Cubs, the Rays, and the Twins. He's still relatively new to pitching, having been converted by the Twins from catching. He posted a 3.45 ERA in 78 and a third innings at AA New Britain last year, and gave up three runs in three innings at AAA Rochester....

Odds and Ends: Rauch, Fielder, Braun, Garcia

Some links for you to peruse... We suggested on Wednesday that Jon Rauch makes sense for Detroit. That same day, the Washington Post's Barry Svrluga wrote that the Tigers "will watch Rauch very closely." You have to appreciate Matt Morris' candor regarding his salary. We learned on Saturday that the Brewers made offers to sluggers Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. Today the team's owner said talks with both are ongoing. Other multiyear offers have been made, though the players are not known. Tom Haudricourt speculates on Corey Hart, Yovani Gallardo, J.J. Hardy, and Rickie Weeks. Ken Rosenthal sees Freddy Garcia...

Rosenthal's Latest: DeWitt, Murton, Vargas, Hatteberg, Pena, Baek, Piazza

Ken Rosenthal has his latest column up at FoxSports.com. As usual he is not shy about stirring up rumors. Let's take a look at what the rumor-guru has to say: Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers will go with Blake DeWitt at third base who has never played a game above AA. This comes after the Dodgers failed to acquire either the Astros' Mark Loretta, who was unavailable and the Royals' Esteban German, who was too expensive. The Royals were asking for the Dodgers' third best prospect, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu. He indicates that the Padres and the Rays are pursuing Matt...

Sheets & Sabathia Head Next Year's Free Agent Class

A couple nice nuggets to confirm what we already suspect regarding a couple big fish on the 2009 Starting Pitcher Free Agents list. As MLBTR covered here, this should be Ben Sheets' last year with the Brewers. Further affirming the inevitable, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says, If the 29-year-old right-hander finally has a healthy season and puts up impressive numbers, the Brewers would be hard-pressed to meet his asking price on what has been a runaway pitching market in recent years. And, should Sheets break down again and turns his four-year, $38.5 million contract into a complete...

Brewers Make Offers To Braun And Fielder

When the Brewers renewed Prince Fielder's contract at the beginning of the month, he wasn't happy about it. He told the press, "My time is going to come. It's going to come quick, too." He may have been more right than he knew. The Brewers have submitted multiyear contract proposals to Fielder and Ryan Braun. Each deal would buy out at least one year of free agency and include an option for an additional year past that. No word yet on how much money is involved. Bet on Braun getting at least as much as Troy Tulowitzki -- six years,...

Brewers Release Claudio Vargas

According to Tom Haudricourt, the Brewers have released 29 year-old starter Claudio Vargas. It's a very surprising move. The Brewers save $2.7MM with the move. Just like that, the Brewers' starting pitching surplus is pretty much gone. Even if the ERAs haven't been there, you have to credit Vargas for good peripheral stats (6.43 K/9, 3.48 BB/9 for his career). To me he's an affordable #4 starter with the chance to post 175 innings of 4.50 ball. All sorts of pitching-starved clubs should be vying for his services. Joel Sherman notes Omar Minaya's history with Vargas.

Brewers To Focus On Fielder, Braun

Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun form an awesome tandem; the two Milwaukee sluggers could combine for 90 home runs this year. According to Tom Haudricourt, they've been identified as the first two targets for contract extensions. Haudricourt says the Crew will want to buy out at least one year of free agency in either case. Fielder is set to reach arbitration for the first time next year. Scott Boras mentioned "general discussions" with Doug Melvin on the topic. I imagine Fielder's arb years could cost more than $35MM going year to year. Then he'd want at least $18MM for the...

Odds and Ends: Jerome Williams, Linden, Lo Duca

Below you'll find the day's random rumors and links. Remember Jerome Williams? He's begging the Giants or any other team to give him a shot, "even if it means in A-ball" according to John Shea. The 26 year-old Hawaiin couldn't find any success last year with Washington. He started out pretty strong with the Giants back in 2003-04. Todd Linden can get out of his minor league deal with Oakland if offered a deal in Japan, which is a possibility. Paul Lo Duca has choice words for the Mets, rejecting the notion that they were ever interested or that he...

Rosenthal's Latest: Roberts, Horacio, Willits

Rumor guru and baseball insider Ken Rosenthal has a new column at FOX Sports. Let's discuss. Rosenthal does not see the Cubs taking on the salaries of both Brian Roberts and Coco Crisp, even if they shed their Jason Marquis commitment. Roberts remains the focus. Horacio Ramirez's agent says seven clubs have already expressed interest in his client. Perhaps he meant to say 0.7. Rosenthal runs through many Rocco Baldelli replacement options for the Rays: Reggie Willits, Kenny Lofton, Gabe Gross, and Reed Johnson. Only Willits seems the perfect fit, and the Angels aren't making him available. Willits and his...

Video Mailbag: Capuano, Sabathia, Pierre

Time for another video mailbag. All sorts of topics are covered, including the Brewers' pitching surplus, C.C. Sabathia, and Juan Pierre. I'm looking into getting a wireless mic for these, in case you were wondering.

Red Sox Not Interested In Chris Capuano

Tom Haudricourt and Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel asked Brewers' GM Doug Melvin about an Internet rumor: possible interest from Boston in Chris Capuano. Melvin shot it down, saying he hadn't talked to the Red Sox. I think I'm slipping - I've been chronicling rumors all week and hadn't heard a whisper of this one. And I'm on the Internet! Anyway, Melvin admitted that he might trade some of his pitching surplus before the season begins. I agree with MLBTR readers that Capuano is the most likely to go. Just seems like he needs a change of scenery. Salary...

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Crisp, Capuano, Lohse

Does anybody else think that Brian Roberts' agent fuels 90% of these rumors just so his client's name is kept in the news? Me neither...Now that we have gotten the obligatory Roberts reference out of the way, let's move on to some trades/signings that might actually happen in the near future. The biggest of course is the recent news that talks may be heating up with the Red Sox to move Coco Crisp. So far we know that the Sox are not interested in Jason Marquis or Sam Fuld and the Padres may only be having internal discussions at this...

Attanasio Wants To Keep Core Together

Brewers' owner Mark Attanasio promises that Milwaukee will do its best to sign its core of young talent to long-term deals. At the same time, he washes his hands of any blame if Prince Fielder is feeling slighted by the $255,000 raise he got in a contract renewal earlier this year. Fielder, second baseman Rickie Weeks, left fielder Ryan Braun, and outfielder Corey Hart form the core of Milwaukee's young team that's expected to contend in the NL Central for years. "[W]e're interested in signing all of our younger players to longer-term deals," Attanasio told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel yesterday. Attanasio...

Cameron, Padres Fan The Fire In Arizona

As early as April 2007 the Padres and Mike Cameron had seemed destined to go their separate ways, but the flames were rekindled down the stretch and the flirtation continued well into December to the point that a re-signing seemed likely. Of course Cameron ran off to Milwaukee, but the two parties remain embroiled in a he said/they said with little reconciliation in sight. Tom Krasovic has the latest chapter in which Cameron shoots down the rumor he took a discount in signing with the Brewers, saying "I'm not stupid," and claiming the Padres punched his ticket when Jim Edmonds...

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Papelbon, Fielder, Hamels

Last year, in his final year prior to arbitration eligibility, Ryan Howard was renewed for $900K. This was about twice what the Phillies were required to pay Howard, but significantly less than the reigning MVP thought he deserved. Of course, this year that number has been used as a measuring stick by several young stars that have yet to reach arbitration and are subject to automatic renewals from their clubs. It seems that this year, more than years past, players are voicing their displeasure about the automatic renewals. Prince Fielder is displeased at being renewed for $670K, or about 50%...

Fielder Not Happy With Renewal

3:28pm: Fielder gets $670K, to be exact. Doug Melvin was surprised at Prince's public displeasure. 1:46pm: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Prince Fielder is not pleased with his contract renewal, executed this morning. Rumored to be in the $650,000 range, Fielder's agent, Scott Boras, indicated his client's displeasure. Ryan Howard's $900,000 contract for 2007 was cited as the figure the first baseman hoped to fetch for the season. Fielder made $415,000 last season. According to Haudricourt, the Brewers used a formula they go by for players with zero to three years experience, a formula which they also...

Ben Sheets' Last Year in Milwaukee?

We're well-overdue for a Ben Sheets rumor. I like Michael Hunt's point on what could be the inevitable departure of Sheets: "Chances are this is Big Ben's last season with the Brewers, unless another medical anomaly throws a fat one over the heart of the team's checkbook. But that's the catch: The Brewers need him to be so good and healthy that he'll be out of their economic grasp. Such is their balancing act... Absent the miraculous - the union agreeing to a salary drag - the Brewers can't keep everyone. Maybe there's your Sheets decision." If Hunt is right...

Managers On The Hot Seat

It is a slow news day, so we are going to venture a bit off the beaten path...As spring training is now in full swing, a number of managers may have their jobs on the line during the '08 season. Three managers are in the final year of their deals and another 12 managers have two years left on their contracts. This second group will be due either an extension or a pink slip next winter as few teams are willing to play out a season with a lame-duck manager. Therefore, any manager with two years remaining on their contracts...