Morgan Ensberg Rumors

Indians Sign Ensberg

The Indians signed third baseman Morgan Ensberg to a minor league deal today. The 32 year-old hit .203/.263/.243 in 80 plate appearances with the Yankees to earn his release.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Wolf, Indians, Ensberg

Random items for today... MLBTR live chat, today at 2pm CST. Right after I finish my corned beef sandwich. RotoAuthority takes a look at the fantasy value of Randy Wolf. On Sunday I joined the guys from Drunk Jays Fans for part of their podcast. A button to listen to the show can be found here. Paul Hoynes says the Indians' Mark Shapiro will need "at least a month to narrow the field of suitors for players such as C.C. Sabathia and Paul Byrd to see if he really wants to trade them." RotoWorld says the Yankees have released Morgan...   Continue Reading

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Morgan Ensberg Designated

According to Mark Feinsand, Morgan Ensberg has been designated for assignment to make room for reliever Scott Patterson. At Triple-A Scranton, Patterson accumulated a 3.01 ERA in 22 appearances. With Joba Chamberlain moving to the starting rotation on Tuesday, bullpen help was needed. In 80 plate appearances, Ensberg put up a .203/.263/.243 line.   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Bruce, Ensberg, Boone, Weaver

Plenty of links for today. Indians top prospect Adam Miller is pretty much done for the season. '09 free agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera and manager Ozzie Guillen are not getting along. Peter Bendix explains the savings the Reds get by waiting to promote Jay Bruce. Morgan Ensberg is a DFA candidate, while LaTroy Hawkins may be getting there. Bret Boone's comeback attempt has ended. Jeff Weaver (6.69 ERA in Triple A) can ask for his release if not called up by June 15th. Hank Blalock may not be in the Rangers' long-term plans. The Indians designated Jorge Julio for assignment.   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Scrambling for Infield Help

With veteran infielders Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent both likely to miss opening day, the Dodgers are scrambling to find themselves some backups. Ken Rosenthal says that since the Astros are unlikely to trade Mark Loretta while Kaz Matsui is out, L.A. is considering Ron Belliard of the Nationals and Esteban German of the Royals. Another possibility, Morgan Ensberg, seems unlikely, as the Yankees added him to their 40-man roster yesterday. Joe Crede of the White Sox and Brandon Inge of the Tigers are both probably too expensive. This could impact roster decisions Los Angeles will make on Monday, when...   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest: Loretta, Ensberg, Lopez, Ring

Ken Rosenthal has some Spring Training odds and ends this morning. Rosenthal adds Mark Loretta as a possible third base acquisition for the Dodgers. Given their desire for a relatively affordable guy who can also handle second, Rosenthal has linked them to Ron Belliard and Esteban German previously. Loretta shouldn't be too hard to pry away from the Astros. Though he can't play second, Morgan Ensberg could be an option if the Yankees let him leave. The Nats are shopping Felipe Lopez, who's said he wouldn't be content on the bench. Rosenthal says the Nationals have their eye on awful...   Continue Reading

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Morgan Ensberg Signs With Yankees

According to a source, the Yankees have signed Morgan Ensberg. They'll use him at first base (and maybe off the bench). It's a minor league deal. Jerry Crasnick confirms it, noting that the Rays and Giants expressed interest. Ensberg, 32, hit .231/.320/.404 for the Astros and Padres in '07. He earned $4.35MM, and the Padres non-tendered him in December. The Astros had designated him for assignment in July after acquiring Ty Wigginton. Ensberg has not been the same since seriously bruising his shoulder in June of '06   Continue Reading

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Giants Considering Ensberg, Crede

We learned earlier today that Pedro Feliz rejected the Giants two-year offer. The team plans to look internally for a solution at third base. Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News comes in with the possible leading candidate: Kevin Frandsen. He hasn't manned the hot corner regularly since college, but his performance in just under 300 plate appearances last year has earned him a legitimate shot at the starting gig. He played third base for 55 innings last year. Most of his time was spent at second base, which figures to be occupied by Ray Durham in 2008. Frandsen is a..   Continue Reading

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Ruben Amaro Jr. Chats Phillies

Phils assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. recently did a chat at MLB.com. I remember Frank Wren did one in mid-November; this is a cool trend. Amaro admits that the Phils are still considering upgrading at third base. They've had discussions about Pedro Feliz as one such option, while Morgan Ensberg is not on the radar. It's unlikely that the Phillies re-sign Jose Mesa. Also unlikely would be a Bartolo Colon signing. On the other hand, discussions with Scott Boras about Kyle Lohse are ongoing   Continue Reading

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Giants Pursuing Corner Infield Help

I'm not sure of the Giants' plan - are they rebuilding? Playing for 2008? Kind of rebuilding but trying to seem respectable? At any rate, the Giants don't have much going on at first and third base. I like the idea of going after a cheap under-30 third base upside play like Dallas McPherson. But I wouldn't fill the spot with a vet just to fill it. As for first, I've said before I'd just toss Dan Ortmeier there for 550 ABs in lieu of adding some stopgap. But that's just me; here's the latest on Brian Sabean's corner infield..   Continue Reading

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Phillies Interested In Otsuka?

UPDATE, 12-14-07 at 10:09am: Ah, now the true story comes out on Otsuka. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers were going to send him to the White Sox for Chris Carter but the Sox nixed the deal after looking at Otsuka's medical reports. No surprise the Rangers non-tendered him, now. Hat tip to Rangerfans.com. FROM 12-14-07 at 8:47am: Reliever Akinori Otsuka hit the free agent market on Wednesday; he turns 36 in January. With a career ERA of 2.44 in 232 innings, it's surprising the Rangers chose to non-tender him. Otsuka earned $3MM in 2007, and even with a raise..   Continue Reading

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Today's Non-tenders: Towers, Prior, Everett, Durbin

Tim's out for the night, so we've got a fresh post started for the non-tenders. MLB.com has a running list as well. These guys are the officials as of now: As expected, the Marlins non-tendered catcher Miguel Olivo. Johnny Estrada was another casualty; these two make up the market for starting catchers. The Blue Jays non-tendered Josh Towers, a surprising move. Some NL team could offer him two years and get league average work out of him. Mark Prior has been non-tendered. Honestly if I were the Cubs, I would've tossed the $3.5MM his way just to see. Aaron Miles..   Continue Reading

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Padres Deep In Talks For Bay

UPDATE, 12-12-07 at 3:56pm: Krasovic jumps in to say that the Padres definitely won't be trading Headley to the Bucs (and probably not at all). The Pirates and Padres have been talking a lot, and some kind of deal involving some of the players below could definitely happen. UPDATE, 12-12-07 at 12:01pm: Buster Olney is reporting that the Padres are "deep into discussions" with the Pirates about a multiplayer trade in which Bay would be the centerpiece. FROM 12-12-07 at 9:30am: Tom Krasovic checks in with all sorts of fresh Padres rumors, as he often does. Below are the ones..   Continue Reading

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ESPN's Latest: Barrett, Ensberg, Mahay

Who said the Meetings are over? ESPN's Peter Gammons, Buster Olney, and Jerry Crasnick are still running down rumors. The Rays want Michael Barrett, according to Gammons. Looks like Kevin Mench will be non-tendered. Crasnick says the Marlins may go after Morgan Ensberg, who is also likely to be non-tendered. The Phillies aren't much interested in him. Gammons says Ron Mahay is down to the Yanks or Royals. He also says the Padres' Milton Bradley signing won't get in the way of their Kosuke Fukudome pursuit. Olney backs up the rumor about the Giants' interest in Hideki Matsui   Continue Reading

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Phillies Rumors: Iguchi, Inge, Silva, Ensberg

Sounds like there's a whole lot of 'nothin' going on with the Phillies. As you know, the Phils are out on Hiroki Kuroda. Yesterday the Phillies made an offer and a second improved offer to Tadahito Iguchi. Iguchi is looking for a three-year deal for around the $16.5MM Kaz Matsui received. Todd Zolecki says the Phils have "kicked around" Brandon Inge's name; he's definitely available. The general sentiment is that the Tigers would have to eat some of the $19.1MM owed to Inge over the next three seasons. Plus, the Phillies already tried the defense-first idea at third base. Talks..   Continue Reading

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Giants Rumors: Cabrera, Rolen, Walker

Finally some Giants rumors! I know a few fans have been clamoring for the team to join the hot stove rumblings. Andrew Baggarly has an article here and Henry Schulman has one here. Let's discuss. The Giants have no one to play third base. Kevin Frandsen could technically do it but they prefer him at second. Thankfully, they will pass on Pedro Feliz. Feliz - get this - wants a three year deal. He's on the Brewers' radar, by the way. Miguel Cabrera is one option, though Baggarly doesn't see the Giants offering up Tim Lincecum to jump into the..   Continue Reading

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Padres Acquire Morgan Ensberg

According to Buster Olney (via RotoWorld), the Padres have traded for third baseman Morgan Ensberg. Kevin Kouzmanoff might be well-served with a platoon partner, but it would make sense to get someone who hits righties. Both Kouzmanoff and Ensberg excel against southpaws, Kouzmanoff more so this year. Give Kouzmanoff a mulligan for his awful April (his first full month in the bigs), and he's hit .273/.328/.486. Nothing amazing, but why would Ensberg be any better   Continue Reading

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Morgan Ensberg Designated For Assignment

UPDATE: Jim Molony of MLB.com says the Dodgers and Padres have scouted Ensberg recently. Will Carroll adds that the Twins and Phillies kicked the tires, with the Phils possibly offering up Chris Coste. To make room for Ty Wigginton, the Astros designated 32 year-old third baseman Morgan Ensberg for assignment today. They have ten days to trade, release, or send him to the minors. Tim Purpura is hoping to work out a trade. 2005 was Ensberg's career year; he hit .283/.388/.557 with 36 home runs. His bat kind of died after the first two months of 2006, and he may..   Continue Reading

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Heyman's Latest: Teixeira, Otsuka

Jon Heyman of SI.com has been working the phone lines; here are some notable rumors from his latest column. The Braves seemed fairly close to a Mark Teixeira trade yesterday, but the Angels are definitely knee deep in it. They'll make a solid offer including Casey Kotchman, Ervin Santana, and Major League player. Adam Dunn remains Plan B. Heyman says there's speculation that Akinori Otsuka could need Tommy John surgery, which might compel the Rangers to sign Eric Gagne and/or keep Joaquin Benoit. Refresher on Gagne's 12-team allowable list can be found here. Gagne must consent to a trade to..   Continue Reading

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Latest From Gammons

The man himself, Peter Gammons, had a blog posting on Saturday that I neglected to mention here. Gammons mentions some suitors for Mark Buehrle: the Mets, Cardinals, and Mariners. He draws the Jermaine Dye/Padres connection we have seen in the past. Gammons believes the Astros will move one of Brad Lidge, Dan Wheeler, or Chad Qualls. However, that was written before Lidge hit the DL for a strained oblique. Houston would also love to move Morgan Ensberg, but that's nothing new. The Dodgers are looking for a corner infield slugger, but aren't interested in Troy Glaus or Scott Rolen. Adam..   Continue Reading

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Perrotto's Latest

John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus has quickly become another fine source for trade rumors. Some highlights from his latest column: The Twins would surrender a solid arm - maybe Jesse Crain, Juan Rincon, or Scott Baker - in return for a right-handed hitter. My own speculation: perhaps Wayne Krivsky, looking to stabilize his bullpen, would trade Edwin Encarnacion for Rincon. Rincon has been one of the best setup men in baseball for the past four years. On the other hand, Baker could really flourish in the National League and Kyle Lohse may leave via free agency after the season. Terry..   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Need a Third Baseman

Ken Rosenthal has a bunch of news and notes, including a bit about the misshapen offense of the Dodgers. They have plenty of bats and plenty of prospects, but not enough to solve every problem they've got. Rosenthal mentions Morgan Ensberg, Hank Blalock, and Joe Crede as potential trade targets, but rightfully notes that none would make that big of a difference. The Dodgers recently called up prospect Andy LaRoche, a third baseman, and moved another prospect, Tony Abreu, to third at Triple-A Las Vegas. So they are at least trying some different things while Wilson Betemit continues to not..   Continue Reading

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Angels Interested In Garrett Atkins

Last year, Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins was the second-best hitter at his position, behind only Miguel Cabrera. Atkins isn't set to reach free agency until 2011, making him a very valuable commodity. The Rockies had talks with him this offseason about a deal covering his arbitration years and first year of free agency, but no agreement could be reached. Now, both the Denver Post and L.A. Times are reporting that the Angels are interested in trading for Atkins. Troy E. Renck of the Post says Atkins's name first came up during the Winter Meetings when the two clubs were..   Continue Reading

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ESPN: Lidge, Ensberg Deals Dead

Buster Olney informs us that Brad Lidge will not be dealt, and Jayson Stark has indicated that a possible Padres trade for Morgan Ensberg is off. Plan B for the Pads looks like Aaron Boone...ugh   Continue Reading

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Carroll: Astros-Rangers Trade?

Will Carroll's latest rumor mill is churning up a new trade scenario: Brad Wilkerson and Rod Barajas for Brad Lidge, Morgan Ensberg, and Fernando Nieve. Barajas is most certainly expendable with Gerald Laird hitting .347/.380/.579 in 121 at-bats this year. Barajas will be a member of this offseason's weak free agent catcher class. Wilkerson's been subpar this season even while playing at Ameriquest, so I don't see how swapping out Ensberg's bat for his helps the club. Even Barajas's below-average hitting would be an improvement upon Brad Ausmus, but the Astros just wouldn't gain enough in the proposed deal. I..   Continue Reading

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L.A. Times: Angels Inquire About Ramirez, Tracy, Ensberg

We've heard Miguel Tejada as well as various mid-tier firstbasemen bandied about as possible trade targets for Bill Stoneman and the Angels. Mike DiGiovanna's article for the Los Angeles Times today also indicates that the Halos could pursue various slugging third basemen. Specifically, DiGiovanna mentions that the Angels have inquired about Aramis Ramirez, Chad Tracy, and Morgan Ensberg. Ramirez is on fire, hitting .329/.391/.763 this month with nine home runs. What some folks may not realize is that Ramirez has every reason and the ability to test the free agent market this winter. He would most certainly top the money..   Continue Reading

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