Odalis Perez Rumors

Odds & Ends: Igarashi, Cubs, Cardinals

Links for Friday... Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker talks about hard-throwing Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi, perhaps the top free agent from the country for the 2009-10 offseason. I did a Q&A over at Coast to Coast Baseball. Some doubt with the sale of the Cubs to the Ricketts family: Tribune owner Sam Zell said, "We've made it very public that the Cubs don't fit into the long-term picture of the Tribune. So if the Ricketts deal doesn't get done, I'm sure there will be other ones." In separate articles, Dan Uggla and Octavio Dotel comment on the possibility of being...   Continue Reading

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Why Are So Many Pitchers Still Unsigned?

We are nearing Memorial Day, and many pitchers whose resumes would normally have landed them at least a minor-league deal by now remain unsigned. Pedro Martinez is still homeless. While the complication may be in part due to Pedro's salary demands, it is surprising that nobody has signed him. Yes, his ERA was an unsightly 5.61 in 2008, but his 2007 stint was far better-2.57 ERA in 28 innings. His 87 strikeouts against 44 walks in 109 innings also suggests a pitcher who can help a team on the back end of a rotation. Given that it is Pedro Martinez,...   Continue Reading

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The Dodgers' Rotation

They're 15-8, in first place in the NL West, but the Dodgers face questions about a rotation that includes three ERAs of 5.50 or more. Behind Chad Billingsley and Randy Wolf, they have Clayton Kershaw, who hasn't pitched out the the fifth inning his last two starts, James McDonald, who has walked a batter an inning this year, and Eric Stults, who's allowing two baserunners an inning. Yahoo's Tim Brown takes stock of the rotation and how Ned Colletti will progress with it. Brown says it's unlikely the Dodgers will add Pedro Martinez, Paul Byrd, Odalis Perez or Freddy Garcia....   Continue Reading

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Odalis Perez Likes The Marlins

According to Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, free agent lefty Odalis Perez would love to play for the Marlins. However, they have not contacted his agent. Perez might sign for less than a million bucks again, but he wants a Major League deal. Perez told Yahoo's David Brown he has nine or ten interested teams after he forced his release by refusing to show up to camp for the Nationals. He'll pitch in the WBC for the Dominican Republic. Berardino adds that the Marlins have a standing offer to southpaw reliever Will Ohman.   Continue Reading

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"Nine Or 10 Teams" Interested In Odalis Perez?

We haven't heard from left-hander Odalis Perez since the Nationals released him after he failed to show up to camp. Well, Yahoo! Sports' David Brown caught up with him on Tuesday. Perez is currently in camp with the Dominican Republic squad, preparing for the World Baseball Classic. He told Brown that "nine or 10 teams" are interested in him and that he plans on using the WBC as an outlet to show he still has value. The 31-year-old went 7-12 for the Nats last season with a 4.54 ERA. He agreed to, then ultimately declined a $850K minor league contract...   Continue Reading

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Nats Release No-Show Odalis Perez

According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, the Nationals have released left-hander Odalis Perez because of his failure to report to spring training. "He would not return our phone calls and after talking internally with [manager] Manny Acta, [pitching coach] Randy St. Claire and the organization, we all feel it's important that we want players that want to be here and help us win. We made that decision this morning," GM Jim Bowden said. "We left messages yesterday for his agent, we left messages for Odalis. Again I left messages for him this morning. They made their point pretty clear. We need...   Continue Reading

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Odalis Perez Not Returning Calls

According to the AP, Odalis Perez is M.I.A. He missed the mandatory Spring Training report date, and isn't returning calls from the Nationals or his agent. GM Jim Bowden believes he has an agreement on an $850K minor league deal. Bowden ultimately expects Perez to honor the agreement. Perez's statement from a few days ago: "I thought it best and I prefer to sit in my house if the Nationals do not show more appreciation for my work. Appreciate my work means to increase the value of the contract and guarantee it. I will not accept any minor league contracts...   Continue Reading

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Odalis Perez Holdout

THURSDAY, 10:01am: Harlan has quotes from Stan Kasten on the Perez holdout: "Our understanding is that he has an agreement which both MLB and the union considering binding, and we think the best course would be for [Perez] to come in and honor the agreement. I've known Odie a long time, he came up with me in Atlanta and he's had a nice career for himself. I think this would be a very ill-advised and foolish way for him to conduct the next part of his career." TUESDAY, 9:16am: Harlan says the mandatory reporting date for those participating in the...   Continue Reading

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Rangers Sign Jason Jennings

10:54pm: Renck says Jennings can make $1.45MM in incentives for innings pitched, on top of his $800K base salary. 9:07am: According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rangers signed pitcher Jason Jennings to a minor league deal. Jennings was a bust after the Astros acquired him for the '07 season; he had surgery for a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in August of that year. Sound familiar? It's the same injury Ben Sheets has. Jennings was still able to get $4MM guaranteed from the Rangers before the '08 season, reminding us how drastically the market has...   Continue Reading

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Nats Ink Odalis Perez To Minor League Deal

Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that left-hander Odalis Perez has agreed to return to the Nationals on a minor league contract. It's surprising to see that he didn't do better, but maybe Perez did what he had to to remain in Washington. Perez, 31, finished with a 7-12 record last season, but he made 14 quality starts and wound up with a 4.34 ERA. It was his lowest earned run average since 2004. Manager Manny Acta had this to say about Perez at the end of last season: "He has given us a lot of quality starts and the innings...   Continue Reading

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