Paul Lo Duca Rumors

Week In Review: 8/3 - 8/9

Here's a quick look back at some of the bigger stories on MLBTR over the past week: D'Backs ace Dan Haren signed a very affordable extension with the team, which would keep him in Arizona through 2012 with an option for 2013. Great deal for the D'Backs and their fans. Brian Giles was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox, which is now believed to have been an effort to block the Rays from acquiring him. Giles blocked the trade to Boston with his no-trade clause. The Rockies acquired Livan Hernandez from the Twins. Minnesota won't receive a player in...   Continue Reading

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Marlins Sign Lo Duca, Claim Ausmus

According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, the Marlins signed Paul Lo Duca to a minor league deal today. Lo Duca will head to Triple A as the team's insurance plan. The Nationals signed Lo Duca for a hefty $5MM in December of '07, three days before he was named in the Mitchell Report. The 36 year-old hit just .230/.301/.281 in 153 plate appearances, hobbled by knee surgery and a broken bone in his throwing hand. Lo Duca was a Marlin for part of the '04 season and all of '05, though he did not hit well for them. Additionally, Joe...   Continue Reading

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Week in Review: 7/27 - 8/2

We saw the non-waiver trade deadline come and go this week, and plenty of action to go along with it. Let's recap the big moves of the week: The Dodgers, Pirates, and Red Sox completed a three-team, blockbuster trade that sent Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles, Jason Bay to Boston, and Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen, and Brandon Moss to Pittsburgh. The Pirates got a pretty nice haul, and while Bay won't necessarily replace Manny's production, he's much more affordable, signed through '09, and doesn't disrupt the clubhouse. The Dodgers add the big bat they need for a push...   Continue Reading

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Nationals Release Lo Duca, Lopez

The Washington Post is reporting that the Nationals released both Paul Lo Duca and Felipe Lopez following tonight's game. The move was made to free-up space on the roster for Elijah Dukes and Emilio Bonifacio. Lo Duca was hitting .230/.301/.281 in 139 at bats this season and made $5MM on a one-year deal. Lopez was hitting .231/.303/.309 in 324 at bats and was in his final arbitration-eligible season, making $4.9MM. Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.   Continue Reading

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Rockies Rumors: Fuentes, Redding, Fogg, Byrd

1:38pm: Jayson Stark says Fuentes is staying put. A little more than an hour left til the deadline. 9:33am: Mark Zuckerman of the Washington Times says the Nationals are leaning toward keeping Redding, and have even had preliminary extension talks with him. Trades of Paul Lo Duca, Odalis Perez, and Felipe Lopez are also unlikely. THURSDAY, 8:31am: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post indicates the Rockies want to keep Fuentes. He says they're looking at starters such as Tim Redding, Josh Fogg, and Paul Byrd. Redding's stock dropped last night with an ugly start. WEDNESDAY, 9:12pm: On Sunday, Rockies...   Continue Reading

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Marlins Looking For Catcher, Reliever

The NL East is a three-team race, with the Mets, Phillies, and Marlins all within a game of each other. Who'd have thought the Marlins would be contending after trading Miguel Cabrera? According to Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Marlins have intensified their search for a catcher. The targets: Bengie Molina, Ramon Hernandez, Gerald Laird, and Ryan Doumit. Molina and Hernandez are the pricey options. Doumit would be especially tough to pry loose; he has a .937 OPS this year as a 27 year-old. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro wonders if Miguel Olivo, Gregg Zaun, and Paul Lo Duca...   Continue Reading

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Yankees Looking At Catchers

Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger says the Yankees have inquired on four catchers: Gerald Laird, Paul Lo Duca, Miguel Olivo, and Rod Barajas. Laird, 28, is expected to rejoin the Rangers Saturday after his hamstring injury. He's a Boras client with a $1.6MM salary this year. He's under team control through 2010, and Ken Rosenthal says the Rangers want young pitching for him. Lo Duca, 36, will be a free agent after the season. He's got about $1.9MM left on his contract this year. He understands that he's a strong trade candidate. Olivo, 30, is splitting time with John...   Continue Reading

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Marlins Inquire On Ivan Rodriguez

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes of the Marlins' pursuit of a catcher, which has been going on for several weeks now. The Fish would like to find an upgrade on Matt Treanor, who is currently on the DL with a hip strain. However, they're not impressed by available backstops Paul Lo Duca, Yorvit Torrealba, and Dave Ross. Jackson adds an interesting name - the Marlins asked the Tigers about Ivan Rodriguez, but he's not available at this time. They could always sign him in the offseason if the price is right. We revisited the trade market for catchers...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: International Signings, Lo Duca, Ichiro, ChiSox

Here's a list of loose links (sink ships) from today: The A's officially inked Michel Inoa for $4.25MM. Corey Brock of MLB.com has a piece on the Padres' international signings. More here from the man himself, Paul DePodesta. The Marlins are still looking for a catcher, and one of their former guys might be available. That would be Paul Lo Duca. With the Nats out of it, could they swap Lo Duca within the division? And would they assume part of Lo Duca's remaining salary? Keep in mind that MLB.com's Joe Frisaro said yesterday that the Marlins were "not serious"...   Continue Reading

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Marlins Looking For Reliever, Catcher

According to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, the Marlins are looking to acquire a righthanded reliever and a veteran catcher. Frisaro says indications are that the Fish are "not serious" about Paul Lo Duca. Possibilities at catcher include Paul Bako, Yorvit Torrealba, and Michael Barrett (in my estimation). Back in November, the Marlins had interest in Torrealba and Barrett. Possible righty relievers: guys like David Weathers, Chad Bradford, LaTroy Hawkins, and Mike MacDougal. I don't see the Marlins chasing bigger fish like Huston Street and Jon Rauch. There are no reports indicating it, but I'd like to see the Fish go after...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Lo Duca, Cabrera, Nady, Bay

A few more minor notes from the MLBiverse... Jay Gibbons joins the Long Island Ducks. The Giants may have to trade for a long-reliever. Bruce Bochy admits that his team is without a long-reliever and will work to find extra innings from his middle relievers. With Paul Lo Duca coming off the DL, the Nationals will now have three catchers. Chico Harlan feels the Nats will hope that Lo Duca plays well in his return to increase his trade value. Nick Cafardo believes that the White Sox will let Orlando Cabrera walk at the end of the season as a...   Continue Reading

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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...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Crede, Marlins, Canó, Bonds

Some interesting tidbits this afternoon before I check out: Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that one of Brian Sabean's top advisors, Ted Uhlaender, was present to witness Joe Crede's homer off of Arizona's Max Scherzer on Saturday. Seems more and more likely, as Crede proves his back is fine, that he will be moved to the Giants. Will the White Sox get Kevin Correia in exchange for Crede? The White Sox need a back-of-the-rotation guy, and Kenny Williams and company think they can win this year. So prospects probably won't get it done. While the Giants could...   Continue Reading

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MetsBlog: LoDuca the best choice

Matt Cerone at MetsBlog takes on the question that's been facing the Mets since mid-day yesterday: Who starts at catcher next year? Ramon Hernandez, who was offered a contract by the Mets two years ago when he was a free agent, is said to be Omar Minaya's top choice. However, this presents a problem. Hernandez won't come cheap, and the Mets would need to retain their best trading chips if they want to acquire a front-line starter. This would seemingly rule Hernandez out, since "word from [B]altimore had bee that [H]ernandez would cost a high-end prospect." A cheaper trade option...   Continue Reading

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State Of The Marlins

The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson has all sorts of info concerning the state of the Florida Marlins. We've heard this before - the Fish can't afford to keep both Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera. Do you trade the cheaper guy, or the more valuable one? As Jackson says, it really just depends on the offers. It wouldn't be a complete shock to see both traded if the Marlins received separate knockout offers on each. The Marlins are likely to non-tender Miguel Olivo, with an eye on bringing Paul Lo Duca back to Florida to provide veteran leadership for the young...   Continue Reading

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