Pittsburgh Pirates Rumors

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Jeter, Marlins

Let's take a look at some Sunday morning links.... Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says that the Pirates may be able to add one or two low-cost free agents this winter, but, as usual, they won't be making any big splashes. The Boston Globe's Chad Finn thinks that the Red Sox should be doing whatever it takes to acquire Adrian Gonzalez. When it comes to Derek Jeter, the Yankees ought to rethink their rule about not discussing early contract extensions, according to Bob Klapisch of FOX Sports. Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press writes that all of the...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Duke, Hardy, Mets, Angels

Some Saturday evening links... Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports write that the Brewers asked the Pirates for Zach Duke or Paul Maholm in exchange for J.J. Hardy. Pittsburgh hoped to land the shortstop in exchange for closer Matt Capps or catcher Ryan Doumit. When the Pirates refused to budge, the Brewers pulled the trigger on the deal with Minnesota for Carlos Gomez. Also noted is that the Mets are considering former Indians skipper Eric Wedge as a candidate for their bench coach vacancy. The position could be a stepping stone to the head job as Jerry...   Continue Reading

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Olney On Lackey, Astros, Rangers, Doumit, Carroll

In today's blog post at ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes about Michael Bourn, and how he went from hitting .218 with a .273 OBP in the first half of 2008 to hitting .285 with a .354 OBP in 2009 thanks to a suggestion from Astros' coach Dave Clark. Here's a roundup of Olney's rumors... The Angels last offer to John Lackey was a $72MM package, made earlier this year. Olney's educated guess is that the Mariners are the best bet to sign Lackey, followed in order by the Angels, Brewers, Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees. Olney hears that the Astros "are...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Lackey, Upton, De La Rosa, Wood

Some more links to check out as you celebrate the end of the work week... MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez confirms that the Red Sox did indeed meet with John Lackey's agent. This morning we learned that Boston expressed preliminary interest in the free agent hurler. ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Rangers asked the Rays about outfielder B.J. Upton as part of their offseason routine, but no talks are ongoing. Rockies' GM Dan O'Dowd said that they will only look at a one year deal for the arbitration eligible Jorge De La Rosa, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post....   Continue Reading

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Pirates Could Trade Doumit

The latest update from Ken Rosenthal's and Jon Paul Morosi's blog at FOX Sports indicates that the Pittsburgh Pirates are willing to trade Ryan Doumit. Rosenthal and Morosi hear that multiple teams asked about Doumit's availability at this week's GM meetings, and that the Pirates "would not hesitate" to move him for the right package. The 28-year-old struggled through an injury-plagued 2009 campaign, posting a .250/.299/.414 line in only 75 games. He's just one year removed, however, from a .318/.357/.501 season in which he played almost exclusively behind the plate. His ability to play multiple positions (including catcher), combined with...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Astros, Schmidt, Callaspo

A few Thursday evening links to browse through.... MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Houston Astros will decrease their spending in 2010, after the team's payroll exceeded $100MM the first time in 2009. Filing for free agency may have just been a formality for Jason Schmidt, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. The 36-year-old righty looks headed for retirement. Dick Kaegel of MLB.com hasn't heard anything that substantiates rumors of an Alberto Callaspo-A.J. Ellis swap between the Royals and Dodgers. Evan Brunell of The Hardball Times is "horrified" that the Phillies are considering Placido Polanco for their third base opening....   Continue Reading

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Giants, Pirates Interested In Igarashi

The San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates are among the teams interested in Japanese reliever Ryota Igarashi, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Giants GM Brian Sabean says that while Igarashi isn't their main priority, he's someone they're "looking into." Meanwhile, Pittsburgh GM Neil Huntington says that acquiring Akinori Iwamura was a factor in their interest in Igarashi: "In acquiring Iwamura, we opened the door to getting Japanese players. We gave up a middle reliever to get Iwamura, so he [Igarashi] is a player we have interest in." Igarashi is represented by Arn Tellem and the Wasserman Media Group,...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Smoltz, Holliday, Varitek, Tejada

Let's round up a few more links in a busy day of rumors.... John Smoltz wants to pitch next year, according to this tweet from ESPN.com's Peter Gammons. The Mets will ask the Blue Jays about the price for Roy Halladay, as they did this summer, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. As Chad Jennings of the Journal News reports, Andy Pettitte isn't likely to return to the Astros. We knew Matt Capps could be a trade chip for the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason. According to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates offered Capps to the Milwaukee Brewers for...   Continue Reading

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Pirates Designate Three For Assignment

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the Pirates designated three players for assignment today: righthanders Virgil Vasquez and Eric Hacker, and catcher Steve Lerud. All three were sent to Double-A Altoona. Vasquez, 27, had two stints with the Pirates in 2009, pitching to a 5.84 ERA in 44.2 IP. The 26-year-old Hacker was acquired from the Yankees in May, and allowed two runs in three innings this year, his Major League debut. Lerud, 24, hit just .240/.339/.336 in Double-A this season, though Baseball America ranked him the club's 21st best prospect coming into 2009.   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Red Sox, Iwamura, Matsui

On this date 33 years ago, Bill Campbell became one of the first players to sign a contract with a new team under baseball's new free agency system. After saving 20 games with the Twins in '76, Campbell signed a four-year, $1MM deal with the Red Sox. In his first season in Boston, he would save 31 games and make his only All-Star appearance. As we enter the 34th Hot Stove season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere... MLB Notebook suggests Ben Sheets or Erik Bedard for the Dodgers over Vicente Padilla. Around the...   Continue Reading

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