Prince Fielder Rumors
By Tim Dierkes [November 20, 2009 at 1:20pm CST]
Links for Friday, as the free agent market officially opens... As Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports points out, the Angels' lack of interest in Matt Holliday bodes well for the Cardinals, but not for Scott Boras. Scott Boras tells FOX Sports that interest in Adrian Beltre and Mike Gonzalez is strong so far. The agent says he's fielded offers for eight players already. The Nippon Ham Fighters signed minor league free agent pitcher Buddy Carlyle, says NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman. Newman also says the Yokohama BayStars are working to sign Chris Bootcheck, Jose Castillo, and Terrmel Sledge. The Nats...
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By Tim Dierkes [November 11, 2009 at 2:15pm CST]
Regarding the Brewers' search for starting pitching, we heard yesterday that John Lackey is unlikely while Jarrod Washburn and Doug Davis are possibilities. Today, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has further details. Brewers GM Doug Melvin didn't seem to rule out Lackey, saying: "It depends what they’re asking for. I don’t know if it could fit or not. I might have to make some other moves to make it fit." Haudricourt says Randy Wolf could be a more reasonable target; Melvin met with his agent Arn Tellem at the GM Meetings. Wolf is seeking a multiyear deal. Tellem's agency...
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By Luke Adams [October 25, 2009 at 11:13am CST]
Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald shares a few of his thoughts about the Red Sox hot stove. Here are some highlights: With Jed Hoyer taking the reins as the Padres' GM and Kevin Towers having been offered a position in Boston, Silverman thinks Adrian Gonzalez trade talks will restart in the offseason. Given how well Hoyer knows the Red Sox farm system, talks could progress faster than they have in the past. Silverman says, though, that Hoyer's history with Boston doesn't necessarily mean a trade will happen. He points to former Epstein assistant and current Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes,...
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By Tim Dierkes [October 12, 2009 at 1:54pm CST]
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman... Heyman says the Angels and Bobby Abreu are still far apart on a new contract. Abreu earned $6MM this year. The Brewers will attempt to sign Prince Fielder to a long-term deal this winter. Fielder, a Scott Boras client, is signed through 2010 and under team control through 2011. Given the way teams pay for power, Fielder might expect $20MM+ to buy out free agent years. Heyman sees Red Sox senior VP/assistant GM Jed Hoyer as the favorite for the Padres GM job.
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By Tim Dierkes [October 7, 2009 at 2:52pm CST]
Brewers GM Doug Melvin spoke to reporters today, and Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has quotes. A few highlights: Melvin feels that re-signing closer Trevor Hoffman early will aid the Brewers in attracting free agent starting pitchers. Melvin hopes to add two starters. When asked about trading Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun, Melvin responded, "I don't see that happening." Might as well close the book on those rumors. The Brewers view Rickie Weeks as their starting second baseman, which implies they'll let free agent Felipe Lopez leave. Melvin told Haudricourt it would "be very difficult" for the Brewers to...
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By Zach Links [September 28, 2009 at 4:45pm CST]
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio believes that Prince Fielder is at his maximum trade-market value right now, writes Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Fielder is due to receive $10.5MM on the back end of a two-year $18MM agreement and is hitting .297/.406/.596 with 43 HRs. With that level of production and a reasonable contract, Fielder could fetch an awful lot - especially from AL squads that could put him at DH. While Attanasio says that he doesn't like thinking about the Brewers sans Fielder, he also acknowledged that one player's strong performance doesn't automatically translate into wins. At the...
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By Cork Gaines [September 18, 2009 at 11:52am CST]
On this date 39 years ago, the Mets purchased the contract of Dean Chance from the Indians. At the time, the Mets were 1.5 games back in the NL East. The former Cy Young winner would make only three relief appearances down the stretch and the Mets finished six games back in third place. Chance would subsequently be traded in the off-season and play just one more season. With only two weeks remaining before the start of most team's off-season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere... Goat Riders of the Apocalypse feels the reports...
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By Howard Megdal [September 16, 2009 at 7:02pm CST]
The opinions range far and wide on what the Brewers should do with Prince Fielder, and with good reason. His positives are extremely positive, while the red flags are positively scarlet. Let's start with the basics. Fielder is signed for $10.5MM in 2010, with the Brewers controlling his rights through 2011. Assuming he continues to hit like Prince Fielder, that means 2011 will likely be even more expensive than 2010 for the Brewers. Fielder is having a tremendous 2009 season. He turned 25 in May, and has posted a line of .298/.410/.588 in 636 plate appearances entering Wednesday. By any...
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By Luke Adams [September 15, 2009 at 5:23pm CST]
A few links for the evening.... Chico Harlan of the Washington Post notes one name that stands out on the Washington Nationals' roster for the Florida Instructional League: Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg is expected to pitch in the Instructional League that runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 13. Keith Law of ESPN.com reports that LSU righty Anthony Ranaudo has chosen Scott Boras as his adviser for the 2010 draft. Ranaudo projects to be one of the top college pitchers next year and a potential top-five pick in the June draft, assuming Boras' presence doesn't scare teams away. BP's Eric Seidman at...
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By Ben Nicholson-Smith [September 15, 2009 at 10:21am CST]
ESPN.com's Buster Olney caught our attention yesterday when he guessed the Brewers would trade Prince Fielder to the Red Sox after the season. Some MLB executives who noticed Olney's post "flatly disagreed" with the suggestion. Here are the details from Olney's latest column: The executives Olney spoke with believe the Red Sox would prefer not to give up the young pitching it would take to acquire Prince. They gave up a lot of pitching in the Victor Martinez trade, so they will want to keep Clay Buchholz and others. The same executives didn't rule out a Matt Cain for Prince...
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