Randy Johnson Rumors

Odds And Ends: Sanchez, Strasburg, Big Unit

Links for Saturday... Baseball America's John Manuel reports that 22-year-old Twins first base prospect Henry Sanchez has been suspended 50 games for violating minor league baseball's drug policy. Sanchez was the 39th overall pick in the 2005 draft. John Maffei of the North County Times reports on Stephen Strasburg's latest start, one in which the top prospect struck out 14, though he did allow a home run (hat tip to Buster Olney). His strikeout to walk ratio now exceeds 10-1. Ever wonder how much Japanese teams spend on their players? Ryo Shinkawa of NPB Tracker has the figures and their...   Continue Reading

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Will Randy Johnson Pitch To Age 50?

Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times talked to Giants starter Randy Johnson, who is 45 years old. The Big Unit doesn't seem ready to hang up his spikes after reaching 300 wins: "Who's to say that I can't pitch just because I'm 50 years old? If I'm 48 years old and I'm still throwing 93 [mph] and still winning 10 or 12 games and still having fun and still being competitive, why would age matter? I'll retire when I feel like the fire had gone out of my belly. But I still have that fire and that will to compete....   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Marte, Wilkerson, Bowden

Links for Wednesday as we enter the short post-Manny phase of the offseason... RotoAuthority has 18 undrafted players to watch for mixed leagues. WEEI's Rob Bradford talked to Bill Lajoie, who was behind Boston's acquisition of Andy Marte while Theo Epstein was on hiatus. Lajoie admitted he acquired Marte with the intent of flipping him. SI.com's Melissa Segura writes about fraud involving Dominican prospects. Nothing cooking yet with the Red Sox and Jason Bay, says Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe. Jorge Says No! says shortstops Bobby Crosby and Khalil Greene are at the crossroads of their careers. WEEI's Alex...   Continue Reading

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Cafardo's Latest: Players Out Of Options

Lots of stuff in Nick Cafardo's column in the Boston Globe to go over. With around 100 free agents vying for less than 20 remaining roster spots, things become more interesting with 227 players on big-league rosters who are out of options. If a player is out of options and is not rostered, he has to either be traded or designated for assignment. If designated, that player has to clear waivers. This could affect remaining free agent signings. Cafardo makes note of a few who are out of options and may wind up as trade fodder or designated for assignment...   Continue Reading

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Big Unit Vs. Garland

Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic explains that the Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson vs. Jon Garland decision was not as clear-cut as many (myself included) made it out to be. Piecoro walks through Arizona's timeline. At one point in November, they expected to receive (and budgeted for) first-round picks as compensation for Adam Dunn, Orlando Hudson, and Juan Cruz. They wisely changed their minds on Dunn on December 1st, and the Hudson/Cruz market has developed slowly. Along the way, several million dollars were added to the team's starting pitcher budget. Still, Piecoro guesses that the Diamondbacks preferred Garland to Johnson and...   Continue Reading

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Diamondbacks Continue to Strike Out

As Nick Piecoro reports, Randy Wolf is the latest free agent starting pitcher to decline an offer from the D'backs this off-season. Brad Penny, Randy Johnson, and Jon Garland are some of the others who have already indicated their desire to pursue other options. Not much is known about the offer made to Penny, but Johnson was apparently offered a one-year deal in the $2-3MM range, and Garland is rumored to have been offered both a one-year deal that included two option years and a guaranteed two-year deal worth at least $13 million. Piecoro notes that the rapidity with which...   Continue Reading

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Giants Will Listen To Proposals Involving Sanchez

Now that the San Francisco Giants have lefty veteran Randy Johnson locked up, they are willing to listen to offers involving Jonathan Sanchez. Chris Haft of MLB.com asked Giants general manager Brian Sabean about the possibility after signing Johnson. From Haft: "We're going to have to be open-minded," Sabean said, although he repeated that he wouldn't obtain a player who's eligible for free agency after 2009. The Giants have been listed as one of the teams who might be a good trade partner with the New York Yankees for a corner outfielder, in particular Xavier Nady, but he doesn't meet...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Otsuka, Orioles, Johnson

I'll keep this updated as more comes in, but for now these are your Saturday links... Patrick Newman found that Akinori Otsuka will work out in front of reps from all MLB teams next month. Apparently Padres GM Kevin Towers is interested if Otsuka's healthy. Roch Kubatko knows there's pitching talent coming from the minors, but he doesn't love the current Orioles rotation and expects them to add two more starters. The difference between 69 and 72 in 2009 wins isn't worth much to the Orioles, Peter Schmuck writes. The Red Sox move on after missing out on Mark Teixeira....   Continue Reading

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Giants Sign Randy Johnson

The Giants have signed Randy Johnson to a one year deal, the team announced in a press release. Andrew Baggarly and Ken Rosenthal were both right on this one. MLB.com's Chris Haft heard from a baseball source that the deal guarantees the Big Unit $8MM in 2009 and includes performance bonuses that could reach $2.5MM and award bonuses that could reach another $2.5MM. The AP agrees. Johnson joins fellow-Cy Young Award winners Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito in a San Francisco rotation that also includes Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez. It's hard not to like the signing for the Giants;...   Continue Reading

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Dodgers Rumors: Wolf, Johnson, Strickland

Diamond Leung of the Riverside Press-Enterprise has some info on the Dodgers. Randy Wolf would be open to playing for the Dodgers again, which doesn't come as much of a surprise. They have not made an offer though. Wolf is said to be looking for three years and $30MM. Randy Johnson has a few offers in hand, but not from the Dodgers...yet. The Dodgers signed reliever Scott Strickland to a minor league deal.   Continue Reading

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