Raul Ibanez Rumors

Don't Expect Phillies to Pick Up a Bat

There are two factors working against the Philadelphia Phillies picking up a bat, even with Raul Ibanez sidelined with a groin injury, Jimmy Rollins languishing in the low .200s, and a three-game sweep by the Blue Jays now complete. First is that the Phils may have that replacement bat during Ibanez's recovery in John Mayberry Jr., who homered Thursday afternoon. Mayberry posted an .808 OPS during 210 Triple-A plate appearances in 2009, suggesting he can be an adequate bat in Ibanez's absence. But the bigger issue is the Phillies will need to save their prospects for a deal or deals...   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Sosa, Harper, Pedro, Ibanez

Links for Tuesday evening... Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times reports that lawyers with knowledge of MLB's 2003 drug tests say Sammy Sosa tested positive for PEDs that year. Not our domain here at MLBTR, but easily the biggest baseball story of the day. Tom Verducci of SI.com reports that Bryce Harper has been flooded with interview requests since being profiled on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star believes the Jays should pursue Pedro Martinez. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark profiles Raul Ibanez and the hot start to the 37-year-old's season. Not only did the...   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Ibanez, Pettitte, Fontenot

Your Saturday evening links, with more to come... ESPN's Keith Law has made some significant changes to his Top 100 MLB Draft Rankings. It's subscriber-only, but a great read for those looking to catch draft fever. Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times asks (and attempts to answer) a popular question: "What is going on with Raul Ibanez in Philadelphia?" Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues takes another look at Andy Pettitte's incentive-laden deal with the Yankees. Cubs manager Lou Piniella is high on Mike Fontenot at third base. "Fontenot is honestly our best option there," Piniella told the Chicago Sun-Times....   Continue Reading

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Odds & Ends: Draft, Ibanez, Indians

Links for Thursday... Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post did a little research on pitchers drafted within the first ten picks. Meanwhile, Boswell's colleague Chico Harlan spotted Nationals' acting GM Mike Rizzo chatting with Scott Boras. The latest from Baseball America: Tanner Scheppers' stock is rising, Grant Green's is falling. Yahoo's Jeff Passan writes about Raul Ibanez. In the article, it's revealed that Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. doesn't buy into defensive stats outside of fielding percentage. ESPN's Tim Kurkjian looks at the early returns on free agent signings. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer learned that Mark Shapiro...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pedro, Byrd, Ibanez, Figgins

On this date three years ago, the Red Sox traded for Doug Mirabelli to be Tim Wakefield's personal catcher. Mirabelli had to put his uniform on in the car from the airport and arrived 13 minutes prior to first pitch against the Yankees. While trades in April and May are rare, they are not unprecedented. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere... Fire Ned Colletti Now argues that Ned Colletti does not deserve an extension. My head just exploded. Sox and Pinstripes makes a case for the Yankees signing Pedro Martinez. Jorge Says No! takes...   Continue Reading

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bucs, Jays, Pedro, Pudge, Phils, Twins

On this date 72 years ago, in what may have been the biggest trade in Negro League history, Josh Gibson and Judy Johnson were traded from the Pittsburgh Crawfords to the Homestead Grays for $25K and two players. Earlier this week, Pudge Rodriguez, one of the greatest catchers of this generation, became the latest big-name free agent to find a home. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere... Pirate Revolution takes a look at some players that could become available for the Pirates in the next two weeks as teams trim their rosters, including Jeff...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Burrell, Bradley, Abreu

Links for Tuesday... RotoAuthority asks for your #1 fantasy baseball bust for 2009. Keith Law calls the Pat Burrell signing a "major bargain," panning the Raul Ibanez contract by comparison. River Ave. Blues says the recent Burrell and Milton Bradley deals prove that Brian Cashman was wise not to offer arbitration to Bobby Abreu. Will the Rays have enough money to re-sign Rocco Baldelli now? Buster Olney still thinks he will land with Boston. Gordon Edes says Jim Hendry had a stealth dinner with Bradley during the November GM Meetings. Edes adds that the Cubs believe Derek Lowe is too...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Wilson, Bautista, Hairston

Linkage for Friday... The AP explains how C.C. Sabathia will be paid $9.5MM before throwing a pitch for the Yankees. The D'Backs signed lefty Travis Blackley. Dan Johnson is headed to Japan. The Cardinals signed Japanese pitcher Katsuhiko Maekawa to a minor league deal. Patrick Newman has details. Interesting discussion involving Raul Ibanez's defense. I did a Q&A with SportingGurus.com. Ken Rosenthal guesses destinations for 11 remaining free agents in this slideshow. MLB is undergoing a hiring/salary freeze and taking away 20% of vacation time for '09. Dejan Kovacevic had a lengthy chat with Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, who wishes...   Continue Reading

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Phillies Sign Raul Ibanez

TUESDAY: The Phillies' three-year, $31.5MM deal with Ibanez is official. FRIDAY, 12:45pm: Geoff Baker offers commentary on the signing. He says the Cubs cooled on Ibanez over defensive concerns while the Angels remained in a Mark Teixeira holding pattern. 7:56am: Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Phillies have signed Raul Ibanez to a three-year deal. Rosenthal says the contract is worth $30MM. The deal is pending a physical. As a type A free agent, the Mariners will receive the Phillies' first round pick next year (#28) and a supplemental pick between the first and second round. With Ibanez now the...   Continue Reading

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Odds and Ends: Teixeira, Hunsicker, Burrell

Links for Monday... According to the Newberg Report mailing list and CBSSports.com, the Rangers re-signed pitcher Doug Mathis to a minor league deal. Joe Nelson's been popular since being non-tendered - he's heard from "at least 12-14 teams." Ruben Amaro Jr. said today the Phillies inquired on "20 or so" non-tendered players. Adam Everett's deal with the Tigers is official - $1MM plus incentives. MLB.com's Barry Bloom spoke to Padres owner John Moores. Richard Justice doesn't think Drayton McLane would ask Ed Wade to trade Roy Oswalt, but he could see Oswalt requesting a trade. Dave Sheinin says nothing has...   Continue Reading

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