Rod Barajas Rumors

Blue Jays Exercise Option On Barajas

According to the AP, the Blue Jays exercised their 2009 option on catcher Rod Barajas. The Jays chose the $2.5MM option over the $500K buyout, as expected. Barajas, 33, hit .249/.294/.410 in 377 plate appearances. Month to month, it was an erratic season.   Continue Reading

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Odds And Ends: Cuban, Zaun, Hall, Mariners

Saturday morning linkage: Cubs GM Jim Hendry didn't consult the prospective new owners before picking up Rich Harden's option, and that's fine by Mark Cuban. The Blue Jays are expected to pick up Rod Barajas' option; there's still a possibility that Gregg Zaun will return. The 37-year old Zaun is eligible to become a free agent. Speaking of catchers, Sox Machine analyzes the pros/cons of the White Sox keeping or moving backup catcher Toby Hall. The Yankees are correctly focusing on their rotation and will sign one or two free agent pitchers, thinks the LoHud Journal News' Peter Abraham, which...   Continue Reading

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Blue Jays To Retain Barajas, Not Zaun

According to Robert MacLeod of The Globe and Mail, the Blue Jays plan to exercise Rod Barajas' option while allowing Gregg Zaun to leave as a free agent. Barajas has a $2.4MM option with a $500K buyout, so it's a net cost of $2.1MM. He's hitting .249/.294/.410 in 377 plate appearances, fluctuating quite a bit month-to-month. Meanwhile Zaun is hitting .222/.332/.344 in 262 PAs while earning $3.75MM. At this point he does not qualify as a Type B free agent, so there's no point in offering arbitration.   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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Odds And Ends: Thomas, Jays, Myers, Nomo

Expect another one of these today. There's lots of little stuff, but not much in the way of substantive rumors. The Mariners were one of four teams contacted by Frank Thomas's agent. The A's were obviously another. So who were the other two? With 24-year-old backstop Robinzon Diaz mashing in AAA, the Jays might look to spin off either Gregg Zaun or Rod Barajas come July. 39-year-old southpaw Mike Myers requested and was granted his unconditional release from the Dodgers. After DFAing him on Sunday, the Royals have placed Hideo Nomo on release waivers. If unclaimed by noon on Tuesday,...   Continue Reading

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Blue Jays Sign Rod Barajas

The Blue Jays have signed catcher Rod Barajas to a one year deal worth $1.2MM. There is also a club option for 2009. Gregg Zaun did not fade in the second half, so it doesn't seem like a tandem thing is necessary. Maybe they just wanted a more solid backup than they had. Barajas was all set to become Toronto's starting catcher for the '07 season, but he changed agents and pulled out at the last moment (cancelling his flight). It would've been a two-year deal worth $5.25MM - and J.P. Ricciardi had more than a handshake. Did the MLBPA..   Continue Reading

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Orioles Discuss Lohse, Villone, Chacon

Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun says the Orioles are looking at various one or two-year stopgap free agents. According to Scott Boras, he and Andy MacPhail have discussed six or seven of his clients. Among them are Kyle Lohse, Ron Villone, and Corey Patterson. Lohse would probably not sign for two years, I'm guessing. Or in the American League. Who else might they have discussed? Jeff Weaver? Anyway, it's nice to see the Orioles getting along with Boras! Zrebiec notes that the O's have had "preliminary talks" with the agents for Shawn Chacon and Steve Trachsel. Looks like MacPhail..   Continue Reading

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Kubatko's Latest: Jones, Dotel, Barajas

Roch Kubatko of the Baltimore Sun has a blog update with plenty of new hot stove info. Adam Jones never left Venezuela, and has been cleared to play in tonight's winter league game. Does this means something changed in the Erik Bedard talks? We can only speculate. The Orioles have been talking to the agents for free agents Octavio Dotel and Rod Barajas. The Dotel talks were recent. However, Kubatko says "late inning relief isn't a top priority." Maybe Andy MacPhail just wants to see if he can get Dotel on a nice one-year deal for $6MM or so. MacPhail..   Continue Reading

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Marlins Interested In Torrealba, Barrett, Maroth

Joe Capozzi checks in with a look at the Marlins' approach toward free agency this winter. It sounds like the Fish are willing to spend a few bucks to upgrade on Miguel Olivo in the catcher spot. Do they go for the defensive-minded Yorvit Torrealba, or the typically offensive-minded Michael Barrett? So far the Marlins are leaning toward Torrealba, but would have to beat the Rockies' two-year, $6MM offer. And the Mets' level of interest probably just increased with Jorge Posada staying with the Yankees. Barrett has a Jeffrey Loria connection, but might seek a two-year deal for $8MM or..   Continue Reading

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Phillies Close On Barajas

Excitement...the Phillies are close to signing 31 year-old catcher Rod Barajas. Rodrigo can't get on base to save his life, but he's shown above average power for his position in the past (though not last year). Barajas was middle-of-the-pack at throwing out attempted thieves this year (33%). Last year he was seventh in baseball at 34%. He should be a worthy adversary for Jose Reyes. Barajas backed out of a verbal agreement with the Blue Jays earlier this winter after switching back to Dan Lozano as his agent   Continue Reading

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Lee, Williams, Catalanotto, Barajas, and Roberts

Tim sends his best from Cancun and wishes everyone was with him. Not! They are still trying to find their honeymoon hotel so he's not quite sure when he'll be back. And, no, he didn't send any Cancun beach shots. Dang.. Speaking about vacations, how about the Astros signing Lee at $100m/6? Wow. My take is this - the power starved Astros obviously felt they were one player away and Lee happened to be available. He'll probably hit 40 home runs despite all the talk about his lack of power after April last year. Don't forget Minute Maid is full..   Continue Reading

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Jays Considering Barajas, Mulder

Here are notes from the blog of Paul Hoynes, Indians beat writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. These were posted yesterday. Hoynes says the Blue Jays are talking to Rod Barajas and have some interest in Mark Mulder. Even if they signed both, the Jays would still need to come up with a shortstop and one decent starter. The Tribe is expected to bid on lefty Kei Igawa, who will be posted next week. If they win, the Indians, like the White Sox, would be six deep in their starting rotation. A good kind of problem   Continue Reading

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Red Sox Interested In Barajas?

I was clearing out my inbox a little bit when I noticed a rumor I haven't mentioned yet on the site. According to a WEEI chat with Sean McAdam from early October, the Red Sox are targeting free agent catcher Rod Barajas to back up Jason Varitek. McAdam mentioned that Barajas's ability to catch the knuckleball is attractive the Boston. Barajas will be 31 next year. He hit .256/.298/.410 this year, showing little plate discipline but decent power for his position. You can see the other free agent catchers here   Continue Reading

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Carroll: Astros-Rangers Trade?

Will Carroll's latest rumor mill is churning up a new trade scenario: Brad Wilkerson and Rod Barajas for Brad Lidge, Morgan Ensberg, and Fernando Nieve. Barajas is most certainly expendable with Gerald Laird hitting .347/.380/.579 in 121 at-bats this year. Barajas will be a member of this offseason's weak free agent catcher class. Wilkerson's been subpar this season even while playing at Ameriquest, so I don't see how swapping out Ensberg's bat for his helps the club. Even Barajas's below-average hitting would be an improvement upon Brad Ausmus, but the Astros just wouldn't gain enough in the proposed deal. I..   Continue Reading

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