Edmonds Released By Padres

FRIDAY: The speculation was accurate; Edmonds will be released today. THURSDAY: Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune reads between the lines and believes Jim Edmonds' time is up with the Padres. The 37 year-old center fielder is hitting just .180/.267/.236 in 102 plate appearances. His defense isn't passing muster, either. Sullivan figures Edmonds will be released soon, or perhaps the Padres will buy him some time with a DL stint. They'd have to swallow $4.75MM to sever ties. Cutting veteran dead weight seems in vogue this year.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Wells, Griffey, Olney, Tavarez, Edmonds

A lot of links today, so let's get to what is being said about some trade and signing possibilities in the Blogosphere... The Darth Boss George Brigade wants Hank Steinbrenner to sign David Wells to prove that Hank is indeed his father's son. River Ave. Blues says the Yankees are too smart to sign Wells and then goes on to list about 87 pitchers that should be given a shot in the Highlanders' rotation before Wells. Redlegs Rant feels that Ken Griffey Jr. is behind the recent stories that speculate on him being traded. Mariners Central speculates on some of...

Pie-Greene Rumor Denied

MAY 7th: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald discussed the Pie-Greene rumor with Cubs officials, and it was "emphatically shot down." APRIL 30th: Yesterday Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote of Kevin Towers' pursuit of a long-term center field option. Jim Edmonds remains a question mark, and his contract is up after '08 anyway. Krasovic says the Cubs "have kept tabs" on shortstop Khalil Greene, while the Padres are still eyeing Felix Pie. The Cubs' win-now approach could lead to that move, as Reed Johnson is doing fine in center field so far. Greene is signed through the...

Padres, Marlins Interested In Jacque Jones

According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, the Marlins and Padres have inquired on recently designated outfielder Jacque Jones. The Tigers, on the hook for $3MM of Jones' salary this year, would obviously prefer a trade. Many Padres are not hitting, including outfielders Jim Edmonds and Scott Hairston. Jones might not hit for much power anymore, but he can play a quality center field. The Fish nearly acquired Jones last summer. They haven't gotten much out of Alfredo Amezaga and Cody Ross in center, and left fielder Josh Willingham is on the DL with a sore lower back. The Marlins are...

Rockies Sign Juan Castro

FRIDAY: The Rockies win the Castro sweepstakes. Ken Rosenthal notes in a sidebar that the silver lining to the Tulo injury could be Barmes getting a chance to build up trade value. Rosenthal doesn't see the Rox pursuing Brian Roberts for second base help unless they battle their way into contention first. THURSDAY: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News has been all over the Juan Castro situation. The 35 year-old shortstop became a free agent today, and four clubs are in pursuit. The Dodgers, Padres, Orioles, and Rockies are all after him. Jackson says the Dodgers and Rockies would...

Considering A Padres Fire Sale

The Padres are 8.5 games out, and it's only April 28th. It's not a good place to be. Obviously they aren't throwing in the towel yet, but if they have a similarly ugly May a fire sale could be in order. Let's speculate on some trade possibilities. Greg Maddux. The Padres' highest paid player at $10MM, Mad Dog is calling his own shots at this point. I imagine he'd prefer to stay put. Brian Giles. The team's leadoff hitter still knows how to draw a walk. He doesn't hit lefties much but his overall numbers would look a lot better...

Rosenthal's Latest: Crede, Lofton, Millwood, Dunn

Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up; let's discuss. Despite his .268/.330/.537 start, the White Sox would still entertain trading Joe Crede if it'd help the big league team. This is a change from their apparent springtime willingness to deal him for prospects. The most likely desire would be pitching, if the Sox can find a suitor. Jake Peavy put on his GM hat, suggesting the Padres sign Kenny Lofton. Rosenthal likes the idea, but notes that Kevin Towers will first turn to his farm system. I discussed some future trade candidates for San Diego in my latest...

Olney's Latest: Nady, Delgado, Clement, Lofton

Buster Olney has some thoughts. Let's have a looksee. He thinks that Xavier Nady could fit with the Mets or the Indians, but notes that the Pirates are sitting tight for now, hoping to compete this year. They'll be singing a different tune in July. Olney goes on to speculate that the Mets could release Carlos Delgado if he continues his weak hitting. Nady would seem a decent replacement, though he hasn't played first since 2006. Scott Hatteberg could be another option. In what he calls "pure speculation," Olney suggests that the Mariners trade Jeff Clement to the Red Sox...

Waiver Claims: Davis, Banks

A couple of waiver claims were made today; let's discuss. The A's picked up 27 year-old outfielder Rajai Davis, designating Kirk Saarloos. Davis had been the Giants' bounty in the Matt Morris deal (aside from the main benefit of shedding Morris' contract). Davis is known for his blazing speed, which helps him in the outfield and on the basepaths. It seems unlikely that Davis will ever force his way into a starting role with Oakland. The Padres snagged 25 year-old pitcher Josh Banks. He's a starter with superb control, but the Padres will convert him to relief. Certainly a Padres-like...

Cubs May Have Use For Murton After All

One of the players most-rumored to be traded in the past month is Matt Murton after he failed to make the Cubs opening day roster and was sent to AAA. Now it appears the Cubs may have a use for Murton after all, recalling him from the minors today. Jon Greenberg notes that Murton is still not an everyday player but could get an occasional spot-start in the outfield as well as regular pinch-hit at bats. Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal noted that the Rays were still interested and earlier this month wrote of the Padres also pursuing the outfielder....

Odds and Ends: Darvish, Maddux

Let's kick off the day with some random links. Baseball America's Jim Callis profiles young phenom Yu Darvish, currently pitching in Japan. If he were MLB-bound, he'd be the third-best prospect in the game. DRays Bay would like to see Edwin Jackson traded rather than Jason Hammel, if there's a roster squeeze. Greg Maddux has told some teammates that this is his last season. That nugget is only a small part of Tim Keown's fantastic article about the legendary Professor.

Padres Interested In Damian Miller

THURSDAY, 9:51am: The Padres (and Giants) didn't claim Quintero; he passed through waivers and is headed to Triple A. WEDNESDAY, 11:43am: The Padres aren't quite sure how long Michael Barrett's elbow injury will knock him out. He won't need Tommy John surgery, but he could miss anywhere from the minimum to two months. Kevin Towers contacted free agent Damian Miller as a possible backup to be used later this month. Miller wasn't able to find a job this winter. For now, the Padres will use the light-hitting Colt Morton behind Josh Bard. One reader suggested Humberto Quintero, who was designated...

Odds and Ends: Harden, Bonds, Ramon Hernandez

Time to round up today's linkage. Susan Slusser believes Rich Harden and Joe Blanton will both be traded this season. She sees the Yankees and Mets as suitors for Harden, though he's already having a start pushed back. Jim Caple recently made his case for the Mariners to sign Barry Bonds; his logic is sound. Our Brian Bannister Q&A got a mention in the KC Star. Nice! RotoAuthority has the fantasy take on K-Rod's ailing ankles. Pure speculation, but Ken Rosenthal thinks Ramon Hernandez would be a good fit for the Reds. Not sure if the Reds were looking at...

Rosenthal's Latest: DeWitt, Murton, Vargas, Hatteberg, Pena, Baek, Piazza

Ken Rosenthal has his latest column up at FoxSports.com. As usual he is not shy about stirring up rumors. Let's take a look at what the rumor-guru has to say: Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers will go with Blake DeWitt at third base who has never played a game above AA. This comes after the Dodgers failed to acquire either the Astros' Mark Loretta, who was unavailable and the Royals' Esteban German, who was too expensive. The Royals were asking for the Dodgers' third best prospect, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu. He indicates that the Padres and the Rays are pursuing Matt...

Odds And Ends: Eaton, Balfour, McAnulty

Couple of minor notes for this Friday afternoon: Paul McAnulty, who is out of options, is going to make the Padres 25-man roster. With Scott Hairston filling in for injured Jim Edmonds in center, McAnulty could get a fair share of playing time in left. The other candidate for playing time is Jody Gerut. It appears the Rays have decided on their final bullpen spot, giving the job to Scott Dohmann. The loser in this deal is Grant Balfour, who is out of options. The Australian reliever has some promise, and I would imagine will be claimed on waivers. Not...

Padres Acquire Justin Huber

According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, the Padres have acquired Justin Huber from the Royals for a player to be named later. He's a good candidate to see time in left field for San Diego since he's out of options. Backing up Adrian Gonzalez at first probably isn't an option given Tony Clark's presence. The 25 year-old gets a .255/.322/.420 projection from PECOTA and .279/.334/.437 from ZiPS. Baseball America spoke of a team official who compared Huber to Matt Diaz. It's a decent low-risk acquisition for Kevin Towers once again.

Padres, Rays Interested In Jeremy Reed

According to John Hickey of the Seattle PI, the Padres and Rays are eyeing Mariners center fielder Jeremy Reed. Hickey notes that the Padres have renewed interest and have liked him for quite a while. And he wonders whether Rays would surrender a young pitcher. Hickey believes Reed might still be on the Ms' roster as a showcase. The 26 year-old does have options left, though. The White Sox drafted Reed in the second round back in '02. He made it to Double A as a 22 year-old in '03 and hit over .400 in a half season. Reed injured...

Odds and Ends: Giles, Crisp, A-Rod

Nothing huge cooking this morning, so here are some odds and ends. Doesn't look like the Dodgers will acquire Marcus Giles. Rany Jazayerli writes about how Kansas City is home to many of the country's best baseball journalists. On a related note, the Star's Sam Mellinger has a chat with Brian Bannister on his blog. Coco Crisp rattles off the trade rumors he's heard: Cubs, Sox, A's, Padres. No deal appears imminent, though Crisp was healthy enough to pinch-run this morning. John Harper snags an exclusive with Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod admitted he chose the Rangers over the Mets for money...

Rosenthal's Latest: Reed, Aardsma, Cueto

Rumor king Ken Rosenthal has the latest at FOXSports.com. Looks like the Padres will give near-regular playing time to Jody Gerut, at least until Jim Edmonds returns. If Gerut performs, Kevin Towers may be able to stop his outfielder search. Still, Rosenthal notes the Padres' interest in Seattle's Jeremy Reed. Reed has two options left, by the way. Rosenthal names three Boston players who are out of options and probably available for little: David Aardsma, Bryan Corey, and Kyle Snyder. The O's are known to be eyeing Corey. You can check out our running out of options list here. The...

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Crisp, Capuano, Lohse

Does anybody else think that Brian Roberts' agent fuels 90% of these rumors just so his client's name is kept in the news? Me neither...Now that we have gotten the obligatory Roberts reference out of the way, let's move on to some trades/signings that might actually happen in the near future. The biggest of course is the recent news that talks may be heating up with the Red Sox to move Coco Crisp. So far we know that the Sox are not interested in Jason Marquis or Sam Fuld and the Padres may only be having internal discussions at this...

Perrotto's Latest: Giles, Crisp, Wells

John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus has some hot stove tidbits to consider in his Sunday column. Perrotto notes that Jeff Baker's success this spring for the Rockies could lead to a trade of Marcus Giles. Baker is hitting .316/.350/.579 in a 19 AB sample. Giles is at .385/.500/.615 in 13 ABs (yes, it seems silly to be talking about these stats). Giles hasn't hit much since '05, so I doubt he'd bring anything in return. Perrotto says the Padres are "considering trying to trade for Coco Crisp." However, Tom Krasovic wrote on Friday that the Padres pursuing Crisp was doubtful...

Rosenthal's Latest: Crede, Willits, Rivera, Belliard

Ken Rosenthal checks in with all kinds of hot stove info. Continuing on yesterday's post regarding Joe Crede and the Dodgers , Rosenthal reports that a source close to Dodgers management explained that the team trading for a third baseman like Crede or Brandon Inge is "all about the budget and whether [owner Frank] McCourt will allow them to add money." Rosenthal continues to point out that Crede is a better deal than Inge in terms of their contracts, and that Crede could also be more attractive to Dodgers management because the White Sox might be willing to trade for...

Crumbling Edmonds Makes Pads Think Trade

The Jim Edmonds Implosion Watch is on in San Diego. The centerfielder is on the shelf until the end of the month with a strained calf muscle, suffered in Thursday's spring game. Just a little more impetus for the Pads to get a deal done for an outfielder. Kevin Towers, though, says not so fast. He'll wait a week or so to see how Edmonds is progressing before pulling the trigger on any trades. Edmonds, who's in the last year of a two-year deal he signed with the Cardinals, will make $8MM this season. He's missed 97 games over the...

San Diego: Pitchers' Haven

Tom Krasovic pens an interesting article today on the pitchers' haven that is San Diego. Free agent pitchers love signing with the Padres. Why? Petco is tough on offense. According to the Bill James Handbook, the park has reduced runs by 19% over the last couple of seasons. The weather is fantastic - no 35 degree Chicago Opening Days. Manager Bud Black was a pitcher, as was GM Kevin Towers. Krasovic cites Mark Prior and Randy Wolf as two pitchers who spurned bigger offers to pitch in San Diego.

Cameron, Padres Fan The Fire In Arizona

As early as April 2007 the Padres and Mike Cameron had seemed destined to go their separate ways, but the flames were rekindled down the stretch and the flirtation continued well into December to the point that a re-signing seemed likely. Of course Cameron ran off to Milwaukee, but the two parties remain embroiled in a he said/they said with little reconciliation in sight. Tom Krasovic has the latest chapter in which Cameron shoots down the rumor he took a discount in signing with the Brewers, saying "I'm not stupid," and claiming the Padres punched his ticket when Jim Edmonds...

Odds and Ends: Ponson, Inge, Papelbon

Let's round up some Monday morning links. The Cardinals are taking another look at Sidney Ponson. Insert your own punchline in the comments. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun could see the O's making a minor trade for a veteran second baseman if they acquire Ronny Cedeno but not Eric Patterson in a Brian Roberts deal with the Cubs. Brandon Inge is trying his best to talk his way out of town. The Dodgers' recently reported nibble hasn't been publicly shot down, so that's a plus. South Side Sox thinks speedy infielder Eugenio Velez is the type of player the...

Managers On The Hot Seat

It is a slow news day, so we are going to venture a bit off the beaten path...As spring training is now in full swing, a number of managers may have their jobs on the line during the '08 season. Three managers are in the final year of their deals and another 12 managers have two years left on their contracts. This second group will be due either an extension or a pink slip next winter as few teams are willing to play out a season with a lame-duck manager. Therefore, any manager with two years remaining on their contracts...

Hairston Key To Pads' OF Dealings

The Padres still may need more outfield help. Centerfielder Jim Edmonds and rightfielder Brian Giles both are well into the brittle phases of their careers. Sean Devaney of the Sporting News has Kevin Towers casting his left field lot with Scott Hairston - for the time being. Look for more chatter about Jason Bay, Matt Murton and any other available outfielder if Hairston fails to lock the job down within three weeks. It's unclear whether Gabe Gross (who is out of options) is currently of interest. Kenny Lofton could be a free agent possibility. Would Towers be willing to part...

Odds and Ends: Spiezio, Pavano, Gross, Jackson

Links, rumors... Scott Spiezio is in trouble with the law, and the Cardinals decided to release him for it. Joe Ostermeier notes that the Cards now have about $20MM in dead money on the payroll for '08. Evan Grant believes the Rangers would want Jose Ceda or Donald Veal in a deal for Marlon Byrd. Call it informed speculation, but Mike Berardino wonders whether Carl Pavano could end up back with the Marlins eventually. Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that the Padres were eyeing Gabe Gross. Tom Haudricourt found out that Kevin Towers never inquired on the Brewers outfielder, but that...

Rosenthal's Latest: Gross, Weaver, Encarnacion

Ken Rosenthal is on the scene with some new rumors. Astros president Tal Smith arguing other teams' arbitration cases. Rosenthal finds it a bit awkward, while Keith Law finds it to be a hilarious conflict of interest. Possible trades of Matt Murton to the Padres or Rangers seem to have fizzled. The Padres may turn to the Brewers' Gabe Gross, a player who previously caught the eye of the A's, Indians, and Braves. Our good friend PECOTA sees a .267/.366/.467 line from Gross this year. With Gross and various veteran starters, the Brewers have some surpluses to work with. Rosenthal...

Padres Rumors: Stewart, Barrett

MLB.com's Corey Brock quotes Kevin Towers as saying a free agent signing is unlikely, which implies that Shannon Stewart is not on the radar. Towers still may add an outfielder via trade. The idea of the Padres and Mariners being interested in Stewart was misconstrued a bit. Jerry Crasnick said Towers "might be tempted to look at a free agent" and that the Mariners "seem like a potential fit." My summary of his article said the Mariners and Padres were possibilities. I should've been more clear that Crasnick was speculating on those two clubs rather than reporting specific interest -...

Greene Could Stay In San Diego

Shortstop Khalil Greene recently signed for two years and $11MM, a deal that bought out his arbitration years. Padres GM Kevin Towers said in January that Greene might prefer to play near his family on the East Coast. However, MLB.com's Corey Brock quotes Greene as saying today, "There's nowhere else where I would want to play than San Diego." So maybe Greene will re-sign following the '09 season, after all.

Shannon Stewart Switches Agents

Shannon Stewart had a bounceback 2007, finally staying healthy and hitting .290/.345/.394 as Oakland's left fielder. Though his left field defense ranked seventh at the position according to the Fielding Bible's panel of experts, a sub-.400 SLG doesn't work for a corner outfielder. He hit all of his playing time incentives in '07, earning a total salary of $2.5MM. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick notes that Stewart "apparently scared off some clubs by looking for a two-year deal earlier this winter." Is that something Stewart pushed for, or was it his representatives at Legacy Sports Group? Either way, Stewart has switched to...

Rosenthal's Latest: Bonds, Broussard, Hunter, Rowand, More

We missed an installment from good ol' Kenny Rosenthal yesterday. He's back today in full force (unlike another great rumor source, Buster Olney, who posted nothing really new in his blog today). The A's, once considered the best bet for Barry Bonds, are no longer interested in the indicted slugger. Rosenthal thinks it's likely that Bond's trial will start after Opening Day, causing him to miss time regardless of the verdict. And then there's the whole prison issue. The Rangers spoke to the Mariners at the GM meetings regarding the availability of Ben Broussard. Talks didn't really go anywhere, since...

Odds and Ends: Fukumori, Rivera, Haerther, Walker

Some small notes from various sources: According to the North County Times, the Padres brought in Japanese righty reliever Kazuo Fukumori for a workout at Petco last week. The Padres haven't yet been mentioned as suitors for Fukumori. The Rockies, Royals, Rays, and Red Sox have previously been linked to the free agent. New York Daily News writers Bill Madden and Anthony McCarron spoke to sources close to Mariano Rivera, who reveal that the 38-year-old closer could accept the Yankees current offer of three years, $45 million as soon as this weekend. Rivera was seeking a fourth year guaranteed, citing...