Seattle Mariners Rumors
By Mike Axisa [November 20, 2009 at 7:41pm CST]
In a piece for ESPN Boston, Peter Gammons and Gordon Edes answered five key questions about the Red Sox and the upcoming offseason. There's not many hard rumors in the piece, but there's plenty of discussion topics, so let us know what you think... Both Gammons and Edes believe the Sox will retain Jason Bay (Gammons guesses the contract will be in the four year, $64MM range), and neither is sure who will compete with them for his services. The Red Sox "can easily" keep shortstop Alex Gonzalez at a reduced rate even though they declined his option earlier this...
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By Ben Nicholson-Smith [November 20, 2009 at 4:09pm CST]
The Red Sox claimed pitcher Robert Manuel off of waivers from the Mariners, according to a team press release. The 26-year-old righty made his MLB debut with the Reds this year, recording 13 outs without allowing an earned run. His Triple A numbers were good, too; Manuel had a 49K/16BB ratio and an overall 2.88 ERA for the Reds and Mariners.
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By Ben Nicholson-Smith [November 20, 2009 at 3:52pm CST]
The Pirates claimed pitcher Chris Jakubauskas off waivers from the Mariners, according to a team press release. The Pirates designated Jeff Karstens for assignment to clear roster space. Jakubauskas, 31 next month, allowed 91 hits and 27 walks in 93 innings for the Mariners last year, striking out 47 for a 5.32 ERA.
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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 Cork Gaines [November 20, 2009 at 12:00pm CST]
On this date two years ago, Mike Lowell re-signed with the Red Sox for three-years, $37.5MM. In this first two years of the deal, Lowell has taken in $25.5MM, and according to his WAR has been worth $19.9MM. In '10, Lowell will be 36 as he enters the final year of his deal. Today is the first day of free agency, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere... Howard Megdal and Chris Pummer of The Perpetual Post debate the Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe signings of a year ago. The Ghost of Moonlight Graham looks...
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By Luke Adams [November 19, 2009 at 9:52pm CST]
Let's round up some leftover Thursday links.... The Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin spoke to Joe Urbon, Jason Bay's agent. Urbon suggested that discussion would continue with the Red Sox, but that interest in his client so far has been "extraordinary." Larry Stone of the Seattle Times warns Mariners fans not to get too excited about rumors of a three-way deal involving Brandon Morrow and the Tigers' Edwin Jackson. He thinks Morrow could be a valuable trade chip for Seattle though. In a Baltimore Sun column, Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly point out that the Baltimore Orioles' lack of big contract...
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By Ben Nicholson-Smith [November 19, 2009 at 11:46am CST]
USA Today's Bob Nightengale suggests we keep an eye on a possible three-way trade between the Tigers, Mariners and one other club. The Tigers would give up Edwin Jackson and the Mariners would give up Brandon Morrow. Here are some more rumors to read as you wonder who that third team might be: Nightengale says the Rays are the "clear-cut favorite" to acquire Milton Bradley from the Cubs. The Yankees are apparently letting teams know that Nick Swisher is available. Swisher was involved in his share of trade rumors after the Yankees acquired him last season. The Dodgers are focusing...
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By Mike Axisa [November 18, 2009 at 1:30pm CST]
Free agent lefty Jarrod Washburn hasn't made much of a secret of his desire to play near his Webster, Wisconsin home, and he told FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi that both the Twins and Brewers are on his radar. "The Twins and Brewers are both on the radar for me," Washburn said. "The thought of playing close to home has always appealed to me, and I think both of those teams would be good fits for me. "I don't know yet if either of those teams have mutual interest, but we will see." Obviously, those two teams fit...
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By Mike Axisa [November 17, 2009 at 4:48pm CST]
Here's another collection of links... Larry LaRue of The News Tribune writes about why you shouldn't get your hopes up about Seattle landing John Lackey, if you're a Mariners fan. Andy Martino of The Philadephia Inquirer says that it's clear the Phillies want to add a free agent reliever or two, although GM Ruben Amaro said that Scott Eyre "may have priced himself out of our range.” The Mets have to balance two different sets of priorities this offseason, writes Ben Shpigel of The NY Times. As The KC Star's Bob Dutton notes, today's AL Cy Young Award win triggered...
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By Mike Axisa [November 17, 2009 at 4:04pm CST]
Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com report that several teams have expressed interest in free agent righty John Smoltz, who is open to starting or relieving. The Cardinals, Dodgers, Mets, Mariners, Astros, Rangers, and Orioles are the among the teams interested in the future Hall of Famer, and some teams inquired about him as a closer. The 42-year-old Smoltz put up a 4.26 ERA in seven starts with St. Louis after his eight start cameo with Boston. His fastball generally sat in the low-90's, though he did strike out 73 batters in 78 total innings.
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