Seattle Mariners Rumors
By Luke Adams [November 15, 2009 at 9:49am CST]
In his latest column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe examines the differing opinions on this year's free agent market and passes on some info from around the majors. The highlights: One National League GM on the top players in this year's free agent class: "[Matt Holliday] won’t get what Mark Teixeira got. No chance. [John] Lackey may get A.J. Burnett money, but I’m not even sure anyone would go that high." A separate source tells Cafardo that many teams will wait out the market this winter, potentially resulting in a few bargains for thrifty teams later in the offseason....
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By Mike Axisa [November 14, 2009 at 12:41pm CST]
In today's blog post at ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes about Michael Bourn, and how he went from hitting .218 with a .273 OBP in the first half of 2008 to hitting .285 with a .354 OBP in 2009 thanks to a suggestion from Astros' coach Dave Clark. Here's a roundup of Olney's rumors... The Angels last offer to John Lackey was a $72MM package, made earlier this year. Olney's educated guess is that the Mariners are the best bet to sign Lackey, followed in order by the Angels, Brewers, Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees. Olney hears that the Astros "are...
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By Mike Axisa [November 14, 2009 at 11:23am CST]
Some links to start off your weekend... Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says the Red Sox are just doing their due diligence by touching base with John Lackey's agent, reminding us that they also spoke to CC Sabathia's and A.J. Burnett's representatives last offseason. WEEI.com's Alex Speier breaks down Joe Urbon's pitch for his client, free agent outfielder Jason Bay. Hideki Matsui acknowledged that he'd be disappointed if he didn't return to the Yankees, according to Anthony McCarron of The NY Daily News. Godzilla says that his agent Arn Tellem is taking care of the situation, but he doesn't...
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By Ben Nicholson-Smith [November 13, 2009 at 4:45pm CST]
When the Mariners acquired Jack Wilson this summer, he wasn't sure what to expect. But it didn't take long for him to realize he wanted to play in Seattle for a while. "An hour? An hour and a half?" Wilson says he didn't need any longer than that to figure out he liked his new club. Now that he has signed with the Mariners, he'll be wearing blue and teal for at least two years. Wilson said he feels great after battling injuries last season. Though he was banged up, Wilson maintained his reputation as a top defender. According to...
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By Tim Dierkes [November 13, 2009 at 4:04pm CST]
4:04pm: Kovacevic confirmed it, the deal is worth $10MM. 3:58pm: Kovacevic says the deal is believed to be worth a total of $10MM. 3:33pm: The Mariners signed shortstop Jack Wilson to a two-year deal, according to a team press release. Terms were not disclosed, but the sides were said by Dejan Kovacevic to be discussing a deal worth more than $8MM. Wilson's new deal overwrites an $8.4MM club option for 2010. Wilson, 32 in December, is renowned for his defensive ability. In Wilson and Franklin Gutierrez, Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has acquired two of the game's best defenders at their...
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By Luke Adams [November 12, 2009 at 5:41pm CST]
In his latest article, Larry Stone of the Seattle Times examines some names that have been linked to the Mariners, and speculates on how likely each player is to end up in Seattle. Let's take a look at some of his thoughts.... If Hideki Matsui were to leave New York, Stone doesn't expect the designated hitter to sign with the Mariners. Seattle would prefer a DH that could play the field occasionally, which Matsui probably can't do. How aggressively the Mariners pursue John Lackey will depend on the market. If Lackey could be had at a reasonable price, Stone anticipates...
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By Tim Dierkes [November 12, 2009 at 1:14pm CST]
After working the lobby all week at the Chicago GM Meetings, SI's Jon Heyman has the latest hot stove chatter... The Giants "appear to have emerged as one potential competitor" for the services of Johnny Damon. The Rangers met with John Lackey's agent yesterday, though they're not expected to have that kind of money available. Heyman adds that the Brewers and Mariners haven't ruled out signing the righty. Joe Crede is among the third base candidates the Orioles will consider. We heard about Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, and Pedro Feliz earlier today. Lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez "appears very popular in...
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By Luke Adams [November 11, 2009 at 7:33pm CST]
Let's have a look at another handful of evening links.... MLB.com's Corey Brock reports that new Padres GM Jed Hoyer will sit down with Adrian Gonzalez next week to discuss the first baseman's future. Keith Law of ESPN.com shares his thoughts on the trades that have transpired so far during the hot stove season. Scott Miller of CBS Sports wraps up his observations from the GM meetings, and includes a quote from Angels GM Tony Reagins, saying the team will try their best to retain both John Lackey and Chone Figgins. I think they'd be doing very well if they...
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By Luke Adams [November 11, 2009 at 7:08pm CST]
Jon Heyman of SI.com's last few Twitter updates have provided a variety of intriguing information from around the league. Let's check them out.... The Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners could pursue John Lackey, but won't offer a deal worth up to $100MM. FOX Sports suggested earlier in the week that the Brewers weren't likely to be major players for Lackey, but that wasn't necessarily because the team didn't have the money. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski insisted the team wasn't having a "fire sale," but Heyman suggests that the club might listen to offers for Brandon Inge, along with Curtis Granderson...
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By Tim Dierkes [November 11, 2009 at 3:34pm CST]
USA's Today's Bob Nightengale is cranking out the tweets...put this stuff in a column, Bob! He says the Red Sox met with Scott Boras about Matt Holliday, as a Jason Bay contingency. Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Nightengale no one has heard from Ben Sheets or his agent. Back in October, assistant GM Gord Ash told the AP, "There's been once and a while conversations with his agent to remind that we still have that ongoing interest." Yankees GM Brian Cashman told Nightengale he didn't sit down with a single agent. Seems kind of weird. Talking to Mariners GM Jack...
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