Shea Hillenbrand Rumors

Odds & Ends: Minaya, Bradley, McClain

Links for Friday... Yahoo's Gordon Edes on what might've been: Alex Rodriguez in Boston. MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone interviewed GM Omar Minaya. Milton Bradley is not a fan of the Chicago media. He explained why in an exclusive chat with MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Rob Bradford of WEEI talks about the scarcity of middle-of-the-order bats on the free agent market, as it relates to the Red Sox. Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald wonders if Luis Vizcaino could return to the White Sox. Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a Sponichi report indicating that the Hiroshima Carp are in contract talks...   Continue Reading

---

Cafardo's Latest: Manny, Sheets, Glavine

The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo shares some notes on Manny Ramirez and around the league. Let's have a look, bullet-point style: He cites an AL Exec who says, "I'll be honest, I never thought Ramirez would walk away from... one year, $25 million. That's better than the $20 million option he had torn up... If he has another great year, he gets another $25 million for one year? Or maybe a team then decides, 'OK, this guy has behaved himself for a while, continues to produce at a high level now, let's commit for another two years to him.' Unless...   Continue Reading

---

Odds & Ends: Padres, Baldelli, Hillenbrand

Some linkage for your Sunday afternoon reading pleasure... Buster Olney takes a look at the dark time that's ahead for the Padres, likening it to the state the franchise was in when John Moores took over back in 1994. Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal talked to Rocco Baldelli about his amazing comeback this season, and the next step in his career. We already saw the main portion of this article from Nick Cafardo talked about today, but it's worth highlighting that Cafardo sat down to talk with Shea Hillenbrand, who would like to make a comeback and feels he...   Continue Reading

---

Odds and Ends: Hillenbrand, Tsao, Uehara

Here are some random bits and pieces to hold us over until front offices re-open... Shea Hillenbrand has only received one inquiry this winter - from the Giants. He probably won't be earning $6MM again. Hillenbrand posted a .599 OPS in 267 ABs for the Angels and Dodgers this year. I thought perhaps that was one of the worst performances of the decade for guys with 250+ ABs. However it's only the 49th worst since 2000. Homer Bush's 2000 takes the cake - a .524 OPS for the Blue Jays in 297 ABs. The Royals inked Chin-Hui Tsao to a...   Continue Reading

---

Padres Acquire Hillenbrand

Even a rumormonger has to step away from the computer for a few hours, right? As you may have heard, the Padres signed beloved 32 year-old DH Shea Hillenbrand to a minor league contract. He'll go to Portland and try to prove that his ship has not fully sunk. I've been praising Kevin Towers a lot here but this move probably won't amount to much. In the best case, Hillenbrand can fill in a little bit at first and third base, and as a pinch-hitter. Aside from this year, he's hit lefties well. That's also Kevin Kouzmanoff's best trait, though,..   Continue Reading

---

Tim Brown's Latest: Willis, Hillenbrand

Yahoo's Tim Brown has some new material up: So is Dontrelle Willis available or isn't he? Brown says Marlins GM Larry Beinfest is privately talking about him with other clubs. Brown rattles off the Yankees, Dodgers, Mariners, Diamondbacks, and Indians as interested parties. Nonetheless, I think the time has passed for the Marlins to get a truly impressive bounty for their ace. Shea Hillenbrand will sign with either the Padres or one other unknown NL team. Maybe to the Nationals as Dmitri Young's replacement? Yes, Bobby Kielty has been DFA'd and the Red Sox are considering him. Typically, the 31..   Continue Reading

---

Tim Brown's Latest: A's, Yankees

Yahoo's Tim Brown has a new post up, with some trade rumors we've heard before and some we haven't. Clearly the A's are sellers, and they're offering up Mike Piazza, Joe Kennedy, and Bobby Kielty. Brown names the Twins as the club most interested in Piazza. He also feels the Yankees, Angels, Mariners, and Red Sox would be good fits. But where would Piazza play on the Red Sox? The Red Sox were apparently close to a deal for Kielty, a 31 year-old switch-hitting extra outfielder. He hasn't played much center since '02, so maybe the Sox have relaxed that..   Continue Reading

---

Odds and Ends

Some random links I've come across, best categorized as Odds and Ends. Tim Marchman of the New York Sun discusses why the Yankees can't practically pull off any kind of fire sale. Bobby Abreu is the one big name they can move, though Andy Pettitte is worthy of consideration. Marchman likes the Angels, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers as fits for Abreu. Shea Hillenbrand was waived today; insert "ship is sinking" reference here. I guess Bill Stoneman couldn't find a taker for Hillenbrand even while eating most of his remaining salary. Now the Angels will foot the bill while some team picks..   Continue Reading

---

Hillenbrand To Be Designated For Assignment

UPDATE: Sure enough, the Yankees are in "serious talks" to acquire Hillenbrand. Ah, finally a rumor of the non-Buehrle/Jacque variety. Unfortunately all I've got is the latest on Angels (former) DH and malcontent Shea Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand is to be designated for assignment on Friday, giving Bill Stoneman ten days to trade or release him. Another year, another DFA. I imagine there's a slight chance of pawning him off on the Yankees, who seem to have an odd infatuation with Hillenbrand. Once they experience him firsthand, that'll change. How about Hillenbrand and salary relief for Kyle Farnsworth? Not that the Angels..   Continue Reading

---

Yanks Interested In Hillenbrand

Don't ask me why, but the Yankees are interested in trading for benched Angels DH Shea Hillenbrand. At $6.5MM with attitude issues and little defensive (plus questionable offensive) value, Hillenbrand is not exactly a hot commodity. I imagine the Angels would not be asking for much and would probably eat some salary. The Yankees tossed around the idea of signing Hillenbrand last winter, but ultimately decided to go with Josh Phelps and Doug Mientkiewicz. Mientkiewicz may not return until August after wrist surgery. The Yankees have actually been using Miguel Cairo at first base. I don't care what kind of..   Continue Reading

---

Top Stories

Search MLBTR

Lijit Search

MLBTR Mailing List

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

MLBTR Features

Recent Posts

Rumors By Team

Monthly Archives

Live Chats

Tuesdays at 2 p.m. CST