Tomo Ohka Rumors

Odds & Ends: Hillman, White Sox, Japanese Pitchers

Let's start the evening off by rounding up a few spare links... According to The Associated Press (via ESPN), Royals manager Trey Hillman will return to the team next season. Kansas City GM Dayton Moore, who originally hired Hillman, had his contract extended through 2014 earlier this week. White Sox GM Kenny Williams was asked if the Jim Thome and Jose Contreras trades indicate that he was throwing in the towel according to Scot Gregor of The Daily Herald, and Williams replied "Hell no. We're still in it to win it.” Patrick at NPB Tracker passes along a report saying...   Continue Reading

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Indians Sign Tomo Ohka

According to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince, the Indians signed pitcher Tomo Ohka to a minor league deal. He spent all of '08 at Triple A, tossing 135.2 innings with a 4.18 ERA for the Triple A affiliate of the White Sox. Ohka is an interesting character; I took a closer look at him in a post written two years ago.   Continue Reading

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Tomo Ohka Signs With White Sox

According to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune, the White Sox have signed pitcher Tomo Ohka, who turns 32 in March. Ohka made ten big league starts in '07 for the Jays, and the results were not pretty. He also pitched at Triple A for the Mariners and Cardinals, ineffectively. Ohka is an interesting character. I wrote this profile of him over a year ago, but it's still a decent look at his history. You might say he's had a few attitude problems. Regardless, it doesn't hurt for the Sox to have him in Triple A as insurance.   Continue Reading

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Cardinals Sign Tomo Ohka

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Cardinals have signed free agent righty Tomo Ohka to a minor league contract. The Phillies were in on him as well, but the Cardinals gave him a shorter minor league requirement. The Cardinals talked to Ohka's agent last December, but must have found $1.5MM guaranteed to be prohibitive. It's easier to swallow when the Blue Jays are paying Ohka's salary. I think Ohka's rotator cuff is still kind of messed up, but he might be able to get by in the NL Central. Check out my profile of Ohka here; he's an interesting character. Unfortunately..   Continue Reading

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Rosenthal's Latest

The authority on all trade rumors, Ken Rosenthal has spoken. Let's review. As we have heard before, the Dodgers like Adam Dunn. We've also discussed the fact that there's not a clear place to put him. Whether you go with first base or left field, a veteran must move. The Padres like Dunn as well but talks have yet to occur. The Angels may have liked him in the past but they don't seem likely at this point. And the Twins? They just won't break the bank for him unfortunately. With Michael Barrett having issues with 40% of the Cubs'..   Continue Reading

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Cards Hunting For Starters

According to Cardinals GM Walt Jocketty, there's just nothing out there on the starting pitching market. No decent starters to acquire. The Cardinals are doing OK in second place, 5.5 games behind the Brewers. They still have a fine chance of sneaking into the rotation, but need to upgrade their patchwork rotation. St. Louis starters have combined for a 5.25 ERA, easily the worst in the league. Even worse than the Nationals. Joe Strauss's article mentions some mild interest in Tomo Ohka, who was designated for assignment yesterday by the Blue Jays. The Cardinals talked to Ohka's agent last December..   Continue Reading

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Blue Jays To Offer Up Towers, Ohka

Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi has told teams that starters Josh Towers and Tomo Ohka are available, according to the Toronto Sun. The Jays will pick up some salary, too. The Sun's Bob Elliott dogs Ricciardi for not giving Jeff Suppan the four year, $42MM he got from Milwaukee. I think Ricciardi made the right decision there - instead of owing Suppan $12.5MM in 2010, he can already get off the hook for Ohka and John Thomson. Suppan wouldn't have a 2.54 ERA right now had he been pitching in the AL East. Aside from the 1-2 punch of Halladay..   Continue Reading

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Blue Jays Sign Tomo Ohka

UPDATE: The Blue Jays signed Ohka to a one-year deal with incentives. He's guaranteed $1.5MM and can double it by reaching incentives. The Washington Post reports that Tomo Ohka will likely decide on a team today or tomorrow. The Nats are unlikely, and he's leaning towards Toronto. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Ohka now only wants a one-year deal. Looks like he couldn't get three years so he'd rather re-enter the market in '08 after a hopefully solid year. The Pirates are definitely out of the running. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review mentions that the Mets are still in on Ohka...   Continue Reading

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Latest On Ohka

Ah, the Tomo Ohka saga. What could be more exciting in late January? Football just can't compete. The Pirates have "escalated efforts" to snag the righthander, which I suppose means an increased offer. An Ohka signing for the Bucs would probably push Shawn Chacon out of the rotation, never a bad idea. The Nats, Blue Jays, and...wait for it...a mystery team are the contenders for Ohka. My guess is that Ohka wants a Jason Marquis type deal   Continue Reading

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Ohka Could Sign Soon

The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo reports that Tomo Ohka could decide this weekend whether to pitch for the Nationals, Pirates, or Blue Jays. The Bucs are also working on Brian Lawrence, so they'd probably only sign one of the two. I wonder what happened to the Mets, and whether Ohka is still holding out for a three-year deal. You can read my full profile of the 30 year-old righty here   Continue Reading

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