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Archives for January 2009

Fogg Mulling Rockies Offer

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According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, free agent starter Josh Fogg has an invitation to rejoin the Rockies on a deal similar to Matt Belisle’s minor league pact.  Fogg would face significant competition for a job with the big league club, so he’s waiting to see if anything better surfaces.  Renck notes that Belisle has an April out clause, which is not something the Rockies hand out lightly.

Renck adds that the Rox will watch Kris Benson throw Saturday but are unlikely to sign him.  Ken Rosenthal said yesterday the Dodgers, Rangers, Padres, and D’Backs will also be in attendance.  The Indians and Cardinals too, says Thomas Harding.

Rosenthal On Perez, Manny, Pirates

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Another new column from the hard-working Ken Rosenthal.

  • Rosenthal doesn’t believe that the market for Oliver Perez is limited to the Mets; it’s more that they’re the only interested team we know about.  Two teams we can cross off are the Rangers and Cubs.  The Mets want to do three years for Perez while Scott Boras wants five.  The Mets’ plan is to sign one of Perez, Randy Wolf, or Ben Sheets and then add a cheaper arm like Freddy Garcia.
  • Rosenthal believes the Giants could justify signing Manny Ramirez as an attempt to "max out" while they still have Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum (they have Cain through 2011, Lincecum through 2013).
  • Rosenthal notes that free agents who accept offers of arbitration do not have guaranteed contracts.  However, players such as Orlando Cabrera and Jason Varitek would’ve had to be released for clear baseball reasons, not to save money.  Otherwise the teams would be in hot water with the Players Association.
  • Rosenthal notes that Scott Boras has worked out two-year deals covering arbitration years for past clients such as Matt Holliday and Mark Teixeira, so the current Prince Fielder talks don’t signify a change.
  • The Pirates have no need to shed payroll.

Tigers Not Showing Interest In Joe Beimel

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According to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com, the Tigers are not showing any interest in free agent left-hander Joe Beimel.

"Detroit’s absence of communication since the winter meetings (six weeks ago in Las Vegas) leads me to believe they are not interested," Beimel’s agent, Joe Sroba, said Wednesday.

The Tigers claim to be in the hunt for quality arms, so it’s a bit strange that they aren’t tyring to contact a guy like Beimel.  He was 5-1 with a 2.02 ERA for the Dodgers last season and proved to be more than a lefty specialist after holding right-handed hitters to a .263 batting average in 95 encounters.  Lefties hit .278 against him over 90 at-bats.

Tigers Not Done Dealing

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9:16pm: Lynn Henning of The Detroit News has provided us some relevant quotes from Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski.  He’s optimistic that his club will be able to add some arms this offseason.

"Sometimes you go after high-profile guys, and sometimes you try and get not-so-high-profile guys," Dombrowski said Wednesday. We’ve been trying to do both… I don’t think there’s a dominant-type guy out there.  No Joe Nathans or K-Rods. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we added a couple of guys."

6:02pm: Tigers manager Jim Leyland told Tom Gage of the Detroit News Wednesday that his club is not done seeking bullpen help.

"I don’t think we’re done tinkering with the bullpen yet," said Leyland.  "I think people might be surprised by what happens before spring training or during spring training.  We’ll get some things done that will upgrade our club. We’re not done yet."

As it stands, Fernando Rodney appears to be the team’s strongest ninth-inning option.  Brandon Lyon, Chad Cordero, Joe Borowski, Jason Isringhausen and Luis Ayala are among the remaning free agent pitchers with closing experience.

Vizquel, Melhuse Sign With Rangers

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8:29pm: T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com is reporting that the Rangers have also signed catcher Adam Melhuse to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

6:19pm: Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Rangers have signed Omar Vizquel to a minor league contract.

Vizquel, 41, hit .222/.283/.267 with 23 RBI in 92 games for the Giants last season.  He will be invited to spring training and given a chance to make the roster as a utility infielder and backup to rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus.

Yanks, Mets Vying For Freddy Garcia

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FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal was told by a major league source that the Mets and Yankees are the leading contenders for free agent right-hander Freddy Garcia.

Garcia has, according to the source, "pretty much narrowed it down" to the New York teams.  The 33-year-old is 118-77 lifetime with a 4.07 ERA, but has pitched just 73 innings over the past two seasons.  He is thought to be looking for a major league contract.

Diamondbacks, Rangers Interested In Jennings

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According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Diamondbacks have interest in free agent right-hander Jason Jennings.

The D-Backs have an offer out to Braden Looper, but if that falls through Jennings could be next on the list.  Jennings last pitched effectively in 2006, when he finished 9-13 with a 3.78 ERA.  He lasted just 27 1/3 innings last season.  Renck claims the Rangers have also expressed serious interest.

Uggla Unlikely To Be Traded

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Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post spoke with Marlins team president David Samson on Wednesday.  Samson implied that Dan Uggla probably won’t be traded this offseason.

"Everyone is on the trading block, but some players are more likely than others to get traded and I would certainly put (Uggla) in the less-likely (category) as we speak today," Samson said.

Uggla will recieve either $5.35 million or $4.4 million when an arbitrator decides his fate next month. "Dan Uggla is a very important part of our team. He is being compensated as one of the top first-time eligible position players in history," Samson added.

Papelbon Not Anxious For Long-Term Deal

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As reported by Art Martone of the Providence Journal, Jonathan Papelbon said during a radio appearance Wednesay night that he enjoys "rolling the dice" from year to year and is not yet concerned about negotiating a multi-year extension.

"You have to weigh so many different things [in negotiating a long-term contract], and it’s so hard to put it in perspective," Papeblon said.  If he can keep up his current rate of production, he’ll continue pulling in big checks in the offseason.  The Red Sox shelled out $6.25MM Tuesday to avoid an arbitration hearing.

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