Archives for February 2009

Ben Sheets To Have Elbow Surgery

By Tim Dierkes | February 5, 2009 at 3:39pm CDT

3:39pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman talked to Sheets’ agent Casey Close, who said his client will have elbow surgery. Sheets hopes for a July or August return. Tom Haudricourt says Sheets expects the Brewers to pay for the procedure.

1:56pm: ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the surgery Sheets is considering has a standard 9-10 month recovery time, jeopardizing his 2009 season. Stark adds that "some teams that had pursued Sheets this winter seemed to be more concerned about his shoulder than his elbow."

Ken Rosenthal says Sheets is "seriously considering" surgery, with the goal of pitching in the second half.

12:45pm: According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and T.R. Sullivan, Ben Sheets has a torn flexor tendon in his elbow that might require surgery. There is some debate as to whether the Brewers would have to pay for the procedure. The Rangers and Sheets agreed to a two-year deal last week, but the physical threw a wrench into it. GM Jon Daniels says he’s not optimistic at this point.

The injury first surfaced late in the ’08 season, but until Sheets’ physical with the Rangers it was thought that rehab would be sufficient. As many readers have pointed out, if Sheets has surgery and signs after the June draft he’ll no longer cost a draft pick to sign.

Reds Sign Jacque Jones, Daryle Ward

By Tim Dierkes | February 5, 2009 at 2:28pm CDT

According to Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News, the Reds signed Jacque Jones and Daryle Ward to minor league deals today.

Jones, 34 in April, hit .147/.239/.207 in 134 plate appearances for the Tigers and Marlins last year. Jones played winter ball and had laser eye surgery this winter. Troy Renck says he’ll get $600K and an April out clause.

Ward, 33, hit .216/.319/.402 in 119 plate appearances for the Cubs last year. He missed time with a herniated disc.

Heyman On Andruw, Pedro, Crede, Grudz

By Tim Dierkes | February 5, 2009 at 2:11pm CDT

The latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman…

The Yankees offered a minor league deal to Andruw Jones, which he turned down. Other teams "thought to have interest": the Rangers, Phillies, Braves, and Mets.
Heyman thinks Pedro Martinez makes a lot of sense for the Dodgers. However, Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times learned from Ned Colletti on January 6th that the Dodgers weren’t among the teams pursuing Pedro.
Jason Varitek’s camp (ie, Scott Boras) apparently has no regrets about rejecting arbitration since it wouldn’t have been a guaranteed contract.
Chad Cordero’s next showcase is scheduled for February 19th.
Heyman has the Twins as favorites over the Giants to sign Joe Crede. More on Crede here.
Heyman says the Yankees feel they’re more likely to find a deal for Nick Swisher than Xavier Nady.
Add Mark Grudzielanek to the list of right-handed hitters the Phillies are considering (Nomar Garciaparra, Rich Aurilia, and Moises Alou being the others).

Odds and Ends: Sisco, Murton, Thigpen

By Tim Dierkes | February 5, 2009 at 12:31pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

Lot of people tossing around the number of unsigned free agents…I have it at about 80, at least if we draw the line at players that are remotely useful. Here’s my list.
Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues would like to see the Yankees sign Mark Grudzielanek.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says the A’s will attend Andy Sisco’s Friday workout.
Scott Miller of CBSSports.com takes a stab at the All-Free Agent team.
The Rockies did not acquire Matt Murton as a precursor to another deal, Troy Renck learned.
The Blue Jays designated catcher Curtis Thigpen for assignment to make room for Brian Burres.
Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star shows that MLB has done a nice job of keeping player salaries at 40-45% of the game’s revenue in recent years (as opposed to 62% in the NFL).
RotoAuthority looks at how you can combine a Rich Harden type with a Randy Wolf type to create a top ten fantasy baseball starting pitcher.

Mets, Phillies Interested In Will Ohman

By Tim Dierkes | February 5, 2009 at 10:57am CDT

According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, Mets GM Omar Minaya contacted Will Ohman’s agent Page Odle for the first time this winter. Crasnick says the Mets hope to jump in and get a bargain on the lefty reliever.

Additionally, Crasnick counters the Ken Rosenthal report that the Phillies decided not to pursue Ohman. The Phillies are still talking to Odle about Ohman, but don’t have much more than $1MM to spend unless they move a contract.

Rockies Out On Beimel, Looper?

By | February 5, 2009 at 10:06am CDT

THURSDAY, 10:06am: Despite O’Dowd’s comments, Renck says Beimel remains interested in joining the Rockies. However, Beimel doesn’t think much of the Rockies’ offer.

WEDNESDAY, 7:47pm: According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Rockies are no longer pursuing free agent left-hander Joe Beimel.

"We maintained contact with his agent, and our desire was there, but I believe he’s going in a different direction so there’s no reason to keep calling," said GM Dan O’Dowd. Beimel has drawn interest recently from the Diamondbacks, Tigers and Phillies.

O’Dowd also told Renck that the club has not reopened talks with free agent starter Braden Looper. He has recieved interest from the Orioles, but would reportedly prefer to stay in the National League.

Blue Jays, Brian Tallet Avoid Arbitration

By Tim Dierkes | February 5, 2009 at 9:56am CDT

According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Blue Jays avoided arbitration with reliever Brian Tallet by signing him at $1.015MM for ’09. Tallet, 31, held lefties to a .257/.327/.327 line in 2008.

In other lefty reliever news, MLBTR has learned that George Sherrill will agree to terms with the Orioles today or tomorrow. Sherrill had submitted at $3.4MM while the Orioles countered at $2.2MM.

Jays, Kevin Millar Close To Deal

By Tim Dierkes | February 5, 2009 at 8:52am CDT

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, first baseman Kevin Millar is "almost certain" to sign a minor league deal with the Blue Jays today or tomorrow. The Mets, Yankees, Nationals, and Rangers had also been in on Millar. Rich Aurilia has been recommended for the Mets by several writers, but Joel Sherman of the New York Post learned they’ve yet to make contact with his agent.

Millar, 37, hit .234/.323/.394 in 610 plate appearances last year.

Dodgers Resume Talks With Randy Wolf

By | February 4, 2009 at 9:58pm CDT

According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, the Dodgers resumed negotiations with the representatives for free agent Randy Wolf on Wednesday evening.

Ken Rosenthal said Tuesday that Wolf "should be theirs by the end of the week." The Orioles have also shown interest, but are currently engaged in talks with Braden Looper. Wolf, 32, went 12-12 with a 4.30 earned run average last year. He has a 4.26 career ERA.

Manny Ramirez Rumors: Wednesday

By Tim Dierkes | February 4, 2009 at 9:55pm CDT

9:46pm: Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports that Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti spoke by phone Wednesday. As Stark writes, "There were no indications the two sides made any significant progress toward resolving their differences. But they did agree to stay in touch over the next several days."

6:55pm: Giants manager Bruce Bochy appeared on XM Radio’s Home Plate program Wednesday afternoon. Manny was discussed:

The host, Lee Hamilton, asked Bochy whether the Giants are in on Ramirez. His response: "Well, I’ll say this, he is a free agent, Lee. There have been talks."

"I can’t quantify how much of a player, but this guy no question a tremendous player. Impacts the game, very few players can, it’s got to be the right thing. This is a business, you understand, that as a manager my job is to manage the players. Whatever ownership can do, which they done a lot already, I’ve got to be thankful for what we’ve done. Acquiring [Randy] Johnson, relievers, [Edgar] Renteria, but as long he [Ramirez] is still out there, you never know."

9:29am: We start out today’s Manny Ramirez rumors with a Scott Boras quote obtained by Yahoo’s Tim Brown, which apparently refers to the Dodgers:

"What I do know, you better watch out when you’re playing chicken."

Meanwhile, Buster Olney wonders if Manny, not Boras, is behind the holdout.

Need a refresher on all the recent developments in this saga? Check out our Manny archive.

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