More From Torii Hunter
On Sunday, Phil Miller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press had this to say about Torii Hunter:
The longtime Twin grows so sentimental about his former home whenever he’s in Minneapolis, he told Jim Rantz, the franchise’s director of minor leagues, that he would like to finish his career with the Twins. But not until his five-year, $90 million contract with the Angels runs out, of course. "He said, 'I'll come off the bench and pinch-hit,’'" manager Ron Gardenhire said of the 33-year-old center fielder. "He said, 'Save me a spot.’'"
Gardenhire added that "we'll probably work something out" if Hunter is looking for a job after the 2012 season.
Hunter was questioned about his comments by Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. Here's what he had to say:
"They asked me, and I said, 'Why not?' That was the place I grew up with, so why not consider that? But at the same time, I'm home. I'm having fun here. That's a long way away. I don't know where my career will take me."
Phillies Sign David Newhan
According to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Daily News, the Phillies signed David Newhan as a player-coach for their Triple A club. Newhan was released by the Astros on March 29th given their desire for a bench player who could play shortstop. The 35 year-old hit .260/.297/.404 in 111 plate appearances last year for Houston.
Miguel Cabrera Staying Put
Talking to MLB.com's Jason Beck, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski moved quickly tonight to shoot down recent ESPN speculation that first baseman Miguel Cabrera could be traded. Said Dombrowski:
"I think it's absurd, absolutely absurd. We have no interest in trading Miguel Cabrera. We have had no talks regarding Miguel Cabrera. Not only is it one of the last things we would ever consider, we have an owner [Mike Ilitch] who wouldn't do it. This is our core player who's our foundation."
Given that the Tigers signed Cabrera to an eight-year, $152.3MM extension just one year ago, it didn't make sense that they'd change their mind so quickly on their investment. Cabrera is only 26 and seems headed for an MVP-type year.
Angels Contact Pedro, Byrd, Mulder
According to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times, the Angels are now looking outside the organization for pitching help. GM Tony Reagins acknowledged contacting the agents for Pedro Martinez, Paul Byrd, and Mark Mulder. DiGiovanna says nothing is imminent. Reagins may also be considering trades.
Each of the three free agent pitchers has an issue - with Pedro it's price, Byrd it's desire, and Mulder it's health. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote Sunday that Mulder believes he can be ready two weeks after signing, with the Nationals, A's, and Dodgers extremely interested.
The best reinforcements figure to come internally – DiGiovanna says John Lackey and Ervin Santana may begin minor league rehab assignments this week.
Odds & Ends: Nady, Doumit, Boyer
Links for Tuesday…
- SI.com's Jon Heyman says Xavier Nady will not require elbow surgery and may return within a month.
- Bad news for the Pirates: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says catcher Ryan Doumit will likely miss 8-10 weeks due to wrist surgery.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says Matt Murton belongs in the Majors.
- Wallace Matthews and Ken Davidoff of Newsday each write about Jason Giambi's time in New York.
- With news that Demetri Martin will play Paul DePodesta in the Moneyball movie, Jon Weisman says not to judge the film before watching it. Personally I am looking forward to the movie. Martin is hilarious and Brad Pitt can be very good (12 Monkeys being the best example).
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders why the Mets paid Fernando Tatis $1.7MM if they weren't committed to using him.
- Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has quotes from Cardinals GM John Mozeliak about the Brian Barton–Blaine Boyer swap.
- Via NPB Tracker, a comeback for Hideki Irabu?
- RotoAuthority looks at Geovany Soto's slow start.
Mike MacDougal Designated For Assignment
According to WSCR 670 out of Chicago, White Sox reliever Mike MacDougal was designated for assignment to make room for Jack Egbert. MacDougal surprisingly broke camp with the Sox, but he's had a rough go of it in five appearances. He's still owed $3MM from the extension signed in December of '06.
Philip Humber Clears Waivers
According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Philip Humber cleared waivers and will report to Triple A. The Twins had designated him for assignment to make room for Juan Morillo. Turns out they get to keep Humber too, as the other 29 teams passed.
2010 Options: Boston Red Sox
Today let's take a look at the 2010 options facing the Red Sox.
- Josh Beckett – $12MM club option with a $2MM buyout. This option vests if Beckett makes 25 more starts this year. Barring a major injury, Beckett figures to remain with the Sox.
- Jason Varitek – $5MM club option or $3MM player option. Player option allows for $2MM in performance bonuses. My guess is that Varitek will perform well enough to cause the Sox to exercise their option. They were willing to risk paying him around $9MM if he'd accepted their December offer of arbitration.
- Tim Wakefield – $4MM club option. There will probably come a time when the knuckler is no longer worth this price. But there's no sign that time is now.
- Takashi Saito – Club option equal to 2009 earnings ($2.5MM+). Saito appears healthy, but on the other hand he'll turn 40 in February of 2010. This one could go either way.
Rosenthal On Edmonds, Cooper, Angels
The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- Jim Edmonds still wants to play in 2009. Rosenthal learned from his agent that the outfielder intensified his workouts recently. It still may take him up to three weeks to be game-ready.
- Rosenthal finds the Astros' decision to exercise Cecil Cooper's 2010 option questionable. Rosenthal had wondered earlier in the week if Cooper might be the first manager fired. While we're on the topic, Ron Washington's job in Texas does not seem to be in jeopardy according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
- Rosenthal notes that calling up Derek Holland now instead of letting him break camp with the Rangers will delay his free agency by a year. The Rangers were willing to make that sacrifice with Elvis Andrus (assuming he's not demoted in the future).
- The Angels could consider several recently-designated pitchers: Steven Shell, Wil Ledezma, Darren O'Day, Nelson Figueroa, and Philip Humber.
Padres Acquire Chris Burke
8:31pm: Dan Hayes of the North County Times says the Padres have arranged to reacquire Chris Burke. The Padres signed Burke to a minor league deal this offseason but traded him to Seattle on March 25th. MLB.com's Corey Brock has the story as well.
1:37pm: According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres rookie shortstop Everth Cabrera may be out for two months due to a hand injury suffered Sunday. The Padres snagged Cabrera from the Rockies in the Rule 5 draft back in December.
Krasovic talked to Padres GM Kevin Towers, who "said he probably will look outside of the organization for a shortstop." The current starter for San Diego is Luis Rodriguez.
So who's available? Reader Chris F. suggested Oakland's Bobby Crosby. I imagine that would require the A's eating most of his $5.25MM salary. I'd expect something lower profile, like Angel Berroa or Luis Rivas.