Archives for August 2009

Mets Deny Sheffield’s Request For Extension

By Brian Shephard | August 21, 2009 at 9:10am CDT

FRIDAY, 9:10am: Sherman reports that Sheffield demanded to be released or traded to the Marlins.

THURSDAY, 8:48pm: SI's Jon Heyman reports, via Twitter, that the Giants were the team that claimed Sheffield on waivers earlier this month.

6:23pm: David Lennon at Newsday reminds us that earlier this month, the Mets placed Sheff on waivers, but pulled him back when he was claimed. This means he cannot be traded; the Mets could release him or place him on irrevocable waivers and lose him if he is claimed.

5:57pm: Via Twitter, Sherman cites a Mets official who says that "Sheffield has not been released."

5:47pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post is reporting that Gary Sheffield and the Mets are at odds about his contract situation. Sherman cites "two sources" who say that Sheffield asked the team for a contract extension and was denied. The sources say he is now threatening to leave the team.

The two parties are now in discussions, according to Sherman, and the release of the aging outfielder is "a possibility." Sheffield was pulled from the roster for tonight's game, but Jerry Manuel said he pulled himself "to clear his head."

Odds And Ends: Zambrano, Sheffield, Rockies

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 21, 2009 at 9:06am CDT

Links for the morning…

Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times believes the Cubs need Carlos Zambrano, even if he hasn't endeared himself to everyone.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post suspects that baseball is about to retire Gary Sheffield. After all, it will be hard for a "41-year-old, oft-injured malcontent" to find work.
Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle looks at the Rockies and sees a team without glaring weaknesses.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times lists the best and worst free agent signings the Cubs have made since 2000.
Sure, the Yankees and Red Sox are big spenders, but, as this Boston Globe piece shows, they develop lots of talent, too.

Red Sox Release Chris Duncan

By Tim Dierkes | August 20, 2009 at 11:24pm CDT

The Red Sox released outfielder Chris Duncan, according to Dan Barbarisi of the Providence Journal. Duncan came to the Red Sox from St. Louis in the July 22nd swap for shortstop Julio Lugo. Duncan, 28, hit just .188/.255/.294 in 92 Triple A plate appearances for the Sox. Meanwhile Lugo has flourished with a .319/.367/.528 line in 81 plate appearances for St. Louis (with Boston paying the freight). Keep in mind that the Red Sox are also set to receive a player to be named later or cash as part of the trade.

Duncan crushed right-handed pitching in 2006-07, but has been derailed by injuries since.

Odds & Ends: Padilla, Riggleman, Cabrera, Twins

By Brian Shephard | August 20, 2009 at 10:08pm CDT

Some links to wrap up your Thursday night…

Scott Miller of CBSSports.com notes that Vicente Padilla brings hefty baggage with him to Los Angeles. He points out that the circumstances are similar to the arrival of one Manny Ramirez last year.
The Nationals will conduct a search for a permanent manager in the offseason, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Jim Riggleman, the interim manager, will be a candidate for the job.
R.J. Anderson at FanGraphs discusses the success of of Everth Cabrera, whom the Padres swiped from the division-rival Rockies in the Rule V Draft.
And the Twins signed a German player with a family background in ballet, according to John W. Miller of the Wall Street Journal.

Padres Take Cash For Gaudin

By Brian Shephard | August 20, 2009 at 8:39pm CDT

Corey Brock at MLB.com reports that the Padres will receive cash in return for pitcher Chad Gaudin, who was traded to the Yankees August 7. The sum the Padres will receive is "believed to be" $100,000, according to Brock.

The deal was initially reported to be for a player to be named later. As it turns out, the Padres had until September 1 to decide between a PTBNL and cash considerations.

Odds & Ends: Rizzo, A’s, Draft, Williams

By Brian Shephard | August 20, 2009 at 7:10pm CDT

Some tidbits from around the league on Thursday evening…

ESPN's Peter Gammons outlines the methods Nationals GM Mike Rizzo used to land Stephen Strasburg. He also discusses the long road Rizzo has ahead of him.
MLB.com's Mychael Urban writes that the Athletics are enjoying success despite trading Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera.
Dave Cameron at Fangraphs argues that the draft should be "abolished" and offers a creative suggestion for how to replace it.
MLB.com's Scott Merkin talks to White Sox GM Kenny Williams, who is happy with the team he has constructed. In fact, Williams says that he "would love to bring back this whole darn team."

Padres Send Patterson to Athletics

By Brian Shephard | August 20, 2009 at 6:17pm CDT

According to Corey Brock of MLB.com, via Twitter, the Padres are sending reliever Scott Patterson to the A's for cash. Patterson, who turned 30 this year, was pitching for the Padres AAA affiliate. He pitched 4.2 innings for the Yankees and the Padres last year.

Brock also notes that the Padres have signed reliever Rocky Cherry and sent him to Portland. Cherry most recently pitched in the Red Sox minor league system.

Mets Release Livan Hernandez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 20, 2009 at 4:36pm CDT

4:36pm: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse suggests via Twitter that the Mets could save as much as $550k by releasing Hernandez, presumably because they won't have to pay him incentives.

3:02pm: The Mets released Livan Hernandez to make room for Billy Wagner, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. Hernandez signed with the Mets last offseason for $1MM plus incentives, and took the hill 23 times this year. His numbers aren't impressive, but they're not much different than expected; in 135 innings he allowed 164 hits and walked 51, striking out 75 batters.

Odds And Ends: Garcia, Astros, Reds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 20, 2009 at 3:43pm CDT

Stark On Wagner, Padres, Crawford

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 20, 2009 at 2:56pm CDT

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark shows that a number of contenders have vulnerable-looking closers. The Cubs and Phillies two of many teams with shaky arms at the back of the 'pen. Here are the details and the rest of Stark's rumors:

At least one scout believes John Smoltz would have been the perfect arm for the Marlins to add to their 'pen.
However, clubs pursuing Smoltz heard that he wanted to start, at least for now.
A scout who watched Billy Wagner throw has "no doubt" that Wagner could help a team win. The Rays and Marlins are thought to have interest in Wagner, but neither team would be likely to give up much of a prospect unless the Mets picked up salary.
Stark hears that the Padres pulled Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez back off waivers after multiple teams claimed them.
Mark Hendrickson cleared waivers, and can now be traded to any team. The Rockies were interested before the deadline, but they may decide to see where the Billy Wagner bidding goes before pursuing Hendrickson again.
One rival GM considers the Cards "the best team in the league right now."
The Royals don't seem interested in trading their top pitchers. They pulled Brian Bannister back from waivers and though Joakim Soria and Gil Meche are on waivers now, they aren't likely to be dealt.
Clubs eyeing Carl Crawford believe the Rays are becoming less likely to deal him. Desmond Jennings could become the Rays' left fielder, but they'd probably have to be overwhelmed to part with Crawford.
It's possible that Jamie Moyer could draw interest as a trade candidate after the season.
One AL exec isn't sure Bryce Harper's the guarantee people perceive him to be.
Stark points out that the Astros traded Ivan Rodriguez just as his incentives were about to start kicking in.
An official of a team that inquired about Stephen Strasburg before the draft says that Scott Boras invoked Daisuke Matsuzaka's name without specifically saying he wanted $50MM for his client.

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