Rays To Sign Joe Maddon To Three-Year Extension
3:56pm: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says the Rays and Maddon have agreed to a three-year extension, to be announced soon.
10:54am: According to MLB.com's Noah Coslov, the Rays are discussing a multiyear extension with manager Joe Maddon. Coslov says Maddon is on good terms with Executive VP of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and the talks shouldn't linger much longer. Ken Rosenthal wondered what the Rays are waiting for, in his column yesterday.
Athletics Claim Craig Breslow
According to La Velle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the A's claimed lefty reliever Craig Breslow off waivers from the Twins. The Twins called up Anthony Swarzak in his place. Breslow, a 28 year-old Yale alum, posted a 6.28 ERA in 14.3 innings this year. Last year, though, he posted a 1.91 mark in 47 innings.
Swarzak, a righthanded starter, ranks as the Twins' 6th-best prospect according to Baseball America. BA says he has a plus fastball and curveball.
Odds & Ends: Bray, Fox, Manny, Crow
Links for Wednesday…
- Today's chat will be at 3pm CST.
- According to Andy Martino, the Phillies claimed righty Steven Register off waivers from the Rockies today and sent him to Triple A.
- Reds reliever Bill Bray will miss the rest of the season due to Tommy John surgery, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon yesterday.
- Dave Cameron at FanGraphs says Jake Fox belongs in the Majors, given his ridiculous Triple A numbers (.431/.513/.954 in 130 ABs with 17 HR and 50 RBI). The Cubs, though, are already trying to find ways to get Micah Hoffpauir into the lineup.
- ESPN's Buster Olney pictures what would've unfolded if Manny Ramirez hadn't used PEDs.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle on the Noah Lowry situation.
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe speculates on possible moves for the Red Sox.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis says Nationals GM Mike Rizzo has been talking to Randy Hendricks about getting Aaron Crow's consent in the event the Nationals want to draft him again.
Heyman On Mets, Trades, Billingsley
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman wonders why the Mets aren't giving Daniel Murphy a chance as their regular first baseman. He names trade possibilities, in order of likelihood: Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff, Russell Branyan, Victor Martinez/Mark DeRosa, and Garrett Atkins.
- Heyman names 22 players who might hit the trading block this summer, headed by Jake Peavy, Matt Holliday, and Erik Bedard. The A's could potentially have a lot of veterans to spin off.
- Heyman says "the Dodgers briefly tried to lock up Chad Billingsley this winter, and probably wish they had." Billingsley will be eligible for arbitration for the first time after this season, so his salary figures to jump up past $4MM.
MLBTR Social Networking
Aside from visiting MLBTradeRumors.com, there are several ways to get your MLBTR fix.
- Become a fan of MLB Trade Rumors on Facebook.
- Follow @mlbtraderumors on Twitter.
- Sign up for the RSS feed.
- Check MLBTR on your cell phone.
Indians Fielding Offers For Mark DeRosa
According to SI's Jon Heyman, the Indians are now fielding offers for infielder Mark DeRosa. DeRosa, 34, is hitting .242/.312/.412 on the season in 170 plate appearances as the Tribe's third baseman. He has about $4.15MM left on his contract.
Heyman says the Indians "are looking mainly for pitchers who can help them now." Heyman believes DeRosa is below Nick Johnson, Aubrey Huff, and Russell Branyan on the Mets' wish list. What other teams would make sense – the Braves, Cubs, Brewers, or Cardinals perhaps? You can discuss it in the comments here, and also head over to our Facebook fan page and jump into that discussion.
Over at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Paul Hoynes says Indians GM Mark Shapiro "is talking to general managers, but it's not about subtracting players in preparation for next year."
Nick Johnson Rumors
The Nationals' injury-prone first baseman, Nick Johnson, is off to a .333/.432/.468 start in 169 plate appearances. He hasn't played a full season since '06, so it might make sense for GM Mike Rizzo to trade him while he's healthy and hitting. Johnson has about $4.2MM left on his contract.
On Saturday, ESPN's Peter Gammons wrote:
The Nationals have let it be known that Nick Johnson is available, but Boston won't trade Clay Buchholz.
I think MLB.com's Bill Ladson was responding to that Gammons sentence when he wrote today:
Nationals first baseman Nick Johnson has been mentioned in trade rumors of late. The Red Sox are said to be scouting Johnson, but the truth is, according to a baseball source, Washington and Boston haven't talked since April.
Ladson goes on to say that the Nationals would want a pitching prospect in a Johnson trade, and the player had kind words for the Red Sox.
How about the Giants, who are 14th in the NL with 3.97 runs scored per game and have gotten a .228/.275/.272 line out of first basemen Travis Ishikawa and Rich Aurilia? Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says "I heard Nick Johnson's name on the lips of more than one uniformed person Tuesday." Aurilia might be on the way out, but to make room for Jesus Guzman.
The Mets are another team often speculated as a suitor for Johnson. GM Omar Minaya will stay in-house for now for Carlos Delgado's replacement, but maybe he'll make a deal if Delgado has a setback.
Melvin On Second Base Situation
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Brewers GM Doug Melvin about the team's second base situation. Rickie Weeks is out for the season with wrist surgery, but Melvin is not interested in the three free agent second basemen: Ray Durham, Mark Grudzielanek, and Damion Easley. Durham's agent called Melvin, saying his client would need a while to get ready. Melvin decided not to pursue Durham, who played for the Brewers last year. Easley's agent also reached out to no avail, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
There have been no trade talks, either. Instead, the Brewers will mix and match with internal options at second base and go back to Weeks next year.
Keith Foulke Attempting Comeback
Stan Grossfeld of the Boston Globe talked extensively with Keith Foulke, who currently closes for the Newark Bears. It's an amusing read.
Foulke hopes the independent league stint is a springboard back to the bigs:
"I'm not hoping to lead the Atlantic League in saves. I hope the phone rings today and it's the Diamondbacks and I can pack my stuff and get out of here. Any big league city is better than being here. I'd even play for the Yankees. I still think I have something to offer."
Grossfeld talked to a couple of scouts who gave Foulke mixed reviews, but he does have an 0.75 ERA in 12 innings with seven saves. Other members of the Bears' pitching staff include Armando Benitez, Bobby Brownlie, Ryan Bukvich, Shawn Chacon, and Aaron Fultz.
You may recall that Foulke walked away from $5MM from the Indians in 2007, choosing to retire due to injuries. Foulke commented on Curt Schilling, who was paid $8MM last year without pitching for the Red Sox: "He's got to wake up and look himself in the mirror every day." Grossfeld adds that Foulke hinted the A's did not pitch him in September last year due to his incentive-laden contract.
Alex Cintron Designated For Assignment
According to Pete McElroy of MASN, the Nationals designated infielder Alex Cintron for assignment. Cintron, 30, had two hits and two walks in 28 plate appearances. The Nats also placed Elijah Dukes on the DL, clearing the way for call-ups of Justin Maxwell and Jason Bergmann. The Nationals are going with an eight-man bullpen.