Durham Without Offers, Could Retire
According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, Ray Durham hasn’t received a single offer this offseason and he’s considering retirement. Durham says there’s a 50-50 chance he’ll retire, but he’d like to play in 2009.
The Cardinals phoned to see if Durham would consider backing up Adam Kennedy, but other teams haven’t expressed interest.
Durham, 37, had a .380 OBP last year with the Giants. Check out the article for comments by Durham about his experience in this year’s unusual market.
Phillies Rumors: Nomar, Howard, Andruw
Kevin Roberts of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a few Phillies rumors:
- GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says it’s "very likely" the Phillies will not make any more additions.
- The Phillies have inquired on "almost every righthanded bat on the market." They’ve considerd Rich Aurilia, Nomar Garciaparra, Moises Alou and Mark Grudzielanek.
- Amaro’s targeting Nomar.
- Roberts agrees with Jon Heyman that the Phillies gave Andruw Jones a "tepid look."
- However, they’re in no hurry to bring in a righty bench bat and could take their time adding one.
- The $4MM gap between the Phillies’ arbitration offer to Ryan Howard and his demand will influence how much the Phillies can spend. Amaro called Howard’s case "the elephant in the middle of the room."
A-Rod’s Contract Stands, Steroids Or Not
According to Selena Roberts and David Epstein of Sports Illustrated, "Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids" in 2003. Rodriguez did not comment, but Roberts and Epstein say they confirmed his alleged steroid use with four independent sources. Rodriguez was reportedly one of 104 players to test positive for PEDs in 2003.
However, steroid use doesn’t impact A-Rod’s contract.
"Two sources familiar with Rodriguez’s contract told SI there is no language about steroids in the contract that would put Rodriguez at risk of losing money."
Blue Jays Avoid Arb With Shawn Camp
According to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, the Blue Jays have agreed to $750K deal with Shawn Camp for 2009. The agreement gives the Blue Jays 12 straight years without an arbitration hearing.
Camp had originally requested $950K; the Blue Jays countered with $700K. He pitched to a 4.12 ERA in 40 appearances last year.
Angels Interested In Abreu, Dunn
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, major league sources say the Angels have spoken to Bobby Abreu‘s agent and have expressed interest in Adam Dunn. When Rosenthal asked Angels GM Tony Reagins about the club’s interest in the two players, Reagins said "If something makes sense for us, we’d look at it."
After losing Mark Teixeira to the Yankees, the Angels could use high OBP players like Dunn and Abreu, especially on one year deals. Vladimir Guerrero, Juan Rivera and Torii Hunter are the current Angels outfielders, and Gary Matthews Jr. is slotted in as DH.
Reagins has said the Angels will not be in on Manny Ramirez.
Rangers Sign Jason Jennings
10:54pm: Renck says Jennings can make $1.45MM in incentives for innings pitched, on top of his $800K base salary.
9:07am: According to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post, the Rangers signed pitcher Jason Jennings to a minor league deal.
Jennings was a bust after the Astros acquired him for the ’07 season; he had surgery for a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in August of that year. Sound familiar? It’s the same injury Ben Sheets has. Jennings was still able to get $4MM guaranteed from the Rangers before the ’08 season, reminding us how drastically the market has changed in one year. Jennings had another flexor tendon surgery in May of ’08 (the first surgery "didn’t take.") MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan notes that the Rangers had interest in Odalis Perez before he re-signed with the Nationals. In a blog post, Sullivan looks at some other flexor tendon cases, with Andy Pettitte being the best one.
Diamondbacks Sign Tom Gordon
10:51pm: As he often does, Troy Renck of the Denver Post comes through with contract details. Gordon’s incentives are based on the number of days he spends on the active roster.
3:19pm: According to John Gambadoro of KTAR Radio, the Diamondbacks signed reliever Tom Gordon to a one-year deal worth $500K guaranteed. With incentives, Flash could earn up to $2.5MM. Gordon, 41, had ulnar nerve decompression surgery in October. A solid, low-risk acquisition by Arizona.
Braves Offer Contract To Glavine
10:11pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman writes that both "sides are expected to keep talking through the weekend." GM Frank Wren had lunch recently with Glavine, who’s expected to be ready for the start of the season after undergoing elbow and shoulder surgeries in August.
7:22pm: According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the Braves have offered Tom Glavine a one-year contract worth between $1MM and $2MM.
GM Frank Wren apparently made the offer earlier this week. But, as Bowman writes, "with no incentive clauses included, it currently stands as an offer Glavine is hesitant to accept." The 42-year-old left-hander hasn’t said yet whether he’d be willing to pitch in a place other than Atlanta.
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Friday
9:04pm: Tony Jackson of the Los Angeles Daily News spoke with Dodgers GM Ned Colletti on Friday. Jackson asked if there would come a time when the Dodgers will simply have to move on from their pursuit of Manny. Here’s Colletti’s response:
"At some point in time, yes, but I’m not sure when that point in time will come yet. We signed Furcal, we signed Loretta, we signed Ausmus, we signed Casey Blake, we signed Wolf, and we signed Mota. We haven’t been sitting and waiting for one player to sign. We have been active, and we have continued to put a club together. At some point in time, we have to come to a conclusion. But we’re not there yet, and we’re still open-minded.”
8:17pm: A few current Giants offered perspectives Friday on the possibility of having Manny in the clubhouse:
"You’d be an idiot if you didn’t say a guy like Manny Ramirez can’t help your team," center fielder Aaron Rowand said. "But even with that being said, there’s not a guy in here who’s looking at that and hoping and praying. To a man, we’re all confident about what we have right now."
"Manny Ramirez is an unbelievable hitter," said right fielder Randy Winn. "He’s probably the best RBI guy that I’ve ever played against. Of course he’s going to help any team he goes to. But it’s nothing I can focus on because it’s kind of like a trade rumor. It’s probably not going to happen."
4:44pm: Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News has a Manny Ramirez update today, from the Giants’ point of view. Most Giants execs, as well as former owner Peter Magowan, expect Manny to re-sign with the Dodgers. They’ll continue to explore the possibility though.
On the other hand, ESPN’s Jayson Stark talked to one official who regularly speaks with the Giants’ front office. That person thinks new owner Bill Neukom wants to make a splash and said, "I would watch the Giants" in regard to Manny. The official also suggested the Giants may have "more dollars to spend than they’ve been letting on."
Twins CEO: “We’re Not Done”
Twins CEO Jim Pohlad shared some thoughts with a group of reporters, including MLB.com’s Kelly Thesier, on Friday afternoon. It sounds like the club still has a few transactions in mind.
"We’re not done. The season hasn’t started yet," Pohlad said. "Frequently, transactions do occur during Spring Training, so it still could happen. There is nothing from us saying, ‘Don’t go get anyone. We’re done. Go into the season and keep your fingers crossed.’ … We still have room in our payroll, and if there are opportunities [to add a player], we’ll pursue them.
The Twins’ No. 1 target at this point seems to be third baseman Joe Crede. They reached agreement with reliever Luis Ayala earlier today and have also been linked to Jarrod Washburn, though those talks have reportedly fallen through.