Jamie Moyer Facing Retirement After Elbow Injury?
Jamie Moyer has pitched in the majors since 1986, but it may be an injury sustained outside of MLB that forces him to hang up his cleats. Dionisio Soldevila of Tiempo de Juego reports that Moyer left a game in the Dominican winter league today after two innings with an injury to his throwing elbow. Moises Alou, the general manager of Moyer's Escogido club, tells Soldevila that Moyer "probably" won't pitch again in his career (Twitter links).
As Soldevila notes in a separate tweet, the injured elbow is the same one that forced Moyer to miss most of the second half of the 2010 season. The left-hander, who turns 48 later this month, was pitching in the Dominican league in an attempt to showcase the health of his left arm and earn a major league contract for 2011.
If the injury does derail Moyer's comeback for good, it would be an unfortunate end to an incredibly long and impressive career. The lefty has won 267 games and pitched more than 4000 innings for seven teams over the course of the quarter-century he has spent in the bigs.
Odds & Ends: D’Backs, Red Sox, Simmons, Bush
We're now less than 12 hours away from the start of free agency. Here are some links to help you pass the time…
- The Diamondbacks have outrighted pitchers Leo Rosales and Clay Zavada off the 40-man roster according to the team's official Twitter feed.
- Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe places odds on each of the Red Sox's four free agents returning the team.
- Larry Larue of The Tacoma Tribune reports that the Mariners have hired Ted Simmons as a senior advisor to GM Jack Zduriencik. Simmons was in the mix for various managerial jobs.
- The Rays have added Matt Bush, the first overall pick in 2004, to their 40-man roster according to The Tampa Tribune (Twitter link). Bush would have been eligible for minor league free agency otherwise.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post hears from a source that Terry Collins is anywhere from "a strong candidate to the front-runner" for the Mets managerial job. Collins will interview with new GM Sandy Alderson this weekend, and has a backer in Fred Wilpon. He's also a favorite of Paul DePodesta, who Alderson is trying to lure to New York.
- Don Wakamatsu has plenty of job opportunities these days. FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweets that he has an offer to become the Blue Jays bench coach, an interview for the Mets manager's job forthcoming, and is also in the mix to be Baltimore's bench coach.
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik unsurprisingly declined to comment about Hisashi Iwakuma two days ago, according to Larry Stone of The Seattle Times. Last night we heard that the Mariners appear to be the favorites to land the righty.
- Robert MacLeod of The Globe And Mail passes along a quote from Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos in which he indicates a willingness to bringing Kevin Gregg back. He just wasn't comfortable with the price of the reliever's options, which is why they were declined.
- Scott Boras told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the Phillies "have the ability to do what they need to do to retain their players," referring to Jayson Werth. He compared Philadelphia's financial situation to that of the Yankees
- Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News offers some good and bad news about the Rangers' catching situation.
- Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle speculates that the Giants will keep an eye on Derek Jeter's negotiations with the Yankees. GM Brian Sabean ran New York's farm system when Jeter was drafted, so there's a connection there in the unlikely event that he can't work out a deal with the Yanks.
Chicago Rumors: Dunn, Fukudome, Rasmus, Quentin
Let's round up the latest from the Windy City in one post. First up, Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune with the latest on the Cubs…
- The Cubbies will not go overboard with their free agent spending because they vow to decrease payroll, so GM Jim Hendry needs to get creative to placate the fan base.
- First base is the team's first priority and they'd like to acquire a lefty bat, so Adam Dunn is a popular target. If they can't afford him, they could turn to Aubrey Huff or Victor Martinez.
- The Cubs might need to trade Kosuke Fukudome before signing any free agents, which won't be easy since he's owed $13.5MM in 2011. Hendry did find a taker for Milton Bradley last offseason though, so you never know.
- Starting pitching is also on the team's wishlist. Jon Garland could be one option after hinting at being interested in pitching for the Cubs last offseason.
- They would also like to add a veteran reliever to take some pressure off their young kids, but it's unclear if Kerry Wood will take a pay cut and assume a lesser role to return to the Cubs.
Now we'll head to the south side with Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune…
- The White Sox already have $80.4MM committed to just 13 players for next season, and that doesn't include what is likely to be a sizable arbitration raise for John Danks. That puts them in a bit of bind when it comes to adding a left-handed bat.
- They don't match up with the Cardinals for Colby Rasmus, who they're said to be targeting, though a trade is probably the route they'll have to go to add a bat.
- GM Kenny Williams could try to fill several holes by trading one player, which he did when he sent Javier Vazquez to the Braves and Nick Swisher to the Yankees two years ago. He could use one of excess starters, perhaps Edwin Jackson or Gavin Floyd. That last part is just my speculation though.
- The ChiSox also need to determine whether Carlos Quentin can return to his 2008 level, or if injuries will continue to take a toll.
- They could look to make trades soon, then examine the pool of non-tenders for affordable relief help.
Tigers, Peralta Close To Completing New Deal
SUNDAY, 5:01pm: Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports confirms that Peralta and the Tigers are on the verge of finalizing a deal worth approximately $11MM. A major league source expects the team to announce the signing within the next week.
SATURDAY, 3:12pm: The Tigers and infielder Jhonny Peralta are close to completing a two-year deal worth $11.25MM, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. Rojas' source says the two sides are just finishing up some minor details.
Detroit acquired the 28-year-old Peralta from the Indians at this year's trade deadline. He performed admirably with his new team, hitting .253/.314/.396 with eight homers in 242 plate appearances while moving back to shortstop. Rojas says the Tigers intend to use Peralta at short, unsurprising given Brandon Inge's new deal.
The Tigers declined their $7.25MM option on Peralta earlier this week, though both sides expressed a desire to keep the relationship going.
Orioles Notes: Free Agents, Expectations, Gonzalez
Let's round up the latest out of Baltimore…
- MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli tweets that the Orioles are not expected to negotiate with any of their seven free agents before the exclusive window closes at midnight tonight.
- Andy MacPhail is expected to make a run at a starting pitcher and a bat for the middle of their order, but Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun says not to anticipate the O's being first in line for any big name free agents.
- MacPhail told Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun that he hasn't changed his philosophy of developing homegrown arms and "buying bats." Manager Buck Showalter added that "it's not a very good free-agent class," aside from the obvious exceptions.
- In a separate piece, Connelly compares the team's 2007 roster to its 2010 roster. He notes that only one of the seven players the team signed as a major league free agent last year is guaranteed a job next year: Mike Gonzalez.
Poll: First Big Name Free Agent To Sign
The free agent market officially opens for business at 12:01am ET tonight, so the hot stove is about to kick into full gear. Big name free agents like Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford figure to receive massive contract offers from several teams, and chances are it'll take them a few weeks to decide on their next team. Adrian Beltre and Jayson Werth will enjoy the same experience.
On the eve of free agency, it's only natural to wonder which big domino will be the first to fall. Time for the poll…
Which big name free agent will be the first to sign?
Click here to vote, and here to see the results.
Astros Will Not Pursue Lance Berkman
The Astros will not make an attempt to bring Lance Berkman back to Houston this offseason, reports Mark Berman of FOX 26. Here's what GM Ed Wade had to say…
"I heard from (Berkman's agent) Mike Moye and he inquired about whether we had interest in bringing Lance back and I was candid with him and told him it didn't fit for us," said Wade. "As much as we love and respect Lance and what he's done for our organization, We had these internal conversations in July when we made the decision to go ahead and move him."
Berkman, 35 in February, spent parts of 12 seasons in Houston, hitting .296/.410/.549 with five All Star appearances and four top five finishes in the MVP voting. The Astros traded him to the Yankees for a pair of minor leagues at the trade deadline, and they declined his 2011 option a week or so ago.
Five More Potential Free Agents
SATURDAY, 10:47am: CBSSports.com reports that German, Mathis, and McCarthy all refused the minor league assignments and elected to become free agents.
FRIDAY, 3:54pm: Two White Sox will soon hit free agency and a trio of Rangers could join them before long. Left-hander Randy Williams and catcher Donny Lucy were outrighted and will soon become free agents, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin (on Twitter).
Meanwhile, the Rangers outrighted Esteban German, Doug Mathis and Brandon McCarthy off of the 40-man roster and all three can become free agents, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. McCarthy was a non-tender candidate, though he's just 27, made 17 useful starts for the Rangers last year and posted a 3.36 ERA at Triple-A in 2010.
Nationals Outright Two, Olsen Elects Free Agency
The Nationals have outrighted left-handers Scott Olsen and Jesse English off the 40-man roster, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Olsen elected to become a free agent, and as Ladson says in a second tweet, English will become a minor league free agent this afternoon.
Olsen, 27 in January, has thrown just 143.2 innings over the last two years (5.76 ERA). He had shoulder surgery in 2009, and spent a total of 84 days on the disabled list in 2010 with soreness and inflammation in the same shoulder. Olsen has also had numerous run-ins with teammates and the law off-the-field throughout his career.
English, 26, made seven relief appearances with Washington this year, his first taste of the big leagues. He allowed ten hits in seven innings, but just three runs. He has worked both as a starter and reliever during his minor league career.
Olney’s Latest: Gonzalez, Lee, Crawford, Jeter
Two days ago we learned that Padres GM Jed Hoyer is willing to listen to trade offers for Adrian Gonzalez (and Heath Bell), unsurprising since the first baseman is reportedly seeking close to $22MM annually when he becomes a free agent next offseason. In today's blog post (Insider req'd), ESPN's Buster Olney lists a few reasons why the Pads are more likely to wait until the trade deadline to move their franchise player…
- Ticket sales. After surprising success in 2010, the team doesn't want to lose the trust of the fans by dealing their best player before the season.
- The Padres have a chance to compete in 2011 with Gonzalez in the middle of their lineup, but without him it'll be close to impossible.
- Other clubs wanting to acquire Gonzalez might be more desperate during the summer, which could result in a better package for San Diego.
- Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe points out that Hoyer and assistant GM Jason McLeod worked for the Red Sox before joining the Padres, so they have strong first-hand knowledge of Boston's prospects.
Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…
- Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, and Jayson Werth will dominate the headlines when free agency begins at 12:01am ET Sunday morning, but Olney lists ten more interesting free agents, led by Joaquin Benoit, Pedro Feliciano, and Orlando Hudson.
- The Yankees could place their first bid on Lee very soon, perhaps within 72 hours. Anthony McCarron of The New York Daily News hears something similar.
- Crawford is in a unique situation because he's an elite player that could have six or more teams bidding for his services. Usually players of that caliber only have three or so teams after them.
- The Yankees operate with the knowledge that no matter how popular the individual player is, the team and its fan base will move on. This of course refers to Derek Jeter.