Archives for January 2010

Odds & Ends: Calero, Nats, Byrnes, Fogg, Timlin

By Tim Dierkes | January 28, 2010 at 5:24pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

The Marlins aren't that confident in Kiko Calero's ability to hold up as well as he did last year, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
The Nationals designated right-hander Marco Estrada for assignment to make room for Tyler Walker according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson, via Twitter.
The A's have no interest in Eric Byrnes, tweets Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com.
The Dodgers are a finalist for Derrick Turnbow, tweets MLB.com's Ken Gurnick.
The Mets are interested in Josh Fogg, according to Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.
Mike Timlin said on WEEI.com that he will stay in retirement this year. Last year, Timlin pitched in the Rockies' minor league system.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports notes that Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is "open to anything." The Jays could stand to add a corner outfielder and there are a number of options available should the Jays decide to pursue them.
I wrote an article for my fantasy website, RotoAuthority.com, suggesting that overhyped "sleepers" can still provide a profit.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets that Gary Sheffield might be a good fit for the Reds, and that Sheff was "on his way" to the Diamondbacks before they signed Adam LaRoche.
Brandon Webb still contends that re-signing with the D'Backs is his first choice, in an article written by MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Reds, Padres, White Sox, and Royals inquired on the Yankees' Brett Gardner this winter, with hopes of using him as a starting center fielder.
Bill Shanks of Scout.com makes a case for the Braves to sign Johnny Damon.
Yahoo's Tim Brown tweets that the Dodgers are one club eyeing Garret Anderson for a fourth outfielder role.

Rockies Sign Jason Giambi

By Mike Axisa | January 28, 2010 at 5:06pm CDT

Jason Giambi officially signed a one-year deal worth $1.75MM to return to the Rockies as a pinch hitter and occasional first baseman. He excelled in Denver last summer, hitting .385/.529/.692 as a pinch hitter and .292/.452/.583 overall (small sample size warnings apply). The former AL MVP hit poorly in Oakland last year, so his 2009 OPS was a career-low .725.

Andrew Marchand of 1050 ESPN Radio first reported that a deal was close, Jon Heyman of SI.com tweeted that it was official and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweeted the value of the contract.

We heard that the Rockies were interested in free agents Orlando Cabrera and Orlando Hudson, too.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

Leslie Anderson Defects From Cuba

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 28, 2010 at 4:53pm CDT

Leslie Anderson, a first baseman/outfielder for Cuba's national team has defected and is looking to negotiate with big league teams according to Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald (as translated by Nick Collias). Jaime Torres, the agent for the 26-year-old, says there is "much interest" in his client.

Anderson can play all three outfield positions and his agent compared him to another versatile Cuban, Alexei Ramirez. Anderson hit .381 with 13 homers in Cuba last season and escaped to Mexico in September.

Doug Brocail Retires

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 28, 2010 at 4:39pm CDT

Doug Brocail has officially retired, according to Alyson Footer of MLB.com (via Twitter). The 42-year-old pitched in 20 games for the Astros last year and posted an ERA of 4.58. He retires after 15 big league seasons with the Padres, Tigers, Astros and Rangers. After 880 career innings, his ERA is exactly 4.00.

The Astros declined the option on Brocail's contract after last season and declined to offer him arbitration in December. We didn't hear of any interest in the righty this winter, but 15 years and nearly $15MM later it's not a bad time to call it a career.

Giants Done Shopping; No Calero, No Byrnes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 28, 2010 at 4:04pm CDT

Two high-ranking Giants officials told Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com that the club is done shopping. As Urban notes via Twitter, the Giants' decision not to hand out more major league contracts means we shouldn't expect a Kiko Calero signing. The door appears shut on the Eric Byrnes front and Johnny Damon appears to be an unlikely fit, also.

The Marlins and Cubs are interested in Calero, one of the winter's more intriguing free agent relievers. Meanwhile, the Giants have already signed Bengie Molina, Freddy Sanchez, Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa this offseason.

Gammons On Bay, Lowell

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 28, 2010 at 3:32pm CDT

The Red Sox lowered their offer to Jason Bay from four years to two years because they were "scared to death" of his knees, according to Peter Gammons. Here's the audio from WEEI and here's the transcript. The Mets were the only team to seriously pursue the left fielder, according to Gammons.

The Rangers are no longer a destination for Mike Lowell, since they now have Vladimir Guerrero. Gammons mentions the Indians as a possible fit for Lowell, but points out that Cleveland has "no money" and notes that the team's budget limits the chances we'll see a deal.

Rangers Interested In Garko, Baldelli

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 28, 2010 at 2:44pm CDT

The Rangers are interested in Ryan Garko and Rocco Baldelli, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. Rangers GM Jon Daniels said in an EPSN.com chat yesterday that "some interesting guys" remain on the market. Jermaine Dye, who was connected to the Rangers earlier in the offseason, seems less likely to end up in Texas than Garko or Baldelli.

Garko, 29, hit .268/.344/.421 last year with the Indians and Giants. He's been an average defender at first over the course of the last two seasons, and he's played some outfield. As MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reminds us, the Rangers were in the mix for Garko last summer. The Orioles had been linked to Garko earlier in the winter, but that was before they signed Miguel Tejada and Garrett Atkins.

The Rangers could pursue Baldelli if they're looking for more outfield experience. Baldelli has mostly played center, but he has experience in left and right, too. The 28-year-old hit .253/.311/.433 last year for the Red Sox.

Brewers Sign Jim Edmonds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 28, 2010 at 2:26pm CDT

The Brewers officially signed Jim Edmonds to a minor league deal that will pay the outfielder $850K if he makes the team and up to $1.65MM more in incentives. Edmonds will come to Spring Training with a chance to make the club as an extra outfielder. The Brewers have to grant Edmonds his release if he's not on the major league roster by March 25th.

He last played in 2008, when he split his time between the Cubs and the Padres. He hit .235/.343/.479 thanks to a strong finish in Chicago. He posted an .883 OPS against righties, but his sub-.500 OPS against lefties suggests the Brewers are better off sitting Edmonds against southpaws. Though he was one of the best outfielders of his generation, he played poorly over the course 840 innings in 2008.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported that the Brewers were close to a deal with Edmonds and added details. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweeted when the move became official.

Rockies To Sign Justin Speier & Jimmy Gobble

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 28, 2010 at 2:14pm CDT

The Rockies agreed to deals with Justin Speier and Jimmy Gobble, tweets MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The pair will come to camp on minor league deals as non-roster invitees.

Speier, 36, pitched 40 innings for the Angels last year. He allowed 44 hits and 15 walks, striking out 39 for a 5.18 ERA. We heard earlier in the week that the Rockies were in on the 12-year MLB veteran, who pitched for the Rockies from 2001-03.

The White Sox signed Gobble to a minor league deal last April and he didn't pitch particularly well in the 12 appearances he made. The lefty, now 28, allowed 14 hits and 7 walks in 12 innings, striking out 10. The White Sox designated him for assignment in July.

Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears that Derrick Turnbow should make a decision soon, perhaps within hours. We heard earlier today that the Dodgers are finalists for the reliever, who is weighing bids from a number of teams.

Royals Interested In Erik Bedard

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 28, 2010 at 1:51pm CDT

The Royals are looking into signing Erik Bedard, tweets Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. The Royals need upcoming moves to be "payroll neutral," so the team will have to shed as much salary as it adds. Mellinger doesn't think the club is likely to sign Bedard.

The 30-year-old pitched just 83 innings last year, allowing 65 hits and 34 walks to go along with 90 strikeouts for a 2.82 ERA. Bedard hasn't had an ERA above 4.00 since 2004, but he's been slowed down by injuries.

Bedard's most often been linked to the Orioles this offseason, but earlier in the winter the Royals were reportedly pursuing the left-hander.

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