More links for Monday, as Ryan Zimmerman does some damage to the Sun Life Stadiu(m) scoreboard…
- Angels GM Tony Reagins told MLB.com's Lyle Spencer that "just about every" Angel has been placed on waivers this month. Naturally, that doesn't mean the team has interest in making more trades.
- Jeremy Bonderman told MLB.com’s Jason Beck that he would like to return to the Tigers in 2011. The Tigers have room for him, as this piece explains.
- Jim Edmonds told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he's likely to retire after the season. The center fielder, who is now on the DL with a strained oblique, may return to the Reds late in the season.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that the Reds will call up top pitching prospect Aroldis Chapman tomorrow so that the lefty will be eligible for the team's postseason roster.
- Orlando Hernandez decided not to finish his AA season when he heard that the Nationals didn’t intend to call him up, according to Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.
- White Sox GM Kenny Williams told reporters that he didn't claim Brian Fuentes because his team doesn't need another left-handed reliever at this point.
Wouldn’t Chapman already be post-season eligible? I believe the new requisite is simply that a player is in the organization on Sep 1.
If the Tigers are stupid enough to bring back Bonderman, then I guess i’m stupid for being optimistic about the team for next season. With all the money that is going to be available to them, why would they waste even a penny on him.
Orlando did the right thing by leaving AA. With no shot at September, and at 44, what would you have done? I would have left.
It’s time for him to hang it up. He had a very successful career and I really liked him on the Mets (unfortunately his injury in 2006 cost them at least the pennant). He probably has a future as a scout, coach, or helping Cuban players become acclimated into professional baseball after defecting.
Where is the Zimmerman video?
I just watched the Zimmerman HR live. It was an absolute bomb–missed the 2nd deck by feet.
Um, yeah, the AA season is pretty much over anyway, so it’s not like El Duque walked out on much. More importantly, who, if anyone, claimed Hideki Matsui? I would like to see him back with the Yanks (he hit 3 HR at Yankee Stadium in just 6 games there this year, so he still has the swing for the short RF porch), but I would be surprised if the Red Sox didn’t put in a claim, given that they failed to get Johnny Damon and still could use another outfielder. Matsui, like Damon, is due to be a free agent, but unlike Damon, he wouldn’t have veto power over a potential trade to Boston or to anywhere for that matter. Also, Angels manager Mike Scioscia isn’t a fan of Matsui and I theorize that his Latin teammates have to be resentful that he replaced the mega-popular Vlad Guerrero and didn’t do as well while Vlad is whaling the ball for a rival team, so I would think at this point Matsui would’ve been a shoo-in to leave Anaheim before September 1st.
I actually like Kenny Williams and usually defend his moves, even when tough to do so. But alleging that the Sox don’t need a left-handed reliever as the reason they didn’t claim Fuentes is stupid. They need a reliever in a bad way, whether he be left-handed or right-handed!
Maybe he made his comments to show support for his beleaguered pen, but the most likely reason for failing to claim Fuentes was that only one of Manny or Fuentes were an option due to $$$. I guess that reason may be tough to pitch to the fans, so maybe Kenny threw B.S. as his reason.
Of course, their mistake in not claiming Fuentes is amplified by the Twins getting him.
I honestly think Kenny just dropped the ball. Not to put a claim on him is beyond logic.
I can’t see him passing on Fuentes for any other reason than the money. He had to know the Twins would claim him if he didn’t; but pressed between Fuentes & Manny – well, my “controversial” theory is KW has a bigtime taste for once-great players.
And even though Fuentes addresses a bigger need, Manny probably provides a bigger boost.
Let’s play a game. Let’s all guess how many games the Reds will win by season’s end and the odds of them winning the world series this year. I say the Reds will finish with 96 wins and are 7:5 to win the world series.