Links for Sunday, as Opening Day inches a little closer….
- Ken Fidlin of The Toronto Sun spoke to Lyle Overbay, who said several teams showed interest in him this offseason, but "Pittsburgh was real aggressive." Overbay joined the Pirates on a one-year deal worth $5MM.
- Jeremy Accardo told Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun that the Orioles made it obvious how highly they valued him when they pursued him this offseason. "I'm happy to get a new, fresh start, a fresh look, a fresh mindset," said Accardo. "I think I stumbled into something pretty special here."
- The Twins are high on Scott Diamond, their Rule V Draft pick, and could swing a trade with the Braves to keep Diamond but send him to Triple-A, tweets Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Jordan Lyles could win the Astros' fifth starter job out of Spring Training, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Lyles, just 20 years old, was selected 38th in the 2008 draft — a supplemental pick for losing Trever Miller to free agency. His main competition includes Nelson Figueroa and Ryan Rowland-Smith.
- Jason Giambi may have been joking when he informed Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he was going to try to stick around until teammate Troy Tulowitzki's contract expires in 2020. However, Giambi told SI.com's Jon Heyman that he does plan to play for as long as he can (Twitter links).
- After his two-year extension with the White Sox was announced, Matt Thornton spoke about the deal and expressed a desire to finish his career in Chicago. Scott Reifert has the details and quotes at MLB.com.
- In his latest Indians mailbag, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer discusses the signings of Orlando Cabrera and Chad Durbin, as well as the possibility of a Fausto Carmona trade.
- One of the minor leaguers the Marlins acquired in last summer's Jorge Cantu trade saw his first game action today since returning from Tommy John surgery, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.
Good for Giambi. The next Julio Franco?
Maybe, other than the steroid scandal and horrid defense.
On Golden Thong
Weighing Thornton’s left-handed performance, health and character vs. the amounts paid to other relievers lacking in these areas, this is a really good deal for the Sox especially since Thornton could be their closer.
Thornton would have received a bigger deal next year as a free agent, but he wants to play his career with the Sox. Good for him and the Sox.
Ya Franco and Moyer whats up with the old people? Jk. God for him!!!! He’s a beast
I hope Lyles wins the job. That would be awesome.
who’s the other candidates again? curious
edit: nvm. I can’t read
What would the Twins Braves trade look like? I know you can always use more pitching, but why would Atlanta be interested in trading for a minor league pitcher?
The Twins took him in the rule 5 draft from Atlanta, but in order to keep him they have to keep him on the major league roster for the entire year unless they trade for him.
oh.. makes sense now. thanks
I saw Daimond pitch last year in AA for the Braves. He looked good. They pulled him after giving up 3 runs in 5 2/3rds, at which point he yelled something at the umpire about his strike zone (as he’s walking off). The ump yelled back, “learn to throw strikes then!” Funny stuff.
Even if Reed and Poveda do nothing for the Marlins its about the same as what Cantu did for the Rangers
Giambi should play until he’s offered another shampoo commercial.