Archives for 2011

Roy Oswalt Seeks Multiyear Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 2, 2011 at 9:17pm CDT

The agent for Roy Oswalt told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the right-hander is healthy and "definitely looking for a long-term contract" this offseason. Bob Garber said Oswalt feels “great,” even after two back-related stints on the disabled list in 2011.

Oswalt, 34, made 23 starts and completed 139 innings in 2011, posting a 3.69 ERA with 6.0 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and a 45.1% ground ball rate for the Phillies. His average fastball velocity dropped to 91.4 mph, however. Oswalt is a Type A free agent, but it would be a surprise if the Phillies offer arbitration, so it seems unlikely that Oswalt will cost teams a draft pick.

NL East Links: Wright, Phillies, Braves

By Mike Axisa | November 2, 2011 at 8:25pm CDT

The Nationals are close to bringing back Chien-Ming Wang. Let's now round up some other links from the NL East…

“[Mets GM Sandy Alderson] would have to totally be bowled over [to trade David Wright this offseason],” a source told Andy Martino if The New York Daily News. Martino also hears that Wright's representatives have not reached out to the team about a contract extension.
ESPN New York's Adam Rubin wonders why the Mets would consider trading Wright this summer rather than wait until 2013 (Twitter links). Wright can opt out of his contract after next season if traded, and keeping him until the following year gives the team another season of their homegrown star while still dealing only a half-season of him.
The Phillies believe they need a closer more than they need a shortstop, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Philadelphia has interest in re-signing free agents Ryan Madson and Jimmy Rollins.
MLB.com's Mark Bowman looks back at the 2008-2009 offseason, when Braves GM Frank Wren added Derek Lowe and Javier Vazquez rather than Jake Peavy and A.J. Burnett.
A second lawsuit against Mets owner Fred Wilpon and family related to Bernie Madoff is nearing a settlement, reports Rubin.

Latest On Orioles’ GM Search: Friedman, Hahn

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 2, 2011 at 8:22pm CDT

Orioles director of player development John Stockstill and Dodgers assistant GM De Jon Watson are candidates to become Baltimore's next GM, but they aren't alone. Jerry Dipoto is now the Angels' GM and Tony LaCava turned down an offer from the Orioles to remain in Toronto, so the Orioles are expanding their search. Here's the latest, with the most recent updates up top:

The Orioles would like to interview Dodgers GM Ned Colletti if he leaves Los Angeles, according to Kubatko.
The Orioles have requested permission to interview Andrew Friedman of the Rays, Rick Hahn of the White Sox and Mike Radcliff of the Twins, according to Kubatko (on Twitter).
Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun explains that the Orioles haven't yet contacted the Rangers about executives such as Thad Levine or A.J. Preller. Connolly suggests former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette and current Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer could be candidates for the position.
Scott Proefrock, the Phillies' assistant GM, will interview for the Orioles' GM vacancy, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Proefrock is the Orioles' former assistant GM.
LaCava said his decision to stay in Toronto was about the Blue Jays, not the Orioles. But Danny Knobler of CBS Sports hears that his decision was about the Orioles. LaCava wanted to make front office changes that owner Peter Angelos refused to approve, according to Knobler. LaCava would have obtained a competitive salary from the Orioles.
Knobler hears that Watson and Stockstill are “very unlikely” to be offered the job.
Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com, who reported this morning that the Orioles are expanding their search, notes that manager Buck Showalter and director of baseball operations Matt Klentak are handling the front office responsibilities for now.
Kubatko adds that the Orioles have contacted the Rays, White Sox, Twins and Phillies for permission to interview GM candidates from the teams' front offices.
For a complete look at MLBTR's GM Candidates, click here. Two people on the list, Jerry Dipoto (#1) and Ben Cherington (#4), have already landed GM jobs.

Dodgers Notes: O’Malley, McCourt, Silverio

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 2, 2011 at 8:16pm CDT

It's a historic day for the Dodgers. Owner Frank McCourt, has agreed to sell the team. Here's the latest on the club's sale along with some updates on its roster:

Red Sox chairman Tom Werner told Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he's "very happy in Boston," but didn't explicitly rule out bidding on the Dodgers.
Peter O'Malley told Shaikin that he hopes to assemble a group of investors and buy the Dodgers. O'Malley, 73, has spoken with commissioner Bud Selig about his plans and isn't worried about coming up with investors. The O'Malley family owned the Dodgers for decades and moved the team from Brooklyn to L.A. in 1958.
FOX is not interested in buying the Dodgers and neither is Athletics owner Lew Wolff, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times (Twitter links).
Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire is involved in a group that's interested in buying the team, according to Shaikin.
Steve Dilbeck of the Times examines potential buyers for the team in detail.
MLB has agreed to speed up the sale of the team by pre-approving bidders, according to Shaikin (on Twitter). However, MLB won’t guarantee McCourt a minimum sale price.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban repeated to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he's only interested in buying the Dodgers if they're available for less than $1 billion (Twitter link).
The Dodgers announced that they added outfielders Alfredo Silverio and Scott Van Slyke to their 40-man roster. The move that will protect them from the Rule 5 draft.
In case you missed it, Double-A right-hander Will Savage re-signed with the Dodgers on a minor league deal earlier today.

Minor Moves: Indians, Dodgers, Jake Fox

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 2, 2011 at 7:37pm CDT

Here's where we'll keep track of today's minor moves…

The Indians announced that outfielder Jerad Head elected free agency. The 28-year-old spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a .284/.338/.526 line with 24 homers.
Double-A right-hander Will Savage re-signed with the Dodgers on a minor league deal according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The 27-year-old posted a 3.95 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 in 141 1/3 innings in 2011.
Jake Fox refused an assignment to the Orioles' Triple-A affiliate and has elected free agency, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). Baltimore had outrtighted Fox off of its 40-man roster last week. The 29-year-old posted a .756 OPS in 67 plate appearances this year, appearing behind the plate, in left field and at first base.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Oswalt, Sabathia

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 2, 2011 at 7:10pm CDT

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington confirmed to reporters that the Red Sox and Cubs have obtained a one-week extension to work out compensation for former Boston GM Theo Epstein. Here are some more notes from the division, starting with the Red Sox…

Peter Gammons of MLB Network said on WEEI's Mut & Merloni show that he won't be surprised if David Ortiz returns to the Red Sox this offseason.
Though the Red Sox have considered moving Daniel Bard to the rotation, Gammons has heard it's not likely. Jerry Spar has the details at WEEI.com.
The Red Sox are in talks with Ortiz and, to a lesser extent, with Jonathan Papelbon, according to Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
It's highly unlikely that the Yankees will sign Roy Oswalt, according to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. The club's worried about Oswalt's injury history, according to Matthews. Oswalt had multiple stints on the DL with lower back issues in 2011.
The Yankees are "open-minded" about the possibility of moving A.J. Burnett or anyone else without a full no-trade clause, according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News. However, the GM sees value in the innings Burnett has provided.
Joe Pawlikowski of River Ave. Blues expects Jesus Montero to open the 2012 season with the Yankees, but he wonders if New York could obtain Mat Latos, Jaime Garcia or Jordan Zimmermann for the catching prospect.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes a detailed look at C.C. Sabathia’s vesting option for 2017.
For the latest on the Orioles’ GM search, click here.

D’Backs To Sign McDonald To Two-Year Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 2, 2011 at 6:34pm CDT

The Diamondbacks announced that they've agreed to terms with defensive specialist John McDonald on a two-year deal. Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com says the deal is worth $1.5MM per season (on Twitter). McDonald provides the Diamondbacks with insurance for Stephen Drew, who missed much of 2011 with a fractured ankle.

McDonald joined the D'Backs along with Aaron Hill in the August trade that sent Kelly Johnson to Toronto. The 37-year-old didn't do much at the plate this past season, hitting .229/.269/.308, but he's known as a defensively skilled player at second, short and third. SFX represents McDonald, as our Agency Database shows.

A’s Designate Trystan Magnuson For Assignment

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 2, 2011 at 5:55pm CDT

The A's announced that they designated right-hander Trystan Magnuson for assignment. In corresponding moves, the A's reinstated left-handers Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden, right-handers Joey Devine and Evan Scribner and infielder Daric Barton from the 60-day DL.

Magnuson made his MLB debut in 2011, posting a 6.14 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 14 2/3 innings with Oakland. The 26-year-old also posted a 2.98 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 45 1/3 innings at Triple-A. He didn't pitch in a game after the A's placed him on the 15-day DL with right shoulder tendinitis in mid-August.

Outrighted: Crowe, Rangers, Rodriguez, Braves

By Tim Dierkes | November 2, 2011 at 4:33pm CDT

The latest players to be outrighted off 40-man rosters:

The Indians outrighted Trevor Crowe off of their 40-man roster, according to the team. Crowe, who appeared in 15 games for the Indians in 2011, cannot elect free agency
The Rangers outrighted pitchers Omar Beltre, Merkin Valdez and Eric Hurley and infielders Andres Blanco and Esteban German off of the 40-man roster, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Blanco, who would have been arbitration eligible, projected to earn $500K through arbitration. He posted a .605 OPS in 82 plate appearances as a utility player and was the only one of the outrighted players to pick up significant playing time in 2011.
The Mariners outrighted infielder Luis Rodriguez, tweets Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. I named Rodriguez and David Aardsma as the Mariners' primary non-tender candidates back in September, and now both are off the 40-man roster, which stands at 36. Rodriguez has elected free agency, reports MLB.com's Greg Johns.
The Braves outrighted catcher J.C. Boscan, reliever Stephen Marek, outfielder Wilkin Ramirez, and outfielder Antoan Richardson to Triple-A Gwinnett, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Meanwhile, starter Todd Redmond's contract was selected. Marek had Tommy John surgery in May; he was obtained from the Angels with Casey Kotchman for Mark Teixeira at the '08 trade deadline. I thought at the time that the Braves' return topped the value of a couple of draft picks. That hasn't been true if you look at who the Angels took with their two Teixeira picks: top prospect Mike Trout and lefty Tyler Skaggs, a main component in the Dan Haren trade.

Nationals, Wang Nearing Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 2, 2011 at 4:17pm CDT

The Nationals are nearing a new contract with Chien-Ming Wang, according to Amanda Comak of the Washington Times. Agent Alan Nero doesn't expect a deal by the time free agency begins tonight, but the sides have agreed to terms "conceptually."

Wang's agent, Alan Nero, told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that the right-hander drew interest from six teams. The 31-year-old made 11 starts in 2011 after missing the 2010 campaign. He posted a 4.04 ERA with 3.6 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 62 1/3 innings for Washington this past season. Wang's 53.4% ground ball rate was in line with his career mark of 57.5% and was likely a factor in teams' interest. MLB.com's Bill Ladson also reported on the deal.

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