Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2011

AL West Notes: Angels, C.J. Wilson

By | at

A couple of notes out of the American League West as the Rangers ready for Game 3 of the World Series …

  • The Angels will interview Omar Minaya for their general manager vacancy, according to Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times. Minaya previously served as Mets GM from 2005-10 and as Expos GM from 2002-04. We learned Thursday that Rays executive Andrew Friedman has met with the Halos regarding the opening and tops the team's wish list, but he's seen as a long shot to take the job. Yesterday, White Sox executives Dan Evans and Rick Hahn joined the list of candidates.
  • Minaya is still under contract with the Mets but was not an active member of the organization in 2011, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, who also reports that Minaya has a "standing offer" from Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers to work in the Arizona organization.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels was asked about impending free agent starter C.J. Wilson on Saturday and said, "We'd love to have him back," according to Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Still, the early rumors regarding Texas' chances of (or interest in) re-signing the left-hander are pretty mixed.
  • For more on what the Angels, Athletics, and Mariners face this winter, be sure to check out their respective installments in MLBTR's Offseason Outlook series.

Quick Hits: Braves, Diamondbacks, Padres, Epstein

By | at

On this day 36 years ago, Joe Morgan's ninth-inning RBI single helped earn the Big Red Machine a Game Seven win over Boston. That 1975 World Series was ranked by ESPN as the second-greatest in baseball history. While this year's Fall Classic has a long way to go to reach that level, the Cardinals and Rangers are off to a good start, having traded one-run victories so far. Here are today's links from around the league, as we await Game Three….

  • The Braves have hired Greg Walker, formerly of the White Sox, as their hitting coach, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Walker was one of three candidates interviewed by Atlanta.
  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic shares scouting reports and biographies for eight international free agents signed by the Diamondbacks this summer. The reports, via Arizona's international scouting director Carlos Gomez, are must-reads for D'Backs fans.
  • Within Piecoro's piece, he adds that the Diamondbacks re-signed a pair of players, Mike DeMark and D.J. Johnson, to minor league deals.
  • Dan Hayes of the North County Times spoke to Baseball America's Jim Callis about the improvement of the Padres' farm system this season.
  • With Theo Epstein officially heading to Chicago, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald lists the five best and five worst moves the former GM made for the Red Sox.

NL Central Notes: Rasmus, Bourn, Dempster

By | at

Weather permitting, we''re just a few hours from watching the Cardinals represent the NL Central in Game Three of the World Series in Texas. While we wait, let's round up some links on the Cards and a couple of their division rivals….

  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak discusses the Colby Rasmus trade with Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, noting that there was some internal opposition to moving the center fielder: "I'm not going to point anybody out specifically but there definitely was a robust debate internally on what we should do. But in the end, everybody believed it was what was best for the organization."
  • In a highly recommended piece at Bloomberg Businessweek, Rob Gloster revisits another July deal, providing an in-depth look at negotiations between the Braves and Astros for Michael Bourn.
  • ESPNChicago passes along a few quotes from Ryan Dempster regarding his future and the Cubs' new president. Dempster praised Theo Epstein and said he'd talk to the new front office regime before making a decision about his $14MM player option: "Hopefully it's not just picking up an option for this year, but I'll go out there and play the best I can and be here for a long time."

Red Sox Links: Gathright, Young, Cherington

By | at

Here are a few links from Boston as we wait to hear what players the Red Sox will receive from the Cubs as compensation for Theo Epstein…

  • The Red Sox have outrighted Joey Gathright to Triple-A according to the International League transactions page. Gathright had one at-bat and a handful of pinch-runner/defensive replacement appearances in September. Boston's 40-man roster is currently at 39 with an additional five players on the 60-day DL.
  • The Athletics announced in a press release that they have hired former Red Sox pitching coach Curt Young to be their pitching coach, his second stint in that role for Oakland. Young spent just one year in Boston, and Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Sox will pay "a significant portion" of his salary.
  • Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe put together a laundry list of things that new GM Ben Cherington must address in the coming weeks, including hiring a new manager and coaching staff.

Williams: White Sox Not In “Shopping Mode”

By | at

The White Sox are a coming off a disappointing season in which they finished 79-83 and 16 games back of the Tigers in the AL Central. A number of high-profile players had poor showings in 2011, but GM Kenny Williams said in a radio interview today that he will not be shopping players this offseason. Daryl Van Schouwen of The Chicago Sun Times provides a recap of the interview…

"Everyone I've heard speak on it is right," said Williams. "We have talented people, and we did not achieve what we wanted to based on some of those talented people not performing. But we're in a position where we have to look at the future. So I will not be in shopping mode; I'll be listening to see what the interest is in some of our players. Quite frankly, I don't expect people to try to blow our doors down for some of our guys who had down years. Their value is going to be down a little bit."

Williams added that if he does move any of what he called the team's "valuable pieces," that it would be for Major League ready talent, not minor leaguers. He cited Dayan Viciedo, Tyler Flowers, Alejandro de Aza, Brent Morel, and Gordon Beckham as the team's young core.

"We have a nice young, kind of youthful movement," said Williams. "[Players acquired in trades] would have to fit into that. Not A-ball players, Double-A type. They would have to be Major League ready and potential impact players."

In our Offseason Outlook, Ben Nicholson-Smith noted that the White Sox could choose to trade players like Carlos Quentin, John Danks, and/or Gavin Floyd to infuse the roster with some young talent. Quentin and Danks are the team two arbitration cases.

Adam Dunn and Alex Rios, two players that had extremely disappointing seasons, figure to be unmovable given their contracts. Both guys are under contract for another three seasons, with Dunn owed $44MM and Rios owed $39.5MM. Williams said he's "got a great idea or two" about how to help Dunn improve going forward, but said he would speak to the slugger about that privately.

Non-Tender Candidate: Hong-Chih Kuo

By | at

1321008271250_Dodgers_at_RockiesThere is no position in baseball more volatile than relief pitcher, which is how Hong-Chih Kuo can go from being one of the most dominant bullpen arms in the game last September to taking about retirement this September. As a result of his 2011 struggles and off-the-field issues, the Dodgers' left-hander is a candidate to be non-tendered this offseason.

Kuo, 30, allowed just 29 hits and eight runs (1.20 ERA) in 60 innings in 2010, striking out 73 (11.0 K/9) and walking just 18 (2.7 BB/9). Left-handed batters had no chance against him that season, hitting just .095/.159/.111 with 28 strikeouts in 69 plate appearances. When Jonathan Broxton struggled in the second half, Kuo stepped in and went a perfect 9-for-9 in save chances in August and September. At $950K, he was a bargain.

That performance pushed Kuo's salary up to $2.725MM in 2011, his second time through arbitration. Unfortunately, his 2010 performance did not carry over. After walking four batters in his first 2 2/3 innings of the season (four appearances), the Dodgers placed Kuo on the DL with a lower back strain. He was activated on May 1st, struggled in his next five appearances (six runs in two innings), and was again placed on the DL on May 11th. This time he was dealing with social anxiety disorder.

One day later we heard that Kuo was not considering retirement, but it wasn't until June 19th that he was activated off the DL. He struggled the rest of the season, allowing 22 runs in 22 1/3 innings across 31 appearances. He did strike out 28 men, but he also walked 17. All told, Kuo pitched to a 9.00 ERA with 7.7 BB/9 in 40 appearances and 27 innings in 2011. 

After the season, Kuo told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he needed a break from baseball and was unsure if he'd ever play again. "If I want to still play and somebody wants to give me a try, I'll play," he said. "If not, fine with me. I'll miss it." He indicated that his alternative to baseball would be returning home to Taiwan and opening a restaurant.

Our projections have Kuo's salary going down to $2.5MM next season, what would be his third time through arbitration. It's worth noting that he's been battling the injury bug for his entire career, one that's featured a total of four elbow operations, including a pair of Tommy John surgeries. Hard-throwing lefty relievers (he's averaged 93.4 mph with the fastball in his career) are a valuable commodity, but Kuo's bout with social anxiety disorder and extreme control problems in 2011 could lead to a non-tender. It'll be interesting to see if any teams are willing to offer him a guaranteed Major League contract if he does in fact hit the market.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Free $400 Fantasy Football Contest (Sponsored Post)

By | at

Looking to show off your fantasy football genius this week?  Try DraftStreet, where you can put together a new fantasy team each week and compete against other users for real money.

Right now DraftStreet has an NFL freeroll for MLB Trade Rumors readers, meaning you can take a shot at a chunk of the $400 prize pool for free, with no strings attached.  Here's how it works.

The NFL freeroll begins Sunday at 1:00pm eastern time, so you have until then to create your team.  You're given a $100K salary cap, and each player is assigned a price by DraftStreet.  Your roster will cover these positions: 2 QBs, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 2 FLEX, and 1 Defense.  You get points based on how your team performs through Monday night's game.  The teams with the most points get the prize money.  For example Cam Newton might be good value even with a $19K price tag.  Below is a screenshot of a sample roster: 

Draftstreet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you're interested, sign up and create a roster prior to Sunday's games (1:00pm eastern time).  It's quick, easy, fun, and the MLBTR league gives you a free chance to win some of the $400 prize pool.  If you enjoy the competition you can try other leagues (college football, for example) for free and earn credits, or deposit real money.

Quick Hits: Messenger, White Sox, Indians, Rhodes

By | at

Some links from around baseball as we await Game Three tomorrow night..

  • Former Mariners pitcher Randy Messenger has agreed to a contract to return to the Hanshin Tigers in 2012, a source tells Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker.  Messenger’s agent Matt Sosnick confirmed that the deal is for one-year with an option for 2013.  MLBTR has learned that the two-year deal could be worth just under $5MM.
  • If the White Sox stick to their plan of cutting their $127MM payroll, with $89MM already tied to eleven players, it's likely that John Danks or Mark Buehrle won't start next season with the team, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin. The arbitration-eligible Danks would be one of the team's greater trade chips.
  • Three days after the World Series, Indians GM Chris Antonetti will have to decide whether to exercise club options on center fielder Grady Sizemore and starter Fausto Carmona, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.  Picking up the options of both would cost the Tribe $16MM in 2012.
  • Shortstop Rafael Furcal wrestled with the decision of whether or not to approve the deal sending him from the Dodgers to the Cardinals, writes Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times.
  • After clearing waivers, Cardinals lefty Arthur Rhodes could have wound up with any number of teams, writes Sam Donnellon of the Philadelphia Daily News.
  • Blue Jays skipper John Farrell gained valuable experience in his first year as a big league manager, writes MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm.

Theo Epstein To Officially Join Cubs

By | at

The Red Sox and Cubs have announced that, effective immediately, Theo Epstein will take over as the Cubs' new President of Baseball Operations, according to a joint press release by the two clubs.  Both organizations will forego further comment until Tuesday, which is the next scheduled non-game day in the World Series.

The press release indicates that the two sides have "reached an agreement regarding a process by which appropriate compensation will be determined" and the issue will be "resolved in the near term."  If the two sides cannot work out an agreement in the next few days, Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter) hears that Bud Selig could step in and act as an arbitrator.

The Red Sox will announce their next GM at a presser Tuesday and it is expected to be Assistant General Manager Ben Cherington.  Meanwhile, Padres GM Jed Hoyer is expected to leave San Diego in order to assume the same title under Epstein.  Hoyer will reportedly bring assistant GM Jason McLeod along as well.

The Padres have granted permission to the Cubs to speak with Hoyer and McLeod, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times.  The Padres have a pre-agreed list of Cubs players to choose from as compensation and no other employees will be taken, Hayes tweets.  Meanwhile, San Diego won't officially christen Josh Byrnes as GM until after the end of the World Series, says Hayes (via Twitter).

NL West Notes: Rockies, Spilborghs, Winfree, Padres

By | at

Here's a look at a handful of items out of the National League West..

  • There will be an agreement in place to prevent the raiding of the Padres' front office by the Cubs once the departures of Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod are official, a team source tells Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter).
  • Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart and outfielder Ryan Spilborghs would like to play winter ball after disappointing seasons, but they are on the fence because of their arbitration-eligible status, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post.  Both players are non-tender candidates and could wind up as free agents on December 12th.
  • The Diamondbacks added infielder David Winfree to their major league roster, according to their official Twitter page.  Arizona also did some roster shuffling yesterday when they outrighted Sean Burroughs, Alberto Castillo and Robby Hammock to Triple-A.
  • With Jed Hoyer expected to join Theo Epstein in Chicago, Tom Krasovic of Inside The Padres gives his impression of Hoyer as a GM.  While some Padres fans are upset with Hoyer for leaving the club, Krasovic believes that the soon-to-be 38-year-old is simply seizing a rare opportunity.
  • The Padres don't expect to lose scouting director Jaron Madison to the Cubs if Hoyer and Jason McLeod join the organization, a team source told Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter).

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top