Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for 2011

Yu Darvish Rumors: Sunday

By | at

We're likely still a couple days from receiving any official word from MLB and the Nippon-Ham Fighters on the Yu Darvish bidding results. But in the meantime, rumors continue to swirl. Yesterday, we heard the winning bid for Darvish exceeded the $51MM+ posting record set by the Red Sox on Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2006. With the Blue Jays, Rangers, Yankees, and Cubs among the contenders for the Japanese righty, here are today's Darvish rumors, with the latest up top:

  • The Yankees are "not getting [Darvish]" according to Marc Carig of The Star Ledger, citing a person close to the situation. The winning bid was a "ridiculous number," added Carig's source.
  • Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that he'd be "shocked" if a team besides the Rangers or Blue Jays submitted the highest bid for Darvish.
  • The Cubs' bid was "very low" and they have no illusions of winning the rights to negotiate with Darvish, a source tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.

Huntington “Optimistic” About McCutchen Extension

By | at

Talks about a long-term contract extension between the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen didn't progress much this summer, but GM Neal Huntington told fans that he's "optimistic" about reaching an agreement with the star outfielder at PirateFest yesterday, reports Bill Brink of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"When you enter a negotiation, you're at X, the player's at Z and you work awfully hard to try to find Y," said Huntington. "There has to be a compromise, there has to be a shared risk on both sides."

Back in May we heard that the team wants at least five years in a McCutchen extension, meaning they want to buy out at least one year of free agency. The 25-year-old is a .276/.365/.458 career hitter in his two-plus big league seasons, which is comparable to the .272/.350/.485 line Justin Upton owned when he signed his six-year, $52.25MM deal prior to the 2010 season. A contract along those lines is reasonable for McCutchen, a first-time All-Star in 2011.

Indians Have Not Ruled Out Pitching Upgrades

By | at

Earlier today we heard that the Indians are in "serious talks" with Mike Cameron and Andy LaRoche as they seek bench help, but MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says (on Twitter) the team still hasn't ruled out adding pitching yet. He wouldn't be surprised to see them add a reliever before Spring Training.

Cleveland's rotation is pretty well set with the ground ball heavy quartet of Ubaldo Jimenez, Derek Lowe, Fausto Carmona, and Justin Masterson, plus they have Josh Tomlin, Jeanmar Gomez, and David Huff to battle it out for the fifth spot. A free agent like Andy Sonnanstine or Clay Hensley could provide both rotation and bullpen insurance on a minor league contract, though that is just my speculation.

Prince Fielder Rumors: Sunday

By | at

Depending on which reports you read, the Cubs are either one of the favorites to land Prince Fielder or they're not ready to spend big bucks at the moment, making their alleged interest in the slugger merely a "smokescreen." As we continue to wait for further development of the Fielder market, we'll collect today's rumors here, with the newest updates at the top:

  • The Cubs have interest in Anthony Rizzo, and acquiring the 22-year-old as a less expensive first baseman of the future would almost certainly take them out of the running for Fielder. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets that even if the Cubs aren't involved, there are five or six clubs in on Fielder.

Quick Hits: Mariners, Rockies, Indians, Rangers

By | at

Two years ago, the White Sox acquired Juan Pierre from the Dodgers in what was only the second-most memorable trade of the day. The day's other deal saw the Mariners and Cubs swap bad contracts, with Carlos Silva heading to Chicago in exchange for Milton Bradley. We can only hope this year's December 18th will be as eventful. For now, here are a few links from around the league…

Indians In Talks With Mike Cameron, Andy LaRoche

By | at

The Indians have had "serious talks" with Mike Cameron and have also talked to Andy LaRoche, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. MLB.com's Jordan Bastian confirms (via Twitter) that the Tribe have had discussions with both players and could sign them to minor league contracts.

Cameron, 38, saw a dip in production in 2011 with the Red Sox and Marlins, hitting .203/.285/.359 in 269 overall plate appearances. However, the Indians view him as an insurance policy for center field if Grady Sizemore continues to be plagued by health problems, according to Pluto.

The 28-year-old LaRoche, meanwhile, would likely just provide the organization depth at the Triple-A level. The former top prospect spent the past season with the Athletics, splitting time between the big league club and Triple-A Sacramento.

The Indians have made a handful of depth moves already this week, acquiring Aaron Cunningham from the Padres, and signing both Jose Lopez and Felix Pie to minor league deals.

AL East Rumors: Latos, Blue Jays, Rays, Red Sox

By | at

The latest out of the AL East:

  • Peter Gammons of MLB Network tweets that the Blue Jays "went to the end" on Mat Latos, though the Reds ultimately won out. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also hears Toronto was a finalist on Latos, though he doesn't know the details of their offer (Twitter links). The Jays are one team that could have comfortably matched the quantity and quality of the prospects Cincinnati sent to San Diego.
  • While the Rays would ideally like to add another reliever with high-leverage experience, GM Andrew Friedman tells Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times he's comfortable with the bullpen arms he has now.
  • The Red Sox probably aren't done making moves, though they don't seem inclined to make a big splash such as a Gio Gonzalez trade, writes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.

Cafardo On Red Sox, Rays, Cubs, Wandy, Zumaya

By | at

In his latest column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo writes that the Red Sox have to be wary of an American League where the competition continues to get stiffer. With the Albert Pujols-led Angels and the improving Blue Jays aiming to contend for the postseason, the Red Sox may need to continue making moves to avoid missing the playoffs for a third straight year, says Cafardo. Here are some highlights from his piece:

  • Other GMs say Ben Cherington has been active in discussing potential moves. The Red Sox have looked into a number of pitchers on the trade market, including Gio Gonzalez, Jair Jurrjens, Gavin Floyd, and John Danks. According to Cafardo, the Sox probably don't have the caliber of prospects the Athletics want for Gonzalez.
  • An AL executive on how the Rays might fill their roster holes: "They could just continue to bottom-feed and keep all of their pitching. There's that January market that they've done very well with, and as long as they keep making the right decisions, their pitching is so good it will keep them in that playoff hunt every year."
  • Cafardo is skeptical that the Cubs are legit contenders for Prince Fielder, saying right now the team's mindset is "let’s not spend until we’re ready to spend and right now we're not ready to spend." It makes sense then that Cafardo also hears Chicago's bid for Yu Darvish was low, as detailed in MLBTR's Darvish rumors.
  • The Astros seem willing to take on some salary in a Wandy Rodriguez trade. We heard during the Winter Meetings that Houston didn't want to eat any of Wandy's contract to move him, so perhaps the club modified that stance after Jeff Luhnow took over as GM.
  • One NL scout who watched Joel Zumaya pitch this week said the righty "didn't have much of a breaking ball but threw 93-96 on his fastball. Somebody will bite on him."

Padres Interested In Matt Garza

By | at

The Padres have some interest in acquiring Matt Garza from the Cubs in a package that would include Anthony Rizzo, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and MLB Network Radio. Based on reports yesterday, it seems both clubs may be interested in working out a trade involving Rizzo.

With Mat Latos now a Cincinnati Red, the Padres' interest in Garza makes some sense, particularly since the team has a crowded picture at first base, between Rizzo and Yonder Alonso. The Cubs' front office tandem of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer was responsible for the Adrian Gonzalez trade that sent Rizzo from Boston to San Diego a year ago, so both execs are very familiar with the 22-year-old.

However, MLBTR projects Garza, who is under team control for just two more years, to earn well over $8MM through arbitration this season. Additionally, the Cubs' asking price for the right-hander is said to be steep. On the heels of the Latos trade, it's unclear whether the Padres would want to move multiple prospects and take on salary in order to restock their rotation. Peter Gammons of MLB Network finds the possibility of the Friars acquiring Garza unlikely, for now (Twitter link).

Padres Designate Luis Martinez For Assignment

By | at

The Padres have designated catcher Luis Martinez for assignment according to a team press release. The move clears up 40-man roster space after San Diego acquired three 40-man players (Edinson Volquez, Yasmani Grandal, Yonder Alonso) in Saturday's Mat Latos trade. Their 40-man roster is now full.

Martinez, 26, hit .203/.309/.305 in 68 plate appearances this past season, his big league debut. He spent the majority of the season with the Padres' Triple-A affiliate, where he hit .323/.379/.434 in 219 plate appearances. Martinez is a .272/.364/.360 career hitter in five minor league seasons.

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

hide arrows scroll to top