Archives for 2011

Five Teams Considering Carlos Guillen

By Tim Dierkes | December 5, 2011 at 3:15pm CDT

The Royals, Marlins, Twins, Athletics, and Mariners are interested in Carlos Guillen, agent Wilfredo Polidor told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles (link in Spanish). Guillen, 36, has missed increasing amounts in each of the last three seasons due to injuries. However, Polidor says his client is working like an animal in Miami and can help at almost any position.

Guillen began his big league career with the Mariners and was traded to the Tigers in January of '04. The M's will meet with Polidor at the Winter Meetings to discuss the possiblity of bringing his client back to Seattle, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).

NL West Rumors: Ludwick, Gillick, Padres, Rockies

By Tim Dierkes | December 5, 2011 at 3:07pm CDT

The latest on various NL West clubs…

Heath Bell told MLB.com's Corey Brock he never heard from new Padres GM Josh Byrnes. Bell noted that he passed on offers of a little more money to take a three-year, $27MM deal from the Marlins.
The Padres' goal is to fix the eighth and ninth innings this offseason, manager Bud Black told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio.
The Dodgers are closing in on a minor league deal with reliever Alberto Castillo, tweets MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. The 36-year-old spent most of the year at Triple-A, posting a 1.91 ERA and 8.1 K/9 in 42 1/3 innings there.
The Giants are believed to have scheduled a meeting today with Ryan Ludwick's agent Dan Horwits, reports MLB.com's Chris Haft. Ludwick, 33, hit .237/.310/.363 with 13 home runs in 553 plate appearances for the Padres and Pirates this year.
Phillies senior advisor and former GM Pat Gillick would consider a position as the Dodgers' new president of baseball operations, he told Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.
The Padres are getting hits on Chase Headley, Jason Bartlett, and Orlando Hudson, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, who expects one of them to be dealt by spring training. Hudson, who is owed $7.5MM through 2012, would be a pure salary dump, tweets Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports.
The Rockies are lukewarm at best on Hudson, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, who wonders if the Giants' Jeff Keppinger could be a fit. Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says the Giants are looking to get creative on the trade front for outfield and infield help.
Non-tender candidate Joe Saunders told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert he'd like to return to the Diamondbacks, but the decision is up to the team. About a week ago, ESPN's Buster Olney tweeted that Saunders has a very good chance of returning to the D'Backs on a two-year deal.

Rays Making Serious Run At Josh Willingham

By Tim Dierkes | December 5, 2011 at 3:04pm CDT

3:04pm: The Rays are making a serious run at Willingham, tweets Crasnick. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports adds that while the Rays are not close on Willingham, they're one of three to four finalists.

2:21pm: Nine teams have called on free agent outfielder Josh Willingham, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, including the Twins, Red Sox, Indians, and Reds. The Pirates have also been linked to him. Willingham is something of a backup plan for the Red Sox and Twins, suggests Crasnick, as those teams are trying to re-sign David Ortiz and Michael Cuddyer, respectively. ESPN 1500's Phil Mackey tweets that nothing is currently brewing with the Twins and Willingham. The Indians' interest has been mild, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The Reds' interest in Willingham is "simmering on the back burner, if that," GM Walt Jocketty told reporters including MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

Willingham, 32, hit a career-best 29 home runs for the Athletics in 2011. A right-handed hitter, Willingham compiled a .246/.332/.477 batting line in 563 plate appearances. He tallied 829 1/3 innings in left field, and also has experience in right field in 2009. First base and designated hitter could be options as well. Willingham's agent Matt Sosnick guessed in October that his client would sign a three-year deal.

Marlins Plan To Tender Contract To Oviedo

By Mark Polishuk | December 5, 2011 at 2:57pm CDT

MONDAY: The Marlins plan to tender a contract to Oviedo, president Larry Beinfest told reporters including Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.

THURSDAY: Now that the Marlins have agreed to terms with Heath Bell, the club won't be tendering Juan Carlos Oviedo a contract, a source tells Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link). Oviedo was projected to earn $5.8MM in arbitration this winter and would've almost certainly been non-tendered even if the Marlins hadn't signed a new closer. The non-tender deadline is December 12.

Oviedo, 29, is currently facing legal charges following the revelation that his former "Leo Nunez" identity belonged to another person in the Dominican Republic. The right-hander posted decent numbers last season (a 4.06 ERA, 2.62 K/BB ratio) but it's unlikely any team will pursue Oviedo until his legal issues are behind him.

Dodgers, Hairston Jr. Talking Two-Year Deal

By Luke Adams 2 | December 5, 2011 at 2:55pm CDT

The Dodgers are in talks with Jerry Hairston Jr. about a multiyear contract, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. Heyman cautions that nothing is done yet, but says the two sides are discussing a two-year deal for about $6MM (Twitter link).

The Dodgers, Brewers, and Giants were rumored to be interested in Hairston. Earlier this afternoon, we heard that the Giants are no longer pursuing the veteran utility player.

Phillies In On Aramis Ramirez

By Tim Dierkes | December 5, 2011 at 2:19pm CDT

TUESDAY, 2:19pm: Phillies advisor Pat Gillick met with Ramirez last month in the Dominican Republic, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Gillick also scouted Yoenis Cespedes on the trip, though the Phillies are unlikely to bid.

MONDAY, 9:32am: The Phillies are strong players for free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez, tweets Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki confirmed the interest, and guesses Ramirez is a backup plan for Jimmy Rollins.

A week ago, Ramirez's agent Paul Kinzer named the Angels as one of four or five teams with serious interest in his client, and an offer from the Halos seems likely after Ramirez visited the club. The Brewers are also in the mix. Kinzer said in November that Ramirez seeks a four-year deal or three-year contract with an option.

The Phillies have third baseman Placido Polanco under contract for 2012, though the 36-year-old had double hernia surgery in October.

Rockies Claim Jamie Hoffmann

By Tim Dierkes | December 5, 2011 at 2:09pm CDT

The Rockies claimed outfielder Jamie Hoffmann off waivers from the Dodgers, announced the team on Twitter. Hoffmann, 27, hit .297/.356/.497 with 22 home runs in 533 plate appearances for the Dodgers' Triple-A team this year, playing all three outfield positions.

Friedman Decides Against Astros Job

By Tim Dierkes | December 5, 2011 at 1:48pm CDT

Rays executive vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has already decided against taking the Astros GM job, tweets Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. Joel Sherman of the New York Post agrees that Friedman is definitely staying in Tampa Bay. Friedman, a Houston native, was said to be the first choice of the new Astros ownership group.

Rockies senior vice president of scouting and player development/assistant GM Bill Geivett has interviewed for the Astros position, and Rockies folks told Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post today that Geivett has a real shot. I interviewed Geivett in August as part of MLBTR's GM Candidates series. Our top 20 GM candidates have been getting interviews and GM jobs left and right since the list was published on August 12th.

Tigers Rumors: Crisp, Buehrle, Strieby

By Tim Dierkes | December 5, 2011 at 1:43pm CDT

The latest Tigers info…

The Tigers would like to add a leadoff hitter, but they're unsure free agent Coco Crisp is the right guy, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. The 32-year-old posted one of the worst OBPs of his career in 2011, with a .314 mark.
The Tigers aren't pursuing free agent starter Mark Buehrle right now, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They're more likely to acquire a fifth starter type.
The Tigers announced they've outrighted first baseman Ryan Strieby to Triple-A, leaving 39 players on the 40-man roster.

Twins Claim Pedro Florimon

By Tim Dierkes | December 5, 2011 at 1:22pm CDT

The Twins claimed shortstop Pedro Florimon off waivers from the Orioles, tweets MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. Florimon, 24, hit .267/.344/.396 for the Orioles' Double-A club this year. The switch-hitter is a flashy but erratic defender, wrote Baseball America prior to the season. BA ranked him 29th among Orioles prospects at that point, questioning his ability to hit advanced pitching.

The Orioles also announced they've outrighted lefty Pedro Viola to Triple-A, leaving their 40-man roster at 39.

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