Here are some items out of the American League East..
- Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman continues to comb the market for a pair of bats but is confident that the right deals will present themselves, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Friedman says that both Johnny Damon and Casey Kotchman are candidates to return, but Topkin writes that they would only look to bring one back if they wanted to improve at either spot.
- Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette wouldn't say much when asked about the club's interest in Manny Ramirez, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. However, Duquette did confirm that the club still has interest in Luke Scott, who they non-tendered last month. At least eleven teams have expressed some level of interest in the 33-year-old.
- Blue Jays skipper John Farrell won't comment on what's holding up the official announcement of the club's deal with Darren Oliver, but it's likely related to finding spot on the 40-man roster, tweets Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Toronto agreed to sign the reliever to a one-year deal with a club option for 2013 earlier this week.
- The Rays wanted Brooks Conrad on a minor-league deal but Conrad ultimately chose the Brewers because they offered greater potential for at-bats, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal adds (via Twitter) that the Rays also like Ryan Theriot as they seek out a utility infielder.
“Topkin writes that they would only look to bring one back if they wanted to improve at either spot.”Get that man a Pulitzer!
I wouldn’t bet money on Kotchman replicating last season, if I had to pick one I would go with Damon.
I’ll miss watching him pushing off with his bat to gain extra momentum.
Yeah, Damon is a much safer bet. I’ll take a 15 year career over a season of BABIP magic.
Theriot would be a great fit. He can definitely hit better than Brignac…not sure about the defense though
i know the kid had bad year, but ryan theriot isn’t an upgrade over brignac in any way
Theriot can actually hit somewhat well. Brignac cannot. Therefore it’s an upgrade offensively and the Rays need as much of that as possible
you say he can hit, but he cannot. he’s an ~80 wRC+ guy (20% below league average) and he doesn’t defend well
brignac can definitely manage a 80 wRC+; he put up an 88 in 2010 in a larger sample than his dreadful 2011 performance (and a 91 the year before)
brignac’s the better defender, the better baserunner, and a comparably below average hitter. theriot is not an upgrade in any way
Theriot has a career .282 BA compared to Brignac’s .231 (even though he’s still young). They would be splitting time, so if we have to sacrifice some defense for offense then so be it.
batting averages. i guess i should have seen that coming
I half believe Friedman on upgrading both ares, he will trade for 1 bat and the 2nd bat will be either Damon or Kotchman, one will be back. As far as Theroit goes, we carried Elliot Johnson for a full season last year, we can only improve.
Friedman is currently working a trade with somebody, but that somebody wants one of the Rays’ starters, and it is most likely James Shields, that’s why no deal is getting done.
I’m not impressed with your reasoning.
I guess you weren’t planning on using this account once the season started…
It wont cost prospects but it will cost us actually spending some money, Paul Konerko batting behind Jennings, Upton and Longoria and in front of Zobrist, Joyce and Damon with our rotation is a WS contender.
Manny to Orioles? Would certainly be entertaining!
Damon makes sense for the A’s. He’s noted for being an all around good guy, a clubhouse leader and with all the young talent they’ll be fielding, he’d be a good example for them to follow. I think they are still looking for a DH as well and he should come relatively cheap.
Brooks conrad? Thats the guy that had a ball go through his legs in the post season, 2010 i think? No thanks
Yup three errors in one game to tie a postseason record.
Sounds like Jays want to make a trade to open up a spot for Oliver on the 40-man roster.