Saturday evening linkage …
- The Marlins are likely to discuss acquiring Blue Jays DH Adam Lind, but their pursuit will be tempered, according to Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). Miami optioned struggling first baseman Gaby Sanchez to Triple-A New Orleans today.
- Free agent Arthur Rhodes has remained in playing shape in case a team becomes interested in signing a lefty reliever, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Rhodes last pitched last season for the Cardinals.
- Free agent shortstop Edgar Renteria has turned down two offers and apparently wants to remain retired, according to Heyman (Twitter link). Renteria played for the Reds last year.
- Angels manager Mike Scioscia hopes outfielder Torii Hunter will return from the restricted list during the Halos' ongoing road trip, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Hunter was placed on the RL on Monday to deal with a family matter.
- Indians closer Chris Perez suggested free agents prefer not to sign with Cleveland because of poor attendance at Progressive Field, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Specifically, Perez cited Cardinals outfielder Carlos Beltran, who turned down an offer from the Indians this offseason in favor of a comparable one from the Cardinals.
- The Padres' youth movement will pay off someday, but things will be tough in the interim, writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. The Padres have one of baseball's top farm systems and will have the opportunity to build on it with six of the first 70 picks in this year's draft.
- Former Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal thinks that Dee Gordon will work out for the club in the long-term, writes Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers felt that they could part with Furcal last year in part because of Gordon's presence.
- Indians GM Chris Antonetti doesn't seem to have any regrets over acquiring Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies in last year's trade, based on what he told Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer. "Ubaldo's results continue to be inconsistent. His work, his preparation and his commitment hasn't wavered. He's worked tirelessly to solidify his mechanics with [pitching coach] Scott Radinsky, it just hasn't clicked consistently every five days. … With the work he's put in, I believe we'll see more consistency."
MLBTR's Dan Mennella contributed to this post.
Torii’s may well decide to remain with his family for an extended period. These are very serious charges facing his son, and with very serious penalites. Moreover, Texas might be one of the hardest states in which to seek a not gulity verdict on any charge whatsoever.
I agree family is the number one priority for any parent.
Only way one touches Lind is with Toronto paying a very substantial part of his salary and especially with some team in the NL which already has a decent, young 1b like the Fish..
I would still prefer Sanchez by far over Lind.. Let Sanchez work on his swing at N.O. while The Dobber fills in. Don’t get careless and make a 15m mistake and take on a contract who would be worse than a player they already have control over in Gaby.
Dodgers should find a backup short stop. Just in case Dee Gordon continues to have problems.
Probably doesn’t hurt that the Cardinals just won the World Series, their second in what 5 years? And the Indians haven’t won a title since 1948. But no Chris Perez, the attendance is the reason.
Torii’s kid is in a whole lot of trouble