Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for June 2013

Dodgers, Kershaw Discussing Extension

By | at

SUNDAY: Kershaw is seeking $225MM, but talks have gone on too long for people familiar with the discussions to suggest the sides are close to a deal yet, according to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman.

SATURDAY: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw are making progress on an extension. Rosenthal notes that the potential deal will be for at least $180MM. 

The left-handed Cy Young winner has long been thought as a candidate for an extension, with fellow aces Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander recently landing massive deals. According to Rosenthal, deals of up to twelve years and $300MM had been discussed, in addition to the seven-year contract currently being negotiated.  

At just 25 years of age, Kershaw has the combination of age and pitching performance that could justify the record-breaking contract he is likely to receive.  CC Sabathia (seven-year, $161MM) currently holds the record for largest contract for a pitcher in terms of new, guaranteed money. 

Kershaw has pitched to a .271 ERA, 9.2 K/9, and 3.2 BB/9 in 1044 1/3 career innings. The Excel Sports Management client is currently in the second season of a two-year, $19MM contract, although he is still under team control for one more year. 

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Mike Ekstrom

By | at

Here are Sunday's minor moves from around MLB:

  • The Angels have signed right-hander Mike Ekstrom to a minor league contract and he will report to Triple-A Salt Lake, reports Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirmed the signing on Twitter after tweeting yesterday Ekstrom had a opt-out in his deal with the A's, which he exercised. The 29-year-old last appeared in a MLB game with the Rockies in 2012 posting a mark of 6.31 ERA, 5.2 K/9, 1.1 BB/9, and 12.1 H/9 in 15 2/3 innings (15 games). This year with Triple-A Sacramento, Ekstrom has marginally better numbers of 5.10 ERA, 8.1 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, and 11.7 H/9 in 30 innings (20 games). 

Brewers Sign Devin Williams

By | at

The Brewers have signed their top draft choice Devin Williams to a deal worth $1.35MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter). The bonus is above-slot as the recommended value for the 54th overall selection is just over $1.017MM, per Baseball America. Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports part of Williams' bonus includes compensation for forgoing a scholarship to the University of Missouri, which is common practice in signing high school picks.

Williams, who is advised by Jason Wood of Arland Sports, was ranked as the 20th best prospect in the draft by ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required) and number 43 by Baseball America. Law sees Williams as one of the top prep arms in the country, with an athletic build and delivery reminiscent of the Mariners' Taijuan Walker and a chance for three above-average or better pitches. Callis adds Williams has a loose arm and hits 91-95 mph with his fastball. 

Williams touched 96 mph at a pre-draft workout for the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, according to McCalvy, but pitched mostly at 90-94 mph during his senior season at Hazelwood West Hight School near St. Louis, where he went 6-1 with one save and a 1.02 ERA, 93 strikeouts, a .102 opponents' batting average in nine games covering 48 innings.

Williams will report to the Brewers' Rookie League affiliate in Arizona tomorrow. The Brewers, who forfeited their first-round selection after signing Kyle Lohse, have now inked each of their first 11 draft picks.

Edward Creech contributed to this post.

Dodgers Notes: Kershaw, Puig, Crawford

By | at

Yesterday we learned that the Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw are making progress on a contract extension that will be worth at least $180MM.  In fact, deals for up to 12 years and $300MM have been discussed, in addition to the seven-year deal already being worked on.  Here's more on the Dodgers' star pitcher and other news out of L.A…

  • The Dodgers have been waiting for the resolution of their TV contract situation wtih Major League Baseball before picking up talks with Kershaw in earnest, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter).  It initially appeared that the Dodgers' massive TV deal was going to be largely immune to revenue sharing, but they'll now have to kick in an additional $1B over the course of 25 years.
  • In speaking with reporters, including Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter), Kershaw sounded upset with what he believed to be a leak from the organization and called it a "distraction".
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post recounted the bizarre story of how the Dodgers wound up signing Yasiel Puig, despite having very little intel on him.  Within the story, Sherman writes that the Mets were never involved with him and the Yankees didn't make an offer.
  • Not much of a surprise here, but manager Don Mattingly says that Puig will probably remain in the majors even if/when Matt Kemp and Carl Crawford return to action, tweets Hernandez.

Pirates Sign Second-Rounder Blake Taylor

By | at

SUNDAY, 12:06pm: Taylor will get a bonus of $750K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (via Twitter).  It's an under-slot deal for the left-hander as the suggested value of the No. 51 pick is just over $1.065MM.

FRIDAY, 5:56pm: The Pirates announced the signings of five more picks from their 2013 draft class, including second round pick (51st overall) Blake Taylor.  Terms of the deal weren't announced, though the assigned value of Taylor's draft slot is a little over $1.065MM (hat tip to Baseball America for the list of slot values).  Taylor is advised by Paragon Sports International.

A product of Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, California, Taylor is a 6'3", 220-pound left-handed pitcher described by MLB.com as needing to develop a changeup in order to succeed at the Major League level.  That said, Taylor's curveball "has the chance to be an above-average breaking pitch" and he has touched the mid 90's with his fastball, throwing it "with ease" in the low 90's on a regular basis.

Taylor was ranked as the 40th-best prospect of this year's draft class by ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription needed) and was also ranked 55th by Baseball America and ranked 61st by MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.

How To Use MLBTR

By | at

An explanation of the many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors:

  • If the main site doesn't load perfectly on your cell phone, try the more mobile-friendly mlbtraderumors.mobi.  It's a simple page that shows you just the headlines and lets you click through to what you want to read.
  • Be sure to pick up the MLBTR app for the latest news and rumors on the iPhone or Android.
  • If you want only the hard news in the form of transactions, our transactions page is the ticket.  You can also get only the transactions via Twitter or RSS. 
  • To return to the main page at any time, just click on the title or the Home button on the navigation bar below the title. 
  • The navigation bar will cover many of your needs.  Use the About dropdown to learn about this site or any of its writers. 
  • The Contact button takes you to a page where you can write an email message to the MLBTR writers.  If you have a link to a rumor we've missed, please send it in through the Contact page!  Also use the Contact page to inquire about advertising on MLBTR.
  • The Archives dropdown shows you 15 months worth.  If you need to go back further, click on Site Map at the very bottom of the page.  Site Map also lists out every MLBTR post category, including players, teams, and features.
  • The Tools dropdown takes you to a number of different places. The MLBTR Widget allows website owners to easily add a constantly updated box with all of MLBTR's headlines to their sites.
  • Also under the tools tab is our Transaction Tracker, which enables you to search about anything and everything to do with baseball trades, signings and extensions. 
  • Under the tools tab, you'll find a link to our Forums, a message board community of MLBTR readers with over 9,100 members.  You can discuss any baseball-related topic on the Forums, and start your own thread too.
  • MLBTR's Agency Database lets you know which agencies represent which players. It's searchable by team, agency or player, so be sure to check it out.
  • Feeds By Team is a very useful dropdown.  Hover over it to see all 30 teams.  Click on the team name to bring up a page of every post containing information about that team, with the latest on top.  These are the same pages you'll find if you go to the Rumors By Team section on the sidebar and select A's Rumors, Angels Rumors, etc.  
  • Also under the Feeds By Team dropdown, you'll find RSS and Twitter buttons.  Those links allow you to follow a single team's rumors via RSS or Twitter.  Did you know we have a separate Twitter account for each of the 30 teams?  For example you can follow @mlbtrtigers, where you would get the latest Tigers updates.
  • You can also follow Tim Dierkes on Twitter for more MLBTR content.
  • On the far right of the Navigation bar, you'll see buttons for Twitter, Facebook, and RSS.  MLBTR has over 263,000 Twitter followers, over 70,000 Facebook fans, and over 53,000 RSS subscribers.  Sign up for these and you'll be the first to receive all of our posts.
  • Be sure to check out your favorite team's MLBTR page on Facebook so you can receive and comment on the latest rumors.
  • On to the sidebar.  It begins with a list of our Top Stories, which our writers update any time major hard news occurs.  Go here for a quick update on the most important stories.  Below that is the site's Search Box, where you can type in any player's name and get the latest on him. 
  • MLBTR Features has all kinds of goodies, including our free agent lists.  Many of the MLBTR Features are constantly updated by our writers, so be assured that our free agent lists are always fresh. 
  • Below Features you've got headlines for all the Recent Posts, in case you'd rather not scroll to see all the headlines.  Then there's a box for our Mailing List, where you can sign up to receive a daily email containing MLBTR's posts.  Use this option if you don't need the news as soon as possible.
  • Next we have Featured Posts, where you'll find original work from MLBTR writers we consider noteworthy. 
  • There's also a contact form in case you need to reach MLBTR.

Cafardo On Norris, Crisp, Papelbon, Vazquez

By | at

Now that the draft is over, teams are focusing more on bolstering their rotations with one more piece, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  No one more aggressive in the pursuit of pitching than Orioles GM Dan Duquette who knows that one veteran starter could make all the difference.  While they're anxious to improve their starting five, it doesn't sound as if the O's will be in the mix for someone like Cliff Lee.  “We’re looking for a starter and a reliever,” said Duquette. “We’d like to solidify our pitching all around because that’s the name of the game, really. We have to look at everything. Don’t think we’re going to be in the market for a big-money pitcher, but there seem to be some guys out there that we might focus on and see where it takes us.”  Here's more from today's column..

  • The Astros will craft a game plan early this week for how to approach their veteran assets.  Teams are already calling about Bud Norris, who has a cheap $3MM salary, but won't be cheap to acquire. The Orioles, Giants, and Pirates have kicked around the idea of acquiring Norris, but one National League exec says there will be about a dozen teams interested before all is said and done.
  • It seems like a no-brainer for the A’s to pick up Coco Crisp's 2014 option for $7.5MM, but he'll be in demand if they don’t.  Even though he's 33-years-old, there aren’t many top center fielder/leadoff hitter types out there.  Jacoby Ellsbury will be the No. 1 guy in that department, but , one American League special assignment scout said Crisp might be a better low-cost option because “he can do everything Ellsbury can do. Neither of them have an arm, but Coco is still fast, a very good outfielder, and can still be a game-changer.”
  • The Phillies believe there are at least three teams — Red Sox, Tigers, and Cardinals — that may have some interest in Jonathan Papelbon at the trade deadline and the Phillies are scouting those teams with a potential deal in mind.  General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said last week that he’s not ready to “blow up” the Phillies, but a Papelbon trade could help retool the club.
  • Teams continue to nudge Javier Vazquez into coming back to pitch, but the right-hander seems to be content with staying with his family, according to a source familiar with Vazquez’s thinking. 
  • The Red Sox can trade Stephen Drew now that June 15th has come and gone, and they would have no problem finding a taker given the lack of shortstops around baseball.  However, Boston firmly believes that Drew is their guy.  One National League GM doesn't quite understand their infatuation with the shortstop. “They’re either trying to justify the $9.5MM they paid him, or they’re not sold on [Jose] Iglesias, who could start for 29 other teams.” 
  • If the White Sox decide to finally bolster their farm system, they could get some helpful prospects back by moving right-hander Jesse Crain.  The reliever is becoming a top name on wish lists around baseball.
  • While many baseball people remain focused on Giancarlo Stanton’s availability in a deal, 25-year-old Logan Morrison is now healthy and has returned to the lineup.  The Marlins first baseman/outfielder is a big lefthanded hitter who will be monitored closely by scouts over the next month.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp Sign Kila Ka’aihue

By | at

First baseman Kila Ka'aihue has signed with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, according to reports from JapanBall.com and Japanese outlet Chugoku Shimbun last week.  Ka'aihue is represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council, according to the MLBTR Agency Database. 

Ka'aihue is set to arrive in Japan on on the 17th, according to Chugoku.  Carp Owner Hajime Matsuda is excited about the addition of Ka'aihue, saying, "His swing is sharper than [Carp first baseman Brad] Eldred's. We're expecting him to provide power and hopefully encourage [outfielder Fred] Lewis."  The Chugoku Shimbun reports that Ka'aihue received a glowing report from Erik Schullstrom, a former MLB and NPB pitcher who now works as a U.S.-based scout for Hiroshima.

The 29-year-old hit .313/.426/.620 in 235 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks' triple-A affiliate before being released earlier this month.  Ka'aihue has a .221/.305/.382 line across parts of four big-league seasons with the Royals and the A's, although he has seen more success in the minors, with a .858 OPS over 5076 PA. 

MLBTR Contributor Aaron Steen contributed to this post.

Dodgers Claim John Baker

By | at

The Dodgers have claimed John Baker off waivers from the Padres, as first tweeted by Peter Gammons of MLB Network.  The catcher was designated for assignment earlier this week to make room for the return of Logan Forsythe from the 60-day disabled list.

Baker, 32, played in just 16 games for the Padres this season, hitting .150/.261/.150 in 46 plate appearances. Over parts of six Major League seasons with the Marlins and Padres, Baker has hit .258/.342/.364.  Baker, who was on the field for the wild brawl between the Dodgers and Padres, has been optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque.

West Notes: Kershaw, Dodgers, Angels

By | at

It looks like the Astros and Mark Appel will avoid a lengthy signing negotiation, with the sides reportedly agreeing to a deal today. The right-hander was not only the draft's first overall selection, but the Astros first selection as an American League team.   Here's the rest of tonight's notes from baseball's west divisions..

  • CC Sabathia represents a best-case scenario for a possible Clayton Kershaw extension, argues Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.  In Shaikin's opinion, Kershaw will command at least $200MM, and the Dodgers would do well to get the kind of production the Yankees have received from Sabathia. 
  • Shaikin also writes about how the Dodgers' sale affected the Angels' television revenue.  Angels owner Arte Moreno based the team's last deal off of the Dodgers agreement negotiated under Frank McCourt that ended up being voided by the commissioner's office.  The Angels are stuck with the terms of that deal, while the Dodgers have landed a record revenue stream.
  • The Athletics have their key offseason additions to thank for their offensive success, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Rosenthal cites John Jaso and Jed Lowrie as quality hitters who have transformed the A's offense. 

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