Here are the highlights from this week’s notes piece by Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:
- One Dodgers official says Carl Crawford’s career is likely over. At last check, the 35-year-old seemed likely to try to make a comeback next season. There’s been no official word from Crawford about any retirement plans, however. The Dodgers designated Crawford for assignment last June, then released him, even though he still had $35MM remaining on his $142MM contract at the time. At the time of his release, he was batting .185/.230/.235 in 87 plate appearances, and he had missed time due to a back injury.
- Another veteran outfielder, 36-year-old Shane Victorino, has an offer on the table, but his agent is waiting to hear back from his client about whether to take it. The deal would almost certainly be of the minor-league variety. As of last month, Victorino was working out in Las Vegas in preparation for next season. The Cubs released him in May after just nine minor-league games. He last played in the big leagues in 2015 with the Red Sox and Angels, batting a modest .230/.308/.292 in 204 plate appearances.
- 44-year-old Manny Ramirez recently signed with the independent Kochi Fighting Dogs in Japan, and MLB execs express guarded optimism about the possibility that his comeback attempt could lead him back to bigger things, even though he hasn’t played in the Majors since 2011. “We’ll have to see how his body holds up,” says Braves president of baseball operations John Hart. “If it does, he’s best suited for the American League as a DH at this point, but would I be surprised if he could still hit? Absolutely not.”
- Red Sox righty Steven Wright is rehabbing his shoulder (which he injured while pinch-running late last season), but he should be ready for Spring Training, Cafardo writes. The knuckleballer last pitched last August 31, finishing his year with a 3.33 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 over 156 2/3 strong innings.
I would love to see Manny make a big league comeback, hard to see at this point though
The braves sign of all people Tim Tebow… yet Manny is going to Japan. I think I’d take a 44yo Manny over a Healthy Tim Tebow.
mets, not braves
U mean the mets?
Casual fan?
Yep.
Manny probably hit better than Tenow in his sleep.
There’s nothing like a Cafardo down-memory-lane Red Sox report. And I say this as a Yankee’s fan. It’s like going to someone else’s high school reunion. And everyone still looks great!
Tim Tebow signed with the Mets.
Are you guys nuts? Hey Mike, you would love to see a three time caught cheater who quit in his team each time he was busted, make a comeback? What’s the point?
And tjeck, even though I find it ridiculous that an over the hill football suddenly believes he is a super athletes and can wiggle his nose and be a ML player; Manny is a loser. He’s a washed up cheater who has made a career out of being a freak and mockery of the sport. Please don’t go into the rhetoric, “best right handed hitter….” because he was cheating SO long the back of his baseball card should have no statistics because they were all tainted.
I wonder what your stance would be if he had played for years on the Yankees?
Probably the same way he feels about A-Rod.
Really? L O L.
As we spend time praising Theo Epstein it’s worth noting that the Crawford signing is among the worst signings ever.
So does that mean trading for him makes it the worst trade ever?
It was not a bad deal for LA. Yes, we absorbed the cash, but we got A-Gon and (roughly) two years of Beckett for a bunch of nobodies. in 2012 LA’s farm system was garbage due to McCourt’s horrible leadership.
No GM is immune to mistakes… Theo wouldnt have Bryant if not for Lunhow passing on him for Appel.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Bryant ‘s agent tell Lunhow and co. that Bryant would not sign with them because of his signing bonus demands?
Bryant got 6.7 and Appel got 6.35, so unless they signed for less with the cubs than what they told the astros, i don’t think so
No GM is immune to mistakes… Theo wouldnt have Bryant if not for Lunhow passing on him for Appel. Lunhow had 3 1-1 picks and whiffed on 2 of them.
it’s hard to blame Aiken’s UCL on Lunhow, and that pick turned into Alex Bregman, which looks good so far.
Just feel I should point out that Epstein isn’t a GM anymore
While he holds a different title, that point in this context is moot. He makes the picks.
That was an owner move because they had cash to spend. Epstein was not behind the Crawford signing.
In point of fact, the owner, John Henry, was opposed to the deal. Epstein and several others within the organization all supported it.
Here’s a link:
http://www.si.com/si-wire/2012/01/12/theo-epstein-john-henry-didnt-want-to-sign-carl-crawford
Ya know, Dude, I myself dabbled in pacifism once. Not on mlbtr of course.
Will you just take it easy?
Calmer than you are.
Yeah gotta agree that the Crawford signing one of the worst ever in baseball, but not only Theo’s doing. I’m sure Larry L had a say in it also, and even thou Theo took the criticism like a man the blame for stupid has fallen into his lap. As far as Manny goes he was at kid status in the 20’s 30’s and 40’s… had the best swing in baseball at one time but also one of the most immature men to ever palsy the game. I still want to thank him for his years in Boston
Manny couldn’t even crack a major league roster for 5 years and a baseball exec thinks there’s even the slightest possibility he could do it now, at 44, because of a move from AAA to some independent Japanese league with 4 teams? C’mon. Manny is done.
I wouldn’t doubt that the bluejays front office has put that offer out to Victorino
Just waiting for he braves to sign manny so i can hear about all of his upside, potential, and high reward
this made me chuckle. thanks
I hope the Japanese team’s travel manager knows karate. Manny likes to beat up elderly employees.
Would Manny still be bound to his 100 game suspension if signed by an MLB team?
It’s mid-January and Steven Wright is still questionable? If I were John Farrell, I would be very concerned. This is his mistake and it could be a huge one.