Rangers Rumors: Andruw Jones, Joaquin Arias
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has a few Rangers rumors tonight.
- Aside from Gary Sheffield, the Phillies have interest in Rangers outfielder Andruw Jones. Sullivan says the Phils "have been scouting Jones extensively this spring."
- Also, having unloaded Jeff Keppinger, the Reds are looking for utility infield help. One person of interest is Rangers shortstop Joaquin Arias. Arias, who came to Texas in the Alex Rodriguez trade, has strong defensive tools and may yet establish himself as a regular according to Baseball America.
- In another post, Sullivan says reliever Derrick Turnbow has decided to accept his assignment to Triple A Oklahoma.
Tigers Release Gary Sheffield
7:36pm: MLB.com's Joe Frisaro says Sheffield has interest in the Marlins, but Frisaro believes Geoff Jenkins would be a better fit.
5:12pm: Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer learned from a team source that the chances of the Phillies signing Sheffield are "very slim." Martino did learn from Sheffield's agent Rufus Williams that a part-time role is not off the table for his client.
SI.com's Jon Heyman looks at the situation, and has a hard time finding a match for Sheffield.
2:49pm: Zolecki learned from Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. that the team did contact Sheffield's agent. The Reds haven't discussed it, says Walt Jocketty.
1:15pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Rangers and Blue Jays will pass on Sheffield. In talking to J.P. Ricciardi, Jeff Blair confirms the Jays' lack of interest.
9:15am: More from Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press. He says this isn't even a club record – the Tigers ate $14.3MM on Damion Easley back in '03. Morosi says Sheffield said "it ain't close" to the end of his career, and he has a preference for the Rays.
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki wonders whether the Phillies could be a fit for Sheffield.
8:41am: According to Tom Gage of the Detroit News, the Tigers released DH Gary Sheffield. They'll eat the $14MM owed to him for '09. It's quite surprising to see the team assume all that money to make him go away, especially since he's healthy right now. Plus he's just one home run shy of 500 for his career.
Let the speculation begin on where Sheff will end up. Obviously his options will open up if he can play the outfield. To kick off the discussion…would the Blue Jays make sense?
Odds & Ends: Colletti, Youkilis, Turnbow
Links for Tuesday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Rays info from Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times: they're trying to figure out a way to keep Jason Isringhausen, and they've released pitcher Chuck Tiffany (part of the Danys Baez trade in '06).
- In talking to Ramona Shelburne of the L.A. Daily News, Dodgers GM Ned Colletti explained his success reading the market this offseason. He also said, "I believe there will be some players available on July 31st that normally would never be available."
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday reminds us of past trade discussions involving Kevin Youkilis, before he was highly regarded.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis notes that the Cubs released "three of their top picks from the last six drafts this spring: outfielder Ryan Harvey, the sixth overall pick in 2003; righthander Grant Johnson, a second-rounder in 2004; and lefty Mark Pawelek, the 20th overall choice in 2005."
- According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, Rangers reliever Derrick Turnbow's opt-out date is Thursday. He's talking to his agent about whether he should head to Triple A Oklahoma.
- MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince says lefty reliever Juan Lara signed a minor league deal with the Indians – "just 16 months after a car accident nearly took his life."
Rangers Release Jimmy Gobble
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers released lefty reliever Jimmy Gobble today. They'll go with C.J. Wilson and Eddie Guardado as southpaws in the pen. The Rangers had signed Gobble on March 21st after the Royals let him go. Gobble can still get lefties out, and can be retained by his new team for 2010 as an arbitration-eligible player.
Rangers Claim Joe Koshansky
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes that the Rangers have claimed first baseman Joe Koshansky off waivers from the Rockies.
Koshansky, 26, led the minor leagues with 121 RBI last year. He also swatted 31 home runs while hitting .300. He's been added to the Rangers' 40-man roster and is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Oklahoma as the starting first baseman.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Rangers, Rays, Mulder
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column up with plenty of rumors:
- The Rangers think they can trade Frank Catalanotto if they pick up a considerable portion of the $6MM he's owed or if they accept a similar sized contract in return. They just aren't sure it's worth making room for Andruw Jones, who's making progress with his swing.
- Ian Stewart's emergence means Jeff Baker's become expendable for the Rockies.
- Rosenthal doesn't expect the A's to sign a free agent starter even though Justin Duchscherer needs surgery and will likely miss six weeks. Instead Rosenthal suggests the A's could trade for Jason Hammel or Jeff Niemann, both of whom are out of options.
- The A's can't afford Mark Mulder.
- Kris Benson could claim a spot in the Texas rotation and Rosenthal wouldn't be surprised to see Neftali Feliz or Derek Holland there before the All-Star break.
- They signed Cesar Izturis for now, but the Orioles hope to find a long-term solution at short.
Melhuse Won’t Make Rangers
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers have informed catcher Adam Melhuse he won't make the team. Melhuse has no interest in Triple A, so he's considering retirement if he can't hook on with another team. He's 12 for 19 this spring.
The Rangers' plan is to use Jarrod Saltalamacchia as the starter and Taylor Teagarden as the backup at the catcher position.
Odds & Ends: Wieters, Padres, Peavy, Price
LInks for Thursday…
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post says the Nationals will honor a handshake agreement Dmitri Young made with Jim Bowden, and put the first baseman back on the 40-man roster.
- Catcher Matt Wieters has been told by the Orioles that he'll be optioned to Triple A on Monday, according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. Will the Orioles wait until late May to try to avoid Super Two status?
- Reds assistant GM Bob Miller talked to fans in an MLB.com Q&A.
- Check out an entertaining chat transcript with Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times over at Halos Heaven.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star interviewed Zack Greinke.
- Rangers owner Tom Hicks told Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News that the team has not reduced its budget for 2010. The Rangers have yet to set next year's budget, but it's known that some big salaries will be coming off the books. Meanwhile, MLB.com's Barry Bloom notes that Hicks intends to sell a minority share of the team.
- Rays exec Andrew Friedman said the team's demotion of David Price was entirely for baseball reasons, talking to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay supports the decision. Bart Given agrees.
- Tom Haudricourt and Adam McCalvy write about Brewers GM Doug Melvin's irritation with the bogus Jake Peavy rumor.
- Purely speculative, but Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wonders if Dontrelle Willis could get his career back on track with the Marlins.
- Rockies infielder Jeff Baker, unaffected by the trade rumors, homered twice yesterday.
- John Moores says the Padres sale to Jeff Moorad is "awfully close," talking to MLB.com's Barry Bloom. As you know, Sandy Alderson will step down as CEO when the deal closes (possibly today).
- Padres pitcher Shawn Hill had offers from six teams, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- The Red Sox signed reliever Rocky Cherry to a minor league deal.
- MLB.com's Alyson Footer says reliever Danny Graves asked for and received his release from the Astros.
Rangers Release Brendan Donnelly
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers released reliever Brendan Donnelly today. Donnelly allowed five runs in six spring innings, striking out five and walking one.
Donnelly, 37, was on a $950K minor league deal. He had Tommy John surgery in '07 and played at various levels in the Indians organization last year.
The Rangers now have seven pitchers fighting for four bullpen slots, including offseason imports Derrick Turnbow and Jimmy Gobble (and possibly Jason Jennings).
Rangers Make Contract Offer To Hamilton
THURSDAY, 8:46am: Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a bit more. He says the Rangers are aiming to buy out at least one year of free agency, and will probably use the contracts given to Ian Kinsler and Hank Blalock as guidelines.
WEDNESDAY, 4:36pm: According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Rangers presented a contract offer to Josh Hamilton and his agent. Hamilton was "disappointed" with the proposal.
Sullivan notes that Hamilton is already under team control through 2012, and is believed to be seeking "a deal in the 4-6 year range with possible options." Hamilton will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season.