No Offers For Bonds
Jon Heyman recently spoke to Barry Bonds‘ agent, Jeff Borris. Borris said no team has made any kind of offer to Bonds, even at the league minimum. Borris might not take $400K for Bonds, but he’d listen.
Tony La Russa and Ron Washington pushed for Bonds for their respective teams, but management passed. Heyman notes the Rays’ flirtation as well. That’s it though. No front office wants anything to do with Bonds, despite the possibility of a 1.000 OPS at a bargain basement price.
I still expect Bonds to play this year. A month or two from now some team is going to crack and decide that the production outweighs the baggage.
Odds And Ends: Crede, Morris, Thomas
Just a couple of lingering posts in my browser this morning.
- It looks like Joe Crede is sticking by Scott Boras’s side as he enters free agency after this season. I can’t blame him. It’s one thing for a superstar like A-Rod or an established veteran like Kenny Rogers to do what they want. But Crede certainly benefits from being repped by Boras.
- If Pirates GM Neal Huntington has plans to ditch Matt Morris, he’s not tipping his hand. The 33-year-old righty has been downright horrible since coming over to Pittsburgh, a gaffe made by who else by Dave Littlefield.
- While Tim mentioned yesterday that Jon Daniels is leaning away from Frank Thomas, Manager Ron Washington is enticed. "I’ll take him in a heartbeat. Once he reaches 100 at-bats, he really does start hacking."
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.
Frank Thomas Suitors
The Blue Jays are on the hook for the rest of Frank Thomas‘ salary this year, making him a fine bargain for a team looking for a DH. It seems that the signing team will not be liable for his 2009 vesting option. As an injury-prone DH with clubhouse concerns, Thomas has similarities to Barry Bonds. The Big Hurt will come more cheaply, offering less production but no steroid baggage. As far as suitors:
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi will talk to his scouts about Thomas. Question for Mariners fans: does Thomas offer more at DH than Jeff Clement, who is raking at Triple A?
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels didn’t rule Thomas out but seems to be leaning away from it. The Rangers have plenty of DHs on hand already.
- The A’s will at least have an internal discussion about Thomas, but they aren’t tipping their hand.
- Rays manager Joe Maddon was noncommital when asked about Thomas. They did just add Dan Johnson.
- Could the Mets follow suit and release Carlos Delgado?
Robinson Tejeda Clears Waivers
WEDNESDAY at 6:29pm: Surprisingly, Tejeda passed through waivers unclaimed. He’s headed to Oklahoma.
TUESDAY at 9:07am: We discussed 26 year-old starter Robinson Tejeda here. Imagine Carlos Silva with poor control and mid-90s heat (hmm, doesn’t sound too much like Silva actually). Anyway, the Rangers designated Tejeda for assignment last week and have until Wednesday to trade him. Jon Daniels doesn’t expect a deal, meaning Tejeda may simply be plucked off waivers. He’s a project, so he might make more sense for a rebuilding team. Jayson Stark saw no indications that the Mets were after Tejeda; David Lennon did.
The above-linked article from Anthony Andro also notes that outfielder Nelson Cruz passed through waivers unclaimed and is headed to Triple A. The 27 year-old seems to have earned the Quad-A tag.
Don’t Count Bonds Out
Last we checked, Barry Bonds was determined not to retire. Rangers beat writer Jim Reeves has this to say about the basher:
"Fact is, if the Rangers are somehow a surprise contender by midseason and Bonds is still out there… let me just suggest that the Bonds issue might well be revisited again by the powers that be at The Ballpark in Arlington."
Reeves is not advocating the signing. In fact, he’s urging Rangers owner Tom Hicks not to bend when he responded to the question of signing Bonds with a vehement, "No way" that put this rumor to sleep almost a month ago. However, Rangers Manager Ron Washington is vocally in favor of bringing Bonds on board.
"’I’d do it,’ Washington said. ‘I would. I’m a Barry Bonds fan. I’ve always been a Barry Bonds fan… He’s going to help you win a lot of ballgames. That’s what it’s all about … He has his own attitude, but that don’t bother me,’ Washington said. ‘The bottom line is what does he do for us between the lines?’"
By Nat Boyle
Stark’s Latest: Bonds, Howard, Vargas
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings up; let’s take a look.
- Stark surveyed execs from three teams about why Barry Bonds remains unemployed. They provided the answers you’d expect, and collusion isn’t one of them. One of the team officials believes a major injury to one of the 14 DHs could very well result in a Bonds signing. Related note: Gary Sheffield just tore a tendon in his finger. Meanwhile, Joel Sherman speculates that Bonds would be a nice match with the Blue Jays.
- There are signs that Ryan Howard wants an unprecedented contract – he won’t be using Miguel Cabrera as his model. A trade before he reaches free agency (after the 2010 season) seems likely.
- Stark says the Mets are eyeing Claudio Vargas but would want him to work at Triple A for a while first. They’re not showing interest in available guys like David Wells, Jeff Weaver, or Robinson Tejeda. David Lennon of Newsday counters by saying the Mets do have interest in Tejeda, though nothing is close.
Davidoff: Tejeda Makes Sense For Mets
Newsday’s Ken Davidoff has an idea for the Mets: 26 year-old recently DFA’d starter Robinson Tejeda of the Rangers. Davidoff notes that the Mets have had interest in him in the past, and now he could be had for very little via trade or even a waiver claim.
Tejeda’s main problem has been control. Back in ’05, Baseball America compared Tejeda to Carlos Silva "in build and repertoire." One big difference – Tejeda averages almost 95 mph with his heater.
I discussed some other Pedro replacement options in this post.
Rangers DFA Tejeda, Cruz
As expected the Rangers DFA’d outfielder Nelson Cruz and pitcher Robinson Tejeda over the weekend. Tejeda is a casualty of the Rangers’ Friday deal for Dustin Nippert, and has been undergoing a thus far unsuccessful transition to the bullpen. He went 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA during the spring, but did manage to run a streak of four scoreless appearances prior to giving up a game-ending RBI triple to Felix Pie last week.
Cruz’s release was expected. There was some light talk of him possibly being moved to Tampa last week, but that evaporated when the Rays acquired former Angels prospect Nathan Haynes. Ironically, according to Lone Star Ball, Haynes was once offered to Texas along with Casey Kotchman in a proposed deal for Mark Teixeira. Sands through the hourglass…
Control problems have always plagued Tejeda (67/60 K/BB in 2007), but he’s got a live fastball that touches the upper 90s and a decent change to compliment it. Plus he owns Orlando Cabrera (1 for 10 lifetime). It seems likely someone might give the 6′ 3" Dominican another shot.
Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle.
Rangers Acquire Dustin Nippert
Smart move by Jon Daniels tonight, as the Rangers acquired out of options pitcher Dustin Nippert from the Diamondbacks for minor league reliever Jose Marte.
Nippert, 27 in May, was said to have "top of the rotation stuff" by Baseball America in their ’07 handbook. The 6’7" TJ survivor throws in the mid-90s with a strong curve. He hasn’t had any big league success, but there’s upside here. The Rangers can afford to stash Nippert on the active roster and let him struggle in ’08; the D’Backs couldn’t.
I can’t tell you much beyond stats about Marte – he’s a 24 year-old relief prospect with huge strikeout rates. He struggled with his control as a High A ball closer last year. Better than nothing, which was Josh Byrnes’ alternative if he tried to pass Nippert through waivers.
Cubs Sign Reed Johnson
1:48pm: The Chicago Tribune says the deal is for $1.3MM. BP’s Nate Silver weighs in on the move here.
12:35pm: Levine now reports that the Cubs have signed Johnson. For a team focused on winning now, it’s not a bad move. Only drawback might be the Murton situation. Meanwhile, Evan Grant says the Rangers reduced their demands for Marlon Byrd but the Cubs still decided to pass.
11:41am: It’s all Reed Johnson, all the time here at MLBTR. Bruce Levine of ESPN 1000 says the Cubs will make a contract offer to Johnson once he clears waivers about twenty minutes from now. Cubs GM Jim Hendry has already been in contact with Arn Tellem, Johnson’s agent. Matt Murton might be the odd man out if the Cubs complete the signing. I’ll update this post if more info rolls in today.