Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Diamondbacks Rumors

Quick Hits: Oswalt, Dempster, Diamondbacks, Jones

By | at

Sunday afternoon linkage..

  • ‪The Dodgers‬ inquired on Roy Oswalt at one point but don't appear involved now, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).  This morning we learned that Oswalt would still rather play for the Rangers or Cardinals than the Red Sox.
  • Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster hopes to stay in Chicago even though he knows that he could be trade bait, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.  "I want to be here and be part of what’s going to be a bright future," Dempster said.  "Sometimes you have to endure some of the tough times in the present to get to that. We’ll just see how it goes."
  • At certain points, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers put out feelers with other teams to see what another catcher might cost in trade and didn't like what he heard, writes Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic.  Arizona realized what they have in catcher Miguel Montero and locked him up to a five-year extension over the weekend.
  • Orioles center fielder Adam Jones told reporters that securing a no-trade clause in his six-year, $85.5MM contract was important to him, tweets Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
  • The Nationals could be interested in bringing back Erik Komatsu, who was DFA'd by the Twins earlier today, tweets Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.

D’Backs Sign Miguel Montero To Extension

By | at

SATURDAY, 3:36pm: Montero will earn $10MM in 2013, $10MM in '14, $12MM in '15, $14MM in '16, and $14MM in '17, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

12:30pm: The team has officially announced the five-year extension with a press release.

FRIDAY: The Diamondbacks and catcher Miguel Montero have agreed to a five-year, $60MM contract extension, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The deal is the richest in Arizona club history and is expected to be announced at a press conference tomorrow.  ESPN's Buster Olney reports (via Twitter) that the contract doesn't afford Montero any no-trade protection.

Uspw_6269920

The two sides had been discussing an extension over the winter and had seemingly tabled negotiations, though GM Kevin Towers said earlier this month that the D'Backs were open to in-season talks.  Montero was scheduled to hit free agency this winter and would have been one of the more sought-after players on the market.  Montero, an Octagon client, turns 29 in July.

Montero can probably thank Yadier Molina for his five-year, $75MM extension with the Cardinals in March that raised the bar for catcher contracts.  As Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic points out on Twitter, the D'Backs originally offered Montero a four-year, $32MM deal in late February before talks broke off.  Montero's wish for a contract similar to Victor Martinez's four-year, $50MM deal with the Tigers was more than granted in terms of length and dollars, if not in average annual value.  Still, Montero's contract will award him the fifth-highest AAV for any catcher — Martinez is not included in that group since he has mostly been a DH since going to Detroit.

Montero broke out in 2011, hitting .282/.351/.469 in 2011, making his first All-Star Game and leading the league by throwing out 40% of baserunners attempting to steal.  While his hitting has taken a step back (.255/.350/.343) thus far in 2012, his already-strong defense has improved even further, with a caught-stealing percentage of 59% (16 of 27).

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas/US Presswire

Minor Moves: Maine, Hernandez, Lindsay

By | at

The latest minor moves…

  • The Yankees will sign right-hander John Maine to a minor league deal, Evan Drellich of MLB.com tweets. The Red Sox recently released the 31-year-old, who has missed considerable time with shoulder injuries. He posted a 7.43 ERA in 46 innings with the Rockies' top affiliate in 2011 before signing with the Red Sox this January.
  • The Cubs signed infielder Diory Hernandez, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. The Astros had released Hernandez earlier in the week.
  • The Diamondbacks signed right-hander Gaby Hernandez from the independent Frontier League, Eddy tweets. The 26-year-old pitched at Triple-A for the Diamondbacks and White Sox last year.
  • The Dodgers released right-hander Shane Lindsay, Eddy tweets. The reliever had walked more than one batter per inning at Triple-A this year.

Quick Hits: Oviedo, Ransom, Greinke, Boras

By | at

Andy Pettitte's last game before his retirement was in Game 3 of the 2010 ALCS against the Rangers, featuring Jeff Francoeur.  Pettitte allowed two runs over seven innings in that game and tonight, Francoeur got another look at him, this time as a member of the Royals.  Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com asked him if he looked just as sharp this time around as once again allowed two runs over seven innings of work.  "Absolutely," Francoeur said. "He looks good. I thought he would."  Tonight's links..

Brewers Claim Cody Ransom

By | at

The Brewers have claimed infielder Cody Ransom off of waivers from the Diamondbacks, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets. Ransom has played 100 MLB games at shortstop, so he provides the Brewers with depth alongside Cesar Izturis. The Brewers confirmed the claim, announcing that they've optioned Edwin Maysonet to the minors and moved Alex Gonzalez to the 60-day disabled list in corresponding moves.

Ransom posted a .269/.345/.577 batting line in 58 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks this year, but they removed him from the 40-man roster earlier this week by designating him for assignment.  The 36-year-old played third base and shortstop, the same two positions he appeared at in 2011. Haudricourt reported earlier today that the Brewers were interested in adding shortstop help and Ransom's a fit since he has played more games at shortstop than at any other position. He has a .226/.310/.409 batting line in parts of ten seasons at the MLB level.

D’Backs Designate Cody Ransom For Assignment

By | at

The Diamondbacks announced that they designated infielder Cody Ransom for assignment (Twitter link). The team will recall infielder Josh Bell from Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move. Arizona now has two open 40-man roster spots.

Ransom, 36, posted a .269/.345/.577 batting line in 58 plate appearances with the Diamondbacks this year. He played third base and shortstop, the same two positions he appeared at in 2011. Ransom has a .226/.310/.409 batting line in parts of ten seasons at the MLB level.

Rosenthal On Saunders, Guthrie, Indians, Blue Jays

By | at

Highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..

  • The Diamondbacks are deep in starters and won't wait to see if they fall out of contention before exploring a trade involving one of their arms.  Don't be surprised if Arizona entertains offers for Joe Saunders before the trade deadline, regardless of where they are in the standings.
  • Rockies right-hander Jeremy Guthrie is also likely to be in play.  The club is looking at their younger pitchers and they've got Jorge De La Rosa set to come back soon.  Teams thinking of trading potential free agents might want to act sooner rather than later in order to save a bit more money and get a better return. 
  • The Indians need a right-handed hitter and another starting pitcher, as they still don't know if they'll see Roberto Hernandez (formerly Fausto Carmona) this season.  The problem for the Tribe is that they rank last in attendance in the majors and likely can't increase payroll significantly.  They'll have to ask for cash in deals and that means giving up better prospects in return.
  • The Blue Jays are deep in prospects and could be a major player at the deadline.  They could be in on the Brewers' Zack Greinke and could even be involved with Matt Garza of the Cubs if his contract talks break down.

Cafardo On Red Sox, D’Backs, Nats, Oswalt, Ichiro

By | at

The Red Sox and Phillies, two teams that played each other this weekend, took very opposite paths, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  The Phillies spent $50MM over four years for Jonathan Papelbon while the Red Sox went for the low-cost approach with arbitration-eligible Andrew Bailey.  So far, things have worked out for both clubs, but in different ways.  Papelbon has converted all of his save opportunities while Boston saved themselves a nice chunk of change while filling in for Bailey just fine with Alfredo Aceves.  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • The Diamondbacks are now among the teams that may have interest in Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis, as GM Kevin Towers is looking to upgrade offensively at the infield corners.  The Reds and Giants are also in need of upgrades. Of course, the Sox would have to decide whether Will Middlebrooks can handle the position.
  • The Red Sox called the Nationals after catcher Wilson Ramos went down, but they said they would stay in-house.  Lately, the Nats have been scouting teams who have depth behind the dish, and Boston is one.  Kelly Shoppach would be available, as the Sox could call up Ryan Lavarnway.
  • The initial reports on Roy Oswalt’s sessions with Boston and Philadelphia were good, but not great. "Not in midseason form by any means," said one scout. “His fastball was off a tick, but he’ll get that up. He wasn’t throwing too much secondary stuff, but he looked fluid. It probably would take him a few weeks to get ready, but everybody’s going to need pitching a month from now, so it’s a good investment for down the road."
  • Mariners rightfielder Ichiro Suzuki is in the final year of his contract and there’s some reason to believe retirement is a possibility.  Those who know him don’t think that he wants to play for anyone but the M's.

NL Links: Giants, Diamondbacks, Mets, DeWitt

By | at

The Padres placed Orlando Hudson on release waivers earlier today, and the veteran second baseman figures to draw some interest once he clears and becomes a free agent. Here's the latest from around the so-called Senior Circuit…

  • Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com hears from a source that available infield options are "not great" and the Giants must remain patient with Charlie Culberson (Twitter link). Hudson could make sense for San Francisco, though that is just my speculation.
  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has spent the last few days with his staff looking over ways to improve his club, reports MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. "I can't tell you if there's going to a move or not," said the GM. "Maybe none, but we just kind of want to re-evaluate where we're at, and if there are any other options out there that might make us better and kind of spark the club a little bit."
  • "The bullpen has been a frustration. There's no question about that," said Mets GM Sandy Alderson to reporters (including MLB.com's Spencer Fordin and Ethan Asofsky) after designating D.J. Carrasco for assignment last night. "At some point, you have to start making changes, and [this] was a step in that direction. It's not that we have outstanding candidates in the minor league system at this point. We've got some good candidates, but like a number of our other prospects, perhaps they're not ready to pitch at this level."
  • Blake DeWitt accepted his outright assignment and will head to Triple-A tomorrow, reports Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago. The Cubs designated DeWitt for assignment then outrighted him off the 40-man roster, but he could have refused the assignment and elected free agency.

Minor Moves: Zavada, DeWitt, Cubs, Diamondbacks

By | at

Today’s minor moves..

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top