Rosenthal On Pedro, Wood, Pudge, Gonzalez
Ken Rosenthal weighs in on a few of the recent hot topics…
- Like we heard earlier, Rosenthal says the Dodgers would only be willing to add Pedro Martinez to the mix if he is willing to "pitch for pay" and accept an incentive-laden contract. Rosenthal adds that Martinez’ agents reached out to the Dodgers and that the Dodgers contacted Pedro’s personal trainer but deny that any serious conservations have occurred.
- Rosenthal feels that the Dodgers have a better shot of landing a starter if they trade Delwyn Young who is out of minor league options.
- Rosenthal says Brandon Wood has given up hope that the Angels will trade Chone Figgins to clear a spot for Wood on the roster. Wood does have a minor league option remaining. Rosenthal says the Angels would need to find another leadoff hitter if they let Figgins walk at the end of the season as a free agent.
- Rosenthal adds that the Marlins are "warming to the idea" of signing Ivan Rodriguez, but that playing time remains an issue as Pudge wants to play five days a week.
- According to Rosenthal, Luis Gonzalez is willing to resign with the D-Backs, but it may only happen if Eric Byrnes continues to have problems with his hamstring.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Padres Looking For Pitching
Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes about the Padres’ intention to add pitching to the organization. He learned that the Nationals inquired about Padres first base prospect Kyle Blanks, but were not willing to trade their own top prospect Jordan Zimmermann. Would’ve been interesting to see.
Krasovic says the Padres are focused on out of options pitchers, and in particular inquired on Arizona’s Juan Gutierrez. Krasovic tosses out names of other out of options hurlers on the D’Backs and Angels: Jason Bulger, Shane Loux, Dustin Moseley, Yusmeiro Petit, and Travis Blackley. Two more possibilities: Giants Rule 5 pick Luis Perdomo and Rangers veteran Jason Jennings. I don’t know whether the Padres are interested, but a few more out of options pitchers include David Pauley, Hayden Penn, Dustin Nippert, Jeff Niemann, and Jason Hammel.
According to Krasovic, GM Kevin Towers is focused exclusively on pitching this month. Krasovic adds:
Some Padres evaluators have become dismayed, according to other clubs, by a perceived dearth of power arms high in the organization and are wondering if the club’s four-year emphasis on “pitchability” got overdone.
A-Rod Has Torn Labrum In Hip
7:12pm: All A-Rod, All the time…Tom Verducci notes that the A-Rod injury is a sign of a bigger problem, that the Yankees are getting old. Verducci also notes that Mark Teixeira is the player that will be most impacted without A-Rod’s protection and the pressure to live up to the new contract…The New York Post has another comprehensive list of possible A-Rod replacements. The two intradivisional options at the top of their list seem like a long-shot…Ken Davidoff wonders if some time away will help Yankees fans appreciate what they have with A-Rod…Rob Neyer can’t help but wonder if the Yankees are going to have to eat a good chunk of the $178MM they still owe A-Rod.
5:30pm: Even more from Abraham with special bonus audio of Brian Cashman: Abraham says surgery is necessary at some point, but that the Yankees are hoping that rest and rehab will be enough to hold off the surgery until after the season. Abraham notes that Mike Lowell tried the same tactic last season after his injury was discovered in June, but the injury got so bad he was held off the playoff roster.
3:27pm: More details from Abraham: A-Rod has a torn hip labrum that would take four months to repair surgically. He won’t play in the WBC and he’ll play less in Spring Training to try to return soon. Marc Craig of the Star-Ledger writes that A-Rod’s out indefinitely and could still need surgery. The New York Daily News offers more, including analysis from various doctors.
2:40pm: Peter Abraham of The Journal News talked to Yankees GM Brian Cashman, who said Rodriguez’s cyst was drained and they will attempt rest and rehab rather than surgery.
12:59pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post offers other ideas for third base if A-Rod is to be out for a considerable length of time: Scott Rolen, Melvin Mora, Brandon Inge, Hank Blalock, Chone Figgins, Adrian Beltre, Blake DeWitt, Martin Prado, and Mark Teahen.
12:17pm: ESPN’s Peter Gammons comments about the injury, wondering if mid-May is a best case scenario. Gammons speculates that Garrett Atkins or Chad Tracy could be fits for the Yanks, but the price for Atkins could be high. River Ave. Blues likes Mark Grudzielanek or possibly Bobby Crosby as other external options, while ESPN’s Buster Olney speculates on Bill Hall (who is recovering from a torn calf). Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders if Bobby Crosby could fit.
ESPN’s Stephania Bell suggests ten weeks could be a light estimate, if Rodriguez has a labral tear.
10:40am: ESPN’s Enrique Rojas talked to Alex Rodriguez‘s brother, who says the Yankees third baseman will miss about ten weeks due to hip surgery to remove a cyst. A ten week rehab would put A-Rod at a mid-May return, so he could miss a quarter of the season. A-Rod’s brother told MLB.com the operation will be performed Monday. The Yankees haven’t confirmed anything yet though. It probably makes sense to hold off on replacement speculation until we get official word on the injury.
Check out my instant fantasy take on the situation over at RotoAuthority.
Odds & Ends: Marte, Wilkerson, Bowden
Links for Wednesday as we enter the short post-Manny phase of the offseason…
- RotoAuthority has 18 undrafted players to watch for mixed leagues.
- WEEI’s Rob Bradford talked to Bill Lajoie, who was behind Boston’s acquisition of Andy Marte while Theo Epstein was on hiatus. Lajoie admitted he acquired Marte with the intent of flipping him.
- SI.com’s Melissa Segura writes about fraud involving Dominican prospects.
- Nothing cooking yet with the Red Sox and Jason Bay, says Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe.
- Jorge Says No! says shortstops Bobby Crosby and Khalil Greene are at the crossroads of their careers.
- WEEI’s Alex Speier notes that Boston outfielders Jeff Bailey and Brad Wilkerson have opt-out clauses if they’re not in the bigs by certain dates.
- Fire Jim Bowden has the ten best moves of their namesake GM.
- Nick Piecoro wonders if Randy Johnson took a subtle jab at Chris Snyder.
- Updated June draft order at Baseball America.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday looks at each team’s 2012 commitments.
Royals Sign Juan Cruz
3:16pm: Buster Olney with information on each year’s value: "He receives $2.25 million for 2009, $3.25 million for 2010, and a $4 million option for 2011, with a $500,000 buyout. " Royals beat writer Dick Kaegel of MLB.com confirms it.
2:25pm: According to a press release from the team, the Kansas City Royals have signed Juan Cruz to a two-year deal, with a club option for a third year.
While it is Royals policy to keep contract terms under wraps, Ken Rosenthal has contract details. The first two years of the deal are worth $6MM, while the option year would pay Cruz $3.5MM if exercised.
Rosenthal also has details on the Royals’ ability to complete the deal without negotiating a sign-and-trade with the Diamondbacks:
In the end, no sign-and-trade solution was necessary. The Royals preferred to lose their second rounder rather than give up prospects to the Diamondbacks. The team’s first-round pick is protected because it finished with one of the 15 worst records in the majors last season.
Today’s Signings: Sanchez, Weaver, Galarraga
MLBTR has an update on major league signings for today based on e-mail communication with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman. His article is here.
Florida Marlins – Anibal Sanchez, $400,000
L.A. Angels – Jered Weaver, $465,000
Arizona Diamondbacks – Tony Pena, $430,000
Detroit Tigers – Armando Galarraga, $430,000
San Francisco Giants – Jonathan Sanchez, $455,000
Juan Cruz To Royals?
Juan Cruz may be close to a deal with the Kansas City Royals, according to Buster Olney at ESPN.com.
The Royals’ signing Cruz may entitle the Arizona Diamondbacks to two compensatory draft picks, since Cruz was a Type A free agent offered arbitration. However, a potential sign-and-trade deal with the Diamondbacks may affect those circumstances. Writes Olney:
It was not immediately clear on Saturday afternoon whether Cruz would just sign with the Royals, or if a sign-and-trade with the Diamondbacks would be part of the process.
We’ll keep an eye on this one.
Odds and Ends
A few links on a slow Friday night:
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports that Jon Garland was open to returning to the White Sox this winter. The Sox opted for Bartolo Colon and Garland signed with the Diamondbacks.
- Former major leaguer Gary Matthews had a front-row seat for President Obama’s inauguration, reports Brian Knapp of MLB.com. Matthews and Obama met when their daughters had a dance class together in Chicago.
- Rocco Baldelli made his Red Sox debut against his former team today. Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe writes that Baldelli will be a good fit in Boston.
- Tracy Ringolsby signs off in the final edition of the Rocky Mountain News.
Thursday Pre-Arbitration Signings
7:41pm: The Miami Herald has a list of eight players who agreed to terms with the A’s for 2009. Daric Barton, Kurt Suzuki, Dallas Braden, Dana Eveland, Gio Gonzalez, Sean Gallagher, Henry Rodriguez and Landon Powell all agreed to one-year contracts.
12:27pm: According to a press release, via the Miami Herald, the Brewers have inked Tony Gwynn Jr., Manny Parra, Hernan Iribarren and Chase Wright to one-year contracts.
11:48am: The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett has a few more from the Angels. Howie Kendrick, Dustin Moseley, Kevin Jepsen and Matt Brown have been signed to ’09 contracts.
9:53am: MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports that the Diamondbacks have agreed to one-year contracts with Yusmeiro Petit, Leo Rosales and Kyler Newby. They’ll each make around $400K this year.
9:50am: According to a press release, via the Miami Herald, the Cubs have now settled with all 20 of their pre-arbitration players. Sean Marshall, Mike Fontenot and Micah Hoffpauir are some of the bigger names on the list.
9:49am: Jose De Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros have renewed Hunter Pence‘s contract. He’ll earn $450K in ’09.
9:41am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a few more pre-arbitration signings. 2008 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum was inked for $650K, Angels pitcher Joe Saunders settled for $475K, Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol for $575K and Cubs infielder Ryan Theriot for $500K.
These are all guys without enough MLB service time to be eligible for salary arbitration.
Odds and Ends: Mahon, Rijo, Bowden
A few bits of information from around the baseball world. More to come…
- The Diamondbacks made their first roster move of the spring Wednesday, when they demoted right-hander Reid Mahon to minor league camp. He was having major command issues during bullpen sessions.
- According to ESPN’s Jorge Arangure Jr., the Nationals have decided to fire special assistant Jose Rijo in the wake of the Esmailyn Gonzalez age-changing scandal. Rob Neyer wonders if GM Jim Bowden is next?
- Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune has compiled a list of the top 2010 free agents. John Lackey is his numero uno. You can also check out MLBTR’s constantly-updated list of the entire 2010 class right here.
- If you haven’t already joined the fun, add MLB Trade Rumors to your Twitter following. And if you’re feeling really adventurous, why not add your good friend Drew Silva?