Team And Transaction-Only Feeds
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In the navigation bar, check out the Feeds By Team dropdown. Clicking on the name of a team returns all the posts that reference that club. For example, this page displays only posts with Braves-related rumors. The newest will always be on top.
Next to the word "Braves" you'll see an RSS button and a Twitter button. The RSS button leads here, to the URL you'd put into your RSS reader to receive only our Braves rumors. The Twitter button takes you to @mlbtrbraves, which shows all posts involving the team. The MLBTR team Twitter pages are also a place to quickly receive info from team press releases, even if that info is not used on the main site.
Be sure to check out your favorite team's MLBTR page on Facebook so you can receive and comment on the latest rumors.
If you'd prefer to monitor only actual transactions, we've got several options. Our Transactions page shows only posts marked as transactions, such as signings, trades, DFAs, and releases. You can also get this same info on Twitter and RSS.
Luis Castillo Rumors: Friday
The Mets released Luis Castillo this morning, which means they're responsible for $6MM less the MLB minimum if he signs with another team. That's exactly what the second baseman intends to do, so we're going to keep track of which teams have potential interest right here:
- The Cubs are interested in Castillo, a source told Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes.com.
- The Orioles have "zero" interest in Castillo at this point, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
- The Marlins have spoken internally about re-acquiring Castillo, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Castillo would be a candidate to play second base in case Matt Dominguez doesn't make the team and Omar Infante shifts to third base.
- The Dodgers have no interest in Castillo, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
- Asked about potential interest, Phillies assistant GM Scott Proefrock said "that remains to be seen," according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki (on Twitter).
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs argues that Castillo could hold down Philadelphia's second base job while Chase Utley recovers. Castillo isn't a long-term answer, but he could do enough to help the Phillies.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports expects that Castillo will sign shortly after clearning waivers on Sunday, and he confirmed that the Phillies, Marlins and Cubs are thought to be in on the veteran second baseman. Rosenthal added that the O's could be interested, depending on how Brian Roberts progresses with his back injury, and he tweeted that the Rockies are not in the mix.
Quick Hits: Shields, Cardinals, Lawrie, Montero
Links for Friday, as Ichiro donates over $1.2MM to victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan…
- Scot Shields, who announced his retirement today, said on a conference call that he drew interest this offseason before calling it a career. "There were some teams interested, but nothing seemed like the right fit," Shields said.
- A longtime GM tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that he has heard "less trade talk this spring than in any other year [he has] been on the job" (Twitter link).
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Cardinals are excited about their rotation despite Adam Wainwright's elbow injury. The Cards will go with Chris Carpenter Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook, Kyle Lohse and Kyle McClellan.
- Blue Jays prospect Brett Lawrie joined CAA, according to the agency (on Twitter). As MLBTR's newly launched Agency Database shows, CAA also represents Blue Jays J.P. Arencibia and Travis Snider.
- Scouts tell Joel Sherman of the New York Post that they aren't enthusiastic about Jesus Montero's ability to catch in the major leagues.
Giants Notes: Mejia, Belt, Sabean
The latest on the Giants as they take on the rival Dodgers for the last time this spring…
- The Giants agreed to sign Dominican left-hander Adalberto Mejia for $350K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. The 6'3" pitcher has a loose arm and can reach 92 with his fastball.
- As Badler points out, the Giants are spending more aggressively on the international market than they did in 2010; they signed Dominican right-hander Simon Mercedes earlier this month.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports suggests that Giants prospect Brandon Belt is too good to be denied a major league job.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle that he is prepared to open the season with Belt on the roster if he believes that will make the team better. "I think we're all more open-minded now because he's played a lot, and because of that, has faced front-line pitching," Sabean said.
Heyman On Phillies, Tigers, Manny, Rays
The Phillies have “tapped out” their payroll and have “nothing brewing” on the Michael Young front, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest from Heyman as the Phils contemplate whether or not to pursue new free agent Luis Castillo…
- The expectation is that Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, whose contract expires after the season, will be back. Dombrowski declined to comment on the matter.
- Manny Ramirez wanted to play for the Rays or the Blue Jays this year, according to Heyman. Rumors linked Ramirez to Toronto early in the offseason, partly because of the slugger’s affinity for incoming manager John Farrell and partly because he rooted for the great Dominican Blue Jays of the 1980s.
- Team officials say Rays infielder Elliot Johnson has been very impressive this spring.
Pirates Claim Garrett Olson
The Pirates claimed Garrett Olson off of waivers from the Mariners, the teams have announced.
Olsen, 27, posted a 4.54 ERA with 7.4 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 37.1% ground ball rate in 37 2/3 innings of relief for the Mariners last year. It was his second season in Seattle after two seasons with the Orioles, the organization that drafted him in the first round of the 2005 draft.
Olson figures to compete with Joe Beimel and Scott Olsen for left-handed relief jobs in manager Clint Hurdle's bullpen once he arrives in Pirates camp. Kirby Arnold of the Daily Herald first reported the claim.
Leon’ys Martin Hits Free Agency, Talks To MLB Teams
Cuban outfielder Leon'ys Martin is now a free agent and has started negotiating with MLB teams, according to Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald (Twitter links). The Cuban defector is now in Mexico.
Earlier in the month, Baseball America's John Manuel reported that Martin's best tools are his speed and defense. The 22-year-old prospect was a bench player for Cuba in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and is "considered an elite prospect," according to ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr.
Scot Shields To Retire
Longtime Angels setup man Scot Shields will officially retire today, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
Shields said he was likely to retire last fall, but remained undecided as recently as January. He told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times that he would play only if "a good deal in a good place" presented itself. Instead, the 35-year-old is ending his decade-long playing career.
Shields had consecutive disappointing seasons in 2009-10. He dealt with a sore elbow, underwent knee surgery and posted a 5.65 ERA in 63 2/3 innings over the course of his final two seasons. At his best, Shields helped define the Angels bullpen. He averaged 85 innings per season from 2004-08 with more than a strikeout per inning and a 3.11 ERA in that five-year stretch.
Longtime Angels Garret Anderson and Brendan Donnelly also retired this offseason.
Extension Candidate: C.J. Wilson
C.J. Wilson is not going to sign for Cliff Lee money when he hits free agency this offseason. Nine-figure deals are out of reach to any pitcher who doesn’t threaten to win the Cy Young every year, so Wilson can forget about matching the contract his former rotation-mate signed.
But Wilson is likely due for a raise next year, whether the Rangers give it to him or someone else does. The left-hander will hit free agency for the first time in his career and though the Rangers are open to extending him before the season ends, it’s starting to look like Wilson will hit the open market.
In the last year-plus, comparable left-handers including Wandy Rodriguez, Ted Lilly, Jorge de la Rosa and Randy Wolf have signed deals that pay them an average of just over $10MM per free agent season. That appears to be the going rate for those who have proven themselves as number two or three starters.
Wilson had a breakout 2010 season in which he pitched like a top-of-the-rotation starter. He led his team, the eventual AL Champions, in ERA (3.35), ground ball rate (49.2%), starts (33), wins (15), complete games (3) and innings (204) and placed in the top ten in the American League in ERA, wins and opponents’ average
Those numbers are impressive, but Wilson also placed among the league leaders in some other categories. He led the league in walks (93) and placed sixth in the league in hit batsmen (10). Opponents hit just .266 against him on balls in play last year, sixth-lowest among AL starters. That figure suggests he could be due to regress in 2011, as does his tough-to-sustain home run to fly ball rate of 5.3%.
The Rangers are taking a risk either way. Either they take it now and invest tens of millions in a pitcher who could regress and has just one year of experience as a starter. Or they postpone the risk until after the season and hope to do what they couldn’t do when Lee hit the market: convince the free agent left-hander to choose Texas over his other suitors.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Mets Release Luis Castillo
Unable to delay the inevitable any longer, the Mets have released Luis Castillo. The team has confirmed the move via press release.
“This was [a] baseball decision,” GM Sandy Alderson said. “I met with Terry [Collins] and made a recommendation to Jeff [Wilpon] and Jeff approved on behalf of ownership.”
Luis Hernandez, Daniel Murphy and Brad Emaus remain in competition for the Mets' second base job. Earlier in the week it appeared that manager Terry Collins preferred Hernandez, but there's no clear-cut favorite.
Castillo hit .235/.337/.267 in 299 plate appearances last year and spent 47 days on the DL recovering from a left foot injury. The 35-year-old is entering the final season of the four-year, $25MM deal he signed after the 2007 season. Castillo impressed after the Mets acquired him in a mid-2007 trade with the Twins, hitting .296 and stealing 10 bases in a third of a season. That strong finish led to a $25MM guarantee from then-GM Omar Minaya.
Now a free agent, Castillo is available for the league minimum. The Mets will be responsible for his entire $6MM salary if he remains a free agent and they'll save just over $400K if he signs elsewhere.