Gonzalez Clears Waivers; Red Sox Interested?
Reds shortstop Alex Gonzalez has cleared waivers and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Red Sox may be interested. The extent of their interest isn't clear, but Rosenthal says they're considering Gonzalez and other options as they try to solidify the shortstop position. Now that Gonzalez has cleared waivers, the Reds can trade him to any club.
Gonzalez, 32, makes $5.4MM this year and is hitting .210/.258/.296.
The Red Sox showed brief interest in Bill Hall. The Brewers haven't yet placed shortstop J.J. Hardy on waivers and it's unclear if they'd trade him now, while he's in the minors.
Odds And Ends: Draft, Wagner, Pirates
Some more links as we near the deadline for signing draft picks…
- Jim Callis of Baseball America creates a handy chart to let us know how much money the unsigned draft picks are seeking.
- Callis reports that the Giants signed Brandon Belt for $200k and the Rangers signed Shawn Blackwell for $300k.
- Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says the Phillies should at least consider making a run at Billy Wagner if he's healthy.
- Rockies manager Jim Tracy tells Karen Price of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he admires his former club, the Pirates, for boldly trying to acquire the talent to become an NL Central force and remain one for years.
- MLB.com's Doug Miller speaks to Jarrod Washburn and other major leaguers about the effect trades have on players and their families.
- Nats manager Jim Riggleman told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that the negotiations between the team and Stephen Strasburg are likely to be too complicated for those in uniform to worry about.
Yanks Could Bring Back Damon; Not Matsui
Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks forward to some decisions the Yankees will face this offseason:
- Sherman believes the Yankees would consider bringing Johnny Damon back if he'd sign a one year deal after the season when he hits free agency.
- Damon profiles as a Type A free agent, so the Yankees could offer him a one-year deal in arbitration and receive two draft picks if he signs elsewhere.
- Damon makes $13MM this year and would presumably receive a raise in arbitration. Remember, the Yankees didn't offer Bobby Abreu arbitration last year.
- The Yankees like Hideki Matsui a lot, but they won't bring him back next year because they want to be able to rotate other players in and out of the DH spot.
Royals Draft Update: Dwyer, Myers, Crow
The Royals are nearing deals with two of their top picks, though they haven't finalized anything yet, according to Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. Baseball America reported yesterday that the Royals agreed to a $1.5MM deal with fourth rounder Chris Dwyer, but the Royals insist that they have reached no such agreement. However, scouting director J.J. Picollo says he's confident the Royals can sign Dwyer and high school catcher Wil Myers.
D’Backs Offered Davis An Extension?
The D'Backs appear to have offered Doug Davis a one-year extension, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Davis, who has been the subject of trade rumors since the Brewers claimed him on waivers, confirms that the D'Backs approached him with "an idea," but says it didn't appeal to him. Davis says he's more likely to test free agency after the season, but Piecoro suggests the club could offer him a two-year deal before then.
Sabean On Lincecum, Sandoval, Bonds, Posey
Giants GM Brian Sabean tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Giants were determined to draft Tim Lincecum in 2006. Sabean avoided watching him pitch in person because he was worried someone else would take him and he didn't want other teams to know how serious the Giants were. Here are some highlights from the interview:
- Sabean says the Dodgers are the best team in the NL.
- He says the Giants could have used a high-profile player to distract from Barry Bonds once Jeff Kent left.
- Sabean is confident the Giants want to keep him on as GM.
- The Giants aren't sure what position Pablo Sandoval will play long-term.
- Sabean is non-commital on the future of the catcher position. Bengie Molina's a free agent after the season and top prospect Buster Posey has reached Triple A.
Odds And Ends: Rays, Astros, Ortiz, Coffey
Some links for Friday morning…
- Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays are nearing deals with several top draft picks, including first rounder LeVon Washington.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle doesn't expect the Astros to lower their 2010 payroll by more than about 15%, though attendance is declining steadily.
- Just like old times. As Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe reports, David Ortiz is struggling again.
- How does a 22nd round pick sign for $1MM? Cameron Coffey showed improved stuff this spring, but even he had no intention of signing until the Orioles came at him with a $990k offer recently, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.
- As Callis notes, the Rangers signed fifth round righty Nick McBride for $325k, which nearly doubles MLB's recommended bonus for his slot.
The Tigers And Magglio Ordonez
Here's what a couple of analysts are saying: R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs says the idea of paying Magglio $18MM next year is extremely unattractive from the Tigers' perspective. Rob Neyer of ESPN.com expects the option to vest, so he says the Tigers have to win the division this year and get reasonably good production from Ordonez next year or someone needs to be fired.
Orioles Sign 22nd Rounder For $1MM
After two months of modest signings, teams have begun awarding some historically big bonuses this week. The agent for Orioles 22rd round selection Cameron Bryan Coffey says his client agreed to sign a deal worth $990k, according to Mark Berman of My FOX in Houston. That's more than what first rounders such as Brett Jackson and Tim Wheeler received.
Odds And Ends: Macha, Harang, Smoltz
This round of links is on me…
- Brewers manager Ken Macha told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy that he manages the same whether others think he has complete job security or not.
- Erik Manning of FanGraphs says it's hard to tell whether Aaron Harang has enough value to offset his contract going forward, but he suggests it's possible.
- Via Twitter, Rob Neyer of ESPN.com has some fun and asks if Yuniesky Betancourt is the worst player in baseball history.
- Over at MLBTR's Facebook page, we have a discussion about John Smoltz on the go.