Durham Without Offers, Could Retire
According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, Ray Durham hasn’t received a single offer this offseason and he’s considering retirement. Durham says there’s a 50-50 chance he’ll retire, but he’d like to play in 2009.
The Cardinals phoned to see if Durham would consider backing up Adam Kennedy, but other teams haven’t expressed interest.
Durham, 37, had a .380 OBP last year with the Giants. Check out the article for comments by Durham about his experience in this year’s unusual market.
Phillies Rumors: Nomar, Howard, Andruw
Kevin Roberts of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a few Phillies rumors:
- GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says it’s "very likely" the Phillies will not make any more additions.
- The Phillies have inquired on "almost every righthanded bat on the market." They’ve considerd Rich Aurilia, Nomar Garciaparra, Moises Alou and Mark Grudzielanek.
- Amaro’s targeting Nomar.
- Roberts agrees with Jon Heyman that the Phillies gave Andruw Jones a "tepid look."
- However, they’re in no hurry to bring in a righty bench bat and could take their time adding one.
- The $4MM gap between the Phillies’ arbitration offer to Ryan Howard and his demand will influence how much the Phillies can spend. Amaro called Howard’s case "the elephant in the middle of the room."
A-Rod’s Contract Stands, Steroids Or Not
According to Selena Roberts and David Epstein of Sports Illustrated, "Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids" in 2003. Rodriguez did not comment, but Roberts and Epstein say they confirmed his alleged steroid use with four independent sources. Rodriguez was reportedly one of 104 players to test positive for PEDs in 2003.
However, steroid use doesn’t impact A-Rod’s contract.
"Two sources familiar with Rodriguez’s contract told SI there is no language about steroids in the contract that would put Rodriguez at risk of losing money."
Blue Jays Avoid Arb With Shawn Camp
According to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, the Blue Jays have agreed to $750K deal with Shawn Camp for 2009. The agreement gives the Blue Jays 12 straight years without an arbitration hearing.
Camp had originally requested $950K; the Blue Jays countered with $700K. He pitched to a 4.12 ERA in 40 appearances last year.
Angels Interested In Abreu, Dunn
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, major league sources say the Angels have spoken to Bobby Abreu‘s agent and have expressed interest in Adam Dunn. When Rosenthal asked Angels GM Tony Reagins about the club’s interest in the two players, Reagins said "If something makes sense for us, we’d look at it."
After losing Mark Teixeira to the Yankees, the Angels could use high OBP players like Dunn and Abreu, especially on one year deals. Vladimir Guerrero, Juan Rivera and Torii Hunter are the current Angels outfielders, and Gary Matthews Jr. is slotted in as DH.
Reagins has said the Angels will not be in on Manny Ramirez.
Phillies Interested In Will Ohman
According to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, the Phillies are interested in Will Ohman. They contacted his agent last week and will continue talks next week.
Now that J.C. Romero‘s been suspended for 50 games, the Phillies will use Scott Eyre as their main lefty out of the bullpen. Adding Ohman, who was originally seeking a two-year deal for about $8MM, would give Charlie Manuel another lefty to rely on.
Odds And Ends: Hill, Dye, Hinske, Fogg
Links for Saturday…
- Cameron Smith of the Washington Post thinks the Orioles should pull the trigger on a possible Rich Hill deal immediately.
- MLB.com’s Scott Merkin reports that Jermaine Dye remains "unfazed" by all the trade rumors that have involved him this winter.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests Dye doesn’t expect to return to the White Sox after 2009.
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Eric Hinske attracted lots of interest. Hinske said eight teams showed "good interest" in him.
- Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post likes the Josh Fogg signing because of his clubhouse presence and his price.
- Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune heard that the Padres will not offer a contract to Brian Lawrence, Steve Trachsel or Scott Elarton (hat tip to Buster Olney).
- Olney heard that the Blue Jays are looking for bargains to stock up their minor league system.
Reactions To Jason Varitek Signing
Here are some reactions to the Jason Varitek signing. To recap, the Red Sox will pay him $5MM this year, and they’ll have the option of bringing him back for the same price in 2010. If the Red Sox don’t exercise their option, Varitek can exercise a $3MM player option with incentives.
- Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports understands how Varitek thought he had more value on the open market than he really did.
- ESPN.com’s Rob Neyer says Varitek "gambled and lost," and the Red Sox did well.
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe thinks the Red Sox did well to keep Varitek since he provides depth and experience. Massarotti also has details on ‘Tek’s incentives.
- The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan argues that Varitek’s was lucky to get at least $8MM considering he’s in "obvious decline."
Manny Ramirez Rumors: Saturday
According to ESPN.com’s Buster Olney, the Giants are still talking to Manny Ramirez. Giants president Larry Baer said "we’ve got interest. But it’s one of those things where it’s got to fit."
Some executives say the Giants want to prevent the Dodgers from getting Manny on a one year deal, but aren’t about to start a bidding war. If they end up with a Hall of Fame player for a year because of it, they’d be happy.
As one executive said, few teams have enough money remaining to sign Ramirez, so the Dodgers could conceivably offer $30MM over two years and still make the highest bid.
Tigers Could Deal Pitching?
According to Lynn Henning of the Detroit News, the Tigers could trade a starting pitcher. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski listed off seven Tigers starters and said "trade possibilities come up" involving the team’s pitching.
This doesn’t mean Dombrowski seriously considered dealing pitching. The Tigers go to Spring Training with Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Armando Galarraga, Edwin Jackson, Nate Robertson, Dontrelle Willis and Zach Miner. They have more arms than rotation spots, but this is by no means a deep rotation.