Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

John Smoltz To Sign With Red Sox

By | at

10:28pm: Buster Olney agrees Smoltz is on the verge of a deal with the Red Sox.  Olney wonders if Boston’s rotation surplus will allow them to trade a young starter.  Ken Rosenthal also confirms it, and says the Braves were not willing to guarantee significant dollars.

9:58pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says Smoltz will call the Braves tomorrow morning to tell them he will sign with Boston.  The incentives in the deal are said to be "very attainable."  Does this push Tim Wakefield to the bullpen during the summer?  It’s a good problem to have.

9:20pm: In addition to Rocco Baldelli, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe is reporting that the Red Sox may be close to signing John Smoltz.

As of last night, sources indicated that Smoltz was leaning toward Boston’s offer which was said to be somewhere in the vicinity of $5.5 million guaranteed with the opportunity to earn a few million in incentives which could hike the salary up to $10 million. The Sox and Smoltz have been talking since before the Winter Meetings. The Sox do not anticipate that Smoltz will be ready until later in May, but one of the incentives being discussed would be a roster bonus if he’s with the team by June 1.

Smoltz will be 42 in May and made $14MM with the Braves last season.  It would be quite a surprise to see him leave the Braves after all these years.

Red Sox Close To Signing Rocco Baldelli

By | at

9:25pm Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has sources close to the talks that say Baldelli "appears to be inching closer" to signing with the Red Sox.  Were the Orioles one of the suitors?

8:28pm Peter Gammons is reporting that the Red Sox are close to signing Rocco Baldelli, with an announcement expected Thursday night.

The Boston Red Sox were close to signing free-agent outfielder Rocco Baldelli on Wednesday night. It is expected to be announced at the Boston Baseball Writers Dinner, where Baldelli will be honored.

The Boston Baseball Writers Dinner is scheduled for Thursday evening. Baldelli will be in attendance to receive the Tony Conigliaro award.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Heyman’s Latest: Yankees

By | at

Jon Heyman chimes in with a few notes on the Yankees…

  • Heyman confirms that the Yankees are accepting trade offers for Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher.
  • The Yankees have "no way to trade" Hideki Matsui, noting that he is coming off a knee surgery and has a full no-trade clause.
  • Heyman also says the Yankees will not trade Johnny Damon saying the team needs him to leadoff and play center field.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Gammons On Varitek, Teixeira

By | at

7:21pm Here is a link to the actual radio clip.

6:01pm Chad Finn of the Boston Globe recaps Peter Gammons’ appearance today on WEEI.

  • Gammons believes the Red Sox would sign Jason Varitek if he offered his services for $2MM. Gammons still believes the Red Sox would prefer to take the draft picks and trade for a different catcher.
  • Gammons says the player’s association was "strongly advising" agents to turn down arbitration offers, but that in the end it cost players like Varitek a lot of money.
  • Gammons says a lot of players could be looking for jobs in the spring, noting that AJ Burnett’s agents did a great job considering the Yankees wanted Derek Lowe. As a result, Lowe (a Boras client) is now without a job.
  • Gammons called Mark Teixeira Scott Boras’ "ultimate client" and that Teixeira is "very well-programmed."
  • He notes that there was a lot of "testiness" between Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez in Texas and Gammons wonders how Teixeira will handle the high expectations that come with playing in New York.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Reds Rumors: Swisher, Nady, Baldelli

By | at

John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer has a few notes from Walt Jocketty…

  • Jocketty has talked with Brian Cashman of the Yankees "a lot" and that the Yankees are looking to move either Nick Swisher or Xavier Nady.
  • The Reds remain interested in Rocco Baldelli, but "probably not" Ty Wigginton, noting that the Reds plan on keeping Edwin Encarnacion.
  • The Reds did not sign Jerry Hairston Jr to be the everyday shortstop, noting that Alex Gonzalez is progressing well from his injury.

C. Trent Rosecrans of AM1530 also spoke with Jocketty and has these notes to add…

  • Jocketty says the Reds are not being handcuffed by the economy.
  • Jocketty said that he had spoken with the Yankees "a couple of weeks ago" but not recently.
  • Jocketty spoke with Baldelli’s agent today speculating that Baldelli may prefer to stay in the American League.
  • Jocketty would be fine going to camp with the group in place but that the Reds are still looking to upgrade the bench, preferably adding a player with some power.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Jays, Mets, Red Sox, Nats, Yankees

By | at

On this date 32 years ago, commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended Braves owner Ted Turner for one year for tampering. Turner had announced publicly that the Braves would sign free agent-to-be Gary Matthews. Unfortunately, 30 years later, nobody was disciplined when the Angels signed free agent Gary Matthews Jr. to a $50MM contract. In the first two years of the deal, Matthews has been paid $15MM and his play has been worth -$600K (yes, that is negative) according to Fangraphs. With several big free agents still looking for new teams, will any of them be the next Matthews Jr? Only time will tell. In the meantime, let’s see what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • The Eddie Kranepool Society is not worried about Derek Lowe, feeling the deal will get done once the Mets add a fourth option year and sweeten the pot just a tad. They are also putting the Mets front office on notice about the possibility of letting Manny Ramirez slip through their fingers.
  • Mets Geek feels the Mets still need to add one more piece to their revamped bullpen and suggest Wil Ohman or Joe Beimel are better options as a lefty specialist than what is already in-house.
  • The Southpaw takes a look at some young players the Jays should try to target in the trade market, with Chin-Lung Hu at the top of the list.
  • My Baseball Bias is not satisfied with just Mark Teixeira and wants to see the Yankees sign Manny Ramirez.
  • Fire Brand of the American League makes a case for three players to be the Red Sox fourth outfielder, including Rocco Baldelli, Brad Wilkerson and Eric Byrnes.
  • MLB Notebook takes a look at how the Nationals could spend the $20MM that would have gone to Mark Teixeira.
  • River Ave. Blues says this offseason is proving to be a test of just how good Scott Boras can be.
  • Sully Baseball is running a series of posts breaking down each team’s all-time home grown versus all-time acquired teams. Here he looks at the Astros.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Teixeira

By | at

On this date 89 years ago, the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees. The move may have come as a result of Ruth’s threat to not play until the Red Sox increased his salary from $10K to $20K.  The Red Sox received $100K and a $300K loan from the Yankees, using Fenway Park as collateral on the loan. It is believed that the Red Sox turned down an offer of Shoeless Joe Jackson and $60K from the White Sox. The best hitter to change teams this off-season is Mark Teixeira, who also spurned the Red Sox and joined the Yankees. The signing has caused quite a stir. Let’s see what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • Ump Bump breaks down the winners and losers of the Teixeira signing.
  • Lizzy of Babes Love Baseball wonders why a salary cap would be so bad and feels NYC taxpayers should be pissed.
  • We Love DC had the sensors working overtime in their reaction to the Nats losing out on the Teixeira sweepstakes.
  • The Joy of Sox says it is just the Yankees being the Yankees, having committed over $1B, with a ’B’, in new contracts in the past 13 months.
  • Sully Baseball says there is no reason for Red Sox fans to panic, noting that all the Yankees have done this off-season is buy players that have never played in a big market and have no idea what the expectations are going to be.
  • Fire Brand of the American League explains why the Red Sox will be just fine without Teixeira.
  • Center Field says the Teixeira signing makes the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry interesting again.
  • Red Sox Fan from Pinstripe Territory is not worried, saying the Yankees are just trying to "buy second place." [CG – Who finished second in ’08?]
  • Surviving Grady points out that the Teixeira signing is good news for Alex Rodriguez’ delicate sensibilities.
  • Oriole Post says the Teixeira signing should convince everybody that baseball needs a salary cap.
  • Infield Chatter takes a look at eight teams most affected by the Teixeira signing.
  • Ed Valentine at Bugs and Cranks refuses to apologize for the Yankees doing everything they can to win and notes that unlike the Red Sox, the Yankees always do what is necessary to get the player they want.
  • River Ave. Blues and Bronx Banter point out that the increase in the Yankees’ payroll from ’08 to ’09 will only be negligible.
  • Sox and Pinstripes says the Yankees are just doing what the Red Sox did in ’07 prior to winning the World Series.
  • El Lefty Malo says Teixeira is like a tall glass of prune juice…Yep, these are our baseball blogs.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Teixeira, Giants, Braves, Bradley, Pirates

By | at

On this date 17 years ago, the Blue Jays signed 40-year old future Hall of Famer Dave Winfield to a one-year, $2.3MM contract. The signing was a good one as Winfield helped the Jays to their first title in 1992. That year he hit .290-26-108 with a .377 OBP and 137 OPS+, including what would prove to be the series-winning two-run double in the top of the 11th of game 6 of the World Series. Did I mention he was 40? With this year’s crop of free agents playing euchre as they patiently wait for Mark Teixeira to make up his mind, let’s take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

  • Sully Baseball is not worried about the Red Sox possibly losing out on Mark Teixeira feeling the money may be better spent on pitching.
  • The Bottom Line wonders if the Red Sox are better off waiting a year and going after Matt Holliday to replace Jason Bay.
  • El Lefty Malo projects the Giants offense for next season and shows that one more big bat would give them a league-average offense.
  • Braves Blast laments the Braves inability to land a starting pitcher so far this off-season and wonders what options are left.
  • The Launching Pad does not see any of the remaining free agent pitchers as an upgrade for the Braves over what is already on the roster.
  • Goat Riders of the Apocalypse is aggravated by the lack of big moves from the Cubs and while they would like Milton Bradley as a Cub, they think it is unlikely.
  • Baseball Handyman offers grades for the free agent signings to date, with only the Francisco Rodriguez contract earning an ’A’.
  • The ’Burgh Blues takes a look at the Pirates inability to find pitchers that can find the strike zone.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.

Odds and Ends: Cabrera, Tejada, Teixeira

By | at

A few random notes from around the MLBiverse…

  • The Cardinals signed infielder Joe Thurston and catcher Justin Knoedler to minor league deals with spring training invites. Thurston appeared in four games for the Red Sox in ’08, while Knoedler last appeared in the majors with the Giants in ’06.
  • Jordan Bastian says the Blue Jays are not one of the teams that have offered a contract to Daniel Cabrera. The Jays are interested, but want to see Cabrera pitch in the Dominican Winter League before making an offer…Cabrera’s agent says eleven teams have shown interest and Cabrera has received two contract offers.
  • Jon Heyman is reporting that the FBI is still investigating Miguel Tejada, which will hinder any attempts to trade the shortstop…We previously heard that the Astros were trying hard to move Tejada but had yet to find any suitors.
  • Mike Bauman believes the Red Sox offer to Mark Teixeira could be a direct reaction to the recent signings of C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett by the Yankees. Bauman says the Red Sox "cannot sit idly by and watch the Yanks make dramatic, if incredibly expensive, improvements."

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Pirates Rumors: Wigginton, Hairston, Wilson

By | at

Jenifer Langosch tidies up a few rumors we have heard previously concerning the Pirates…

  • While the Buccos are in need of an outfielder, and have expressed interest in both Ty Wigginton and Jerry Hairston Jr, Langosch says the Pirates will not spend a lot on a fourth outfielder and may be priced out of the market for those two.
  • If Rafael Furcal does go back to the Braves, the Dodgers could once again turn their attention to acquiring Jack Wilson. Langosch says the Pirates may be willing to pay some of Wilson’s $7.25MM salary for 2009.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top