Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

Quick Hits: Lannan, Martin, Nationals, Orioles

By Mike Axisa | April 18, 2012 at 10:46pm CDT

Giants closer Brian Wilson will undergo his second Tommy John surgery tomorrow. Over the weekend we heard that his season was over and that another elbow procedure was likely. Make sure you follow @CloserNews on Twitter for all your fantasy bullpen needs. Meanwhile, here's the latest from around the league…

Nationals southpaw John Lannan is still not drawing trade interest according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. His $5MM salary continues to be a problem, with one executive saying "teams would rather use a low-paid Minor Leaguer for the fifth spot before dealing with Lannan's money."
The Yankees have no plans to talk to Russell Martin about a contract extension soon, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Martin will become a free agent after this season, and the two sides briefly discussed a multi-year deal this past offseason.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that a panel of baseball officials will help resolve a local television revenue dispute between the Nationals and Orioles. The two clubs share ownership of MASN, but the O's hold a substantially larger stake. The current deal was hammered out when the Nats moved to Washington in 2005.

Make Or Break Year: James Loney

By Mike Axisa | April 18, 2012 at 8:55pm CDT

Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw are arguably the best player and the best pitcher in baseball, respectively, and both came up through the Dodgers' farm system. Los Angeles has also produced an All-Star closer (Jonathan Broxton), an All-Star catcher (Russell Martin), another All-Star starting pitcher (Chad Billingsley), and numerous other pieces in recent years. One player who has not developed as expected is first baseman James Loney.

One year ago, the 27-year-old Loney was a non-tender candidate after hitting .267/.329/.395 with ten homers in 648 plate appearances in 2010. He started slowly last season, hitting just .254/.305/.327 through his first 434 plate appearances before turning it on in the second half and hitting .388/.438/.679 in his final 148 trips to the plate. That late-season hot streak likely saved Loney's job, as the Dodgers tendered him a contract and will pay him $6.375MM in 2012.

The Dodgers have been using the left-handed hitting Loney as part of a first base platoon with the right-handed Juan Rivera so far this year, and he's hitting just .194/.306/.258 in the early going. He's a career .299/.359/.453 hitter against righties and .250/.307/.365 against lefties. Other than seven innings of right field experience much earlier in his career, he's limited to first base and doesn't offer any versatility.

Loney will be a free agent after the season and first basemen with minimal power usually aren't hot commodities on the open market. His career high is 15 homers back in 2007, which he did in just 96 games. Since then he's hit no more than 13 homers while playing no less than 158 games in a season. A player Loney's age is just entering his prime, but his performance has declined in recent years and now he might hit the open market with his value at its nadir.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Blue Jays Would Like To Add Impact Bat

By Mike Axisa | April 18, 2012 at 7:50pm CDT

The Blue Jays dabbled in the Prince Fielder market this past offseason, and today GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio that he would still like to add an impact bat.

"[If] I had to pick one area [to improve], you'd love to get one more bat," said the GM. "That's not to take anything away from our offense – 'cause we were top five in the American League in offense last year and I think we're improved – but you just see how over six months having that great offense can really carry you … One more middle of the order bat right now would be outstanding to just wear down the other teams."

Toronto came into today with 54 runs scored, the fifth most in the AL despite sluggish starts from Jose Bautista (.222/.348/.417) and J.P. Arencibia (.063/.118/.156). With Adam Lind showing signs of life after two down years, the most obvious spot for an offensive upgrade would be left field, although Eric Thames likely has a long leash and Travis Snider is lurking in Triple-A.

Ivan Rodriguez To Retire

By Mike Axisa | April 18, 2012 at 5:02pm CDT

Ivan Rodriguez will announce his retirement, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports (on Twitter). The announcement will take place with the Rangers on Monday, the team he started his career with.

Rodriguez, 40, spent last season with the Nationals, hitting .218/.281/.323 with two homers in 137 plate appearances. That does not do his Hall of Fame caliber career justice, however. Pudge is a .296/.334/.464 career hitter with 2,844 career hits and 311 homers. He's a 14-time All-Star, a 13-time Gold Glove award winner, a seven-time Silver Slugger award winner, and the 1999 AL MVP. He finished in the top ten of the MVP voting three other times.

During his peak from 1998-2004, Rodriguez hit .322/.363/.538 with 162 homers. He played in 878 of 1,134 possible games, roughly 125 per season. Among catchers, Pudge ranks first all-time in hits (2,844), first in doubles (572), seventh in homers (311), fifth in RBI (1,332), and third in WAR (74.1). Thirteen of his 21 big league seasons were spent with the Rangers, but he also played for the Marlins, Tigers, Yankees, Astros, and Nats. Pudge helped Florida to the 2003 World Series title.

Rodriguez earned over $120MM during his career according to Baseball-Reference.com. His $8.5MM annual salary from 1999-2002 was the second highest annual salary for catcher in baseball history at the time. He was the highest paid catcher in baseball during the 2006 and 2007 seasons at $10MM each year.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Twins Designate Luke Hughes For Assignment

By Mike Axisa | April 18, 2012 at 2:47pm CDT

The Twins have designated infielder Luke Hughes for assignment, the team announced. The move creates room on the roster for Jason Marquis, who was recalled after opening the season in the minors.

Hughes, 27, has hit .224/.285/.342 in 335 career plate appearances. He's spent time at every infield spot other than shortstop and is a .268/.330/.419 career hitter in the minors. Hughes is out of options and could not be sent to the minors without first clearing waivers.

Marquis will be making his first start for the Twins tonight. He made a pair of tune-up starts at Double-A after spending time away from the team because his daughter was in a bicycle accident near the end of Spring Training.

Quick Hits: Escobar, Hudson, Padres, Dodgers

By Mike Axisa | April 17, 2012 at 10:36pm CDT

Scott Baker had Tommy John surgery on Tuesday according to LaVelle E. Neal III of The Star Tribune. He was supposed to have surgery on his flexor tendon, but Dr. David Altchek found damage to the ligament and repaired it. The Twins hold a $9.25MM club option for Baker next season, and it seems unlikely that they'll pick it up.

Here's some news from around the league, as Tuesday turns into Wednesday…

Mike Puma of The New York Post reports (on Sulia) that Kelvim Escobar will travel to the U.S. and audition for teams next month. The 36-year-old right-hander has thrown just five big league innings since 2007 due to major shoulder issues.
Andy Parrino has made two straight starts at second base for the Padres, and Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Tribune speculates that Orlando Hudson could be released if his play doesn't improve. The 34-year-old Hudson is hitting .114/.139/.171 in the early going and is owed $7.25MM between his salary and the buyout of his 2013 option.
Peter O'Malley and his family are "thinking about" trying to purchase the Padres, reports Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times. The O'Malley family owned the Dodgers from 1945-1997 and unsuccessfully tried to repurchase the team from Frank McCourt.
Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com spoke to incoming Dodgers president Stan Kasten, who said the new ownership group has more money coming after buying the team for $2.15 billion.
Matthew Futterman of The Wall Street Journal says contract extensions for young players are starting to take a bite out of free agency. Check out our Extension Tracker for a list of such deals.
The Cubs are enjoying being free from Carlos Zambrano, writes Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Red Sox Scouting Scott Podsednik

By Mike Axisa | April 17, 2012 at 9:03pm CDT

The Red Sox are scouting Scott Podsednik, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Boston is looking for outfield help following the injuries suffered by Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury.

Podsednik, 36, is currently hitting .158/.304/.158 in 23 plate appearances for the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate. They are willing to trade him for a fair return despite their scuffling offense. The Red Sox are actively exploring the outfield market, but earlier tonight we heard that they have not inquired about J.D. Drew's availability.

Minor Moves: Collin DeLome

By Mike Axisa | April 17, 2012 at 8:07pm CDT

Let's keep track of the day's minor moves right here…

The Astros have released Collin DeLome according to his Twitter feed. The 26-year-old outfielder hit .253/.318/.460 in his six year minor league career after being Houston's fifth round pick in 2007. He was the club's highest signed pick in that draft.

Nats Considering Extension For Jordan Zimmermann

By Mike Axisa | April 17, 2012 at 7:09pm CDT

The Nationals have "dabbled in preliminary conversations" with SFX, the representatives for Jordan Zimmermann according to Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post. The team has not yet reached out to the right-hander about a long-term deal, but he would be open to one.

“I haven’t talked to the Nationals about it,” Zimmermann said. “I’d be interested. I’ll just play it out and see what happens. I’m just going to go out and pitch the way I can pitch. Everything will take care of itself.”

Zimmerman, 25, can not become a free agent until after the 2015 season. He was arbitration-eligible for the first time as a Super Two this offseason, and will make $2.3MM this year. Zimmerman missed most of 2010 with Tommy John surgery, but he returned to post a 3.18 ERA in 161 1/3 innings last season. Back in February I suggested that a four-year deal worth $22-25MM could work for both sides.

The Nationals signed Gio Gonzalez (five years, $42MM) and Ryan Zimmerman (eight years, $126MM) to long-term deals this winter.

Red Sox Did Not Inquire About J.D. Drew

By Mike Axisa | April 17, 2012 at 5:54pm CDT

The Red Sox did not inquire about J.D. Drew's availability following Jacoby Ellsbury's injury, reports WEEI.com's Rob Bradford (on Twitter). Ellsbury subluxed his right shoulder last Friday and there is no timetable for his return. Carl Crawford is also on the disabled list.

Drew, 36, was reportedly "very likely" to retire during the offseason, though no official announcement has been made. He spent the last five seasons in Boston, hitting .264/.370/.455 overall but missing lots of time due to injury. Last year he hit just .222/.315/.302 in 286 plate appearances. The Red Sox are actively exploring the outfield market, but right now they're relying on Cody Ross, Darnell McDonald, Jason Repko, and Ryan Sweeney.

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