Mike Axisa | MLB Trade Rumors

West Links: Dodgers, Kinsler, Athletics, Giants

By Mike Axisa | March 23, 2012 at 9:01pm CDT

Three years ago today, the Padres traded Khalil Greene to the Cardinals for Luke Gregerson and Mark Worrell. Greene hit .200/.272/.347 during his one season in St. Louis and has been out of baseball for two years while Gregerson has emerged as one of the game's best setup relievers. Here's the latest from baseball's two West divisions…

Bidding for the Dodgers is down to three groups according to Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter): Steven Cohen & Patrick Soon-Shiong, Magic Johnson & Stan Kasten, and Stan Kroenke.
The Rangers and agent Jay Franklin met on Friday to discuss a contract extension for Ian Kinsler, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Franklin is “not very optimistic” a deal will be reached before the season. Kinsler is under contract for 2012 with a $10MM club option for 2013.
Commissioner Bud Selig is "working actively behind the scenes" to find a resolution between the Giants and Athletics regarding Oakland's stadium situation according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
Pat Burrell has formally agreed to scout for the Giants this season, reports Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle. The slugger retired this offseason and is currently providing internal evaluations of San Francisco's prospects.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports wrote about the evolution of the DH position, where clubs are using a rotation system similar to the Rangers last season.

Central Links: Leyland, White Sox, Indians, Chapman

By Mike Axisa | March 23, 2012 at 7:32pm CDT

Twelve years ago today, the Cardinals traded Kent Bottenfield and Adam Kennedy to the Angels for Jim Edmonds. Edmonds went on to hit .285/.393/.555 in eight years with St. Louis, a stint that included six Gold Gloves, three All-Star Game appearances, two top-five finishes in the MVP voting, two NL pennants, and one World Series title. Here's the latest from baseball's two Central divisions…

Tigers manager Jim Leyland isn't ready to call it a career, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. The 67-year-old Leyland is going year-to-year with his contract so "there's no issues whatsoever."
White Sox GM Kenny Williams told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he has no regrets about taking chances on big name players who haven't worked out, specifically Jake Peavy, Adam Dunn, and Alex Rios. "If it doesn't work, I know at the end of the day we tried the best," said the GM.
Injuries have already taken a toll on the Indians' outfield, and manager Manny Acta told Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer that any left field candidates "need to hit … We can't have a pecking order for defensive left fielders here. We need to see some stuff, some offense, some production."
The Reds still haven't made a decision about whether Aroldis Chapman will be a starter or reliever this season, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman. "We're close," said manager Dusty Baker. "You'll be notified when we make our decision on what's happening. Right now, we don't know."

Contract Details: Wright, Grabow, Theriot, Fontenot

By Mike Axisa | March 23, 2012 at 5:53pm CDT

Some contract details from a pair of rivals in the NL West…

Jamey Wright and John Grabow can opt out of their minor league contracts with the Dodgers on Sunday, reports Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times (on Twitter). If the players opt-out, the team can keep them by adding them to the 40-man roster by March 30th.
Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter) that decision day for Ryan Theriot's contract is March 30th, not the 29th as previously reported. If the Giants cut him by the 29th, they'll only have to pay him one-fourth of his $1.25MM salary.
The same is true for both Mike Fontenot ($1.05MM) and Clay Hensley ($750K) according to Schulman (on Twitter). Their contracts become guaranteed if the Giants do not cut them before the 29th.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Chipper, Cohen, Pelfrey

By Mike Axisa | March 23, 2012 at 11:04am CDT

Three years ago today, Miami-Dade County commissioners approved the final documents necessary for the Marlins to move forward with the construction of their new ballpark. The 37,000-seat retractable roof stadium and its unique home run sculpture will open its doors this season. Here's the latest from the baseball blogosphere…

Capitol Avenue Club wrote about the Chipper Jones effect.
MLB Reports wrote about Andy Pettitte's comeback.
Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness is preparing the Steve Cohen era in Chavez Ravine.
Royals Review says thank you to Joakim Soria for the last five years.
Royal Revival wrote about the Humberto Quintero trade.
District on Deck covered the Jason Bourgeois trade from the Nationals' perspective.
Redbird Rants isn't sure what the Cardinals should do after Chris Carpenter's injury.
Rant Sports Rangers broke down Derek Holland's contract extension.
Chicken Friars scored Nick Hundley's contract extension.
Baseball Nation analyzed Jered Weaver's unusual home field advantage.
Monkey with a Halo lists six Angels would could be traded before Opening Day.
LA Angels Insider examined the Alberto Callaspo trade market.
Crashburn Alley looked at the pros and cons of the infield trade market for the Phillies.
Beyond the Box Score fools around with the idea of a 20-year contract for Mike Trout.
Amazin' Avenue says it would be a mistake for the Mets to release Mike Pelfrey.
Blogging Mets, on the other hand, says Pelfrey should be cut loose.
Levi's Landing extensively analyzed Aubrey Huff.
Warehouse Worthy wrote about the Orioles' directions to success.
Talkin' Sox with Dan made some educated guesses about the Red Sox's pitching staff.
Blue Jays Blog broke down the Travis Snider–Eric Thames position battle.
Through the Fence Baseball wonders if Jerry Sands is the next Paul Konerko.
Call to the Pen wrote about Jason Lane's conversion to pitching.
Yankees Fans Unite explained the infield keys to the Yankees season.
MLB Prospect Watch wrote about the idea of moving Bryce Harper to center field.
Jays Journal mused about the Blue Jays' catching conundrum.
Did The Tribe Win Last Night? wrote about a tragic day in Spring Training history.
Wahoo's on First put together an updated version of their Simple WAR Calculator.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

Angels Looking For Starting Pitching Depth

By Mike Axisa | March 22, 2012 at 11:46am CDT

Despite having a strong front four of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, C.J. Wilson, and Ervin Santana, the Angels are looking for starting pitching depth according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. They are focusing on out of options or non-roster players in camp with other clubs, not bigger names like John Lannan.

Garrett Richards, Brad Mills, and Jerome Williams are currently competing for the fifth starter's job, though Williams is battling a hamstring problem. As our out of options list shows, there aren't many teams out there with extra starters who could match up for a trade.

Quick Hits: Francis, Phillies, Athletics, Torre, Mets

By Mike Axisa | March 20, 2012 at 10:28pm CDT

Lance Berkman told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick that he thinks Bud Selig extorted new Astros owner Jim Crane into moving the team to the AL next season. "I think that's exactly what it was," said the former 'Stro. "To tell [Crane], 'We're going to hold the sale of the team up until you guys agreed to switch?' It just happened that the Astros were being sold at an optimal time for that to happen."

Conspiracy theories aside, here's the latest from around the league…

Jeff Francis can opt out of his minor league contract with the Reds on March 28th, but he told reporters (including John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer) that he will report to Triple-A if he doesn't make the team.
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki hears that the Phillies have been looking for infield help lately, but no one seems to be a clear upgrade over Freddy Galvis. The Phightin's lost utility man Michael Martinez due to a broken bone in his foot today.
Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com wrote about all of the Athletics roster turnover. "You do know your time is limited here," said Brandon McCarthy. "You're not looking to put down roots."
Joe Torre is waiting to see what happens with the Dodgers' ownership situation before returning to his old job at MLB, writes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com. Torre's group bowed out of the bidding because of the parking situation at Dodger Stadium.
“I think that we as a franchise have a chance to go through sort of an evolutionary process to get us back to where we want to be,” said Mets GM Sandy Alderson to Andrew Keh of The New York Times in the wake of the team's recent financial moves. "From just an overall, organization standpoint, the landscape today is a lot brighter than it was two or three days ago, going into a potential three-week trial."

Mariners Waive Cesar Jimenez

By Mike Axisa | March 20, 2012 at 7:33pm CDT

The Mariners have placed Cesar Jimenez on waivers, reports Dave Cameron of FanGraphs (on Twitter). The left-hander is one of Seattle's four out of options players.

Jimenez, 27, has dealt with a number of arm problems during his career. He missed all of 2009 and part of 2010 with shoulder surgery, and also missed most of 2007 with a stress fracture in his elbow. Jimenez has appeared in 43 games with the Mariners over the years, pitching to a 5.40 ERA in 48 1/3 innings. He's the second lefty reliever Seattle has taken off the 40-man roster this week, joining Hong-Chih Kuo.

Orioles To Sign Dontrelle Willis

By Mike Axisa | March 20, 2012 at 5:58pm CDT

The Orioles will sign Dontrelle Willis to a minor league contract, report ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter) that Willis will make $700K in the big leagues. The Sosnick Cobbe client was released by the Phillies last week.

Willis pitched 75 2/3 innings for the Reds in 2011 — his highest total since 2007. The 30-year-old southpaw posted a 5.00 ERA with 6.8 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a 54.5% ground ball rate in 13 second half starts with Cincinnati this past season. An ineffective Spring Training with Philadelphia led to his release.

Minor Moves: Jamie Hoffmann, Cardinals

By Mike Axisa | March 19, 2012 at 12:19pm CDT

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

Outfielder Jamie Hoffmann elected free agency after being outrighted by the Rockies, reports Troy Renck of The Denver Post. The 27-year-old was slowed by an illness this spring and struggled in games.
Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals have released four minor leaguers: RHP Pete Parise, LHP Dan Calhoun, LHP Jean Mijares, and RHP Sean Watson. None of the four were among the team's top 30 prospects according to Baseball America, though Goold notes that Parise was once considered a closer-type.

Quick Hits: Mariners, Beras, Rockies, Padres, Peavy

By Mike Axisa | March 17, 2012 at 10:08pm CDT

Here are some links from the around the league as Saturday turns into Sunday…

The Mariners could probably afford to trade one of their third base prospects, muses Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Seattle has Kyle Seager, Alex Liddi, Francisco Martinez, and Vinnie Catricala at the hot corner.
MLB is still investigating the signing of Dominican outfielder Jairo Beras by the Rangers, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. Beras agreed to a $4.5MM deal last month, but there are questions about his age and eligibility to sign.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote about the unique construction of the Rockies' roster. The team added high-character positions players to a largely unproven group of young starters this offseason.
Dan Hayes of The North County Times reports (on Twitter) that the Padres still expect to have their new television deal with FOX Sports San Diego finalized within the "next few weeks or sooner."
"If I can't stay healthy for 200 innings, if somebody says something about closing or being a reliever, I can do that, I can be a reliever," said White Sox starter Jake Peavy to MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom. "If it comes down to that, I'll do it because I love this game."
“I know that I want to make the right decision,” said Yankees closer Mariano Rivera to reporters (including Chad Jennings of The Journal News) today following Andy Pettitte's return. “That’s what I want to do. When I make the right decision, I don’t want to come back or say, ‘I should have done it’ or ‘I should have stayed.’ I want to be 1000% sure that it’s the right decision."Rivera hinted at retirement last month.

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