Orioles Rumors

Odds & Ends: Nady, Rangers, Felix, Gregg

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 16, 2010 at 11:31am CDT

Eight years ago today, the Twins released David Ortiz. He has since hit 291 regular season homers and 12 more in the playoffs, all for the Red Sox. Here are today's links…

The D'Backs chose Xavier Nady over Austin Kearns, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter). Arizona agreed to a one-year, $1.75MM deal with Nady last night.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that he would welcome Vladimir Guerrero back under the right circumstances, but isn't sure when he'll have the team's DH situation resolved.
The Rangers signed Japanese outfielder Hirotoshi Onaka, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (on Twitter). He was not selected in the NPB draft.
The Yankees called the Mariners about Felix Hernandez and heard that he is absolutely not available, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
Russell Martin needs knee surgery, but the Yankees don't consider the injury serious, so they signed him anyway, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).
The Orioles continue to negotiate with Kevin Gregg, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.

Nats, O’s, Padres Pursuing Lee & LaRoche

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 16, 2010 at 8:58am CDT

The Nationals, Orioles and Padres are pursuing both Derrek Lee and Adam LaRoche, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Padres have less money to spend than the Nationals and Orioles, so they seem less likely to sign one of the first basemen.

LaRoche may command a multiyear deal, but Lee is telling teams he’s open to a one-year contract, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Heyman also reports (on Twitter) that the Nationals are very much in on Lee. Six teams reportedly have interest in the longtime Cub.

The Diamondbacks, however, are likely “out” on Lee after agreeing to terms with Xavier Nady, according to Rosenthal and Morosi.

Odds & Ends: Lee, Zambrano, Werth, Mets, Uehara

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 15, 2010 at 11:01pm CDT

Baseball lost one of its all-time greats tonight; Bob Feller passed away at 92. Rapid Robert won 266 games in his career, every single one of them with the Cleveland Indians. He probably would have cleared the 300 win plateau if he hadn't served in World War II from ages 23-25. Our condolences go out to the Hall of Famer's family…

Baseball America's Matt Eddy posted this week's edition of minor league transactions. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports adds (via Twitter) that the Twins have signed infielder Mike Hollimon to a minor league deal. He missed all of 2010 recovering from shoulder surgery.
SI.com's Jon Heyman says (via Twitter) that Derrek Lee is telling teams he'd consider a one-year deal. At least six teams are interested in the free agent first baseman.
Carlos Zambrano has not yet given the Cubs his consent to trade him, reports MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. The right-hander has a full no-trade clause.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson looks at the impact the Jayson Werth signing will have on 2010 first overall pick (and right fielder) Bryce Harper. The Nationals plan to play Werth in center at least part of the time going forward.
ESPN New York's Adam Rubin provides the contract details for D.J. Carrasco, Ronny Paulino, and Boof Bonser, while Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun does the same for Koji Uehara.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports spoke to Phillies' general partner, president, and CEO David Montgomery about a variety of topics, including the Lee signing.
Agent Scott Boras said Werth has a full no-trade clause, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (Twitter link).
Not surprisingly, Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has no interest in trading Felix Hernandez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond has heard the trade rumors, but wants to stay in Washington, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
Josh Hamilton told Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com that he hasn't thought much about a contract extension.
MLB's minimum salary will rise to $414K next year, according to the AP (on ESPN.com).
The A's acquired Jose Rivero, a 20-year-old outfielder selected by the D'Backs in this year's Rule 5 draft, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America (on Twitter).

Odds & Ends: Counsell, Ibanez, Johnson, Sheffield

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 14, 2010 at 7:33pm CDT

Exactly one year ago, the Angels signed Hideki Matsui. Today, the slugger finalized his one-year agreement with the A's. Here are today's links…

The Brewers are having ongoing discussions with the representatives for Craig Counsell, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
If you've heard about agent Darek Braunecker, but don't know much about him, you're not alone. David Waldstein of the New York Times introduces us to Cliff Lee's agent.
The Phillies do not intend to trade Raul Ibanez, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Joe Blanton, on the other hand, is available.
Rosenthal also notes that the Rangers and Rockies have not discussed Michael Young since the Winter Meetings (Twitter link).
The Orioles are still talking to the representatives for Adam LaRoche, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
Indians manager Manny Acta is watching Bartolo Colon's start in the Dominican Republic tonight, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (on Twitter).
Kerry Wood told Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan of the Chicago Tribune that he could see himself playing for the Cubs, but probably not for the White Sox.
In case you were wondering, the Marlins don't intend to trade Josh Johnson, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter).
Gary Sheffield told Mike Ferrin and Tom Gordon of MLB Network Radio that he has discussed a potential deal with the Rays. However, manager Joe Maddon told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that the Rays have limited interest in Sheffield, though they wanted to get to know him better.

Orioles Still Have Offer On Table For Gregg

By Tim Dierkes | December 14, 2010 at 2:48pm CDT

2:48pm: Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun tweets that the Orioles have not made a two-year, $12MM offer to Gregg and they don't feel a deal is imminent. They've still got a two-year offer in the $8-10MM range on the table.

2:44pm: The Orioles are close to a two-year, $12MM deal with reliever Kevin Gregg, reports ESPN's Joe McDonald. He notes that the Red Sox and Nationals are still involved in talks with Gregg, but the Orioles are the frontrunner.

The potential Baltimore deal is the same as the one they struck with Mike Gonzalez a year ago, and I think they'll have similar regrets in overpaying for saves again. Gregg, 32, posted a 3.51 ERA, 8.8 K/9, 4.6 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9, and 42.3% groundball rate in 59 innings this year. He saved 37 games in 43 tries, an improvement on his 76-77% success rate of the previous two years.

Orioles Sign Koji Uehara

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 13, 2010 at 4:22pm CDT

The Orioles signed Koji Uehara to a one-year deal with a vesting option for 2012, the team announced. The deal will pay the reliever $3MM in 2011 and give him the chance to earn a couple million more in incentives, depending on how many games he finishes or saves.

Uehara an earn an additional $100K for each of 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 appearances, plus another $150K-200K based on games finished from 10 to 50. His $4MM option for 2012 will vest with either 55 games pitched or 25 games finished next season. The contract can be worth as much as $11.5MM and contains a limited no-trade clause.

Six teams were interested in Uehara earlier this week. The 35-year-old right-hander posted a 2.86 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 1.0 BB/9 in 44 innings of work last year. He made trips to the disabled list because of elbow and thigh injuries, but few pitchers have a strikeout to walk ratio as impressive as Uehara's. SFX represents Uehara.

Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun broke the story and colleague Dan Connolly added the financial info on Twitter.

Six Teams Interested In Derrek Lee

By Mike Axisa | December 11, 2010 at 6:08pm CDT

The Orioles, Athletics, Blue Jays, Padres, Nationals, and Diamondbacks have all expressed interest in free agent first baseman Derrek Lee according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter). We've heard that Lee wouldn't mind playing for Arizona, and the interest from the O's and A's is nothing new. Heyman reiterated the D'Backs interest in Xavier Nady as well.

Lee, 35, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb after the season. He's expressed a desire to join a playoff club for 2011, but calling any of those six teams a contender would be generous. D'Backs GM Kevin Towers was the Padres GM when Lee broke in with the team in 1997, and the running theme of the offseason has been Towers bringing some of his former players to Arizona. Nady obviously fits the bill as well.

I examined Lee's free agent stock back in October.

Orioles To Re-Sign Cesar Izturis, Not Nick Green

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 10, 2010 at 6:52pm CDT

6:52pm: The Orioles say that Green has not agreed to a contract, tweets Connolly.

4:35pm: The Orioles have re-signed Cesar Izturis to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). The deal, which is pending a physical, includes $1.7MM in incentives based on plate appearances and games stared, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter link). Agent Peter Greenberg represents the shortstop.

The Orioles have already added Mark Reynolds, Brendan Harris and J.J. Hardy to an infield that has become crowded in a hurry. The Baltimore infield also includes Brian Roberts and Robert Andino, so it would not be surprising to see president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail make another move before the season begins.

Izturis has been Baltimore's starting shortstop for the past two seasons, but he figures to back up Hardy in 2011. The 30-year-old switch-hitter batted .230/.277/.268 in 513 plate appearances, but posted an above-average UZR/150 (5.8) in 1250 innings on defense.

The Orioles have also signed Nick Green to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Sun (via Connolly on Twitter). The 32-year-old picked up just 23 plate appearances last year, but he has a career .237/.305/.348 line in parts of six MLB seasons. Connolly suggests Harris, Andino and Green will likely battle for one roster spot in Spring Training.

Orioles Offer Gregg $8-10MM

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 10, 2010 at 11:05am CDT

The two-year deal that the Orioles offered Kevin Gregg is worth between $8-10MM, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Gregg continues to negotiate with the Orioles, who still believe they have a chance at the former Blue Jays closer.

Even though the Orioles agreed to terms with Koji Uehara, they could offer Gregg the closer's job. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail did not commit to Uehara as the team's closer this week.

The Orioles aren't the only team interested in Gregg. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported this week that the Red Sox, Pirates and Nationals have offered the 32-year-old deals and that the Mariners are in the mix for him. The Rockies also appear to be interested in the Type B free agent.

The Blue Jays will obtain a draft pick for losing Gregg, since he and his representatives at Beverly Hills Sports Council turned down Toronto's offer of arbitration. However, teams don't have to forfeit a pick to sign Gregg.

Odds & Ends: Jeter, Cameron, Rich Hill

By Tim Dierkes | December 9, 2010 at 2:44pm CDT

Another eventful Winter Meetings has come to a close. Even with the pre-meetings action involving Adrian Gonzalez, Jayson Werth, and Shaun Marcum, we had plenty to talk about this week. Carl Crawford signed the biggest deal of the offseason so far. Paul Konerko stayed with the White Sox after some drama. Carlos Pena found a pillow contract with the Cubs. J.J. Putz assumed the Diamondbacks' closer role. The Orioles rebuilt the left side of their infield with Mark Reynolds and J.J. Hardy. The Pirates, Mariners, Padres, Royals, Rockies, Mets, and others made additions as well. On to today's links…

Check out a couple of Rule 5 draft reviews from MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein. And of course, a pair of great links from John Manuel of Baseball America. We've got the picks from the Major League phase listed here.
Newsday's Ken Davidoff has the financial breakdown on Derek Jeter's new contract.
The Red Sox have already gotten inquiries on outfielder Mike Cameron, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. The team plans to keep him but is willing to listen. Cameron will have to take on a part-time role with Carl Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury, and J.D. Drew filling Boston's outfield.
The Red Sox are expected to reach an agreement to re-sign Rich Hill in the next few days, reports Dan Barbarisi of The Providence Journal. Hill, who grew up a Sox fan, hopes to crack the bullpen this year.
The Tigers' talks with Carl Crawford didn't get far, GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck. Dombrowski explained that a team can only have so many $20MM players, and the Tigers already have two.
Orioles president Andy MacPhail hasn't ruled out Cesar Izturis returning, tweets MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. Izturis is a tougher fit after the Orioles acquired Hardy and Brendan Harris.

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