Orioles Rumors

Odds & Ends: Wedge, Nats, Marlins, Webb, Tejada

By Zachary Links | March 6, 2010 at 10:50pm CDT

Some links for Saturday..

Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer hears that Eric Wedge is taking this year off by choice. The former Indians skipper, who is still under contract with the club for one more year, was connected to the Mets' bench coach job for a while.
The strong play of Nats rookie shortstop Ian Desmond could bump Cristian Guzman from the starting lineup, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com. However, it will be difficult for Washington will find a taker for Guzman's $8MM salary.
Newly acquired Dodger Garret Anderson knows that he's fighting for a very limited role with club, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. Anderson played in 135 games for the Braves last season, hitting .268/.303/.401 with 13 HRs.
Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Giants pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim has the right to opt out of his contract on March 15th if he doesn't think he'll make the 25-man roster. The 31-year-old – who last pitched in the majors in 2007 – signed a minor league deal with San Francisco in February.
Bobby Valentine told Marlins beat reporters that he was never spoke with club owner Jeffrey Loria about managing the team, writes Joe Frisaro of MLB.com. Bobby V said the speculation was unfair to skipper Fredi Gonzalez, who led guided Florida to 87 wins and a second-place finish in the NL East.
Arizona GM Josh Byrnes said that the club wants to look at internal candidates first if Brandon Webb is unable to start the regular season, tweets MLB.com's Steve Gilbert. Byrnes added that the club, as always, will keep an eye on the waiver wire as Spring Training winds down (also via Twitter).
Despite the impressive play of Josh Bell, Miguel Tejada will be the Orioles' starting third baseman barring a "dramatic" event, writes Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun. The O's signed Tejada to a one-year, $6MM deal in late January.
Joe Posnanski takes a look at the history of the Rule 5 draft. Fun Fact: The Rule 5 draft goes back more than 100 years.

Odds & Ends: Thames, Manzella, Royals, Marlins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 26, 2010 at 4:03pm CDT

Links for Friday…

Chad Jennings of The Journal News reports that Marcus Thames can opt out of his contract with the Yankees if he doesn't make the team out of Spring Training. Thames signed a minor league deal earlier this month that would pay him $900K in the big leagues.
Alyson Footer, the Astros' Sr. Director of Social Media, tweets that the team has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with infielder Tommy Manzella worth $400K. He's expected to be the team's regular shortstop in 2010, and he has less than a month's worth of service time.
Mike Aviles and Anthony Lerew agreed to terms with the Royals according to a team press release. Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star tweets that both deals are expected to be worth less than $500K. Both players are not yet eligible for arbitration.
Meanwhile, the Marlins also agreed to terms with six of their pre-arbitration eligible players, reports MLB.com's Joe Frisaro.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports that Orioles' lefty Brian Matusz has changed agents, and is now represented by CAA Sports. He had a 4.63 ERA in 44.2 innings last year, and is widely considered to be one of the two or three best pitching prospects in the game.
Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo spoke about the Livan Hernandez signing to MASNSports.com's Ben Goessling, and said that the righty isn't guaranteed a rotation spot.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports polled nearly 20 baseball people about Carl Crawford's next contract. Many of the agents and executives expect Crawford to command a five-year deal worth $12-16MM per season, but some think the left fielder could make as much as $18MM per year when he hits the open market, probably after 2010.
Scott Rolen was happy to restructure his contract so the Reds could "free up some money to go out and be more competitive," according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Nationals pitcher Rafael Martin tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson that he agreed to his deal on February 8th (Twitter link).
Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd told Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports that he wants his players to be driven by "more than money." O'Dowd also told Ringolsby that he did not shop Brad Hawpe this winter.
The Mets are still looking at lefty and righty relievers, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff (via Twitter).
Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt tells Scott Lauber of the News Journal that he expects Placido Polanco to make a smooth transition to third base.
Marlon Byrd tells USA Today's Bob Nightengale that he's uncomfortable being compared to friend and former teammate Milton Bradley.
Big market clubs sent $433MM to small market clubs last year, according to Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball.
The Red Sox don't generally use insurance on their long-term deals. Principal owner John Henry tells Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that "it isn't always easy to get paid," even once players are injured.
Jose Julio Ruiz may be close to signing, but it won't be with the Nationals, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
Astros owner Drayton McLane, who has "a huge amount of confidence" in GM Ed Wade, would consider selling his team for $600MM or more, according to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Lowell, Mauer, Adrian

By Tim Dierkes | February 17, 2010 at 1:33pm CDT

Links for Wednesday…

I recently did an Orioles-centric phone interview with Tom Sedlacek of the Bowie Baysox website.
The Cubs signed 18-year-old Korean righty Kim Jin-yeong for $1.2MM, reports Matt DeWoskin of True Stories Of Korean Baseball. I have heard that this is not official yet, however.
Ted Lilly would like to remain with the Cubs beyond 2010, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, but the lefty doesn't want to be a distraction.
WEEI's Rob Bradford chatted with Mike Lowell about his near-trade to the Rangers and his future with the Red Sox.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today examines the Joe Mauer extension situation, drawing a parallel to Cal Ripken in 1992.
This time, Padres CEO Jeff Moorad talked about hope and optimism regarding an extension for Adrian Gonzalez (Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune reporting).
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Nationals, Reds, and Indians made big league offers to Chien-Ming Wang, while the Dodgers and Rays showed interest but did not make offers.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if the Tigers traded Curtis Granderson because they soured on him as a player.
Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball has the numbers on the five remaining arbitration cases.

Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Cashman, Orioles, Wang

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 16, 2010 at 9:09pm CDT

Links for Tuesday…

Tim Lincecum passed his physical according to Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Presumably his two-year, $23MM deal is official now.
Yankees' GM Brian Cashman sat down for an interview with NoMaas.org. He discussed what went into some of their decision making this offseason, among other things.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun projected the Orioles' Opening Day roster.
Chien-Ming Wang has already passed his physical with the Nationals, reports Chico Harlan of The Washington Post. Given the righty's recent shoulder surgery, it was far from a formality.
Joe Torre tells Mike Francesa of WFAN that the Dodgers are on the lookout for a fifth starter (audio here). Torre says the Dodgers could find that starter within their organization. He also says he and the Doders are talking about adding a year onto his contract, which expires after this season.
Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Batter's Box that the Blue Jays will draft the best players available this June. Anthopoulos also said the Jays will be open to dealing from their pitching depth.
MLB.com's Doug Miller shows that baseball's executives are getting younger as owners take a business-first approach to winning.
Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says he'd be willing to guarantee Joe Mauer eight or ten years if that's what it takes to keep the catcher in Minnesota, despite the fact that Mauer would almost certainly be playing another position by the end of a contract that long.
Padres GM Jed Hoyer tells MLB.com's Corey Brock that he's pleased with his first offseason as a GM and the process that the Padres used this winter.
Giants officials believe "the day is coming when legions of talented hitters will follow" Pablo Sandoval's path to the majors, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney says Felipe Lopez would be a "great, great fit" for the Mets.

Offseason In Review: Baltimore Orioles

By Tim Dierkes | February 15, 2010 at 11:23am CDT

Leading off our Offseason In Review series, the Orioles.

Major League Signings

Mike Gonzalez, RP: two years, $12MM. Also gave #52 overall pick to Braves.
Miguel Tejada, 3B: one year, $6MM.
Garrett Atkins,1B: one year, $4.5MM. Includes $8.5MM club option for '11 with a $500K buyout.
Mark Hendrickson, RP: one year, $1.4MM. Includes $1.2MM club option for '11 with a $200K buyout.
Total spend: $23.9MM

Notable Minor League Signings

Will Ohman, Chad Moeller, Michel Hernandez, Jeff Salazar, Scott Moore, Mike Hinckley, Andy Gonzalez

Trades and Claims

Acquired SP Kevin Millwood and $3MM from Rangers for RP Chris Ray and Rule 5 pick Ben Snyder
Claimed C Craig Tatum off waivers from Reds

Notable Losses

Melvin Mora ($1MM buyout), Danys Baez, Brian Bass, Chris Ray, Rich Hill, Jeff Fiorentino, Sean Henn, Jamie Walker, Bob McCrory, Radhames Liz, Steven Johnson, Chris Waters

Summary

The Orioles added about $33MM worth of veterans this winter while finishing a couple of ugly contracts in Mora and Baez. The pickups make the Orioles better in 2010, but to what end? Fourth place in the AL East? Perhaps the O's will eventually spin some of these guys into prospects, though a future Gonzalez trade is partially countered by the draft pick they already lost. Whether you liked the Orioles' offseason depends on your philosophy on this question: should a rebuilding club spend significant money for the sake of respectability?

Players Avoiding Arbitration: Friday

By Mike Axisa | February 12, 2010 at 5:46pm CDT

We'll keep track of any players that avoid arbitration today here…

The Orioles and Jeremy Guthrie have agreed to a one-year $3MM deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Guthrie receives $100K for winning the Cy Young Award. He also earns $50K for finishing second or third in the Cy Young voting and the same amount for making the All Star team, winning World Series MVP, ALCS MVP or a Gold Golve

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Braves, Scutaro, Carroll

By Mike Axisa | February 12, 2010 at 9:58am CDT

On this date eight years ago, Major League Baseball acquired the Montreal Expos from owner Jeffrey Loria for $120MM, who then purchased the Marlins for $158MM. Loria took everything not nailed down in Montreal with him to Florida, including manager Jeff Torborg. MLB ran the Expos for the next four-plus years until ownership was transferred to Ted Lerner in July 2006.

Here's a look at what's being written around the web…

Capitol Avenue Club analyzes the players the Braves are bringing to Spring Training as non-roster invitees.
The Bottom Line wonders if Marco Scutaro is going to be the next Julio Lugo.
Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness thinks the Dodgers jumped the gun when they signed Jamey Carroll.
Mets Merized looks at the best of what's left on the free agent market.
Camden Crazies tries to make sense of the Orioles' interest in Jarrod Washburn.
U.S.S. Mariner breaks down the incentives in Erik Bedard's contract.
TAUNTR touched on the Tigers' reported offer to Johnny Damon.
Fantasy Rundown links to every prospect ranking you can think of.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Teams That Could Use Rotation Depth

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 11, 2010 at 5:07pm CDT

There isn't much choice for teams in search of starters, but some remaining free agens will provide rotation depth, if not dominance. Mike Hampton, Livan Hernandez, Braden Looper, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Chien-Ming Wang and Jarrod Washburn are among the starters looking for jobs. Let's take a look at some of the teams with the least rotation depth:

The Nationals have limited depth after John Lannan, Jason Marquis and Scott Olsen. Stephen Strasburg may be the most talented pitcher the Nats have, but he'll presumably have to prove it before they hand him a rotation spot. Washington is considering Wang and if that falls through, they figure to move on to others.
The Mets haven't solidified their rotation this offseason. Smoltz is a possibility, but he's seeking $4MM, which would be an obstacle for Omar Minaya & Co.
If the D'Backs aren't comfortable with Ian Kennedy and Billy Buckner in their rotation, they could look to free agency. They have been linked to Todd Wellemeyer and Dana Eveland recently, which suggests they would consider cheap depth options.
The Orioles haven't been in touch with Wang or Washburn recently, but the club may want to supplement its trio of young starters. Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman and Brad Bergesen are all 24 or younger.
Kyle Farnsworth will compete for a job in the Royals' rotation, which tells you that they don't have tons of starting pitching depth. Their interest in Erik Bedard also suggests they are open to adding arms.
It's no secret that Jarrod Washburn would return to the Mariners, but they haven't made the lefty an offer. After Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee, the Mariners don't have tons of certainty in their rotation.

Odds & Ends: Hart, Dukes, Moreno, Farnsworth

By Tim Dierkes | February 11, 2010 at 3:17pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

MLB.com's Adam McCalvy has the details on the Jim Edmonds contract. Bottom line: Edmonds earns at least $850 if he makes the team. He can make $1.75MM more in incentives if he makes 525 plate appearances.
O's righty Armando Gabino cleared waivers, according to a team press release.
MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch points out the intricate points system behind the incentives in D.J. Carrasco's minor league deal with the Pirates.
Maury Brown says the Giants' three-year $37MM offer is good, but probably not enough to tempt Tim Lincecum.
Corey Hart and the Brewers didn't come to a last-minute agreement before today's arbitration hearing, according to the AP. We can expect a ruling tomorrow.
Elijah Dukes, who is not yet eligible for arbitration, agreed to a $444K salary this season, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
The Mets signed 22 year-old shortstop Rylan Sandoval out of the Arizona Winter League.
The White Sox signed 32-year-old righty reliever Orber Moreno to a minor league deal, reports Billy Russo of El Universal. Said Moreno: "Oswaldo Guillen told me that he believes in me and that he will give me the opportunity." Thanks to Nick Collias for translating.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports chatted with free agent outfielder Jermaine Dye, who noted that the Cubs offered $3MM. Dye says it's not about the money, but "there are still guys getting money that I feel I'm better than."
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs applauds the Royals for giving Kyle Farnsworth a shot at starting this year.
MASN's Roch Kubatko runs through the worst Orioles rumors of the offseason.
Bill Plunkett of the O.C. Register talked to free agent Darin Erstad, who still wants to play but hasn't found the right opportunity yet.

Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Jackson, Blalock, Bedard

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2010 at 9:51pm CDT

Some Tuesday night links…

Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports tweets that neither Tim Lincecum nor the Giants have budged in their negotiations, and his arbitration hearing is set for Friday.
MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports (via Twitter) that the Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson still haven't made any progress towards an agreement. Their arbitration hearing is now just eight days away.
In addition to having interest in Russell Branyan and Jermaine Dye, the Indians are also talking to Hank Blalock, reports Rosenthal. He adds that the Blue Jays are also in on Branyan.
In a pair of tweets, Rosenthal passes along the incentives in Erik Bedard's contract. They lefty could bring in $500K each for 14, 17, 20, 23, and 26 starts, plus $600K for every 25 innings after 75.
Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com report that Damon hasn't moved off his demand of a two-year deal. Good luck with that, Johnny.
Morosi and Rosenthal also report that the Rangers and Mets appear to be "hamstrung by complications at the ownership level," meaning they're approaching their payroll limits.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Astros' GM Ed Wade said the team has some interest in bringing Willy Taveras back on a minor league deal. Oakland released Taveras today.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (via Peter Schmuck) spoke to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who indicated that the team has not had recent talks with the agents for Jarrod Washburn or Chien-Ming Wang. The O's were linked to both pitchers earlier today.
MLB.com's Corey Brock says (via Twitter) that it's "highly unlikely" that the Padres will sign Japanese lefty Hisanori Takahashi. Several teams reportedly offered the southpaw a minor league contract.

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