Orioles Rumors

Rays Acquire Gregg Zaun

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 7, 2009 at 1:57pm CDT

The Rays acquired catcher Gregg Zaun from the Orioles for a player to be named later or cash considerations, according to an Orioles press release. Just last week the Rays were in on Victor Martinez as they looked for depth behind the plate. Like Martinez, Zaun is a switch hitter under contract for this year with a club option for 2010. Zaun makes $1.5MM this year and the Rays will choose between a $500k buyout and a $2MM option for next season.

So far in 2009, the 38-year-old is hitting .244/.355/.375 with four homers.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Irabu, Draft

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 5, 2009 at 9:25am CDT

Some links to start the morning off…

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if the Red Sox would pull back John Smoltz and Mike Lowell if either veteran was claimed on waivers.
Hideki Irabu is closing in on a deal with an independent Japanese team, according to CBS Sports.
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo points out that there are usually a lot of unsigned draft picks this time of year. He also has a league-wide update on those who have yet to sign this season.
If you heard that someone determined the return on investment of top draft picks, you'd probably think it was someone in a front office. But, as Mayo reports, Pirates pitcher Ross Ohlendorf did just that as a student at Princeton.
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the O's haven't made progress with second rounder Mychal Givens.
New acquisition Jarrod Washburn told David Mayo of MLive.com that he "felt like a rookie" in his Tigers debut last night. Washburn lost to Brian Matusz, a real-life rookie who won his MLB debut.
Like the early 90s Braves, the Padres are building around young arms, according to Chris Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Mora, Halladay

By Eddie Schmid | August 4, 2009 at 8:48pm CDT

Some links to pore over as we just miss another no-hitter:

Alex Speier at WEEI reports that the Red Sox won't give 16-year-old Dominican hurler Victor Payano a contract, despite being rumored as favorites to sign him. Payano, in line for a bonus around $900k, had failed his physical.
Peter Schmuck at the Baltimore Sun notes that top prospect Brian Matusz was called up to start tonight for the O's and they in turn optioned Kam Mickolio to Triple-A. After Melvin Mora's recent spat with manager Dave Trembley, there was speculation Mora would be gone, but he is starting tonight. He still could be moved.
Scott Podsednik's improved play has increased his value, but he wants to stay with the White Sox in 2010, says Scott Merkin at MLB.com.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels said in an e-mail to Yahoo's Gordon Edes that there was no effort by J.P. Ricciardi to mislead the Rangers in Roy Halladay talks, and Ricciardi was "upfront" about what he wanted.
The Padres officially released Mark Prior today, says CBS Sports. The move was reported to be on the horizon by Corey Brock at MLB.com Saturday.

Which Teams Shed Salary At The Deadline?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 4, 2009 at 11:42am CDT

Yesterday we found that the Cardinals led the group of 12 teams that took on at least $1MM leading up to the trade deadline. They took on $6.6MM and were the only team to add as much as $5MM in payroll. So what about the sellers? Here's a look at the teams that traded away at least $1MM in 2009 salary this summer. Again, all totals are approximate:

The Indians trimmed $8.1MM from their payroll, trading Mark DeRosa ($2.9MM), Victor Martinez ($2MM), Cliff Lee ($2MM) and Rafael Betancourt ($1.2MM).
The Pirates shed $7.3MM in trades, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The A's saved $5MM by dealing Matt Holliday ($3.7MM) and Orlando Cabrera ($1.25MM).
The Mariners' decision to trade Jarrod Washburn saved them $3.6MM.
The Padres saved $2.8MM in the Jake Peavy deal.
The D'Backs shed $1.4MM by trading away Felipe Lopez.
The Orioles saved $1MM by trading George Sherrill.

Seven teams saved $1MM or more this deadline. The Indians, Pirates and A's saved considerably more than that this year and the Padres saved considerably more than that in the future. Surprisingly, the Nationals don't appear on this list. Their decision to trade Joe Beimel saved them $700k and they're paying Nick Johnson to play for the Marlins, so ironically, the team everyone thought would sell wasn't much of a seller.

Odds And Ends: Jays, O’s, Dodgers, Sano

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 4, 2009 at 9:47am CDT

Some links to read this morning…

Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that the Jays will need improved offense to contend next year.
The Orioles have nearly completed their rebuilding process, MLB.com's Spencer Fordin says.
Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun suggests the O's could make room for Brian Matusz by parting ways with Melvin Mora.
Diamond Leung reports that the Dodgers acquired Harvey Garcia from the Pirates for a PTBNL or cash.
The Dodgers never acquired a big-name starter, so Yahoo's Tim Brown says the team will have to win without a Manny Ramirez-esque infusion of talent this summer- unless they add a pitcher who clears waivers, of course.
What's new with Miguel Angel Sano? His agent wants to let interest develop, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Several teams are interested, including the Pirates.

Discussion: What To Do With Melvin Mora?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 3, 2009 at 5:01pm CDT

Melvin Mora's unhappy in Baltimore and knows he won't be back next year. He's not a part of the Orioles' future and it's looking more and more like he won't be a part of their present for long. He's sure to clear waivers since there's not much of a market for powerless late-thirties hitters making $9MM. This means the Orioles will probably be able to trade him, but they have other options. Let's take a look at their choices:

Hope that there's a taker on the trade market – Mora's hitting just .256/.321/.330, hardly enough to warrant a $9MM salary. He won't hurt you in the field, but his dropoff in power (23 homers last year, just 3 in 2009) is scary.
Release him – With nothing to lose but $3MM, the O's could decide that it's not worth having Mora around.
Hope he turns it around – He was productive as recently as last year. The O's could keep Mora and hope that he finishes strong.

Odds And Ends: Mets, Mora, Peavy, Pirates

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 3, 2009 at 9:12am CDT

Some links to start the week off…

Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Mets are more likely to trade for a number two starter than sign a free agent like John Lackey or Jarrod Washburn this offseason. Sherman can see the Mets pursuing Jose Contreras, who will also be a free agent after the season.
Steve Melewski of MASN.com suggests it's time for the Orioles to move on from Melvin Mora, who has become unhappy in Baltimore.
Mora told Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun that he'll play for "somebody else" next year.
Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune says it's "not in the best interest of baseball" that the Padres had to trade Jake Peavy.
There's a $7.3MM difference between what the Pirates will spend this year and what they expected to spend at the beginning of the season, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Mora Unhappy With Playing Time

By Steve Adams | August 2, 2009 at 2:40pm CDT

Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun writes that Melvin Mora is unhappy after being benched for the third time in four games, and has gone so far as to say that manager Dave Trembley doesn't respect him.

The Orioles hold an $8MM option on Mora for 2010, which they're almost certain to decline. Mora seems to be at peace with the fact that he'll likely be wearing a new uniform next year after nine seasons in Baltimore:

"I'm a competitor. I like to compete," he said. "I don't like to be here and just thinking about in October I'm going to go on vacation. … I need to sit down in my house, see what team [wants] to win. I know here they're rebuilding and they bring a lot of young guys here, good players and I know it's time for me to move on. It's time for me to move on."

In a separate piece, Peter Schmuck wonders whether or not Andy MacPhail will attempt to move Mora sooner than that. Mora's bat hasn't had much life in it this season, hitting .256/.321/.330. Would a change of scenery help the veteran third baseman?

Odds & Ends: O’s, Halladay, Pirates

By Eddie Schmid | August 2, 2009 at 1:40pm CDT

Some links as we ponder what team might be desperate enough to pick up Sidney Ponson:

Peter Schmuck at the Baltimore Sun notes that the George Sherrill trade sends mixed signals about whether the Orioles believe they can contend in 2010.
Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe has a lot of interesting stuff from Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi in the aftermath of the Roy Halladay talks.
Pirates owner Bob Nutting was "emphatic" in saying that ownership would not change for the near future, says Dejan Kovacevic at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kovacevic also talked with general manager Neal Huntington, and has the highlights of that interview.
Recently dealt Orlando Cabrera says he'd be interested in returning to the A's as a free agent this offseason, says Susan Slusser at the San Francisco Chronicle.
Bill Madden at the New York Daily News calls the Indians' and Pirates' trade deadline "a disgrace."
Indians GM Mark Shapiro is "not looking for applause now" for the Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez deals, says Bud Shaw at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer.
Bob Klapisch from FOX Sports looks at how each divisional race is impacted by the flurry of deals made at the end of July.

Odds & Ends: King Felix, Matusz, Johnson

By | August 1, 2009 at 3:45pm CDT

A hearty batch of links for your Saturday afternoon viewing pleasure…

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times takes a deeper look at the Felix Herandez-Red Sox talks that took place just before the trade deadline yesterday. It seems like a sensitive subject for most Mariners fans.
According to Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are having a "vigorous debate" about calling up pitching prospect Brian Matusz. "The service time issue also is largely moot," Schmuck writes, "because no matter how much time he spends up here this year, he's still under reserve for another six."
Matthew Pouliot of NBCSports.com's "Circling The Bases," reviews the trade deadline's winners and losers.
Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that Nick Johnson did not want to discuss an extension with the Nationals, thus the trade, and is hoping for a two-year deal when he becomes a free agent this offseason.
MLB.com's Corey Brock, a Padres beat writer, has more on the impending release of Mark Prior.

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