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MLB Investigating Betting, Bonus-Skimming Scandals

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Cheers to MLB for following George Mitchell’s suggestion and creating an investigative unit.  It’s already helping to crack down on a couple of serious scandals, along with the FBI.  I also like ESPN’s hiring of Mark Fainaru-Wada and T.J. Quinn.  If I had something to hide, I wouldn’t want these guys on the case.

First we had several White Sox employees canned in May for possibly skimming bonuses intended for Dominican prospects.  Then a week ago the L.A. Times said at least one GM "has already come under suspicion."

On Saturday, the Fainaru-Wade/Quinn team broke the news that Nationals GM Jim Bowden and special assistant Jose Rijo are under investigation for possible roles in the scandal.  Bowden says he had no role and is not under suspicion, though.  Rijo says he and Bowden are both "clean as a whistle" and "clean as Irish Spring soap."

Meanwhile SI.com’s Jon Heyman discovered that Orioles scout Alan Marr was fired for ties to sports betting.  Other scouts may be implicated, but there’s no indication of game-fixing.  Heyman believes Marr was tied to a bookmaking operation.

Stark’s Latest: Burnett, Nady, Greinke, Burrell

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FRIDAY: We have an update to Stark’s column – he is now saying that Burnett does have veto power over 15 teams.

THURSDAY: Let’s take a look at Jayson Stark’s latest over at ESPN.com.

  • The Phillies and Yankees both made failed runs at CC Sabathia.  The Phils wouldn’t include Carlos Carrasco or Lou Marson, while the Yanks insisted on a negotiating window.  The Phils are looking at Erik Bedard and A.J. Burnett by default, while neither of those pitchers makes sense for the Yankees.  The Yanks checked in on Aaron Harang, but that’s a moot point since he’s ailing.
  • Despite the Dodgers’ run at Sabathia, they’re apparently not looking at other starters.
  • Ken Rosenthal recently wrote that Burnett had veto power over 15 teams, but Stark’s source says it’s just a handful of teams.  It’ll be tough to convince Burnett not to opt out of his contract after the season, unless he’s hurt.
  • The Braves still haven’t made the buy/sell decision.  If they buy, Xavier Nady is the top target.  If they sell, Mark Teixeira is the best chip.  Apparently Scott Boras is talking about $23MM per year for Tex this winter.
  • The Giants are pretty clearly not trading Matt Cain.
  • The Orioles, making a run at .500, don’t seem motivated to move George Sherrill or othe top veterans.
  • The Brewers’ Plan B beyond Sabathia was Zack Greinke, rather than Rich Harden.  Ken Rosenthal recently said the Royals were "decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," however.
  • Stark says it "wouldn’t be out of the question" for the Cubs to pursue a lefthanded starter like Randy Wolf, despite the Harden acquisition.
  • Extension with the Phillies for Pat Burrell did not get very far.

Olney Rumor Bag: Eckstein, Teixeira

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Another Saturday, another edition of Buster Olney’s weekly blog; along-side the deafening Sabathia discussions, we find some hidden gems:

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are pondering making a deal for David Eckstein. The Blue Jays have a well-stocked infield that has made the veteran short stop and former World Series MVP expendable. 

The Orioles have also been inquiring about Juan Uribe of the White Sox and Felipe Lopez of the Nationals.

Mark Bradley of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution thinks the Braves should trade Mark Teixera. Although some veteran leaders think the team is still in the division race, the Bravos do sit 7 games behind Philadelphia and have been hampered by injury all year.

Teixeira signed a one year-deal in January and can become a free agent next year, but he would prefer not to be traded this year.   

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Rumors? Comments? Email me alexo05 (at) umpbump (dot) com.

Orioles Interested In Eckstein

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According to the Baltimore Sun, citing "industry sources," the Orioles are talking to the Blue Jays about shortstop David Eckstein.  The Jays have deemed Eckstein expendable, even though they’re reportedly hunting for a long-term shortstop.  Jeff Zrebiec and Roch Kubatko believe it wouldn’t take much to acquire him. 

Eckstein, 33, is hitting .273/.360/.348 this year.  The Orioles’ shortstops have hit .228/.264/.287 this year collectively.

The O’s have also scouted Juan Uribe and Felipe Lopez.  Despite previous reports of "substantive conversations" for Lopez, the Sun says the team’s interest has waned.

Jays Shopping Burnett For Shortstop?

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5:55pm: Robert MacLeod talked to Jays President Paul Godfrey, who said J.P. Ricciardi is not shopping Burnett but has received calls.

2:23pm: According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, the Blue Jays are shopping starter A.J. Burnett for a shortstop.  Elliott notes that the Phillies and Orioles have had scouts at recent Burnett starts.  Neither of those organizations figures to match up on the shortstop front though.

Any contenders with an MLB-ready shortstop to spare?  The Cubs have Ronny Cedeno, who may or may not have a future as a regular.  The Brewers have J.J. Hardy and Alcides Escobar in the organization.  The Braves have Brent Lillibridge, and the Dodgers have Chin-lung Hu.  The Dodgers might need to hang on to Hu, however.

White Sox May Trade Juan Uribe

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According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, the Juan Uribe trade talks are rumored to be heating up.  Kenny Williams may be trying to finish a deal before Paul Konerko returns from the disabled list.  Manager Ozzie Guillen talked about finding "the best opportunity" for Uribe, so it’s no secret the Sox are trying to make a trade. 

Uribe, 29, is hitting .215/.269/.341 in 147 plate appearances as a utility infielder this year.  He’s making $4.5MM, so that’ll be an issue.

The Orioles seem the most likely suitor, unless they complete a deal for Felipe Lopez.  The Chicago Tribune’s Mark Gonzales says the Orioles had a scout in attendance for yesterday’s White Sox-Indians game (Uribe did not play).

Olney’s Latest: Wolf, Lohse, Sabathia, Fuentes, Oswalt, Bailey

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Buster Olney has a new column up. Let’s take a look:

  • He suggests Randy Wolf as a "possible trade chip" with the Padres looking increasingly out of it this year. One problem: Wolf has veto power over trades to 14 teams. He’s been decent this year, with a 4.13 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 98 innings, but nothing to get too excited over.
  • Gossip item: the Mets could have had Kyle Lohse for what the Cardinals are paying ($4.25MM), only Omar Minaya passed.
  • Olney doesn’t see much in the speculation about the Angels wanting C.C. Sabathia. With Kelvim Escobar’s rehab going well, great first-half performances from Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana, and John Lackey likely to improve going forward, why should they make a push for C.C.? Olney sees the Brewers and the Cubs as more interested parties. (Ken Rosenthal mentioned the Brewers and the Rays as C.C. suitors yesterday.) Later in the post, Olney notes that Sabathia has a 1.96 ERA in his last fourteen starts. Yowza.
  • How the Rockies fare over the next two weeks could determine what becomes of Brian Fuentes.
  • Olney can’t decide whether the Orioles should buy or sell. What do you think?
  • Roy Oswalt won’t get traded, with Olney linking to the Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice for his evidence. (Oswalt has, of course, been talking like he’d prefer to be somewhere else.) Also working against a deal for Oswalt: his continued experiments with pitching to contact (to keep the ol’ pitch count down) haven’t been going very well this year, either. His K/9 has been declining for years, of course, but it may have reached a point of no return this season. Whatever happens, I’m sure the ’stros would prefer to move him at peak value, not right now when he has a 4.77 ERA.
  • Homer Bailey, back in Triple A Louisville, isn’t getting any love from the scout quoted here, who says he threw "batting practice fastballs." Bailey was 0-3 with a 8.73 ERA in the majors this year after a hotly anticipated call-up. Given the bounty of young arms they already have, the Reds would probably prefer to trade him…but alas, his value has dropped the way his curveball used to. 

Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro and can be reached here.

Orioles Interested In Felipe Lopez

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12:37pm: Ken Rosenthal says the O’s "have engaged in substantive conversations" to acquire Lopez.  The likely return: just a marginal prospect.

9:49am: According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles have intensified their hunt for a starting shortstop.

Zrebiec runs through some options and suggests Felipe Lopez would make sense.  The O’s have scouted him before.  Jim Bowden’s asking price shouldn’t be too high – Lopez becomes a free agent after the season and hasn’t hit well for years.

Here’s a look at our shortstop market post.  One player I omitted from there who has been connected to the Orioles in the past is Juan Uribe. 

Rosenthal’s Latest: Cashman, Fuentes, Braves, Fielder

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Time for a new Ken Rosenthal column.

  • Rosenthal reminds us that, among other things, Adam Dunn played with a broken hand for a couple of months in ’05.  So maybe he does like baseball.  It’s not fair to criticize a player’s passion simply because he doesn’t make the right facial expressions or throw tantrums (not saying J.P. Ricciardi did this, but many fans do).
  • Mark Teixeira might be looking for eight years and $160MM.  Rosenthal says not to count his hometown Orioles out, though they aren’t the most likely suitor.
  • Brian Cashman "seems likely to sign a contract extension" with the Yankees.  Omar Minaya’s job is safe.
  • The Rockies might trade Brian Fuentes even if they’re in contention.  Add the Rays to the list of teams interested in him.  The Rox still like the Mets’ Aaron Heilman, by the way.
  • The Braves are out of the starting pitching market, content with internal options.
  • If the Brewers are to shop Prince Fielder, they’ll likely wait until the offseason.  Could be a fun rumor to follow this winter.
  • Orioles relievers Jamie Walker and Chad Bradford both can be had (both are signed through ’09).

On The Failed Brian Roberts Talks

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Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun dug up some information about the failed Brian Roberts trade talks from the past offseason.

  • Zrebiec says one of the Cubs’ offers included Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, and Donald Veal.  According to Andy MacPhail, a deal was never close.  The O’s continue to hunt for a shortstop.
  • MacPhail also talked to the Indians and Twins about Roberts (the Twins are a new one for me).  It seems that MacPhail may also have spoken to the White Sox.
  • The Orioles don’t seem to be planning to trade Roberts anymore, as they’re 5.5 games out of the wild card.  No talks have occurred yet, but the Orioles could even extend Roberts past ’09.
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