Odds & Ends: Gregerson, Hanley, Strasburg
Links for Monday…
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the minor league transactions, including the Dodgers' signing of J.D Durbin.
- Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune says Rays Rule 5 pick Derek Rodriguez, a reliever, has been returned to the White Sox.
- Yahoo's David Brown talked to Carlos Pena about many topics, including his agent Scott Boras.
- According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Padres received pitcher Luke Gregerson as the player to be named later in the Khalil Greene deal. The other player the Padres received, the now-injured Mark Worrell, was also a minor league closer. Given the state of the Padres' pen, Gregerson could reach the Majors this year. UPDATE: Here is Paul DePodesta's take on Gregerson.
- MLB.com's Ken Gurnick noted yesterday that the Dodgers cut pitcher Shawn Estes, and he's yet to decide whether to accept a Triple A assignment. UPDATE: Estes will head to the minors and attempt to reinvent himself as a lefthanded specialist.
- Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald quizzed Hanley Ramirez about Boston's attempt to reacquire him in November.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan wonders about Frank Catalanotto's future. Useful player, but the Rangers would have to eat most of his $6MM to move him.
- Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post talked to Nationals president Stan Kasten about the six-year, $50MM Stephen Strasburg rumor. We all know how Boras works…if he wants $25MM for Strasburg, he starts at $50MM.
- South Side Sox and Sox Machine comment on the Gavin Floyd extension, as well as the offers to John Danks and Carlos Quentin.
- Talking to David Lennon of Newsday, Tom Glavine responded to Pedro Martinez's distaste for signing a "Glavine-like" contract.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun spoke to Aubrey Huff, who "doesn't even understand the concept of a contract push."
- Ivan Rodriguez explained to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez why he didn't sign with the Marlins.
Rosenthal On Jeter, Jenkins, Keppinger
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports posted a new column last night.
- Rosenthal wonders if the eventual emergence of Yankees shortstop prospects Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez will prompt the team to ask Derek Jeter to change positions in the future. Neither player ranked among the Yankees' top 30 prospects in the Baseball America 2009 Handbook, however. Jeter's current contract runs through 2010.
- Rosenthal says Boston's talks for catchers Miguel Montero and Jarrod Saltalamacchia "remain stalled because of those clubs' respective asking prices."
- Rosenthal believes the Phillies are unlikely to trade Geoff Jenkins or Matt Stairs.
- The Reds are considering trading infielder Jeff Keppinger, and Rosenthal wonders if the Astros would be a fit. He also speculates on Juan Uribe for Houston. John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer talked about the Keppinger possibility on Friday.
Curt Schilling Retires
Pitcher Curt Schilling announced his retirement today via a blog post at 38 Pitches. He finishes with a 3.46 ERA and 216 wins in 3,261 innings for the Orioles, Astros, Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox. He also won 11 postseason games with a 2.23 ERA in 133.3 innings.
Heyman On Bargains, Andruw, Buchholz
The latest from SI.com's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman runs through his top 13 free agent bargains, beginning with Orlando Cabrera, Bobby Abreu, and Jon Garland.
- Andruw Jones will decide next week whether to opt out and become a free agent again. Heyman reminds us that the Yankees, Braves, and Phillies were previously interested. He says a Yankees person "hedged" when asked if they'd rejoin the Jones pursuit.
- The Twins sent a scout to watch Ivan Rodriguez before he signed with Houston, but Heyman figures they must be confident about Joe Mauer's back after standing pat.
- The Red Sox "remain uninterested in the Rangers' proposal from a few months ago of Jarrod Saltalamacchia for Clay Buchholz." Buchholz has allowed one run, nine Ks, and two walks in 8.6 innings this spring.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Bucs, Jays, Pedro, Pudge, Phils, Twins
On this date 72 years ago, in what may have been the biggest trade in Negro League history, Josh Gibson and Judy Johnson were traded from the Pittsburgh Crawfords to the Homestead Grays for $25K and two players. Earlier this week, Pudge Rodriguez, one of the greatest catchers of this generation, became the latest big-name free agent to find a home. Let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Pirate Revolution takes a look at some players that could become available for the Pirates in the next two weeks as teams trim their rosters, including Jeff Niemann.
- The 2012 payroll commitments in the AL East do not sit well with Drunk Jays Fans.
- MLB Notebook attempts to calculate exactly how much teams should be willing to give Pedro Martinez.
- Jorge Says No! says the Astros and Pedro are a good match and the recent signing of Pudge is an indication that the Astros are going for it this season.
- The Ghost of Moonlight Graham says Pudge "fooled" the Astros into giving him $1.5MM.
- The Fightins try to dispel the myth that Raul Ibanez was a poor defensive addition to the Phillies.
- Twins Geek takes a look at the Twins incredible shrinking payroll.
- Fire Brand of the American League says the release of Josh Bard has much bigger implications for the Red Sox than might be evident on the surface.
- Sully Baseball takes a look at the Cleveland Indians all-time homegrown team versus their all-time acquired team.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Red Sox Still Looking For A Catcher
According to ESPN's Peter Gammons:
The Red Sox say the backup/Tim Wakefield catching job has been won by George Kottaras, but they are still looking for another catcher. The Diamondbacks, who would like another starting pitcher, continue to insist on Michael Bowden for Miguel Montero, and Boston GM Theo Epstein still won't trade Bowden.
Montero, 25, hit .255/.330/.435 last year in 207 plate appearances as Chris Snyder's backup. He threw out 18.2% of attempted base-stealers. Meanwhile Bowden, 22, tossed 144.3 innings in the minors last year with a 2.62 ERA. Baseball America called him "a safe bet with a good chance to become a No.3 starter."
Red Sox Release Josh Bard
According to the Boston Herald's Michael Silverman, the Red Sox have parted ways with catcher Josh Bard.
It appears that 25-year-old George Kottaras has won the backup catching job. It probably had something to do with his ability, and Bard's inability, to catch Tim Wakefield's knuckleball. Kottaras is also out of minor league options and the Red Sox didn't want to risk losing him.
Bard, 30, was 6-for-14 this spring with one home run, five RBI and two doubles. He finished with a line of .202/.279/.270 in 178 at-bats last season.
Brewers Claim Wes Littleton
According to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Brewers claimed reliever Wes Littleton off waivers from the Red Sox. Rule 5 pick Eduardo Morlan was designated for assignment to make room. Morlan could end up back with the Rays if they’ll have him. The Sox had acquired Littleton from Texas for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Gammons On Sheffield, Tazawa, Kearns
ESPN’s Peter Gammons posted a new blog entry last night. Let’s take a look.
- Gammons sees Gary Sheffield as a "serious comeback player of the year candidate."
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Gammons his team bid $7MM for Junichi Tazawa, but the Red Sox signed him for $3MM due to their presence in Japan. According to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, the Rangers also offered more money to reliever Chad Cordero but he preferred the West Coast.
- Kicking Jim Bowden while he’s down: Gammons says Nationals outfielder Austin Kearns was claimed on waivers last summer but the Nationals pulled him back.
Red Sox, Lester Announce Extension
5:22pm: WEEI Alex Speier has the year-by-year breakdown of Lester’s deal. He’ll be paid pretty well over the next five years.
11:08am: Gary Dzen of Boston.com reports the Red Sox have announced the five-year deal. No details were given.
10:41am: Ron Borges of the Boston Herald reports the Red Sox and Jon Lester are expected to announce the signing of his $30MM extension this morning. The extension is expected to include a $13MM club option for 2014.
The cat was out of the bag last Sunday when Yahoo! Sports’ Jeff Passan had the scoop.