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Pie-Greene Rumor Denied

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MAY 7th: Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald discussed the Pie-Greene rumor with Cubs officials, and it was "emphatically shot down."

APRIL 30th: Yesterday Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote of Kevin Towers’ pursuit of a long-term center field option.  Jim Edmonds remains a question mark, and his contract is up after ’08 anyway.

Krasovic says the Cubs "have kept tabs" on shortstop Khalil Greene, while the Padres are still eyeing Felix Pie.  The Cubs’ win-now approach could lead to that move, as Reed Johnson is doing fine in center field so far.  Greene is signed through the ’09 season.  Trading Greene would leave a gaping hole at the position for the Padres though.  Another point is that the Cubs have gotten fine production at shortstop so far this year.

Krasovic notes past center field considerations for the Padres such as Jeremy Reed and Tony Gwynn Jr.  Reed doesn’t seem to have a future in Seattle.  As for Coco Crisp, Towers balked at Theo Epstein’s asking price of Chase Headley.

Rockies Looking For Starting Pitching

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7:22pm: Walt Jocketty did not deny the Fogg-Rockies rumor when asked.  Maybe he’ll be a little more loose with the rumors than Krivsky was.

9:18am: Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has details on the Rockies’ pursuit of starting pitching.  Their search includes some familiar names.

  • Josh Fogg seems like the most likely acquisition; he’s a DFA candidate for the Reds.  Fogg received an early one-year offer from the Rockies this winter that was later pulled back.
  • Julian Tavarez, another former Rockie, is on the radar again.  The Red Sox don’t seem to have much use for him.
  • Kevin Millwood figures to be a popular name in the coming months.  Renck says the Rangers want "the right players in return, not salary relief."  Millwood makes $8.5MM in ’08, $11MM in ’09, and $12MM in ’10 (if he reaches certain innings incentives).  He also has a limited no-trade clause.
  • Rich Harden may come off the DL soon, but he’d have to remain healthy for probably a month before teams become seriously interested.
  • Renck says Joe Blanton is "currently not available."  The A’s are the current Wild Card leader, after all.

Odds and Ends: Doue, Furcal, Kuroda

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Here are today’s links.

With Moss Out, Wilkerson Could Be An Option For Red Sox

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As Nat mentioned in an earlier post today, the Red Sox are suddenly having to figure out how to replace Brandon Moss. And in an update via the Extra Bases blog, Boston Globe reporter Nick Cafardo brings light to Brad Wilkerson’s situation.

Wilkerson was waived by the Mariners last week, and has since cleared waivers. He has not given his agent, Scott Boras, any indication of his plans.

Boras, however, confirmed that the Red Sox were interested in Wilkerson this off-season.  Cafardo suggests that if they’re looking for a long-term answer to their sudden roster opening, Wilkerson could be an option.

Alejandro Leal writes for UmpBump.com. You can reach him here.

Coco To Stay For Now

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From the Sunday Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo notes that Brandon Moss’ emergency appendectomy yesterday "certainly puts the kibosh on any thought of moving Coco Crisp…"  And when Bobby Kielty returns from his hand injury, Moss may be a mainstay.  Cafardo notes that Moss has been impressive so far.  Writes Cafardo,

"’I’ve been trying to get Moss for three years," said one assistant general manager in the American League West. "I think he’s a guy who is going to be a very good major league player. He can do a lot of things. Strong lefthanded bat. Good head for the game, but the Red Sox aren’t inclined to deal him. We’ve tried, believe me.’"

The 24 year old Georgia-native Brandon Moss (or Brandy Moss to me) has had not one but two clutch game winning hits so far this year.  He’s hitting .289 with 2 HR in 21 AB.

With regards to the Coco angle, it’s apparent that staying put was the right decision for the Red Sox.  They have needed the depth to cover minor injuries to J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Crisp.  Crisp does not seem unhappy with the situation as a whole and Ellsbury’s production is obviously unaffected by occasional days off.  Further, as pinch runners they have been late inning weapons.  The Sox only problem seems to be middle relief but few teams don’t share in that dilemma, and the Sox have internal options I expect them to go to before making a deal.  Eventually, you’d think they’ll have to hand the reins over to Ellsbury but for now having both is a blessing.  There are certainly a lot of opinions on this – what are yours?

By Nat Boyle

Stark’s Latest: Zito, Anthony Reyes, Varitek, Inoa

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ESPN’s Jayson Stark has been working the phones, and the result is his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column.

  • Stark talked to an official from a "pitching-starved" team.  This person said the Giants would have to eat at least $80MM of Barry Zito’s remaining $112.5MM if they want to trade him.  One scout suggested Zito’s only chance at revival is a reunion with Rick Peterson.
  • The Cards’ Anthony Reyes is "eminently available."  Problem is, John Mozeliak has a high asking price for the 26 year-old hurler.
  • Edwin Jackson remains a hot commodity, but there’s no reason for the Rays to move him.
  • How much will Scott Boras want from the Red Sox for a Jason Varitek extension?  If it’s in the Jorge Posada four-year, $52MM neighborhood, there’s no chance.
  • Stark informs us of a highly sought-after 16 year-old Dominican pitcher named Michel Inoa.  The kid could get a signing bonus north of $1.5MM.  The Astros are one club interested in Inoa.

Colon Opt-Out Pushed To June 1

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Informally, Bartolo Colon has agreed to push his opt-out date from today to June 1st.  His contract remains the same otherwise, according to Alex Speier. 

Colon’s oblique strain basically set him back a month.  He looked quite good in his one Triple A start on April 3rd.  It sounds like Colon and the Red Sox want to make this work, but who will he replace in the rotation?  It would have to be Tim Wakefield, Jon Lester, or Clay Buchholz.

None of them are pitching badly, though Lester appears to be on the shakiest ground given his strikeout, walk, and home run rates.  As far as innings concerns, Lester pitched 163 last year while Buchholz tossed 148.  Even by the "30 inning increase" threshold, they’re both safe to make 30+ starts.  Regardless of how they sort it out, this is a good problem for the Red Sox.

Brad Wilkerson Possibilities

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What’s next for outfielder Brad Wilkerson?  Two possibilities are the Red Sox and Blue Jays, according to a source.  The Red Sox previously wanted Wilkerson for a bench role.  The Jays may want to add a lefty bat.  Not saying these two clubs are necessarily interested, but they may be possible fits as Wilkerson looks for a job.

Wilkerson, 30, is hitting .234/.323/.444 in 394 ABs since the start of the ’07 season.

Corey, Aquino Designated

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The Red Sox designated reliever Bryan Corey for assignment today to make room for Mike Lowell.  Also, the Orioles designated reliever Greg Aquino.

Corey, 34, has decent big league stats in 53 career innings but could never hold a job.  Aquino, 30, has been done in by home runs, walks, and injuries in his career.    He did manage to close for the D’Backs in ’04.

Cafardo’s Latest: Ramirez, Papelbon, Moss

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Nick Cafardo spins Red Sox rumor gold in the Boston Globe.

  • Scott Boras is the spur in Manny Ramirez’s side.  Cafardo interviews the Notorious One in the Boston Globe today.  Says Boras, "Our plan for him is in place. If you can make a player comfortable, you have the ability to make a player play well."  So far, so good.  He doesn’t speculate on the reality of a contract extension saying, "I communicate with [Theo Epstein] on a number of things and I really let the decision-making be theirs. It’s rare if they haven’t thought about what their future plans are for a player."
  • In that same piece, Cafardo quotes Jonathan Papelbon who is fine going year-to-year right now.  He says he’s comfortable with his ability and his salary and shrewdly knows he’d rather wait for a big payday than make a concession for security when his talent could go beyond what he signs for.
  • Two GMs apparently checked on the availability of Brandon Moss.  If the Sox were to trade Coco Crisp, they would have no backup while Bobby Kielty is hurt, so the man I call "Brandy Moss" is not expendable at this point.
  • From another source, Dan Kolb was released to make room for Devern Hansack in Pawtucket (say it with me: Puh-TUH-kit!).

By Nat Boyle

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