Royals Rumors

Odds & Ends: Gload, Pierre, Beimel

By Tim Dierkes | March 6, 2009 at 11:09am CDT

Links for Friday…

The Dodgers designated Justin Orenduff for assignment to make room for Manny Ramirez, according to Tony Jackson.
The A's contracts with Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra are official.
WEEI's Alex Speier talked to Marlins prospect Mike Stanton and manager Fredi Gonzalez about the near-acquisition of Manny last summer.
In another column, Speier looks at the players the Red Sox and Yankees have battled for in recent years.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says a bunch of relievers are vying for one bullpen spot for the Cardinals, now that they've signed Dennys Reyes.
Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star suggests there's a chance the Royals release first baseman Ross Gload and eat the $1.9MM owed to him in 2009. Rany Jazayerli talks about Gload as well as the chances of the Royals competing this year.
Tom Tango says Juan Pierre would have to defer his contract for 50 years to be worth acquiring.
Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies says the Rox offered Joe Beimel more than $1MM but so far he's passed. Beimel's home run prevention trend might be challenged at Coors Field. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says the A's are in on Beimel but "have not yet have substantive talks" with his agent.
Check out a Giants Spring Training preview from the guys behind El Lefty Malo and McCovey Chronicles.

Odds & Ends: Contraction, Pudge, German, Jays

By Tim Dierkes | March 2, 2009 at 10:23am CDT

Links for Monday…

Squawking Baseball talked to Braves exec John Coppolella about the salary arbitration process as well as various topics about the team.
The Marlins renewed their remaining players, including Cameron Maybin and Matt Lindstrom. The Braves signed 10, including Yunel Escobar.
Bill Madden of the New York Daily News wonders if contraction will be considered during negotiations for the next Basic Agreement.
Justin Murphy of Seamheads.com talked to Brian Bannister, as did Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star.
MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro talked to various sources who expect Ivan Rodriguez to wind up a Marlin, though that’s based on opinion rather than insider knowledge.
We forgot to mention that the Royals designated Esteban German for assignment to make room for Juan Cruz. Rany Jazayerli liked the Cruz signing. My opinion: Cruz has great stuff and upside, but he has a ways to go before being considered a top setup man.
Blue Jays president Paul Beeston says the team will go over slot in the draft for the first time, according to Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail (hat tip Drunk Jays Fans).
Tracy Ringolsby and Jack Etkin, formerly of the Rocky Mountain News, can now be found at Inside The Rockies.

Royals Sign Bruce Chen

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 1, 2009 at 1:36pm CDT

According to Dick Kaegel of MLB.com the Royals have signed Bruce Chen to a minor league contract. Chen, 31, will report to the Royals’ minor league camp after he pitches for Panama in the WBC. He last pitched in the majors in April of 2007.

Royals Sign Juan Cruz

By Alex Walsh | February 28, 2009 at 3:21pm CDT

3:16pm: Buster Olney with information on each year’s value: "He receives $2.25 million for 2009, $3.25 million for 2010, and a $4 million option for 2011, with a $500,000 buyout. " Royals beat writer Dick Kaegel of MLB.com confirms it.

2:25pm: According to a press release from the team, the Kansas City Royals have signed Juan Cruz to a two-year deal, with a club option for a third year.

While it is Royals policy to keep contract terms under wraps, Ken Rosenthal has contract details. The first two years of the deal are worth $6MM, while the option year would pay Cruz $3.5MM if exercised.

Rosenthal also has details on the Royals’ ability to complete the deal without negotiating a sign-and-trade with the Diamondbacks:

In the end, no sign-and-trade solution was necessary. The Royals preferred to lose their second rounder rather than give up prospects to the Diamondbacks. The team’s first-round pick is protected because it finished with one of the 15 worst records in the majors last season.

Juan Cruz To Royals?

By Alex Walsh | February 28, 2009 at 1:17pm CDT

Juan Cruz may be close to a deal with the Kansas City Royals, according to Buster Olney at ESPN.com.

The Royals’ signing Cruz may entitle the Arizona Diamondbacks to two compensatory draft picks, since Cruz was a Type A free agent offered arbitration. However, a potential sign-and-trade deal with the Diamondbacks may affect those circumstances. Writes Olney:

It was not immediately clear on Saturday afternoon whether Cruz would just sign with the Royals, or if a sign-and-trade with the Diamondbacks would be part of the process.

We’ll keep an eye on this one.

Chad Cordero To Audition Again

By | February 26, 2009 at 10:19am CDT

As reported by Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, free agent Chad Cordero will hold another workout for interested teams on Friday.

The Rangers will be in attendance. You can bet the Twins will also be there. The Marlins, Royals and Brewers are also likely to send scouts. Cordero, who will turn 27 in March, missed most of the 2008 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. He racked up 113 saves for the Nationals between 2005 and 2007.

Odds And Ends: Royals, Zimmerman, A-Rod

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 21, 2009 at 10:04am CDT

Links for Saturday…

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney breaks down the 2009 Royals and considers them an improvement over last year’s team.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Brendan Ryan is not yet out of options because of the time he spent on the DL back in 2006.
Yahoo’s Tim Brown writes that the Nationals lack stability. He wonders "if the organization really is getting anywhere."
Chico Harlan of the Washington Post heard that Ryan Zimmerman thinks the time is right for a long-term deal with the Nats, despite the weakened market and his 2008 injuries.
Wallace Matthews of Newsday thinks Hank Steinbrenner should have let Alex Rodriguez sign elsewhere after 2007 because the slugger’s become a "toxic mortgage" to the team. Say what you will about A-Rod, it’s hard to match his production.
The Tigers don’t have the organizational depth they did when they dealt for Miguel Cabrera, but FanGraphs examines what’s left in the minors.

Dodgers, Orlando Hudson Agree To Terms

By Tim Dierkes | February 20, 2009 at 9:40pm CDT

9:36pm: ESPN’s Keith Law calls Hudson’s contract "easily one of the biggest bargains of the offseason." He does say that the Dodgers will miss the draft pick they lost and closes by saying, "the big question here is where the Mets were in all of this."

1:49pm: According to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, Hudson gets $3.4MM guaranteed with another $4.6MM in incentives. Nice bargain for the Dodgers, though the draft pick loss hurts. ESPN’s Jayson Stark says the Royals were offering a $4.6MM base salary, so it looks like they were willing to stretch the payroll for Hudson.

1:36pm: Sirius XM’s MLB Home Plate is reporting Orlando Hudson has agreed in principle with the Dodgers, pending a physical.

The Diamondbacks lose their second baseman to a division rival, but also receive L.A.’s #17 pick in the June draft plus a supplemental pick.

Royals Claim Tug Hulett

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2009 at 1:54pm CDT

According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, the Royals claimed infielder Tug Hulett off waivers from the Mariners. To make room, they designated lefty Neal Musser for assignment.

Hulett, 26 in a few days, hit .298/.380/.518 in Triple A last year and can play any infield position.

Orlando Hudson Rumors: Thursday

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2009 at 8:13am CDT

Yesterday we learned from MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has ongoing talks for free agent second baseman Orlando Hudson. Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Dodgers appear to be the front-runner for Hudson. Signing him wouldn’t affect their chances of locking up Manny Ramirez. MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick says Colletti has also not ruled out relief help from guys like Joe Beimel, Dennys Reyes, or Jason Isringhausen.

Even as divisional rivals the D’Backs may be rooting for the Dodgers to sign Hudson, since they’d receive L.A.’s #17 pick in the June draft as part of the compensation. Rosenthal says the Royals and other unknown clubs remain in the mix for him, with the White Sox, Cardinals, Yankees, and Mets seemingly not seriously involved. Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star discusses the Royals angle in a column today.

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