Roy Oswalt Rumors: Wednesday
The Red Sox haven't discussed a contract with Roy Oswalt, but GM Ben Cherington didn't deny that the team watched the free agent right-hander work out. That's the essence of yesterday's Oswalt rumors; now on to today's…
- Some rival executives fully expect Oswalt to sign with the Rangers, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). The Rangers play relatively close to Oswalt’s home state of Mississippi and he might want to join pitching coach Mike Maddux and CEO Nolan Ryan in Texas. To this point the Rangers haven’t made Oswalt a formal offer, Olney notes.
- Manager Ron Washington said on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM's Ben & Skin Show that GM Jon Daniels and the front office will make the final decision regarding the right-hander. "Oswalt has to want to come to Texas and we have to get him ready. The guy is a quality pitcher. But I'm more than certain there are other teams trying to do the same things," Washington said, according to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com.
- Keep in mind that the Phillies have also been linked to Oswalt.
Rangers Will Consider Roy Oswalt
Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels said the club will consider signing pitcher Roy Oswalt in the wake of Neftali Feliz’s elbow injury, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The Rangers watched the veteran throw on Friday.
Texas has long been linked to Oswalt but there was no room for the 34-year-old in the starting rotation. Feliz's injury could create an opening for Oswalt as the club isn't ready to ready to promote Martin Perez or Neil Ramirez from Triple-A. Scott Feldman is set to replace Feliz in the rotation and while Alexi Ogando is also a candidate he is not stretched out like Feldman.
Oswalt wouldn't be ready to step in to the rotation immediately for the Rangers but could provide depth in the event of another injury.
Quick Hits: Colon, Litsch, Rangers
Cory Luebke will undergo reconstructive elbow surgery on Wednesday, Dan Hayes of the North County Times tweets. The Padres left-hander hasn’t pitched in the Major Leagues since April 27th and had been undecided as to his next step. Here are the rest of today’s links…
- Jim Callis of Baseball America says Royals infield prospect Christian Colon will eventually move from shortstop to second base, where he can be a solid regular.
- Blue Jays right-hander Jesse Litsch says he has a "career threatening" infection in his shoulder, Barry Davis of Sportsnet.ca tweets. Litsch, 27, has spent the entire season on Toronto's disabled list. He posted a 4.44 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 75 innings last year.
- Former MLB outfielder Bobby Kielty told MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes that he signed with the York Revolution of the independent Atlantic League. The 35-year-old has a career .296/.379/.503 batting line against left-handed pitching, but hasn't played in the Major Leagues since 2007.
- There's still no resolution in the Jairo Beras–Rangers case, Ben Badler of Baseball America writes. Texas agreed to sign the prospect for $4.5MM, but MLB's questions about his age remain unanswered. International sources tell Badler MLB can't sign off on the deal if it wants to seem serious about rule enforcement in Latin America.
- Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com wonders if the Rangers could be a fit for Roy Oswalt now that starter Neftali Feliz is on the disabled list (Twitter link). Click here for the latest Oswalt rumors.
2013 Contract Issues: Texas Rangers
The Rangers are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:
Eligible For Free Agency (7)
- Josh Hamilton - Hamilton will be the best and most discussed position player available in free agency this offseason. He's a superstar when healthy, but his injury issues will deter some suitors and his past off-field troubles may scare others. Even so, Hamilton figures to sign for at least $20MM per season on a long-term deal. The Rangers will make him a qualifying offer if they don't lock him up first.
- Mike Adams - It's early, but Adams' strikeout rate, swinging strike rate and average fastball velocity are down so far in 2012. He still limits walks and generates ground balls, so he adds value out of the bullpen even when he's not striking out a batter per inning.
- Mike Napoli - Napoli appears to seek a contract in the $50-75MM range and the Rangers haven't met his asking price so far. However, they'll presumably be comfortable making him a qualifying offer after the season.
- Colby Lewis - Lewis has been an effective starter despite his league-leading 13 home runs allowed. The Rangers need someone to eat innings at the back of their rotation, and the right-hander has been up to the task these past two-plus seasons.
- Yorvit Torrealba - The Rangers are an exceptional team in many ways, but like everyone else they need a backup catcher.
- Koji Uehara - Uehara has struck out 7.56 times as many hitters as he has walked in his career, and no pitcher in MLB history can match that ratio (minimum 150 career innings per Baseball-Reference).
- Mark Lowe - Lowe is off to an excellent start in 2012. As with Adams and Uehara, it's too early to say whether he'll re-sign this offseason.
Contract Options (2)
- Scott Feldman: $9.25MM club option with a $600K buyout. Feldman has become a spot starter for the Rangers, so it's safe to assume they'll decline this option.
- Yoshinori Tateyama: club option for an unknown amount (his 2012 option was valued at $1MM). Tateyama is pitching effectively at Triple-A, and appears to be on his way up to join the big league team. He could earn a spot on the '13 team with a strong finish.
Arbitration Eligible (4)
- First time: Neftali Feliz
- Second time: Alberto Gonzalez, Matt Harrison
- Third time: David Murphy
The Rangers face a relatively small arbitration class, partly because they already extended Elvis Andrus and Nelson Cruz. Feliz, the converted reliever, will have an unusual arbitration case given his change in roles. Harrison and Murphy are on track for raises as second and third-time eligible players.
2013 Payroll Obligation
The Rangers have increased payroll steadily in recent years and the 2012 club will cost more than $120MM. They've already committed $84MM to next year's team, so another payroll increase could be forthcoming.
Roy Oswalt Rumors: Saturday
Free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt popped back up on the rumor radar yesterday, as he recently auditioned for the Red Sox and Phillies. He also plans to throw for two more teams and is reportedly looking to sign relatively soon so he can be back on the mound by next month. Let's keep track of the day's Oswalt rumors right here, with the latest up top…
- Oswalt threw for the Rangers yesterday, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The situation is the same as it was this offseason, however. Oswalt wants to start but Texas doesn't have a spot for him with both Scott Feldman and Alexi Ogando serving as extra starters in the bullpen. Rosenthal thinks the Rangers could trade Colby Lewis to make room for Oswalt, but there's no indication they're considering it, and there's no guarantee Oswalt would be better than Lewis (Twitter).
- Oswalt's return to the Phillies is possible but not probable, explains Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.
- The Rangers were simply doing their due diligence with Oswalt, a source told Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram (via Twitter).
Nolan Ryan Expects Hamilton To Test Free Agency
Rangers president Nolan Ryan spoke to reporters (including MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan) today, saying that he expects Josh Hamilton to test free agency after the season. Ryan said the team will “put their best foot forward” during contract talks, but he expects the situation to drag out until “either at the end of November or December.”
Hamilton, 30, currently leads the American League in batting average (.399), OBP (.452), SLG (.826), homers (18), and RBI (45). Contract talks between the two sides were a hot topic following the outfielder's four-homer game last month, but Hamilton said he would not negotiate during the season this past winter.
Quick Hits: Hamilton, Pettitte, Cardinals, Romero
Bad news for the Royals tonight as they learned that left-hander Danny Duffy is likely out for the year with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. The 23-year-old is the second Royals hurler sidelined for the year following Joakim Soria's season-ending injury. Tonight's links..
- Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports handicapped the free agent market for Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton. Passan has Texas as the heavy favorite with the Dodgers in second.
- Yankees starter Andy Pettitte will be guaranteed his full $2.5MM salary come Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
- Rangers president Nolan Ryan told ESPN Radio Dallas that he believes that Hamilton and his family are happy living in the Arlington, Texas area.
- The release of left-hander J.C. Romero will leave the Cardinals with just one southpaw in the bullpen, but manager Mike Matheny is confident that Marc Rzepczynski can handle the workload, writes B.J. Rains of FOX Sports Midwest.
- Four of the five highest-paid teams in baseball would not qualify for the playoffs, even with the expanded format, if the season ended today, writes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Nightengale also gave his list of the five worst contracts in the sport.
Heyman On Myers, Lee, Wright, Rangers
The latest notes and rumors from Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com:
- Astros people say they aren't thinking about trading their veteran players at this point, according to Heyman. One non-Astros executive likes Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers as midsummer trade candidates.
- However, the executive said it won't be easy to move Carlos Lee and his $18MM salary. Lee can block trades to 14 teams and badly wants to stay in Houston. A possible trade to the Brewers fell through months ago, Heyman reports.
- High-level Mets people such as COO Jeff Wilpon generally support David Wright, Heyman reports. The Mets won't trade Wright this summer and will try to lock him up before long, Heyman writes. It would take something "extraordinary'' for Wright to be traded this year, GM Sandy Alderson confirmed to Heyman. If the Mets were to trade Wright this summer, he would obtain the right to void a $16MM club option for 2013 and become a free agent this offseason. Mets people view Wright as a more reliable player than Jose Reyes, Heyman writes.
- Heyman also points out that Josh Hamilton's performance is going to make re-signing him that much more complex for the Rangers.
Quick Hits: Quentin, Nationals, Hamilton, Phillies
This morning, the Nationals learned that catcher Wilson Ramos will miss most, if not all, of the 2012 season. It was an unfortunate piece of news for the club, but it did create an opportunity for 23-year-old catcher Sandy Leon, who was promoted to support Jesus Flores behind the plate. When Leon found out, he called his parents to let them know that he was Washington-bound, tweets Bill Ladson of MLB.com. The catcher, who was previously with the club's Double-A affiliate, said it was the best Mother's Day gift that he could possibly give to his mom. Here are some links from around baseball..
- The San Diego Union-Tribune's Sharon Annie Heilbrunn conducted a Q&A with Carlos Quentin. The new Padres outfielder discussed what it was like to be traded to his hometown team and how he's grown through the trades he's been a part of.
- As of right now, there is no talk of the Nationals bringing Ivan Rodriguez in as the backup catcher, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com (via Twitter). The 40-year-old announced his retirement from baseball last month.
- Some believe that the Rangers' knowledge about Hamilton's history would make them less likely to sign him than other clubs, but Buster Olney of ESPN.com believes that it makes them more likely to sign him. The Rangers know the ins-and-outs of the outfielder's past and have an idea of how to best support him.
- Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer wants to see Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro channel Pat Gillick in order to turn things around.
- Steven Cohen, hedge-fund billionaire and runner-up in the bidding for the Dodgers, is thought to be one of at least five potential buyers scoping out the Padres' financial data, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. The O'Malley family is also interested in buying the club.
AL West Notes: Rangers, Hamilton, Angels, Trout
Here’s a look at the American League West and the division-leading Rangers..
- While teams are salivating over Josh Hamilton‘s impending free agency, Joel Sherman of the New York Post cautions that a long-term, monster deal could backfire on the club that signs him. Sherman also touches on Albert Pujols‘ early slump and wonders if the Angels would make the deal again knowing what they know now.
- Signing Hamilton to a big contract is a high-risk, high-reward proposition for the Rangers, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Rangers are working to protect themselves financially in the event of more off-the-field trouble or major injuries.
- How did Angels outfielder Mike Trout fall to the No. 25 pick in the 2009 draft? There were a number of factors involved, including some anti-New Jersey bias, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.