Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

White Sox Rumors

Andruw Jones Wants To Play Five More Years

By | at

Andruw Jones told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he hopes to play for five more years. The 33-year-old hits free agency after the season and says he would like to stay in the Windy City.

“I would like to be here again and be a part of the Chicago White Sox," Jones said. "Hopefully, we can finish strong and make the playoffs and get on a streak."

As Jones pointed out to Merkin, he is no longer a threat to hit 50 home runs, but he still has value. In 171 games since the beginning of the 2009 season, Jones has hit 35 home runs and posted a .214/.322/.466 line. The power is still there, and at $500K plus incentives this year, he has been a bargain.

Jones suggests that he'd like to see more playing time, but that seems unlikely with Manny Ramirez about to join the White Sox. Still, as long as Jones' contract demands remain reasonable, teams should have interest in him as a bench bat and part-time outfielder. Jones is not the defensive standout he was when he won ten consecutive Gold Gloves, but UZR suggests that he is still a capable outfielder.

Kenny Williams Talks Manny Ramirez

By | at

Manny Ramirez did not ask for compensation from the White Sox when he waived his no-trade clause to come to Chicago. GM Kenny Williams said Ramirez and agent Scott Boras did not ask for an extension or anything but the chance to play. It’s not surprising, since Ramirez was no longer contributing in L.A. and now has the chance to build his free agent value down the stretch.

The White Sox could have sent the Dodgers a prospect in exchange for some salary relief, but Williams says he’d prefer to keep the talent and spend the money nine times out of ten.

“Talent is hard to come by and when you get higher-end talent, you try to do your best to hold onto it,” Williams said.

Williams expects Ramirez to adjust his appearance to respect the club’s policy. But even if he shortens his dreadlocks or cuts them off completely, the GM realizes Ramirez is no cookie cutter player.

“Is there a [perfect] fit anywhere for a personality like Manny?” Williams asked. “What’s wrong with a little flair?”

The Red Sox and Dodgers might have some answers to Williams' rhetorical question, but the White Sox aren’t worried about any of their new DH's history. When Ramirez joins his new team in Cleveland tomorrow, he’ll join a group intent on winning in 2010. And if all goes well for the White Sox, they could even bring Ramirez back next year.

“I go into this with an open mind,” Williams said. “Let’s see how it goes, let’s see how it fits.”

White Sox Acquire Manny Ramirez

By | at

The White Sox officially acquired Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers, tweets USA Today's Bob Nightengale.  MLB Network's Peter Gammons tweets that the Sox decided to take on Manny's entire salary in lieu of surrendering a prospect, so this is a straight waiver claim.  $3.8MM of Ramirez's $20MM salary remains, though three-quarters of that is deferred without interest.  The move bears some similarity to Chicago's waiver claim of Alex Rios from the Blue Jays on August 10th of last year – both players were simply handed over for salary relief.  In this case, Ramirez waived his no-trade rights without compensation.

Ramirez has worn out his welcome at each of his three previous stops, as chronicled by Yahoo's Jeff Passan.  Still, he represents the best possible designated hitter upgrade the White Sox could have made.  Manny is still a near-lock for a .400 OBP and .500 slugging percentage, and he may be motivated by his impending free agency and damaged reputation.  The White Sox are running out of time to close the 4.5 game gap with the Twins.  With 32 games remaining, Baseball Prospectus pegs Chicago's playoff chances at 8.9%.

Arbitration Eligibles: Chicago White Sox

By | at

A look at the small group of White Sox players who will be arbitration-eligible after the season…

Look for relievers Jenks and Pena to be non-tendered - Jenks because he's already earning $7.5MM, and Pena because he's had a rough year.  With J.J. Putz eligible for free agency, the Sox may have to revamp their bullpen again.

Danks, as well as Tampa Bay's Matt Garza, may be willing to buck the extension trend and go to arbitration a second time.  Recent compares are scarce, but both could earn $6MM or so.  That'd put Danks about $1.5MM up on teammate Gavin Floyd, who will earn $8.5MM for the same slice of his career after signing a four-year deal in March of last year.  As of November of '09, Danks hoped to sign long-term with the Sox.

Quentin's .251 career batting average will hurt his arbitration argument, but with a likely 100 home runs and 300 RBIs under his belt he'll have a case for beating the $1.65MM raise earned by Josh Willingham and Luke Scott last winter.

Heyman On Ramirez, Yankees, Diamondbacks

By | at

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated has a new column up this evening.  Let's dive in and see what he has for us..

  • Heyman writes that a deal sending Manny Ramirez to the White Sox would be in the best interests of all parties involved.  Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has lamented the monster deal given to Ramirez ever since he signed off on it, so it wouldn't make sense to hang on to him, particularly when they're not playing him regularly.  Some close to the slugger believe that the Dodgers are simply trying to rankle him enough so that he'll happily leave.  If that is indeed the plan, then it seems to be working.  Earlier today it was reported that Ramirez is telling friends that he can't wait to join the White Sox.
  • Dodgers starter Ted Lilly would be a great get for the Yankees but he likely wouldn't make it down to them.  Even if it were to fall all the way to the Bombers, there's little chance the Dodgers would deal him anyway. With Andy Pettitte sidelined, the Yankees could certainly use a pitcher before the deadline strikes.
  • The Padres' success on the field makes former GM Kevin Towers look good and could boost his candidacy for future openings.  Heyman opines that Yankees' scouting director Damon Oppenheimer would be a fine choice for the job as well.
  • By putting in a claim on Ramirez, the Rays showed that they are serious about winning this season.  Their window may be closing as Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, and Rafael Soriano can all leave via free agency after this season.

Multiple Teams Interested In Troy Glaus

By | at

Multiple American League teams have some interest in Troy Glaus, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Glaus has been on the disabled list since August 18th, but has been hitting well on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Gwinnett.

When Glaus returns from the DL, the Braves plan to give him some playing time at third base and as a pinch-hitter. However, given his defensive limitations, he would make more sense for an AL contender in need of some power at first base or designated hitter. The Red Sox, Rays, Twins, White Sox, and Rangers could all be fits, particularly at Glaus' affordable price – he has about $340K remaining on his $1.75MM deal.

We've yet to hear whether or not Glaus has passed through waivers already in August. Buster Olney of ESPN.com reported earlier in the month that players could not clear waivers while on the disabled list, but Morosi later indicated that, as long as the player exhibited good health, he could be placed on waivers prior to being activated. Given Glaus' .391 average and two homers on his rehab assignment, he appears to be healthy, so that shouldn't be a roadblock.

White Sox, Phillies Eyeing Relief Options

By | at

The White Sox and Phillies, having recently placed relief pitchers on the disabled list, are looking into acquiring bullpen help, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter). The Phillies placed Danys Baez on the 15-day DL Friday, while Matt Thornton and J.J. Putz, and now Erick Threets are out for the Sox.

One team who may match up with both clubs, and the White Sox in particular, is the Toronto Blue Jays. We heard this weekend that Scott Downs, Jason Frasor, Kevin Gregg, and Shawn Camp were all claimed on waivers by unknown teams. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Sox, who have waiver priority over the American League's other contenders, placed claims on one or more of Toronto's arms, though ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link) doesn't expect the Jays to make any trades.

The Reds may also kick the tires on available bullpen options; Morosi adds in a second tweet that they're open to upgrading their 'pen. George Sherrill and Brian Tallet are among the relievers we know have cleared waivers and can be traded to any club.

Odds & Ends: Ramirez, Twins, Inge, Pirates, Dodgers

By | at

Saturday afternoon linkage..

  • Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets that the Dodgers have left Manny Ramirez out of the lineup for a third consecutive game.  One has to wonder if this means that the Dodgers are ready to send Ramirez to the White Sox.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter) asked Twins GM Bill Smith if the club's payroll has reached $100MM.  He responded, "I've quit checking."
  • There's no evidence yet of serious trade talks between the Dodgers and the White Sox regarding Manny Ramirez, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
  • A source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (via Twitter) that he would be very surprised to see the Tigers trade Brandon Inge before Tuesday's deadline.
  • Commissioner Bud Selig has no issue with the Pirates' financial statements which were made public earlier this week, writes Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
  • Dodgers players don't seem to be too concerned about the divorce of the McCourts in this article by Beth Harris of the Associated Press.

Dodgers Consider Options

By | at

FRIDAY, 10:24am: Manny is not asking for an extension, according to Rosenthal on Twitter.

THURSDAY, 9:17pm: The White Sox will know by Friday afternoon if they can or will get Ramirez, reports Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune.

7:55am: The Dodgers and White Sox have have discussed a potential Manny Ramirez trade, but according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, Los Angeles has spoken to at least one other team about the 38-year-old. The Rays and Rangers are interested in Ramirez, though the Dodgers are not fully committed to making a trade.

Ramirez wants a one-year extension to waive his no-trade clause, a source tells Rosenthal and Morosi. If he clears waivers, Ramirez could have the leverage to make such demands, but if a team claims him, the Dodgers would only be able to negotiate with that club. The White Sox intend to claim Ramirez, according to FOX, though that won’t necessarily happen.

Teams have until the end of the week to claim Ramirez, who hit waivers yesterday. If he’s claimed, the Dodgers will have until Tuesday afternoon to work out a deal. Click here to vote on whether a National League team wil claim Ramirez and here for more detail on trading in August.

 

Odds & Ends: White Sox, Hoffman, Britton, Cubs

By | at

As Albert Pujols joins the 400-homer club, here are some items of note…

  • White Sox GM Kenny Williams hinted that his club may be pursuing a lower-profile waiver wire target than Manny Ramirez, reports MLB.com's Scott Merkin.  This target, however, is apparently not Trevor Hoffman. Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com writes that Williams denied a report saying that the Sox put in a claim on Hoffman, but were unable to work out a trade with the Brewers.
  • The Orioles are "increasingly less likely" to call up left-hander Zach Britton in September, reports MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli.  Britton, ranked as the 63rd-best prospect in the game by Baseball America's preseason rankings, would only be in line to start every six or seven days given Baltimore's full staff and a number of September off-days.  Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun adds that Britton is already nearing his 2010 innings limit.
  • The Cubs interviewed Eric Wedge today for their open manager's job, reports Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com.  Levine mentions that Fredi Gonzalez, Pat Listach and Ryne Sandberg are all slated for interviews, and Chicago GM Jim Hendry wants a new manager hired before the team's November organizational meetings.
  • It's "unlikely at this point" that the Diamondbacks will be making any more trades, a team executive tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com.
  • The Pirates were wise to get Jameson Taillon signed at an over-slot price rather than take their chances with two top-3 picks in the 2011 amateur draft, writes Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Jeff Bagwell isn't sure if he wants to return as Houston's hitting coach next season, says MLB.com's Alyson Footer.
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top