Guardians Rumors

AL Central Links: Chisenhall, Milledge, Buehrle

By Steve Adams | March 13, 2011 at 10:11pm CDT

Some links for your Sunday reading pleasure…

Jason Donald's hand injury inspires Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer to ask whether the Indians would consider starting Lonnie Chisenhall's service clock as soon as Opening Day.
Lastings Milledge, who was the youngest free agent available this past winter, is off to a good start with the White Sox, says Brett Ballantini of CSNChicago.
Mark Buehrle won't keep pitching for money or milestones, writes Dan McNeil of the Chicago Tribune. If he keeps pitching beyond 2011, it'll be with a contender and in a place that's comfortable for his family.
Jhonny Peralta isn't fretting his transition back to the shortstop position, writes MLive.com's Dick Scanlon.
Hoynes answers plenty of reader questions in this Q&A for the Plain Dealer, and address issues such as the prospect hauls for departed All-Stars and maximizing trade value. He also opines that Orlando Cabrera could become a mid-season target for the Phillies if Chase Utley's injury is serious enough.

Quick Hits: Chipper, Nix, Trout, Rockies

By Mark Polishuk | March 11, 2011 at 11:01pm CDT

Here's a potpourri of news items as we head into the weekend…

Chipper Jones talks to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince about his recovery from knee surgery and his future in baseball. Jones was thinking of retirement last summer before, as Castrovince writes, "he started to hit like Chipper Jones again….And where the knee injury might have been the straw that broke the camel's back in June, in August, it served as a motivating factor to keep going."
Laynce Nix has the been the subject of trade rumors, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Nix has a .251/.293/.445 career slash line against right-handed pitching and the Astros are reportedly in the market for a left-handed bench bat. Nix is currently in the Nationals' Spring Training camp on a minor league contract.
Star prospect Mike Trout is turning heads at the Angels' Spring Training camp, reports MLB.com's Lyle Spencer.
The Rockies will look internally to replace the injured Aaron Cook, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Already suffering from shoulder inflammation, Cook will be out until at least May due to a broken finger on his throwing hand.
Tyler Kepner of the New York Times looks at the Rangers' offseason and how the team had a more-than-adequate "plan B" (Adrian Beltre) in mind when they failed to re-sign Cliff Lee.
Jake Odorizzi might end up being the most important piece of the trade package the Royals received for Zack Greinke, says MLB.com's Dick Kaegel.
Mariners manager Eric Wedge has brought a number of former Indians coaches and players with him to Seattle, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Brandon Wood has struggled this spring, while Mark Trumbo has had a big camp for the Angels. Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com thinks Trumbo's emergence means that the out-of-options Wood's "days in an Angels uniform appear to be numbered."
It was almost a year ago that Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland underwent life-threatening brain surgery. Today, MLB.com's Evan Drellich writes that "doctors have already been amazed at the speed of his recovery" as Westmoreland is trying hard to regain both his basic motor skills and his baseball abilities.

Ohio Notes: Mesoraco, Johnson, Davis

By Mark Polishuk | March 11, 2011 at 7:39pm CDT

Some notes from the Buckeye State's two teams…

Catching prospect Devin Mesoraco, the Reds' first-round pick in the 2007 draft, is impressing the club during Spring Training with both his bat and his defense, reports MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
The Reds didn't make major offseason acquisitions and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports argues that it was the right way for GM Walt Jocketty to approach the offseason.
Here are a few details on Nick Johnson's minor league contract from MLB.com's Jordan Bastian and Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. According to Hoynes, Johnson can opt out of his contract and become a free agent if he's not on the Indians' Major League roster by July 1. Cleveland's $2.75MM team option on Johnson for 2012 will cease to be if Johnson isn't called up to the majors some point this season, tweets Bastian. Of course, if Johnson isn't playing well enough to even earn a call-up, Cleveland wouldn't have been likely to pick up that option for next year anyway.
Right-hander Jason Davis, who pitched for the Indians from 2002-07, is on a tryout with the Tribe's minor league camp, reports Paul Hoynes (Twitter link). Davis, who last pitched in the majors with Pittsburgh in 2008, has a 4.82 ERA in 144 Major League games, 56 of them starts.

MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post

Indians Sign Nick Johnson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 7, 2011 at 3:28pm CDT

The Indians, perhaps seeking a midseason OBP boost, officially signed first baseman/DH Nick Johnson to a minor league deal today. Johnson will earn $750K if he makes the team, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. The Indians have a $2.75MM option for 2012, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter).

Rex Gary, Johnson's agent, recently explained to MLBTR that his client is "heading in the right direction" after being limited to 24 games last year due to a wrist injury. Though Johnson probably won't be ready for the beginning of the season and can't swing a bat all-out at this point, he should be ready soon after the season starts.

Johnson, 32, has a .401 on-base percentage over the course of a nine-year career that's seen him hit the disabled list nine times. If Johnson can recover from the wrist operation that sidelined him for most of the 2010 campaign, the Indians will have added a cheap on-base specialist to contribute at first base and DH when Matt LaPorta and Travis Hafner are rested.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement on Twitter.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Quick Hits: Overbay, Accardo, Diamond, Astros

By Luke Adams 2 | March 6, 2011 at 10:16pm CDT

Links for Sunday, as Opening Day inches a little closer….

Ken Fidlin of The Toronto Sun spoke to Lyle Overbay, who said several teams showed interest in him this offseason, but "Pittsburgh was real aggressive." Overbay joined the Pirates on a one-year deal worth $5MM.
Jeremy Accardo told Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun that the Orioles made it obvious how highly they valued him when they pursued him this offseason. "I'm happy to get a new, fresh start, a fresh look, a fresh mindset," said Accardo. "I think I stumbled into something pretty special here."
The Twins are high on Scott Diamond, their Rule V Draft pick, and could swing a trade with the Braves to keep Diamond but send him to Triple-A, tweets Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Jordan Lyles could win the Astros' fifth starter job out of Spring Training, writes MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. Lyles, just 20 years old, was selected 38th in the 2008 draft — a supplemental pick for losing Trever Miller to free agency. His main competition includes Nelson Figueroa and Ryan Rowland-Smith.
Jason Giambi may have been joking when he informed Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he was going to try to stick around until teammate Troy Tulowitzki's contract expires in 2020. However, Giambi told SI.com's Jon Heyman that he does plan to play for as long as he can (Twitter links).
After his two-year extension with the White Sox was announced, Matt Thornton spoke about the deal and expressed a desire to finish his career in Chicago. Scott Reifert has the details and quotes at MLB.com.
In his latest Indians mailbag, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer discusses the signings of Orlando Cabrera and Chad Durbin, as well as the possibility of a Fausto Carmona trade.
One of the minor leaguers the Marlins acquired in last summer's Jorge Cantu trade saw his first game action today since returning from Tommy John surgery, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

Quick Hits: LaPorta, Pirates, Nishioka, Tigers

By Zachary Links | March 5, 2011 at 2:21pm CDT

Saturday afternoon linkage..

Once the key component in the deat that sent CC Sabathia to the Brewers, Indians slugger Matt LaPorta is eager to regain his old form in 2011, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
The Pirates need to increase their revenue if they hope to bring their payroll to around $70-$80MM, despite the perception of some, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Twins manager Rod Gardenhire says that Japanese import Tsuyoski Nishioka will play at second base this season, tweets Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.
The Tigers' current approach to building their rotation stands out from the rest, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith in a piece for Fangraphs.

AL Central Notes: Choo, Slowey, Konerko

By Mark Polishuk | March 4, 2011 at 8:55pm CDT

A few items from the middle section of the American League map…

Shin-Soo Choo says he hasn't heard from agent Scott Boras or from the Indians about the status of contract extension talks, or if the two sides are even currently talking, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Boras and the Tribe were negotiating earlier this winter, and Choo has said that he doesn't want the talks to stretch into the season. The fact that Boras has described the Indians as "a developmental team" is not a good sign for Cleveland fans, though since Choo is under contract through 2013, it gives the club a couple of years to break in their young prospects.
Kevin Slowey is the Twins pitcher that's most likely to be traded, not Francisco Liriano, writes Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. We heard during the Winter Meetings that Minnesota was considering using Slowey as trade bait.
From the same item, Souhan reports the Rangers (in addition to the Yankees) also inquired about Liriano's availability.
Paul Konerko had "a feeling of closure" last season in Chicago and "was preparing himself emotionally to devote himself to a new organization," writes Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com. Isaacson talks to Konerko about his free agency and how he ended up back with the White Sox.

Quick Hits: Lawson, Franklin, Hanson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 3, 2011 at 3:15pm CDT

The Dodgers signed Garret Anderson exactly one year ago today. Earlier this week, Anderson retired as the all-time leader in a number of offensive categories for L.A.'s other team. Here are today's links…

Indians GM Chris Antonetti explained to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the Tribe likes Matt Lawson's versatility and defense. They acquired the Double-A utility player for Aaron Laffey in a trade with the Mariners yesterday.
One of Lawson's former minor league teammates, Nick Franklin, has switched agents and is now a client of the Boras Corporation, according to Conor Glassey of Baseball America (on Twitter).
Another Scott Boras client, Tommy Hanson, had his contract renewed by the Braves, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). When teams renew players' contracts, it means the sides did not agree to terms.
Jerry Crasnick catches up with former can't-miss prospects Jeremy Hermida, Lastings Milledge and Jeff Francoeur in an enjoyable piece at ESPN.com.

Quick Hits: Hall, Young, Feliz, Burnett, Buck

By Zachary Links | March 2, 2011 at 9:38pm CDT

Links for Wednesday night..

Longtime major leaguer Juan Castro told MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he never considered retirement at any point this winter. The 38-year-old is trying to hook on with the Dodgers in 2011 for what would be his fourth stint with the club.
Earlier today, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told versatile Astros veteran Bill Hall that the club was "this close" to signing him, tweets Jack Curry of the YES Network.
A source close to the Rockies told Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated that the Rangers sought a "very good player" for Michael Young, but didn't elaborate on who that player might be.
Some in the Rangers front office feel that Neftali Feliz could develop into the type of starter that would otherwise cost a bundle in a trade, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
Yankees fans have been hard on A.J. Burnett, who is set to earn $16.5MM annually through 2013. However, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes that Burnett's career numbers are not all that different from Boston's Josh Beckett.
Outfielder Travis Buck views his arrival in the Indians locker room as a fresh start, writes MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.

Mariners To Acquire Aaron Laffey

By Zachary Links | March 2, 2011 at 6:51pm CDT

6:51pm: The Indians will receive infielder Matt Lawson in return for Laffey, according to a team press release. Seattle will also send cash considerations to the Tribe, according to their Twitter feed.

Lawson has mostly played second base, but has also seen some time in the outfield as well as at shortstop. The Indians' press release refers to the 25-year-old as an "infielder/outfielder". In 118 games at the Double-A level last season, Lawson hit .293/.372/.439 with nine homers.

6:13pm: The Indians have reportedly traded Aaron Laffey to Seattle, writes Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. There's no word yet on what Cleveland will recieve in return for the soon-to-be 26-year-old.

Cleveland had planned to use Spring Training to decide whether to put the left-hander in the bullpen or at the back of the rotation. Recently, Laffey said that while he was amiable towards whatever the Tribe decided on, he was very much looking forward to knowing what role he would take on in 2011.

"That's something I haven't had in a couple years," Laffey told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. "That consistency in knowing you're going to start the year in one position, and you're going to stay there, I haven't had that yet."

In four big league seasons, Laffey has a 4.41 ERA with 4.4 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. Trading the left-hander is likely the move to open up a spot on the Indians' 40-man roster for the recently signed Chad Durbin, Bastian tweets.

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