Guardians Rumors

Indians Working To Sign Bonderman

By Zachary Links | February 1, 2011 at 8:32pm CDT

The Indians are working to sign free agent pitcher Jeremy Bonderman, a source tells Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Cleveland GM Chris Antonetti declined comment when reached.

Bonderman lost a potential suitor earlier today when Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski said that the club will not look to bring the right-hander back to Detroit. Last season marked the 28-year-old's first since undergoing shoulder surgery in 2008. In 29 starts and one relief appearance, Bonderman posted a 5.53 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.

Quick Hits: Weeks, Dodgers, Cuddyer, Mets

By Luke Adams 2 | January 30, 2011 at 4:45pm CDT

On this day 20 years ago, the Atlanta Braves signed Falcons cornerback Deion Sanders as a free agent. Though he struggled in his first year as a Brave, 'Prime Time' was a key contributor for the National League champs in 1992; he hit .304/.346/.495 with 26 stolen bases in 325 regular season plate appearances and added eight hits and five steals in four World Series games. Sanders ended up leaving both Atlanta franchises in 1994, but not before he racked up 75 stolen bases and ten touchdowns for the Braves and Falcons respectively. Here are Sunday's links:

The Brewers are comfortable with Rickie Weeks' deadline for an extension, writes Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. He relays a quote from assistant GM Gord Ash praising Weeks for focusing on the right area once the season starts — baseball.
Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times looks at the possibility of Tony Gwynn Jr. hitting well enough to play every day and how that would impact the Dodgers' roster.
Michael Cuddyer and agent Casey Close have yet to discuss a long-term extension with the Twins, writes MLB.com's Kelly Thesier. While Cuddyer is open to talking about a contract during Spring Training, he'd prefer to table the topic during the regular season.
Martin Luther King III, son of the civil rights leader, is leading a group that's interested in buying at least 50% of the Mets, reports Kevin Kernan of the New York Post. The Wilpons were said to be willing to sell up to 25% of the team.
Given the Mets' financial situation, some rival executives think Jose Reyes is likely to be moved before this year's trade deadline, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only).
In a tweet, Olney adds that, despite considering it, the Diamondbacks are "probably not" going to implement a humidor at Chase Field this year.
Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders why expectations for Phillies' prospect Domonic Brown seem to have diminished since last summer.
Within an Indians mailbag, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says he can see the Tribe signing a couple more players before Spring Training, though the team would likely only do minor league deals.

Rangers Sign Dave Bush

By Steve Adams | January 30, 2011 at 1:26pm CDT

The Rangers have signed Dave Bush to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, tweets Anthony Andro of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In a different tweet, ESPN's Jerry Crasnick informs us that Bush's base salary will be $1MM if he makes the club, with another $1MM in incentives. The Indians and Mets also expressed interest in the long-time Brewer.

Bush, who turned 31 last November, owns a career ERA of 4.66 that's backed up by his peripherals (4.64 FIP, 4.47 xFIP). Last season, he hurled 174 1/3 innings of 4.54 ERA ball in the Brewers' rotation, where he's spent the past five seasons. If he makes the club, Bush will return to the AL for the first time since 2005, when he pitched in Toronto (the club that originally drafted him).

While he's never had an overpowering fastball (88.4mph career average), last season saw his velocity dip to an average of 86.5. His normally strong command (2.33 BB/9 career) diminished as well, as his walk rate jumped to a career-high 3.36/9. Bush will need to re-establish his precision and improve on his career 1.3 HR/9 in order to thrive in a hitters' environment such as Texas.

Cafardo On Sizemore, Carmona, Delcarmen, Milledge

By Luke Adams 2 | January 30, 2011 at 10:07am CDT

Rocco Baldelli tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that, despite having to retire at age 29, he considers himself fortunate to have had as much time as he did in the majors. "I have no regrets," Baldelli said. "I played major league baseball. I got to the big leagues and I had some moments I'll never forget." Cafardo opens this week's column by wondering what might have been, had Baldelli stayed healthy throughout his career. The Globe writer also shares a handful of hot stove notes….

Although recent trade rumors involving Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona were quickly shot down, Cafardo says if both players are healthy and playing well this year, they could be "major trade deadline chips."
Four teams are in discussions with agent Jim Masteralexis, regarding client Manny Delcarmen. We heard earlier this month that the Rays had interest in the ex-Red Sox, so they're likely one of the four.
One executive told Cafardo that he's surprised Lastings Milledge is still available. While the exec's team doesn't need another outfielder, he argued that "you just don't give up" on a talent like Milledge.
Scott Schoeneweis, who hopes to play this season, is being considered by the Diamondbacks.
Friends of Pedro Martinez say the right-hander has yet to get pitching out of his system. Pedro will turn 40 later this year, and didn't pitch in the bigs in 2010, but he had success for the Phillies in 2009, compiling a 3.63 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 1.6 BB/9 in nine starts.
Cafardo speculates that Boston could be a good fit for Jeremy Bonderman on a minor league deal.

Quick Hits: Chavez, Vlad, Pierzynski, Royals

By Mark Polishuk | January 29, 2011 at 4:58pm CDT

Happy 51st birthday to Steve Sax! Sax was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1982, played on two World Series champions, made five All-Star teams, and holds a special bit of pop culture history as one of Mr. Burns' softball ringers on The Simpsons.

Today's news tidbits…

As part of a Dodgers-related mailbag, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick cites the Blue Jays, Marlins and Indians as teams that could offer Eric Chavez more playing time than the Dodgers could. Toronto's interest in Chavez is well-known, but Florida and Cleveland are new to the mix. Other teams known to be looking are Chavez include the Yankees, White Sox and Mariners.
The Angels are looking for a leadoff man and bench help, and don't seem to be interested in Vladimir Guerrero, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Orioles look like they're Guerrero's most ardent suitors at this point.
A.J. Pierzynski tells Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he was all but officially signed by the Dodgers before the White Sox swooped in with an offer to bring the catcher back to Chicago. "It all came together in a 15-minute span," Pierzynski said. "I was pretty much resigned to the fact I wasn't coming back." Had Pierzynski not returned, the White Sox would have focused on Miguel Olivo as a replacement behind the plate.
The Chone Figgins-to-Oakland rumor looks to be dead, which Joe Pawlikowski of Fangraphs thinks may be a good thing for the A's.
The Royals are converting prospect Wil Myers from catcher to outfielder, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.

Indians Interested In Kevin Millwood

By Dan Mennella | January 29, 2011 at 9:28am CDT

The Indians are interested in signing free-agent starter Kevin Millwood, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.com, but the sides are far apart on a price.

The Royals are in interested in Millwood, as well, and the Yankees may be in play, too, depending on what happens with Andy Pettitte, according to Heyman.

Make Or Break Year: Grady Sizemore

By Mike Axisa | January 28, 2011 at 10:41pm CDT

It wasn't too long ago that Grady Sizemore was one of the best players on the planet. He hit .279/.380/.499 with 85 homers and 93 steals from 2006 through 2008, ranking third among all center fielders with a +22.5 UZR. Three All-Star Game appearances, three top-12 finishes in the MVP voting, and two Gold Gloves are fantastic accomplishments over a career. Sizemore did all that before he turned 27.

It's clear that Grady and his ladies were well on their way to superstardom, but injuries started to get in the way. He battled a sore elbow early in the 2009 season, eventually hitting the disabled list for over three weeks with inflammation. With the Indians out of the race and his batting line sitting at a respectable but un-Grady-like .248/.343/.445 in early-September, Sizemore shut it down for the season and had surgery on both his elbow and abdomen.

Healthy at the outset of the 2010, Sizemore's season lasted all of 33 games. He hurt his knee sliding into a base in April then re-aggravated the injury the next month, playing his final game of the season on May 16th. Sizemore hit just .211/.271/.289, and had mirofracture surgery on his left knee in early-June. The six-to-nine month recovery time has him on track for Opening Day, and ESPN's Buster Olney reported last week that Grady has started hitting off a tee, the first wave of baseball activity he's performed since the surgery.

The Indians made waves by signing Sizemore to a six-year, $23.45MM contract back in 2006, then the largest contract (in terms of guaranteed money) ever given to a player with less than two years of service time. That contract expires at the end of the 2011 season, though the team will have to decide between a $9MM club option for 2012 or a $500K buyout.

That option looked like a no-brainer not too long ago, but it's been two full seasons since Sizemore was healthy enough to play more than 106 games, and it's been close to two calendar years since he was completely healthy and productive. We've heard that the Indians would love to trade their second highest paid player, but he's got to prove his health before the team can even think about getting fair value in return.

Sizemore won't turn 29 until August, and a return to his MVP-caliber form will ensure that his option is picked up. If he doesn't rebound, he'll hit the open market with his stock at an all-time low.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Choo Will Not Discuss Extension During The Season

By Mike Axisa | January 28, 2011 at 7:26pm CDT

The Indians and Shin-Soo Choo avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year contract worth $3.975MM earlier this month, but the two sides continue to discuss a multiyear contract even with that deal in place. Choo told MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince that he’s open to talking about a long-term deal during Spring Training, but not once the season begins (Twitter links).

Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reports that Choo will be exempt from mandatory military service in South Korea after helping his home country win gold at the Asia Games earlier this winter, though he will still have to take part in four weeks of training in November (Twitter link). Choo praised his agent, telling Castrovince “I really trust my agent, Scott Boras. My arbitration year, I didn’t call him at all. I just trust him and he takes care of me.”

Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at the 28-year-old Choo as a potential extension candidate back in September, saying that Nick Markakis’ six-year, $66MM contract could be used as a basis for comparison. Since coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2008, the one they call Big League Choo has hit .302/.397/.500 with 56 homers and 47 steals in 1,701 plate appearances. Albert Pujols set a similar deadline for his extension, though Choo will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2013 season.

Heyman On Pettitte, Millwood, Molina, Wandy

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 28, 2011 at 11:29am CDT

Yankees people seem a bit more optimistic about the potential return of Andy Pettitte, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. They’ll consider alternatives such as Kevin Millwood, but only after hearing from Pettitte. Here are the rest of Heyman’s rumors:

The Indians and Royals remain possibilities for Millwood.
One rival executive doesn’t think the Bartolo Colon signing means much for the Yankees. "There is no real risk. But there is no real reward, either," the executive said.
Bengie Molina might consider returning for “special opportunities,” Heyman writes.
The Rangers and GM Jon Daniels have started discussing a contract extension and Rangers people expect a new deal for Daniels, whose current contract expires after the 2011 season.
One competing executive believes the Astros overpaid for Wandy Rodriguez. I don’t mind this deal for the Astros, since solid left-handed starters aren’t cheap or easy to find and Rodriguez was about to hit free agency.

Front-Office Notes: Mets, Indians, Jays, Padres

By Dan Mennella | January 27, 2011 at 9:33pm CDT

While arbitration cases continue to be settled and the final handful of straggling free agents negotiate with potential suitors, here's some notes from a few front offices around the Majors on Thursday …

Mets owner Fred Wilpon said that he'd like to see former GM Omar Minaya return to the team in an advisory role, writes Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Minaya, of course, was replaced by Sandy Alderson following the 2010 season but remains under contract with the Mets and is owed approximately $1.1MM annually through 2012. Wilpon said Minaya is a good person and would be a welcome re-addition to the organization, but he understands that Minaya has needed time to evaluate his options. Begley speculates that Minaya could return in a talent-evaluation capacity, perhaps internationally.
Indians GM Chris Antonetti said that he expects to land another player or two this offseason, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Bastian notes that the Tribe could still use a third baseman and starting pitcher, in particular. Antonetti is in his first year as Indians GM.
Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said that Toronto is likely done making any major moves this offseason, but minor ones remain possible, according to Shi Davidi of the Candian Press (twitter links). Of course, Anthopoulos added the caveat that this could change with one phone call.
Padres GM Jed Hoyer, similar to Anthopoulos, said he has a pretty good idea of what his club is going to look like this season, barring any unforeseen injuries, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com. Hoyer is happy with the Padres' offseason in the wake of the momentous Adrian Gonzalez swap, writes Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune, and said that the organization targeted free agents who were coming off down seasons in 2010 in the hopes that they might rebound with the Friars in 2011.

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