Guardians Rumors

Indians Notes: Colon, Encarnacion, Choo, Punto

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 7, 2010 at 9:23pm CDT

The Indians have been quiet this offseason, but GM Chris Antonetti is making progress on potential moves, as MLB.com's Jordan Bastian and others report:

The Indians have some interest in bringing Bartolo Colon back to Cleveland, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes (on Twitter). The right-hander pitched for the Tribe from 1997-2002 and is back on the radar and attempting a comeback. He last pitched in the majors for the 2009 White Sox. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer disagrees, shooting down the idea on Twitter.
The Indians' interest in Edwin Encarnacion appears to have cooled, Bastian notes on Twitter.
The Indians will discuss the possibility of a Shin-Soo Choo extension with agent Scott Boras this offseason. I looked at Choo's case for an extension back in September.
Antonetti said the club could have interest in adding an infielder. They are interested in Adam Everett, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
The Tribe met a number of agents today, including the representatives for free agent infielder Nick Punto.
The Indians are close to signing former Rockies catcher Paul Phillips to a minor league contract.

Mariners Targeting Luis Valbuena

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 7, 2010 at 9:00pm CDT

9:00pm: The Mariners have yet to make their pitch to the Indians, according to Hoynes (on Twitter).

8:22pm: The teams are talking about a deal that would send Valbuena to Seattle and reunite him with former Indians manager Eric Wedge, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter).

5:17pm: The Mariners are targeting Indians infielder Luis Valbuena as a second baseman, according to Shannon Drayer of ESPN 710 in Seattle (Twitter link). The 25-year-old appeared in 91 games for the Tribe last year, batting .193/.273/.258 in 310 plate appearances. He hit considerably better in 2009 when he posted a .250/.298/.416 line with 25 doubles.

Nationals, Rockies, Indians Eyeing Adam Everett

By Tim Dierkes | December 7, 2010 at 7:20pm CDT

7:20pm: The Nationals are also considering Eckstein, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

1:57pm: The Rockies and Indians are eyeing slick-fielding shortstop Adam Everett for a utility role, tweets ESPN's Jayson Stark. Everett sat out the last three months of the season after the Tigers released him in June. He played only 31 games this year. Everett has played shortstop almost exclusively in his pro career, so he'd have to learn the other positions to act as a true utility infielder.

The Rockies also have an eye on Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan for shortstop protection, tweets Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.

Indians, Tigers, Mets, Others Interested In Lewis

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 6, 2010 at 7:37pm CDT

The Indians, Tigers and Mets are among the seven or eight teams showing interest in Fred Lewis, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). The Blue Jays non-tendered Lewis after acquiring Rajai Davis, making him a free agent.

Lewis, 30 this week, hit .262/.332/.414 in 480 plate appearances for the Blue Jays, who acquired him from the Giants early in the season. Though he mostly played left field, Lewis did play some center and right in 2010. He contributed 31 doubles and 17 steals, mostly as Toronto's leadoff hitter.

Odds & Ends: Hannahan, Votto, Cargo, Angels

By Mike Axisa | December 4, 2010 at 11:37am CDT

Three years ago today, the Marlins and Tigers completed a six player trade that sent slugger Miguel Cabrera (and Dontrelle Willis) to Detroit. It appears another slugging first baseman will be on the move shortly, but here's some other tidbits from around the league…

The Indians have signed infielder Jack Hannahan to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training according to the team. Hannahan, 31 in March, hit .237/.340/.374 in 392 Triple-A plate appearances this year while playing all around the infield.
When asked about contract talks, Joey Votto told John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer "[The Reds] said they wanted to do a contract. They haven't said one year or million years. How can I comment on that?" (Twitter link)
The Rockies, meanwhile, continue to talk to Carlos Gonzalez about a long-term contract, says Troy Renck of The Denver Post. He cautions that nothing is imminent, and it's unlikely that a deal would go beyond his arbitration years. Agent Scott Boras is known for taking his clients to free agency whenever possible.
The Angels are not setting deadlines with free agents this winter, a change from their previous way of doing things according to ESPN's Buster Olney (Twitter links).
Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel looks at what the impending Adrian Gonzalez trade means for Prince Fielder. Brewers GM Doug Melvin acknowledged that teams just aren't making young pitching available in trades.
Lynn Henning of The Detroit News and Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch write that the Tigers and Cardinals, respectively, expect to be busy during the upcoming winter meetings.
Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer looks at how some moves might impact the Phillies in the coming weeks.
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo takes a look back at some Rule 5 Draft gems. This year's Rule 5 Draft takes place this coming Thursday.

Odds & Ends: Hardy, Punto, Dunn, Marlins, Lee

By Mark Polishuk | December 3, 2010 at 11:24pm CDT

Some items to wrap up the week…

The Pirates were close to a trade for J.J. Hardy on Thursday night, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. Pittsburgh is known to have an interest in Hardy and could still work out a deal given that the Twins tendered Hardy a contract.
There is "mutual interest" between Nick Punto and the Indians, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. (Twitter link) The two sides will continue their talks during the winter meetings.
Yahoo Sports' Big League Stew blog collects some of the Washington media's reaction to Adam Dunn leaving town, and it isn't very positive.
It's looking increasingly unlikely that Arizona will trade Justin Upton, but if Upton is moved, it won't be to Florida, writes Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Rodriguez says the Marlins are looking for a left-handed bench bat and possibly a left-handed reliever, though the club is unlikely to re-sign Will Ohman.
Phillies assistant GM Scott Proefrock tells Fox Sports Radio's Jim Bowden (Twitter link) that his club isn't interested in bringing back Cliff Lee. "That ship has sailed," Proefrock said.
Erik Bedard tells Larry Larue of the Tacoma News Tribune that he was offered a guaranteed deal from another club but turned it down to sign a non-guaranteed contract with Seattle.
The Mariners "are becoming a West Coast version of the Orioles, a place top-tier free agents avoid because the stench of losing is overwhelming," writes Yahoo's Steve Henson in his winter meetings preview.

Royals Won’t Trade Greinke Within Division

By Tim Dierkes | December 2, 2010 at 9:13am CDT

The Royals won't trade Zack Greinke within their division, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. The Twins might have been a nice match, and the White Sox often check in on big names, but it appears those two teams as well as the Indians and Tigers will have to look elsewhere if they want to import an ace.

On Tuesday, Yahoo's Jeff Passan talked to a source that feels Greinke will not rule out any winning team. The 27-year-old righty can submit a list of 15 teams to which he cannot be traded without his consent.

Odds & Ends: Hampton, Prince, Berkman, Miner

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 29, 2010 at 11:06pm CDT

Links on an intensely busy Monday for the Rockies…

Mike Hampton's agent Mark Rodgers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic he's had "extremely productive conversations" about a 2011 contract with the Diamondbacks. Hampton made 14 relief appearances at Triple-A and in the Majors this year after signing with Arizona in August.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he hasn't yet decided whether to trade Prince Fielder or hold onto him. At this point, the Brewers intend to keep their options open with the Scott Boras client.
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak tells MLB.com's Matthew Leach that he'll be hesitant to sign Type A free agents who turned down offers of arbitration. Keep track of all arbitration decisions right here.
Lance Berkman will meet with the A's tomorrow, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). They're one of his many suitors, though they'd have to convince him to DH regularly.
There's mutual interest between the Tigers and Zach Miner, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter). The Tigers designated Miner for assignment earlier today.
The Indians announced that they re-signed catcher Luke Carlin to a minor league contract and invited him to Spring Training. The 29-year-old has played for the Padres, D'Backs and Indians since 2008.
The Braves also signed a catcher to a minor league deal, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Longtime minor leaguer J.C. Boscan signed with the Braves, who also added Brent Clevlen and Wilkin Ramirez.

Cafardo On Gonzalez, V-Mart, Rangers, Nishioka

By Luke Adams 2 | November 28, 2010 at 9:49am CDT

Let's take a look at the latest from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe….

Cafardo suggests the money the Red Sox could have spent on Victor Martinez may be used to make a bigger splash. He speculates that splash could involve trading for Adrian Gonzalez and signing him to an extension, but ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Insider-only link) still expects the Padres to begin the 2011 season with Gonzalez on their roster.
One National League GM on Boston deciding not to match the Tigers' offer for Martinez: "He really rakes lefthanded pitching. That was the strange thing about the Red Sox for me — that in a division where there are so many good lefthanded pitchers, Martinez hit them at a .400 clip [in 2010]. Big, big loss for the Red Sox."
One option the Rangers are discussing internally, in the event they can't sign Cliff Lee, is moving Neftali Feliz to the rotation and signing a closer such as Rafael Soriano.
Olney reported earlier this week that rival executives view the Rangers as the team with the best shot at acquiring Zack Greinke. Cafardo hears the same thing, noting that Engel Beltre is "often mentioned as trade bait."
As we heard when the Twins won the bidding for Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the Red Sox were also involved. According to Cafardo, Boston's bid was about $2.3MM, and their interest in the Japanese shortstop was "marginal." With Jed Lowrie and Jose Iglesias already in the organization, Nishioka didn't make a ton of sense for the club.
Cafardo expects the Padres, Red Sox, or Indians to hire Josh Byrnes in the near future.

Odds & Ends: Tigers, Orioles, Manny, Astros, Uribe

By Mark Polishuk | November 27, 2010 at 11:26pm CDT

Happy birthday to two former All-Star catchers! Future Hall-of-Famer Ivan Rodriguez turns 39 today, while Angels manager Mike Scioscia turns 52.

Some news items…

Count Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer as unimpressed by Detroit's contracts with Joaquin Benoit and Jhonny Peralta. Pluto cites Benoit's 4.47 career ERA and Peralta's .696 OPS over his last two seasons.
The Orioles' failed pursuit of Victor Martinez proves "the issue isn't how much money the Orioles are willing to give somebody. It's whether somebody suitable is willing to take it," writes The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck.
Mike Axisa of the River Ave Blues blog thinks Manny Ramirez would be a bad fit on the Yankees.
By the time the sale of the Astros is finalized, the new ownership group should have few salary commitments to deal with, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
The Giants are betting that other teams don't value Juan Uribe as highly as they do, says CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban, which is why the club offered the infielder (a Type B free agent) arbitration. San Francisco thinks Uribe won't be able to find a multi-year deal elsewhere and will thus accept arbitration or re-sign for a $5MM, one-year contract. Even if Uribe does leave for another club, at least the Giants would get a draft pick in compensation.
Urban also notes that the Giants are "tire-kicking" J.J. Hardy and Miguel Tejada as other infield options. Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun predicts Tejada will be the best free agent bargain of the winter.
In his look at the offseason needs of the AL Central clubs, The Kansas City Star's Bob Dutton names Detroit prospects Andy Oliver and Jacob Turner, Minnesota outfield prospects Joe Benson, Aaron Hicks and Ben Revere, and Kansas City's Robinson Tejeda and Alex Gordon as young players within the division who could be dealt. (Oliver and Turner only in "major trade talks" since "neither will be cheap.") Dutton adds that Grady Sizemore probably won't be dealt in the winter but "interest should quickly escalate" if Sizemore gets off to a healthy and productive start in 2011.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Guardians Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect