Rockies DFA Matt Murton
According to Doug Miller of MLB.com, the Rockies have designated outfielder Matt Murton for assignment.
The move cleared roster space for reliever Juan Rincon, who was activated from the disabled list Wednesday evening and will add depth to the Rockies' bullpen for the stretch run. Murton, now 27, posted a passable .267/.327/.444 line in 45 at-bats with the Rockies earlier this season and had a .321 batting average with 71 RBI for Triple-A Colorado Springs. With those kind of numbers, he's sure to draw interest from opposing ball clubs.
Heyman On Rockies, Wagner, Gonzalez
Jon Heyman of SI.com says the Rockies are in contention because GM Dan O'Dowd has made more worthwhile moves than anyone in the last year. He acquired Huston Street and Carlos Gonzalez for Matt Holliday, turned Luis Vizcaino into Jason Marquis and acquired Rafael Betancourt. Here are Heyman's latest rumors:
- O'Dowd's contract expires after the season, when Giants GM Brian Sabean and Dodgers GM Ned Colletti can also become free agents. One rival GM would be shocked if the Rockies didn't offer O'Dowd an extension.
- Heyman imagines the exact same scenario that Buster Olney brought up earlier today. The Red Sox could keep Billy Wagner to close next year while Daniel Bard sets up. This would enable the Red Sox to trade Jonathan Papelbon, who would bring in a nice return. Heyman says it's "mostly speculation" and reminds us that it's "far-fetched."
- The D'Backs put Chad Qualls on waivers. He's expected to be claimed, but the D'Backs aren't expected to move him.
- Some expect the Padres to listen to offers for Adrian Gonzalez after the season,
Rosenthal On Wagner, Rays, Hawkins
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears from one GM who believes Billy Wagner's best financial move may be to accept arbitration after the season. The Red Sox have the right to offer Wagner arbitration, but they'd have to offer over $8MM, so they could choose not to. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:
- Jeff Niemann and Jason Hammel have performed well for their respective clubs, so the Rays' decision to trade Hammel worked out for everyone.
- A number of teams are sure to claim LaTroy Hawkins by noon CST today, when his waivers expire, but it's likely the Astros will pull him back. Rosenthal hears that Hawkins is open to returning to the Astros after the season.
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels estimates that three quarters of MLB players hit waivers in August, so don't fret about this news if you're a Brewers fan, but Trevor Hoffman, Mike Cameron, Craig Counsell, Jason Kendall, Braden Looper and Felipe Lopez have all been placed on waivers, according to Rosenthal's source. The Brewers say they don't intend on becoming sellers.
Olney On Rockies, Brewers, Harden, Santana
Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that team ownership has never prevented him from acquiring the players he needs. The team had to take on salary to acquire Joe Beimel and Rafael Betancourt, but the relievers have solidified the Rockies bullpen. Olney also suggests the Rockies might not have finished upgrading their pitching staff. Here are a few more rumors:
- The Brewers haven't put their players on waivers and, even though they've fallen out of contention, they may decide to hold onto everybody and win as many games as possible before the end of the season.
- Olney guesses that Rich Harden won't make more than $20MM as a free agent. Even after pitching well for nearly a full season last year, Ben Sheets wasn't seeing offers in the Oliver Perez range, so I wonder how many teams would offer Harden a multi-year deal given his injury history.
- The Yankees and Red Sox wondered about Johan Santana's elbow when they considered dealing for him after the 2007 season. In a separate report, Olney says Santana won't likely need serious surgery, but Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says the Mets haven't ruled surgery out.
Odds And Ends: Halladay, O’Day, Scott, Giambi
Some links for the morning…
- Be here at 2pm CST for this week's chat.
- Jamey Newberg compares Roy Halladay and Derek Holland since July 31st and shows that the Rangers are looking good even though they didn't deal for Doc.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says designating Darren O'Day for assignment was an "under-the-radar mistake" by the Mets.
- MLB.com's Spencer Fordin says the Orioles are trying to evaluate Luke Scott at first base to see if he can play there long-term. No one's hitting him anything, so the O's are having trouble reading his ability.
- Jason Giambi tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that he has no problem playing in the minors or coming off the bench for the Rockies.
- Curt Schilling said on WEEI in Boston that he's not surprised to hear Billy Wagner is passing up the chance to enter a playoff race.
Rosenthal On Mets, Cubs, Yankees, Hawkins
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders how Mets GM Omar Minaya and Cubs GM Jim Hendry will untangle themselves from their respective messes. Both execs have overpaid for players in the recent past, but both can point to recent successes. Here are the details:
- The Mets are expected to lower their payroll from the $150MM range next season.
- The Rockies obtained Carlos Gonzalez from the A's in last winter's Matt Holliday trade and, for all of Holliday's heroics in St. Louis, Gonzalez is out-slugging Holliday by 142 points since the A's flipped him to the Cards.
- A Yankees official says it's "very likely" the team will bring Johnny Damon back after the season if he's willing to take a paycut.
- Like their cross-town rivals, the Yanks are expected to be operating on a lower payroll next year.
- The Yankees figure to be in the mix for Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, or both.
- Alex Gonzalez could have vetoed the trade that sent him to Boston.
- The Astros placed LaTroy Hawkins on waivers and Rosenthal expects the Rockies, Cardinals and Dodgers to at least consider him.
Odds and Ends: Garland, Ordonez, Pettite, Peavy
Links from around the league on a slow Monday night…
- Keith Law of ESPN says that the Rockies should consider picking up Jon Garland.
- In the Detroit Free Press, Jamie Samuelsen argues that the Tigers should keep Magglio Ordonez in the lineup to maintain credibility with future free agents.
- When asked whether Andy Pettitte will be brought back by the Yankees next year, ESPN's Buster Olney writes that "given how he's throwing, I'm sure it will happen."
- And the White Sox's new acquisition, Jake Peavy, could start on Saturday against CC Sabathia and the Yankees, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
Odds And Ends: Giambi, Wagner, Oswalt, Snyder
Another round of links…
- Ed Price of AOL FanHouse reports that the Rockies officially announced the signing of Jason Giambi to a minor league deal.
- Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus says some clubs watch Latin American teams in the Little League World Series to establish preliminary lists of interesting players.
- Billy Wagner pitched an inning for the Mets today and Gameday says he hit 95 mph. He threw nine of his 19 pitches for strikes and picked up two strikeouts, walking one without allowing a hit. The Red Sox were surely watching the outing since they have another day to work out a deal with the Mets for Wagner.
- Roy Oswalt tells MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that time is running out and he wants the Astros to win soon, while he's around with Carlos Lee, Lance Berkman and possibly Miguel Tejada.
- As MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports, Chris Snyder is glad to have signed an extension when he did.
Rockies To Sign Russ Ortiz
Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports the Rockies will announce the signing of veteran Russ Ortiz. Along with the signing of Jason Giambi, the Rockies have significantly increased their veteran presence for the stretch run.
Ortiz was released by the Astros after posting a 5.57 ERA in 23 games, 13 starts. After signing with the Yankees and going 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA in Triple A, he opted out when he wasn't promoted. Ortiz wanted to pitch for a contender and signing with the Rox gives him that chance.
Rockies Sign Jason Giambi
9:30am: The AP is confirming the Rockies have signed Giambi.
Saturday 8:01pm: Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies says that "Giambi is ready to join Triple-A Colorado Springs where he will be given regular at-bats with the idea of being activated by the Rockies when the active rosters expand to 40 players on Sept. 1." He also mentions that the Rockies made a run at Tony Clark earlier in the year, but he balked at the idea of spending time in Triple-A.
6:10pm: Susan Slusser of The SF Chronicle hears that Jason Giambi is "getting close to signing with a contender to be add some bench power, and the team I'm hearing is Colorado." She mentions that the Rockies' interest is unconfirmed. Giambi was released by the Athletics earlier this month while he was on the disabled list, hitting just .193-.332-.364 in 83 games. I would think it's safe to assume he's healthy if teams are interested in signing him.
Not that the sample size is substantial, but Giambi is a career .283-.356-.509 hitter in 59 career plate appearances off the bench. Any team that signs him will only be responsible for the pro-rated minimum.