Rockies Rumors

Odds & Ends: Sheffield, Morillo, Perdomo

By Tim Dierkes | April 6, 2009 at 11:21am CDT

I think you would all agree that today should be a federal holiday. Monday links to tide you over until games start…

According to David Lennon of Newsday, Gary Sheffield expected to get a call from Albert Pujols about possibly playing for the Cardinals, before the Mets signed him.
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies' acquisition of Jason Hammel may mean Juan Morillo's time with the team is drawing to a close. Morillo throws in the high 90s with poor control, and he's out of options.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic talked to John Dewan about The Fielding Bible and the D'Backs' defense.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says the Giants continue to try to work out a trade for Rule 5 pick Luis Perdomo, who will otherwise have to be offered back to the Cardinals.
Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star has a great profile of Zack Greinke.
Baseball America's Matt Eddy has the latest minor league transactions.
John Hickey recently wrote about Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre. Beltre, a Boras client, is entering his contract year.

Rays, Rox Agree On Deal For Hammel

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 5, 2009 at 1:02pm CDT

SUNDAY 1:02pm: Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times reports Jason Hammel has been notified that he's been dealt to the Rockies. Jeff Niemann will be the Rays fifth starter.

11:00am: Renck is reporting, "The Rockies and Rays have agreed on the parameters of a deal that would land Colorado right-handed reliever Jason Hammel, but Tampa Bay is still mulling other offers." The agreement is still involving Aneury Rodriguez.

SATURDAY 7:21pm: Renck says there "is growing momentum" behind the deal. Hammel would apparently be used as a reliever initially, and could also spot start.

6:03pm: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times notes that Hammel is scheduled to pitch in a minor league game on Sunday morning. The Rockies and Rays could be waiting for that outing to conclude, as to not throw off his schedule.

5:01pm: Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies has learned from a Tampa Bay source that the sides are currently working out the details of the deal. He has confirmed that the Rays would get Rodriguez in return.

1:52pm: Troy Renck of the Denver Post says there is "growing momentum for a trade to transpire between Tampa Bay and the Rockies involving Hammel." The Rays are thought to be eyeing Double-A starter Aneury Rodriguez.

11:49am: According to Ed Price of MLB Fanhouse trade talks between the Rays and Rockies have resumed. Jason Hammel or Jeff Niemann could be dealt to the Rockies this weekend, according to Price's sources.

Hammel and Niemann are both out of options so the Rays would have to give the 29 other teams a chance to claim one of the pitchers before demoting him to the minors. Since they would likely be claimed, the Rays could try to deal one pitcher to get something in return.

Odds & Ends: Fogg, Payrolls, Padres, Nady

By Tim Dierkes | April 3, 2009 at 8:35pm CDT

Links for Friday…

Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Orioles have "mild interest" in Josh Fogg. If Fogg can't find an appealing job elsewhere he'll report to Triple A Colorado Springs for the Rockies.
Via the Twitter feed of John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer…the Reds have talked about Geoff Jenkins and Frank Catalanotto but nothing is close.
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker has a Sports Hochi report saying recently released pitcher Ken Kadokura is reaching out to the Cardinals and Orioles.
Ryan Shealy cleared waivers and was sent to Triple A, clearing up the Royals' first base/DH logjam.
The website FINalternatives.com says Rangers owner Tom Hicks defaulted on more than $500MM in loans.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks at the payrolls for the Mets and Yankees.
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune says Hal Steinbrenner "told close friends he plans on hiring Lou Piniella as a consultant when his managerial contract with the Cubs runs out after the 2010 season."
According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres GM Kevin Towers said he still might add another starting pitcher.
Albert Chen of Sports Illustrated writes about the advanced defensive metrics that are becoming prevalent in the game.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs writes about the ethics of service time manipulation.
SI.com's Jon Heyman noted yesterday that "The Giants like Xavier Nady and wouldn't mind bringing the University of California product home at some point."

Rosenthal On Sheffield, Repko, McPherson

By Tim Dierkes | April 3, 2009 at 8:15am CDT

A look at Ken Rosenthal's column from yesterday afternoon…

The Marlins chose Ross Gload over Frank Catalanotto, but are still considering signing Cat for the minimum now that he's been released.
The Braves are not interested in bringing back Gary Sheffield. Meanwhile, Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes the Mets (as well as the Phillies and Reds) have an eye on Sheffield.
Sheffield is apparently the only right-handed hitter on the Phillies' radar. Rosenthal learned that the Rockies' asking price for Jeff Baker is high.
The Braves almost made a deal for Dodgers outfielder Jason Repko, but backed off recently.
The Yankees will pass on Dallas McPherson, but the Giants may consider him.
The Yanks don't seem desperate to move Melky Cabrera. They've received multiple calls on him but Rosenthal says "the team will only move him for the right price."

Rockies Interested In Hammel, Gaudin?

By | April 2, 2009 at 1:53pm CDT

1:53pm: The Denver Post's Troy Renck reports that the Rockies' pursuit of Gaudin has "cooled." The club is now focusing on the Rays' Jason Hammel.

10:25am: According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, the Rockies are interested in acquiring Chad Gaudin of the Cubs. Sullivan explains:

"If that happens, the Cubs could keep both Angel Guzman and Rule 5 pick David Patton, and send Jeff Samardzija to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs probably aren't expecting much back for Gaudin, who hasn't pitched well since his mysterious fall last August put him on the disabled list with back problems."

Gaudin, 26, posted a 4.40 ERA in 90 innings last year. He's set to make $2MM in '09.

Rockies Rumors: Podsednik, Hammel, Gaudin

By Tim Dierkes | April 1, 2009 at 11:38am CDT

Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post has the latest on the Rockies.

With Dexter Fowler making the team, the Rockies will release Scott Podsednik. The Brewers have shown interest in bringing him back to Milwaukee.
Renck notes that Sal Fasano, Josh Fogg, and Matt Belisle all have out clauses in their contracts.
The Rockies are looking for pitching. The top target is Jason Hammel of the Rays, while the Cubs' Chad Gaudin is also on the radar. It's possible Gaudin will clear waivers due to his $2MM salary, though.

Cubs Trying To Sort Out Bullpen Arms

By Tim Dierkes | March 31, 2009 at 1:32pm CDT

According to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, Cubs GM Jim Hendry is working the phones in an attempt to sort out his bullpen situation. Chad Gaudin, Angel Guzman, David Patton, and Jeff Samardzija are vying for two spots. Samardzija can be sent to Triple A, but Patton is a Rule 5 pick and the other two are out of options. Something has to give; a trade of Guzman or Gaudin seems likely. Gaudin may be less desirable given his $2MM salary, but Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post figures he'll land on the Rockies' radar. Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald weighs in here.

Rosenthal On Matthews, Thomas, Hammel, Niemann

By Tim Dierkes | March 31, 2009 at 9:05am CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column…

The Angels attempted to sell the Reds on Gary Matthews Jr., but it was a one-sided discussion. The Reds have no desire to trade Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang for Matthews. Angels GM Tony Reagins told Rosenthal, "We haven't had much discussions with respect to trades and trade possibilities." UPDATE: Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay he hasn't talked to the Angels since the Winter Meetings.
Free agent DH Frank Thomas is still waiting for an offer. He intends to delay a decision about retirement until at least the All-Star break. My thought – his situation just got a bit tougher with Gary Sheffield becoming available.
Rosenthal says the Rays could keep both Jason Hammel and Jeff Niemann and cut Lance Cormier, if trade offers for the first two aren't acceptable. Rosenthal adds the Rangers, Nationals, and Indians to the already known suitors (Padres, Pirates, and Rockies). He names the Brewers as "yet another possibility." Rosenthal says the Angels attempted to acquire Niemann a year ago but learned from Reagins that they're not actively looking for pitching.
The Phillies ate Adam Eaton's contract, but team president David Montgomery is unwilling to do the same to make Geoff Jenkins go away.
Rosenthal says the offers received for Rockies infielder Jeff Baker "have not been enticing." They may elect to keep him.

Niemann/Hammel Rumors: Padres, Pirates, Rockies

By Tim Dierkes | March 30, 2009 at 4:53pm CDT

4:53pm: According to John Perrotto of Pirates Report, the Pirates are also interested in Niemann. He says the Bucs also remain interested in Robert Andino and Jeff Baker.

Additionally, Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse says the Rockies have jumped in on Hammel.

11:16am: Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote Saturday regarding the Padres' interest in Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann:

In return, the defending American League champions have inquired about Padres prospects Simon Castro, Wynn Pelzer, Juedy Valdez and Nick Schmidt. The Padres have deemed the price too high. Niemann is out of minor league options, reducing the Rays' trade leverage.

Out of those four Baseball America likes righty Castro the most, ranking him 14th among Padres prospects. Pitchers Pelzer (16) and Schmidt (21) also make their top 30.

Niemann will make a minor league start today, perhaps his last chance to win the fifth starter job. The decision will probably be made today; Jason Hammel appears to be the favorite. UPDATE: Niemann tossed six scoreless innings.

Rangers Claim Joe Koshansky

By Steve Adams | March 29, 2009 at 2:28pm CDT

MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes that the Rangers have claimed first baseman Joe Koshansky off waivers from the Rockies.

Koshansky, 26, led the minor leagues with 121 RBI last year. He also swatted 31 home runs while hitting .300. He's been added to the Rangers' 40-man roster and is expected to begin the season at Triple-A Oklahoma as the starting first baseman.

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