Tigers Rumors

Tigers Inquired On Aramis Ramirez

By Zachary Links | November 27, 2011 at 7:29pm CDT

7:29pm: The Tigers spoke with Ramirez's agent earlier this month and haven't been in touch since, writes MLB.com's Jason Beck. The lack of communication in recent weeks shouldn't be read into too much though considering the Thanksgiving holiday.

6:41pm: The Tigers have inquired on free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez, according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter). The Cubs offered arbitration to Ramirez, a Type B free agent, on Wednesday.

While it's hard to pin down where Ramirez will land, we do know that he won't be back with the Cubs. Ramirez's agent, Paul Kinzer, confirmed to reporters this month that his client plans to move on this offseason.

Earlier this week, Tim Dierkes wrote that the Tigers, Twins, and Brewers could be fits for Ramirez, if they have the money. Tim could see the veteran getting as much as three years and as much as $42MM when all is said and done.

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Cespedes, Pujols

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 24, 2011 at 12:57pm CDT

Six years ago today, the Red Sox traded Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez to the Marlins for two players who would help them secure a second World Series title in four seasons: Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. I looked back at the trade in detail two years ago, declaring it a win-win. Here are today’s links, starting with an update on the Red Sox…

Alex Speier of WEEI.com provides a year-by-year comparison of the free agents that left the Red Sox and the resulting compensatory draft picks obtained by the Theo Epstein regime.
Free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is scheduled to work out with the Tigers, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
Free agent first baseman Albert Pujols says he’s sticking with agent Dan Lozano, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The agent has fired back against an article on Deadspin that portrays him in an unforgiving manner.

American League Free Agent Arbitration Offers

By Tim Dierkes | November 23, 2011 at 11:04pm CDT

10 American League teams have free agent arbitration offer decisions to make, and we'll update them in this post throughout the day in advance of the 11pm central time deadline. For a fantastic customizable chart with all 57 Type A/B free agents and their teams' decisions in real-time, click here.

Updated team decisions:

The Blue Jays offered arbitration to Frank Francisco (B), Kelly Johnson (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick), Jose Molina (B) and Jon Rauch (B), according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (on Twitter). They declined to offer Shawn Camp (B) arbitration.
The Red Sox announced that they offered David Ortiz (A) and Dan Wheeler (B) arbitration. They declined to offer Jason Varitek (B) arbitration. Jonathan Papelbon (A) already signed with the Phillies.
The Yankees offered Freddy Garcia (B) arbitration according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch (on Twitter).
The Royals offered Bruce Chen (B) arbitration, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
The White Sox announced they've offered arbitration to Mark Buehrle (B) and not Juan Pierre (B).
The Athletics announced David DeJesus (B) and Josh Willingham (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick) were offered arbitration.
The Rangers announced C.J. Wilson (A) will be offered arbitration. Modified Type B free agent Darren Oliver does not require an offer.
The Orioles announced they will not offer arbitration to Vladimir Guerrero (B).
Twins GM Terry Ryan said today on a conference call that he will offer arbitration to Michael Cuddyer (A, will not cost signing team a draft pick) and Jason Kubel (B), and noted that no arbitration offer is necessary for modified Type B free agent Matt Capps.

Teams with decisions still due:

Tigers: Wilson Betemit (B), Magglio Ordonez (B)

Tigers Notes: Cabrera, Martinez, Verlander

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 21, 2011 at 9:34pm CDT

Miguel Cabrera, Alex Avila and Victor Martinez collected MVP votes this year, but none topped the winner of the award, Tigers right-hander Justin Verlander. Here are some updates on the Tigers' top players…

Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that the Tigers aren’t considering moving Cabrera to third base in 2012, though they may consider playing him at the hot corner during interleague play. Doing so would enable the Tigers to keep Martinez in the lineup without subjecting him to the grind of catching (he'd play first).
Morosi also credits Cabrera for putting together an MVP-caliber season after being arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated during Spring Training.
One veteran baseball executive told Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com that Verlander would be positioned for a deal worth at least $25MM per season if he were a free agent right now. Before the 2010 season, Verlander signed a five-year, $80MM extension that provided the Tigers with three additional years of team control. If he hadn’t signed the deal Verlander would be one of the offseason’s top free agents and might be positioned to eclipse C.C. Sabathia's record $161MM contract (no starting pitcher has obtained more guaranteed money).

Justin Verlander Wins AL MVP

By Tim Dierkes | November 21, 2011 at 1:00pm CDT

Justin Verlander won the American League MVP award, according to the Baseball Writers Association of America. Verlander took home the AL's Cy Young award last week. He's the first pitcher to win the MVP since Dennis Eckersley in 1992, and the first starter since Roger Clemens in '86.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Jose Bautista, Curtis Granderson, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, Adrian Gonzalez, Michael Young, Dustin Pedroia, and Evan Longoria rounded out the top ten. Ian Kinsler, Alex Avila, Paul Konerko, C.C. Sabathia, Adrian Beltre, Ben Zobrist, Victor Martinez, James Shields, Mark Teixeira, Asdrubal Cabrera, Alex Gordon, Josh Hamilton, and David Robertson also received votes.

Added To 40-Man Roster: Giants, Dodgers, Pirates

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 18, 2011 at 11:24pm CDT

Today is the deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from next month's Rule 5 draft. Here's more on which players need to be protected and here are the details on which players have had their contracts selected to the 40-man roster:

The Giants added Hector Correa, Charlie Culberson, Tyler Graham, Roger Kieschnick, Dan Otero and Angel Villalona to their 40-man roster, reports Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (Twitter links). Baggarly suspects Villalona's inclusion may be a "procedural move," since Villalona still needs a new visa to play in the United States.
The Dodgers have added Michael Antonini, Alex Castellanos, Stephen Fife, Josh Wall and Chris Withrow to their 40-man roster, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times (Twitter link).
The Pirates have announced the additions of Matt Hague, Starling Marte, Jordy Mercer, Rudy Owens, Duke Welker and Justin Wilson to their 40-man roster. Pittsburgh's 40-man roster is now full.
The Mariners added Chih-Hsien Chang, Francisco Martinez and Carlos Triunfel to the 40-man roster, reports Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Radio Seattle (via Twitter).
The Angels added Johnny Hellweg, Fabio Martinez, Ariel Pena and Jean Segura to their 40-man roster, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
The Red Sox announced that Drake Britton, Che-Hsuan Lin and Will Middlebrooks were added to the club's 40-man roster.
The Rangers added pitchers Jacob Brigham, Roman Mendez, Justin Miller, Martin Perez, Neil Ramirez and Matt West to their 40-man roster, reports Anthony Andro of FOX Sports Southwest (via Twitter).
The Indians announced that Scott Barnes, Juan Diaz and Danny Salazar were added to the team's 40-man roster. The Tribe's roster now has a full complement of 40 players.
The Cubs announced that Jeff Beliveau, Junior Lake, Matt Szczur and Josh Vitters have been added to the club's 40-man roster.

Some 40-man roster adds from earlier today…

The Cardinals added Chuckie Fick, Samuel Freeman and Adam Ottavino to their 40-man roster, according to B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com (on Twitter).
The Rockies added Edwar Cabrera and Christian Friedrich to their roster, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
The Padres announced that they selected the contracts of right-hander Nick Vincent, left-handers Jose De Paula, Pedro Hernandez and Juan Oramas, infielder Edinson Rincon and outfielder Rymer Liriano.
The Nationals announced that they selected the contracts of Tyler Moore, Derek Norris, Eury Perez and Jhonatan Solano. Their 40-man roster now includes 37 players.
The A's announced that they added outfielder Jermaine Mitchell to the 40-man roster (Twitter link). They now have one empty spot on the roster.
The Mets added Robert Carson, Jeurys Familia, Wilmer Flores, Reese Havens, Juan Lagares, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Cesar Puello to the 40-man roster, according to ESPNNewYork,com's Adam Rubin (on Twitter).
The Orioles will add Oliver Drake to the roster in anticipation of tonight's deadline, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
The Twins announced that they added outfielder Oswaldo Arcia, right-hander Carlos Gutierrez and left-hander Tyler Robertson to the roster.
The Rays added right-handers Alex Colome and Wilking Rodriguez and catcher Stephen Vogt to the 40-man roster, according to the Tampa Tribune (on Twitter). Tampa Bay's 40-man roster now has 38 players.
The Blue Jays announced that they added catcher Travis d'Arnaud, first baseman Michael McDade, right-hander Nestor Molina and left-hander Evan Crawford to the 40-man roster. They have two empty spots on their 40-man.
The Reds added infielders Didi Gregorius, Donald Lutz, Henry Rodriguez and Neftali Soto and right-handers Kyle Lotzkar and Pedro Villarreal to their roster, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter). Their 40-man roster is full.
The Royals announced that they added Ryan Verdugo, who came over in the Jonathan Sanchez trade, to the 40-man roster. Kansas City now has 39 players on its 40-man roster.
The Yankees added infielders David Adams and Corban Joseph, outfielder Zoilo Almonte and right-handers D.J. Mitchell and David Phelps to their 40-man roster, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
The Marlins added Ramon Benjamin, Dan Jennings, Tom Koehler and Kevin Mattison to the 40-man roster, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). The Marlins' 40-man roster now has 39 players.
The Tigers announced that they added lefthander Matt Hoffman, righthander Tyler Stohr, lefthander Casey Crosby, outfielder Avisail Garcia and infielder Hernan Perez to the 40-man roster.
The Brewers announced that they added outfielder Caleb Gindl, first baseman Brock Kjeldgaard, right-hander Santo Manzanillo and third baseman Zelous Wheeler to the 40-man roster. They now have 35 players on their 40-man roster.
The Astros announced that they added right-hander Paul Clemens to the 40-man roster. Their roster now includes 38 players.
The Phillies announced that they selected the contracts of right-hander Phillippe Aumont, left-hander Jacob Diekman, catcher Sebastian Valle and outfielder Tyson Gillies. The Phillies acquired Gillies and Aumont when they sent Cliff Lee to the Mariners two years ago. Philadelphia's 40-man roster now includes 39 players.
The White Sox announced that they purchsed the contracts of right-hander Deunte Heath and left-hander Charlie Leesman. Chicago now has 36 players on its 40-man roster.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Dodgers, Cubs, Athletics

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 18, 2011 at 9:31pm CDT

Teams will be adding minor leaguers to their 40-man rosters today in anticipation of next month's Rule 5 Draft. In order to create roster space, some teams will outright players off of the 40-man. Here are the latest outright assignments from around MLB…

The Dodgers outrighted John Ely and Carlos Monasterios to Triple-A, reports Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
The Cubs announced Esmailin Caridad, Lou Montanez and Kyle Smit have been outrighted off their 40-man roster. The Cubs currently have six open spots remaining on their 40-man roster.
The A's announced that they outrighted right-hander Evan Scribner and outfielder Cedric Hunter to Triple-A.
The Rockies outrighted infielder Andrew Brown off of their roster, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
The Twins announced that they outrighted right-hander David Bromberg off the 40-man roster.
The Pirates announced that they outrighted Matt Pagnozzi to Triple-A.
The Tigers announced that they outrighted Cale Iorg to Triple-A. The infielder split the 2011 season between Detroit's top two affiliates.
The Angels outrighted right-handers Francisco Rodriguez and Loek Van Mil to Triple-A yesterday, according to MLB.com's transactions page. Rodriguez, 28, has appeared in 53 games for the Angels since 2010, posting a 4.43 ERA with 6.3 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 61 innings. Van Mil, a 7'1" native of the Netherlands, posted a 2.04 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 66 1/3 innings at Double-A in 2011. The Angels acquired him from the Twins for Brian Fuentes in 2010.

Tigers Agree To Sign Gerald Laird

By Mike Axisa | November 18, 2011 at 10:15am CDT

FRIDAY: The Tigers announced the deal. It's a one-year contract for $1MM, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

THURSDAY: The Tigers and Gerald Laird have agreed to a one-year contract, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The deal is still pending a physical.

Laird, 32, spent the 2009-2010 seasons in Detroit after coming over in a trade with the Rangers. He hit just .232/.302/.358 in 108 plate appearances with the World Series Champion Cardinals this past season, throwing out just four of 20 attempted basestealers. The move allows the Tigers to use Victor Martinez as a full-time DH.

Tigers Nearing Deal For Gerald Laird

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 17, 2011 at 10:34am CDT

10:34am: The Tigers are on the verge of signing Gerald Laird, according to Morosi and Rosenthal on Twitter.

10:23am: The Tigers aren't close to a deal with Shoppach, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck (on Twitter).

10:04am: The Tigers are close to signing a catcher, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Free agent Kelly Shoppach is one of the team's targets and Morosi reported earlier in the week that the Tigers are considering Jose Molina, Matt Treanor, Ramon Castro and former Tiger Gerald Laird as possible backups.

Alex Avila will start for the Tigers, who want Victor Martinez's bat in the lineup every day. GM Dave Dombrowski has said the Tigers view Martinez as the team's regular DH and third catcher, which means the team is on the hunt for someone who can spell Avila regularly.

Jose Reyes Rumors: Tuesday

By Luke Adams 2 | November 15, 2011 at 10:32pm CDT

While many are wondering if Yu Darvish's stock could be affected by Japanese imports' past success, or lack thereof, Dave Cameron of Fangraphs wonders if Carl Crawford's poor 2011 could affect Jose Reyes' next contract. As Cameron writes, the two players are similar in many ways, and teams may have second thoughts about committing so many years and dollars to a player in Crawford's mold. Still, in this morning's poll, approximately 63% of MLBTR readers predicted Reyes would sign for $100MM or more. Let's check out today's Reyes-related rumors, with the latest additions on top….

Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (Twitter link) hears that Reyes only has two legit offers so far, but cautions that it's still early. Bowden guesses the offers are from the Marlins and Mets, but Adam Rubin of ESPN New York (Twitter link) spoke to a Mets person who suggests no offer has been extended to Reyes.
Andy Martino of the New York Daily News talked to Mets people who continue to find it unlikely that the club would go as high as six years for Reyes. SI.com's Jon Heyman (on Twitter) says the reported six-year, $90MM offer for Reyes could be in the Mets' ballpark, but no one expects that to ultimately be the best offer.
Tigers manager Jim Leyland told Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio (Twitter link) that, while he loves Reyes, "I don't think we're going to shop at that store."
GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudicourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he thinks the Brewers' interest in Reyes has "probably" been overstated (Twitter link).

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