Tigers Rumors

Odds & Ends: Bumgarner, Rangers, Kim

By Tim Dierkes | September 8, 2009 at 1:20pm CDT

Links for Tuesday…

Giants top pitching prospect Madison Bumgarner surprisingly gets the big league call today, says John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The bad news: Cy Young contender Tim Lincecum is out with back spasms.
Evan Grant of D Magazine shows how little the Rangers got out of the 2002-05 drafts (including the "DVD" trio), yet they had the game's best farm system coming into the season.
MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo has the reverse standings, which give an idea of the 2010 draft order.
Eddie Bajek looks at various scenarios where Placido Polanco could ascend to Type A status. It's a good reminder on how the Elias rankings come together.
Tigers owner Mike Ilitch is behind the decision to let Magglio Ordonez's 2010 option vest, believes John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.
Former Dodgers GM Fred Claire finds the upcoming free agent class lacking in depth.
East Windup Chronicle passes along a report suggesting Byung-Hyun Kim wants to make a comeback. Is he still represented by Scott Boras?
Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee feels the team can win in 2010 with the same group, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune considers possible moves for next year.
Brad Penny had a strong preference to pitch in the NL, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Twins players Mike Redmond and Carl Pavano lobbied Penny directly.
Ben Kabak of River Ave. Blues expresses concern that Derek Jeter's next contract could approach $100MM.

The Week Ahead

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | September 6, 2009 at 5:38pm CDT

Now that we've taken a look at the week that was, let's anticipate what lies ahead. There aren't as many pennant races to watch as usual this year, so keep your eye on the following stories as the week progresses:

When Josh Beckett throws his first pitch tomorrow afternoon, his 2010 option will kick in for $12.1MM.
Kevin Millwood will likely pitch against the Mariners on Friday. If he goes eight innings or more, he will have pitched 180 innings on the season and his $12MM option for 2010 will vest.
One final option to monitor this week: Magglio Ordonez is a mere 27 plate appearances from seeing his $18MM option kick in for next season. It could happen this week, but, depending on playing time, Maggs may have to wait longer.
For recaps of these options and more, check out Tim's post from earlier in the week.
Tony Abreu filed a grievance against the Dodgers and Glen Perkins may file one of his own against the Twins. We'll see if either player reaches a resolution with his club this week.
Don't rule out trades, either. Could the Rangers acquire an infielder? Could the Phils add a bench bat?

Gammons’ Latest: Iglesias, Magglio, Valentine

By Mike Axisa | September 5, 2009 at 6:56pm CDT

In his latest blog post at ESPN, Peter Gammons writes that the NL West has quietly become very competitive thanks to three California pitcher's parks that make it such a pitching dominated division. Through the help of scouts and team executives, he points out all the great young talent in the division, highlighted by the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Matt Kemp, Justin Upton, Pablo Sandoval, Troy Tulowitzki, and Mark Reynolds.

Here's a roundup of Gammons' rumors…

Gammons jokes that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti "could be arrested for shoplifting," because in the last two seasons he's acquired Manny Ramirez, Casey Blake, George Sherrill, Jon Garland, Jim Thome, Doug Mientkiewicz, Ronnie Belliard, and Vicente Padilla while paying them approximately $2.7MM combined.
The Red Sox will get their first look at Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias, who they signed for $8.5MM back in July, in the Arizona Fall League. Gammons spoke to an NL GM who said he would have given Iglesias $12MM if his team could afford it, because "Our scouts say he's the best defensive shortstop they've ever seen."
If you're interested, you can see the full Arizona Fall League rosters here.
Jim Leyland was never told anything about benching Magglio Ordonez so his $18MM option in 2010 wouldn't vest. "He's going to make it," Leyland says. "So anyone who said otherwise has egg on his face. Dave Dombrowski has never even mentioned the vesting option." Ordonez needs just 35 more plate appearances this season to lock in the option.
Bobby Valentine's name was mentioned by Nationals' ownership during every interview they hosted while searching for a permanent GM, so he might be in the mix for their managerial job.

Vesting Options To Watch

By Tim Dierkes | September 2, 2009 at 9:49am CDT

A few vesting options to watch in September…

Josh Beckett needs two more starts for his $12.1MM option to vest for 2010. It's not much of a story since the Red Sox would exercise that option anyway.
The Rangers lose the ability to void Kevin Millwood's $12MM option for 2010 if he pitches 13 more innings this year. Back in March Rangers owner Tom Hicks said he wanted Millwood's option to vest, so he must be pleased with the pitcher's 3.61 ERA.
Since he made the All-Star team, Freddy Sanchez's 2010 option for $8MM vests if he makes 159 additional plate appearances. That won't happen in one month. Sanchez's shoulder strain couldn't have come at a worse time.
Magglio Ordonez's $18MM option for 2010 vests with 42 more plate appearances. He had 80 PAs in August with a .961 OPS, so Scott Boras will take issue with excessive benching.

Rodney Headed Toward Free Agency

By Tim Dierkes | September 2, 2009 at 9:34am CDT

A look at the American League saves leaderboard reveals some surprising names - David Aardsma with 32, Fernando Rodney with 30, and Andrew Bailey with 21.

Rodney, 33 this March, won the Tigers' closer job over Brandon Lyon in Spring Training despite trade rumors, shoulder problems, and a 4.91 ERA in 2008. Along with those 30 saves this year, Rodney cut his ERA to 3.22 despite his typical shaky control. Couple the walks with Rodney's age and injury history, and he'll make for a risky signing after the season.

Nonetheless, Lynn Henning of the Detroit News sees Rodney getting two or three years at $8-10MM per on the free agent market. Rodney's current salary, $2.7MM, was decided prior to his success in the ninth inning. Henning believes Rodney will be priced out of the Tigers' range for 2010 and beyond. Last we checked Rodney projected as a Type B, but a good September could make him an A. It certainly makes sense for the Tigers to at least offer arbitration.

Will Rodney get Kerry Wood ($20.5MM over two years) or even Brian Fuentes ($17.5MM over two years) money this winter? He'll be joined on the free agent market by closers such as Trevor Hoffman, Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez, Jose Valverde, and perhaps Billy Wagner.

Teams Interested In Mike Cameron

By Mike Axisa | August 31, 2009 at 5:38pm CDT

Jon Heyman of SI.com tweets that there has been interest in Brewers centerfielder Mike Cameron, and that the Tigers may be one of the teams that checked in on him. Cameron cleared trade waivers late last week, likely due to the fact that he's still owed about $1.75MM of his $10MM base salary, not to mention another $750K in easily reachable bonuses based on plate appearances.

Cameron, 36, is hitting .258-.358-.459 in 517 plate appearances this year, his best offensive season since 2006. His once outstanding defense in center has declined a bit, but his +7.7 UZR/150 is still well above average. The Yankees expressed interest in his services last offseason. If a team acquired Cameron after today, he would be ineligible for the postseason roster.

Odds & Ends: Twins, Astros, Magglio

By Eddie Schmid | August 29, 2009 at 11:37am CDT

Some links for the morning:

Richard Justice at the Houston Chronicle has a laundry list of ways to make the Astros a more interesting team, including making Jeff Bagwell the manager for the rest of the season.
Bob Dutton at the Kansas City Star says sources have confirmed discussions involving an extension for GM Dayton Moore, but they caution that nothing is imminent just yet.
Kelly Thesier at MLB.com gets Twins anchor Joe Nathan's take on the team's recent flurry of moves.
With the recent claims on Rich Harden and Aaron Heilman, Toni Ginnetti at the Chicago Sun-Times gives a rundown of the decisions ahead for Cubs GM Jim Hendry.
The Tigers have a decision to make on the future of Magglio Ordonez, whose 2010 option vests with just around 50 more plate appearances this year. Tom Gage at the Detroit News says that it appears the team will let the $18MM option exercise itself, and discusses the ramifications and reasoning.
George Steinbrenner is on the verge of being sued by one Bob Gutkowski, who claims he came up with the idea for the YES Network, reports Richard Sandomir at the New York Times.

Odds And Ends: Perez, Greinke, Matsui, Magglio

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 26, 2009 at 3:41pm CDT

More links as another Met hits the shelf…

Oliver Perez will have season-ending surgery and, as Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post points out, the Mets now have about $100MM sitting on the DL.
Zack Greinke makes $100k if he wins the Cy Young Award. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star thinks Greinke deserves it, but doesn't expect him to win it, so he suggests the rest of the Royals chip in to make sure their ace gets rewarded for his big year.
Magglio Ordonez keeps picking up the plate appearances and he's now just 59 away from assuring himself an $18MM payday in 2010. His option should vest sometime next month.
Hideki Matsui tells Newsday's Ken Davidoff that he'd consider playing with Ichiro. Davidoff suggests the White Sox and A's are possible fits for Matsui when he becomes a free agent after the season.
Be sure to become a fan of MLBTR on Facebook, where we're discussing Billy Wagner's future. If you don't already follow us on Twitter, you can start by clicking here.

Olney On The Market For Billy Wagner

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 26, 2009 at 11:53am CDT

If he finishes the season well, Billy Wagner could see multi-year offers as a free agent after the season, writes ESPN.com's Buster Olney. If, as expected, Wagner becomes a Type A free agent, teams would have to surrender a draft pick to sign him, but a mid-nineties fastball and high-leverage success could be enough to attract teams regardless. Of course, there's a chance Wagner pitches to mixed results with the Red Sox. If that's the case, he could become this year's Juan Cruz and see limited interest because of his Type A status.

Olney breaks down possible suitors in depth and finds that the Tigers, White Sox, Cubs, Brewers, Orioles and Braves could have some interest in closers this offseason. However, Wagner is one of many in a deep class of closers that includes Trevor Hoffman and Jose Valverde.

One talent evaluator suggested the Red Sox could keep Wagner as their closer while Daniel Bard continues to develop. This would enable them to trade Jonathan Papelbon. Two other evaluators believe teams will be willing to forfeit a draft pick to sign Wagner.

Odds and Ends: Garland, Ordonez, Pettite, Peavy

By Brian Shephard | August 24, 2009 at 10:27pm CDT

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.

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