Astros Will Not Rule Out Signing Clemens
Drayton McLane, the chairman and chief executive of the Astros, spoke with Roger Clemens recently and said that Clemens has not ruled out a possible return to playing baseball.
"We have a personal services contract with him and it’s not activated until he tells us he’s ready to retire," said McLane, just after this week’s quarterly owners’ meetings drew to a conclusion. "Well, he hasn’t said that. I think if he was ready to retire, and that was clear, he would have already said that to us. But that has not happened."
McLane noted that the Astros would not rule out the possibility of resigning Clemens to pitch for the Astros, but emphasized that both the team and Clemens want to see all of his legal issues resolved before making a decision.
If the Astros are still within two games of the NL Central lead in July and Chris Sampson is still pitching to a 6.27 ERA, the name ‘Roger Clemens’ might be an easier sell to the fanbase.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Lidge, Daniel Cabrera, Bonds, Edmonds
Ken Rosenthal has a new column up. I put the Griffey info in a separate post; let’s discuss the rest.
- Rosenthal suggests that Brad Lidge would be harder to replace than Pat Burrell, and for that reason the Phillies will make a bigger effort to re-sign him. I imagine Phillies fans would prefer that course of action. The problem? The Phillies have little chance of offering four years, according to Jayson Stark.
- The Rangers will face a delicate situation in coming years: moving Michael Young to a different position. The chain reaction could make Hank Blalock available. Blalock has a club option for ’09 at $6.2MM.
- Aside from Rick Porcello replacing Kenny Rogers at some point, the questionable Detroit rotation is set and signed through 2010.
- One scout seems to think Daniel Cabrera has turned the corner and shouldn’t be traded. He’ll become a free agent after the 2010 season and earns $2.875MM this year.
- Though it might be seen as a desperation move, the Tigers don’t have much to lose by signing Barry Bonds. Gary Sheffield endorsed it.
- Rosenthal says the Rays and Jays are teams with "possible interest" in Jim Edmonds but are likely to pass. That leaves the Cubs.
- Will Jason Giambi find a job next year after the Yankees decline his option? He plans to try.
- The Red Sox asked about Mark Loretta during Spring Training as "infield insurance." Rosenthal suggests the Sox consider Omar Vizquel, a defensive upgrade over Julio Lugo.
Astros Talked To Clemens Last December
It’s been refreshing to ignore Roger Clemens on this site. But Ken Davidoff does have a piece of information today that fits within our realm.
Davidoff talked to Astros owner Drayton McLane and learned that the Astros had a conversation with Clemens in December (post-Mitchell Report) about the Rocket pitching in 2008. One last half season with the Astros might’ve made sense at the right price, and it appeared at the time that Clemens wanted to play.
However, Davidoff says the events since that time make another comeback unlikely.
Stark’s Latest: Zito, Anthony Reyes, Varitek, Inoa
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has been working the phones, and the result is his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column.
- Stark talked to an official from a "pitching-starved" team. This person said the Giants would have to eat at least $80MM of Barry Zito‘s remaining $112.5MM if they want to trade him. One scout suggested Zito’s only chance at revival is a reunion with Rick Peterson.
- The Cards’ Anthony Reyes is "eminently available." Problem is, John Mozeliak has a high asking price for the 26 year-old hurler.
- Edwin Jackson remains a hot commodity, but there’s no reason for the Rays to move him.
- How much will Scott Boras want from the Red Sox for a Jason Varitek extension? If it’s in the Jorge Posada four-year, $52MM neighborhood, there’s no chance.
- Stark informs us of a highly sought-after 16 year-old Dominican pitcher named Michel Inoa. The kid could get a signing bonus north of $1.5MM. The Astros are one club interested in Inoa.
Odds and Ends: Bonds, Zito, Bush
Today’s link compilation.
- Dusty Baker spoke to Barry Bonds on the phone a few weeks ago, and came away feeling that Bonds does not miss baseball.
- A mere ten million bucks, a team can eat that. But, as Andrew Baggarly says, "They don’t make mouths big enough to eat the roughly $112.5 million that Barry Zito is guaranteed." Zito could be exiled to the bullpen.
- Dave Bush went unclaimed by the other 29 teams because with option waivers, the team can pull the player back if claimed.
- Jim Callis tosses out some options for the Astros with the 10th pick, noting that the team is likely to adhere to slotting guidelines.
- Peter Abraham runs through the available catcher options for the Yankees now that Jorge Posada is DL-bound.
Stark’s Latest: Oswalt, Tejada, Upton, Burrell
Check out the latest column from ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
- Stark talked to one exec who believed the Astros’ baseball people might consider a Roy Oswalt trade, but owner Drayton McLane never would.
- The exec also questioned whether the Astros would’ve given up a bounty of five players to acquire Miguel Tejada if they’d known the player’s true age.
- Stark implies that the Upton brothers are eyeing big bucks and aren’t likely to sign extensions.
- Stark’s sources believe the Phillies will offer Pat Burrell something like two years and $14MM. He’ll probably want significantly more than that.
Oswalt Staying Put
Last night on Baseball Tonight, Peter Gammons suggested that Roy Oswalt might become available and that he was willing to waive his no-trade clause.
The Astros, however, are far from cashing in their chips. They’ve won their last four and have no intention of trading Oswalt. Oswalt is signed through 2011 with a full no-trade clause. Oswalt repeated his stance from last year – he’d consider waiving it if the Astros approached him (and if the acquiring team is the Cardinals, Braves, or Red Sox). I imagine most players feel this way. It’s a moot point right now; Ed Wade isn’t considering trading him.
Oswalt seemed like the one true healthy ace who might be available come July. I’ll touch on the remaining options in the next MLB Roundup.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Furcal, Tejada
Ken Rosenthal did an Inside Pitch video yesterday; let’s discuss.
- Rosenthal says Rafael Furcal and the Dodgers are open to discussing an extension during the season. Furcal makes $13MM this year and would be a hot commodity on the free agent market. If the Dodgers re-sign him, shortstop Chin-Lung Hu becomes valuable trade bait.
- Rosenthal notes that the biggest downside to Miguel Tejada‘s age revelation is his reduced trade value. It’s possible the ‘Stros could look to clean house in July or after the season.
Astros Sign Soler
Kevin Czerwinski is reporting that the Astros have signed Alay Soler to a one-year deal for $400K. Soler was originally signed by the Mets in 2004 after defecting from Cuba but did not begin pitching in the U.S. until 2006 in which he made eight starts for the Mets, going 2-3 with a 6.00 ERA. He was later released and then signed by the Pirates last season. He only made 14 appearances for the Pirates AA affiliate before asking for, and being granted his release.
Soler will first report to extended spring training and then AAA Round Rock.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Who Needs A Backup Catcher? Part II
Two weeks ago, we discussed who would be a good fit for catcher Humberto Quintero, who had been designated for assignment by the Astros on March 31. It turns out he cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA Round Rock, where he played just one game before being recalled. He went 2 for 4 with a double before being DFA’d again, this time to make room for Kaz Matsui.
Astros GM Ed Wade on the situation: "We think he’s a big league catcher, has big league ability, but we can’t carry three catchers." That’s a very insightful statement. No, you can’t carry three catchers if you’re stocking 12 pitchers. It’s just that I’d far rather keep the 28-year-old guy with plus defense over the 39-year-old who hasn’t been good in a very long time.
Last time around, we had talked about the Red Sox and the Giants as possible suitors. The Orioles were a possibility, though the timing might not be right. They’d have to unload Ramon Hernandez first, and he’s off to a horrible start. The Reds were brought up in the comments, and that seems to make sense, too. If Paul Bako’s OBP doesn’t drop 100 points over his next 70 at bats, I might eat my shoe.
You’d think the Yankees might be interested, given the injuries to Jorge Posada and Jose Molina. But Posada won’t hit the DL — and could be catching again within the next few days — and Molina will be back in due time. Plus, Chad Moeller has been filling in admirably (same disclaimer with him as with Bako).
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog. Rumors are slow this time of year, so if you see something, say something.