Royals Rumors

Odds & Ends: Rincon, Calero, Rangers, Encarnacion

By Mike Axisa | January 2, 2010 at 4:13pm CDT

Here are some links to kick off the weekend…

Troy Renck of The Denver Post provides the details on Juan Rincon's contract with the Rockies. He'll earn $800K plus incentives in the big leagues, or $20K per month in the minors.
Satchel Price at Beyond The Box Score wonders why we haven't heard more about Kiko Calero this offseason. The Cubs and Giants were interested in the righthander at various times this offseason.
Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas reiterates what we heard yesterday: the Rangers are seeking a veteran catcher. He mentions that they've shown interest in both Rod Barajas and Dioner Navarro.
Edwin Encarnacion suffered burns to his face in a fireworks accident according to ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas. He will not require surgery, and will be ready to go in Spring Training.
Jeff Passan at Yahoo! Sports lists ten players we should keep an on eye to see how their market develops during the remainder of the offseason. His list is led by Matt Holliday and Aroldis Chapman.
MLB.com's Matthew Leach notes that if the Cardinals felt they weren't in a good position to re-sign Holliday, they would have moved on to other targets by now.
Dick Kaegel of MLB.com says that "it would take a calamitous showing" for Royals' manager Trey Hillman to lose his job this season given his relationship with GM Dayton Moore.
Steve Slowinski at DRaysBay goes back in time to evaluate the Danys Baez and Lance Carter for Edwin Jackson and Chuck Tiffany trade.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pirates, Twins, Beltre, Giants

By Mike Axisa | January 1, 2010 at 10:56am CDT

On New Year's Day 49 years ago, the stadium on the corner of Michigan Ave. and Trumbull Boulevard in Detroit was officially renamed Tiger Stadium. The then 49-year-old park had previously been known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium. Tiger Stadium would serve as the home of Detroit's ball club until the 2000 season, and was demolished completely in 2009.

Here's a look at what's being written around the baseball blogosphere…

Bucco Fans takes a look at what could have happened if the Pirates had kept their 2008 roster together.
Twins Overlook runs down Minnesota's top seven prospects, led by outfielder Aaron Hicks.
Meanwhile, Nick's Twins Blog examines the current state of the Twinkies' starting rotation.
The Bottom Line looks at how signing Adrian Beltre could affect the big picture in Boston.
DRaysBay compares Matt Joyce to Matt LaPorta, and finds that the gap between the two may not be as big as you think.
Jorge Says No! looks at the potential risk and reward of the Mark DeRosa signing.
El Lefty Malo guesses that the Giants will wait to see how Jonathan Sanchez's arbitration case turns out before deciding on whether or not to move a starter for a bat.
Pinstripes Published suggests David DeJesus as a possible left field solution for the Yankees.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Matsui, Mariners, Callapso

By Mike Axisa | December 24, 2009 at 10:31pm CDT

On Christmas Day way back in 2001, Hideki Matsui became the highest paid player in Japanese baseball history, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $4.7MM with the Yomiuri Giants. In his seven-year (and counting) Major League Baseball career, Matsui has never earned less than $6MM annually.

Let's see what's being written around the blogosphere…

River Ave. Blues takes a look at the economic impact of Matsui leaving the World Champs for the Angels.
U.S.S. Mariner runs down some potential first base options for the Mariners, covering players available through trades, free agency, and those already in-house.
It's About The Money, Stupid! compares Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson to the two guys they're replacing, Johnny Damon and Matsui.
South Side Sox provides some thoughts on Kenny Williams' busy offseason.
Royals Authority says Kansas City needs an outfielder, and proposes a few deals centered around Alberto Callaspo.
Viva El Birdos has some concerns about signing Matt Holliday to a long-term contract.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Royals Sign Brian Anderson

By Tim Dierkes | December 23, 2009 at 11:30am CDT

The Royals signed outfielder Brian Anderson to a one-year, Major League deal worth $700K. He can earn another $100K in incentives. MLB.com's Scott Merkin broke the news yesterday, while Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports added contract details. Anderson was acquired by the Red Sox from the White Sox for Mark Kotsay and cash on July 28th, and non-tendered on December 12th.

Anderson, 28 in March, has a career line of .227/.290/.370 in 883 plate appearances, mostly with the White Sox. He's mainly played center field in his career, and the Royals probably represented his best opportunity for big league playing time. The Royals will have the chance to retain Anderson beyond 2010 as an arbitration-eligible player.

Merkin notes that the Cubs, Nationals, and Reds had also expressed interest in Anderson.

Odds & Ends: Nationals, Podsednik, Duchscherer

By Tim Dierkes | December 21, 2009 at 3:59pm CDT

Links for Monday…

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Nationals still have money left to sign Matt Capps, assuming he wants to go there. Morosi expects Capps to decide on his next team this week.
In a separate tweet, Morosi notes that the Tigers are only interested in Scott Podsednik if it's a one-year deal. Detroit has no interest in Rick Ankiel.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that Justin Duchscherer has received contract offers from three unnamed teams, and he expects to decide on his 2010 home within a week.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the Royals are interested in free agent outfielder Brian Anderson on a minor league deal.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle sees Rajai Davis and Ryan Sweeney retaining starting jobs in the wake of the impending Coco Crisp signing. Slusser suggests a possible reduced role or trade for Scott Hairston. FanGraphs' Dave Cameron doesn't understand the move, noting that Davis and Sweeney are similar to Crisp. Crisp's physical will take place tomorrow, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
Matthew Carruth of Lookout Landing explains that Mariners fans fully understand the dangers of Milton Bradley. The Seattle Times' Geoff Baker reflects on Carlos Silva's time with the club.
Patrick Newman joins FanGraphs with a look at Japanese baseball imports and exports for 2010. Speaking of which, new Met Ryota Igarashi would like to be Francisco Rodriguez's set-up man.

Cubs, Mariners Swap Bradley For Silva

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 18, 2009 at 11:42pm CDT

The Cubs and Mariners swapped bad contracts today, with outfielder Milton Bradley heading to Seattle and pitcher Carlos Silva to Chicago. SI's Jon Heyman first reported the reignited trade talks, and then Larry Stone of the Seattle Times broke news of the agreement. According to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan, the Mariners also sent $9MM to the Cubs.

Bradley is owed $21MM over the next two seasons, while Silva will earn $25MM. The Cubs net $5MM overall. Silva missed most of the season with a shoulder injury; he hasn't had big league success since the '07 contract year. His ability to contribute anything in the next two seasons is highly questionable. Bradley we know can hit; he had a .378 OBP for the Cubs even in a down year. The Mariners are the clear winners here, noting the big caveat that they must keep Bradley from becoming a distraction.

The Cubs are now out $8.5MM a year for Silva due to GM Jim Hendry's Bradley folly. It was said Bradley badly wanted to come to Chicago, but Hendry paid full price at three years and $30MM. Bradley was signed in part to bring fire to the Cubs' clubhouse, but a year later they were desperate to unload him. Talking to Sullivan, Hendry took responsibility, but added "no one could have really predicted how it turned out."

Hendry now has to add an outfielder to replace Bradley. ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reported that Scott Podsednik could be the Cubs' choice, though the Royals and Giants are also interested. The Cubs were tied up with the Bradley situation and unable to move on the top free agent center field option, Mike Cameron.

This post has been rewritten by Tim Dierkes.

Odds & Ends: Treanor, Barton, Damon, Kelly Johnson

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 18, 2009 at 9:45pm CDT

More links as the weekend draws closer…

MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports that the Brewers signed catcher Matt Treanor to a minor league deal. The former Tiger struggled to stay healthy this year.
The Dodgers signed outfielder Brian Barton to a minor league deal, according to Hernandez. The 27-year-old has hit just .268/.354/.392 in 179 big league plate appearances, all coming in 2008.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson has learned that the Nationals are not interested in Johnny Damon because they're trying to improve their defense.
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets that Damon has some interest in signing with the Braves. The outfielder would have to be willing to take a pay cut to join the club, in O'Brien's opinion.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports that the D'Backs have made Kelly Johnson an offer. The details aren't clear, but Piecoro guesses it's a one-year deal worth $2MM.
Dodgers' GM Ned Colletti said that any talks with Cincinnati are "all but dead," according to Dylan Hernandez of The LA Times. Yesterday we heard the two teams were exploring an Aaron Harang trade.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Tigers, Giants and Royals have interest in Jack Cust. ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says the Mariners may be the favorites to sign Cust.
Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com hears that Jose Contreras is narrowing his options down and preparing to sign. His agent says "there are some interesting opportunities in the bullpen."
Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says that with his options dwindling, Miguel Tejada might have to slide over to third to be rewarded with a contract.
Claudio Vargas' deal with the Brewers is worth $900K, says Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel. The righty could also earn another $400K in incentives.
O'Brien mentions that Adam LaRoche said there's been no contact from the Braves that he knows of. Earlier we learned that some teams were put off by LaRoche's asking price.
Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that the Padres have named Jaron Madison scouting director. Madison spent the last two years working as the assistant scouting director in St. Louis.
Venezuelan reporter Efrain Zavarce says that Kelvim Escobar has signed with…a Venezuelan Winter League team. He'll pitch in relief tomorrow, and the Rays will have someone in attendance.

Cust Hopes To Sign By Christmas

By Tim Dierkes | December 17, 2009 at 3:55pm CDT

Free agent outfielder/DH Jack Cust hopes to sign by Christmas, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick. He's expected to have two or three offers from which to choose.

Crasnick finds the A's, Rays, and Mets unlikely to sign Cust despite varying degrees of interest. Instead, the ESPN scribe considers the Royals, Mariners, and Tigers to be "possible fits." The issue with the Mariners: it'd be out of character for them to endure Cust's ugly defense in left field, and signing him as a DH would reduce Ken Griffey Jr.'s role.

Crasnick does not mention the White Sox, Rangers, or Blue Jays, though those teams could technically make room for Cust at DH.

Given that Cust played his first full season at 28 in '07, the concern is that his downward offensive trends of the last two years will continue.

Odds & Ends: Carroll, Crisp, Cameron, Hermida

By Tim Dierkes | December 16, 2009 at 11:18am CDT

Links for Wednesday…

The Tigers signed lefty Brad Thomas out of Korea, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that they paid $1MM.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed our report of the Pirates' interest in Kelly Johnson, explaining that the Pirates view him as a corner outfield option.
FanGraphs' Dave Cameron wonders why teams seem to undervalue Cliff Lee. In a related story, Lee's agent Darek Braunecker believes their position has been mischaracterized.
ESPN's Buster Olney expects Jamey Carroll to choose between two-year offers from the A's and Dodgers, probably today (I mistakenly wrote the Angels earlier).
Mentioned first on Twitter: I've heard that Coco Crisp would prefer a one-year deal with the Padres or A's.
Boston's Mike Cameron signing was officially announced today. Michael Silverman and John Tomase of the Boston Herald have details on the two-year, $15.5MM contract. John Lackey's deal was also announced.
WEEI's Alex Speier says the Red Sox told Jeremy Hermida they'd trade him if they re-signed Jason Bay. Speier wonders if the Cameron signing will prompt a Hermida deal.
The Angels' one-year, $6.5MM deal with Hideki Matsui was also announced, as was John Buck's one-year, $2MM deal with Toronto and Ross Gload's two-year, $2.6MM deal with the Phillies.
The Royals put out word they've re-signed outfielder Shane Costa to a minor league deal. Costa, 28, missed almost the entire '09 season with a leg injury.
USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweets details on LaTroy Hawkins' two-year, $7.5MM deal with the Brewers.
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker examines the reports about reliever Ryota Igarashi, who might be headed to the Red Sox or Mets.
The Mariners signed 19-year-old shortstop Pedro Okuda to a minor league deal, according to a team press release. Okuda was born and raised in Brazil but attended high school in Japan.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Royals, Dodgers, Lowe

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 15, 2009 at 7:38pm CDT

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