Angels Rumors

Odds and Ends: Pujols, Isringhausen, K-Rod

By Tim Dierkes | September 9, 2008 at 11:15am CDT

I am going to toss up some links as I come across them, so check back on this post.

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has an excellent piece on the Pedro Alvarez situation, including quotes from Scott Boras and Max Scherzer. The grievance will be heard tomorrow, but the entire process could take months.
The big news of the day is not hot stove related. Albert Pujols is considering offseason Tommy John surgery, which would require seven to nine months of recovery time. It could cause him to miss April of ’09. UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal’s sources say Pujols does not intend to have the surgery this offseason.
In the same article, reliever Jason Isringhausen says he hopes to be ready for spring training after elbow surgery. He spoke of getting "an incentive-based deal with someone."
Joel Sherman doesn’t buy into the speculation that the Mets will be aggressive in pursuing Francisco Rodriguez due to Billy Wagner’s injury. K-Rod has had 61 save opportunities this year, 14 more than anyone else. No other pitcher has reached 60 opps this decade. Rodriguez may pursue a five-year, $75MM deal.
SI.com’s Tom Verducci looks at the dumbing down of bullpen roles.
Andrew Baggarly offers a possible explanation for Conor Gillaspie’s call-up: a "predraft understanding." Gillaspie signed for slot as the 37th overall pick. Adding him to the 40-man roster now is less than ideal.
RotoWorld’s Matthew Pouliot predicts destinations and contracts for free agent pitchers. His article also includes non-tender candidates.
Cork Gaines gives a rundown of the Rays’ 2009 commitments.
This week’s chat has been moved to Wednesday at 2pm CST.

Odds And Ends: Bradley, Rodriguez

By Alejandro Leal | September 6, 2008 at 10:08am CDT

Some links this Saturday morning; I’ll add more to the list as the day’s news progresses.

Doug Baxter of DraftInfo chats with ESPN.com’s Keith Law to get his thoughts on the 2009 draft.
Tim MacMahon at the Dallas Morning News’ Rangers blog ponders whether the Rangers should offer Milton Bradley a multi-year deal or not.
Speaking of players looking for new deals, Francisco Rodriguez tells the LA Times that his desire to explore free-agency does not necessarily indicate he wants to leave the Angels.

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Comments? Rumors? alexo05 (at) umpbump (dot) com

Odds and Ends: Olivo, Eckstein, Angels, Astros

By Tim Dierkes | September 1, 2008 at 10:25am CDT

Labor Day linkage…

I did a Q&A with an Angels blog called The Halo Is Lit.
Royals catcher Miguel Olivo patched things up with manager Trey Hillman. Olivo has a mutual option for ’09.
David Eckstein is a borderline Type B player, but the D’Backs won’t get a pick unless they offer him arbitration and he declines and signs elsewhere. As of August 29th, Eckstein did not have Type B status anyway. By the way, the D’Backs designated Emiliano Fruto for assignment to make room for Eckstein.
Needless to say, the Angels weren’t able to acquire a shortstop.
Richard Justice thinks many Astros fans owe GM Ed Wade an apology.
Patrick Newman has more info on Satoru Komiyama’s mysterious breaking pitch, the shake.

D-Backs Now Favorite To Land Eckstein

By Cork Gaines | August 31, 2008 at 9:38am CDT

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the D-Backs are the favorite to land David Eckstein from the Blue Jays, prior to tonight’s deadline for players to be eligible for the post-season. Previously we heard that both the D-Backs and the Angels were in pursuit of Eckstein.

Eckstein, 33, is almost certain to be traded before the deadline for setting postseason rosters at midnight Sunday. While talks are fluid, the Jays currently are more inclined to trade with the D-backs, sources say.

Rosenthal says the Angels are now considering other options, including Omar Vizquel of the Giants and Juan Castro of the Orioles.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

D-Backs, Angels Interested In Eckstein

By Alejandro Leal | August 30, 2008 at 10:26am CDT

The Angels have been in pursuit of infield depth this week, and were rumored to be finalizing a deal with the Blue Jays for veteran shortstop and 2006 World Series MVP, David Eckstein until a "mystery" team entered the running.

Ken Rosenthal is now reporting that the mystery team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. Both teams are looking to finalize the deal before Sunday’s deadline for setting post-season rosters.

The Angels would mainly use Eckstein as a backup, but the D-backs need a boost in the infield since Orlando Hudson is out for the rest of the season.

It seems the Diamondbacks are the team with the most urgent need for Eckstein’s services, but a return to Anaheim would be a homecoming of sorts. Where would he be a better fit?

Alejandro A. Leal writes for UmpBump.com. Comments? Rumors? E-mail me alexo05 (at) umpbump (dot) com.

Angels Eyeing Backup Shortstops

By Tim Dierkes | August 29, 2008 at 6:07pm CDT

FRIDAY: Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi confirmed he’s in discussions with the Angels about his shortstops.

THURSDAY: With Maicer Izturis out for the season and Erick Aybar day-to-day, the Angels are looking to acquire a veteran backup shortstop. Backup at second base wouldn’t be a bad idea either, in case Howie Kendrick’s injury is serious. Mike DiGiovanna names John McDonald, David Eckstein, Marco Scutaro, Juan Castro, and Jamey Carroll as targets. The numbers on these guys:

McDonald: .222/.269/.292 in 162 PAs. Owed $350K in ’08, $1.9MM in ’09.
Eckstein: .274/.353/.357 in 293 PAs. Owed $830K in ’08.
Scutaro: .265/.347/.348 in 475 PAs. Owed $290K in ’08, $1.1MM in ’09.
Castro: .194/.233/.250 in 118 PAs. Owed minimum, Reds paying contract.
Carroll: .271/.355/.346 in 314 PAs. Owed $400K in ’08, $2.5MM club option for ’09 with $0.15MM buyout.

Scutaro seems like the best fit; Carroll has not played shortstop this year. It is not known whether any of these players have cleared waivers. Who do you think the Angels should target?

Odds and Ends: Hart, Ellis, Mientkiewicz, Varitek

By Tim Dierkes | August 29, 2008 at 11:35am CDT

Today’s random links…

Ken Rosenthal discusses possible changes at various GM positions. Jon Heyman says Pat Gillick could take a high-ranking role with the Blue Jays if not the Mariners.
Former Indians and Rangers GM John Hart is interested in the Mariners job. The Mariners hope to have their permanent GM hired by the end of October.
A Japanese pitcher invented a new pitch called the shake.
Eddie Bajek wonders if Mark Ellis could handle shortstop. It’s good to think out of the box given the free agent market at the position.
Doug Mientkiewicz would like to spend another season as a Pirates clubhouse leader, but he’d also like more playing time.
The trio of Blue Jays middle infielders react to the Angels rumor.
DraftInfo chatted with MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo.
Amalie Benjamin believes there’s a good chance the Red Sox re-sign Jason Varitek.

Odds and Ends: Indians, Livan, Braves, Friedman

By Tim Dierkes | August 25, 2008 at 12:20pm CDT

Let’s round up today’s random links.

The Pirates received catcher Robinzon Diaz from the Blue Jays in the Jose Bautista deal. Not too shabby, he should develop into a credible cheap backup.
Yahoo’s Gordon Edes sees Manny Ramirez playing for the Mets in ’09.
The point continues to be hammered home – the Indians intend to acquire a proven closer this winter. Brian Fuentes seems a reasonable target.
RotoAuthority takes a closer look at Cliff Lee.
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle wants to see if Livan Hernandez fits into their plans for 2009. Hernandez has allowed a remarkable 224 hits in 152 innings – a rate that will rank second in baseball history if he can reach the 162 innings needed to qualify. Even Jose Lima can’t make that claim.
J.C. Bradbury notes that the Braves’ attempts to extend star players acquired via trade have been largely unsuccessful.
Outs Per Swing chats with Rays exec Andrew Friedman.
Danny Knobler surveyed scouts about Francisco Rodriguez’s stuff.

Rockies To Shop Atkins?

By Nat Boyle | August 24, 2008 at 12:37pm CDT

Everyone expects the Rockies to move Matt Holliday for pitching this winter, but Troy E. Renck suggests it might be Garrett Atkins instead. Atkins is expected to make around $8MM in arbitration next year, and with Ian Stewart developing at third and Todd Helton returning to first, Atkins becomes readily expendable.

Renck points out that the third basement free agent market is sorely lacking, boosting Atkins value in a trade. Atkins can also play first base, making him a valuable player for ball clubs like the Twins and Angels. From those teams, Renck lists Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey, Nick Adenhart, and Ervin Santana as young pitchers with huge upsides that could be a good fit. Santana, however, has realized that upside so I wouldn’t consider him on the list.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Dempster, Mora, Cameron

By Tim Dierkes | August 20, 2008 at 11:09am CDT

Ken Rosenthal has a new column up; let’s take a look.

Rosenthal agrees with those who considered C.C. Sabathia pitching the ninth inning Monday a needless risk. Sabathia already had thrown 112 pitches and the Brewers had a seven run lead, but he pitched the ninth to bring the total to 130. The innings shouldn’t affect Sabathia’s payday, but hopefully he remains healthy.
Rosenthal sees a minimal chance of Ryan Dempster signing elsewhere, given his strong relationship with Cubs GM Jim Hendry. Dempster will be the Cubs’ top offseason priority. I also consider Kerry Wood unlikely to leave.
Add Melvin Mora to the list of players who have cleared waivers. He, Aubrey Huff, and Ramon Hernandez will be shopped this winter. Mora has raised his numbers and stock significantly by hitting .378/.421/.652 since the beginning of July. He has a full no-trade clause and is owed $9MM next year.
The Indians are almost certain to sign a closer this winter, with Brandon Lyon and Brian Fuentes perhaps the best available aside from Francisco Rodriguez and Wood.
The Rockies will place Fuentes on waivers soon and may also shop Willy Taveras. Manny Corpas has already hit the wire.
Rosenthal figures Mike Cameron’s $10MM option for ’09 will be exercised. Cameron is hitting .245/.333/.509 in 372 plate appearances while playing strong defense.
Gary Matthews Jr.’s knee injury may prevent the Angels from trading him this winter. That, and the $33MM owed to him through 2011.

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