By Tim Dierkes | at
Despite published reports to the contrary, Tracy Ringolsby says the Tigers and Orioles are considering extending a spring training invite to Juan Gonzalez. He adds that despite Bill Stoneman’s denial, the Angels had scouts watching Gonzalez in Puerto Rico this winter.
Now let us all sit back and wait for those three clubs to re-deny interest. It’s funny to me that the clubs even felt compelled to comment on the rumor in the first place.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Despite published reports to the contrary, Tracy Ringolsby says the Tigers and Orioles are considering extending a spring training invite to Juan Gonzalez. He adds that despite Bill Stoneman’s denial, the Angels had scouts watching Gonzalez in Puerto Rico this winter.
Now let us all sit back and wait for those three clubs to re-deny interest. It’s funny to me that the clubs even felt compelled to comment on the rumor in the first place.
By Tim Dierkes | at
It was bound to happen sooner or later – Igor, aka Juan Gonzalez, is attempting another return to the Majors. Published reports in Puerto Rico named the Angels, Tigers, and Orioles as interested parties. Update: the Orioles aren’t interested after all. And the Tigers denying interest as well. Ah, there we go – the Angels are not pursuing him. That was awesome – each team systematically denied any interest in Gonzalez within a few days of the rumor surfacing.
The slimmed-down Gonzalez spent last year in the Atlantic League and he’s currently playing in the Caribbean Series. Baseball Prospectus’s Derek Jacques reports:
"Juan Gonzalez makes the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz look nimble and flexible. Watching him run the bases, I constantly expected to hear a loud snapping sound followed by a trail of body parts. Igor still has the long looping swing, but his bat speed isn’t where he can really turn on Dessens’ heat in the third. He’s trying to cheat, and it just isn’t working."
Last year, Gonzalez was said to be in the best condition of his life and supposedly drew interest from the Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox, Athletics, and Rockies.
By Tim Dierkes | at
It was bound to happen sooner or later – Igor, aka Juan Gonzalez, is attempting another return to the Majors. Published reports in Puerto Rico named the Angels, Tigers, and Orioles as interested parties. Update: the Orioles aren’t interested after all. And the Tigers denying interest as well. Ah, there we go – the Angels are not pursuing him. That was awesome – each team systematically denied any interest in Gonzalez within a few days of the rumor surfacing.
The slimmed-down Gonzalez spent last year in the Atlantic League and he’s currently playing in the Caribbean Series. Baseball Prospectus’s Derek Jacques reports:
"Juan Gonzalez makes the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz look nimble and flexible. Watching him run the bases, I constantly expected to hear a loud snapping sound followed by a trail of body parts. Igor still has the long looping swing, but his bat speed isn’t where he can really turn on Dessens’ heat in the third. He’s trying to cheat, and it just isn’t working."
Last year, Gonzalez was said to be in the best condition of his life and supposedly drew interest from the Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox, Athletics, and Rockies.
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to Ken Rosenthal, free agent center fielder Darin Erstad is expected to choose a team this week. The 32 year-old has a slight chance at signing with the Angels or Cubs, but is more likely to choose between the Marlins or White Sox.
It appears that Florida is Erstad’s best shot at regular playing time, given that his competition is Alex Sanchez. With Chicago Erstad would split time with Brian Anderson and perhaps Ryan Sweeney.
Rosenthal reports that the Cubs hope to acquire a young, cheap CF to hold the fort until Felix Pie is ready. This comes despite the recent proclamation that Alfonso Soriano would play center. Pie has an interesting PECOTA projection – Baseball Prospectus forecasts a .289/.342/.481 line from him as a 22 year-old in the Majors.
By Tim Dierkes | at
In his latest blog post at ESPN, Peter Gammons mentions that the White Sox might pursue Angels shortstop Erick Aybar if Juan Uribe’s future remains unclear. Joe Crede could be the trade candidate.
Aybar, who turned 23 yesterday, hit .283/.327/.413 in Triple A last year (equivalent to .234/.269/.328 in the Majors). Baseball America ranks Aybar as the Angels’ third best prospect, behind Brandon Wood and Nick Adenhart. Aybar has come up in many trade rumors already in his career. According to BA, Aybar handles the bat well and his glove, arm, and speed are plus tools. They see him as more of a bottom-of-the-order, defensive-minded SS.
My feeling is that swapping out Uribe and Crede for Aybar and Fields would make the Sox significantly worse in 2007…but it is just a trade rumor right now.
By Tim Dierkes | at
I scoured what seemed like a dozen Randy Johnson articles, most of which had the same themes we were hearing yesterday: the Yanks don’t have to trade Johnson, the vacancy could go to Zito or Clemens, the Diamondbacks are in the thick of things, the Padres are the frontrunners, the Dodgers are just driving up the price, and the Giants and Angels are the dark horses.
Joseph A. Reaves of the Arizona Republic has a slightly different take, though: he says the Mariners have surfaced as a potential trade partner. It’s just a one-line mention, but I haven’t seen it confirmed elsewhere yet. I will try. Additionally, Reaves writes that the Dodgers are not interested.
Newday’s Ken Davidoff weighs in on the side of reason: he doesn’t want to trade a decent 200 inning starter. I also agree with him in that Kei Igawa can easily be pushed to the pen for two-thirds of a season if Roger Clemens is brought aboard. The Yanks aren’t so stacked with good starting pitching as to make Johnson expendable.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Ken Rosenthal reports that the Angels have signed Shea Hillenbrand to a one-year deal. ESPN adds that the contract includes an option for 2008. RotoWorld has the dollars: $6MM in 2006 with a $6.5MM vesting option for ’08. Should the Halos use him at first base, it could indicate a trade of Casey Kotchman or Kendry Morales is on the horizon.
Hillenbrand, 31, hit .277/.313/.451 in 530 ABs between the Blue Jays and Giants this year. His 21 homers were a career high. By comparison, the average American League first baseman hit .280/.352/.467 in 2006.
Hillenbrand’s reunion with John Gibbons won’t occur until the Angels face the Blue Jays on August 14th.
By Tim Dierkes | at
According to the New York Daily News, you can add the Angels and Dodgers to the list of teams interested in the suddenly-available Randy Johnson. Furthermore, Roger Rubin and Bill Madden name the Padres as Johnson’s most likely suitor right now. This thing has expanded beyond his hometown Diamondbacks.
The paper writes that the Yanks already have some offers on the table. From the Dodgers’ point of view, their interest in Johnson may only be in keeping him away from division rivals. Perhaps a starter would go back to New York in such a deal.
Johnson’s agent hasn’t been looped in yet, but Brian Cashman will need the pitcher’s consent in any deal.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports that Dan O’Dowd and Bill Stoneman have renewed the Todd Helton trade talks that died at the winter meetings.
Even if Helton’s contract was pared down to $45MM over the next five seasons, the Angels are concerned about the first baseman’s health. It seems that the Rockies could still snag Casey Kotchman and Erick Aybar in the deal – a sweet bounty in itself. Kotchman is healthy again and Aybar would give the Rox a shortstop surplus. Perhaps Aybar, a genius with the leather, could convert to center field.
Helton would have to approve a trade to L.A. Meanwhile, the Denver Post has basically the same info, but is careful to label a trade a "longshot."
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