Odds & Ends: Helton, Gaudin, Hensley, Papelbon
Links for Monday…
- Troy Renck of The Denver Post has the details of Todd Helton's new contract extension. He can void the deal if two of three general partners sell their controlling interest in the team, and it contains $13.1MM in deferred money at three percent interest.
- The Yankees could look to move Chad Gaudin soon, according to Rosenthal (via Twitter). In another tweet, he mentions that Clay Hensley can opt out of his contract with the Marlins if he's not on the roster by April 1st.
- Jim Bowden shows off his post-trade fist pump in his latest GM's Corner video for FOX Sports. Bowden asked a slew of GMs about their processes for making deals; Frank Wren estimated that less than ten percent of discussions lead to trades.
- In considering Jonathan Papelbon's future, WEEI's Alex Speier demonstrates just how risky large multiyear deals for relievers have been.
- FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says the Blue Jays "will not settle for fringe prospects in return" for relievers Scott Downs and Jason Frasor, and they could use them to continue the rebuilding effort.
- Rosenthal adds that Gary Sheffield is talking to a NL club, though it's not clear which one.
- Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com notes that both Jamey Wright and Austin Kearns have out clauses in their contracts, but a club official said the provisions will not impact the makeup of the team. A source added that there are "no trades on the horizon" for Cleveland.
Marlins Return Jorge Jimenez To Red Sox
MONDAY, 5:39pm: Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com tweets that the two sides discussed several names in a trade that would have allowed the Marlins to keep Jimenez, and that it's possible they'll revisit a deal later.
SUNDAY, 9:15am: Rule 5 pick Jorge Jimenez has been returned to the Boston Red Sox by the Florida Marlins, tweets Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro notes that Boston will return $25K to the Marlins, half of the $50K the Sox received for Jimenez.
Jimenez was acquired from the Astros, as part of the Matt Lindstrom trade. The Astros selected Jimenez from Boston's roster in the Rule 5 draft and sent him to Florida.
The 25-year-old Jimenez is a career .298/.377/.423 hitter in the minors, and had been hoping to earn the starting job third base job in Florida. With Jimenez now out of the picture, it appears likely that Jorge Cantu will start at third for the Marlins, with Gaby Sanchez the favorite to win the first base job.
Odds & Ends: Royals, Dodgers, Mauer, Reyes
Sunday night linkage..
- Rookie left-hander and Rule 5 draftee Edgar Osuna has impressed in Kansas City and will likely stick with the club, writes Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
- Joe Torre has suspended contract extension talks with the Dodgers to avoid becoming a distraction during the season, writes Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner (via Twitter) believes that the Twins are paying Joe Mauer what he's worth. Meanwhile, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets that Minnesota's payroll will likely top $100MM in 2011.
- Social media can be a real headache for GMs, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Hanshin Tigers are looking at three major league pitchers to bolster their rotation, according to a report from Sports Hochi passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. The report lists Jo-Jo Reyes, Eric Stults, and Seth McClung as possibilities. You may recall that another Japanese club, the Chiba Lotte Marines, has previously shown interest in Stults.
- Bobby Jenks will be on a short leash this season, writes Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald. Jenks, who turned 29 on March 14th, is set to earn $7.5MM in 2010 after avoiding arbitration with the White Sox.
- The Padres' Adrian Gonzalez is ignoring all of the trade talk that surrounds him, writes Peter Gammons in a column for MLB.com.
The Latest On Mike Lowell
Although a Mike Lowell trade isn't the sure thing it once seemed, there's still a chance that a deal could be completed, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald.
Silverman mentions four teams that are possible landing spots for Lowell: the Astros, Marlins, Rangers, and Twins. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if the White Sox could be added to that list as well. Each of these teams has potential question marks at first base or designated hitter, or just could use another right-handed bat.
Alex Speier of WEEI speculates that the Marlins' willingness to return Jorge Jimenez to the Red Sox could signal that Florida's need for a corner infielder isn't that strong. If the team feels confident enough in either Gaby Sanchez or Logan Morrison at first base that they'd cut Jimenez, that could mean a diminished interest in Lowell as well.
Lowell will, of course, have display good health before any club thinks about acquiring him. Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston tweets that the Rangers, among other teams, are scouting Lowell today. The 36-year-old is scheduled to play third base for the first time this spring.
Heyman On Mauer, Beckett, Lowell
Jon Heyman of SI.com expects Joe Mauer and Josh Beckett to re-sign with their current teams. Here are the details from his latest column:
- Heyman hears that Joe Mauer and the Twins are willing to work on an extension once the season begins. Apparently Mark Teixeira's eight-year $180MM deal is a comparable for the Mauer talks.
- According to a person involved in the talks, Beckett is seeking slightly more than the five-year $82.5MM deal John Lackey signed.
- Heyman doesn't think the Red Sox can expect the Marlins to pay as much as of Mike Lowell's salary as the Rangers agreed to take on in December. The Rangers were going to take on $3MM of the infielder's $12MM salary before concerns about Lowell's thumb emerged.
Odds & Ends: Lowell, Ohka, Towers, Washburn
Leftover links for Tuesday evening….
- Perhaps we shouldn't count on the Mike Lowell rumor mill immediately roaring back to life. ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes says (via Twitter) that scouts don't feel Lowell is moving very well in spring action. Of course, as Edes points out in a second tweet, the 36-year-old doesn't move overly well even when he's healthy.
- Greg Cote of the Miami Herald thinks Lowell's limited mobility isn't as big a concern as long as he's playing first base, and would like to see the Marlins go after him.
- The Quintana Roo Tigers of the Mexican League released Tomo Ohka, tweets NPB Tracker. The Tigers had just signed the Japanese right-hander last week.
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer assesses the progress of the players the Indians acquired in last season's Cliff Lee trade, focusing on Jason Donald.
- The Yankees have finally made their hiring of Kevin Towers official, naming him a Special Assignment Scout, per a team press release. It was first reported back in January that Towers would be joining New York's staff.
- Yesterday, we heard that the Mariners still have interest in Jarrod Washburn, but John Hickey of AOL Fanhouse tweets that the left-hander isn't close to signing yet with Seattle or anyone else.
- The Astros, not the Red Sox, signed minor-leaguer and former Mariners' first round pick, Michael Garciaparra, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
- If he were a GM tasked with signing either himself and Vladimir Guerrero, Marlon Byrd would make the same choice the Rangers did, according to ESPNDallas' Richard Durrett. Byrd says that before he signed with the Cubs, he had some preliminary discussions with Texas, adding that the Rangers' decision to sign Vladdy was a "no brainer."
Marlins Release Derrick Turnbow
Righty reliever Derrick Turnbow has been released by the Marlins, tweets Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Yesterday Turnbow said his comeback attempt with the Marlins was over after he left today's Spring Training game favoring his shoulder, tweets Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post. Turnbow told MLB.com's Joe Frisaro that the pain in his shoulder was ten times worse than when he broke his elbow (link goes to Twitter).
The 32-year-old Turnbow signed a minor league deal with Florida back in January, hoping to get back to the big leagues for the first time since 2008. He suffered from extreme control issues after his breakout campaign with the Brewers in 2005, walking 148 batters in 154 innings, majors and minors.
If this is indeed the end of the road for Turnbow, he'll retire with a 4.30 ERA, 65 saves, and a 9.3 K/9 in 257.2 innings. Baseball-Reference.com says he earned just over $7MM during his career.
Marlins Interested In Mike Lowell?
The Florida Marlins had scouts on hand to watch Mike Lowell's Grapefruit League debut at first base today, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. Although the club's level of interest in the 36-year-old is unclear, Spencer entertains the notion of a possible reunion between the Marlins and their all-time home run leader.
Considering how minuscule their payroll is, it's hard to imagine the Marlins making a play for Lowell unless Boston is willing to take on virtually the entire $12MM that he'll make in 2010. As Spencer points out though, the corner infield situation in Florida is still in flux. Jorge Cantu is capable of manning either side of the diamond and is penciled in at third base for now, while unproven youngsters Logan Morrison and Gaby Sanchez compete for the first base job.
Lowell looked solid in his debut, collecting a hit in two at-bats and playing three innings in the field. Of course, it'll take more than a single game to show that he's back to full health after battling thumb and hip issues. It was Lowell's thumb injury that resulted in a trade to Texas being called off earlier in the winter.
In that proposed deal, the Red Sox showed a willingness to pay a significant chunk ($9MM) of Lowell's salary. If Lowell displays good health this spring, and the Sox will still pay that price to move him, the Marlins and Twins could be among the teams interested.
Odds & Ends: Nats, Bell, Mahay, Smoltz
Sunday night linkage..
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if money might be a factor in the Nationals' starting shortstop battle. Ian Desmond is making a compelling case for the starting job but the club might be unwilling to put Cristian Guzman and his $8MM contract on the bench.
- Padres closer Heath Bell told Tom Krasovic of AOL Fanhouse that he would be agreeable to signing an extension that is budget-friendly for the Padres. San Diego avoided arbitration with Bell in January when they agreed to a one-year, $4MM pact.
- It appears that reliever Ron Mahay won't be signing with the Mets, writes Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News. A source tells Rubin that there's no way Mahay would accept a minor league deal. Meanwhile, a separate source says that the Mets won't offer a major league contract.
- In his latest mailbag, a reader suggests to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro that the Marlins should sign John Smoltz. Frisaro says that the Marlins have no interest in the 42-year-old as the 26-year-old Josh Johnson is a good influence on the team's young pitchers.
Odds & Ends: Ortiz, Brewers, Salcedo, Miller
Links for Saturday…
- David Ortiz said he isn't letting his contract situation get to him, writes ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. Big Papi will earn $12.5MM this year, and the Red Sox hold an option at the same salary for 2011 with no buyout. Tough to see them picking that one up.
- An interesting point raised by MLB.com's Adam McCalvy: The Brewers essentially traded Hernan Iribarren to the Rangers for Joe Inglett. Milwaukee picked up Inglett in January after he was waived by Texas. Mat Gamel and Inglett are now in the mix for the Brewers' final bench spot.
- Edward Salcedo was officially introduced to Braves reporters this morning, writes Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The 18-year-old Dominican shortstop said that Atlanta was the only organization to show significant interest in him over the past two years.
- Jim Edmonds may be playing his way into a role with the Brewers, writes Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Both the Diamondbacks and Mariners had interest in Dana Eveland before he was acquired by the Blue Jays, tweets MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com spoke to a scout who wouldn't be surprised if the Marlins traded lefty Andrew Miller (link goes to Twitter).
- David Murphy is just biding his time on Texas' bench, writes Anthony Andro of The Star-Telegram. Murphy is a .278/.336/.465 career hitter, but he might get too expensive for a bench job as he enters his first arbitration year after 2010.
- Ben Shpigel of The New York Times reports that Yankees' hitting coach Kevin Long was analyzing videotape of Curtis Granderson to help him improve against lefthanders way back in November, a month before the team traded for him.