Twins Rumors

A’s Rumors: Wuertz, Cabrera, Angels

By Eddie Schmid | July 25, 2009 at 9:09am CDT

Susan Slusser at the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Angels are "prepared to make a strong bid" for RHP Michael Wuertz's services. That strong bid could begin with infielder Sean Rodriguez.

However, it's unclear if the A's would be willing to trade Wuertz within the division–Wuertz is under team control for two more years.

Slusser also notes that the Twins have expressed interest in SS Orlando Cabrera, who has a .925 OPS in July, but they might not have a prospect package good enough to entice the A's.

A’s Rumors: Kennedy, Wuertz, Cabrera

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 24, 2009 at 9:21am CDT

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle passes along the latest on three Athletics not named Matt Holliday:

Mid-season acquisition Adam Kennedy says he loves it in Oakland and wants to remain with the A's.
The Twins are looking at Michael Wuertz and Orlando Cabrera as they attempt to improve their bullpen and middle infield.
Wuertz makes $1.1MM and Cabrera makes $4MM, so both are relatively affordable options for the Twins, who are 2.5 games back of the AL Central lead.

Twins To Sign Mark Grudzielanek

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 19, 2009 at 12:59pm CDT

The Twins agreed to terms with Mark Grudzielanek on a minor league deal, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Grudzielanek, who just turned 39, will provide the Twins with middle infield depth. The 14-year veteran hit .299 last year in 86 games with the Royals, while playing above-average defense at second. He'll report to the Twins' Gulf Coast League affiliate.

The signing was first reported by SethSpeaks.net.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Sano, White Sox, Blue Jays

By Mike Axisa | July 17, 2009 at 5:53pm CDT

Here's some links to check out as you celebrate the return of a full slate of baseball games…

Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says something doesn't add up about the Pirates reported interest in signing Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez to contract extensions. He wonders if the team will make low-ball offers that the players have no choice but to reject just so they can say "The players refused our offers and left us with no choice but to trade them away and improve our organization's future."
Twins vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff is in the Dominican Republic to take a look at Miguel Angel Sano, according to Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press.
Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune notes that when asked about the team's interest in acquiring Roy Halladay, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said ""I don't think were going to give up half the organization for one player."
Dave Cameron at FanGraphs has reached the top ten in his series of post about the 50 MLB players with the most trade value.
The Blue Jays have signed their fourth round pick according to Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun.

Odds And Ends: Twins, Iglesias, Rockies

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 16, 2009 at 1:09pm CDT

More links to read through as the second half gets underway…

Which AL teams have the easiest route to the playoffs? ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Twins have a favorable schedule from here on.
Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus has the details on the Jose Iglesias deal. The Red Sox awarded the slick-fielding shortstop a $3MM bonus and will pay the remainder of his $8.25MM deal over the next four years.
ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says the Rockies need to fortify their bullpen before the end of the month.
Tune in to The Big 1070 at 3:25 CST and Team 1380 in St. Louis at 6:20 CST, as I'll be talking trades on both stations.

Freddy Sanchez Rumors: Saturday

By Mike Axisa | July 11, 2009 at 9:59am CDT

Yesterday we learned that the Pirates are "pushing hard" to trade All Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez before this year's trade deadline, but nothing appears imminent right now. Here's the latest roundup of Sanchez rumors courtesy of Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Gordon Edes of Yahoo! Sports.

Kovacevic says the Mariners and Twins remain interested in Sanchez.
The Rockies' interest has cooled off of late, and they're now focused on acquiring bullpen help.
Biertempfel adds a new team to the mix: Tampa Bay.
Edes reports that a NL Central team is involved, and speculates that it could be the Cubs.
Sanchez's $8MM vesting option based on plate appearances is an obstacle in any trade.

Odds And Ends: Pujols, Pirates, Marlins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 10, 2009 at 12:31pm CDT

Links for Friday…

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Cardinals would lock Albert Pujols up to an extension as soon as possible in a perfect world.
Bud Selig told Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Pujols, Derek Jeter and Trevor Hoffman are among baseball's best ambassadors.
Their interest in Miguel Angel Sano is on hold, but that's not stopping the Pirates from being aggressive in Latin America. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette passes along descriptions of six Pirates signees.
Greg Cote of the Miami Herald says the Marlins need to acquire a closer, even if it means giving up Cody Ross, Jeremy Hermida or Dan Uggla.
MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports that possible trade candidate Javier Vazquez will miss his next start with an abdominal strain.
Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune asks his readers whether the Twins should trade for Freddy Sanchez.
The Indians signed second rounder Jason Kipnis, according to a team press release.
MLB.com's John Torenli reports that Padres prospect Mat Latos pitched five perfect innings last night.

Freddy Sanchez Rumors: Friday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 10, 2009 at 8:48am CDT

The Giants and Twins are interested in Freddy Sanchez, but no deal is imminent for the Pirates' second baseman. Here are the latest Sanchez rumors from Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports and Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Morosi says the Twins and Giants are interested, but would probably want to see Sanchez, who has missed the last six games with a back issue, prove his health before making a deal.
The Rockies don't appear to have serious interest. That's hardly a surprise, given Clint Barmes' work at second base and Colorado's need for relievers.
In addition to the Giants and Rockies, Kovacevic hears that the Pirates have spoken to as many as five teams.
The Giants would move Jonathan Sanchez, but he would not be enough on his own.
Both reporters identify an obstacle for interested teams: the vesting option that will allow Sanchez to make $8MM next year if he continues playing regularly.

Miguel Angel Sano Rumors: Monday

By | July 6, 2009 at 9:25pm CDT

9:25pm: Arangure also notes that the Aroldis Chapman defection could have a major impact on Sano's negotiations. As he tweets,

"Certain teams will save money for run at Aroldis. Last minute offer (for) Sano less likely now."

9:04pm: Seeking more information, I asked Arangure whether the Twins and Pirates also see Sano as a guy not worth a $4MM signing bonus. He was kind enough to respond:

"For me, the Twins aren't real contenders anymore. The Pirates won't give record money because they won't have to."

8:58pm: ESPN's Jorge Arangure, who's been on the ball since the international signing period began on July 2, just rattled off a couple of interesting "tweets" involving 16-year-old shortstop Miguel Angel Sano:

"Am convinced Sano will not get record money. Orioles see him as late-first-round talent, which does not equal $4 million. More like $1-$1.5."

"Those who think Orioles will give record $ for Sano remember: They gave $3.2m to No. 4 pick [Brian] Matusz last year. Gave [Matt] Hobgood $2.4 this yr."

"There's no way Orioles are giving more to Sano than they gave Matusz and Hobgood."

If Arangure is correct, and the other teams tracking Sano follow suit, Wagner Mateo, singed July 2 by the Cardinals for $3.1MM, will go down as the highest-paid international prospect from 2009. Sano has been courted this summer by the Twins, Pirates and O's, who are awaiting the results of an MLB investigation into his age and identification.

Odds And Ends: Kepler, Rangers, Hairston

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 6, 2009 at 2:15pm CDT

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