Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Athletics Rumors

Bay Area Notes: Nady, Lincecum, Manny, Jackson

By | at

Moneyball received six Academy Award nominations on Tuesday, joining Pride Of The Yankees and Field Of Dreams as the only baseball-centric movies to ever be nominated for the prestigious Best Picture Oscar.  While I'm not sure if I'd call Moneyball one of the very best films of the year, it's definitely a well-made, entertaining movie, as outlined in my review from last September.

Here are some non-cinematic notes from both the Athletics and the Giants in this roundup of Bay Area news…

AL West Notes: A’s, Oswalt, Hamilton, Mariners

By | at

The Athletics signed future Hall of Famer Goose Gossage on this date 20 years ago. The right-hander spent two seasons in Oakland, though he's better known for stints with the Yankees, White Sox and Padres. Here are the latest notes and rumors from the AL West…

  • Athletics owner and managing partner Lew Wolff said the team made a $370K profit in 2011, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. That figure takes into account $32MM from other clubs via revenue sharing. The A’s may move to San Jose in the relatively near future, but at least they’re staying afloat in the meantime.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels said on The Ben and Skin Show on ESPN Dallas that he’d love to add pitching depth such as Roy Oswalt if it makes sense in the context of the team's entire roster. "The flip side we’ve got to consider is what if that doesn’t happen? How does it all fit together? We've spent a lot of time and resources developing this younger group,” Daniels said, according to Richard Durrett.
  • Daniels also explained on The Ben and Skin Show that he plans to have extension talks with Josh Hamilton’s representatives before Spring Training (quotes via Durrett).
  • GM Jack Zduriencik and some rival executives from around the league check in with ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick about Ichiro Suzuki and the rest of the 2012 Mariners.

AL West Notes: Uehara, Ichiro, Manny, Cardenas

By | at

A few items of note to share from the AL West …

  • There's a "good chance" the Rangers will trade reliever Koji Uehara, sources tell T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. On Tuesday we heard that Uehara vetoed an agreed-upon trade between the Rangers and Blue Jays, so it's not too surprising to hear that Texas is still shopping the right-hander. There are a number of teams interested in Uehara, according to Sullivan, and the Rangers "like what they are hearing" in terms of potential return.
  • The Mariners and Ichiro Suzuki have agreed to table extensions talks, perhaps till after the 2012 season, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, meaning the 11-year veteran, who's spent his entire career to date with the M's, could enter free agency for the first time.
  • Athletics managing partner Lew Wolff said he would be OK with signing Manny Ramirez, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, although the decision is ultimately up to GM Billy Beane (Twitter links). Said Wolff: "I wouldn't want to not have a player because he made a mistake and paid the price for it …"
  • The A's hope Adrian Cardenas clears waivers so they can retain him, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Cardenas was designated for assignment earlier today.

Athletics Designate Adrian Cardenas For Assignment

By | at

The Athletics announced that they designated infielder Adrian Cardenas for assignment. The move creates 40-man roster space for Bay Area native Jonny Gomes, whose signing is now official.

Cardenas, 24, spent the 2011 season with Oakland's Triple-A affiliate, where he posted a .314/.374/.418 line in 545 plate appearances and played left field, shortstop, second and third. In six minor league seasons, the 2006 draft pick has a .303/.368/.413 batting line.

Minor Moves: German Duran, Yairo Munoz

By | at

Let's keep track of the day's minor signings here…

  • The Marlins have signed utility man German Duran according to a release by the independent Grand Praire Air Hogs. The 27-year-old reached the big leagues with the Rangers in 2008, but spent last season with the Air Hogs and in the Mexican League. He hit .268/.338/.429 in just 65 total plate appearances in 2011.
  • The Athletics have signed 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Yairo Munoz according to a release from the Dominican Prospect League. Munoz is said to be a "contact hitter who can drive the ball gap to gap, he uses his speed to leg out extra bases and he shows instincts to play the game."

Athletics To Sign Jonny Gomes

By | at

TUESDAY, 8:32pm: Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle reports (on Twitter) that the deal is worth $1MM with another $200K in incentives.

FRIDAY, 4:07pm: The deal is for approximately $1.1MM, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.

11:41am: The Athletics have agreed to sign Jonny Gomes, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports tweets. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that the A's were nearing a deal with the Petaluma, California native.

Gomes, 31, posted a .209/.325/.389 line with 14 homers in 372 plate appearances for the Reds and Nationals in 2011. The ACES client has a career .311/.407/.456 line against left-handed pitching, so his skillset should complement left-handed hitting outfielders such as Seth Smith and Josh Reddick.

Conor Jackson and Johnny Damon were also considerations for the A's, who were looking for an outfielder capable of hitting left-handers, according to Slusser. GM Billy Beane has traded for Smith and Reddick and re-signed Coco Crisp this offseason to build his 2012 outfield.

Athletics Agree To Sign Bartolo Colon

By | at

The Athletics and Bartolo Colon have agreed to a one-year contract, the team announced. MLB.com's Joey Nowak reports that the deal is worth nearly $2MM and could include a signing bonus. The Diamondbacks had shown interest in Colon recently, and the Yankees indicated a willingness to re-sign him earlier this winter.

A client of Adam Katz at Wasserman Media Group, Bartolo resurrected his career with New York in 2011, pitching to a 4.00 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 in 164 1/3 innings after signing a minor league contract. The 38-year-old Colon did not pitch in MLB in 2010, and has been treated with stem cells from his bone marrow and fat to repair tears in his elbow and rotator cuff. He was regularly hitting 94-96 with his fastball last year before fading down the stretch.

Having traded both Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill this offseason, the Athletics are looking at Colon as a stopgap for a rotation that will also include Brandon McCarthy, and possibly a healthy Dallas Braden. Brett Anderson will be out until midseason due to Tommy John surgery, though the recently acquired Jarrod Parker, Tom Milone, and Brad Peacock will all make their case for a starting spot in Spring Training.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale first reported that Colon had agreed to a deal with an unknown team, then later added details along with CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman (all Twitter links). ESPN's Jayson Stark first reported the Athletics' involvement.

Athletics Interested In Manny Ramirez

By | at

The Athletics are "very interested" in adding Manny Ramirez as a designated hitter for 2012, Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportesLosAngeles.com reports. The Orioles and Blue Jays also watched Ramirez hit at an indoor cage, Rojas adds.

MLB reinstated Ramirez from the voluntary retirement list in December, but he would still have to serve a 50-game suspension for violating MLB's drug policy if and when signs. The 39-year-old slugger has 547 home runs and a career batting line of .312/.411/.585 in 19 MLB seasons. He hit .298/.409/.460 for the Dodgers and White Sox in 2010, his last extended stint in the Major Leagues.

Athletics, Jonny Gomes Nearing Deal

By | at

The A's are nearing a deal with free agent outfielder Jonny Gomes, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A deal with the ACES client could be completed by Monday.

Conor Jackson and Johnny Damon were also considerations for the A's, who were looking for an outfielder capable of hitting left-handers, according to Slusser. GM Billy Beane has traded for Seth Smith and Josh Reddick and re-signed Coco Crisp this offseason to build his 2012 outfield.

Gomes, 31, posted a .209/.325/.389 line with 14 homers in 372 plate appearances for the Reds and Nationals in 2011. The Petaluma, California native has a career .311/.407/.456 line against left-handed pitching, so his skillset should complement left-handed hitting outfielders such as Smith and Reddick.

Athletics Shopping Brandon Allen

By | at

Faced with an abundance of first base candidates and just one job, the Athletics are shopping first baseman Brandon Allen, tweets ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The 25-year-old has excelled throughout the minor leagues, but has yet to produce at the plate in three Major League stints with the Diamondbacks and A's.

Allen posted a .200/.277/.377 line with six home runs in 195 MLB plate appearances last year to go along with a .991 OPS in 419 minor league plate appearances. The A's, who obtained Allen for Brad Ziegler last summer, also have Daric Barton, Chris Carter and Kila Ka'aihue in the mix at first base.

If the A's haven't already called the Rays, Indians, Pirates and Brewers about Allen, I doubt they're too far down the list of clubs that GM Billy Beane and assistant GM David Forst will get in touch with. The White Sox selected the left-handed hitter in the fifth round of the 2004 draft and traded him to Arizona for Tony Pena in 2009.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top