Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Athletics Rumors

Arbitration Eligibles: Oakland Athletics

By | at

The Athletics are next in our arbitration eligibles series.

This entire group could reasonably be tendered contracts.  It's possible someone like Rosales, a potential Super Two, would be cut loose even though his projected salary is only $600K.  Powell, another likely Super Two, also failed to produce in the bigs but could be retained affordably.

Gonzalez should land the biggest salary at an estimated $3.6MM, as he'll be arbitration eligible as a Super Two.  Braden should stay around $3.3MM after missing most of the season.  Bailey could get $3.4MM for his first time through, while the A's can enjoy McCarthy cheaply for one more season at around $2.6MM.

Barton, Sweeney, and Breslow should fall in the $1.6-1.8MM range.  It was a lost season for Barton culminating in shoulder surgery, but it's still a reasonable price to retain him.  The A's also have Devine checking in around $900K.

In total we estimate $19.5MM for the Athletics' nine arbitration eligibles.  Assuming Michael Wuertz's option is exercised, the A's are looking at a commitment of maybe $44MM plus minimum salary players.  That'd put them $23MM short of this year's Opening Day payroll.

Matt Swartz contributed to this post.

Stark On Madson, Astros, Beane, Nationals

By | at

MLB is building momentum toward two 15-team leagues with three five-team divisions per league, according to ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. It doesn't appear that the players’ association will agree to expand the postseason unless owners agree to more balanced schedules and divisions, Stark reports. Here are the rest of his rumors…

  • It appears that the Tigers and Rays will pick up their options for Jose Valverde and Kyle Farnsworth, respectively, this offseason.
  • Two MLB executives predicted to Stark that Ryan Madson will sign a deal like the one Valverde obtained two winters ago: $14MM over two years plus an option.
  • Multiple teams have expressed concerns about Francisco Rodriguez’s off-field “baggage,” though K-Rod stands out as one of the best free agent relievers of the winter.
  • Stark hears that MLB has been slow to approve incoming Astros owner Jim Crane in order to apply leverage on Crane so that he’ll agree to move the Astros to the American League. Earlier today, Bob Nightengale of USA Today had a report that conflicts with Stark’s article.
  • Friends of Billy Beane say the A’s GM has legitimate interest in the Cubs GM job, though he has an ownership stake and lots of freedom in Oakland.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo will interview managerial candidates this offseason before deciding whether Davey Johnson will return as manager in 2012.
  • First base doesn’t appear to be a priority for Washington, but Rizzo says "you never want to say never” when it comes to possible offseason moves.

Indians Claim Jason Rice

By | at

The Indians claimed minor league reliever Jason Rice off waivers from the Athletics, tweets Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  The A's had acquired Rice from the Red Sox in the Conor Jackson deal last Wednesday.  The Tribe made room on the 40-man roster for Rice by moving Carlos Carrasco to the 60-day DL.

Rice, 25, posted a 3.69 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 4.4 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 85 1/3 Triple-A innings this year.  The Red Sox had obtained Rice from the White Sox in the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft, prior to the '09 season.  Red Sox vice president of player development and amateur scouting Mike Hazen talked to Pawtucket announcer Dan Hoard about Rice's arsenal in this post from February.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Rich Harden

By | at

In the 2009-10 offseason, the Athletics guaranteed $12MM to injury-risk starting pitchers Ben Sheets and Justin Duchscherer.  For 2010-11, the A's made their major commitments to relievers Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour, but also picked up starters Rich Harden and Brandon McCarthy for a total of $2.5MM.  So far in 2011, the two righty starters have combined for a tidy 3.76 ERA in 206 innings.

Less than a third of those innings have come from Harden, who developed a lat injury in February and didn't make his season debut until July 1st.  Since then Harden has made all of his scheduled starts, 11 of them heading into today's action.  He seemed headed to Boston on July 30th, but the Red Sox saw something they didn't like in his medical files and killed the trade.  Whatever they saw hasn't been an issue yet, as Harden made six starts in August and struck out 42.  During that time the Indians won a claim on Harden, but he again stayed put.

After a terrible 2010 with the Rangers, Harden appears to have returned to the formula that worked relatively well for him in '08 and '09: a huge strikeout rate, limited hits, lots of walks, and a lot of home runs allowed.  Though this approach has led to only a 4.55 ERA in 63 1/3 innings, Harden's 3.39 SIERA ranks fifth among impending free agent starting pitchers with at least 60 innings – just behind Bartolo Colon, C.J. Wilson, and Erik Bedard – though the innings cutoff was designed to include him.  Harden's 10.2 K/9 is easily tops among free agent starters, and ranks third in baseball overall. 

In 2008-09, Harden showed the ability to provide about 150 innings per season.  However, after '10 and '11, teams might have to lower their expectation to 100 innings.  Harden seems likely to continue signing one-year deals for the duration of his career, unless he takes off as a reliever at some point.  His last two free agent contracts guaranteed $7.5MM and $1.5MM, and I think we can split the difference and expect a guarantee in the $4.5MM range for 2012.  Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has reported that Harden would be happy to return to the A's next year, so perhaps they'll get a bit of a discount.

Front Office Notes: Beane, Cubs, Epstein, Friedman

By | at

Here's the latest on some GM vacancies and other front office moves…

  • Would Billy Beane be a good fit as the Yankees' general manager?  Mike Silva of the New York Baseball Digest takes on the question and wonders how Beane would navigate the politics of the Yankee front office.  Beane's name has been whispered in connection with the Cubs' GM vacancy, and Silva agrees that if Beane leaves Oakland for any job, it would be in Chicago.
  • The Cubs have signed Oneri Fleita to a four-year contract extension to continue as the club's vice-president of player personnel, reports Toni Ginnetti of the Chicago Sun-Times.  The Tigers were reportedly interested in hiring Fleita, which is why the Cubs moved to lock him up despite the fact that Chicago's GM candidates could have possibly wanted to fill that position themselves. 
  • Three AL East general managers will likely be staying put, says FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal (video link).  The Yankees and Brian Cashman are mutually interested in continuing their relationship, Andrew Friedman is "extremely loyal" to Rays owner Stuart Sternberg and since Theo Epstein has one year left on his Red Sox contract, an interested suitor like the Cubs would have to give Epstein the proverbial "offer he can't refuse" in order to convince him to leave.
  • Also from Rosenthal, he hears from sources close to Ozzie Guillen who feel the manager's recent demand for a contract extension was "a classic Ozzie diversionary tactic" to take the heat off the players.  On the other hand, common sense dictates that Guillen wants more job security and doesn't want to risk being fired in mid-season if the White Sox struggle in 2012.  One anonymous GM tells Rosenthal to bet on both Guillen and Kenny Williams staying in Chicago, since Jerry Reinsdorf is loyal to both men.

GM Notes: Zduriencik, Cashman, Beane, Cubs

By | at

The Mariners announced yesterday that they agreed to a multiyear extension with GM Jack Zduriencik. The deal ends speculation about a possible regime change and means there’s one less job opening for GM candidates in MLB. Here are the latest notes on baseball’s general managers…

  • Multiple high-ranking A’s officials tell Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Cubs haven’t made any contact with Billy Beane about Chicago’s GM opening. 
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff thinks Brian Cashman will be back with the Yankees next year, partly because of the Mariners' decision to retain Zduriencik. Not only does that remove one possible destination for Cashman, the longtime Yankees GM has been intrigued by the Seattle job in the past. 
  • Carrie Muskat of MLB.com lists Thad Levine of the Rangers, Ben Cherington of the Red Sox, J.J. Picollo of the Royals, Rick Hahn of the White Sox, Michael Hill of the Marlins and former Twins GM Terry Ryan as potential candidates for the Cubs' job.

Red Sox Acquire Conor Jackson

By | at

The Red Sox acquired Conor Jackson from the Athletics for Jason Rice, the teams announced. Oakland sent cash to Boston in the deal and the Red Sox transferred right-hander Bobby Jenks to the 60-day disabled list to create 40-man roster space for Jackson.

Jackson, 29, can fill in at the corner positions for the Red Sox and provide a right-handed bat off of the bench. He has a .249/.315/.342 line in 368 plate appearances this year and boasts a career line of .286/.384/.441 against left-handers. The 2003 first rounder was a key contributor for the D'Backs from 2006-08, but his offensive production has fallen off since. Jackson earns $3.2MM this season before hitting free agency.

Rice posted a 3.69 ERA with 9.4 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 85 1/3 innings of relief for Boston's Triple-A affiliate this year. In 256 career minor league appearances, most of which have come out of the bullpen, the 25-year-old has a 3.91 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9. The White Sox selected him in the 11th round of the 2005 draft. MLB.com's Jane Lee first reported the move.

Players Who Cleared Waivers

By | at

This is a running list of players who have cleared waivers, based on published reports. Once a player clears waivers, he can be traded to any team (barring a no-trade clause). This list can always be found in the sidebar under MLBTR Features. Player names are linked to the source articles.

Updated 8-30-11 at 10:56pm

Starting pitchers

  • Aaron Harang, Padres - Harang's ERA is a respectable 3.92 with 6.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in pitcher-friendly Petco Park.
  • Dontrelle Willis, Reds – Willis has bounced back with the Reds, posting a 4.10 ERA, 6.3 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, 0.68 HR/9, and 56.8% groundball rate in 52 2/3 innings.
  • Carlos Zambrano, Cubs – Zambrano cleared waivers prior to being placed on the disqualified list.  He has a short fuse, lousy stats, and over $22MM remaining on his contract through next year.
  • Rodrigo Lopez, Cubs – Not surprising to see the journeyman clear waivers.
  • Chris Capuano, Mets – Capuano owns a 3.74 SIERA as of August 14th and earns only $1.5MM plus incentives, so it's hard to see why a few teams didn't place claims.
  • Bronson Arroyo, Reds – His peripheral stats haven't changed much, but Arroyo has a 5.31 ERA as of August 15th.  $15MM of his $35MM contract is deferred through 2021 without interest.  The deferrals are voided if he's traded, however.  At any rate, expect Arroyo to stay put.
  • Bruce Chen, Royals – Chen has his moments, but it's not surprising to see him clear waivers.
  • Jason Vargas, Mariners – Like many of the starters here, Vargas' fastball wouldn't break a window.  But he has less than a million bucks left on his contract this year and is under team control through 2013.  He'd fit nicely at the back end of several rotations.    
  • Chien-Ming Wang, Nationals – His three starts this season were his first in over two years, so it's understandable that contenders wouldn't jump to claim him.
  • Tom Gorzelanny, Nationals – Booted to the bullpen last month, the 29-year-old flyballing southpaw has posted strong strikeout rates in recent years but can't hold a rotation job.
  • Ted Lilly, Dodgers – He always has strong strikeout-to-walk numbers, but is prone to the longball.  With over 82% of his $33MM contract remaining ($27MM+), it's no surprise he cleared waivers.

Relievers

  • Joe Nathan, Twins - Nathan won't be traded, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
  • Chad Qualls, Padres – Qualls is enjoying a bounce-back season, though his strikeout rate dipped to 5.3 K/9 this year.
  • Bill Bray, Reds – Bray has been decent this year, and a little tougher against lefties.  He'll be arbitration eligible for the second time this offseason.
  • Hong-Chih Kuo, Dodgers – A dominant reliever last year, Kuo has dealt with a back injury and anxiety disorder as his control has eluded him.
  • Huston Street, Rockies – Between a recent triceps injury and the $9MM+ owed to him through 2012, Street was expected to clear.
  • Brian Fuentes, Athletics – He's owed over $6MM through next year, and has been mediocre for the A's.
  • Jon Rauch, Blue Jays – Rauch is affordable, but he's on the DL for an appendectomy and wasn't great before that.
  • Mike Gonzalez, Orioles – Gonzalez has been dominant in August, and against lefties.  The problem is that he's still owed almost a million bucks.
  • Kevin Gregg, Orioles – Gregg might be the worst reliever holding down a closer's job, and he's owed at least $6.4MM through next year.
  • John Grabow, Cubs – He's been ineffective even against lefties, and he has over $700K remaining.
  • D.J. Carrasco, Mets – The Mets signed Carrasco to a two-year deal in December – their biggest acquisition of the offseason - but optioned him to Triple-A in April.  He stayed there until mid-June.

Position players

  • Aramis Ramirez, Cubs – In July, Ramirez's agent said that his client would consider an August deal but he has since had a change of heart.  The Cubs hold an option on Ramirez's deal worth $16MM.
  • Alfonso Soriano, Cubs – This one was also obvious.  SI's Jon Heyman notes on Twitter that the Cubs are willing to pay a "major, major chunk" of the $58.35MM owed to the left fielder through 2014.
  • Lance Berkman, Cardinals – Berkman has said he hopes to re-sign with St. Louis after the season, when he hits free agency.  Still, it's a surprise to see him clear waivers.
  • Ryan Theriot, Cardinals - Theriot earns $3.3MM this year and will be a non-tender candidate after the season.
  • David Wright, Mets - It's surprising that Wright cleared waivers, but it doesn't mean the Mets have interest in dealing him. Wright earns $15MM next year and can void a $16MM club option for 2013 if traded.
  • Conor Jackson, Athletics – Olney notes that the Red Sox asked about the light-hitting 1B/LF/RF, but there doesn't seem to be any traction there.
  • David DeJesus, Athletics – DeJesus has had a rough year but could at least be useful against right-handed pitching.
  • Hideki Matsui, Athletics – The Athletics have several waiver trade candidates, and Matsui's hot second half and low salary (owed less than $2MM the rest of the season) could make him a popular target.
  • Jason Bay, Mets – With Bay being owed at least $38.8MM through 2013, this was expected.  It's only been 12 games, but Bay is at least having his first good month of 2011.
  • Willie Harris, Mets – The versatile Harris has less than $200K left on his contract.
  • Angel Pagan, Mets – It's been a dismal year for Pagan, who may be in line for a non-tender after the season.
  • Carlos Lee, Astros – No surprise here, as the 35-year-old is hitting .263/.321/.417 and is owed almost $23MM through next year.  El Caballo's ten-and-five rights kick in after the season.
  • Johnny Damon, Rays – Damon blocked an August trade last summer and 12 months later he's a candidate to be traded once again.

Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.

Outrighted: Bruce Billings

By | at

The latest players outrighted to Triple-A…

AL West Notes: Athletics, Cruz, Angels

By | at

Ichiro Suzuki's streak of ten consecutive 200-hit seasons will likely end this year, since he's 49 hits away from 200. But as the Mariners point out, Ichiro has picked up at least 49 hits in a month six times in his career. Here are some more notes from the AL West…

  • The A's will need to make a 40-man roster move tomorrow, when they add Neil Wagner to their active roster, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). They'll have room on the 25-man roster once Jerry Blevins clears waivers tomorrow.
  • The Rangers expect Nelson Cruz to miss three weeks with a strained left hamstring, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). The Rangers could consider Lance Berkman of the Cardinals, but GM Jon Daniels indicated that he expects to find help from within the organization.
  • Wilson notes that Leonys Martin will take Cruz's roster spot for now and that a Berkman deal seems unlikely (Twitter links). 
  • As Kevin Baxter of the LA Times explains, the Angels have been playing better partly because of Vernon Wells' increased productivity. The offseason acquisition started off slowly and his season line is still just .216/.249/.393, but he has four multi-hit games in his last six contests.
Show all

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

hide arrows scroll to top