Athletics Rumors

Odds & Ends: Paul, Embree, Zobrist, Wakefield

By Tim Dierkes | April 26, 2010 at 9:35pm CDT

Links for Monday, as we digest Ryan Howard's $125MM extension…

Since the Dodgers called Xavier Paul up from the minors, he should be getting regular playing time with Manny Ramirez out, reasons Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.
Alan Embree told Dan Barbarisi of The Providence Journal that he won't be extending his contract deadline again. He hopes to be called up by the Red Sox by April 30th.
The AP has details on Ben Zobrist's $18MM extension with the Rays.
Though the knuckleballer doesn't say it, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says "it's obvious [Tim Wakefield] isn't keen on his new [bullpen] assignment."
Jim Callis of Baseball America explores what might happen if MLB allows trading draft picks.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders how long Javier Vazquez will be given to get on track.
With tongue firmly in cheek, Grant of the McCovey Chronicles predicts free agent-to-be Jayson Werth will sign with the Giants next winter.
ESPN's Keith Law shares his rankings of the top 100 prospects for the June amateur draft. (ESPN Insider subscription required.)
Speaking of young players, MLB.com's Jane Lee talks to Athletics director of player personnel Keith Leippman about some of the top prospects in Oakland's farm system.
ESPN.com's Eric Karabell says that if Matt Capps can keep up his strong start, the right-hander will be a good trade chip for Washington over the summer. Karabell also notes that if Capps is dealt, it will likely be to a team looking for set-up help, not a closer.
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times says it's a close call between Derek Jeter or Manny Ramirez for the title of "best big contract in baseball history."

Rosenthal On Kurt Suzuki, Heath Bell, Dusty Baker

By Tim Dierkes | April 26, 2010 at 2:41pm CDT

A look at the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

Rosenthal explains why we shouldn't expect the A's to make catcher Kurt Suzuki available in trade. He suggests that if Suzuki did become available, the demand to acquire three-plus years of his services would exceed Cleveland's return last summer for Victor Martinez. Suzuki hasn't had extension talks with the A's, though John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted that he's open to the idea.
Although the Twins explored trades for closers after Joe Nathan went down, they "never had a formal discussion with the Padres about Heath Bell." He may not be a big strikeout guy, but Jon Rauch has done a solid job so far in saving six out of seven.
Rosenthal says Dusty Baker asked the Reds about a contract extension, but "evidently the team is not yet ready to decide upon his future."

Royals Claim Jai Miller

By Tim Dierkes | April 26, 2010 at 2:18pm CDT

The Royals claimed outfielder Jai Miller off waivers from the Athletics, according to a team press release. Miller was designated for assignment by the Marlins on April 3rd, claimed by the A's on the 8th, and designated again on the 22nd. The Royals transferred Josh Fields to the 60-day DL to clear a spot.

Miller, 25, hit .289/.360/.510 in his second Triple A stint for the Marlins last year, playing right and center field. The athletic outfielder could still be a late bloomer.

Odds & Ends: Tigers, Zobrist, Posey, Crisp

By Zachary Links | April 25, 2010 at 10:24pm CDT

Sunday night linkage..

The Tigers could use another arm in the bullpen, though they can likely find one in Triple-A Toledo, writes Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times likes the Ben Zobrist contract extension for both parties. Zobrist officially agreed to a three-year extension with the Rays on Friday.
Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter) says it's time for the Giants to call up a certain young right-handed slugger who can fill in at catcher and first base.
We should see Coco Crisp's Oakland A's debut in about two weeks, writes Jane Lee of MLB.com. Billy Beane & Co. signed the outfielder to a one-year, $5.5MM deal in December of last year.
Jim Bowden of FOXSports.com breaks down his favorite offseason moves. Bowden praises the Angels' acquisitions of Joel Pineiro, Hideki Matsui, and Fernando Rodney.

Stark On Padres, Jose Guillen, Derrek Lee

By Tim Dierkes | April 22, 2010 at 2:04pm CDT

ESPN's Jayson Stark kicks off today's column with a look at which teams' starts he considers reality and illusion. Beyond that, a look at his hot stove rumblings…

One club official who "felt out" the Padres over the winter believes they'll hold on to their top players if they're in contention in July. As Stark says, the market would look a lot worse without Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell.
Stark names six sluggers who "might be in play" this summer: Josh Hamilton, Adam Dunn, Adam LaRoche, Rick Ankiel, Paul Konerko, and Manny Ramirez. Hamilton and Manny are longer shots, but they'd certainly get the hot stove burning.
As for Jose Guillen – executives Stark talked to just aren't interested, despite his .377/.406/.738 start.
In search of new stadiums, where could the Rays and A's legitimately threaten to move? Stark and his sources run through ideas and can't find a viable city.
A friend of Cal Ripken's tells Stark "there's a lot of mutual respect" between Ripken and Orioles owner Peter Angelos. Ripken seeks a difference-making job, rather than just a title. It doesn't necessarily have to be with the Orioles.
The Cubs told Derrek Lee's agent Casey Close they'd prefer to let the season play out before talking extension. Lee discussed the situation during Spring Training.
Stark's sources consider Brett Anderson's four-year, $12.5MM deal a very team-friendly contract. To the A's credit, most young pitchers are not willing to give two club options. Playing devil's advocate – did the potential cost savings justify committing four years to Anderson after just one year of service? You can find multiple clubs that do not share Oakland's enthusiasm for locking up good young pitchers.

Jai Miller Designated For Assignment

By Tim Dierkes | April 22, 2010 at 12:14pm CDT

The Athletics designated outfielder Jai Miller for assignment, tweets John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. That's two DFAs this month for Miller, who was claimed off waivers by the A's from the Marlins on April 8th.

Miller, 25, hit .289/.360/.510 in his second Triple A stint for the Marlins last year, playing right and center field. In his brief time with the Sacramento River Cats this year, Miller had four hits, three walks, and 19 strikeouts in 37 plate appearances. Back in their '08 Handbook, Baseball America said his doubters wonder if "Miller isn't merely the next Reggie Abercrombie, a tools-laden player whose skills never fully transferred to the diamond." Two years later, they wrote that "some in the organization still see him as a late bloomer with Mike Cameron characteristics."

Odds & Ends: Davis, Cano, Athletics, Pirates

By Luke Adams 2 | April 18, 2010 at 6:31pm CDT

As today's games try to top Ubaldo Jimenez's no-hitter and the Mets' marathon victory, let's browse a few links….

The Astros will likely make a roster room to clear the way for Lance Berkman's return, tweets Alyson Footer of MLB.com.
A Mets official told Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated that the club has to "win now" (link goes to Twitter). Earlier today, Mike Jacobs was DFA'd in a move that could clear space for Ike Davis.
Benjamin Kabak at River Ave. Blues looks back at the Alfonso Soriano–for-Alex Rodriguez trade, and how the Rangers had the opportunity to select Robinson Cano as a second player in the deal. Instead, they chose Joaquin Arias. Think they regret that one?
Joel Sherman of the New York Post lists ten players and managers who are on the hot seat two weeks into the 2010 season, with Jerry Manuel and Dave Trembley earning the top two spots. Mike Puma of the New York Post writes that Mets' players have jumped to Manuel's defense, while Bill Madden of the New York Daily News thinks that Orioles' players have given up on Trembley.
With Michael Wuertz nearly ready to come off the DL, the Athletics will have to clear a roster spot for him. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle runs down a few of the players whose status could be in jeopary, including the recently acquired Edwar Ramirez and the out-of-options Chad Gaudin.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic examines the Pirates' organization in search of pitchers with ace potential.
In a mailbag, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer defends the Indians' signings of supposed "marginal, aging players." He also notes that if the Indians end up losing the Cliff Lee deal, they have no one to blame but themselves, since they scouted many of the same Phillies prospects when they discussed a potential CC Sabathia trade in 2008.
Fantasy baseball season is in full swing, and saves are at a premium as always. Don't forget to follow @closernews to keep up with the ever-changing late-inning scenarios in Major League Baseball!

Odds & Ends: Anderson, Smoltz, White Sox, Ripken

By Zachary Links | April 17, 2010 at 9:22pm CDT

Links for Saturday..

R.J. Anderson at FanGraphs isn't quite sure why Brett Anderson (and his agent) would agree to the four year extension he signed, but he also notes that Oakland's side of the deal isn't exactly risk-free.
Baseball color analyst John Smoltz won't completely rule out a return to baseball, writes Chad Finn of the Boston Globe. In March, Ken Rosenthal noted that the Phillies have shown strong interest in the soon-to-be 43-year-old as a possible mid-season addition.
Ozzie Guillen stood up for White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Orioles owner Peter Angelos said that he would be happy to sit down and talk with Cal Ripken Jr. if he is interested in a position with the club, writes Buster Olney of ESPN.
Mets manager Jerry Manuel shot down rumors of a clubhouse rift, tweets David Lennon of Newsday.
Outfielder Fred Lewis is happy to be a member of the Blue Jays, according to Larry Millson and James Hall of MLB.com. The Giants shipped the 29-year-old to Toronto earlier this week and will receive either cash or a player to be named later in return.

Largest Contracts In Team History

By Mike Axisa | April 17, 2010 at 12:14pm CDT

We've already looked at the largest contracts by service time and position, so let's now dig up the largest contracts ever given out by each of the 30 teams. These are in terms of guaranteed money only, but some could end up being even larger because of incentives and option years.

Angels: Torii Hunter, five years, $90MM
Astros: Carlos Lee, six years, $100MM
Athletics: Eric Chavez, six years, $66MM
Blue Jays: Vernon Wells, seven years, $126MM
Braves: Chipper Jones, six years, $90MM
Brewers: Ryan Braun, eight years, $45MM
Cardinals: Matt Holliday, seven years, $120MM
Cubs: Alfonso Soriano, eight years, $136MM
Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson, four years, $53.4MM
Dodgers: Kevin Brown, seven years, $105MM
Giants: Barry Zito, seven years, $126MM
Indians: Travis Hafner, four years, $57MM
Mariners: Ichiro Suzuki, five years, $90MM
Marlins: Hanley Ramirez, six years, $70MM
Mets: Johan Santana, six years, $137.5MM
Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman, five years, $45MM
Orioles: Miguel Tejada, six years, $72MM
Padres: Jake Peavy, three years, $52MM
Phillies: Chase Utley, seven years, $85MM
Pirates: Jason Kendall, six years, $60MM
Rangers: Alex Rodriguez, ten years, $252MM
Rays: Wilson Alvarez, five years, $35MM
Reds: Ken Griffey Jr., nine years, $116.5MM
Red Sox: Manny Ramirez, eight years, $160MM
Rockies: Todd Helton, nine years, $141.5MM
Royals: Gil Meche & Mike Sweeney, both five years, $55MM
Tigers: Miguel Cabrera, eight years, $152.3MM
Twins: Joe Mauer, eight years, $184MM
White Sox: Frank Thomas, seven years, $64.4MM
Yankees: Alex Rodriguez, ten years, $275MM

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

Odds & Ends: Ripken, Angels, Athletics, Lewis

By Luke Adams 2 | April 16, 2010 at 9:51pm CDT

Rounding up some Friday night links….

The Braves released minor league right-hander Deunte Heath, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Orioles owner Peter Angelos nixed the idea of Cal Ripken Jr. joining the organization in a baseball capacity.
The Angels aren't actively shopping anyone, but they're receptive to the idea of trading a catcher, according to Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles. We looked at the club's catching logjam and Mike Napoli's potential availability earlier in the evening.
Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group tweets that, following Brett Anderson's extension, Billy Beane will consider locking up other young Athletics to long-term deals. Stiglich says Kurt Suzuki probably tops that list, and, in a piece for CSNBayArea.com, Mychael Urban suggests Andrew Bailey is another possibility.
According to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link), Suzuki and his agent haven't heard from the A's regarding an extension yet, but they're open to the idea. Recently, MLBTR looked at comparables for a Suzuki extension.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that the Nationals had no interest in acquiring Fred Lewis, since they consider Justin Maxwell to be their "own Fred Lewis."
Bobby Valentine said on Sirius XM Radio that coaching the Mets isn't something he's considering, according to the New York Post's Dan Martin.

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