Athletics Rumors

Miscellaneous Draft Pick Signings

By Tim Dierkes | August 17, 2009 at 10:22pm CDT

With apologies to the players lumped into this post, I'm going to toss the notable non-first round signings here.

The Orioles signed second-rounder Mychal Givens, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. Givens is a high school shortstop. Baseball America's Jim Callis says he gets $800K (slot for the #54 overall pick is $663K according to BA).
The A's signed high school lefty and seventh-round pick Ian Krol, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter). Krol missed the 2009 season due to an alcohol-related suspension, as reported by the Chicago Tribune's Matt Lynch. He'll get $925K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.
The Mets signed second-round lefty Steven Matz for $895K, according to ESPN's Keith Law. Slot: $507K.
The Blue Jays failed to sign lefty Boras client James Paxton, chosen 37th overall, reports BP's Kevin Goldstein. That was one of the compensation picks for A.J. Burnett.

A’s, Stassi Agree To $1.5MM Deal

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 17, 2009 at 2:22pm CDT

2:22pm: Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that the A's signed Stassi for $1.5MM, the biggest deal ever for a fourth rounder. The Royals had recently set a new mark for fourth round players, awarding Chris Dwyer $1.45MM a few days ago. Keith Law of ESPN.com, who was right on this signing as well, notes that the A's have acquired a first-round talent in Stassi. Even if they don't sign first rounder Grant Green, they'll still have signed one top player.

2:15pm: Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus hears that the A's have agreed to terms with Max Stassi. Baseball America estimates that MLB recommends a $237k bonus for Stassi's slot, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the fourth round catcher sign for considerably more.

Justin Duchscherer May Return Tuesday

By Tim Dierkes | August 13, 2009 at 9:27am CDT

Oakland pitcher Justin Duchscherer may make his big league season debut Tuesday against the Yankees, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Duchscherer, 31, had arthroscopic elbow surgery on March 31st.

Slusser says other teams have been scouting Duchscherer's rehab appearances, and the Tigers and Red Sox are among the clubs expected to be represented tonight. Whether these scouting missions fall outside of the teams' normal coverage and imply trade interest, I don't know.

Back on July 31st, Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggested salary relief (about $1.06MM remains) and a "modest prospect" might be an acceptable return for the A's. As of right now, Duchscherer projects as a Type B free agent in the American League. Could the Rangers be a match? Here's what ESPN's Buster Olney wrote in today's blog:

I'd guess that the Rangers will claim him on waivers, whenever he passes through.

The Brewers and Dodgers are a couple teams seemingly on the lookout for pitching, though their interest level in Duchscherer is unknown.

Odds And Ends: Webb, Tazawa, Morgan, Aurilia

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 11, 2009 at 10:11am CDT

A few links for the morning…

Today's chat starts at 2pm CST.
Brandon Webb says he'll pitch next year and he hopes it's with the D'Backs, according to Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic. The team has the option of paying Webb $8.5MM or buying him out for $2MM.
MLB.com's Jason Beck says the Tigers, who had interest in Junichi Tazawa last Winter, now have to face the righty as he makes his first MLB start.
How about this stat, from Tracee Hamilton of the Washington Post: The Nats were 21st in the majors in runs before Nyjer Morgan's arrival. Since trading for him, they're third.
MLB.com's Chris Haft wonders if the Giants may be about to release Rich Aurilia.
Jim Callis of Baseball America reports that the Red Sox agreed to sign 10th rounder Brandon Jacobs for $750k, which exceeds the recommended bonus by about $600k.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle hears that the A's have budgeted first round money for fourth rounder Max Stassi. However, there appears to be a 50% chance he accepts a scholarship at UCLA instead of going pro.

Could Nomar Fit In Philly?

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 10, 2009 at 9:01am CDT

When asked if he'd accept a deal to the Phillies, Nomar Garciaparra said "Sure, why not?" according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle The Phillies are looking for a right-handed bench bat and they had interest in Garciaparra in the offseason. The 36-year-old is hitting .265/.300/.372 and his base salary is just $1MM.

Odds & Ends: A’s, Yankees, Brewers

By Eddie Schmid | August 9, 2009 at 10:29am CDT

Some links to peruse with your Sunday brunch:

The A's are apparently in the process of finalizing a five-year naming rights contract with Verizon for Oakland Alameda County Coliseum, say Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross at the San Francisco Chronicle. Ownership could come into a lot of cash that way.
John Harper at the New York Daily News believes the Yanks' handling of the Red Sox this weekend means Yankees GM Brian Cashman has outmaneuvered Theo Epstein.
The Brewers have signed their fifth-round pick, D'Vontrey Richardson, but terms haven't been disclosed just yet, says Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
Phil Rogers at the Baltimore Sun believes that the Indians' and Pirates' firesales "raise competitiveness issues."
Dan Novick at the Hardball Times asks the $64,000 question: "Why should I care about Alex Rios?"

Odds & Ends: Julio, Cubs, Springer

By | August 8, 2009 at 4:26pm CDT

A fresh batch of links as we move into the evening…

According to Adam Sobsey of The Independent Weekly, the Rays have released 30-year-old reliever Jorge Julio. The right-hander had a 5.96 ERA and a 24/15 K/BB ratio in 22 2/3 innings this season with Triple-A Durham.
Cubs GM Jim Hendry told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times Saturday that he is open to a waiver deal if it will make his club better. "We'll see," said Hendry. "If we find something that makes us better, we'll try.''
Need a refresher on the way waiver deals work? Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus has you covered.
The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser gathered a quote from Russ Springer moments after he learned he was headed to the Rays: "It will be nice to play in some playoff-race type games and hopefully I can go to Tampa Bay and carry my load."

Rays Claim Russ Springer Off Waivers

By | August 8, 2009 at 2:46pm CDT

2:46pm: It's a straight waiver claim, according to Slusser, so the A's will receive nothing in return (besides a small payroll cut). Here's A's assistant GM David Forst:

"We felt like it was a good opportunity to see some guys in Triple-A the last month of the season, and it gives Russ the chance to pitch in a pennant race. That's something he deserves at this point in his career. He's done a great job for us and he's been a great mentor for our youngsters."

2:31pm: According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Rays have claimed reliever Russ Springer off waivers from the Athletics.

Springer, a 40-year-old right-hander, had a 4.10 ERA and a 47/14 K/BB ratio in 41 2/3 innings out of the Oakland bullpen this season.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giambi, Smoltz

By Eddie Schmid | August 8, 2009 at 10:16am CDT

On this day last year, Brian Giles invoked his no-trade clause in a deal that would have sent him to Boston. Some links:

Robinson Cano, Brian Bruney, Mark Melancon and David Robertson have all cleared waivers for the Yankees, says George A. King III at the New York Post, and quite a few more names are going through waivers now, including A.J. Burnett and Melky Cabrera. Keep checking out our updated Players Who Have Cleared Waivers post as August progresses.
Vicente Padilla is "disappointed" in having being designated for assignment and being called a "bad teammate," says T.R. Sullivan at MLB.com, and he wants to pitch again.
According to George A. King III at the New York Post, the Yankees have no interest in bringing back Jason Giambi, who was released by the A's this week.
Yahoo Sports' Gordon Edes writes that the failed John Smoltz gamble by the Red Sox proves just how deep the gap is between small and large-market teams.
Ray Ratto at the San Francisco Chronicle believes that the failed Jason Giambi gamble proves that GM Billy Beane shouldn't continue with one-year deals for older veterans.

A’s Release Jason Giambi

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 7, 2009 at 12:23pm CDT

The A's released Jason Giambi, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Before the season, the A's signed the 38-year-old slugger to a one-year deal with a club option for a second year. It pays Giambi a base salary of $4MM this year and gave the A's the option of a $1.25MM buyout or a $6.5MM salary in 2010.

Giambi hit .193/.332/.364 in 83 games back with the A's. He hit 11 homers and drew 50 walks, but didn't approach last year's production. Giambi's incentives would have kicked in with about 200 more plate appearances, but he's on the DL for now so he's not approaching that mark.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Athletics Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect