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East Links: Podsednik, Carroll, Thomas, Izzy, A-Rod

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AL MVP runner-up Jacoby Ellsbury sublexed his shoulder in yesterday's game and there is no timetable for his return (Twitter link). The Red Sox will call up Che-Hsuan Lin to take his roster spot. Here's the latest from baseball's two East divisions…

  • Scott Podsednik could be an option for the Red Sox following Ellsbury's injury, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The Phillies would let Podsednik out of his minor league deal for a big league job, and Rosenthal says they could also trade for a Marlon Byrd or Coco Crisp type later in the season.
  • With some help from a reader, Rosenthal speculates that the recently DFA'd Brett Carroll and Clete Thomas could also be fits for the Red Sox following Ellsbury's injury (Twitter links).
  • "I’m still thankful they gave me the chance," said Angels reliever Jason Isringhausen to Dan Martin of The New York Post, referring to his time with the Mets last season. Izzy said he spoke to the Mets about a return this offseason.
  • Alex Rodriguez hit his 630th career home run yesterday, tying him with Ken Griffey Jr. for fifth on the all-time list. Joel Sherman of The New York Post says his homer bonuses will become an issue for the Yankees if they intend to get under the $189MM luxury tax threshold by 2014. A-Rod will get $6MM each for his 660th, 714th, 755th, 762nd, and 763rd career homers.

Quick Hits: Royals, Teixeira, Wright, Rockies, Royals

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On this day in 2000, the (Devil) Rays purchased Dwight Gooden from the Astros.  Doc made eight starts with Tampa Bay before being released in May, allowing him to finish out his career in New York with the Yankees.  Gooden obviously didn't replicate the numbers of his prime in this final season but did post a 4.71 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 for the three teams.  Here's a look at tonight's links..

  • The Royals have hope for the first time in a long time but they'll have to ramp up the spending to truly contend, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
  • Teams continue to sign first basemen to long, expensive agreements despite mounting evidence that such deals are not very good ideas, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  It looks as though Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is in decline in the middle of his monster deal and even Todd Helton's team-friendly pact with the Rockies wound up looking like an overpay.
  • In a piece for CapitalNewYork.com, Howard Megdal wonders if the Mets might be laying the PR groundwork to let David Wright walk at the end of this season.  The Mets hold a $16MM option on the third baseman for 2013.
  • Mike Fontenot could replace Pete Orr on the Phillies' bench as the utility man, but don't expect him to replace Freddy Galvis, writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News.  The Phillies signed the 31-year-old infielder to a minor league deal earlier today.
  • Mike Cameron signed a one-day deal with the Mariners today in order to retire with the club and though he may look to be a coach or instructor he vowed to never pursue a managerial career, tweets John Hickey of SportsPressNW.com.

Phillies To Sign Mike Fontenot

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The Phillies have agreed to sign infielder Mike Fontenot, Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio tweets. The Phillies announced that the Paragon Sports International client gets a minor league deal.

Fontenot, who was released by the Giants toward the end of Spring Training, was said to be deciding between the Braves and Phillies. He posted a .227/.304/.377 line in 252 plate appearances at second base, shortstop and third base last year. The Fielding Bible Volume III suggests Fontenot provides adequate defense around the infield. 

Philadelphia infielders Chase Utley, Michael Martinez and Ryan Howard are presently on the 15-day disabled list. The Phillies have been relying on Freddy Galvis at second base and Pete Orr on the bench so far this season.

Fontenot Deciding Between Phillies, Braves

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Mike Fontenot is deciding between two NL East rivals, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The free agent infielder has narrowed his choices to the Braves and Phillies.

Fontenot posted a .227/.304/.377 line in 252 plate appearances at second base, shortstop and third base last year, but the Giants released him toward the end of Spring Training. The Fielding Bible Volume III suggests Fontenot provides adequate defense around the infield. The Braves are relying on rookie Tyler Pastornicky at shortstop, while various Phillies infielders have dealt with injuries early on this year.

This post was first published on Friday, April 13th.

Pat Burrell Retires

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APRIL 12th: The Phillies have announced that Burrell will sign a one-day minor league contract and retire with the club that originally drafted him. The retirement ceremony will be held on May 19th.

JAN. 30th: Pat Burrell is retiring, MLBTR has learned.  We last heard from Pat the Bat in November, when the 35-year-old told the AP, "I have not decided yet, but I don't think I can play anymore [due to a chronic foot injury].  It hurts me to say that."

BurrellBurrell was drafted first overall by the Phillies in 1998 as a third baseman out of the University of Miami, but spent the bulk of his career as a left fielder.  In nine seasons with the Phillies, he hit .257/.367/.485 with 251 home runs.  His home run total ranks fourth all-time for the Phillies, behind only Del Ennis, Ryan Howard, and Mike Schmidt.  He finished fourth in the 2000 Rookie of the Year voting, and received MVP votes in '02 and '05.  Burrell had stints with the Rays and Giants to finish his career, during which he earned approximately $71MM in big league salary and scored a pair of World Series rings.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Poll: The Phillies And Cole Hamels

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The Phillies and Cole Hamels haven’t made any progress in contract extension talks for more than a month now, leaving roughly eight months for the two sides to work out a potential deal. Hamels will be the best free agent starter on the market next winter now that Matt Cain has re-signed, and there will be plenty of suitors for the left-handed, in his prime ace.

A problem on the team’s end could be the other pitchers on the payroll. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee will make $40MM+ combined for the next few years, and there simply might not be room for another $20MM-a-year hurler in the budget. Shane Victorino will be a free agent after the season as well, plus Jonathan Papelbon, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard will remain on the books. It’s not a question of if the Phillies want the Hamels back, but whether or not they can make it happen.

Will the Phillies sign Cole Hamels to an extension?
No 50.84% (4,867 votes)
Yes 49.16% (4,707 votes)
Total Votes: 9,574

No Movement In Cole Hamels Talks

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There has been no movement on the Phillies' part to restart contract extension talks with Cole Hamels, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). It's unclear if they're loading up to make a big offer or have been spooked by his asking price.

Last week we heard that the two sides hadn't had talks in 30 days. The Phillies offered their 28-year-old left-hander Jered Weaver money (five years, $85MM), but Matt Cain's extension with the Giants (five years, $112.5MM) raised the bar. With Cain locked up, Hamels will be the premier free agent pitcher if the hits the open market after the season.

Minor Moves: Indians, Hu, Padres, Rangers

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Today's minor moves, courtesy of Baseball America's Matt Eddy..

  • The Indians and Phillies reversed a trade from earlier this winter which sent Chin-lung Hu to Philadelphia.  Cleveland then released Hu soon after.  The middle infielder joined the Phillies in camp in late March but wound up failing his physical.  Hu, 28, spent his entire MLB career in the Dodgers organization before being traded to the Mets last offseason. 
  • The Padres released right-hander Dennis Tankersley who signed with his former club a month ago in an attempted comeback.  The 33-year-old was ranked as San Diego's second-best prospect in 2002 (behind Sean Burroughs and ahead of Jake Peavy) but hasn't appeared in the majors since '04 and the minors since '08. 
  • The Rangers cut former Rule 5 pick Mason Tobin, who appeared in a handful of games for Texas last season but spent most of the year on the disabled list.  The right-hander has been beset by arm trouble since 2008.

Rosenthal On Hamels, Greinke, Cain, Kinsler

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The season is underway and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (video link) is back with Full Count..

  • Cole Hamels didn't set an Opening Day deadline in his contract talks, but if the Phillies want to hammer out a deal mid-season they'll have to make him a bold and aggressive offer.  Otherwise, the pitcher likely wouldn't listen midseason.  Matt Cain's new deal is the baseline for Hamels and unless they'll venture into Cliff Lee territory (five-years, $120MM), they probably shouldn't bother restarting the talks.
  • The Cain deal also puts the Brewers in a tough spot with Zack Greinke.  Cain has been much more consistent than Greinke in the last five years but he's seen a bit of a drop over the last two seasons.  The Brewers might want to wait to see more before offering $100MM+ plus, though his second-half last season was a sign of great things to come.
  • For the Giants, the Cain signing is a buffer against potentially losing Tim Lincecum.  Lincecum could cost the Giants upwards of $25MM a year, but Rosenthal says to keep two factors in mind.  First, the contracts of Aaron Rowand and Barry Zito will be off the books by the time Lincecum's next deal begins.  Secondly, the club's annual debt payments on AT&T Park – roughly $20MM a year – end after the 2017 season.
  • The Rangers have discussed four- and five- year deals with Ian Kinsler but aren't eager to give him free agent money when he's under control for two more years.  The danger for Texas is that the Yankees could potentially sign Robinson Cano to a monster deal, effectively raising Kinsler's price.  Both players are eligible for free agency after the 2013 season.

East Notes: Hamels, Nationals, Detwiler, Orioles

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While the Phillies have some interest in locking Cole Hamels up long-term, but it would appear that Matt Cain’s $112.5MM extension complicated things for them earlier this week.  Where do things stand now between the Phillies and the left-hander?  More on that and other items out of the Eastern divisions..

  • Thirty days have passed since the Phillies last had contract talks with Hamels, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).  The club tried to lock the left-hander down to a deal similar to Jered Weaver’s late last season (five-years, $85MM) but were rebuffed.
  • MLB.com’s Bill Ladson wasn’t surprised to see the Nationals demote John Lannan to Triple-A Syracuse while keeping Ross Detwiler on the 25-man roster.  Just two days after the Nats traded for Gio Gonzalez, a baseball source told Ladson that the club wanted to move Lannan as they felt that Detwiler was ready to breakout.
  • Orioles’ 2006 first-round pick Billy Rowell has agreed to give pitching a try after spending six seasons in the minors as a corner infielder, tweets Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com (via Twitter).  The former ninth-overall pick hit just .227/.304/.244 in 41 games with the O’s Double-A affiliate last season.
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