Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Phillies Rumors

Phillies Have Interest In Nelson Figueroa

By | at

The Phillies have interest in Nelson Figueroa of the Mets, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN.com. The 35-year-old righty is out of options, and has been outrighted before, so he can choose to become a free agent instead of reporting to the minor leagues if he clears waivers. Figueroa, whose waivers expire Wednesday, pitched for the Phillies in 2001.

The Mets cut Figueroa, but the Phillies could use pitching depth now that Joe Blanton, J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge are on the disabled list. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported last week that the Phillies were interested in adding pitching. In 70.1 innings last year, Figueroa posted a 4.09 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 for the Mets. 

Offseason Questions For The NL East

By | at

The offseason is officially over, but we've still got a few questions.  Our Offseason In Review series can be found here, and questions for the NL East are below.

  • Will the Braves regret not finding a way to keep Javier Vazquez in the 2010 rotation?  Will an extra two weeks of Jason Heyward justify free agent eligibility after the 2015 season?
  • Having already cut many of their scrap heap relief pickups, will the Marlins' streak of unearthing bullpen diamonds in the rough end?  Will bypassing Major League free agency cost the team wins in 2010?
  • Could the Phillies have signed Placido Polanco or a comparable player for a significantly smaller commitment?  Will they regret trading Cliff Lee for prospects?
  • Did the Mets overcommit to Jason Bay, given the lack of comparable offers?  Given the team's array of needs, will they rue putting all their eggs in the Bay basket?
  • Could the Nationals have matched the production of Jason Marquis and Ivan Rodriguez with smaller commitments to different players?  Will they lament letting pitching prospect Marco Estrada go in favor of reliever Tyler Walker?

Odds & Ends: Rule 5, Jones, Hechevarria, Brewers

By | at

Links for Easter Sunday…

Looking At The Needs Of Some Contenders

By | at

With Spring Training wrapping up around the country, teams are finalizing their rosters and picking the 25 players they'll start the season with. There's always room for improvement, but some contenders have some very obvious weak spots on their rosters. Here's a look at some of them, which may need to be addressed during the season…

  • Angels, third base: Brandon Wood and Maicer Izturis will get the first cracks at replacing Chone Figgins, but if neither is up to par, the Halos might be looking for a fill-in at the hot corner.
  • Braves, outfielder: Superstar in training Jason Heyward will start the year in right, but incumbent centerfielder Nate McLouth had a brutal spring (6-for-51), which may push Melky Cabrera into full-time duty.
  • Rays, setup man: With J.P. Howell on the shelf due to a bum shoulder, the team has no obvious candidate to hand the ball off to new closer Rafael Soriano. Dan Wheeler and Grant Balfour represent solid options, but if Howell misses more time than expected, the Rays might be looking to add a reliever.
  • Twins, closer: This is the most obvious hole of them all. Joe Nathan is out for the season after having elbow surgery, and Jon Rauch will get the first chance to replace him. 
  • Yankees, left field: The team is breaking camp with Brett Gardner, Randy Winn, and Marcus Thames set to share time in left, but we've already seen a scenario laid out in which they might need help sooner rather than later.

That doesn't include all of the clubs that could very well be looking to add a starting pitcher at some point, like the Mariners, Mets, Phillies, Cubs, and Dodgers. Some other holes aren't so obvious though. Maybe the Red Sox could use another reliever (who couldn't?), or perhaps Seattle will go looking for a big bat that fits into their extreme run prevention plan. 

What other areas of need to do you see out there for contenders?

Odds & Ends: Rays, Reds, Pettitte, Robertson

By | at

Here are some links for the day…

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Hendry, Lugo, Towers

By | at

On this day back in 2003, the Tigers became the first team in baseball history to have four pitchers make their Major League debut in the same game. The starter was 20-year-old Jeremy Bonderman, who gave way to 22-year-old Wil Ledezma, 25-year-old Chris Spurling, and 23-year-old Matt Roney before "veteran" closer Matt Anderson entered the game. Anderson was just 25-years-old at the time, but the first overall pick of the 1997 draft already had 210 big league appearances to his name. 

The Tigers went on the finish the season 43-119, and were rewarded by selecting Justin Verlander with the second overall pick the following season. Here's this week's set of links from around the web…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Latin Links: Martinez, Maya, Ramirez, Escobar

By | at

A rumor by any other name smells just as sweet. Links are in Spanish…

  • Pedro Martinez has largely been linked in rumors to National League teams this winter, but Vladimir Guerrero thought recently his former Expo teammate might join him in Arlington. "Early in March, when I reported to Texas' spring training, I heard a fair amount about the possibility that Pedro was going to sign here, but it didn't happen," Guerrero told Juan Mercado at the Dominican paper El Dia. Martinez showed last year he wasn't afraid to pitch the stretch run in a hitter's park, as National League batters actually fared significantly better against Martinez on the road (.322/.362/.517 in 20 IP) than at Citizens Bank Ball Park (.225/.274/.701 in 24 IP) during his two months with the Phillies.
  • The flurry of activity this offseason in regard to Cuban prospects is likely "the tip of the iceberg," Rangers scout Juan Alvarez tells the Nuevo Herald's Jorge Ebro. The latest signings from the island, of pitchers Reinier Roibal by the Giants and Sergio Espinosa by the Rays, were relatively low on fanfare, but Ebro quotes a source saying interest is quickly heating up for 27-year-old Cuban right-hander Yuniesky Maya. Maya has been linked this winter primarily to the Red Sox, who reportedly view him as a starter.
  • In an interview with the Venezuelan paper El Tiempo, Max Ramirez clarifies recent reports that he is focusing on first base as his quickest route to the Rangers' major league roster. While he admits to taking some grounders, "They still consider me as a catcher and I think that's where I have more opportunities now," Ramirez says. Earlier this week the 25-year-old's name popped up once again as a possible trade chip for Mike Lowell, but that window likely closed for the time being when the Rangers claimed Ryan Garko off waivers yesterday. Nevertheless, as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Gil LeBreton recently noted, Ramirez is the odd man out at any position in Texas, especially after the team acquired catcher Matt Treanor from the Brewers.
  • Kelvim Escobar is throwing again and will stay in extended spring training for the Mets, but the team isn't counting on having him in the bullpen any time soon. A day before his previously stated April 1 deadline to decide whether to sit out 2010, Escobar told Lider en Deportes' Carlos Valmore Rodriguez that neither he nor the team are throwing up their hands on his one year, $1.25MM contract. Escobar says of Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel, "They always tell me not to worry, they don't want me in April or May, because that's not when you win the World Series. (They tell me) they need me for a long time, to take my time and not rush myself, to be patient about things."

Phillies Looking At Tim Redding

By | at

The Phillies are "kicking the tires a bit" on Tim Redding, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck says that Philadelphia was interested in Redding over the winter, before the right-hander signed a minor league deal with the Rockies.

We heard this week that Redding, who was assigned to Colorado's Triple A affiliate, has an opt-out clause in his contract that he can exercise if he finds a spot on another club's 25-man roster.

Following an oblique injury to Joe Blanton, the Phils seem to be looking a little more aggressively at potential starting pitching options around the majors. Still, Renck suggests that the Phillies' interest in Redding isn't overly strong at the moment, and that for now the team plans to replace Blanton in their rotation with Kyle Kendrick. Given the lack of positive reports delivered by Mariners' scouts who watched Redding pitch, Philadelphia could be better off sticking with Kendrick.

Phillies Notes: Blanton, Schilling, Standridge

By | at

A collection of Phillies links…

Phillies Reach Agreements With Fogg, Taubenheim

By | at

The Phillies have reached agreements with pitchers Josh Fogg and Ty Taubenheim, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

The Mets signed Fogg to a minor league deal in January, but released him in March.  Despite poor peripheral stats, Fogg managed to post a 3.74 ERA in 45.6 relief innings for the Rockies last year.  He tossed another 40.3 ugly innings as a starter in the minors.  In his best days, Fogg was able to chew up 30 starts with an ERA around 5.00 for the Pirates and Rockies.

Taubenheim, 27, posted a 3.65 ERA, 5.3 K/9, and 3.1 BB/9 in 106 innings for the Pirates' Triple A club last year.

Show all

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top