Andruw Jones Likely To Make Rangers
Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported this morning that the Reds have been eyeing Andruw Jones, and the Phillies were also showing signs of interest. Those teams were probably banking on him being released or demoted to Triple-A, and sliding in with an offer of major league at-bats. Well, so much for that. As MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reported this evening, Jones is likely to make the Rangers' final roster.
Andruw appears to have found a home in Texas. "I feel good," he said Wednesday. "I think in this situation it will be spread out how everybody gets in the game. But the best thing is having [hitting coach] Rudy [Jamarillo] there. He's going to keep you focused. You just do all your work and when you get an opportunity to play, you let it happen."
The Rangers will now focus their attention on trying to move Frank Catalanotto. He'd be a nice fit on a National League team.
Padres Acquire Edward Mujica
WEDNESDAY: Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the Padres acquired Mujica from the Indians. Brock reports the same. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the Indians will receive a player to be named later or cash. Click here to read Paul DePodesta's thoughts on Mujica.
Additionally, Krasovic says the Padres shipped minor league pitcher Manny Ayala to the Phillies.
TUESDAY: According to MLB.com's Corey Brock, the Padres continue to eye the trade market for a hard-throwing reliever with late-inning potential. Like recent acquisition Eulogio De La Cruz, the focus is on pitchers who are out of options.
Brock says the Padres might have interest in Cleveland's Ed Mujica. Mujica, 25 in May, hasn't had big league success in recent years but did average 92.5 mph on his fastball in '08.
My own speculation – another name to watch might be Fernando Nieve, who the Mets recently claimed from the Astros but then placed back on waivers. Here's the partial list of other out of options players I cobbled together earlier this year.
Rangers Rumors: Andruw Jones, Joaquin Arias
MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has a few Rangers rumors tonight.
- Aside from Gary Sheffield, the Phillies have interest in Rangers outfielder Andruw Jones. Sullivan says the Phils "have been scouting Jones extensively this spring."
- Also, having unloaded Jeff Keppinger, the Reds are looking for utility infield help. One person of interest is Rangers shortstop Joaquin Arias. Arias, who came to Texas in the Alex Rodriguez trade, has strong defensive tools and may yet establish himself as a regular according to Baseball America.
- In another post, Sullivan says reliever Derrick Turnbow has decided to accept his assignment to Triple A Oklahoma.
Phillies Release Geoff Jenkins
8:44pm: Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald says the Marlins might have interest in Jenkins. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro has suggested the same.
1:10pm: According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, the Phillies released outfielder Geoff Jenkins. They'll assume the $8MM left on his contract. The Tigers started a trend with Gary Sheffield!
Jenkins, 34, hit .246/.301/.392 in 322 plate appearances last year.
Rosenthal On Matthews, Thomas, Hammel, Niemann
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column…
- The Angels attempted to sell the Reds on Gary Matthews Jr., but it was a one-sided discussion. The Reds have no desire to trade Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang for Matthews. Angels GM Tony Reagins told Rosenthal, "We haven't had much discussions with respect to trades and trade possibilities." UPDATE: Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay he hasn't talked to the Angels since the Winter Meetings.
- Free agent DH Frank Thomas is still waiting for an offer. He intends to delay a decision about retirement until at least the All-Star break. My thought – his situation just got a bit tougher with Gary Sheffield becoming available.
- Rosenthal says the Rays could keep both Jason Hammel and Jeff Niemann and cut Lance Cormier, if trade offers for the first two aren't acceptable. Rosenthal adds the Rangers, Nationals, and Indians to the already known suitors (Padres, Pirates, and Rockies). He names the Brewers as "yet another possibility." Rosenthal says the Angels attempted to acquire Niemann a year ago but learned from Reagins that they're not actively looking for pitching.
- The Phillies ate Adam Eaton's contract, but team president David Montgomery is unwilling to do the same to make Geoff Jenkins go away.
- Rosenthal says the offers received for Rockies infielder Jeff Baker "have not been enticing." They may elect to keep him.
Marcus Giles Released
According to Scott Lauber of The News Journal, the Phillies released infielder Marcus Giles this morning. Giles blamed himself for not performing well enough. He hit .167/.302/.250 in 41 spring plate appearances after sitting out the 2008 season.
Coupled with various demotions, Miguel Cairo is left as the only potential righthanded bench bat according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Zolecki says the Phils continue to look for help in that regard.
Stark’s Latest: Keppinger, Baker, Phillies
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark has a new blog post up. Some of this is old news, but probably worth revisiting…
- The Reds are dangling infielder Jeff Keppinger, with the Red Sox and Astros as possible suitors.
- The Red Sox and Astros have also checked in on Colorado's Jeff Baker, along with the Phillies. But, the Rockies are reportedly demanding a "quality young starter" in return.
- The Mets expressed interest in Ronny Paulino before he was dealt to the Giants (then moved swiftly to the Marlins).
- The Phillies continue to shop around for a right-handed reserve outfielder.
Taschner To Phils; Paulino To Fish; Correa To SF
SATURDAY, 2:01am: The Giants quickly turned Paulino around in a trade to the Florida Marlins for right-handed pitcher Hector Correa, MLB.com reports.
Correa, 21, has a career 8-10 record with a 4.52 ERA in 34 games (29 starts) in the minor leagues.
Paulino will likely be the backup catcher to John Baker. Paulino, 27, hit .278 in 304 games with Pittsburgh from 2005 to 2008.
FRIDAY, 9:08am: According to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Phillies acquired lefty reliever Jack Taschner today for catcher Ronny Paulino. The Phils had acquired Paulino from the Pirates on December 10th.
Taschner, 31 in April, allowed lefties to hit .279/.339/.394 line last year. They knocked him around in '07 even worse, so he's not the perfect fill-in for J.C. Romero.
Rosenthal On Melky, Matthews, Pedro, Ohman
As usual, good stuff from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- Rosenthal says the Yankees are open to moving Melky Cabrera, and opines that the White Sox would be a perfect fit. Trading Cabrera would open up the Yankees' outfield picture for sure, but leave them shakier in center with Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher. Rosenthal also says the White Sox have expressed some interest in a deal to acquire Gary Matthews Jr., assuming the Angels pay "the vast majority of the $33MM remaining on the final three years of his contract."
- Pedro Martinez reached out to the Royals before they signed Sidney Ponson, but KC couldn't afford him. Would Pedro have been a better signing than Horacio Ramirez and Willie Bloomquist? Martinez's friends are telling him his $5MM asking price is unrealistic. Rosenthal says that if Pedro drops it down to $1-2MM, he can probably get the Dodgers and other teams involved.
- The Marlins are looking for relief help. They like Will Ohman but not his $2MM asking price.
- The A's thought they were close to a $1.7MM deal for Joe Beimel before he went to the Nats for $300K more.
- Catcher Ronny Paulino, acquired by the Phillies from the Pirates in December, is available. Rosenthal considers the Marlins a possible fit.
Rockies Hope To Trade Torrealba, Baker
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post writes today about the Rockies desire to trade catcher Yorvit Torrealba and infielder Jeff Baker.
Torrealba was signed in November of '07 after coming close to a deal with the Mets. The Rockies had reached the World Series with Torrealba behind the dish, and Chris Iannetta had yet to emerge. Now, though, the Rox would love to move Torrealba and the $4MM owed to him for '09. Renck says they shopped him hard this winter but came up empty. The Rockies like Sal Fasano as the backup catcher and don't have much use for Torrealba.
Baker, 27, hit .268/.322/.468 in 333 plate appearances for the Rockies last year, crushing lefties while struggling away from Coors. Baseball Prospectus likens Baker to former Padre Archi Cianfrocco, circa 1994. Baker has spent time at first base, second base, third base, left field, and right field in his career. Yesterday Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports said the Phillies, Astros, and Pirates were interested. Rosenthal suggested Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick as a possible target for the Rockies, but Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. doesn't see that as a fair trade. Renck says the Pirates and Astros have interest in Baker while the Yankees, Braves, and Phillies have a need. Baker is trying to bounce back from elbow soreness this spring.