Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Jack Wilson

Jack Wilson, Mariners Discussing Extension

By | at

The Mariners are discussing a multiyear extension with shortstop Jack Wilson, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Kovacevic believes the Ms offered a two-year deal worth more than $8MM.  Soon, the Mariners must decide between Wilson's $8.4MM option for 2010 and a $600K buyout.

Given Wilson's defensive prowess and the scarcity of shortstops, bringing him back at around $4MM a year isn't a bad idea.  The free agent market doesn't offer much beyond Marco Scutaro, and J.J. Hardy was just plucked off the trade market by the Twins.

Pirates Talk: Iwamura, Ankiel, Wilson

By | at

As usual, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the latest on the Pirates…

  • The Akinori Iwamura addition does not necessarily mean more significant moves are coming.  The Pirates are comfortable with their internal options.
  • The Pirates intend to inquire on Rick Ankiel when free agency begins.  Moreso than Chris Bootcheck, perhaps this is a sign that the team is not letting bad blood linger with Scott Boras from the Pedro Alvarez situation.
  • Kovacevic says Ronny Cedeno is not a lock at shorstop, and there is at least some mutual interest in bringing Jack Wilson back.  First, the Mariners would have to buy out Wilson's $8.4MM club option.
  • In another article, Kovacevic discusses the team's out-of-character acquisition of Iwamura.  Kovacevic calls it Neal Huntington's "first major transaction prioritizing the present above the future," since Iwamura is under relatively pricey and under control for one season while Jesse Chavez is cheap and under team control through 2014.  Iwamura is now the Pirates' highest-paid player.  Huntington has interest in exploring an extension with him at some point.
  • On a related note, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs explains that "just because a team won’t be contending in 2010 doesn’t mean they should avoid investing in the 2010 product." 
  • An article at Beyond the Boxscore explains that the Pirates came out a winner on the Iwamura-Chavez deal, but the Rays had little leverage.

Odds & Ends: Wagner, Yankees, Pirates, Astros

By | at

A few links on a slow Sunday afternoon:

  • Buster Olney says (Insider required) that the Red Sox made a "worthwhile gamble" placing a claim on Billy Wagner. Olney feels that with no obvious fixes to their starting rotation, trying to make their bullpen overpowering is a good strategy. As we learned last night, Jonathan Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen don't necessarily agree. Olney says the Mets "are crazy" if they pass the opportunity to move Wagner's salary.
  • Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger says that the Yankees need to address the communication problems between A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada. Both players have said they "couldn't get on the same page" during the recent blowout the Yankees suffered at the hands of the Red Sox.
  • Dejan Kovacevic has a letter from Jack Wilson to the fans of Pittsburgh, thanking them for their support during his time as a Pirate. It's a good read; Wilson's a class act. Kovacevic's article also has Neal Huntington's thoughts on the extensions offered to Wilson and Freddy Sanchez, as well as a report on the Pirates' draft spending.
  • MLB.com's Jen Langosch has Huntington's thoughts on September call-ups for the Pirates this season.
  • Meanwhile, MLB.com's Alyson Footer tells fans what she would like to see the Astros do with the little money they have to spend this offseason. Her suggestions begin with picking up Brian Moehler's option and signing Randy Wolf. Moehler's option will be worth either $2.3MM or $3MM, depending on whether or not he exceeds 150 innings this season. Footer's rotation would consist of Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, Wolf, Bud Norris, and Moehler. Is Moehler worth that money, or should the Astros pursue a cheaper free agent option?

Giants Acquire Freddy Sanchez

By | at

6:19pm: Kovacevic says that no money is being exchanged in the Sanchez deal, which makes it all the more impressive for the Pirates. Keith Law (Insider) recently ranked the 20-year-old Alderson the 26th-best prospect in all of baseball.

5:51pm: Kovacevic is reporting that the minor leaguer is AA pitcher Tim Alderson. This is an impressive haul for Sanchez–Alderson was ranked the #4 prospect in the Giants' system by Baseball America. What we thought was a salary dump deal has turned into a pretty solid coup for the Pirates.

5:46pm: Henry Schulman at the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that it's a done deal, Sanchez straight up for a minor-leaguer. Stay tuned for the name.

5:42pm: Instead of making a scheduled flight to Phoenix, Sanchez has apparently been asked to stay at AT&T Park in San Francisco, reports Kovacevic. Looks like we'll find out the details of a deal very soon.

4:52pm: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hear that the Pirates are talking to the Giants, Twins and at least one other team about Sanchez, but don't have a deal in place.

4:43pm: Kovacevic reports that the Giants' doctors found no major problems with Sanchez's knee and consider him day-to-day.

3:31pm: Kovacevic hears that the Pirates turned down Sanchez's offer. He proposed a deal that would have paid him $6MM next year, $6.5MM in 2011 and $7.5MM in 2012.

3:17pm: Langosch hears that Sanchez's offer is for $20MM over three years.

Meanwhile, Kovacevic hears that the Pirates have absolutely "no deal" in place, though the Giants and Pirates have the framework for one.

2:52pm: Kovacevic hears that the Giants are examining Sanchez within the hour. Is there a deal in place? Kovacevic hears 'yes' and 'no.'

2:46pm: Kovacevic reports that Sanchez made the Pirates a three-year offer.

2:40pm: MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports that the Giants and Pirates have a deal in place that would send Sanchez to San Francisco. The Giants will look at the infielder's knee this afternoon before deciding whether to complete the deal, which wouldn't send any major leaguers to Pittsburgh.

However, Kovacevic says no deal is in place. 

2:20pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman says the Giants are in serious talks for Sanchez. The teams are discussing John Bowker, Kevin Frandsen and Jesus Guzman.

2:04pm: Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that the Giants are "definitely getting Freddy Sanchez." The Pirates already traded Jack Wilson today, so they could conceviably lose their entire double play combo in one day.

10:27am: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hears that the Pirates worked on possible trades involving Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson until late last night. The Giants seem to have the greatest chance of acquiring Sanchez since GMs Brian Sabean and Neal Huntington had extensive discussions earlier in the week and may even have set up the framework of a deal.

The Twins are interested in John Grabow and Sanchez, whose knee injury may have slowed down the trade process. Meanwhile, the Red Sox still have interest in Wilson.

And you're not the only one checking out the Pirates rumors. Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Sanchez and Wilson are MLBTR readers. We're glad to have them aboard!

Pirates And Mariners Make Seven Player Deal

By | at

1:24pm: Kovacevic reports that the Pirates will pay nearly all of the money owed to Wilson and Snell this year. The Mariners will pay each player $400k. Kovacevic breaks out the calculator and finds that the Pirates will send a total of $3,308,702.19 to Seattle along with Snell and Wilson.

12:28pm: Kovacevic hears that the Pirates are contributing a "significant amount" of cash in the deal. 

12:16pm: ESPN's Buster Olney believes the Mariners might be inclined to exercise Wilson's 2010 option, which wasn't likely for the Pirates.  Jack Zduriencik's comments support this:  "As we move forward over the next few years it is nice to know that we have solidified the shortstop position."

11:58am: Kovacevic says Cedeno's the only player who will report to the Pirates. Clement will head to Triple A, the others to A ball. 

MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo calls it a "pretty good haul" for the Pirates and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus says it's the best deal the Pirates have made yet. 

11:45am: Kovacevic says the Mariners acquire Wilson and Ian Snell for Clement, Ronny Cedeno, Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin and Nathan Adcock.

11:41am: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Mariners acquire Jack Wilson in the deal.

11:40am: Ed Price of AOL FanHouse hears that the Pirates are getting Jeff Clement from the Mariners along with other minor leaguers.

WEDNESDAY, 10:14am: Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports report that the Indians and Rays say they're not involved in talks for Clement, who was told last night that he's about to be dealt.

TUESDAY, 11:36pm: DH/catcher Jeff Clement was pulled from the Tacoma Rainiers' lineup in the third inning tonight, according to Ryan Divish of The News Tribune.  His analysis:

I have it on pretty reliable source that it is not injury related.  Clement has been rumored to be part of possible trades already this season and maybe he is part of a package deal.  Or perhaps, he is being called up in place of another player for the Mariners, who might be getting dealt.

Meanwhile trade target Jarrod Washburn just wrapped up what could be his last start with the Mariners.  He tossed seven strong innings to lower his ERA to a sparkling 2.64 in front of scouts from the Yankees, Phillies, Brewers, and Rangers.  Washburn, a Boras client and impending free agent, sure knows how to time his best seasons.

Pirates Intend To Deal Sanchez, Wilson?

By | at

9:53pm: Henry Schulman at the San Francisco Chronicle and Gordon Edes at Yahoo have both heard that a deal sending Sanchez to the Giants was close to completion last night, but were halted due to aforementioned concerns about Sanchez's knee. Schulman hears conflicting reports on what the Pirates are demanding in return, but says any prospects involved will be on a higher level than the previously-dealt Scott Barnes.

9:35pm: Though scratches of Sanchez and Wilson from the Pirates' lineup made people curious tonight, Kovacevic says that there's "nothing likely" to happen tonight with them.

5:35pm: Kovacevic has updated his previous report, saying that "primary" talks about Sanchez have been with the Giants, and they "were believed to have intensifed last night." But Kovacevic says the Twins are still in the mix as well.

3:28pm: A Pirates official tells Kovacevic that the club doesn't need to move either Sanchez or Wilson and won't trade them unless they see a good offer.

Meanwhile, Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Giants are pretty seriously involved in talks for Sanchez.

2:16pm: Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse hears that the Angels are "likely looking" at Sanchez.  The way Howie Kendrick and Maicer Izturis are hitting lately, that'd be a curious acquisition.

1:33pm: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark hears that the Pirates plan on dealing Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson this week. The Giants could be suitors for Sanchez and the Red Sox have considered Wilson in the past.

9:58am: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hears that the Pirates have put off extension talks with Sanchez and Wilson until after the deadline and will instead entertain trade offers for them. The trade talks may not stop this Friday; if either player clears wiavers, the Pirates will be able to deal him until the end of August.

Kovacevic hears the Pirates may be open to paying some of Sanchez's 2010 contract to acquire better prospects in a possible trade.

8:27am: The Pirates still have a number of players attracting interest from other teams. Here's the latest on their trade candidates, from John Perrotto of PiratesReport.com:

  • Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is trying to persuade his GM to go after Zach Duke, who won't become a free agent until after the 2011 season.
  • The Cubs have stepped up their pursuit of reliever John Grabow, but they may not have the prospects to interest the Pirates.
  • The Twins and Braves have checked in on Freddy Sanchez, but some executives believe the Pirates will have trouble moving him without contributing to the $8.1MM option for next year that's likely to vest.
  • The Red Sox are once again "kicking the tires" on Jack Wilson.
    .

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Diamondbacks, Buchholz

By | at

Just a few more links before the end of the night…

  • Dejan Kovacevic of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette says the Pirates have "put on hold any attempt to sign shortstop Jack Wilson and second baseman Freddy Sanchez to contract extensions and, instead, are entertaining trade offers for those players." He mentions that the club's efforts to trade their double play tandem could extended beyond Friday's trade deadline.
  • Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic says the Diamondbacks aren't anticipating any deals right now because there aren't many teams clamoring for pitchers Jon Garland and Doug Davis, plus the D-Backs aren't particularly motivated to move closer Chad Qualls.
  • Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz says "I think I'll be here" after the trade deadline according to Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe. Here, of course, meant Boston.

Odds & Ends: Holliday, Red Sox, Pirates, Kazmir

By | at

Things are picking up, so we've got a fresh batch of links for you…

  • The recently acquired Matt Holliday was non-committal when talking about his impending free agency, according to R.B. Fallstrom of the AP. "I'm going to enjoy myself and try to help this team get to the playoffs and to the World Series and work every day I can to be the best player I can be," Holliday said. "And leave it there. I think there's a time and a place for all those other things and when that time comes is when I'll do my evaluating."
  • Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse tweets that the Red Sox have told people "they are trying to pull off something huge." Earlier today we learned that the Sox were talking about Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez with the Indians.
  • Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review asked Pirates team president Frank Coonelly about the possibility of re-opening extension talks with Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson should they remain with the team past Friday's trade deadline, to which Coonelly responded "At this juncture, I wouldn't say anything is definitely closed. We'd have to see where we are. But, developments in the organization could create a situation that could make it less likely, or more likely, we'd want to extend Jack or Freddy."
  • Scott Kazmir's agent, Brian Peters, reached out to Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman about recent trade rumors involving his client. Friedman indicated the rumors were "merely speculative," according to MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun.
  • Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times writes that Jarrod Washburn has "let it be known he is open to a contract extension to stay in Seattle," but indicated that there has not been much discussion.
  • Bruce Miles of The Daily Herald said he expects the Cubs to look for bullpen help before anything else. He names Joe Beimel and George Sherrill as players of interest.
  • The Cubs have signed third round pick Austin Kirk according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, while Bill Ladson reports that the Nats have signed seventh rounder Andrew Weaver.

Pirates Rumors: Grabow, Capps, Sanchez

By | at

The Pirates have many attractive trade chips remaining, even after two months of aggressive trading. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has the latest on all the team's trade candidates:

  • The Pirates are discussing Matt Capps and John Grabow with other clubs.
  • Grabow, who's more likely to be moved, has drawn steady interest from other teams. 
  • The Pirates are in regular contact with the Cubs. 
  • Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson are available and the Pirates are listening to offers. The Twins and Red Sox scouted the Pirates-D'Backs contest yesterday. 
  • The Tigers are interested in Triple A catcher Robinzon Diaz. 
  • Triple A starters Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny are drawing interest. The Yankees have scouted Snell's last two starts.  

No Progress In Talks With Wilson, Sanchez

By | at

According to Rob Biertempfel with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, "There has been no movement by either side in the stalled contract talks between the Pirates and infielders Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson."

The Pirates put forth contract extension offers to both players last week, presumably to feel-out their desire to remain in Pittsburgh with the trade deadline looming.  Wilson and Sanchez quickly rejected the proposals, and now other teams have begun expressing interest in the infielders (including the Twins, Tigers and Red Sox).

Both players have options for 2010, so the Bucs could wait until next season before moving either of them.  But if a decent offer pops up before Friday, you can bet GM Neal Huntington will consider pulling the trigger.

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