Rockies To Sign Justin Speier & Jimmy Gobble
The Rockies agreed to deals with Justin Speier and Jimmy Gobble, tweets MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The pair will come to camp on minor league deals as non-roster invitees.
Speier, 36, pitched 40 innings for the Angels last year. He allowed 44 hits and 15 walks, striking out 39 for a 5.18 ERA. We heard earlier in the week that the Rockies were in on the 12-year MLB veteran, who pitched for the Rockies from 2001-03.
The White Sox signed Gobble to a minor league deal last April and he didn't pitch particularly well in the 12 appearances he made. The lefty, now 28, allowed 14 hits and 7 walks in 12 innings, striking out 10. The White Sox designated him for assignment in July.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears that Derrick Turnbow should make a decision soon, perhaps within hours. We heard earlier today that the Dodgers are finalists for the reliever, who is weighing bids from a number of teams.
Indians Interested In Gobble, Not Ryan
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says that the Indians are not interested in signing BJ Ryan even though they nearly signed him four years ago. Instead, Hoynes says the Indians are interested in Jimmy Gobble, who was just designated for assignment by the White Sox. If the Indians do acquire Gobble, Hoynes says the lefty would be assigned to AAA. Gobble allowed 14 hits and seven walks in 12 innings this season, striking out ten.
Alyson Footer of MLB.com also reports that Ed Wade said the Astros do not have any interest in signing Ryan, or Pedro Martinez for that matter.
White Sox DFA Jimmy Gobble
The White Sox designated pitcher Jimmy Gobble for assignment, according to Dan McCaleb of the Northwest Herald. They signed him to a minor league deal back in April, but he disappointed in 12 innings. The 27-year-old lefty allowed 14 hits and seven walks, striking out ten.
White Sox Sign Jimmy Gobble
Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports the White Sox have signed Jimmy Gobble to a minor-league deal. The 27 year old left-hander will report to Triple-A Charlotte this week.
Just five years ago, Gobble was a top prospect for the Royals but never found success against right-handers and was released by Kansas City on March 17th. The Rangers signed Gobble to a minor league deal but opted to go with lefties Eddie Guardado and C.J. Wilson instead, cutting Gobble on March 30th.
Gobble held left-handed hitters to a .200/.246/.323 line in 2008 and can be retained by his new team for 2010 as an arbitration-eligible player.
Rangers Release Jimmy Gobble
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers released lefty reliever Jimmy Gobble today. They'll go with C.J. Wilson and Eddie Guardado as southpaws in the pen. The Rangers had signed Gobble on March 21st after the Royals let him go. Gobble can still get lefties out, and can be retained by his new team for 2010 as an arbitration-eligible player.
Rangers Sign Jimmy Gobble
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers signed lefty Jimmy Gobble to a minor league deal. Sullivan notes that the Rangers hoped to acquire Gobble back in '03 in a failed Juan Gonzalez trade.
Gobble, 27, was released by the Royals a few days ago. He held lefties to a .200/.246/.323 line last year. Gobble won't have six years service time after the season, so the Rangers can keep him for 2010 if they want.
Odds & Ends: Wade, Baker, Catalanotto
Links for Friday…
- RotoAuthority advises how to manage information during your fantasy draft.
- Something's not right with Corey Koskie, and the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan says he'll decide about his future by Saturday.
- Former Blue Jays assistant GM Bart Given has a blog, and it's pretty good from what I've read (hat tip: Drunk Jays Fans).
- Sidearmer Mark Worrell, acquired by the Padres for Khalil Greene, needs Tommy John surgery according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune.
- Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says the White Sox "traded infielder Sergio Santos to San Francisco for future considerations." Santos was picked 27th overall by the D'Backs in the 2002 draft.
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post wonders whether $5MM first baseman Dmitri Young will be willing to accept an assignment to Triple A.
- MLB.com's Alyson Footer says Astros GM Ed Wade never lied to her and doesn't owe her an apology about Ivan Rodriguez. Wade just changed his mind after talking to Footer.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune doesn't see the Cubs releasing $4MM reliever Luis Vizcaino.
- Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies believes Jeff Baker is the team's most likely infielder to be dealt. ESPN's Jayson Stark mentioned Baker yesterday as a trade candidate, and the Denver Post's Troy E. Renck has wondered if he'd fit for the Yankees or Astros.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers have discussed Frank Catalanotto with other clubs but found no takers. Catalanotto has $6MM coming to him.
- Rany Jazayerli discusses the Royals' signing of Sidney Ponson and release of Jimmy Gobble.
Royals Release Gobble, Sign Lerew
According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, the Royals released left-hander Jimmy Gobble, and signed right-hander Anthony Lerew to a minor league contract.
Gobble spent the last 10 years in the Royals' organization, but his lack of success against right-handers finally led to his termination Wednesday morning. The Royals will save $1.1MM with the move, but are reportedly still about $4MM over their budget for 2009.
Lerew will head to Royals camp after he passes a physical. The 26-year-old pitched in 11 games for the Braves from 2005-2007, but spent all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Royals Avoid Arb With Jimmy Gobble
Left-handed reliever Jimmy Gobble has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Royals, according to the Kansas City Star’s Sam Mellinger.
Gobble, 27, posted a 8.81 ERA in 31 2/3 innings last season, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story. After spending six weeks on the disabled list to finally resolve a chronic back problem, he pitched eight straight scoreless appearances through the month of September and ended the season on a high note.
Gobble may as well be the poster child for lefty specialists who can’t handle right-handed hitters. If used correctly, though, he can be a fine reliever. Left-handed batters managed just a .200 batting average against him during the 2008 season, but righties batted at a .382 clip with eight doubles and four homers in 68 at-bats.
Stark’s Non-Tender Candidates
With midnight on Friday being the deadline to tender a contract to an arbitration-eligible player, ESPN’s Jayson Stark has some predictions on who could be added to the free agent market…
Pitchers: Daniel Cabrera, Chad Gaudin, Jimmy Gobble, Brandon Backe, Takashi Saito, Tyler Yates, Wil Ledezma
Hitters: Marcus Thames, Gabe Gross, John Buck, Jose Bautista, Chris Burke, Willy Taveras, Jonny Gomes
What does everyone out there think? Any other non-tender possibilities? MLBTR posted a speculative list a week ago.