Damon Wants To Return To Tigers
After reportedly being placed on waivers along with third baseman Brandon Inge, Tigers slugger Johnny Damon could be traded to a contender before the year is through. However, even if he is sent elsewhere, Damon wants to return to Motown in 2011, writes Terry Foster of The Detroit News.
"I like it here," the 36-year-old said. "I have a bunch of friends that live in Detroit. Spring training (Lakeland, Fla.) is 45 minutes from home. There are a lot of benefits for me and hopefully I get to stay with this club. I love it so far. It is as simple as that."
Damon signed a one-year, $8MM deal with Detroit and will be a free agent at the end of the year. The two-time All-Star says that if he finishes out the season with another team, he will tell his representatives to get in touch with club president Dave Dombrowski and owner Mike Ilitch about returning.
Rosenthal On Uggla, Cubs, D’Backs, Ramirez
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com has some hot stove items to share in his latest Full Count video…
- Contract negotiations between Dan Uggla and the Marlins are "not off to a great start." Rosenthal reports that the Marlins are offering a three-year contract but Uggla wants a five-year pact. We heard last week that the Marlins were offering a three-year, $30MM deal, but Rosenthal guesses that Uggla is looking for something in the range of $55-60MM over the desired five years.
- The Cubs' "number-one need" in the offseason is a left-handed power bat at either first base or right field, with Tyler Colvin available to play the other position.
- Starting pitching is also a need for the Cubs, as Rosenthal says the team wants to bring in at least one new starter "regardless of what they do with Carlos Zambrano." One option could be to bring back a recently-traded ace — Rosenthal says Chicago "still has a lot of interest in Ted Lilly."
- Arizona president and CEO Derrick Hall says "it would be crazy" to not interview other manager and general manager candidates despite the fact that he's happy with the work done by interim manager Kirk Gibson and interim GM Jerry Dipoto. Hall says he will start a GM search at the beginning of September, with Dipoto "at the top of [the] list." Rosenthal expects Kevin Towers, Dodgers assistant GM Logan White and Yankees vice-president Damon Oppenheimer to all draw interest from the Diamondbacks, though New York would have to grant Arizona permission to talk to Oppenheimer.
- Now that Manny Ramirez is off the disabled list, Rosenthal provided an update to his news from last week about the possibility of Ramirez on the waiver wire. The Dodgers will wait to put Ramirez on waivers since teams will want to make sure that he is both healthy and hitting well. Rosenthal repeats that the White Sox are the club "most likely" to put in a claim for Ramirez, since the Sox "don't like Brad Hawpe all that much" and they doubt that Detroit would trade them Johnny Damon.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Reds, Helton, Darvish, Harper
Friday Night Links..
- Despite a published report to the contrary, Phillies scouting director Marti Wolever is not headed to the Mets, according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
- MLB.com's Mark Sheldon spoke to a few members of the Reds who would like to see Dusty Baker sign an extension with the club.
- Brandon Inge and Johnny Damon are both okay with having been put on waivers, writes Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press.
- Reds manager Dusty Baker dismissed questions about him possibly becoming the Dodgers manager if Joe Torre retires, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Mark Kizla of The Denver Post urges Todd Helton to call it quits.
- The Padres don't have much interest in outfielder Cody Ross, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.
- The Pirates will send Luis Heredia to their affiliate in Bradenton not to pitch, but to familiarize himself with the program, writes Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (via Twitter) passes along a report from Japanese outlet Sponichi that the Yankees sent Damon Oppenheimer and scout Billy Eppler to watch Yu Darvish.
- Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (via Twitter) wonders aloud if the Brewers might make a deal in order to free a roster spot for the returning Carlos Gomez.
- Nats GM Mike Rizzo says that Bryce Harper won't be playing in any games for their Gulf Coast League affiliate this season, according to Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com.
Odds & Ends: Inge, Damon, Draft, Lilly, Manny
One year ago today, the Mets released Livan Hernandez. So far in 2010, Hernandez has a 3.06 ERA and ranks in the top ten in the NL in innings pitched and complete games. He doesn't strike anybody out, but his walk rate is low and he's headed for the 200 IP plateau once again. Here are some links for Friday as we contemplate Hernandez's surprising season…
- Brandon Inge and Johnny Damon are now on waivers, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). We should soon know if the two Tigers clear.
- Baseball America presents the compensation picks in the 2011 draft and total bonuses from 2008-10. The Nationals, Pirates and Blue Jays have have spent the most on bonuses.
- This doesn't count towards their draft spending, but the Pirates signed Colombian shortstop Dilson Herrera for $220K, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney doubts that Ted Lilly would clear waivers this month. The left-hander, who tossed a two-hitter last night, would likely be claimed by a contending team.
- Jamey Newberg lists the hurdles the Rangers will face if they want to acquire Manny Ramirez from the Dodgers this month. As Newberg explains on MLB.com, a lot would have to fall into place for the Rangers to acquire the slugger.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post points out that the Mets' decision to let Darren O'Day go at the beginning of last year has not worked out for New York.
- Mark Kiszla of the the Denver Post says Todd Helton “needs to hang up his No. 17 Colorado uniform and retire.”
- Joe Beimel, a free agent after the season, would like to keep playing in Colorado, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
Johnny Damon Wants To Re-Sign With Tigers
Johnny Damon maintains that he may retire after 2011, but he told MLB.com's Jason Beck that he wants to return to Detroit for a second season before retiring.
"I'm hoping to stay,” he said. “I'm hoping after this season they want me back.”
Damon, who, considers himself something of a “player-coach,” hits free agency this winter. Rookie outfielders Austin Jackson and Brennan Boesch figure to play prominent roles on next year’s team, but Magglio Ordonez’s ankle fracture will prevent his 2011 option from vesting, so the Tigers can choose not to bring him back.
The Tigers have faded from contention this season, so there has been speculation that they could trade Damon, Brandon Inge and other veterans approaching free agency. Even if he plays the rest of the season for another team, Damon says he would be “very interested” in returning to Detroit after the season.
The 36-year-old currently projects as a Type A free agent under the Elias rankings. Damon has a .278/.361/.425 line in 442 plate appearances this year and while he's hitting fewer homers, he does have 30 doubles.
Odds & Ends: Tigers, Harper, Rockies, Thomas
Let's round up a few more leftover Saturday links….
- Johnny Damon doesn't know whether he'll be back in Detroit next year, but he thinks the club might make a run at Carl Crawford, according to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
- The Nationals are "working hard" to lock up Bryce Harper, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com talked about Harper with several executives and scouting directors, all of whom expect the Nats to get a deal done with their first overall pick.
- Troy Renck of the Denver Post fielded followers' questions on Twitter this evening, providing his opinion on a few Rockies-related subjects. Renck expects the Rox to pursue a first baseman and corner outfielder this winter, focusing on players with power. Renck also feels that failing to sign first-rounder Kyle Parker wouldn't be a disaster, given the strength of next year's draft (all Twitter links).
- Michael Thomas, the player to be named later in the Jarrod Saltalamacchia trade, will be converted to a pitcher by the Rangers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Thomas has spent his minor league career to date as a catcher, but his primary strength is his throwing arm rather than his bat.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Johnny Damon
It seems like just a few weeks ago that Johnny Damon was still a free agent, mulling offers from the Tigers, White Sox and others. He is already halfway through the one-year $8MM deal he signed as Spring Training began, so let's take stock of Damon's value.
He's still getting on base (.362 OBP, 40 walks) and stealing occasionally (seven steals in eight attempts), but his power has dropped off noticeably. Damon cranked 24 homers last year, including 17 at Yankee Stadium, a park that seems perfect for his swing and appears to have boosted his homer total. Five of Damon's 17 Yankee Stadium round-trippers were classified as 'just enough' home runs by HitTrackerOnline (that means they didn't clear the wall by much). Comerica Park is considered a pitchers' park, though all six of Damon's 2010 home runs have come at home.
Damon has played in left and center field this year, but has spent most of his time DHing. He turns 37 this winter, so teams are probably wary of relying on him for too much defense at this point. The market for DHs has not been good in recent years, but Damon remains an above-average hitter.
The Elias rankings currently place Damon in Type A territory, but just barely. The Tigers will probably not offer arbitration after the season, since $8-9MM would be a lot to pay Damon next year.
That said, teams other than the Indians and Blue Jays don't have DHs locked up long-term and could look to Damon as a way of getting production on a one-year deal. His former teammates, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Hideki Matsui could be among the players competing for DH jobs after the season, but Damon should still draw one-year offers.
Let's not forget that Damon will likely be about three seasons away from the 3,000 hit plateau after this year. That milestone could make it harder for Damon to pass up multi-million dollar offers to play in 2011, even if it means taking a paycut.
Odds & Ends: Jenkins, Orioles, Molina, Lee, Konerko
Links for Saturday…
- Geoff Jenkins told Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel that he received several offers in Spring Training this year, but they were all jobs in Triple-A, which "wasn't in [his] heart." Earlier tonight we learned that Jenkins is close to announcing his retirement.
- Despite his team's poor start, Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail believes his team is on the right track with their rebuilding effort, says Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News provides a follow-up to today's Bengie Molina discussion in a series of tweets. Baggarly says service time will not factor into Buster Posey's potential promotion, and doesn't think the Giants will shop Molina after Posey arrives. Baggarly adds that Molina's hamstring injury is not serious and no roster move will be needed.
- Molina told Kevin Burkhardt of SNY that he wanted to sign with the Mets and was ready to move his family to New York, but was upset that they refused to increase their offer to two guaranteed years. (hat tip to Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.com)
- In a CMSB radio interview, Newsday's Ken Davidoff suggests that Cliff Lee and Paul Konerko will be two of the most interesting players to monitor as the trade deadline approaches.
- John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle has some quotes from Eric Chavez, who admitted feeling pressure to perform since this is the last year of his contract. He also understands that the A's need a productive DH, which he hasn't been. Through 91 plate appearances, Chavez is hitting .220/.275/.305.
- CC Sabathia doesn't believe that Victor Martinez's impending free agency is the reason behind his former battery mate's slow start, according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier. V-Mart is hitting just .267/.330/.381 on the year, though he's picked it up of late.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post wonders why the Yankees would do business with the injury prone Nick Johnson instead of waiting out Johnny Damon. Johnson left last night's game with a sore right wrist and appears headed for the disabled list.
- Ever wonder what happened to the six players that went to Florida in the Miguel Cabrera–Dontrelle Willis blockbuster? The Detroit Free Press has the answer.
Odds & Ends: Rays, Reds, Pettitte, Robertson
Here are some links for the day…
- Rays GM Andrew Friedman told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he "doesn't expect" to go outside of the organization for bullpen help (Twitter link). The Rays already added Virgil Vasquez today.
- Reds GM Walt Jocketty told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that the team could make a midseason deal or two.
- Andy Pettitte hinted to the YES Network's Jack Curry that this may be his last season. The lefty says he wants to spend more time with his family.
- Nate Robertson tells Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald that he's glad to be back in Florida, especially since he's surrounded by a number of former Tigers.
- Jayson Werth says he isn't thinking about his upcoming contract year, but Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson told Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that it can become a distraction for lots of players.
- Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle says Buster Posey will likely start the year in the minors, partly because the Giants wouldn't mind slowing down the catcher's service time clock.
- Johnny Damon tells the Associated Press that he has been impressed with the Tigers this spring.
- Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the team's front office has been a "pleasant surprise" so far.
Odds & Ends: Gaudin, Stairs, Lowell, Darvish
Links for Monday…
- FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi spoke to one executive who thinks the lack of open 40-man roster spots is inhibiting trades. There are only 28 open spots across the league, and more than half of the teams are maxed out.
- Chad Gaudin said he considered "a couple" of other teams before deciding to rejoin the A's, reports MLB.com's Jane Lee.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock reminds us that the Padres will have to remove someone from their 40-man roster before Opening Day to make room for Matt Stairs.
- The Rangers have a scout on hand to watch Mike Lowell play third base tonight, tweets ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes. This deal has to get done eventually, right?
- The Braves were concerned the Marlins would take Jason Heyward at #12 in the 2007 draft, writes Yahoo's Jeff Passan.
- Yu Darvish hinted for the first time that he might be willing to come to MLB, says Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. Newman passes along a Sponichi report in which Darvish said, "Well, I’m planning on climbing the ladder, step by step," when asked about moving to MLB one day. Newman notes that Darvish isn't close to free agency, so the Nippon Ham Fighters would have to post him.
- SI's Jon Heyman writes that the Mariners and Jarrod Washburn "are believed to remain apart on the dollars for a new deal."
- Brian Cashman and Johnny Damon met in person for the first time since Damon left the Yankees, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- MLB.com's Peter Gammons names six clubs that might be better than you think.