Michael Bourn

NL Central Notes: Reds, Wandy, Bourn, Gomez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 21, 2011 at 8:38pm CDT

The Brewers lead the NL Central by half a game, but they lost their center fielder to injury last night. Here's the latest from the division…

"There is some urgency, but not tremendous urgency" said Reds GM Walt Jocketty to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon when asked about making a trade before the deadline. "I still have a lot of confidence that we're good enough to win, but if there is a chance to upgrade the club, we would try to pursue it."
MLB.com's Peter Gammons spoke to three AL clubs who have "no interest" in Wandy Rodriguez of the Astros, fearing the NL-to-AL switch (Twitter links).
Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner hears that Michael Bourn's name isn't coming up much on the trade market, though writers continue mentioning the speedy outfielder as a trade candidate (Twitter link).
Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he may look for center field help to restore outfield depth (Twitter link). Carlos Gomez fractured his left clavicle last night.
Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times suggests Cubs GM Jim Hendry may be best-suited to lead the organization after 2011. Some baseball insiders believe former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes and current Dodgers GM Ned Colletti would be near the top of the Cubs' list of possible replacements, Wittenmyer writes. Reports linking the Cubs to longtime executive Pat Gillick and White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn have been shot down, according to the Sun-Times.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports hears that incoming Astros owner Jim Crane hasn’t told current GM Ed Wade to keep any particular player.
Hunter Pence is likely staying in Houston, since the Astros aren’t seeing multi-player offers they like, according to Peter Gammons of MLB Network (on Twitter). Gammons explains that the market for Wandy Rodriguez is hurt because AL teams are wary of NL pitchers.

Nats Rumors: Storen, Clippard, Desmond, Gorzelanny

By Tim Dierkes | July 18, 2011 at 1:03pm CDT

The Nationals are listening on top relievers Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, but such a trade would have to fill a specific long-term need such as center field. Teams are calling on Storen, Clippard, and Todd Coffey.

Potential center field targets for Washington include B.J. Upton, Michael Bourn, Colby Rasmus, and Denard Span, writes Rosenthal. He believes that a reliever alone probably would not bring back a center fielder, but the Nats could also trade shortstop Ian Desmond since some club officials would like to move Danny Espinosa to shortstop.

Storen is under team control through 2016, Clippard and Desmond through '15. Desmond would be an interesting name for teams seeking shortstop help, though he's limped to a .226/.269/.311 line in 361 plate appearances this year.

The Nationals also have starting pitching to spare, as ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that they will move Jason Marquis, Livan Hernandez, and Tom Gorzelanny. Gorzelanny is a bit of a surprise, as he's got strong strikeout and walk rates and is under team control through 2013.

Gammons Talks Trade Market

By Steve Adams | July 17, 2011 at 2:30pm CDT

Peter Gammons spoke with a host of scouts, general managers, and MLB executives, all of which is compiled in his latest piece at MLB.com, which is chock full of trade-related news:

The Astros are asking for as much in return for Wandy Rodriguez as the Rockies are for Ubaldo Jimenez. General manager Ed Wade is in a difficult position, caught between an ownership change.
Half a dozen teams are looking for right-handed offense, but the Rockies won't trade Ryan Spilborghs and the Cubs are holding onto Jeff Baker. Gammons says that reduces that market to Conor Jackson, Josh Willingham, Reed Johnson, Lastings Milledge, and Jeff Francoeur. The Twins recently announced they won't trade Michael Cuddyer as well.
The Dodgers want to shed salary, but don't have much to shed besides Jamey Carroll and Hiroki Kuroda. Gammons spoke with two East coast executives that said Kuroda, who has a full no-trade clause, won't accept a deal to an East Coast team.
The Athletics will move veteran bats and probably a reliever or two.
The Mariners won't have a fire sale, and aren't likely to get much for Erik Bedard in light of his injury.
The Nationals are willing to trade Tyler Clippard, and have been continually pursuing Michael Bourn. They're also one of several teams who showed interest in Julio Borbon prior to his injury.
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is in a tough spot because he doesn't know which way owner Peter Angelos wants him to go, according to a rival GM.
Jordan Pacheco and Wilin Rosario make it possible for the Rockies to trade Chris Iannetta, but the Red Sox seem content wth their catching options.

Astros Notes: Wandy, Bourn, Lee, Pence, Myers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | July 5, 2011 at 9:37am CDT

The Astros will likely be sellers at this year’s trade deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Houston has an MLB-worst 29-57 record, so the front office figures to entertain offers for Wandy Rodriguez, Michael Bourn and others. Here are the details from Rosenthal and Morosi’s report, which is a must-read item for Astros fans:

Though owner Drayton McLane would like to complete the sale of his club to Jim Crane by the July 31st trade deadline, the deal may not become official until August. MLB isn’t close to approving the sale, partly because of its ongoing conflict with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.
Crane will likely stay quiet until baseball’s owners approve him, but he’ll influence the team’s direction this summer.
MLB has not told Crane that he has to agree to move the Astros to the AL West for the sale to go through.
Carlos Lee, who earns $18.5MM this year and next year, wouldn’t be easy to trade even if Houston picked up significant salary.
The club doesn’t want to trade Hunter Pence, who is under control through 2013. Bud Norris and Jordan Lyles also figure into Houston’s long-term plans, but the Astros will likely listen to offers on most other players, including Brett Myers and Jeff Keppinger.
Most baseball people expect Crane to fire GM Ed Wade, but the new owner will likely take his time evaluating Wade’s leadership before conducting a search for a new GM.
Houston native and current Rays executive Andrew Friedman is “an almost certain target,” according to Rosenthal and Morosi. Another Tampa Bay exec, former Astros GM Gerry Hunsicker, is also a possibility for Crane. He led Houston to four division titles before joining the Rays.

Nats Looking For Center Fielder; Asked About Bourn

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 31, 2011 at 6:01pm CDT

The Nationals are looking to acquire a center fielder and a leadoff hitter, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The club is willing to overpay in a trade, according to Ladson, who suggests they could look for a center fielder or leadoff hitter if they trade Ivan Rodriguez or Todd Coffey. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post hears that the Nats inquired about Michael Bourn, though talks didn't develop (Twitter link).

Roger Bernadina has been playing center field regularly for Washington, but some members of the Nationals' organization believe he belongs in a corner outfield spot. The 26-year-old has played all three outfield positions this year and has a .247/.307/.333 line with one home run.

Nationals leadoff hitters have combined for a .195/.250/.296 line. They're 13 of 13 in stolen base attempts, but have just 13 walks against 51 stirkeouts and rank last among MLB leadoff hitters in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS.

Quick Hits: Cabral, Bourn, Greenberg, Aardsma

By Zachary Links | March 12, 2011 at 4:32pm CDT

On this day in 2004, the Yankees reacquired Orlando Hernandez after trading him away just a year prior. El Duque missed 2003 with rotator cuff surgery but returned to action in July to give the Bombers a 3.30 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 across 15 starts..

The Rays didn't have much use for Cesar Cabral after upgrading their bullpen this winter, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.com.
Major League Baseball has now had nine years of labor peace thanks to Commissioner Bud Selig, writes Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
Michael Bourn's career took a major leap when he was dealt to the Astros and moved from right field to center, writes Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
Now that Chuck Greenberg has resigned as CEO of the Rangers, Nolan Ryan is in complete charge of the club, possibly for the first time since he was hired in 2008, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
Mariners skipper Eric Wedge told Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio (via Twitter) that pitcher David Aardsma should be back by mid-April. The veteran was the subject of trade rumors before undergoing hip surgery in December.
Ultimately, the Athletics addressed most of their holes without making a splashy move this offseason, writes Matthew Carruth of Fangraphs.

Michael Bourn Hires Scott Boras

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 11, 2011 at 11:35am CDT

If you thought the busy portion of Scott Boras' offseason ended when he found deals for Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, you were mistaken. The agent has recently added Robinson Cano and, according to Stephen Goff of the Houston Examiner, now represents Michael Bourn.

Bourn, 28, led the National League in stolen bases for the second consective season in 2010, winning his second Gold Glove in center field. He hit .265/.341/.346 in 605 plate appearances to go along with 52 steals in 64 attempts.

Bourn will earn $4.4MM in 2011, his second season as an arbitration eligible player. The former SFX client will be eligible for free agency after 2012. Click here for a list of Boras' clients.

Players To Avoid Arbitration: Tuesday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 18, 2011 at 5:20pm CDT

Today is the deadline for players and teams to submit arbitration figures. The sides will then settle on a salary between the team's proposed number and the player's proposed number or go to an arbitration hearing. Arbitration eligible players are under team control, so the clubs don't risk losing them – it's a question of how much the players will earn.

Yesterday, 11 players avoided arbitration. We could see just as many agreements trickle in today and we'll keep you posted on them right here and with our Arb Tracker. The latest updates will be at the top of the post:

The Angels have agreed to terms with Reggie Willits and Howie Kendrick, tweets Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times. Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register tweets that Kendrick will earn $3.3MM, Willits $775K (on Twitter).
The Giants agreed to terms with Santiago Casilla on a one-year deal worth $1.3MM with incentives, according to ESPN Deportes' Enrique Rojas (on Twitter). The team also announced that they avoided arb with Jonathan Sanchez and Ramon Ramirez (on Twitter). Sanchez will earn $4.8MM with incentives tweets Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle while Ramirez will earn $1.65MM according to Janie McCauley of The Canadian Press.
The Braves agreed to terms with Peter Moylan and Eric O'Flaherty, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman (on Twitter). Moylan gets $2MM, O'Flaherty gets $895K according to Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter).
The Mariners agreed to terms with Brandon League, David Aardsma and Jason Vargas, the team announced. Aardsma will earn $4.5MM with plenty of incentives, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (plus Twitter link).
The Rangers agreed to terms with C.J. Wilson and Nelson Cruz, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan (Twitter links). Cruz gets $3.65MM, and Wilson gets $7.05MM with a chance to earn another $100K according to his agent Bob Garber, via email.

The Padres avoided arbitration with Chase Headley (2.535MM) and Tim Stauffer ($1.075MM), according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (on Twitter).
The Phillies and Kyle Kendrick avoided arbitration with a $2.45MM deal, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). The team has confirmed the deal.
The Pirates announced that they agreed to terms with Joel Hanrahan. It's a $1.4MM deal, according to Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter).
The Cubs agreed to a one-year deal with Tom Gorzelanny, despite reports that a trade to Washington is imminent. Gorzelanny will earn $2.1MM next year, according to Mark Zuckerman of NatsInsider.com (on Twitter). They also announced a two-year, $4.7MM deal with Sean Marshall.
The Diamondbacks agreed to a one-year deal with Joe Saunders.
The Padres agreed to a $2.535MM deal with Mike Adams, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links).
The Angels agreed to a $3MM deal with Erick Aybar and a $2.975MM deal with Kendry Morales.
The White Sox agreed to a $5.05MM deal with Carlos Quentin, according to Rosenthal.
The Braves agreed to a $3.1MM deal with Martin Prado and a $3.25MM deal with Jair Jurrjens according to Rosenthal.
The Orioles agreed to a $5.85MM deal with J.J. Hardy, according to Rosenthal.
The Athletics agreed to a $4.75MM deal with Kevin Kouzmanoff, according to Slusser (Twitter link).
The Giants avoided arbitration with Cody Ross, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Ross will earn $6.3MM in 2011.
The Red Sox avoided arbitration with Jonathan Papelbon ($12MM) and Jacoby Ellsbury ($2.4MM).
The Yankees avoided arbitration with Joba Chamberlain ($1.4MM), Phil Hughes ($2.7MM) and Boone Logan ($1.2MM), according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (all Twitter links).
The Dodgers agreed to a $6.275MM deal with Chad Billingsley, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
The White Sox agreed to a $6MM deal with John Danks, according to Heyman (on Twitter).The Cubs avoided arbitration with Matt Garza and agreed to a $5.95MM deal, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
The Indians avoided arbitration with Shin-Soo Choo, the team announced. The deal is worth $3.975MM, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter).
The Twins avoided arbitration with Matt Capps ($7.15MM) and Glen Perkins ($700K), according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (on Twitter).
The Rays avoided arbitration with Andy Sonnanstine, agreeing to a deal worth $913K plus incentives, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter).
The Mets avoided arbitration with Mike Pelfrey, agreeing on a deal worth close to $4MM, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
The Brewers avoided arbitration with Prince Fielder and Manny Parra, signing the players to one-year deals, the team announced. Parra will earn $1.2MM, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (on Twitter).
The Athletics avoided arbitration with Dallas Braden ($3.35MM) and Conor Jackson ($3.32MM), according to MLB.com's Jane Lee (on Twitter).
The Blue Jays agreed to a one-year, $2.3MM deal with Brandon Morrow, the team announced.
The Indians announced that they agreed to a one-year deal with Rafael Perez (Twitter link). It's worth $1.33MM, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter).
The Athletics avoided arbitration with Josh Willingham, agreeing to a $6MM deal, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
The Astros signed Michael Bourn to a one-year, $4.4MM deal, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter).
The Nationals announced (on Twitter) that they avoided arbitration with Michael Morse.
The Marlins avoided arbitration with Anibal Sanchez, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter). They agreed to a $3.7MM deal, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (Twitter link).
The Orioles avoided arbitration with Felix Pie, according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). The deal is for $985K.
The Blue Jays avoided arbitration with Rajai Davis, agreeing to a two-year, $5.25MM deal with the outfielder.
The Marlins avoided arbitration with Clay Hensley and agreed to a $1.4MM deal, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro (on Twitter).
The Astros agreed to a one-year, $2.3MM deal with Jeff Keppinger, avoiding arbitration, according to Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The Astros confirmed the deal.
The White Sox agreed to a one-year, $1.6MM deal with Tony Pena, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter link).
The Padres avoided arbitration with Ryan Ludwick with a $6.775MM deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
The Astros avoided arbitration with Clint Barmes, signing the infielder to a one-year, $3.925MM deal, according to Rosenthal. The Astros confirmed the deal.
The Rockies avoided arb with Felipe Paulino and agreed to a one-year, $790K deal, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter).
The Blue Jays announced that they have agreed to terms with Yunel Escobar on a $2.9MM deal for 2011.
The Indians signed Chris Perez for 2011, avoiding arbitration, the team announced (on Twitter). It's a $2.225MM deal, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter).
The Royals announced that they agreed to terms with Kyle Davies on a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration. It's a $3.2MM deal, according to MLB.com's Dick Kaegel (on Twitter).
The Reds avoided arbitration will Bill Bray, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter). The AP says the deal is for $645K.
The Nationals avoided arbitration with Doug Slaten, and agreed to a one-year, $695K deal according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
The Padres avoided arbitration with Heath Bell and agreed to a one-year, $7.5MM deal.

Astros Notes: Hall, Bullpen, Bourn, Wandy Rodriguez

By Mark Polishuk | December 16, 2010 at 9:23pm CDT

MLB.com's Brian McTaggart discusses a few hot stove items in his latest mailbag piece…

The Astros have a limited amount of payroll space to work with, so they would have to free up some money via a trade before they could sign a free agent like Bill Hall or another veteran for depth. We've heard the Dodgers and Yankees are Hall's "most aggressive" suitors, with L.A. allegedly offering Hall the regular left field job, so Houston could be out of luck.
Houston is looking to add a left-handed reliever either in a trade or from the free agent market.
McTaggart says it "doesn't make much sense" to deal Michael Bourn since Houston still has two more years of control over him. McTaggart seemed more open to a Wandy Rodriguez trade, noting that the left-hander's age (32 in January) and lousy start to the 2010 season are possible warning signs for the Astros. Rodriguez is entering the last year of his contract and there have been some extension talks, but the Astros might want to see if they can drum up some trade deadline interest in Rodriguez if he has a good start next season.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giants, Astros, Marlins

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 7, 2010 at 1:49am CDT

Some late night links after a busy day for the Diamondbacks…

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News has some quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman, including praise for Boston's Adrian Gonzalez acquisition and an explanation that Dustin Moseley was non-tendered because he was looking for something greater than what New York had offered, and New York didn't want to go to arbitration.
Giants GM Brian Sabean acknowledged that the team's payroll could jump from around $100MM in 2010 to as high as $120MM in 2011, according to Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News.
Astros GM Ed Wade told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that rival clubs have asked about Wandy Rodriguez, Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn (Twitter link).
The Cubs will meet with Scott Boras to discuss his clients, including Carlos Pena, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat (on Twitter). The Cubs are known to have interest in the powerful first baseman.
The Marlins are discussing free agents Joe Beimel and J.C. Romero as they look to add left-handed relievers to their bullpen, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. Ron Mahay could be another possibility for the Marlins, who have about $1.5MM to spend on a reliever. Florida will have some competition for Mahay's services, as the Red Sox are also interested.

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