Cafardo’s Latest: Hart, Tejada, Red Sox, White Sox
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has his share of rumors every Sunday. Let's have a look.
- The Tigers, Giants, and Red Sox have either scouted or discussed Corey Hart. While the Sox have the pitching the Brewers need, with Mark Kotsay expected back soon and Rocco Baldelli not on the disabled list, I'm not sure an everyday player like Hart makes as much sense for Boston as he does for the Giants. Thoughts?
- Jeff Francoeur used to carry a Red Sox Mastercard until his teammates made him cancel it. Cafardo says one Sox official was unaware of any interest in Francoeur, who has struggled for two years now.
- The Astros would consider dealing Miguel Tejada if they could net a pitching prospect in return. Cafardo notes Tejada's reputation as a great teammate. MLBTR speculated the White Sox could be interested in him as a solution at third base.
- Speaking of White Sox third basemen, watch out Josh Fields. Cafardo notes Gordon Beckham was promoted from Double-A to Triple-A and moved to third base.
- Cafardo also notes Jake Peavy's willingness to reconsider a trade to the White Sox down the line, and that the White Sox "will surely make that deal again" if in contention.
Rosenthal On Royals, Atkins, Baez, Huff
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has trade speculation in the sidebar of his latest column.
- Rosenthal sees shortstop Mike Aviles as the Royals' weakest link, given his .523 OPS in 97 plate appearances. Most projection systems had Aviles in the .720-.750 range. Rosenthal runs through potential trade targets such as Orlando Cabrera, Jack Wilson, Miguel Tejada, and Marco Scutaro. The first three have their flaws, and Scutaro doesn't figure to be available.
- Rosenthal suggests the Rockies could accomplish their goal of more playing time for Ian Stewart by trading Garrett Atkins. However, Atkins is fairly pricey and is off to a .224/.287/.367 start through 108 plate appearances.
- Orioles reliever Danys Baez is generating trade buzz with his 2.30 ERA through 15.6 innings. Baez is still owed $4.55MM of his $5.5MM '09 salary, and he also gets a $500K bonus if traded. So just moving the contract might be a feat for Andy MacPhail, in my opinion.
- Aubrey Huff, with $6.62MM left on his contract, could eventually draw interest from teams like the Royals and Mariners, in Rosenthal's opinion. Huff seems back to his pre-2008 level; he's hitting .270/.331/.423 in 124 plate appearances.
Odds And Ends: Tejada, Manny, White Sox
A few links for Thursday night…
- Good news for the Astros: The AP (via ESPN) reports that a federal prosecutor recommended that Miguel Tejada get probation, but no prison time for his involvement with PEDs.
- MLB.com's Ken Gurnick passes along a memorable Manny Ramirez quote: "No more cricket. I'm not signing to play cricket. Well, I can be a free agent after this year, so we'll see. But don't ask me about cricket."
- Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald writes that the White Sox need to make a deal for a center fielder who can bat leadoff. He thinks GM Kenny Williams is "probably close" to making a deal. Gregor doesn't like Jim Edmonds or Juan Pierre for the job, but he doesn't rule out Kenny Lofton.
- This isn't a rumor, but MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has a quirky anecdote. Micah Owings and Norris Hopper hit home runs with the same bat today. I might be more surprised that Hopper hit one.
- Ivan Rodriguez is looking forward to joining the Astros, according to this article in the Detroit Free Press.
- Padres CEO Sandy Alderson says it was a huge mistake to let Joakim Soria slip away through the Rule 5 draft in this article by Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Miguel Tejada Still Fond Of Orioles
Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun spoke to Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada, who said:
"I always enjoyed to be with the Orioles. I’m a free agent this year. You never know. I might come back."
The Orioles’ shortstop situation will depend on the performance of Cesar Izturis, who they signed at $2.4MM for ’09 and $2.6MM for ’10. But even if Izturis meets expectations, the Orioles will have a vacancy at third base since Melvin Mora‘s contract will be up.
Cafardo’s Latest: Crosby, Oil Can Boyd?
A few highlights from Nick Cafardo’s latest article in the Boston Globe…
- Despite the assumption that Miguel Tejada won’t face prison time, the Astros are keeping an open mind in terms of possible replacements for Tejada. Cafardo mentions Bobby Crosby as an option. Crosby, the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year, is likely to find himself out of a starting job if the A’s pull the trigger and sign Orlando Cabrera.
- Here’s something I can’t believe I’m typing… can Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd make a Major League comeback at age 49? Oil Can hasn’t pitched since 1991, but claims his velocity is back up in the low 90s, and his curveball is back to form. He’s always dreamt of carrying on Satchel Paige’s legend and pitching into his 60s. Boyd’s quote:
""I have nothing to lose, and all a major league team has to lose is 15 minutes," said Boyd. "Give me 15 minutes and I’ll show I can still pitch. That’s all I want."
Boyd threw at the Red Sox fantasy camp, and former catcher Mike Stanley said that Oil Can’s stuff is the same as it was 18 years ago, and his passion hasn’t died down one bit.
Certainly an interesting story, but can he live up to his word?
Odds And Ends: Brewers, Roberts, Tejada
A few links for Wednesday night…
- According to The Sports Network, the Brewers signed minor leaguers Eduardo Morlan and Cody Scarpetta to one year deals.
- Brian Roberts hasn’t given up on working out an extension with the O’s, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. Kubatko writes "it’s pretty clear that he wants a fourth year."
- Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News profiles Jesus Montero, the 19-year-old who could succeed Jorge Posada if he fares well as a catcher.
- MLB.com’s Corey Brock reports that Tigers’ pitching prospect Rick Porcello isn’t changing his approach as he approaches the majors.
- AZSnakePit.com interviewed D’Backs GM Josh Byrnes about pitching, defensive metrics and the June draft.
- Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Chase Utley looks healthy in Clearwater.
- The Astros hope Miguel Tejada starts the season as their shortstop, according to Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle. Astros GM Ed Wade is apparently "committed to Tejada."
Miguel Tejada Admits Lying
WEDNESDAY: Tejada pleaded guilty to lying and "admitted buying what he believed was human growth hormone." He figures to get probation.
TUESDAY: According to Del Quentin Wilber and Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post, Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada "was charged today with lying to congressional investigators about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball." Specifically, Tejada is charged with lying to investigators about having conversations with another player (Adam Piatt) about performance-enhancing drugs.
A’s Discussing Abreu, Anderson
Signing Jason Giambi remains a priority for the A’s, but they’ve begun preliminary discussions about Bobby Abreu and Garret Anderson in case Giambi demands too much, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. She’s heard that Billy Beane contacted the agents for Abreu and Anderson.
Slusser doesn’t expect any deals until after the holidays, but writes that the Oakland front office spent part of last week preparing to meet with Giambi’s agent, Arn Tellem.
And Slusser heard from an A’s source that they are not interested in trading for Miguel Tejada.
Odds and Ends: Cabrera, Tejada, Teixeira
A few random notes from around the MLBiverse…
- The Cardinals signed infielder Joe Thurston and catcher Justin Knoedler to minor league deals with spring training invites. Thurston appeared in four games for the Red Sox in ’08, while Knoedler last appeared in the majors with the Giants in ’06.
- Jordan Bastian says the Blue Jays are not one of the teams that have offered a contract to Daniel Cabrera. The Jays are interested, but want to see Cabrera pitch in the Dominican Winter League before making an offer…Cabrera’s agent says eleven teams have shown interest and Cabrera has received two contract offers.
- Jon Heyman is reporting that the FBI is still investigating Miguel Tejada, which will hinder any attempts to trade the shortstop…We previously heard that the Astros were trying hard to move Tejada but had yet to find any suitors.
- Mike Bauman believes the Red Sox offer to Mark Teixeira could be a direct reaction to the recent signings of C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett by the Yankees. Bauman says the Red Sox "cannot sit idly by and watch the Yanks make dramatic, if incredibly expensive, improvements."
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Astros Rumors: Oswalt, Valverde, Tejada
The latest Astros rumors as they keep their payroll in check:
- Astros owner Drayton McLane decided not to take Roy Oswalt up on his offer to re-structure his contract and defer money. McLane told Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle that the contract “catches up with you at some point,” regardless of when it’s paid.
- Justice adds that barring something unexpected the Astros will hold onto Jose Valverde and Miguel Tejada .
- According to MLB.com’s Alyson Footer, McLane said adding a top pitcher to join Oswalt in the Houston rotation is “just not in the cards.”