Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Orlando Cabrera

Reds Have Interest In Cabrera, Amezaga

By | at

The Reds have some interest in free agents Orlando Cabrera and Alfredo Amezaga, reports John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer. The problem is that the team doesn't have much wiggle room financially.

“We’ve kicked it around a little bit,” (GM Walt) Jocketty said (of Cabrera). “We’re not sure it’s the right fit for us. And I don’t know if financially we’re in position to do it.”

“We’ve looked it a little bit,” Jocketty said (of Amezaga). “But he’s been hurt a lot. We have not talked to his agent at this point.”

The Nationals also expressed some interest in Cabrera, but we haven't heard about much interest in Amezaga. Jocketty also added that they have not talked to either Jermaine Dye or Gary Sheffield. 

Odds & Ends: Rangers, Hudson, Loretta, Pence

By | at

More Saturday linkage..

  • Ty Wigginton of the Orioles will likely see his number of at-bats decrease after the team's signing of Miguel Tejada and Garrett Atkins.  Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com says that the 32-year-old could be a trade candidate in Spring Training.
  • The sale of the Rangers to Chuck Greenberg's group is complete and an announcement is forthcoming, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
  • Phil Wood of MASNSports.com understands the Nats' pursuit of Orlando Hudson, but not their reported interest in Orlando Cabrera.  Hudson is reportedly seeking $9MM per season whereas Mike Axisa estimates that Cabrera can be had for $3MM.
  • Veteran infielder Mark Loretta is expected to retire this week and take a job with an unspecified major league club, writes Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.  The 38-year-old, who spent 2009 with the Dodgers, has a career .754 OPS.
  • Brian McTaggart of MLB.com writes that signing Hunter Pence to one-year, $3.5MM deal makes sense for Houston.  McTaggart senses that there is some kind of a groundswell of support by Astros fans to lock up the 26-year-old, but the club still has three years of contractual control to make such a deal happen.
  • Signing Brad Penny saved money for the Cardinals, writes Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  While it may seem as though Penny's $7.5MM deal is similar to Joel Pineiro's two-year deal that will pay him an average of $8MM per season, the extra year on Pineiro's contract didn't fit into the Cards' budget.
  • Due in part to the team's overload of left field options, top Reds prospect Todd Frazier could see some time at shortstop this season, writes John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Frazier played shortstop in his time at Rutgers University but was moved to the outfield as he was considered to be "too big for the spot."  GM Walt Jocketty said that there will be open competition for the role of starting shortstop, though Fay says that it will likely go to the light-hitting Paul Janish.

Nationals Interested In Orlando Cabrera

By | at

The Nationals have interest in free agent Orlando Cabrera, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson. They view him as a possible second baseman if they're unable to land the other Orlando, as in Orlando Hudson.

We really haven't heard too much about the 35-year-old Cabrera at all this offseason. He hit .281/.316/.389 last year for the A's and Twins, though his defense at short was among the worst in the game according to UZR. Considering the deals that players like Alex Gonzalez and Jerry Hairston Jr. have gotten this winter, Cabrera seems to be in line to pull down about $3MM in 2010.

Stark On Holliday, Lee, Phillies, Rockies, Cubs

By | at

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says the Baseball Writers' Association of America needs to establish an award for relief pitchers. He also provides plenty of rumblings from around the league; here they are:

  • Stark hears that the only offers Matt Holliday had in-hand when the Cardinals signed him were one-year deals worth $18MM or so.
  • The Phillies offered Cliff Lee a three-year extension worth $60MM or so before trading for Roy Halladay. It's unclear whether Lee and agent Darek Braunecker formally turned the offer down, but others believe Lee will seek a longer-term deal once he hits the open market after this season.
  • The Phillies are "plenty interested" in Pedro Martinez on a half-season deal similar to the one he signed last year, but one NL club hears that Pedro is looking for a full-season job at "market" dollars.
  • The Phillies have backed off on John Smoltz, who wants to start, but they are interested in Jose Contreras.
  • The Rockies talked actively to the Marlins about Dan Uggla. Now, the Rockies are more intent on free agent options including Miguel Tejada, Orlando Cabrera and Orlando Hudson.
  • They'd also like to bring Jason Giambi back.
  • Scouts who have seen Carlos Delgado play first base in Puerto Rico say the slugger should look for a DH job, since his fielding is suspect.
  • Stark has the impression that the Cubs have set aside their interest in Ben Sheets as they pursue a bench bat and a setup man.

Twitter Rumors: Mets, Granderson, Matsui

By | at

More links from Twitter. Be sure to follow MLBTR on Twitter for all your updates.

Odds & Ends: Cabrera, Johnson, Halladay

By | at

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are some links to check out…

  • Darren Rovell of CNBC hears that the Yankees will receive World Series shares or $367K.
  • Miguel Cabrera may have to DH by the time he's 30, though he remains one of the ten or so best hitters in the league, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com.
  • The Blue Jays looked into Orlando Cabrera before signing Alex Gonzalez, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. O-Cab is using Jack Wilson's two-year $10MM deal as a starting point.
  • The Marlins have options with Josh Johnson, even though they're not negotiating with the pitcher now, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. They could trade him after the 2010 season or at the 2011 trade deadline, collect compensation picks for him or re-open extension talks.
  • Former MLB catcher Sal Fasano will manage the Blue Jays' Class A Lansing affiliate, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
  • Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says Shelley Duncan is a hard worker who deserves a shot with an MLB club. The slugger became a free agent yesterday. 
  • Peter Gammons of ESPN.com wonders (via Twitter) whether it's worth giving up three prospects for Roy Halladay, especially since he'll be in a position to demand close to $20MM per year if he signs an extension.
  • Check out the game's best and worst baserunners since 2005 over at ACTA Sports. Bengie Molina and Grady Sizemore figure prominently in John Dewan's rankings.

Twins May Target Rich Harden

By | at

Free agent starter Rich Harden was a major topic of discussion in MLB.com's Kelly Thesier's mailbag piece today, where it was confirmed that Minnesota has had interest in acquiring the Canadian right-hander in the past and may look to do so again this winter.

Thesier reports that the Twins put in a claim on Harden last August before the Cubs pulled the pitcher back off of waivers.  Minnesota ended up trading for Carl Pavano on August 7 to bolster their pitching staff en route to their successful chase of the AL Central title. 

Though Minnesota has a number of young pitchers both in their rotation and their minor league system, Thesier argues this actually gives the Twins more incentive to sign Harden, given that the team feels they have the depth to fill the void should the injury-plagued Harden again find himself on the disabled list.  Harden posted a 4.09 ERA and 10.9 K/9 rate with Chicago last season and is very used to pitching to the bigger bats of the American League after spending the first five and a half years of his career in Oakland.  It has been speculated that Harden will sign an incentives-laden short-term contract since his injury history will prevent teams from offering longer-term deals, and such a one or two-year contract might appeal to the budget-conscious Twins.

Thesier's mailbag also covers such topics as the possibility of the Twins re-signing Pavano, re-signing Orlando Cabrera to play second or third base, an interest in free agent starter Jarrod Washburn and the status of the dispute between the club and starter Glen Perkins, so it's well worth the read.

Rogers On White Sox, Gamel, Cabrera, Yankees

By | at

The White Sox have a new third baseman of the future, writes Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune. Dayan Viciedo held his own as a 20-year-old in AA this year (.708 OPS), but Brent Morel has passed him on Rogers' depth chart with a torrid stint in the Arizona Fall League. Here are the rest of Rogers' rumors:

  •  A's GM Billy Beane likes what he sees from pitching prospect Fautino de los Santos, who is hitting the mid-nineties as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
  • Casey McGehee has emerged as a solid player, but the Brewers are reluctant to trade Mat Gamel, even if it would net them the starting pitching they covet.
  • The Twins are talking to Orlando Cabrera about returning to play second base.
  • Rogers says the Yankees are more likely to sign Johnny Damon than Hideki Matsui.

Twins Rumors: Pavano, Cabrera, Punto

By | at

The Twins and Carl Pavano are both interested in making a deal, but it's unlikely we'll see anything finalized before Pavano hits the open market, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The Twins have exclusive negotiating rights for now, but Pavano's likely to test the open market first.

The righty made $4.35MM this season, mostly by reaching performance incentives. This time, Pavano's agent suggests his client deserves more guaranteed money. Pavano has repeated that he enjoyed playing for the Twins after they acquired him from the Indians in August, so a return seems possible.

Pavano is a Type B free agent; the Twins will get a supplementary round pick if they offer arbitration only to see Pavano sign elsewhere.

Another Twins free agent, Orlando Cabrera, won't be playing shortstop next year, but manager Ron Gardenhire wants him back regardless. Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Gardenhire would like Cabrera at second base, J.J. Hardy at short and Nick Punto at third.

Twins Acquire J.J. Hardy For Carlos Gomez

By | at

12:55pm: A bunch of Tweets from the Brewers' side: Brewers GM Doug Melvin said he won't pursue re-signing Cameron, and will look to the free agent market for starting pitching.  Melvin contacted Mark Mulder's agent but hasn't heard back.  Melvin even mentioned John Lackey's name.  (Reporting: Haudricourt and MLB.com's Adam McCalvy).

12:04pm: I asked Hardy if he's closed the book on the service time issue, and he said yes.  A grievance does not seem likely; Hardy admitted it'd be hard to prove.

Twins GM Bill Smith said on today's conference call that he talked to free agent Orlando Cabrera this morning and told him Hardy will be the team's shortstop.  Smith implied that re-signing Joe Crede is a possibility, as he has talked to Scott Boras.  Smith added that Delmon Young is a lock to be tendered a contract.

10:57am: The Twins acquired shortstop J.J. Hardy for center fielder Carlos Gomez, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

While I expected the Brewers to snag a young pitcher for Hardy, I like the move for both sides.  Center field was certainly a need for the Brewers with Mike Cameron eligible for free agency.  Haudricourt notes that the money the Brewers saved on Cameron will probably go toward starting pitching.  While Gomez hasn't had offensive success in his career, his stellar defense is unquestionable.  He'll be eligible for arbitration this winter as a Super Two player, and is under team control through 2013.

Hardy is a huge addition for the Twins, who entered the offseason needing upgrades at shorstop, third base, and second base.  Due to an August demotion by the Brewers, Hardy is under team control for 2010 and 2011 (Hardy says there are "no hard feelings.")  He slumped offensively this year, but maintained his strong defense.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows scroll to top