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Rocco Baldelli

Cafardo On Sizemore, Carmona, Delcarmen, Milledge

By Luke Adams 2 | January 30, 2011 at 10:07am CDT

Rocco Baldelli tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that, despite having to retire at age 29, he considers himself fortunate to have had as much time as he did in the majors. "I have no regrets," Baldelli said. "I played major league baseball. I got to the big leagues and I had some moments I'll never forget." Cafardo opens this week's column by wondering what might have been, had Baldelli stayed healthy throughout his career. The Globe writer also shares a handful of hot stove notes….

  • Although recent trade rumors involving Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona were quickly shot down, Cafardo says if both players are healthy and playing well this year, they could be "major trade deadline chips."
  • Four teams are in discussions with agent Jim Masteralexis, regarding client Manny Delcarmen. We heard earlier this month that the Rays had interest in the ex-Red Sox, so they're likely one of the four.
  • One executive told Cafardo that he's surprised Lastings Milledge is still available. While the exec's team doesn't need another outfielder, he argued that "you just don't give up" on a talent like Milledge.
  • Scott Schoeneweis, who hopes to play this season, is being considered by the Diamondbacks.
  • Friends of Pedro Martinez say the right-hander has yet to get pitching out of his system. Pedro will turn 40 later this year, and didn't pitch in the bigs in 2010, but he had success for the Phillies in 2009, compiling a 3.63 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 1.6 BB/9 in nine starts.
  • Cafardo speculates that Boston could be a good fit for Jeremy Bonderman on a minor league deal.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Boston Red Sox Cleveland Guardians Tampa Bay Rays Fausto Carmona Grady Sizemore Jeremy Bonderman Lastings Milledge Manny Delcarmen Pedro Martinez Rocco Baldelli Scott Schoeneweis

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Rocco Baldelli To Retire

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | January 26, 2011 at 8:00am CDT

Rocco Baldelli told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that he will retire as a major league player. The former sixth overall pick will remain in the Rays front office as a special adviser in scouting and player development, the team has confirmed with a press release.

After a promising debut in which Baldelli played center field, stole 27 bases and added 51 extra base hits, the injuries started piling up. He missed the entire 2005 season and considerable chunks of the 2006-10 seasons as he dealt with foot, hamstring, and hip injuries, plus a type of channelopathy, which has caused muscle fatigue.

"It's tough, because you almost never put playing and being an athlete behind you," Baldelli told Topkin. "But in my mind, I already feel like it's a step behind me."

Baldelli, who is still just 29, decided to retire in October and spent a few months making sure he was ready to call it a career.

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Tampa Bay Rays Rocco Baldelli

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Baldelli Plans To Continue Playing

By Zachary Links | September 6, 2010 at 7:21pm CDT

In yesterday's game against the Orioles, Rocco Baldelli belted a two-run pinch hit homer in the seventh inning in his first big league swing of the season.  Prior to signing a minor league deal with the Rays, Baldelli worked with the club as a special assistant.  Now that he's back in the majors, he has no immediate plans to return to coaching, writes Ben Shpigel of the New York Times.

“I like playing; I don’t know what else I would do,” Baldelli said. “I have some ideas. What I did earlier this year was definitely pretty nice, but there’s nothing better than playing. Coming out here every day, it’s something that I’ve done the last ten years of my life and it’s not something I’m going to let go of easily," said the soon-to-be 29-year-old.

The right-handed hitter spent 2009 with Boston, posting a slash line of .253/.311/.433 in 164 plate appearances.

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Tampa Bay Rays Rocco Baldelli

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Rays Sign Baldelli To Minor League Contract

By Tim Dierkes | July 19, 2010 at 12:46pm CDT

12:46pm: Baldelli has officially been signed to a minor league deal, according to a Rays press release.

12:09pm: Rocco Baldelli is expected to sign a minor league contract with the Rays this afternoon, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  Topkin says Baldelli is set to DH tonight for the team's High A club, the Charlotte Stone Crabs.  The Crabs boast familiar names such as Tim Beckham, Matt Moore, and Matt Bush.  Baldelli is transitioning from a special assistant role and trying to come back from a shoulder injury.  He hit .253/.311/.433 in 164 plate appearances for the Red Sox last year.

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Tampa Bay Rays Transactions Rocco Baldelli

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Odds & Ends: Loe, Baldelli, Vizquel, Hill

By Tim Dierkes | May 25, 2010 at 9:50pm CDT

Links for Tuesday, as catcher Chris Iannetta rejoins the Rockies after a torrid Triple A stint…

  • Kameron Loe has a clause in his contract that allows him to ask for his release if he isn't in the major leagues by June 5th, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Loe is pitching well for the Brewers' Triple A affiliate.
  • Morosi also notes that Rich Hill, who is pitching at Triple A for the Cardinals, has a June 1st opt-out clause in his contract (Twitter link).
  • Rocco Baldelli tells Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal that he hasn't thought about returning to the majors for a team other than the Rays. Baldelli says he would prefer the Rays to another organization.
  • Omar Vizquel says he will likely retire if he doesn't finish the year well, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
  • The Rays released Eduardo Morlan and Cody Strait, according to Stacy Long of the Montgomery Advertiser. The Rays acquired Morlan in the Matt Garza–Delmon Young trade.
  • Click here to listen to my appearance today with Jeff & Jeff of KFNS St. Louis.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan tells the story of Sergio Santos, a converted shortstop who has a 0.52 ERA and 10.9 K/9 as a White Sox reliever.
  • Baseball America's Jim Callis compares Manny Machado to other high school shortstops in recent draft history.  Yesterday in his mock draft ESPN's Keith Law wrote that the Pirates have Machado and lefty Drew Pomeranz high on their list for the second overall pick.
  • AOL FanHouse's Frankie Piliere is hearing buzz about the Reds considering Alex Wimmers with the #12 pick (Twitter link).  Law had the Ohio State righty going 16th to the Cubs, picking catcher Yasmani Grandal for the Reds.
  • Law ranked James Paxton 12th overall, but doesn't project the lefty as a first-round pick.  Paxton, a Boras client, is now pitching independent ball after losing his NCAA eligibility.  According to Matthew Sekeres of The Globe and Mail, Paxton has no ill will toward Paul Beeston and the Blue Jays.
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Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Milwaukee Brewers St. Louis Cardinals Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Alex Wimmers James Paxton Kameron Loe Manny Machado Omar Vizquel Rich Hill Rocco Baldelli Sergio Santos

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Rosenthal On Vargas, D’Backs, Hillman, Baldelli

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | May 17, 2010 at 2:46pm CDT

Jason Vargas is off to a hot start with the Mariners, but when they acquired him in the 2008 J.J. Putz deal, he wasn’t considered a major part of the trade. GM Jack Zduriencik tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that he asked for Vargas while trying to “finish up the deal.” Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s hot stove-related notes:

  • One NL official wonders how the D'Backs can operate without a left-handed reliever in a division that includes many imposing left-handed hitters.
  • The Royals fired manager Trey Hillman last week, but his baseball career is probably not over. Hillman is still "well-thought of in the industry," according to one GM. 
  • Rocco Baldelli could make a comeback this year. He's a special assistant to the Rays, and he continues to hit daily. The 28-year-old outfielder hit .253/.311/.433 for the Red Sox last year in 164 plate appearances.
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Arizona Diamondbacks Seattle Mariners Tampa Bay Rays Jason Vargas Rocco Baldelli

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The Latest On The Unsigned Position Players

By Luke Adams 2 | April 28, 2010 at 8:42pm CDT

After recapping the most recent news on some remaining free agent starting pitchers yesterday, let's focus on the bats today. Here are the latest updates on a few of the notable unsigned position players:

  • Jermaine Dye: Dye had the Mariners on his wish list, but Seattle didn't have much interest in the 36-year-old. Another team out west, the Giants, also had no interest in signing Dye. Washington was in the mix for the right-handed slugger at one point, though they've since backed off. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe thinks Dye will sign somewhere soon, and an American League club where Dye could DH would make sense. Like Jarrod Washburn though, he'll likely need to reduce his asking price.
  • Gary Sheffield: Cafardo also believes Sheffield should sign soon, and tweeted that the veteran had "something on the table" a couple weeks ago. The Nationals also had discussions with Sheff, but the club seems happy with their current selection of outfielders for now. Even though he's 41, Sheffield could have value to a National League team as a pinch-hitter and part-time player, like he did for the Mets last year (.276/.372/.451 in 312 PAs).
  • Carlos Delgado: Delgado might end up being the offensive equivalent of Pedro Martinez: a hired gun that could contribute to a contending team in the second half of the season. The Mets were considered a possibility prior to their promotion of Ike Davis. Before Delgado catches on with any club, the 37-year-old will have to show that he's fully healthy following his second hip surgery in February.
  • Joe Crede: Considering Crede is a Scott Boras client, it's somewhat surprising that we've heard next to nothing regarding his status. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reported in early March that Crede was hitting and throwing while he waited for an offer, but there has been very little news since then. Crede has homered 32 times over the past two seasons and plays an above-average third base, so it may be health questions that are keeping him on the free agent market. As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith suggested earlier this month, a healthy Crede "could become an attractive mid-season option for risk-taking GMs."
  • Elijah Dukes: Shortly after Dukes' surprising release by the Nationals, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted that a few teams were interested in the 25-year-old. Since then though, we haven't heard anything concrete. Perhaps clubs are still hesitant to invest in Dukes, given his off-field history.
  • Rocco Baldelli: There was some speculation earlier in April that Baldelli could be an option for the Rays if they gave up on Pat Burrell, since Baldelli has been working out at Tropicana Field and wants to play. Burrell has played better since that point, hitting .275/.318/.500 in his last 11 games, silencing those rumors somewhat. For the time being, Baldelli will continue to serve as a special assistant for the Rays.

Check out our full list of available hitters here.

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New York Mets San Francisco Giants Seattle Mariners Tampa Bay Rays Washington Nationals Carlos Delgado Elijah Dukes Gary Sheffield Jermaine Dye Joe Crede Rocco Baldelli

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Could Rays Release Pat Burrell?

By Luke Adams 2 | April 11, 2010 at 12:03pm CDT

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times writes that the Rays will have to consider cutting Pat Burrell loose if their designated hitter doesn't start producing. Although Tampa Bay management maintains that they have confidence in Burrell's ability, Topkin speculates that by mid-May or early-June, the club may run out of patience.

Burrell hit .221/.315/.367 in 2009 and is off to another slow start in 2010, the final season of his two-year contract. He'll make $9MM this year, a figure which will likely make him unmovable. Topkin thinks that at some point the Rays "will just have to accept their mistake and cut him loose."

If they were to cut ties with Burrell, the Rays would have other options available. Hank Blalock is currently in Triple A, waiting for an opportunity to earn Major League playing time. Additionally, Topkin points out that Rocco Baldelli has been taking regular batting practice at Tropicana Field and would like to play again. The long-time Ray would be a cheap right-handed alternative, and, as this Rays Index article suggests, Tampa fans would have more patience with him than they've had with Pat the Bat.

Burrell's $9MM salary would be a huge cost for the budget-conscious Rays to eat, so expect them to give the 33-year-old every chance to succeed. However, if his struggles continue and compromise the club's chances of contending, they could be forced to make a change.

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Tampa Bay Rays Hank Blalock Pat Burrell Rocco Baldelli

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Odds & Ends: Lerew, Cuba, Coonelly, Hechavarria

By Tim Dierkes | April 7, 2010 at 9:02pm CDT

Links for Wednesday…

  • Anthony Lerew cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A, tweets Bob Dutton of The Kansas City Star. The Royals designated Lerew for assignment over the weekend.
  • Kat O'Brien of The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote a very interesting piece about what happens in Cuba once their players defect. Said one local cab driver: "[Aroldis] Chapman doesn't exist. He never existed."
  • Pirates' team president Frank Coonelly chatted with fans at MLB.com. He fielded a question about what the Pirates would do with the second overall pick in June's draft if for some reason the Nationals pass on Bryce Harper.
  • The Tigers released minor leaguer Kory Casto, reports Tom Gage of The Detroit News.  Casto had been signed to a minor league deal after a .271/.334/.378 performance for the Nationals' Triple A club.  Baseball America ranked him fourth among Nats prospects heading into the '07 season. 
  • Which of Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, and Ryan Doumit is most likely to be traded this summer?  Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tackles the question.
  • SI's Jon Heyman speculates that the Phillies would probably have to trade Raul Ibanez to be able to retain Jayson Werth after this season.
  • Adeiny Hechavarria's visa has been approved and he's headed to the U.S. to take his physical this week for the Blue Jays, tweets ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan suggests the Rays will have long-term difficulty competing, while Jonah Keri offers a rebuttal.
  • Rocco Baldelli still has hopes of playing baseball, according to this FOX Sports Florida article.  He's currently rehabbing a shoulder injury and working with Rays minor leaguers.
  • ESPN's Adam Rubin says the Mets will not place Canadian third base prospect Shawn Bowman on waivers until they've exhausted trade possibilites.
  • In search of an accurate Mariners payroll number, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times arrives at about $93MM.
  • Tracy Ringolsby of Inside The Rockies explains why free agent Braden Looper would be a good fit for Colorado.  On a related note, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post learned that the Rockies are not interested in Jarrod Washburn.
  • Elsewhere on the "nothing brewing" front, Jim Bowden of FOX Sports tweets that Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told him the team has had no discussions regarding Pedro Martinez.
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Cincinnati Reds Colorado Rockies Detroit Tigers Kansas City Royals New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies Pittsburgh Pirates Seattle Mariners Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Adeiny Hechavarria Anthony Lerew Aroldis Chapman Braden Looper Jarrod Washburn Jayson Werth Paul Maholm Raul Ibanez Rocco Baldelli Ryan Doumit Zach Duke

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Baldelli To Serve As Special Assistant For Rays

By Tim Dierkes | March 2, 2010 at 9:37am CDT

Rocco Baldelli will return to the Rays with a special assistant role, working with minor leaguers and other young players, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  Baldelli is "not ready to retire," but has a shoulder issue currently.  Topkin notes that Rays exec Andrew Friedman didn't make the deal with the idea that Baldelli would later play for the Rays, but said "anything's possible."

Baldelli, 28, signed a $500K deal with the Red Sox in January of '09 and hit .253/.311/.433 in 164 plate appearances.  He dealt with foot, hamstring, and hip injuries, but also has a type of channelopathy, which has caused muscle fatigue.

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Tampa Bay Rays Rocco Baldelli

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