Rosenthal’s Latest: Swisher, Nady, Kapler, Zaun
The latest from Ken Rosenthal.
- A recent Ned Colletti-Scott Boras conversation about Manny Ramirez didn’t result in progress. Boras still has his sights on at least $100MM over four years. Rosenthal adds that Manny is "cool to the idea of playing in San Francisco."
- Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady are drawing "significant interest." Rosenthal speculates that the Giants, Braves, or Pirates would make sense.
- The door is not closed with the Yankees and Andy Pettitte. Pettitte recently rejected the Yanks’ one-year, $10MM offer.
- Some Mets people prefer Oliver Perez to Derek Lowe. The Braves have yet to speak to Boras about Lowe, while the Brewers and Phillies have financial concerns about fitting him in.
- Trevor Hoffman has a West Coast preference (the Dodgers or maybe a Padres reconciliation) but interest with the Brewers is mutual. Other relievers on the Dodgers’ radar: Juan Cruz, Guillermo Mota, and Dennys Reyes.
- Brian Fuentes‘ agent had serious talks with the Yankees, but no offer was made. Fuentes would’ve been Mariano Rivera‘s set-up man and perhaps taken over upon his retirement.
- Rosenthal notes that MLB kicked in a small part of the $10MM owed to Sidney Ponson from their luxury tax pool, which is not uncommon.
- If they can afford it, the Rays would like to sign Gabe Kapler.
- The Orioles, Red Sox, and A’s are interested in Gregg Zaun.
- Perhaps because of the cool market for his services, Orlando Cabrera is willing to play second base. The Yankees did not have interest.
- That Gavin Floyd for Brian Roberts rumor "seemingly arose from internal discussions among Orioles officials."
Odds and Ends: Wilson, Bautista, Hairston
Linkage for Friday…
- The AP explains how C.C. Sabathia will be paid $9.5MM before throwing a pitch for the Yankees.
- The D’Backs signed lefty Travis Blackley.
- Dan Johnson is headed to Japan.
- The Cardinals signed Japanese pitcher Katsuhiko Maekawa to a minor league deal. Patrick Newman has details.
- Interesting discussion involving Raul Ibanez‘s defense.
- I did a Q&A with SportingGurus.com.
- Ken Rosenthal guesses destinations for 11 remaining free agents in this slideshow.
- MLB is undergoing a hiring/salary freeze and taking away 20% of vacation time for ’09.
- Dejan Kovacevic had a lengthy chat with Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, who wishes the team would get more players to become competitive. In his article Kovacevic also notes that the Pirates have had talks about bringing back pitcher Denny Bautista, who was non-tendered a week ago.
- Are the Mariners trying to open up a spot for Jerry Hairston Jr.? They’re looking to add a plus-plus defensive second baseman; not sure if he qualifies.
- Aubrey Huff tops the list of fantasy baseball’s biggest draft position gainers.
- Royals pitcher Kyle Davies is working a construction job this offseason.
- The Orioles settled with Sidney Ponson regarding their grievance.
Odds and Ends: Abreu, Millwood, Wigginton
Links for Thursday…
- Luke Hudson agreed to stay with the Royals on a minor league deal. And because Braves fans keep emailing it…the Braves signed Lance Niekro as a pitcher, as noted in the minor league transactions we linked yesterday. Talking Chop and Henry Schulman have more.
- Along similar lines, here’s a link to Joel Sherman’s December 12th story about the Orlando Hudson and Adam Dunn being the Nationals’ backup plan for Mark Teixeira. That came four days before the Jon Heyman report people keep emailing.
- C.C. Sabathia‘s preferred teams heading into free agency: the Yankees, Brewers, and Angels.
- Dave O’Brien tries to figure out what the Braves should do with all their money.
- John Fay explains why the Reds may attempt to acquire a young shortstop.
- The Orioles may move on to Gregg Zaun now that Matt Treanor is off the board.
- Geoff Baker speculates on a possible Mariners-Brewers trade match, though nothing seems to be cooking currently.
- RotoAuthority looks at the biggest losers, comparing ’09 fantasy baseball mock draft positions to ’08.
- I did a Q&A with Called Safe At Second.
- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick writes about how teams view free agent outfielder Bobby Abreu.
- Kevin Millwood has twelve million reasons to pitch 180 innings in 2009. I never understood that phrase. Why is each dollar a reason?
- Dejan Kovacevic says Ty Wigginton has no wish to return to Pittsburgh.
- Roch Kubatko is hearing the Orioles may have reached a settlement with Sidney Ponson regarding the grievance.
- Pitcher Jon Leicester is the latest to head to Japan.
- Might not read about this on MLBTR, eh? Chico Harlan says the Nationals signed 16 year-old Dominican prospects Bill Pena and Gregory Baez.
Odds and Ends: Ponson, Pie, Dohmann
Links for Wednesday…
- Check out the recent minor league transactions, always some familiar names.
- Scott Erickson‘s wife talks about his comeback bid.
- The Red Sox have had "early-stage conversations" about an extension for Kevin Youkilis.
- The Phillies invited ten players to Spring Training and signed a bunch of minor league free agents. The Royals invited four, including Lenny DiNardo and Oscar Villarreal.
- Roch Kubatko suggests the Orioles should try to acquire Ryan Garko.
- Curt Schilling weighs in on Mark Teixeira‘s options.
- Dayton Moore still doesn’t sound willing to trade Zack Greinke.
- Peter Schmuck and Craig Calcaterra discuss the Sidney Ponson case, which could have a significant impact on the game.
- RotoAuthority looks at the current top fantasy draft picks at each position.
- Gordon Wittenmyer expects Felix Pie to be traded.
- Cesar Izturis‘ contract is actually for two years and $5MM guaranteed, plus incentives.
- John Fay looks at options for a right-handed bat for the Reds.
- Reliever Scott Dohmann is headed to Japan on a $650K deal plus incentives.
- Chris Capuano can earn over $3MM this year based on incentives.
- Willie Bloomquist hasn’t received an offer yet, and he doesn’t expect to return to Seattle.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mets, Tigers, Red Sox, Angels, Pirates
Today is free agent Cliff Floyd’s birthday. He is 36 years young. His knees are not. Also, on this date 18 years ago, the San Diego Padres sent Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter to the Blue Jays for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez, in one of the biggest trades ever featuring young, proven talent. Got one that can top that? Let’s hear it in the comments…With little action so far this year, the Hot Stove Season is ugly, Don Mossi ugly. Let’s take a look at what is being written in the blogosphere…
- Mets Geek takes a look at three recent rumored deals that may be sitting on Omar Minaya’s desk and ponders whether or not the Mets should make each trade.
- The Detroit Tigers Weblog breaks down what a Jack Wilson trade would mean for the Tigers.
- Fire Brand of the American League feels that with the recent additions to the bullpen, the Red Sox may be better suited to insert Justin Masterson into the rotation, rather than sign a high-priced free agent.
- Ump Bump suggests that the Angels could get more bang for the buck if they sign Adam Dunn over Mark Teixeira.
- The ‘Burgh Blues picks through the scraps and identifies eight players they would like to see the Pirates invite to Spring Training, including Richie Sexson, Sidney Ponson, Mark Prior and Matt Clement.
- MLB Notebook takes a look at the big guns in the free agent market and feels that the Yankees are no longer in a position to set the pace. Rather, they argue that the Angels now control the market.
- East Windup Chronicle feels that some are underestimating the amount of potential Major League talent playing in Japan, noting the number is "at least 30" and considerably more if they had the opportunity to start in the minors out of high school.
- Bernies Crew likes the Jorge Julio signing by the Brewers, noting the move gives the team much needed flexibility and depth in the bullpen.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Weathers, Montero, Springer
Links for Friday…
- MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince says the Indians signed Andy Cannizaro and Damaso Espino to minor league deals.
- MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon says the Reds are still talking to David Weathers‘ agent, despite the reliever’s comment about flipping the page.
- RotoAuthority looks at Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider, from a fantasy baseball point of view.
- Mum’s the word from C.C. Sabathia and his agents.
- Rany Jazayerli likes the Royals’ acquisition of Coco Crisp and respects Dayton Moore’s bullpen-building skills.
- Click here to download an mp3 of me chatting with Greg Schaum of KCSP 610 about the Royals last night.
- Nick Piecoro says the Diamondbacks haven’t been able to find a match on a trade for Miguel Montero, despite discussions with the Red Sox and other teams.
- The Cardinals spoke to Russ Springer‘s agent recently, but he’s drawing interest from several clubs.
- The Phillies won’t make a move in response to the Chase Utley injury, but one blog believes Jerry Hairston Jr. now makes more sense.
- John Van Benschoten, the 8th overall pick in the 2001 draft, chose minor league free agency over re-signing with the Pirates.
- Sidney Ponson‘s grievance against the Orioles will finally be heard next month.
Yankees Sign Ponson
The Newark Star-Ledger is reporting that the Yankees have signed Sidney Ponson to a minor league contract.
The Yankees just announced that they have signed right-handed pitcher Sidney Ponson to a Triple-A contract. Presumably, this means Ponson will report to Scranton, but it would seem likely that he’d get a shot in the Yankees’ major-league rotation soon.
Ponson was released by the Rangers on Monday, 10 days after being DFA’d for "disrespectful and adverse reactions to situations unbecoming of teammates." Ponson was 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA in 9 starts with the Rangers.
Ponson Released By Rangers
The Dallas Morning-News is reporting that the Rangers were unable to trade Sidney Ponson and have now placed him on waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.
On June 6, the Rangers DFA’d Ponson for "disrespectful and adverse reactions to situations unbecoming of teammates." The Rangers had 10 days to work a deal for the pitcher with a 4-1 record and 3.88 ERA.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Will Any Team Gamble On Ponson?
Sidney Ponson won’t be missed in Texas, despite a 3.88 ERA in nine starts. Ponson coupled good control with a 57.3% groundball rate, compensating for a lack of strikeouts and tons of hits. The Rangers decided after a couple of incidents that it wasn’t worth it.
Nonetheless, a few Astros players asked Houston Chronicle beat writer Jose de Jesus Ortiz to encourage the team to sign Ponson. Ponson sounds like a decent-sized (pun intended) clubhouse distraction, but he keeps getting chances. Barry Bonds must really destroy a clubhouse.
Rangers DFA Ponson
The Dallas Morning News is reporting that the Rangers have designated Sidney Ponson for assignment for "disrespectful and adverse reactions to situations unbecoming of teammates."
Ponson, a non-roster invitee in spring training, was having a solid season for the Rangers with a 4-1 record in 9 starts and a 3.88 ERA. The Rangers have 10 days to trade Ponson.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.