Padres Rumors

Olney’s Latest: Marlins, Padres, Cardinals, ChiSox

By Mike Axisa | February 27, 2011 at 11:23am CDT

ESPN's Buster Olney wrote about the Marlins' revamped bullpen in today's blog post (Insider req'd), noting that they now have a pair of left-handers (Randy Choate and Mike Dunn) to go after the middle of Philadelphia's lineup. They lacked those options early last year. Florida also brought in right-handed relievers Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica in this winter's Cameron Maybin trade.

Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

Padres officials met with prospects Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, and Reymond Fuentes recently to stress that they don't want them to put too much pressure on themselves after the trade that brought them to San Diego. The trio was acquired in the Adrian Gonzalez swap.
The Cardinals are going to watch their pitchers over the next few weeks in the wake of Adam Wainwright's injury, then see if they "need to change course."
White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Olney's colleague Gene Wojciechowski "I know what I want for next year right now. I have an idea. But if we're going to have dreams of maintaining where we are payroll-wise or taking it even a step higher, yeah, a lot of it depends on what happens this year." Williams said he would have liked to have done more this offseason, but is thrilled with the payroll owner Jerry Reinsdorf gave him.

West Notes: Dodgers, Ludwick, Mariners

By Mark Polishuk | February 22, 2011 at 9:25pm CDT

On this day in 1957, Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley announced that his team could play as many as 10 exhibition games in California in 1958. It ended up being a bit of a lengthier stay, as the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles following the 1957 season. Just like O'Malley, we're looking to the west coast (or at least the western divisions) for these news items…

If the Dodgers aren't satisifed with their Jay Gibbons/Tony Gwynn Jr./Marcus Thames platoon in left field, ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill lists some of the left fielders that could be available in a trade. Of the five players on Churchill's list, only Carlos Quentin would seem to be an everyday option, but if he's playing well enough to attract the Dodgers' attention, it's unlikely the White Sox would want to move him anyway.
Ryan Ludwick tells Dan Hayes of the North County Times that the two months that followed his trade to the Padres last season were the "worst two months of my big league career." Ludwick hit just .211/.301/.330 in 239 plate appearances in San Diego last year and admitted he struggled with the pressure of trying to take the Padres to the postseason.
The Mariners are likely to keep Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda in the minors until at least June, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Both players "have areas of their games that could use further AAA development," but Baker also figures the Mariners want to avoid having either of their prospects qualify for Super Two status.
Angels right-hander Rich Thompson seemed to turn a corner last season, but since the Australian is out of options, ESPNLosAngeles.com's Mark Saxon says the Halos could lose Thompson unless he makes the team.
Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers has acquired six players (Henry Blanco, Geoff Blum, Russell Branyan, Sean Burroughs, Xavier Nady and Brian Sweeney) this offseason that played for the Padres when Towers was that club's general manager, writes Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com. "These are character guys, veterans that I knew would have a strong presence in our clubhouse," Towers said. "I knew what their intangibles are, which I thought was important….When you have history with individuals, you know what they're about as well."
The Rangers have invited Yhency Brazoban to their Major League Spring Training camp, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. Brazoban signed a minor league deal with Texas in December that didn't include an invite to the team's big league camp.

Quick Hits: Athletics, Cabrera, Jeter, Braves, Janssen

By Zachary Links | February 21, 2011 at 10:53pm CDT

Let's take a look at some links for Monday night..

Jane Lee of MLB.com writes that Athletics manager Bob Geren believes that his club has improved by leaps and bounds this winter.
Recent addition Orlando Cabrera might not hold the Indians' starting second-base job for long, writes Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
Yankees captain Derek Jeter is not going to be happy about the comments made by Hank Steinbrenner earlier today, writes Tyler Kepner of the New York Times.
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out that Braves GM Frank Wren is now under contract for the same period as manager Fredi Gonzalez, whom he hired to replace Bobby Cox. Earlier today the two sides agreed to a two-year contract extension.
There may not be a spot in the Blue Jays' bullpen for pitcher Casey Janssen but the veteran says he's not looking for a way out of Toronto, writes Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.
New to San Diego, Jorge Cantu says that he's ready to produce even though he'll be asked to move around the diamond, writes MLB.com's Tom Singer. The Padres offically inked Cantu to a one-year deal worth $850K towards the end of January.
Speaking of brand new members of the Pads, Kevin Frandsen is delighted to be back in the National League, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times.

Minor Moves: Geary, Perkins, Cotts, Petit

By Mike Axisa | February 16, 2011 at 12:02pm CDT

Some minor league moves from early Spring Training…

The Padres signed righty reliever Geoff Geary, tweets Baseball America's Matt Eddy. He did not pitch in the majors last season, instead appearing in 31 games for the Triple-A affiliates of the Rangers and Dodgers (4.32 ERA).
The Padres also released infielder Gregorio Petit, tweet Eddy. He signed on with San Diego back in December.
The Yankees signed righty reliever Fernando Hernandez, tweets Eddy. The 26-year-old pitched in three games with the 2008 A's as a Rule 5 Pick, though he spent last year with their Triple-A affiliate (4.77 ERA in 77 1/3 innings).
The Yankees also released Neal Cotts, reports Marc Carig of The Star Ledger (Twitter link). Cotts signed a minor league deal in November, but was still coming back from Tommy John and hip surgeries.
The Blue Jays signed Vince Perkins, who they originally drafted back in 2000, tweets Eddy. The Canadian-born right-hander last pitched in 2009, when he made 53 appearances in the Cubs' minor league system (3.02 ERA).
The Braves signed left-hander Jose Lugo, tweets Eddy. The 25-year-old posted a 6.72 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 85 2/3 innings with the Twins' Triple-A affiliate last season.

Padres Notes: Bell, Zaun, Bullpen

By Mark Polishuk | February 15, 2011 at 9:37pm CDT

Here's the latest from the Padres as they try to match their surprising 2010 season…

Heath Bell won't be surprised or upset if he's on the trading block in July, tweets Tom Krasovic of Fanhouse.com. Bell, however, tells Dan Hayes of the North County Times that "if we win we can shut those trade talks up again like we did last year."
Gregg Zaun wanted to play for a winning team or else he wouldn't have returned for another season, the veteran catcher tells Dan Hayes. Zaun also wanted to work with an experienced pitching staff and "didn't want to strictly mentor a younger catcher." Zaun signed a minor league deal with San Diego last month and if he makes the team, will back up Nick Hundley.
Bud Black and Luke Gregerson think the Padres' bullpen can withstand the losses of Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock.

Quick Hits: Johnson, Dodgers, Aardsma, Padres

By Zachary Links | February 13, 2011 at 10:08pm CDT

Sunday night linkage..

Kelly Johnson's arbitration hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers told MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.
Dodgers owner Frank McCourt needs to be more open and direct about his financial troubles, writes T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times.
Before suffering a hip injury, Mariners pitcher David Aardsma was a major trade candidate. After undergoing surgery in December, the hurler is still unsure of when he'll be able to return, writes Larry LaRue of The News Tribune.
Recent trades have weakened the Padres bullpen, says Bill Center of the Union-Tribune.

Padres, Bell Will Discuss Multiyear Deal

By Steve Adams | February 13, 2011 at 2:30pm CDT

Heath Bell is surprised to still be a Padre, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock, but he's also very happy about it. Bell told Brock that he loves San Diego and that his agents, Sam and Seth Levinson of ACES, will discuss a multiyear extension with the Padres this Spring:

"My understanding is that [talks are] going to blossom during Spring Training. I'm not going to worry about it. My agents will come here in March and they'll talk then. I like that we are going to talk. If we can get it done, great. If not, OK. But at least we are trying."

Bell, 33, earned a $3.5MM raise through arbitration, pushing his salary up to $7.5MM — the highest salary of any Padres player. He's expressed his desire to stay in San Diego on a long-term deal multiple times this offseason, and the Padres would probably love to continue to have Bell finish games for them.

Since becoming the Padres' closer after Trevor Hoffman's departure, Bell owns a 2.32 ERA through 139 2/3 innings with a 10.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9. His 89 saves over the past two years are the most in baseball.

A multiyear deal for Bell right now would likely be beneficial to him, as he'll have plenty of competition on the free agent market following this season. Bell is currently set to join Jonathan Broxton, Jonathan Papelbon, and Matt Capps, while Francisco Rodriguez, Joe Nathan, Brad Lidge, Rafael Soriano, and others could hit free agency as well, depending on their contractual options.

Bell says he understands that changing teams is the nature of the business, but doesn't want to move from the players and coaches he now considers his family. His biggest problem may be San Diego's payroll. With payroll under $45MM, it may be financially difficult to retain Bell at even a below-market rate in the long term, as MLBTR's Zach Links discussed earlier this offseason.

From the Padres' side of things, Bell is ranked as a Type A free agent. Barring some form of disaster, the Padres would collect two draft picks if they offer him arbitration and he departs to another club.

Quick Hits: Duchscherer, Ramirez, Marmol, Broxton

By Zachary Links | February 12, 2011 at 3:43pm CDT

Links for Saturday..

Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun called the Orioles' signing of pitcher Justin Duchscherer the latest "late-winter Hail Mary" by GM Andy MacPhail.
C.C. Sabathia told Mark Hale of the New York Post that he isn't concerned about the Yankees' rotation.
Carlos Marmol took his physical in Mesa, Arizona today, tweets Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. Marmol and the Cubs should finalize a long-term deal this week.
The Nationals still have loose ends to tie up from the Esmailyn Gonzalez scandal, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
Tom Singer of MLB.com will be keeping a close eye on Jonathan Broxton of the Dodgers as he looks to get his career back on track this season. Recently our own Mike Axisa characterized 2011 as a make or break year for the closer as he approaches free agency.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that the Cardinals and outfielder Jim Edmonds have not yet scheduled the physical that he needs to pass in order to finalize his minor league deal with the club. GM John Mozeliak confirmed that the agreement is open-ended in order to allow Edmonds time to recover from foot surgery before taking the physical.
After signing a one-year, $4MM this winter, Aaron Harang is looking to return to old form with the Padres, writes Don Norcross of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Meanwhile, Eric Chavez is looking for a fresh start with the Yankees, writes Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News.

Padres Sign Randy Flores

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 10, 2011 at 3:40pm CDT

The Padres signed Randy Flores, according to CAA, the reliever's agency, on Twitter. Flores is set to sign a minor league deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock (Twitter link).

The 35-year-old left-hander started last season in Colorado and the Twins picked him up off of waivers in August. In 31 total innings last year, Flores posted a 3.19 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. Not surprisingly, he has fared better against left-handed hitters in his career, posting 7.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 against them. Flores induces more ground balls against right-handed batters, though.

Quick Hits: NL Central Grades, J. Upton, Salazar

By Dan Mennella | February 8, 2011 at 7:05pm CDT

Here are some items of note for Feb. 8. On this day in 1999, the Red Sox's arbitration hearing with Midre Cummings was decided by Elizabeth Neumeier, marking the first time a woman had decided an arbitration case since its adoption by MLB in 1974. The preceeding 409 cases had all been decided by men.

With Spring Training nearly upon us and most teams merely making a few roster tweaks here and there, Jayson Stark of ESPN.com hands out his grades for the best and worst offseasons among the residents of the NL Central. The Brewers, on the strength of bolstering their rotation with Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum, fared the best, writes Stark. The Cubs did well to retool a bit with the additions of Matt Garza and Carlos Pena, while the Pirates and Reds got so-so marks for their modest changes. The rebuilding Astros are pulling up the rear, and the jury is still out on the Cardinals, who have an outstanding issue to tend to with respect to a potential extension for Albert Pujols.
Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers was never really interested in dealing Justin Upton this offseason, writes Tom Verducci of SI.com, but he felt it prudent to gauge other teams' interest. No offers were of particular interest to Towers, according to Verducci. Towers is interested in seeing what Upton can do under the tutelage of new hitting coach Don Baylor, under whom one-time uberprospect Carlos Gonzalez realized his full potential with the Rockies in 2010.
Padres infielder Oscar Salazar has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment, has accepted his minor league assignment and will be in Major League camp, tweets Corey Brock of MLB.com.

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