Padres Rumors

Cardinals, Others Interested In Felipe Lopez

By Mark Polishuk | February 20, 2010 at 3:53pm CDT

SATURDAY, 3:53pm: Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter) hears it's highly unlikely that the Padres will make a move on Lopez.

WEDNESDAY, 5:12pm: Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports are reporting that free agent infielder Felipe Lopez has four suitors, two of whom are San Diego and St. Louis.

We've heard about the Cards' interest in Lopez already this winter, and Morosi/Rosenthal note that Brendan Ryan's wrist surgery might be a main reason why St. Louis is keeping an eye on Lopez. For the Padres, Lopez would be essentially a depth signing, though David Eckstein and Everth Cabrera aren't exactly rock-solid everyday options in the middle infield. Cabrera is entering just his second season, and Eckstein has never posted an OPS in any of his nine major league seasons that has come within 50 points of the .810 OPS that Lopez achieved in 680 plate appearances last season..

Padres Sign Josh Barfield

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2010 at 8:28am CDT

The Padres signed second baseman Josh Barfield to a minor league deal with no Spring Training invite, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock. Barfield, 27, hit .252/.271/.331 in 319 appearances for the Indians' Triple A club in '09 and was outrighted in August.

Barfield came up with the Padres, posting a fine rookie season in '06. Former GM Kevin Towers sold high on him, sending Barfield to Cleveland after the season for Kevin Kouzmanoff and Andrew Brown.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mets, Gonzalez, Contreras

By Mike Axisa | February 19, 2010 at 8:02am CDT

On this date back in 1983, Dodgers' hurler Fernando Valenzuela became the first player in baseball history to receive a seven-figure award through the arbitration process. During his first two-plus seasons as a big leaguer, Fernandomania had been named the Rookie of the Year, appeared in two All Star Games, and won a Cy Young Award. The arbitration panel awarded him a $1MM salary in his first year of eligibility, nearly tripling his 1982 salary.

As the last few present day arbitration cases wrap up, here are some links to check out from around the baseball blogiverse…

Mets Paradise reviews the Amazin's offseason, and says they aren't a finished product even if the team believes they are.
Capitol Avenue Club examines a potential Adrian Gonzalez-to-Atlanta trade, and notes that it's the same situation as the Mark Teixeira swap of 2007.
Turn Two looks at some AL and NL position battles.
The Sports Banter tries to find homes for the best remaining free agents.
Phillies Nation grades the Jose Contreras pickup.
Gear Up For Blue Jays Baseball breaks down Kevin Gregg and the rest of Toronto's bullpen.
Tipi Talk wonders if Rafael Perez could contribute to the Indians as a starting pitcher.
Dodgers Digital answers questions about how the Dodgers' roster decisions will affect their Triple-A affiliate.
AdamAdkins.net ranks the top five catchers in the game today.
Brew Crew Ball provides an easy-to-use guide for creating your own Spring Training story.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Burnett, Chapman, Reyes

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 18, 2010 at 9:32pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

GM John Mozeliak and manager Tony LaRussa both mentioned to MLB.com's Matthew Leach that the Cardinals are not in a rush to add an infielder despite Brendan Ryan's recent wrist surgery.
Rangers GM Jon Daniels knows that it's far from a foregone conclusion that his team will win 87 games again, according to ESPNDallas.com reporter Richard Durrett.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells MLB.com's Mark Sheldon that Aroldis Chapman has looked "very impressive" so far.
Jose Reyes tells Kevin Kernan of the New York Post that he wants to finish his career with the Mets. Reyes says he's not thinking about the $11MM option the Mets have for his services in 2011.
The Nats outrighted Doug Slaten to Triple A, according to the team's Twitter. They designated him for assignment two days ago.
The Rockies and Mariners offered Mark McGwire hitting coach positions, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Mariners made their offer in 2003; the Rockies made theirs a few years ago.
Victor Martinez tells Alex Speier of WEEI.com that he'd "obviously" like to stay in Boston. The catcher says the negotiations are now under the team's control.
Carlos Zambrano tells Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald that he would have vetoed a trade had the Cubs approached him about one this offseason.
Andrew Friedman says he and his front office have assembled "the most talented team in Rays history," according to the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
USA Today's Peter Barzilai looks back at some historically good free agent signings.
Greg Burke cleared waivers, tweets Dan Hayes of the North County Times. The club placed Burke on unconditional waivers ten days ago.
Dodgers GM Ned Colletti tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that the club find its fifth starter outside of the organization. "We'd love to have a bona fide No. 5 starter," Colletti said.
Mariano Rivera tells MLB.com's Brian Hoch that he doesn't know how long he's going to continue playing (Twitter link).
Rockies manager Jim Tracy told Denver Post readers that he helps Dan O'Dowd make personnel decisions when the GM is looking for input.
In anticipation of the club's scheduled arbitration hearing with Ryan Theriot, Cubs GM Jim Hendry tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the arbitration process is sometimes unavoidable.
The Braves signed 17-year-old infield prospect Alejandro Sanchez Martinez to a seven-year contract out of Spain earlier in the winter, according to David Menayo of Marca.com. Thanks to Nick Collias for the translation.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Lowell, Mauer, Adrian

By Tim Dierkes | February 17, 2010 at 1:33pm CDT

Links for Wednesday…

I recently did an Orioles-centric phone interview with Tom Sedlacek of the Bowie Baysox website.
The Cubs signed 18-year-old Korean righty Kim Jin-yeong for $1.2MM, reports Matt DeWoskin of True Stories Of Korean Baseball. I have heard that this is not official yet, however.
Ted Lilly would like to remain with the Cubs beyond 2010, writes Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune, but the lefty doesn't want to be a distraction.
WEEI's Rob Bradford chatted with Mike Lowell about his near-trade to the Rangers and his future with the Red Sox.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today examines the Joe Mauer extension situation, drawing a parallel to Cal Ripken in 1992.
This time, Padres CEO Jeff Moorad talked about hope and optimism regarding an extension for Adrian Gonzalez (Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune reporting).
Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Nationals, Reds, and Indians made big league offers to Chien-Ming Wang, while the Dodgers and Rays showed interest but did not make offers.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if the Tigers traded Curtis Granderson because they soured on him as a player.
Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball has the numbers on the five remaining arbitration cases.

Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Cashman, Orioles, Wang

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 16, 2010 at 9:09pm CDT

Links for Tuesday…

Tim Lincecum passed his physical according to Henry Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter). Presumably his two-year, $23MM deal is official now.
Yankees' GM Brian Cashman sat down for an interview with NoMaas.org. He discussed what went into some of their decision making this offseason, among other things.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun projected the Orioles' Opening Day roster.
Chien-Ming Wang has already passed his physical with the Nationals, reports Chico Harlan of The Washington Post. Given the righty's recent shoulder surgery, it was far from a formality.
Joe Torre tells Mike Francesa of WFAN that the Dodgers are on the lookout for a fifth starter (audio here). Torre says the Dodgers could find that starter within their organization. He also says he and the Doders are talking about adding a year onto his contract, which expires after this season.
Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told Batter's Box that the Blue Jays will draft the best players available this June. Anthopoulos also said the Jays will be open to dealing from their pitching depth.
MLB.com's Doug Miller shows that baseball's executives are getting younger as owners take a business-first approach to winning.
Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune says he'd be willing to guarantee Joe Mauer eight or ten years if that's what it takes to keep the catcher in Minnesota, despite the fact that Mauer would almost certainly be playing another position by the end of a contract that long.
Padres GM Jed Hoyer tells MLB.com's Corey Brock that he's pleased with his first offseason as a GM and the process that the Padres used this winter.
Giants officials believe "the day is coming when legions of talented hitters will follow" Pablo Sandoval's path to the majors, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News.
ESPN.com's Buster Olney says Felipe Lopez would be a "great, great fit" for the Mets.

Odds & Ends: Athletics, Padres, Astros

By Howard Megdal | February 11, 2010 at 8:30pm CDT

So much to get to as Thursday winds down:

CSNBayArea.com's Mychal Urban reflects on the Oakland winter, and writes that Ben Sheets was the most important acquisition of the team's offseason.
MLB.com's Corey Brock writes that his guess has Adrian Gonzalez staying for 2010 and getting dealt next winter.
The Padres also hired Randy Johnson as their Minor League Coordinator, but not that Randy Johnson.
The Astros have offered Willy Taveras a minor league deal, Bernardo Fallas writes in the Houston Chronicle.

Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Jackson, Blalock, Bedard

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2010 at 9:51pm CDT

Some Tuesday night links…

Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports tweets that neither Tim Lincecum nor the Giants have budged in their negotiations, and his arbitration hearing is set for Friday.
MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports (via Twitter) that the Diamondbacks and Edwin Jackson still haven't made any progress towards an agreement. Their arbitration hearing is now just eight days away.
In addition to having interest in Russell Branyan and Jermaine Dye, the Indians are also talking to Hank Blalock, reports Rosenthal. He adds that the Blue Jays are also in on Branyan.
In a pair of tweets, Rosenthal passes along the incentives in Erik Bedard's contract. They lefty could bring in $500K each for 14, 17, 20, 23, and 26 starts, plus $600K for every 25 innings after 75.
Meanwhile, Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com report that Damon hasn't moved off his demand of a two-year deal. Good luck with that, Johnny.
Morosi and Rosenthal also report that the Rangers and Mets appear to be "hamstrung by complications at the ownership level," meaning they're approaching their payroll limits.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that Astros' GM Ed Wade said the team has some interest in bringing Willy Taveras back on a minor league deal. Oakland released Taveras today.
Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (via Peter Schmuck) spoke to Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, who indicated that the team has not had recent talks with the agents for Jarrod Washburn or Chien-Ming Wang. The O's were linked to both pitchers earlier today.
MLB.com's Corey Brock says (via Twitter) that it's "highly unlikely" that the Padres will sign Japanese lefty Hisanori Takahashi. Several teams reportedly offered the southpaw a minor league contract.

Padres Place Greg Burke On Unconditional Waivers

By Mike Axisa | February 9, 2010 at 5:37pm CDT

The Padres have placed righty Greg Burke on unconditional waivers to free up a roster spot for Yorvit Torrealba, tweets Dan Hayes of The North County Times. Burke will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed, but he also has the right to refuse any claims so he can hit the open market.

The 27-year-old reached the majors for the first time in 2009, posting a 4.14 ERA with a 1.43 K/BB ratio in 45.2 innings of relief. Burke had surgery to repair a debridement in his throwing shoulder in early October, and it's unclear if he'll be healthy for Spring Training.

Padres Sign Yorvit Torrealba

By Tim Dierkes | February 9, 2010 at 4:45pm CDT

The Padres signed Yorvit Torrealba to a one-year $1.25MM deal that includes a mutual option for 2011. The catcher, who passed his physical today, will earn $750K this year. There's a $500K buyout on a $3.5MM mutual option for the following season.

Torrealba, 31, hit .291/.351/.380 in 242 plate appearances for the Rockies last year, catching 545.3 innings. Torrealba split time last year with a solid young catcher in Chris Iannetta, and he'll do so again this year with Nick Hundley.

We learned on Monday from Olney that despite an offer in hand from San Diego, Torrealba hoped to engage the Mets. However, the Mets may be done spending.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported that the sides were nearing a deal and followed up with the terms of the contract, all on Twitter. Dan Hayes of the North County Times tweeted that Torrealba passed his physical.

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