Mariners Rumors

Minor Moves: Snyder, Fox, Torres

By Luke Adams 2 | November 12, 2011 at 4:34pm CDT

We'll track the latest minor transactions here….

The Astros have signed outfielder Brad Snyder to a minor league contract, tweets Alyson Footer. The 29-year-old was drafted by the Indians in the first round of the 2003 draft, and spent the last three seasons in the Cubs' organization. He posted an .801 OPS in 407 Triple-A plate appearances for Iowa in 2011.
Right-hander Matt Fox has agreed to a minor league deal with the Mariners, tweets Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 28-year-old turned down more money from the Red Sox in favor of what he feels is a better opportunity to pitch in the bigs, MLBTR has learned. Fox made four Major League appearances for the Red Sox and Twins in 2010, but pitched exclusively for Boston's Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket last season.
Within the previously linked tweet, Eddy adds that left-hander Joe Torres has re-signed with the Rockies. Torres, a former tenth overall pick by the Angels, spent most of 2011 pitching out of the bullpen at Double-A Tulsa, recording 10.1 K/9 and a 2.28 ERA in 55 1/3 innings.

AL West Notes: Fielder, Walker, Athletics

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 9, 2011 at 5:40pm CDT

The Rangers are expressing early interest in available starters and relievers. Here’s an update on two of Texas’ division rivals…

Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times doesn't endorse the argument that the Mariners should ignore Prince Fielder simply because they aren't positioned to contend in 2012.
Taijuan Walker and Danny Hultzen are the best of the best Mariners prospects, Kevin Goldstein explains at Baseball Prospectus.
The Mariners are hopeful that they'll only need to acquire one starting pitcher this offseason, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Felix Hernandez, Michael Pineda and Jason Vargas will start for Seattle and Blake Beavan could prove useful at the back of the rotation. Hultzen, James Paxton and Forrest Snow may be ready for the rotation at some point in 2012 and Seattle could sign 49-year-old free agent Jamie Moyer.
San Jose city council approved the extension of a land-purchase option for the Athletics, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The A's have two years to decide whether to buy approximately five acres of downtown land for $7MM. First, however, MLB would have to approve a move from Oakland to San Jose.

Quick Hits: Moyer, Beltran, CBA, Lincecum, Mariners

By Mark Polishuk | November 3, 2011 at 10:45pm CDT

It was 10 years ago today that the Diamondbacks set a World Series record for hits in a game, racking up 22 hits en route to a 15-2 rout of the Yankees in Game Six of the 2001 Series. This set the stage for a legendary seventh game that saw Luis Gonzalez's bloop single in the ninth inning off Mariano Rivera give the D'Backs their first world championship.

Some news from around the majors….

The Mariners, Orioles, Pirates, Rangers, Rockies and Royals are among the teams that have sent scouts to monitor Jamie Moyer's throwing sessions, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Moyer now lives in San Diego, so Rosenthal guesses he'd prefer to pitch for a West Coast team — possibly a reunion with the Mariners, where Moyer is the club's all-time wins leader. The 49-year-old Moyer missed the entire 2011 season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but two scouts tell Rosenthal that Moyer is throwing as well as ever.
The Blue Jays are getting closer to hiring Chuck LaMar as a scout, tweets Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. LaMar was the original GM of the then-Devil Rays from 1998-2005 and has since worked in the front offices of the Phillies and the Nationals.
Carlos Beltran could be re-signed if the Giants offer him a two-year deal with a vesting option on a third year, or three guaranteed years with a condition that Beltran plays left field, writes John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
A source tells ESPN's Jerry Crasnick not to expect any "meaningful news" about the new collective bargaining agreement until next week at the earliest. The disagreement about hard slotting for draft picks remains the major point of contention, and Crasnick isn't sure if any other issue is holding up the new deal.
Dave Cameron of Fangraphs thinks the Giants could save a lot of money and improve the overall state of their roster if they traded Tim Lincecum.
Jack Zduriencik tells Larry Larue of the Tacoma News Tribune that veteran relief pitching and an answer at third base are goals for the Mariners this offseason, plus the broader goals of adding a bat and starting pitching.
The Padres have hired Chad MacDonald as their new vice-president and assistant general manager, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. MacDonald had been the Mets' scouting director, and ESPN's Keith Law (Twitter link) reports that the Mets have hired former Blue Jays scout Tommy Tanous to fill the position.
Bob Garber, the agent for C.J. Wilson and Roy Oswalt, tells Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York that both his clients would enjoy pitching in New York and fit in well with the Yankees. We've heard, however, the Yankees are worried about Oswalt's injury history and aren't willing to go all-out to sign Wilson.
Prince Fielder sits atop Keith Law's ranking of the top 50 free agents, edging out Albert Pujols for the #1 spot since Fielder is younger. Law calls this year's free agent class "one of the thinnest I've ever seen." MLBTR's Tim Dierkes flip-flopped Pujols and Fielder atop his own list of the top 50 free agents. You can get in on the action by entering MLBTR's Free Agent Prediction Contest for the chance to win several terrific prizes.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Johnson, Vasquez, Blue Jays

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 3, 2011 at 1:49pm CDT

The latest outright assignments from around MLB…

The Rays might not have made the playoff were it not for Dan Johnson's heroics in the final game of the regular season, but he's no longer on Tampa Bay's roster. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Rays outrighted Johnson to Triple-A (Twitter links). The first baseman can elect free agency.
The Mariners announced that they outrighted left-hander Anthony Vasquez to Triple-A. The 25-year-old posted a 8.90 ERA with 4.0 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 29 1/3 innings for Seattle in 2011. Vasquez must accept the assignment.
The Blue Jays announced that they outrighted outfielder Adam Loewen and reliever Jesse Carlson off of their 40-man roster. Loewen, the fourth overall selection in the 2002 draft, successfully completed the transition from left-handed pitcher to outfielder in 2011. He posted a .306/.377/.508 line with 46 doubles at Triple-A before appearing in 14 games with the Blue Jays.
Carlson, 30, spent the 2011 season on the disabled list after experiencing arm soreness in Spring Training and undergoing season-ending rotator cuff surgery in May. Carlson would have been arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason and his projected salary of $700K made him a clear non-tender candidate.

Quick Hits: Sizemore, Mariners, Reds

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 2, 2011 at 10:23pm CDT

Congratulations to this year’s Silver Slugger winners. Here are the latest links from around MLB…

Agent Joe Urbon told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Grady Sizemore is "open to anything" and "not limiting his choices at all." Several teams have already expressed preliminary interest in the free agent outfielder. Ideally he would play center field, but he's open to playing left or right.
Over at FanGraphs, MLBTR writer Mike Axisa explains why Andrew Brackman was the most expensive draft bust in baseball history. The Yankees cut ties with the former first round pick yesterday.
Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner offers his offseason plan for the Mariners. It revolves around acquiring Joey Votto from the Reds and includes contract offers for former Seattle left-handers Jamie Moyer and Erik Bedard. In my offseason outlook for the Mariners, I suggested it makes sense for the team to pursue rotation and bullpen depth.
Second baseman Brandon Phillips told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he has “some leverage” in contract talks with the Reds. Fay suggests Phillips is looking for a deal in the $38-62MM range. The Reds, who picked up Phillips’ $12MM option for 2012 earlier in the week, intend to continue discussing an extension.
Reds GM Walt Jocketty told Fay that he remains hopeful that the team can reach a deal with Francisco Cordero. Jocketty nearly arrived at an agreement with the closer earlier this week, but the sides didn't agree to terms and the Reds declined their option on Cordero.
The Fielding Bible recently announced its 2011 winners. Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre and Troy Tulowitzki were among those rewarded for defensive excellence.

Outrighted: Crowe, Rangers, Rodriguez, Braves

By Tim Dierkes | November 2, 2011 at 4:33pm CDT

The latest players to be outrighted off 40-man rosters:

The Indians outrighted Trevor Crowe off of their 40-man roster, according to the team. Crowe, who appeared in 15 games for the Indians in 2011, cannot elect free agency
The Rangers outrighted pitchers Omar Beltre, Merkin Valdez and Eric Hurley and infielders Andres Blanco and Esteban German off of the 40-man roster, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Blanco, who would have been arbitration eligible, projected to earn $500K through arbitration. He posted a .605 OPS in 82 plate appearances as a utility player and was the only one of the outrighted players to pick up significant playing time in 2011.
The Mariners outrighted infielder Luis Rodriguez, tweets Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. I named Rodriguez and David Aardsma as the Mariners' primary non-tender candidates back in September, and now both are off the 40-man roster, which stands at 36. Rodriguez has elected free agency, reports MLB.com's Greg Johns.
The Braves outrighted catcher J.C. Boscan, reliever Stephen Marek, outfielder Wilkin Ramirez, and outfielder Antoan Richardson to Triple-A Gwinnett, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman. Meanwhile, starter Todd Redmond's contract was selected. Marek had Tommy John surgery in May; he was obtained from the Angels with Casey Kotchman for Mark Teixeira at the '08 trade deadline. I thought at the time that the Braves' return topped the value of a couple of draft picks. That hasn't been true if you look at who the Angels took with their two Teixeira picks: top prospect Mike Trout and lefty Tyler Skaggs, a main component in the Dan Haren trade.

AL West Notes: Oliver, Angels, Mariners

By Mike Axisa | November 1, 2011 at 7:34pm CDT

Let's round up some links from baseball's only four-team division…

Darren Oliver is leaning strongly towards returning in 2012, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. "After what happened this year, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth," said Oliver. "I don't think I want it to end like that." The Rangers lefty is a Type-A free agent.
The Angels have signed Dominican outfielders Ayendi Perez and Ranyemi Alberto Mendoza according to a press release from the Dominican Prospect League. Perez signed for $25K while Mendoza signed for $70K.
The Mariners officially announced the hiring of Chris Gwynn as director of player development in a press release. Gwynn is Tony's brother, and he had previously been working in the Padres front office.

Quick Hits: Price, Aardsma, Willingham, Angels

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 31, 2011 at 9:55pm CDT

Happy Halloween to MLBTR's readers! We've already seen C.C. Sabathia sign an extension and Tony La Russa retire today. Here are some more updates from around MLB…

Rays left-hander David Price opted out of the contract he signed when Tampa Bay drafted him, according to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune. He's still under team control through 2015 as an arbitration eligible player, however. Price could earn $7-8MM in 2012 through arbitration according to MLBTR's projections, so declining his $2.433MM option was merely a formality.
David Aardsma, who became a free agent today, wouldn't rule out returning to the Mariners, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
Agent Matt Sosnick told Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group that he expects Josh Willingham to sign a three-year deal and doesn’t expect his client to re-sign with the Athletics (Twitter link).
ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that Yankees executive Billy Eppler was the runner-up to Jerry Dipoto in the Angels' search for a GM (Twitter link).
The White Sox announced that they hired Jeff Manto to be their hitting coach, Joe McEwing to be their third base coach and Mark Parent to be their bench coach (Twitter link).
Dave Cameron introduces FanGraphs' top 50 free agents of the offseason. MLBTR's list of top 50 free agents is on its way as well.

Twins Claim Jeff Gray

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | October 31, 2011 at 3:52pm CDT

The Twins announced that they claimed right-hander Jeff Gray off of waivers from the Mariners. They also confirmed that they claimed left-hander Matt Maloney off of waivers from the Reds.

Gray, 29, spent the 2011 season with the Mariners and White Sox. He posted a 4.28 ERA with 4.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 48 1/3 innings of relief.

David Aardsma Elects Free Agency

By Tim Dierkes | October 31, 2011 at 1:26pm CDT

Reliever David Aardsma has cleared waivers and elected free agency, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Aardsma was certain to be non-tendered after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July, so this move lets him reach free agency earlier. The 29-year-old saved 69 games for Seattle from 2009-10 and makes for an interesting signing if he's option to a club option for 2013.

Aardsma told MLB.com's Greg Johns, "I loved my time in Seattle. I love the fans and thank Jack Zduriencik for giving me opportunity to have a job and become a closer. I want to thank all the fans in Seattle for their support. It’s not fun, but it’s part of the job and this is going to be next step. It doesn’t mean I won’t be back. This is one of those things we all knew was coming because of the situation. It doesn’t close anydoors, it just opens more."

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Mariners Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect