Mariners Rumors

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Wood, Sheets, Bradley, Wagner

By Cork Gaines | November 20, 2009 at 12:00pm CDT

On this date two years ago, Mike Lowell re-signed with the Red Sox for three-years, $37.5MM. In this first two years of the deal, Lowell has taken in $25.5MM, and according to his WAR has been worth $19.9MM. In '10, Lowell will be 36 as he enters the final year of his deal. Today is the first day of free agency, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…

Howard Megdal and Chris Pummer of The Perpetual Post debate the Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe signings of a year ago.
The Ghost of Moonlight Graham looks which teams might be interested in trading for Kerry Wood.
Jorge Says No! look at which teams might be a good fit for Ben Sheets, with eight teams that could be in the hunt.
The Sports Banter ranks the top free agents.
MetsCitiBlog doesn't see the Mets signing Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, and feels they should set their sights on Adrian Gonzalez.
UmpBump is running a series on what each team needs this off-season. Here is the Giants.
Bleacher Nation wonders why the Braves aren't rumored to be in on the Milton Bradley sweepstakes.
Baseball Time In Arlington thinks there should be plenty of money in the budget to bring back Bradley.
10 Scoreless projects the Twins' roster for next season.
MLB Notebook looks at what it would take for the Mariners to compete next season.
The Pinstriper makes some free agent predictions, with Billy Wagner ending up with the Rays.
River Ave Blues breaks down what Hideki Matsui is worth to the Yankees.
Sox and Pinstripes discusses the ramifications of a salary cap in baseball from the point of view of a Yankees fan.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.

Odds & Ends: Bay, Orioles, Padres, Lo Duca

By Luke Adams 2 | November 19, 2009 at 9:52pm CDT

Let's round up some leftover Thursday links….

The Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin spoke to Joe Urbon, Jason Bay's agent. Urbon suggested that discussion would continue with the Red Sox, but that interest in his client so far has been "extraordinary."
Larry Stone of the Seattle Times warns Mariners fans not to get too excited about rumors of a three-way deal involving Brandon Morrow and the Tigers' Edwin Jackson. He thinks Morrow could be a valuable trade chip for Seattle though.
In a Baltimore Sun column, Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly point out that the Baltimore Orioles' lack of big contract commitments puts them in a great spot if they want to pursue free agents this winter. The article also examines what players the Orioles might go after.
MLB.com's Corey Brock writes that the San Diego Padres could have a little bit of "wiggle room" to sign players this winter, though their payroll will once again be minuscule.
The Mets need to take the same approach this offseason that the Yankees did last year, according to Kevin Kernan of the New York Post.
Marty Noble shares his own thoughts about the Mets' offseason strategy in his latest MLB.com mailbag.
Paul Lo Duca wants to make a comeback after spending last year out of the league. Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News passes on the comments Lo Duca made on Sirius XM about returning.
The Chicago Cubs might not be done moving arbitration-eligible players to save money, according to the Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan.
MLB.com's Bill Ladson recaps some of the big names that the Washington Nationals have already been linked to this month.
Speaking of Ladson, be sure to follow him on Twitter for the latest Nats updates.

Nightengale On Jackson, Swisher, Rays, Halladay

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 19, 2009 at 11:46am CDT

USA Today's Bob Nightengale suggests we keep an eye on a possible three-way trade between the Tigers, Mariners and one other club. The Tigers would give up Edwin Jackson and the Mariners would give up Brandon Morrow. Here are some more rumors to read as you wonder who that third team might be:

Nightengale says the Rays are the "clear-cut favorite" to acquire Milton Bradley from the Cubs.
The Yankees are apparently letting teams know that Nick Swisher is available. Swisher was involved in his share of trade rumors after the Yankees acquired him last season.
The Dodgers are focusing on Roy Halladay, who would potentially cost Chad Billingsley and others.

Twins And Brewers On Washburn’s Radar

By Mike Axisa | November 18, 2009 at 1:30pm CDT

Free agent lefty Jarrod Washburn hasn't made much of a secret of his desire to play near his Webster, Wisconsin home, and he told FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi that both the Twins and Brewers are on his radar.

"The Twins and Brewers are both on the radar for me," Washburn said. "The thought of playing close to home has always appealed to me, and I think both of those teams would be good fits for me.

"I don't know yet if either of those teams have mutual interest, but we will see."

Obviously, those two teams fit Washburn's geographical desires. Both are said to be seeking veteran starters this offseason as well. Washburn also feels there's "mutual interest" in a return to the Mariners, noting that he enjoyed his time in Seattle and his family loved it there.

He also mentioned that his surgically repaired knee feels good.

"The surgery on the knee wasn't real extensive," Washburn told FOXSports.com in a Wednesday e-mail. "Dr. (Lewis) Yocum said he didn't have to do too much in there — just a little cleaning up.

"It feels great now, almost like I didn't even have a surgery. So, I don't see it being a problem for me in the future."

The Tigers acquired the 35-year-old from Seattle at the trade deadline, only to see him pitch to a 7.33 ERA in eight starts. Washburn has already received word from Detroit that they will not attempt to re-sign him.

Odds & Ends: Lackey, Phillies, Mets, Greinke

By Mike Axisa | November 17, 2009 at 4:48pm CDT

Here's another collection of links…

Larry LaRue of The News Tribune writes about why you shouldn't get your hopes up about Seattle landing John Lackey, if you're a Mariners fan.
Andy Martino of The Philadephia Inquirer says that it's clear the Phillies want to add a free agent reliever or two, although GM Ruben Amaro said that Scott Eyre "may have priced himself out of our range.”
The Mets have to balance two different sets of priorities this offseason, writes Ben Shpigel of The NY Times.
As The KC Star's Bob Dutton notes, today's AL Cy Young Award win triggered a bonus that put $100K in Zack Greinke's pocket.
FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry lists his ten offseason moves the need to happen. The Twins locking up Joe Mauer long-term tops the list.
Brewers' assistant GM Gord Ash shot down the idea of the club taking on Eric Gagne as a reclamation project, writes MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. We learned of Gagne's desire to return to the big leagues late last week.

Several Teams Interested In Smoltz

By Mike Axisa | November 17, 2009 at 4:04pm CDT

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com report that several teams have expressed interest in free agent righty John Smoltz, who is open to starting or relieving. The Cardinals, Dodgers, Mets, Mariners, Astros, Rangers, and Orioles are the among the teams interested in the future Hall of Famer, and some teams inquired about him as a closer.

The 42-year-old Smoltz put up a 4.26 ERA in seven starts with St. Louis after his eight start cameo with Boston. His fastball generally sat in the low-90's, though he did strike out 73 batters in 78 total innings.

Odds & Ends: Phillies, Nationals, Mariners

By Howard Megdal | November 16, 2009 at 8:50pm CDT

There's no such thing as an offseason- just different kinds of on-seasons.

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com believes the Phillies will find a replacement for Eric Bruntlett among John McDonald, Omar Vizquel, Jamey Carroll, Ronnie Belliard and Juan Uribe.
According to Scott Olsen, arbitration-eligible member of the Washington Nationals (for now, anyway), his shoulder is now 100 percent.
Larry Stone of the Seattle Times discusses how Edwin Jackson, Curtis Granderson, and John Lackey would look in Seattle.
Tyler Hissey at Around the Majors talks Yankees' roster strategy.
Dave Cameron tells us which minor league free agents are most worth pursuing, including Ruben Gotay.
Dan Dibley of KNBR, the Giants' flagship station, weighs in on a number of topics in an interview with SFGiantsbaseball.net.

Mariners Interested In Edwin Jackson, Curtis Granderson

By Tim Dierkes | November 16, 2009 at 4:36pm CDT

The Mariners are interested in Tigers starter Edwin Jackson, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. However, though names have been exchanged, a source tells the writers the talks are "not all that serious." The FOX writers say the Ms also like Curtis Granderson, who'd be used in left field. Rosenthal and Morosi downplay this rumor as well.

The cost for Jackson is young, affordable pitching, of course. The Brewers, Yankees, and Mets are three other clubs thought to be interested. Jackson is due an arbitration raise on this year's $2.2MM salary. He is one of a handful of well-paid Tigers who actually has strong trade value.

Cafardo On Cabrera, Penny, Upton

By Luke Adams 2 | November 15, 2009 at 9:49am CDT

In his latest column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe examines the differing opinions on this year's free agent market and passes on some info from around the majors. The highlights:

One National League GM on the top players in this year's free agent class: "[Matt Holliday] won’t get what Mark Teixeira got. No chance. [John] Lackey may get A.J. Burnett money, but I’m not even sure anyone would go that high."
A separate source tells Cafardo that many teams will wait out the market this winter, potentially resulting in a few bargains for thrifty teams later in the offseason.
Cafardo wonders if the Detroit Tigers would entertain trade offers for Miguel Cabrera, who will make $20MM next season. If so, Cafardo thinks the Red Sox would get involved.
The Seattle Mariners believe they're very close to contending, which will mean hanging on to Felix Hernandez and pursuing players like Lackey and Jason Bay this offseason.
The San Francisco Giants are interested in bringing back Brad Penny.
Cafardo says it "isn't far-fetched" that the Rays could deal B.J. Upton. He suggests Upton's availability will depend on Carl Crawford's future with the team, or lack thereof.

Olney On Lackey, Astros, Rangers, Doumit, Carroll

By Mike Axisa | November 14, 2009 at 12:41pm CDT

In today's blog post at ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes about Michael Bourn, and how he went from hitting .218 with a .273 OBP in the first half of 2008 to hitting .285 with a .354 OBP in 2009 thanks to a suggestion from Astros' coach Dave Clark.

Here's a roundup of Olney's rumors…

The Angels last offer to John Lackey was a $72MM package, made earlier this year.
Olney's educated guess is that the Mariners are the best bet to sign Lackey, followed in order by the Angels, Brewers, Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees.
Olney hears that the Astros "are cutting payroll, and will have the flexibility to make only minor moves, such as getting a right-handed hitting third baseman, to platoon with Geoff Blum."
Tom Hicks is still trying to find a way to hold onto the Rangers, but bids from prospective buyers are due next week.
The Pirates "first made it clear" they were willing to deal Ryan Doumit before the trade deadline, while the Dodgers have been having "internal conversations" about bringing Jamey Carroll aboard as a utility infielder.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Mariners Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect