Mariners Rumors

The Corner Outfield-DH Market

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 7, 2009 at 1:12pm CDT

There are still many jobless players who could contribute as a corner outfielder or a DH, so it’s a good time to take stock of the market. Manny Ramirez, Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu are the big names, but Garret Anderson, Andruw Jones, Luis Gonzalez, Jim Edmonds and Ken Griffey Jr. want jobs and Jermaine Dye, Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher could be available through trades.

Here’s a look at the teams who have reportedly had interest in this type of player, starting in the AL:

White Sox: They thought about Abreu and Dye’s been involved in rumors all offseason, much to the frustration of Kenny Williams. Dye will earn $11.5MM in 2009.
Angels: They aren’t interested in Dye, but they could be interested in Abreu or Dunn at the right price. Don’t look for them to make a play for Manny though; GM Tony Reagins said it won’t happen. Garret Anderson won’t be back.
Mariners: The Ms could sign Griffey, but they prefer Abreu and Anderson.
Braves: They are the top suitor for Swisher and they have some interest in bringing back Jones. Atlanta has about $5-9MM to spend, so they could change plans and pursue Dunn or Abreu if they’re willing to accept a deal worth under $10MM. Don’t rule out a Nady trade, either.
Nationals: The Nats have offered Dunn a contract, which he’s been sitting on for a while. They’re also monitoring the Manny market.
Mets: Abreu and Ramirez won’t sign with the Mets this offseason. If Griffey’s willing to sign at a major discount, he could sign with the Mets, but indications are he wants $5-6MM.
Dodgers: The Dodgers have targeted Manny Ramirez all offseason, and he’s rejected two contract offers from them. The first was for $45MM over two years with a club option; the second was for $25MM over one year. Dunn appears to like the Dodgers, and Abreu’s an option, too.
Giants: The Giants are also courting Manny, but some have said they just want to prevent the Dodgers from getting a deal. Abreu could also fit in San Francisco.
Reds: Yet another team that could pursue Abreu, the Reds spoke with Luis Gonzalez’s agent ealier in the winter. Adam Dunn won’t return to Cincinnati this offseason.

Odds And Ends: Anderson, Griffey, Varitek

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 7, 2009 at 11:09am CDT

Links for Saturday…

According to Bill Dwyre of the LA Times Garret Anderson has no ill will towards the Angels.
Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times thinks the Mariners need to sign Ken Griffey Jr. He adds that the Mariners may be "warming to the idea."
The Kyodo News reports that the Blue Jays have finalized Ken Takahashi’s contract.
According to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe, Jason Varitek passed his physical.
Jay Jaffe, Kevin Goldstein and Christina Kahrl of BP fill in the remaining holes on National League teams.
Buster Olney of ESPN.com writes that players should "go the extra mile" to please fans in the weakened economy, as they did in 1995 after the strike.

Boras Pushing Anderson, Pudge To M’s

By | February 6, 2009 at 7:45pm CDT

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s John Hickey spoke recently with agent Scott Boras, who pushed Garret Anderson and Ivan Rodriguez as good fits for the Mariners.

”Garret knows the division’s pitching,” Boras said. ”He hits the West well, he’s good for young hitters to be around and it’s a good fit.” Anderson seems to make sense for the M’s, but Pudge isn’t exactly a perfect fit. The club already has catchers Jeff Clement, Kenji Johjima and Rob Johnson on the 40-man roster.

Mariners Sign Tyler Johnson

By Tim Dierkes | February 5, 2009 at 4:34pm CDT

One of the seven free agent lefty relievers was plucked off the market today, as the Mariners signed Tyler Johnson to a minor league deal according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. Johnson, 27, was non-tendered by the Cards in December. He missed the entire ’08 season with shoulder problems. He held lefties to a .224/.307/.418 line in 2007.

Griffey Wants $5-6MM?

By Tim Dierkes | February 4, 2009 at 10:08am CDT

According to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, free agent outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. is "believed to be looking for a one-year deal in the $5 million to $6 million base salary range, would pay for himself with the boost in attendance he would provide." I’m skeptical on both fronts – that Griffey expects that kind of base salary and that he’d drive that much extra revenue. UPDATE: Just realized that ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick had this same info in his January 27th article.

Griffey seems to be the Mariners’ backup plan, as they’re currently trying to move money to pay for Bobby Abreu or perhaps Garret Anderson (the Twins have "lost their appetite" for Jarrod Washburn trade, says Joe Christensen). Trading for an outfielder is another viable option for Seattle, and if it’s for an affordable player they might not have to unload salary. Griffey’s agent Brian Goldberg admitted that his client is the fallback option for several teams.

Griffey is open to playing anywhere, but his friend Harold Reynolds said, "I know he’d love to be back [in Seattle]." Reynolds added: "I think they need to do it. He’s such an icon to the game of baseball. He’s going to play one more year, maybe two at the most. He needs to retire as a Mariner. He’s still got something left. I think he’d be fantastic for that team."

Twins Showing Interest In Jarrod Washburn

By | February 3, 2009 at 7:37pm CDT

TUESDAY, 7:37pm: Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that the Twins have "lost their appetite for a Jarrod Washburn trade." It probably had something to do with his $10.35MM ’09 salary.

MONDAY, 8:49pm: According to John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intellegencer, the Twins have "some interest" in dealing for left-hander Jarrod Washburn.

Hickey writes that the Mariners and Twins discussed a deal last week that would have sent Washburn and catcher Jeff Clement to Minnesota for 23-year-old outfielder Delmon Young. It’s not known whether that particular deal fell through, but it’s likely. The pieces just don’t seem to fit. Washburn, 34, went 5-14 last season with a 4.69 ERA and the Twins already have a young, All-Star catcher.

The M’s are trying to dump some cash in order to make a play for one of the remaining free agent outfielders and would accomplish the feat if they can move Washburn, who’s set to rake in $10.35MM this year. They’ve shown interest in Bobby Abreu, Garret Anderson and Ken Griffey Jr. so far this offseason.

Mariners Still Trying To Ink Josh Fields

By | February 3, 2009 at 5:27pm CDT

According to John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Mariners have reopened talks with Scott Boras, the agent for 2008 first-round draft pick Josh Fields.

Boras demanded a $2MM signing bonus last June when the M’s took the Georgia right-hander 20th overall. The organization balked at the figure and the two sides dropped communication for several months.

"We’ve had a few discussions now,” Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik said Tuesday. ”We’re keeping the status quo… I like Scott Boras. I realize he’s a professional, and my discussions with him have always been pleasant going back 15 years now.”

The Mariners are obviously hoping to sign Fields before spring training gets underway on February 13.

Mariners Hot Stove Update: Griffey, Abreu, Anderson

By | February 2, 2009 at 7:16pm CDT

Mariners president Chuck Armstrong spoke to a few hundred Portland-area business leaders on Thursday and addressed a few questions on some potential moves that his team might make. Andy Giegerich covered the event for the Portland Business Journal.

Armstrong met with a representative for free agent Ken Griffey Jr. on Wednesday, but nothing came out of the discussion.
The M’s are also looking at free agent outfielders Bobby Abreu and Garret Anderson. They could become serious suitors as contract numbers continue to fall, especially if the demand for those guys remains low.

Orioles Close To Deal With Cubs For Hill

By Ben Jones | February 1, 2009 at 9:41pm CDT

9:41pm: Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun has more on the Orioles trading for Cubs pitcher Rich Hill.

The deal would be for a player to be named later, Zrebiec writes, and it could be announced as early as Monday.

Hill will be reunited with pitching coach Rick Kranitz and bullpen coach Alan Dunn, who worked with him in the Cubs’ organization, Zrebiec notes.

Hill is out of options, so he’ll have to make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster or they could lose him. … Hill will be given an opportunity to win a spot in the rotation, which currently has three vacancies behind Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara.

6:12pm: Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun believes the Baltimore Orioles will complete a trade for Cubs left-handed pitcher Rich Hill by Tuesday — if the Orioles will do the deal at all.

Schmuck writes that now other organizations are aware that Hill could be made available, additional teams — including the Royals and Mariners — could make an offer.

Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail might be waiting to see if he can sign free agent right-handed pitcher Braden Looper, Schmuck adds.

They might be willing to acquire both pitchers, but there is the small matter of moving players off the 40-man roster to make room, so maybe Andy is just going to take one or the other.

Hill, 29 in March, is 18-17 in 57 starts with a 4.37 ERA during a short four-season career. He spend much of 2008 in Triple-A.

Looper, 34, went 12-14 in 33 starts with a 4.16 ERA with the St. Louis Cardinals last season.

Perrotto’s Latest: Position Battles, Roberts, Pudge

By Steve Adams | February 1, 2009 at 1:50pm CDT

John Perrotto’s Every Given Sunday column is up over at Baseball Prospectus. This week, he takes a look at some of the position battles teams will face entering Spring Training. And, as always, there’s some interesting items in his Rumors & Rumblings section. Let’s take a look:

Some of the more interesting position battles mentioned: 1B/DH/RF in Oakland (Daric Barton, Jack Cust, Jason Giambi, Aaron Cunningham, and Travis Buck all in the mix), Tampa’s closer if Troy Percival gets hurt or falters (Dan Wheeler, J.P. Howell, Grant Balfour), and the White Sox rotation behind John Danks, Mark Buerhle, and Gavin Floyd (Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Bartolo Colon, Jeff Marquez).
Brian Roberts still wants a four-year deal before Spring Training starts up, or he’ll cut off negotiations. Does Roberts make more sense as a cornerstone in Baltimore or as a trade chip?
Perrotto feels Tom Glavine will inevitably re-sign with the Braves.
The White Sox have minor interest in signing Ivan Rodriguez as a backup for A.J. Pierzynski. I’m sure Pudge would prefer a starting gig, but at this point, it’s tough to be picky.
We’ve heard a lot about the Orioles having interest in Rich Hill lately, but Perrotto reminds us that the Mariners are interested in the 28-year-old lefty as well.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Mariners Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect