Mariners Rumors

Odds & Ends: Sheffield, Morillo, Perdomo

By Tim Dierkes | April 6, 2009 at 11:21am CDT

I think you would all agree that today should be a federal holiday. Monday links to tide you over until games start…

According to David Lennon of Newsday, Gary Sheffield expected to get a call from Albert Pujols about possibly playing for the Cardinals, before the Mets signed him.
Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Rockies' acquisition of Jason Hammel may mean Juan Morillo's time with the team is drawing to a close. Morillo throws in the high 90s with poor control, and he's out of options.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic talked to John Dewan about The Fielding Bible and the D'Backs' defense.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News says the Giants continue to try to work out a trade for Rule 5 pick Luis Perdomo, who will otherwise have to be offered back to the Cardinals.
Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star has a great profile of Zack Greinke.
Baseball America's Matt Eddy has the latest minor league transactions.
John Hickey recently wrote about Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre. Beltre, a Boras client, is entering his contract year.

Odds & Ends: Opening Day Rosters

By Nat Boyle | April 5, 2009 at 10:03am CDT

After the longest spring training in history, it felt like Opening Day might never arrive. As teams finalize their 25-man rosters, here are some notes from yesterday and today's headlines:

Third baseman Pablo Sandoval was made the lone-backup for catcher Bengie Molina as the Giants finalize their Opening Day roster and go with a 12-man pitching staff, according to Chris Haft of MLB.com.
As anticipated, Mike Sweeney and his .408 spring batting average made the Mariners' roster, says Larry Stone of the Seattle Times and the M's are without a lefty reliever. Ichiro Suzuki could make a return by next Friday in Oakland, reports the Kyodo News.
The AP reports the Diamonbacks added Ryan Roberts as a utility man.
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle points out that 24-year old Andrew Bailey, "an unheralded nonroster invitee to major-league camp who hadn't pitched in relief before last summer is now a member of Oakland's bullpen."
The Phillies added Miguel Cairo.

Mariners Fire Sale In ’09?

By | April 4, 2009 at 2:43pm CDT

Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune expects the Mariners to host a fire sale this season, around or before the July 31 trade deadline. Many folks would probably agree. Erik Bedard, Adrian Beltre, Miguel Batista and Jarrod Washburn could all be on their way out.

It'll be a cost-cutting operation, but should also result in the M's forming a younger squad that is better equipped for the future.

[Mariners general manager] Jack Zduriencik has shown a willingness to make deals large (J.J. Putz) and small (Chris Burke), writes LaRue. He has stockpiled young players and pieces like Chris Shelton, in part to improve the Mariners minor league season and in part to act as a 7-11 convenience store for teams in need of a quick fix.

Who else could go by the deadline? Jose Lopez? Chad Cordero? Kenji Johjima?

Odds & Ends: McPherson, Izzy, Hammel

By | April 1, 2009 at 9:31pm CDT

Happy April Fools, or something. Here are your Wednesday night links…

Mike Axisa over at River Ave. Blues believes the Yankees should take a long look at former top prospect Dallas McPherson.
Sam A. Miller of the Orange County Register presents some best-case scenario projections for the 2009 Angels.
Jason Isringhausen is going to stick it out with the Rays. He'll be placed on the disabled list to start the season, but could be pitching for Tampa by mid-May.
Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus discusses some of the Rays' offseason moves with RaysProspects.com. He also touches on Jason Hammel's trade value.
Pirates president Frank Coonelly hosted a chat with fans at MLB.com on Wednesday.
Mariners Rule 5 pick Jose Lugo, a reliever, has been returned to the Twins.
Another Rule 5 pick, catcher James Skelton, has been waived by the Diamondbacks.
If you missed it, take a look at Tim's Tuesday chat.
Join the fun! Add MLBTR to your Twitter following tonight. And hey, while you're at it, why not check out your (attention craving) friend Drew Silva as well?

Odds & Ends: Smoltz, Cubs, Melky, Lima

By Tim Dierkes | March 30, 2009 at 10:55am CDT

Links for Monday…

Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle writes about the Giants' lack of interest in Adam Melhuse and considers other players who could help.
Alex Speier of WEEI looks back at the Doyle Alexander for John Smoltz trade of 1987. According to former Tigers GM Bill Lajoie, the Braves would have taken Steve Searcy instead of Smoltz.
Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald says the Cubs "appear to be getting some trade feelers" on out of options relievers Chad Gaudin and Angel Guzman. Moving one could create space for Rule 5 pick David Patton.
Tyler Hissey of Around The Majors looks back at the Delmon Young/Matt Garza swap. What did MLBTR commenters think when the deal went down on November 28th, 2007? Click here to find out. Garza will face the Twins for the first time today.
Eddie Bajek of Detroit Tigers Thoughts says the Tigers are apparently trying to recreate the bullpen of the 2007 Rays.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes Melky Cabrera would be best served as an NL bench player.
T.J. Simers of the L.A. Times discusses the Dodgers' $47MM bust, Jason Schmidt.
Aaron Shinsano of East Windup Chronicle has more Korean prospect news: the Royals signed catcher Shin Jin-ho, while the Mariners signed catcher Choi Ji-man.
Jose Lima is back playing baseball in the U.S., according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.
Will Sommer of Mets Fans Forever talked to GM Omar Minaya.
Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post looks at the Marlins' decision to non-tender reliever Joe Nelson. It would've made a lot of sense to bring him back.

Mariners Acquire Chris Burke

By Steve Adams | March 29, 2009 at 2:54pm CDT

Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that Chris Burke, who was told by the Padres on Saturday that he wouldn't make the team, has been traded to the Mariners for cash or a player to be named later.

Burke, 29, hit just .194/.310/.273 last season in 86 games for Arizona. He saw time at all four infield positions and both outfield corners for the D'Backs in 2008.

Morrow To Close, Walker Released

By Nat Boyle | March 29, 2009 at 12:49pm CDT

This is not a trade rumor, but it's somewhat related. Larry LaRue of the The News Tribune reports Brandon Morrow is the likely closer for the Mariners. Geoff Baker writes that with no chance of making the starting rotation, according to manager Don Wakamatsu, the would-be starter approached coaches with a desire to close. Says LaRue,

"The only thing Morrow needs to prove now is that he can close regularly despite diabetes, a disease that can rock him unexpectedly. On Sunday, for instance, Morrow’s blood sugar level was high and his energy level down.He dealt with using his insulin pump – and last year, closing was not a problem for Morrow when J.J. Putz went down. Now that Putz is gone and he closing job wide open, Morrow wants it badly. Barring an unforeseen physical problem, it’s his."

This sounds vaguely familiar.

Morrow's decision spelled the end of Tyler Walker's time with the Mariners, according to Baker. He was released earlier this morning after pitching 5.2 innings this Spring. He allowed 3 ER with 8 hits, 4 Ks, 2 BBs, and one hit batter.

Odds & Ends: Twins, Rockies, Yankees

By Nat Boyle | March 29, 2009 at 11:14am CDT

Ed Price at FanHouse.com has some Odds & Ends of his own in the Overheard and Understood section of his column.

The Twins are looking for a setup man who can provide good control. Internally, it's a big deal for them.
The Rockies could wind up dumping contracts midseason if they find themselves out of contention. Price quotes one exec saying, "Unless they move ($3.5-million salaried backup catcher Yorvit) Torrealba, they're not taking on any money."
The Mariners say no player is untouchable. The M's are seeking "athletes" says Price.
Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill will get the last two spots in Oakland's rotation.
The Padres are "dying for pitching" and "will claim anybody" on waivers, says Price.
If Cody Ransom gets exposed by playing on a daily basis, then the Yankees may need a stopgap to fill third base until Alex Rodriguez's mid-may return.

Rosenthal On White Sox, Pedro, Baker

By Tim Dierkes | March 24, 2009 at 8:35am CDT

The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

The White Sox are still trying to figure out their center field situation, but they are not involved on pricey veterans such as Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews Jr.
Fantasy alert: Rosenthal names David Aardsma as the likely leader for the Mariners closer job, with Chad Cordero and Brandon Morrow lingering.
The Dodgers "continue to balk at Pedro Martinez's $5MM asking price."
Rockies utility man Jeff Baker, who is out of options, is drawing interest from the Phillies, Astros, and Pirates. Rosenthal suggests recently-demoted Kyle Kendrick as a possible target for Colorado, assuming the Phils can move Geoff Jenkins or Matt Stairs to clear a spot. Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Yankees are unlikely to acquire Baker.
The Blue Jays have been scouting shortstops Chin-Lung Hu, Juan Castro, and others in hopes of finding someone they can stash at Triple A for insurance.
Was Willy Taveras a bad move for the Reds? Rosenthal says rival executives think so.

Mariners Claim Jesus Delgado

By Steve Adams | March 15, 2009 at 1:19pm CDT

Alden Gonzalez from MLB.com writes that the Mariners have claimed 24-year-old reliever Jesus Delgado from the Marlins.

Delgado pitched two innings for the Marlins last season, allowing one run, but spent most of the year pitching in Double-A Carolina, where he was 5-2 with a 3.45 ERA.

Delgado was a part of the trade that sent Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston, and Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez to Florida. He has allowed four runs in three innings of work this Spring.

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