Odds & Ends: Boras, Cordero, NCAA Agents
Some links for your Thursday night viewing pleasure…
- Diamond Leung has some Dodgers notes, including a particularly interesting one regarding Scott Boras. Earlier, Peter Gammons reported that the Dodgers scouting department wouldn’t be touching any Boras clients in the June draft. Leung refutes that, citing Dodgers Assistant General Manager of Scouting Logan White’s statement that the Dodgers will consider Boras clients because "talent comes first."
- The Nationals have been watching Chad Cordero’s auditions, according to Dave Sheinin. Cordero threw 40 pitches "at 70-75 percent effort" the other day. Cordero’s agent, Larry Reynolds, says that he’s on pace to be ready for Opening Day.
- Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News has a good article highlighting Okalahome State University lefty Andy Oliver and his victory in a lawsuit against the NCAA. Oliver challenged the rule that athletes cannot have attorneys participate in direct negotiations with Major League teams prior to being drafted. Oliver was suspended prior to an NCAA Regional in 2008.
- Ringolsby also notes, in the same article, that the Braves have interest in Garret Anderson.
- Tim Hudson got into a heated exchange with a reporter in the clubhouse, regarding the recent Ken Griffey Jr. drama, and had to be separated by a team official, according to the AP.
- Speaking of Griffey, the Mariners will hold a press conference for him this Saturday, Geoff Baker reports.
- Anthony Castrovince reports that Edward Salcedo, a top Dominican prospect who had been tied to the Indians last year, had an investigation launched surrounding his age. There were doubts that he was really 16, which obviously quieted talks.
Royals Claim Tug Hulett
According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, the Royals claimed infielder Tug Hulett off waivers from the Mariners. To make room, they designated lefty Neal Musser for assignment.
Hulett, 26 in a few days, hit .298/.380/.518 in Triple A last year and can play any infield position.
Odds and Ends: Griffey, Blue Jays, Roberts
Links for Thursday…
- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has details around the Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr. signing, while Keith Law has criticism for it. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution blogs about his "Griffey Chooses Braves" story. MLB.com’s Mark Bowman also has thoughts on the decision not to play for Atlanta, and another postmortem article where he talks to Frank Wren and Chipper Jones.
- Drunk Jays Fans has a preview of the team.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun writes in praise of the Brian Roberts extension. I don’t like the argument that the Orioles needed to sign Roberts because they don’t have a clear successor at second base.
- RotoAuthority ranks starting pitchers for fantasy baseball.
Mariners Showed Interest In Fukudome?
According to Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune:
A major-league source said teams approached the Cubs about trading for Kosuke Fukudome, although only in trades where GM Jim Hendry would have had to take back bad contracts. The Mariners, shopping pitchers Jarrod Washburn and Erik Bedard and catcher Kenji Johjima, are believed to have been among them.
It seems that these conversations were in the offseason and are not active. Fukudome has $38MM coming for 2009-11. Johjima will receive $24MM over the same time period, while the pitchers are signed only for ’09.
Griffey Chooses Mariners Over Braves
9:36pm: C. Trent Rosecrans of 1530 Homer talked to Griffey’s agent Brian Goldberg, who confirmed the deal. It was a difficult decision for Griffey, who spoke to Willie Mays and Hank Aaron before deciding. MLB.com’s Jim Street has more on the Mays conversation.
8:55pm: Jerry Crasnick has a clarification on the financial details. Street’s numbers were just a bit off. Griffey can only earn $2.5MM in incentives — up to $4.5MM altogether.
8:14pm: Interesting tidbit from Mark Bowman:
Sources have indicated that Griffey’s tide turned shortly after he became upset with the fact that The Atlanta-Journal Constitution was reporting that he’d already decided to play for the Braves.
8:05pm: MLB.com’s Jim Street has some more information on the contract. It "includes a $2 million base salary and up to $4 million in incentives based on at-bats and attendance." The M’s are hoping he’ll draw an additional 200,000 fans to Safeco Field this season.
7:51pm: Geoff Baker has some of the financial details:
Ken Griffey Jr. is heading back to the Mariners on a one-year contract, reportedly for a base salary of roughly $2 million and incentive bonuses as well.
7:33pm: ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick has informed MLBTR that Griffey told the Braves of his decision less than an hour ago. He is indeed going to be a Mariner next season.
7:23pm: John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intellignecer has now confirmed it. Junior is headed back to Seattle.
7:19pm: WSB, an Atlanta-based television station, is reporting that the Ken Griffey Jr. has chosen the Mariners over the Braves.
3:10pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman has a bit of info, suggesting Griffey is sensitive about offending the Mariners and their fans.
1:17pm: Larry Stone of the Seattle Times says Braves GM Frank Wren expects Griffey’s decision "pretty shortly." Bobby Cox said it could be today or tomorrow. Griffey’s apparently already passed a physical for both the Braves and Mariners.
1:01pm: The Braves hope for an update from Griffey later today, says Bowman.
11:19am: A WSB-TV (Atlanta) report indicates that Braves officials believe Griffey is leaning toward the Mariners.
9:58am: David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has an update. He believes Griffey has decided to sign with the Braves, and explains Chipper Jones‘ involvement in the process.
9:06am: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman does not believe Griffey has told the Braves his decision yet. It’s about time we wrap this thing up, in my opinion.
7:54am: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says Ken Griffey Jr. was to meet in the evening with the Braves and was expected to sign off on a deal. An announcement is expected today. Many reporters received similar indications yesterday, even with Griffey and his agent insisting nothing was decided.
Mariners Sign First-Round Pick
According to MLB.com’s Jim Street, the Mariners have finally inked right-handed reliever Josh Fields. He was the team’s first-round pick in the 2008 first year player draft.
Jim Callis of Baseball America dug up the numbers over the weekend: Fields will receive $1.75 million, splitting the difference between MLB’s $1.5 million recommendation for his draft slot and the $2 million he was seeking.
The 23-year-old passed a physical Saturday and the deal became official with his signature this afternoon. Fields will now join the Mariners’ camp as a non-roster invitee.
Ken Griffey Jr. Rumors: Monday
5:01pm: According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, Griffey met with Braves GM Frank Wren earlier today. It sounds like Junior will be making his decision on Tuesday.
Wren is scheduled to meet with Griffey’s agent, Brian Goldberg, on Tuesday and in the hours that follow, the veteran outfielder will likely announce whether he’ll be playing for the Braves or Mariners this year, writes Bowman.
1:10pm: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times has more on the topic. He’s learned that Griffey will decide today or early tomorrow at the latest.
10:00am: Over the weekend we learned that Ken Griffey Jr. is campaigning to play for the Braves, and they may be willing to offer him $1.5MM.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says Griffey may decide today. One of Rosenthal’s sources still believes it could go either way (Braves or Mariners). Both teams are considering Griffey and Garret Anderson.
Odds and Ends: Maddux, Beltre, Cordero
Links for Monday…
- RotoAuthority discusses possible lineup position changes for star players.
- Baseball America has the latest minor league transactions.
- Greg Maddux has joined the Padres as a Spring Training instructor, says MLB.com’s Corey Brock.
- Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News learned that Adrian Beltre enjoys hitting in AT&T Park and would be excited to play for the Giants. Baggarly wonders if the Giants could attempt to acquire Beltre this summer. The third baseman and Scott Boras client will be a free agent after the season.
- Shawn Estes, currently in camp with the Dodgers, will retire if he can’t make a Major League roster according to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times.
- A Mets official told Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News that the team is unlikely to sign free agent reliever Chad Cordero.
- Jake Peavy talked more about the failed attempts to trade him during the winter (Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune reporting).
- The Mariners added catcher Jason Phillips on a minor league deal, according to Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune.
Ken Griffey Jr. Rumors: Sunday
9:03pm: Another interesting item from Bowman:
About a week ago, [Nick] Swisher seemed to be at the top of the wish list. But that was before Griffey called the Braves and campaigned for the opportunity to play for Atlanta.
As more and more information pours out, it really sounds like Junior wants to, and is going to, end up with the Braves.
5:38pm: According to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, "It’s believed the Braves are willing to offer Griffey a one-year deal worth up to $1.5 million."
The Mariners can probably afford to make a counter offer that beats that number but, as was reported yesterday, M’s CEO Howard Lincoln is less than enthused about the idea of getting into a bidding war with the Braves.
3:12pm: Jayson Stark’s latest article discusses Griffey and Atlanta. Has he wanted to play there for years? The answer to that question is yes, according to Chipper Jones. And Chipper would love to have Griffey in Atlanta as well:
"He’s a guy who can still hit," said Chipper Jones, who would figure to find Griffey keeping him company in the middle of the lineup. "I played with him a few years ago in the [World Baseball] Classic, and he was our best hitter. He’s got a knack for being able to turn it up and prove people wrong."
Stark writes that Griffey has moved ahead of both Garret Anderson and Nick Swisher on the Braves’ list, and points out that Junior can still hit righties very well, making him an ideal platoon candidate with Matt Diaz.
11:04am: There were lots of rumors surrounding Ken Griffey, Jr. and the Braves yesterday. Jon Heyman puts it simply:
"It appears likely that Griffey and [Garret] Anderson will wind up in Atlanta and Seattle. The big question at this point is which player will end up with which team."
While Griffey lives in Orlando and has a daughter playing AAU basketball in Georgia, Anderson is a resident of Southern California with more recent success in the AL West. Still, Heyman notes Griffey is the prize here because of the draw he brings to the stadium, a draw that would even allow the M’s to stretch their budget for the added revenue Griffey brings in.
Mariners Claim Luis Pena, DFA Tug Hulett
5:14pm: John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that the Mariners have designated infielder Tug Hulett for assignment to make room for Pena on the 40-man roster.
2:15pm: Tom Haudricourt writes that the Mariners have claimed reliever Luis Pena off waivers.
Pena, 26, was designated for assignment when the Brewers claimed Nick Green from the Angels. Brewers general manager Doug Melvin explains:
"It’s like trading Pena for Green," said general manager Doug Melvin. "We needed starters. You hate to give up on a good arm but that was our need."