Cardinals Rumors

Rays Rumors: Howell, Johnson, Bartlett

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | December 6, 2010 at 7:13pm CDT

The latest on the Rays, who are looking to re-build their bullpen and acquire a hitter or two:

The Rays have progressed toward a deal with J.P. Howell, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter). The team non-tendered the lefty last week.
The Rays avoided arbitration with Dan Johnson and agreed on a 2011 salary of about $1MM, according to Topkin (Twitter links).
The Rays and O's were discussing a trade that would have sent Jason Bartlett to Baltimore for a package similar to the one the Orioles sent to Arizona for Mark Reynolds, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter link).
Cardinals GM Joh Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's not looking to acquire middle infielders, so a Barlett trade seems highly unlikely.
Rays President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Topkin that he wouldn't be surprised if he ends up making a trade or two this week (Twitter link).

International Links: Renteria, Pedro, Williamson

By Nick Collias | December 6, 2010 at 6:21pm CDT

Links in Spanish from where winter is just a cool breeze…

Edgar Renteria has "three options" for a 2011 contract, according to an AP story out of Colombia. "All of them are in the National League, and one is the Giants," Renteria said. "I'd like to return [to the Giants], but if it doesn't work out, there are the other teams." The Cardinals and Marlins could be the fallbacks, as Renteria has said he'd like to end his career playing for one of the two.
No matter the season or league, Pedro Martinez wants to play for a winner. Martinez downplayed reports that he is training with the Licey Tigers in the Dominican Winter League, telling Pedro G. Briceño at Listin Diario, "I'm taking a break right now." In another interview, though, Martinez sounded more open, telling El Dia's Justo de la Cruz that he might change his mind if the Tigers improve in the standings or qualify for the Dominican playoffs. In regard to his plans stateside, Martinez told de la Cruz he hasn't hung up his spikes, but on the other hand said: "I don't rule out having an impulse to leave definitively."
Scott Williamson is planning to pitch in Mexico this winter, and several Major League teams will be watching, Williamson's agent told the blog Baseball Mexico (link in English). The former National League Rookie of the Year hasn't pitched in the majors since 2007, but he put up impressive numers in part-time closing duty for the independent Somerset Patriots last summer.

Pirates Rumors: Correia, Accardo, Duchscherer

By Tim Dierkes | December 6, 2010 at 4:05pm CDT

4:05pm: The Pirates are interested in Kevin Correia, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

3:25pm: The Pirates are aggressively pursuing Accardo, according to Kovacevic (on Twitter).

2:51pm: The latest on the Pirates:

The Pirates are deeply interested in Jeremy Accardo, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Dodgers are also known to be in on the recently non-tendered reliever.
A couple of teams have approached the Pirates about center fielder Andrew McCutchen, tweets ESPN's Gordon Edes, but they'd have to be overwhelmed.
The Pirates and Justin Duchscherer have mutual interest, reports Kovacevic.
The Pirates have shown some interest in Braves starter Kenshin Kawakami, reports MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. She estimates Kawakami would only cost the Pirates $1-2MM and no significant players, as the Braves are just looking to unload part of his $6.667MM salary.
Langosch says the Pirates have mild interest in Cardinals shortstop Brendan Ryan. Kovacevic says the Pirates continue to discuss shortstops with many teams, including J.J. Hardy with the Twins.
Kovacevic adds that the Pirates would love to trade Ryan Doumit. He says they'd only trade Evan Meek or Joel Hanrahan for a very significant return.

Six Teams Interested In Koji Uehara

By Tim Dierkes | December 6, 2010 at 11:12am CDT

The Orioles, Mariners, Twins, Red Sox, Brewers, and Cardinals are interested in free agent reliever Koji Uehara, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun learned from an unnamed Japanese reporter. Uehara would like to return to the Orioles, but they're unlikely to give him a multiyear deal. If he finds such an offer, he'll sign elsewhere.

Uehara, 36 in April, was dominant out of the Orioles' pen this year in 44 innings but has had an injury-plagued couple of seasons in the U.S.

Odds & Ends: Marlins, Cardinals, Bruce, Jeter

By Mike Axisa | December 4, 2010 at 10:50pm CDT

Links for Saturday night…

Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post says the Marlins are still looking for bullpen help (specifically a veteran lefty), a lefty bat off the bench, and outfield help.
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said that his team's lineup is set for 2011 after today's Lance Berkman pickup, reports Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links). Mozeliak described the team's payroll as "leaking," adding that Berkman received a higher salary as a trade-off for just one year.
Jay Bruce is optimistic about a new contract with the Reds according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon. Bruce mentions that nothing is imminent, however.
SI.com's Jon Heyman tweets that about five teams called to express interest in signing Derek Jeter before he re-upped with the Yankees, though the shortstop never considered going anywhere else. In fact, he didn't even listen to what they had to say (Twitter link).
The recently non-tendered George Sherrill has drawn some interest according to Marc Carig of The Star Ledger (Twitter link). The Yankees are not one of the interested teams, however.
Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News looks at Plan B and C should Texas be unable to retain Cliff Lee.
Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic tweets that Chad MacDonald will be the Mets' new scouting director. He served as the Diamondbacks director of international scouting for the last two years.

Cardinals Sign Lance Berkman

By Zachary Links | December 4, 2010 at 4:13pm CDT

The Cardinals have signed Lance Berkman to a one-year deal, the club has announced (via Twitter). Berkman will earn $8MM according to Jon Heyman of SI (via Twitter). The former Houston Astro will be placed in left field with Matt Holliday being moved to right field.

Big Puma identified the Cardinals as one of his many suitors earlier this week. GM John Mozeliak says that the slugger will be an everyday player in St. Louis, according to Tom Ackerman of KMOX 1120 AM (via Twitter).

“He’s an impact player who not only helps solidify our everyday lineup, but he also brings a wealth of experience," the GM said.

Berkman was likely drawn to the Cards in part because of their ability to offer him a spot in the outfield. The veteran never ruled out signing on with an American League team as a DH though he made his disdain for it well known.

The 34-year-old last played in the outfield in 2007, and he owns an ugly -2.1 UZR/150 for his career, with most of his work coming in right field.

Cardinals Make Brendan Ryan Available

By Tim Dierkes | December 2, 2010 at 9:02am CDT

The Cardinals feel that Ryan Theriot is an upgrade at shortstop over incumbent Brendan Ryan. Ryan is now expendable, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "The Cardinals have let other teams know Ryan is available, and they'll look to trade him during next week's winter meetings in Florida, if not sooner."

Ryan doesn't want to leave, but he doesn't have any say in the matter. He's arbitration eligible for the first time, but his dismal offensive career numbers should keep his salary down. The Fielding Bible's love for his 2010 defense might not provide much ammo for his agents at WMG in an arbitration hearing.

Starting shortstops are hard to come by, but the Pirates, Orioles, and Padres might be the only teams in the market.

Jason Bartlett Rumors: Tuesday

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 30, 2010 at 10:55pm CDT

10:55pm: The Giants are not in on Bartlett, according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News (on Twitter).

10:00pm: The Giants and Cardinals both added infielders today, but haven't completely ruled out acquiring Bartlett, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Bartlett, a long shot for the Giants, would be insurance in case Pablo Sandoval's struggles continue.

8:59pm: The Giants are one of several clubs engaging the Rays in trade talks about Bartlett even after reaching a deal with Miguel Tejada, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports.

5:00pm: The Giants are "wide open" on their options at short, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter). They've considered Bartlett, Miguel Tejada, Orlando Cabrera and Marco Scutaro. Meanwhile, an Orioles source tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that the Rays and O's aren't moving closer to a deal involving Bartlett.

TUESDAY, 3:45pm: The Giants have become one of the most serious suitors for Bartlett, according to Rosenthal and Morosi.

MONDAY, 5:40pm: The Rays are moving closer to trading Jason Bartlett, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The reporters’ sources say the Dodgers’ deal with Juan Uribe accelerated trade talks. The Cardinals, Padres, Giants, Orioles and Pirates have all expressed interest in Bartlett, who is arbitration eligible for the third and final time this offseason.

The Rays appear to be looking for bullpen help in any trade involving Bartlett. If they do trade the 31-year-old, they’ll likely replace him with Reid Brignac, who played 50 games at short in 2010 and posted a higher OPS than Bartlett (.692 vs. .675).

Bartlett slumped to .254/.324/.350 in 2010 after an All-Star season in 2009, but his career line (.281/.345/.385) suggests he's capable of more offense. He earned $4MM in 2010 and will likely earn over $5MM through arbitration in 2011.

Cardinals Sign Brian Tallet

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | November 30, 2010 at 3:00pm CDT

The Cardinals signed Brian Tallet to a one-year contract, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The southpaw posted 8.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 against lefty batters last year and should continue to be productive against them in Tony La Russa’s bullpen.

The 33-year-old posted a 6.40 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 2010, his fifth season in Toronto. Tallet earned $2MM in 2010 and was headed for a raise through arbitration until the Blue Jays outrighted him to Triple-A. He refused the assignment and hit free agency before I named him as a potential bargain reliever.

The Blue Jays used Tallet as an occasional starter, but Morosi hears that the Cardinals will use him as a reliever. That makes sense, since they have Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia, Jake Westbrook and Kyle Lohse in their rotation.

Cardinals Acquire Ryan Theriot

By Tim Dierkes | November 30, 2010 at 2:48pm CDT

The Cardinals acquired infielder Ryan Theriot from the Dodgers for righty Blake Hawksworth, according to the Dodgers' official Twitter feed. Theriot was a non-tender candidate for the Dodgers in the wake of their Juan Uribe signing, but the Cardinals have a need for him.

The Cardinals view Theriot as a shortstop and could still pursue a second baseman, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).

Theriot, 31 next month, is intimately familiar with the NL Central after spending parts of six seasons with the Cubs. He was dealt to the Dodgers at the trade deadline this year along with Ted Lilly. Theriot struggled offensively at both stops, hitting a combined .270/.321/.312 in 640 plate appearances. He'll still be due a raise on this year's $2.6MM, a salary he was assigned after losing a February arbitration case.

Hawksworth, 28 in March, posted a 4.98 ERA, 6.1 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, 1.5 HR/9, and 51.5% groundball rate in 90 1/3 innings for the Cardinals this year. Heading into the 2008 season, Baseball America ranked Hawksworth 20th among Cardinals prospects, praising his changeup but noting his injury history and struggles against left-handed hitters.

This appears to be the first time GMs Ned Colletti and John Mozeliak matched up on a trade.

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