Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Cardinals Rumors

Cards Hire McGwire As Hitting Coach

By | at

Pat Lackey informs us that a Cardinals source confirmed to Fanhouse's Ed Price that Mark McGwire has been hired to replace Hal McRae as the St. Louis hitting coach.

McGwire, 46, played in St. Louis for four and a half seasons, hitting 220 home runs during his tenure, including setting a then-single season record with 70 home runs. For his career, McGwire totaled a .263/.394/.588 line, clubbing 583 home runs over 16 seasons with the Athletics and Cardinals.

As Lackey points out, McGwire's hiring could indicate the return of Tony La Russa. We've heard reports so far today that La Russa has signed a multi-year extension, but there has yet to be an official announcement regarding his contract status.

Strong Interest In Aroldis Chapman

By | at

SUNDAY, 12:35pm: As suggested by Lennon earlier, Chapman's price tag is too high for the Mets. Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reports (via Twitter) that the Mets were told Chapman wants up to $60MM to sign.

SATURDAY, 7:23pm: John Stockstill – the Orioles' director of international scouting – has confirmed that the club will meet with Chapman and his agent next week in New York, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN.com.  In a piece yesterday, Kubatko wrote that he doesn't think Baltimore will end up signing the 21-year-old.

SATURDAY, 2:38pm: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports the A's have also had interest in Chapman since he became a free agent.  However, they were not among the teams that met the hard-throwing left-hander in New York this week.

FRIDAY, 1:59pm: Lennon says (via Twitter) that the Mets won't bid $40-60MM for Chapman.

FRIDAY, 1:19pm: Add the Blue Jays to the mix of teams interested in Chapman, according to our source.  Also, the Orioles have maintained interest and want to meet.

THURSDAY, 2:39pm: MLBTR has learned that the Cubs and White Sox have expressed interest in free agenty lefty Aroldis Chapman.  The Cardinals have been more aggressive than those clubs, and plan to meet with Chapman next week.  The Yankees and Red Sox, of course, have also been among the aggressive suitors.  A meeting with the Mets will come later this week, according to Newsday's David Lennon.

The Chapman tour began yesterday in New York, as the 21-year-old's agency decided not to make MLB clubs come to Andorra.  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. believes Chapman will command a contract in the $40-60MM range.

Odds & Ends: La Russa, Indians, Arguelles

By | at

A few links to start your Sunday….

  • Tony La Russa didn't officially say he'll be back in St. Louis in 2010, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. But it sounds like he's leaning towards returning, and that an announcement could be made within a couple days.
  • Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that Bobby Valentine would be the best choice as an "impact" manager for the Tribe. He thinks that Manny Acta is the favorite though.
  • The Plain Dealer's Bud Shaw also gives his two cents on the Indians' managerial hunt, opining that Valentine's "outside-the-box interview strategy figures to backfire."
  • At least four teams are very interested in Cuban lefty Noel Arguelles, according to Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus (via Twitter). In the same tweet, McDaniel mentions that Wagner Mateo still looks headed to the San Francisco Giants.
  • Michael Baron of MetsBlog agrees with MLB.com's Marty Noble when he says the New York Mets have to address their need for a catcher.

Odds & Ends: Drew, Molina, Cards, Chapman

By | at

Another round of links before the weekend…

  • WEEI.com's Alex Speier suggests J.D. Drew has been worth slightly more than the $42MM the Red Sox have paid him since 2007 because of his on-base skills and strong defense. Drew's no RBI machine, but GM Theo Epstein likes his hitting approach as-is. Considering the massive deals handed out to Vernon Wells, Alfonso Soriano and others after 2006, Drew's contract seems reasonable.
  • Jack Moore of FanGraphs expects Bengie Molina to draw interest this offseason and predicts that the catcher will be worth $4MM or more next year.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post Dispatch says the Cardinals are in position to bring back their entire bullpen in 2010. The Cards expect Ryan Franklin to close once again next season. 
  • ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. reports (via Twitter) that Aroldis Chapman will meet with the Cardinals Monday before going to Boston Wednesday to meet with the Red Sox.
  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos tells MLB.com's Jordan Bastian that the Jays are talking to other teams about possible trades.

Olney On La Russa, Mulder, Hudson

By | at

ESPN.com's Buster Olney breaks down last night's ALCS contest in detail before turning to some rumors. Here they are:

  • Olney can see Tony La Russa returning to manage the Cardinals for a final season in 2010.
  • Could Mark Mulder end up in Milwaukee? His former pitching coach, Rick Peterson, has joined the Brewers, who are looking for starting pitching. Brewers manager Ken Macha managed the A's when Mulder was in his prime. As Olney points out, Mulder won't be expensive.
  • The Braves are determining the trade market for Kenshin Kawakami and Derek Lowe. They're more likely to bring Tim Hudson back if they anticipate a trade market for Kawakami or Lowe.
  • Talks with Hudson should accelerate in the next week or so.

Odds & Ends: Parker, Okajima, Kikuchi, La Russa

By | at

Links for Thursday…

Odds & Ends: Johjima, Brewers, Pujols

By | at

As the champagne chills in the Philadelphia clubhouse, here are some late-night newsbits….

  • Kirby Arnold of the Everett Herald reports that during a conference call with Japanese press members, Kenji Johjima said that a lack of playing time was the main reason he opted out of his contract with the Mariners.  He and the team cited Johjima's desire to be closer to his family in Japan as the primary reason for his leaving Seattle two days ago.
  • Milwaukee assistant general manger Gord Ash chatted with fans on Wednesday about the Brewers' minor league prospects.  Perhaps the most notable item from the chat was Ash's admission that there will be a "gap" of time before the Brewers can get some pitching help from the farm since most of their best young hurlers are at least a year or two away.
  • Albert Pujols' arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on Wednesday was "a success" according to a team statement noted by MLB.com's Matthew Leach.  The not-insignificant procedure shouldn't lead to any missed playing time for Pujols, who is expected to be fit and ready for spring training.

Mateo To San Francisco?

By | at

ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure reports (via Twitter) that the Giants may be on the verge of signing 16-year-old Dominican prospect Wagner Mateo.   A deal could be finalized  "within [the] next couple of weeks."

Mateo was originally signed by St. Louis in June to a contract with a $3.1MM signing bonus, but the deal was voided by the club in September after medical tests revealed that the young outfielder was suffering from vision problems.  The entire situation is nicely detailed in this piece by Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, noting that Mateo's signing was an impressive victory for the Cardinals' rebuilt Latin American scouting operations.

In a tweet from last June, Arangure said that San Francisco came closest to signing Mateo away from St. Louis' grasp in the first place, but got "cold feet" offering a bonus of $3.5MM.  The Cards and Giants were two of several teams interested in the highly-regarded young outfielder.

Odds & Ends: Yankees, Cardinals, Astros

By | at

Here are some links to take you through the end of your workday, instead of, you know, working.

  • The Yankees aren't satisfied to simply win the 2009 World Series. They are concurrently planning to take 2010 as well, with Jon Heyman reporting that they are atop Matt Holliday's preferred list of teams, and Lohud.com's Chad Jennings writing that the Yankees should be meeting with Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman soon, though GM Brian Cashman wouldn't confirm it.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes that Jason LaRue would be a good fit for the Cardinals in 2010, and breaks down the other catching candidates as well.
  • Manny Acta had his second interview for the Astros' managing job, while Bobby Valentine and Bob Melvin are candidates to take Acta's former position as skipper for Washington.
  • Tim Wakefield had successful back surgery for the Red Sox, who have a number of 2010 contract options to consider, include Wakefield's. Alex Speier of WEEI.com runs it down nicely.
  • The Rays hired Derek Shelton as their new hitting coach. Shelton had been the hitting coach for Cleveland.
  • Former Mets' first base coach Tom Nieto is the new manager for Rochester, Minnesota's Triple-A farm team, among other minor-league hires.

Odds & Ends: Johjima, Rockies, Kikuchi

By | at

Links for Tuesday…

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top