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Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Overbay, Hawpe, Lilly, Marlins

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Links for Friday…

  • Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times says (via Twitter) that Dodgers GM Ned Colletti hasn't asked anyone to waive their no-trade clause, which would include Manny Ramirez.
  • Lyle Overbay was pulled from tonight's game in the 6th inning, and Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com says there has been trade interest in the Jays' first baseman recently. However, Overbay left for precautionary reasons as he's been feeling under the weather according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (Twitter links).
  • Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that Brad Hawpe chose the Rays over the Red Sox was because there was "a perceived better fit in terms of guaranteed playing time."
  • The Dodgers placed Ted Lilly on waivers today, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported yesterday that the Dodgers aren't inclined to trade Lilly.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports that Marlins president David Samsom directed millions of dollars to owner Jeffrey Loria. Samson has said publicly that he did no such thing, but Passan contests that "what Samson said was so provably false that it was akin to a 3-year-old trying to hide his peas under a pile of mashed potatoes."
  • Stephen Strasburg will probably need Tommy John surgery, according to the Nationals.
  • Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says the idea of Joe Girardi leaving the Yankees for the Cubs this offseason is "pure insanity," since the Yankees will always provide Girardi with the chance to win.
  • However, Cubs sources confirmed to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that the Cubs will pursue Girardi to manage, possibly as the leading candidate, if he is available.
  • Padres GM Jed Hoyer told MLB.com's Corey Brock that he and Red Sox GM Theo Epstein joked about the inevitable Adrian Gonzalez rumors last winter. As Brock shows, those rumors are a thing of the past for the first place Padres.

Rays Sign Brad Hawpe

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The Rays officially signed Brad Hawpe and assigned him to Class A, according to the team. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports first reported the agreement. The Red Sox, Rangers and Padres also showed some interest in the former Rockie, who cleared waivers yesterday. The Rockies designated the 31-year-old for assignment after he posted a .255/.343/.432 line in 300 plate appearances.

Hawpe can play first base, though he has spent most of his career in right field. The Rays probably won't have to use Hawpe on defense, since Carl Crawford, B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist have the outfield covered. If the Rays wait until September to call on Hawpe, they won't have to make any cuts, so Dan Johnson's job appears safe for now.

Hawpe and Joyce have a history of hitting right-handers better than they hit lefties, so Aybar should still see playing time against southpaws.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Winfield, Gio, Hawpe, Cubs

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On this date three years ago, the Astros fired manager Phil Garner and GM Tim Purpura. They were replaced on an interim basis by Cecil Cooper and Tal Smith, respectively. Cooper kept the job until he was fired last September, and the team is now under the direction of Brad Mills. Ed Wade took over the GM job about a month after Purpura was fired, and has held it since.

Here's a look at what's being written in the baseball corner of the web…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Dodgers Consider Options

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FRIDAY, 10:24am: Manny is not asking for an extension, according to Rosenthal on Twitter.

THURSDAY, 9:17pm: The White Sox will know by Friday afternoon if they can or will get Ramirez, reports Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune.

7:55am: The Dodgers and White Sox have have discussed a potential Manny Ramirez trade, but according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, Los Angeles has spoken to at least one other team about the 38-year-old. The Rays and Rangers are interested in Ramirez, though the Dodgers are not fully committed to making a trade.

Ramirez wants a one-year extension to waive his no-trade clause, a source tells Rosenthal and Morosi. If he clears waivers, Ramirez could have the leverage to make such demands, but if a team claims him, the Dodgers would only be able to negotiate with that club. The White Sox intend to claim Ramirez, according to FOX, though that won’t necessarily happen.

Teams have until the end of the week to claim Ramirez, who hit waivers yesterday. If he’s claimed, the Dodgers will have until Tuesday afternoon to work out a deal. Click here to vote on whether a National League team wil claim Ramirez and here for more detail on trading in August.

 

Red Sox, Rays, Rangers In On Brad Hawpe

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The Red Sox, Rays and Rangers are in on Brad Hawpe, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Hawpe should clear release waivers today at which point he'll be free to sign with any MLB team.

It's not surprising that the Red Sox are interested in Hawpe, since Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury are out indefinitely. The Red Sox are open to adding outfielders from outside the organization, as we saw when they tried to re-acquire Johnny Damon.

The Rays have shown interest in bats since last month and the Rangers' interest in Hawpe is no secret. The Padres had interest, but no longer appear to be considering Hawpe seriously.

The Rockies designated the 31-year-old for assignment after he posted a .255/.343/.432 line in 300 plate appearances.

Arbitration Eligibles: Tampa Bay Rays

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A look at the Rays players who will be arbitration-eligible after the season…

Johnson could be non-tendered, if the Rays prefer to try to bring him back on a minor league deal.  He signed a Major League deal in January, but passed through waivers unclaimed after being designated for assignment in March.  The Rays may be forced to endure a bullpen makeover for 2011, but non-tendering Cormier still makes sense.  Howell is also a candidate to be cut, if the Rays evaluate him in December and don't feel he'll be ready for Spring Training.  On the other hand, they could retain Howell with little or no raise. 

Navarro, currently toiling at Triple A, figures to be non-tendered.  There's a good chance Aybar is let go as well, as the Rays may not find him worth his $2.2MM club option or the amount he'd get through arbitration.

Those cuts could leave Sonnanstine, Garza, Upton, and Bartlett as the players tendered contracts.  The Rays may have the pitching depth to trade Sonnanstine and/or Garza, but the asking price for the latter should be considerable.  Garza will still be affordable, perhaps at a salary around $6MM.

With Reid Brignac as an option, the Rays could be one of few teams shopping a shortstop in Bartlett.  If tendered a contract, Bartlett will make more than $4MM next year despite an unimpressive 2010 season.  It's possible the Rays try to extract some value in a deal before the December 12th non-tender deadline.  Upton, while not the star hitter we once expected, is worth keeping around.  With Carl Crawford expected to leave, the Rays probably can't spare Upton.

Johnny Damon Says He Will Stay In Detroit

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3:20pm: Damon says he's "not going," according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.

2:45pm: Damon spoke to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe on his way to the ballpark today, saying he's still leaning toward staying with the Tigers.  However, he would change his mind if the Tigers tell him they plan to reduce his playing time in favor of younger players.

9:05am: Johnny Damon, the Red Sox, and Tigers have until 1:30pm eastern time on Wednesday to decide whether Damon will rejoin his old team, reports WEEI's Alex Speier.  The two clubs would have to reach an agreement, and Damon would have to approve it.

Damon was ready to go to the Yankees or Rays, reports Tom Gage of the Detroit News, but the Red Sox had first dibs.  MLB Network's Peter Gammons tweets that the Tigers explained to Damon that the Red Sox claimed Damon because they want him, not as a blocking move.  Gammons says the Rays did not even make a claim.  Damon told reporters last night he's "definitely leaning" toward staying in Detroit, as he'd like to help young Tigers players develop and wants to return in 2011.  He left the door open on his decision, as he needs to talk to GM Dave Dombrowski about what would be in the team's best long-term interest.

I think Damon will approve the trade or claim, if the teams can reach an agreement.  It can't be measured, but Damon might agree that an extra $1.8MM is better for the Tigers' future than one month of his mentoring.  I agree with ESPN's Buster Olney that Damon will be mostly embraced by Red Sox fans.  Finally, Damon is a competitive player and Boston's 21% chance of reaching the playoffs sure beats Detroit's 0.36% shot.

Let's hear your prediction: will Damon accept a trade to Boston?  Click here to make your pick and here to see the results of the poll.

White Sox Will Claim Manny Ramirez

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The White Sox will claim Manny Ramirez with the intention of acquiring him once he's placed on waivers by the Dodgers, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets that GM Kenny Williams is pushing all his chips on getting Ramirez, according to an MLB source.  Manny has not yet been placed on waivers, based on reports, even though the Dodgers gained the ability to do so yesterday. 

With a .540 winning percentage, the White Sox are the first AL contending team in the waiver order if Ramirez makes it past the NL unclaimed.  Rosenthal says the Rays and Rangers are also interested in Manny.

Ramirez has $4.46MM left on his contract at the moment, though about $3.34MM of that is deferred without interest.  Assuming Manny approves the assignment, the Dodgers might be willing to dump his contract just for salary relief.

Ramirez would certainly provide a boost to the White Sox as their designated hitter, if he can stay healthy.  He's hitting .312/.404/.508 in 223 plate appearances this year, a down year in rate stats only by his lofty standard.

Odds & Ends: Barajas, Piniella, Nats, Ramirez, Jackson

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From the South Bay to the Valley, from the West Side to the East Side, everybody is very happy because Vin Scully will return in 2011.  Let's check out some links from around the web..

Crawford And Pena Talk Oakland

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With the Athletics hosting Tampa Bay this weekend, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser spoke with both Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena about the possibility of joining the A's next season.

While it's far from qualifying evidence to say that either player is writing Oakland down atop his offseason wish list, it's worth noting that both players had positive things to say about the organization as well. Crawford dodged the question somewhat, though he did praise Oakland's pitching staff:

"The main thing is that I want to see how the season ends and how things work out with this team," Crawford said. "I hope things go well, and if not, I'll have to see what's out there. (Oakland) does have good pitching. I'll weigh a lot of things, but obviously I want to go somewhere where the team can win."

Crawford has been connected to the Yankees frequently, and that's no surprise. The market's top free agents are often linked with the Bronx Bombers, and with good reason; in recent years they've snatched Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett from the free agent market. If the Yankees decide that they prefer fellow free agents Jayson Werth and/or Cliff Lee to Crawford, then Crawford may be looking for work in other markets.

Oakland's pitching would love Crawford's defense, and the ballpark's spacious confines would suit Crawford's speedy skillset quite nicely. Just ask fellow outfielder Coco Crisp, who's enjoying a .304/.366/.530 line in Oakland with eight doubles and three triples in just 136 PAs. If Crisp's option is exercised, the outfield situation could become muddled with Rajai Davis, Ryan Sweeney returning, and Michael Taylor waiting in the wings.

Pena spent 40 games of the 2002 season as the A's first baseman. He tells Slusser that he never rules anything out, and that he enjoys the Oakland area. Pena's strikeouts and walks are both slightly down this season, but he remains a power threat and is still walking in 14.5% of his plate appearances. The A's currently have Daric Barton, Chris Carter, and Jack Cust as 1B/DH candidates (with Carter seeing some OF time).

Again, it's far from conclusive evidence to support that either player will be heading to Oakland following the 2010 campaign, but the A's have over $20MM coming off the books, largely thanks to Ben Sheets and Eric Chavez. Billy Beane will have the money to spend, and the need to add some offense to a club that ranks 26th in both team OPS and runs scored. Keep in mind that the A's have quietly managed a .500 season — they may not be as far from winning as their modest offense suggests.

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