Rays Rumors

Blalock To Assess Major League Options

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 1:54pm CDT

Reid Brignac made the Rays' Opening Day roster, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times and that makes Hank Blalock the odd man out. Topkin says Blalock will now assess his major league options. Blalock has until Sunday morning to find another big league opportunity, according to Topkin (via Twitter). Otherwise, Blalock will play in the minors for the "foreseeable future."

Blalock, who would have earned $925K if he'd made the team, can opt out of his deal with the Rays since he's not on their major league roster. Earlier in the week, Blalock said he's not interested in playing minor league baseball at this point in his career. Before Blalock signed with the Rays, the Marlins appeared to have some interest as well.

Blalock hit .175/.277/.325 in 46 plate appearances this spring. Last year he hit 25 homers and posted a .234/.277/.459 line for the Rangers. That's a better representation of what the 29-year-old Scott Boras client can do at the plate.

Rays Acquire Virgil Vasquez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | April 2, 2010 at 9:09am CDT

The Rays acquired Virgil Vasquez from the Pirates for a player to be named later, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. We heard yesterday that the two clubs were talking about a possible deal involving Vasquez.

The 27-year-old right-hander appeared in 14 games for the Pirates last year. He pitched to a 5.84 ERA in 44.2 innings, with 5.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. Vasquez also made 19 starts at Triple A, where he posted a 3.93 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9. He combined an 89 mph fastball with a slider, a curve and a change-up last year, according to FanGraphs.

Latin Links: Martinez, Maya, Ramirez, Escobar

By Nick Collias | April 2, 2010 at 7:39am CDT

A rumor by any other name smells just as sweet. Links are in Spanish…

Pedro Martinez has largely been linked in rumors to National League teams this winter, but Vladimir Guerrero thought recently his former Expo teammate might join him in Arlington. "Early in March, when I reported to Texas' spring training, I heard a fair amount about the possibility that Pedro was going to sign here, but it didn't happen," Guerrero told Juan Mercado at the Dominican paper El Dia. Martinez showed last year he wasn't afraid to pitch the stretch run in a hitter's park, as National League batters actually fared significantly better against Martinez on the road (.322/.362/.517 in 20 IP) than at Citizens Bank Ball Park (.225/.274/.701 in 24 IP) during his two months with the Phillies.
The flurry of activity this offseason in regard to Cuban prospects is likely "the tip of the iceberg," Rangers scout Juan Alvarez tells the Nuevo Herald's Jorge Ebro. The latest signings from the island, of pitchers Reinier Roibal by the Giants and Sergio Espinosa by the Rays, were relatively low on fanfare, but Ebro quotes a source saying interest is quickly heating up for 27-year-old Cuban right-hander Yuniesky Maya. Maya has been linked this winter primarily to the Red Sox, who reportedly view him as a starter.
In an interview with the Venezuelan paper El Tiempo, Max Ramirez clarifies recent reports that he is focusing on first base as his quickest route to the Rangers' major league roster. While he admits to taking some grounders, "They still consider me as a catcher and I think that's where I have more opportunities now," Ramirez says. Earlier this week the 25-year-old's name popped up once again as a possible trade chip for Mike Lowell, but that window likely closed for the time being when the Rangers claimed Ryan Garko off waivers yesterday. Nevertheless, as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Gil LeBreton recently noted, Ramirez is the odd man out at any position in Texas, especially after the team acquired catcher Matt Treanor from the Brewers.
Kelvim Escobar is throwing again and will stay in extended spring training for the Mets, but the team isn't counting on having him in the bullpen any time soon. A day before his previously stated April 1 deadline to decide whether to sit out 2010, Escobar told Lider en Deportes' Carlos Valmore Rodriguez that neither he nor the team are throwing up their hands on his one year, $1.25MM contract. Escobar says of Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel, "They always tell me not to worry, they don't want me in April or May, because that's not when you win the World Series. (They tell me) they need me for a long time, to take my time and not rush myself, to be patient about things."

Odds & Ends: Rangers, Pirates, Dye, Schoeneweis

By Luke Adams 2 | April 1, 2010 at 9:53pm CDT

A few Thursday evening links….

Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that, with all their spring acquisitions, the Rangers have potentially turned their bench from a weakness into a strength.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter) hears that the Pirates are engaged in "very minor" trade talks with the Rays. Kovacevic says that right-hander Virgil Vasquez could be involved.
Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel speaks to Brewers GM Doug Melvin, who does not deny that the team has or had interest in Jermaine Dye.
Scott Schoeneweis has earned the final spot in the Red Sox bullpen, reports Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Schoeneweis signed with Boston on a minor league deal, and will earn $500K for making the big league roster.
Despite not spending a single dollar on a major league free agent this year, the Marlins' use of revenue sharing money has satisfied league officials, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.

Giants, Rays Sign Cuban Pitchers

By Tim Dierkes | April 1, 2010 at 4:38pm CDT

The Giants and Rays signed Cuban pitchers Reinier Roibal and Sergio Espinosa, respectively, tweets Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald.

Roibal, a 20-year-old righty throws in the mid-90s according to Cuban Ball Players. Ebro tweets that Espinosa, a 23-year-old southpaw, will be used mostly as a reliever by the Rays.

Odds & Ends: Paxton, Darvish, D’Backs

By Tim Dierkes | April 1, 2010 at 1:57pm CDT

Links for Thursday…

Rays infielder Elliot Johnson is the latest out of options player to hit the waiver wire, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
Lefty James Paxton signed with the American Association's Grand Prairie AirHogs in advance of re-entering the draft, reports Baseball America's J.J. Cooper. Cooper says the AirHogs' schedule should allow for three weeks of playing time for Paxton before the draft. The Blue Jays drafted the Scott Boras client 37th overall as an A.J. Burnett compensation pick, but were not able to sign him. Paxton was involved in some drama with the NCAA and eventually decided to withdraw from the University of Kentucky.
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a clarification from Yu Darvish, who says his recent comments did not refer to moving to MLB.
Forced to make a pick, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports takes the White Sox as his World Series champions.
Rosenthal says that with Brandon Webb's return date uncertain, the Diamondbacks are trying to trade for a starter.
Aaron Gleeman suggests the Twins' new stat guy might have a hard time having his voice heard.
WEEI's Alex Speier notes that a Josh Beckett extension would give the Red Sox four pitchers with contracts of at least four years, more than any other team. Still, Jon Lester's contract is quite team-friendly.
The Red Sox are positioned as long-term contenders, writes Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe.
Baseball Prospectus' Jeff Euston looks at the concept of contract renewals for zero-to-three players. Tom Tango responds, saying "the inequity in the front-end helps to drive the salaries on the back-end in free agency."
Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press feels that Ben Revere would be the most expendable Twins' prospect if they are to go after Padres closer Heath Bell.
Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that the Brewers released outfielder Tike Redman.

Offseason Questions For The AL East

By Tim Dierkes | April 1, 2010 at 9:53am CDT

You've laughed, cried, nodded, and shaken your head in disbelief as you read my offseason reviews for all 30 teams. Now it's time to pose a question or two for each club, starting with the AL East.

Was there a way for the Orioles to add sufficient veteran respectability for 2010 for less than the $33MM spent on Kevin Millwood, Mike Gonzalez, Miguel Tejada, Garrett Atkins, and Mark Hendrickson? Did giving up two years of Chris Ray and the #53 pick in this year's draft fit with the long-term plan?
Will Boston's defensive improvements really add eight or nine wins? Will Mike Cameron, Adrian Beltre, and Marco Scutaro contribute enough offensively?
Can Nick Johnson, Brett Gardner, and Randy Winn adequately replace Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui? Will Javier Vazquez match his 3.72 ERA projection?
Will Mitch Talbot blossom with the Indians, as other ex-Rays Jason Hammel and Edwin Jackson did with their new clubs? Will the Rays regret failing to upgrade at designated hitter? Will their bullpen be crippled by a Rafael Soriano injury?
Did the Blue Jays waste $2.75MM on Kevin Gregg? Will Kyle Drabek, Travis d'Arnaud, and Brett Wallace justify the Jays giving up a year of Roy Halladay and $6MM?

Blalock Not Interested In Minors

By Tim Dierkes | March 31, 2010 at 8:22am CDT

Hank Blalock's minor league deal with the Rays allows him to opt out tomorrow if he's not on the Rays' 25-man roster. According to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays have "until after Friday’s exhibition to put him on the roster."

Topkin spoke to Blalock, who suggested he'd leave baseball before playing in the minors:

"I don't have any plans on playing minor-league baseball this year. At this time in my life, if there's no major-league opportunities for me then I'll find something else to do."

Topkin explains that the Rays are currently choosing between Blalock and Reid Brignac, with Brignac offering more positional flexibility. When Matt Joyce recovers from an elbow strain, the roster picture will get even muddier. Employing two DHs in Blalock and Pat Burrell wouldn't make things easy for manager Joe Maddon. Burrell could be released at some point, though that's just speculation on my part.

Odds & Ends: Padron, Washburn, Moeller, Chapman

By Tim Dierkes | March 30, 2010 at 4:15pm CDT

Links for Tuesday…

I joined Jeff & Jeff on KNFS 590 St. Louis today; click here to listen to audio.
Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald tweets that the Red Sox signed 22-year-old Cuban outfielder Jorge Padron to a minor league deal with a $350K bonus. Cuban Ball Players has a bit on Padron here.
SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Royals will join the Mariners in the Jarrod Washburn bidding. Heyman first made the Royals-Washburn connection on January 11th, but nothing much came of it.
Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times spoke to Orlando Cabrera, Tony Reagins, and Walt Jocketty about the decline in multiyear free agent contracts.
Rays first baseman Dan Johnson cleared waivers and accepted a Triple A assignment, tweets Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune.
Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun feels that Orioles catcher Chad Moeller is unlikely to accept a minor league assignment now that the team has chosen Craig Tatum to back up Matt Wieters.
Aroldis Chapman is expected to begin the season in the minors, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs praises the Rockies for their player development, but questions their offseason tweaking. For more on that topic, check out our Rockies offseason in review.
Rich Hill, recently reassigned to Triple A, can elect free agency around June if he's not in the Majors according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Latin Links: Liriano, Ruiz, Ramirez, Garcia

By Nick Collias | March 26, 2010 at 11:44am CDT

News from sources that use subjunctive tenses. Links are in Spanish…

Francisco Liriano tells Hoy's Dionisio Soldevila he seriously considered retirement eight months after his elbow ligament replacement surgery in 2006. He also gives perhaps his clearest rejection yet of the idea that he take the John Smoltz route and step into Joe Nathan's slot as closer. "I don't want to be a closer," Liriano says. "I don't know if I'm ready to roll out there three or four times a week." After a dominant winter in the Dominican and a reportedly resurgent fastball this spring, Liriano is currently manager Ron Gardenhire's pick for the fifth spot in the Twins rotation.
Two weeks after his acrimonious split from agent Jorge Luis Toca, Cuban prospect Jose Julio Ruiz has surfaced again. Representatives from 22 teams recently watched Ruiz and fellow new Legacy Sports client Yadil Mujica at a staged tryout in the Dominican Republic, writes Jorge Ebro at the Nuevo Herald. The Blue Jays, Red Sox, Rangers, and Rays have all reportedly made offers to the left-handed first baseman this winter, all at around $2MM. The Rays at minimum can likely be crossed off the list of Ruiz's potential suitors after the team signed Leslie Anderson.
Rangers prospect Max Ramirez is getting more serious about moving to first, just like Mike Lowell, the player for whom Ramirez was almost traded earlier this winter. "I played a fair amount of first (base) in Venezuela," Ramirez tells Lider en Deportes' Carlos Rodriguez. "I didn't do it as much in the minors, but I've improved and I feel good." Ramirez, who is currently blocked at catcher by Taylor Teagarden and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, has been mentioned as a possible solution to the Rangers' seeming shortage of reserve corner infielders. He played 23 innings at first during a brief 2008 call-up.
White Sox fifth starter Freddy Garcia tells Lider's Rodriguez that retirement never crossed his mind after he was released by the Mets last spring after just two starts at Triple A. "They told me one thing and did another," Garcia says. "I came to fight for a spot and they never gave me a chance."
Former Twins outfielder Lew Ford has signed with the Oaxaca Warriors of the Mexican League, reports Eduardo Gonzalez Garcia at Noticias Sureste. After a one-year sojourn in Japan, Ford signed with the Reds last August and played for their Triple A Louisville affiliate. He last appeared in the majors in 2007.

« Previous Page

Load More Posts

Show all

Headlines

Rays Rumors

Navigation

MLBTR INFO

Connect