Rays Rumors

Odds & Ends: Wade, Rays, Freddy

By | August 15, 2009 at 2:51pm CDT

A handful of links for Saturday afternoon…

Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle has a full rundown of the trades Astros general manager Ed Wade has executed in his two years on the job. "Wade took over an organization that was in shambles," Justice writes. "He appears to have done the right things to rebuild the farm system while keeping the big league team competitive."
According to KWTX in Texas, the Rays have agreed to terms with third-round pick OF Todd Glaesmann. He's expected to receive a signing bonus above his slot recommendation, but exact financial terms are not yet available.
Freddy Garcia will return to a major league mound Tuesday against the Royals, reports Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. The White Sox signed the veteran to a minor league contract in June.
Matthew Pouliot of NBCSports.com's "Circling The Bases" is almost one-third of the way through what he calls "a series of articles examining what every team's roster would look like if given only the players it originally signed." He's also ranking the rosters from worst to first. Check it out. The Cincinnati squad is a must-see.

Odds & Ends: Draft Signings, Reds, Marlins

By Eddie Schmid | August 15, 2009 at 11:59am CDT

News on draft signings is picking up–let's take a look:

Joe Smith at the St. Petersburg Times says the Rays have signed their fifth-round pick, 1B Jeff Malm.
The Rays also came to terms with their ninth-round pick, LHP Kevin James, for a $625k bonus, says Jim Callis at Baseball America.
John Fay at the Cincinnati Enquirer believes the Reds' recent moves indicate the team is looking to balance the budget. How can we explain the Scott Rolen deal, though?
Juan C. Rodriguez at the Sun-Sentinel is reporting that the Marlins have agreed to terms with their second-round selection, RHP Bryan Berglund. No word on the terms just yet.

Odds & Ends: Bedard, Rays, Hall, Brewers

By Mike Axisa | August 14, 2009 at 9:27pm CDT

A few more loose links I rounded up…

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times that he "has not ruled out offering some type of extension deal to injured pitcher Erik Bedard." Of course, the club will monitor Bedard's recovery from shoulder surgery before doing anything.
The Rays have signed fourth rounder Luke Bailey for $750K according to Baseball America's Jim Callis. Bailey was arguably the top high school catcher in the draft, but he blew out his elbow in the spring and needed Tommy John surgery.
The Cincinnati Enquirer's Tom Groeschen mentions that the Reds have interest in infielder Bill Hall, who was DFA'd by the Brewers earlier this week.
According to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, the Brewers "appear headed toward a deal with their highest remaining unsigned selection, University of Tennessee outfielder Kentrail Davis." A month ago we heard that negotiations between the two sides had "gotten ugly." McCalvy also mentions that the Crew signed 5th rounder D'Vontrey Richardson and 15th rounder Del Howell.
Larry LaRue of The News Tribune says the Mariners "may be on the brink of agreement with high school outfielder Nick Franklin." Seattle selected Frankin 27th overall, and LaRue notes that he'll take a physical tomorrow.
Jack Etkin of Inside The Rockies reports that the team has released veteran reliever Mike Timlin. Timlin preferred to be home with his wife and children rather than go out on a road trip with the Triple-A Colorado Springs. The move was not performance related and there were no hard feelings on either side.
The Nationals have signed eighth rounder Roberto Perez, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladsen. The Nats have now signed 10 of their top 12 picks, but they're still waiting on the big guy at the top.

Odds And Ends: Rays, Astros, Ortiz, Coffey

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 14, 2009 at 9:02am CDT

Some links for Friday morning…

Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays are nearing deals with several top draft picks, including first rounder LeVon Washington.
Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle doesn't expect the Astros to lower their 2010 payroll by more than about 15%, though attendance is declining steadily.
Just like old times. As Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe reports, David Ortiz is struggling again.
How does a 22nd round pick sign for $1MM? Cameron Coffey showed improved stuff this spring, but even he had no intention of signing until the Orioles came at him with a $990k offer recently, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America.
As Callis notes, the Rangers signed fifth round righty Nick McBride for $325k, which nearly doubles MLB's recommended bonus for his slot.

Odds & Ends: Rays, Royals, Free Agents

By Eddie Schmid | August 13, 2009 at 6:20pm CDT

Did somebody order these links? No? Oh, well here, you can have them anyway:

ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider link) gives a rundown of the coming offseason's most attractive starting pitching options and the caveats that come with them.
The owners of the Rays have purchased a franchise, the Florida Tuskers, in the United Football League, says Joe Smith at the St. Petersburg Times. They'll play in Tropicana Field.
Sam Mellinger at the Kansas City Star says that fourth-rounder Chris Dwyer and third-rounder Wil Myers have yet to sign with the Royals, despite reports and bonus figures that indicated they had. Regardless, talks are "close."
Marc Topkin at the St. Petersburg Times says that the Rays are close to signing their third-, fourth-, fifth- and ninth-round picks. No word on the terms just yet.
According to Geoff Baker at the Seattle Times, Mariners assistant GM Jim Na is resigning.

Stark On Smoltz, Reds, Strasburg, Thome

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 13, 2009 at 1:05pm CDT

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark adds the Astros to the list of teams interested in John Smoltz. Here are the rest of his rumors:

The Cubs could look for another bat and another starter, but it depends on how healthy Aramis Ramirez, Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano are.
Stark points out that Aaron Harang's 2011 club option becomes a more expensive $14MM mutual option if he's traded. The Reds haven't seemed willing to take on cash in a trade involving Harang or rotation-mate Bronson Arroyo.
The Yanks don't appear to have interest in either Reds starter, or John Smoltz, for that matter.
Don't expect any serious negotiating to occur between the Nationals, Scott Boras and Stephen Strasburg before the last minute. Most execs who Stark surveyed expect Strasburg to sign in the end.
The Braves could re-sign Adam LaRoche after the season, when the first baseman will hit free agency.
Jim Thome still impresses scouts and should be able to find work as a DH after the season.
Some teams doubt Vicente Padilla's character because the Rangers are ready to part with him even though they need pitching.
Some of Alex Rios' former teammates question the outfielder's work ethic and desire.
Stark hears that Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann were claimed on waivers and quickly pulled back by the Rays.
The Braves made a quick run at Victor Martinez before the Red Sox acquired him, but didn't get very far.
Though their negotiations with Aaron Crow could theoretically continue into late spring, the Royals may impose a deadline of their own to sign their top pick.

Rays Lose Two Pitchers On Waivers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 12, 2009 at 1:11pm CDT

Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune reports that the Rays lost two pitchers on waivers. The Indians claimed R.J. Swindle and the Pirates claimed John Meloan.

Odds And Ends: Milledge, Tate, Royals

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 12, 2009 at 8:54am CDT

Links for the morning…

As much as Nyjer Morgan has helped the Nationals, Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Lastings Milledge has been a complete pro so far with the Pirates.
MLB.com's Corey Brock hears that the Padres are "making progress" towards signing first rounder Donavan Tate.
MLB.com's Steve Gilbert reports that the D'Backs are making progress with first rounder Bobby Borchering.
Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star wonders how much the Royals would improve with a cast of strong fielders.
We heard on Sunday that Troy Percival was leaning towards retirement. Now, as MLB.com's Bill Chastain reports, Percival says he's done unless something "miraculous" happens.

Olney On Rios, Upton, Davis, Smoltz, Webb

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 11, 2009 at 11:12am CDT

ESPN.com's Buster Olney suggests that Alex Rios would sign a deal worth $20MM over two years or $30MM over three if he were a free agent right now. That means the White Sox are paying more than market value for their new outfielder, but clubs can't often acquire talented players in their prime. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:

The White Sox are better equipped to win this year and, even though they took on lots of money, they didn't give up a single player to acquire Rios.
Some talent evaluators are convinced the Rays will listen to offers for B.J. Upton this offseason.
Olney hears that Doug Davis is currently on waivers and John Smoltz cleared waivers.
If the D'Backs don't exercise Brandon Webb's $8.5MM option for 2010, he could become a gamble for big-market teams like the Yankees and Red Sox.

Rosenthal On Bell, Mets, Padilla, Braves

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | August 11, 2009 at 9:26am CDT

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that the Dodgers were on the brink of acquiring Heath Bell before the July 31st trade deadline. The Padres will listen to offers for Bell and Adrian Gonzalez again after the season, but they're under less pressure to deal those players with Jake Peavy's contract off the books. Here are the rest of Rosenthal's rumors:

The Mets are not considering replacing Omar Minaya with assistant GM John Ricco right now, but we could see Ricco deal with the media more.
A pair of NL teams, possibly the Dodgers and Brewers, are "kicking the tires" on Vicente Padilla. Teams are more likely to wait for him to clear waivers than strike a deal now, however.
The Braves offered Casey Kotchman to the Pirates for Adam LaRoche before acquiring LaRoche from the Red Sox.
The Rays and Rangers have been claiming players off of waivers aggressively.
Rosenthal notes that the Rockies' revamped 'pen has pitched well so far.

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