Odds And Ends: Lincecum, Byrd, Orioles, Cubs
More links from around the league…
- ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick wonders if Tim Lincecum will sign a multi-year deal this offseason. He might make more going year-to-year, but a long-term deal could give him peace of mind.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says the Rangers want to bring Marlon Byrd back after the season, but wonders if the outfielder might prefer to test the open market.
- Roch Kubatko of MASN.com says the Orioles have a lot more flexibility now that they've dealt Aubrey Huff.
- Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times doesn't doubt that the Cubs can win a World Series with Jim Hendry as GM, even though his moves have looked "disastrous" this season.
Odds And Ends: Garcia, Astros, Reds
More links for the afternoon…
- Danny Knobler of CBS Sports looks at some candidates for waiver trades. Could Freddy Garcia help a National League team?
- Jim Callis of Baseball America ranks the 15 biggest bonuses MLB draft picks have ever received. Stephen Strasburg tops them all, of course.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan reports that the Rangers will send Jose Vallejo to the Astros along with Matt Nevarez as part of the Ivan Rodriguez trade, as expected. The Astros receive a third player if the Rangers make the playoffs.
- Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News says the Reds have veered away from rebuilding plans instead of devoting themselves to one like the Twins, Rays and Marlins.
- Via Twitter, Matthew Pouliot wonders if the A's, who are interested in adding starters, could pick up Livan Hernandez.
- Remember the Derek Jeter–Jimmy Rollins debate at the WBC? As Tyler Hissey shows, the two shortstops have had remarkably different seasons.
Stark On Wagner, Padres, Crawford
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark shows that a number of contenders have vulnerable-looking closers. The Cubs and Phillies two of many teams with shaky arms at the back of the 'pen. Here are the details and the rest of Stark's rumors:
- At least one scout believes John Smoltz would have been the perfect arm for the Marlins to add to their 'pen.
- However, clubs pursuing Smoltz heard that he wanted to start, at least for now.
- A scout who watched Billy Wagner throw has "no doubt" that Wagner could help a team win. The Rays and Marlins are thought to have interest in Wagner, but neither team would be likely to give up much of a prospect unless the Mets picked up salary.
- Stark hears that the Padres pulled Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez back off waivers after multiple teams claimed them.
- Mark Hendrickson cleared waivers, and can now be traded to any team. The Rockies were interested before the deadline, but they may decide to see where the Billy Wagner bidding goes before pursuing Hendrickson again.
- One rival GM considers the Cards "the best team in the league right now."
- The Royals don't seem interested in trading their top pitchers. They pulled Brian Bannister back from waivers and though Joakim Soria and Gil Meche are on waivers now, they aren't likely to be dealt.
- Clubs eyeing Carl Crawford believe the Rays are becoming less likely to deal him. Desmond Jennings could become the Rays' left fielder, but they'd probably have to be overwhelmed to part with Crawford.
- It's possible that Jamie Moyer could draw interest as a trade candidate after the season.
- One AL exec isn't sure Bryce Harper's the guarantee people perceive him to be.
- Stark points out that the Astros traded Ivan Rodriguez just as his incentives were about to start kicking in.
- An official of a team that inquired about Stephen Strasburg before the draft says that Scott Boras invoked Daisuke Matsuzaka's name without specifically saying he wanted $50MM for his client.
Odds And Ends: Rizzo, Rangers, Hall
More links for the morning…
- Adam Dunn tells MLB.com's Bill Ladson that it would have been wrong for the Nats to give the GM job to anybody but Mike Rizzo, who will be formally introduced in about four hours.
- Via Twitter, ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. reports that the Rangers signed Dominican righty David Perez for $425k.
- Bill Hall tells Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that he put too much pressure on himself after inking a $24MM deal with the Brewers.
- Newsday's Ken Davidoff points out that the Mets can watch Jeff Francoeur play 40 more games before they have to decide whether to offer him a contract for next year.
- As Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker shows, Yusei Kikuchi is a Japanese high schooler who can throw 96mph and has attracted at least some interest from MLB teams.
Odds And Ends: Jeter, Uggla, Cubs, Hall
Links for Thursday morning…
- Derek Jeter, whose contract expires after next season, says he isn't thinking about his next deal or how long he'll keep playing, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
- Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel asks: Are the Marlins better off holding onto Dan Uggla after the season and paying him about $7MM in arbitration, or should they trade him?
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he takes resonsibility for his team's frustrating season.
- Jeff Sackmann of the Hardball Times says Doug Melvin was justified in handing Bill Hall a long-term contract, even though it didn't work out for the Brewers.
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports expects Vicente Padilla to be on his best behavior with the Dodgers, who need him badly.
- In his latest roundup of top Rangers prospects at MLB.com, Jamey Newberg notes that it doesn't look like Justin Smoak will reach the majors this year.
- Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles will audition Luke Scott at first base between now and the end of the season.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle says the Astros won't see their attendance improve if they put another "old, bad, boring" team on the field next year.
Rangers Acquire Pudge From Astros
9:55pm: According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Astros will receive a third player in the deal if the Rangers make the playoffs. Sullivan confirms that Vallejo is believed to be the second player and must clear trade waivers.
8:15pm: Jason Grodsky of MLB.com is reporting that the Astros are receiving two players to be named along with Nevarez.
4:07pm: MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros will acquire infielder Jose Vallejo along with Matt Nevarez. Both players are 22.
2:10pm: Pat Lackey of AOL FanHouse hears that minor league reliever Matt Nevarez will head to the Astros along with another player.
1:22pm: Jeff Wilson of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Rangers are responsible for a pro-rated portion of Pudge's $1.5MM contract, which includes $1.5MM in incentives.
1:16pm: Jon Heyman of SI.com hears that the Rangers are giving up two mid-level prospects to acquire Rodriguez.
12:47pm: MLB.com's Noah Coslov reports that the Rangers acquired Pudge for a player to be named later.
12:18pm: The Rangers are close to re-acquiring Ivan Rodriguez, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Sullivan says the Astros would obtain two mid-tier prospects for Rodriguez, who starred with the Rangers from 1991-2002. The Rangers have told Rodriguez that he will back Taylor Teagarden up and Pudge understands the arrangement,
More Draft Pick Signings
Some more signings came in late last night. Here they are, from Baseball America's Jim Callis:
- The Yankees signed 44th rounder Evan DeLuca for $500k.
- The Rangers signed 17th rounder Paul Strong for $300k.
- The Nationals signed 12th rounder Nathan Karns for $225k.
- The Padres signed 17th rounder Jorge Reyes for $200k.
- The Mets signed ninth rounder Jeff Glenn for $150k.
No Deal For Rangers, Matt Purke
The Rangers failed to sign 14th overall pick Matt Purke, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo. Purke will instead attend Texas Christian University and the Rangers will get a pick next year as compensation.
Gammons’ Latest: Tate, Turner, Oliver
In his latest blog post at ESPN.com, Peter Gammons says that there "are rumblings that the commissioner's office wants to hold off the announcement of some of the bigger deals so they do not impact others." He hears the following deals are done according to GMs:
- Padres and first rounder Donovan Tate at $6.7MM, which had been done for five days
- Tigers and first rounder Jacob Turner at $6.7MM
- Tigers and second rounder Andy Oliver at $1MM
Gammons also says that the Giants and first rounder Zack Wheeler are close to a deal at $3.4MM, and that there are "conflicting reports" on Colorado signing Tyler Matzek and Texas signing Matt Purke, both first round picks. The Indians and Alex White are deadlocked, but the Tribe could go near $2MM.
Rangers Release Vicente Padilla
The Rangers released struggling righty Vicente Padilla, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Padilla should clear release waivers Wednesday and become a free agent. Any team that signs him will then be responsible for paying him the pro-rated MLB minimum, with the Rangers paying the rest of his $12MM salary. Texas will also be responsible for a $1.75MM buyout after the season.