Rosenthal’s Latest: Rangers, Rays, Mulder
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column up with plenty of rumors:
- The Rangers think they can trade Frank Catalanotto if they pick up a considerable portion of the $6MM he's owed or if they accept a similar sized contract in return. They just aren't sure it's worth making room for Andruw Jones, who's making progress with his swing.
- Ian Stewart's emergence means Jeff Baker's become expendable for the Rockies.
- Rosenthal doesn't expect the A's to sign a free agent starter even though Justin Duchscherer needs surgery and will likely miss six weeks. Instead Rosenthal suggests the A's could trade for Jason Hammel or Jeff Niemann, both of whom are out of options.
- The A's can't afford Mark Mulder.
- Kris Benson could claim a spot in the Texas rotation and Rosenthal wouldn't be surprised to see Neftali Feliz or Derek Holland there before the All-Star break.
- They signed Cesar Izturis for now, but the Orioles hope to find a long-term solution at short.
Melhuse Won’t Make Rangers
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers have informed catcher Adam Melhuse he won't make the team. Melhuse has no interest in Triple A, so he's considering retirement if he can't hook on with another team. He's 12 for 19 this spring.
The Rangers' plan is to use Jarrod Saltalamacchia as the starter and Taylor Teagarden as the backup at the catcher position.
Odds & Ends: Wieters, Padres, Peavy, Price
LInks for Thursday…
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post says the Nationals will honor a handshake agreement Dmitri Young made with Jim Bowden, and put the first baseman back on the 40-man roster.
- Catcher Matt Wieters has been told by the Orioles that he'll be optioned to Triple A on Monday, according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun. Will the Orioles wait until late May to try to avoid Super Two status?
- Reds assistant GM Bob Miller talked to fans in an MLB.com Q&A.
- Check out an entertaining chat transcript with Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times over at Halos Heaven.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star interviewed Zack Greinke.
- Rangers owner Tom Hicks told Richard Durrett of the Dallas Morning News that the team has not reduced its budget for 2010. The Rangers have yet to set next year's budget, but it's known that some big salaries will be coming off the books. Meanwhile, MLB.com's Barry Bloom notes that Hicks intends to sell a minority share of the team.
- Rays exec Andrew Friedman said the team's demotion of David Price was entirely for baseball reasons, talking to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay supports the decision. Bart Given agrees.
- Tom Haudricourt and Adam McCalvy write about Brewers GM Doug Melvin's irritation with the bogus Jake Peavy rumor.
- Purely speculative, but Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel wonders if Dontrelle Willis could get his career back on track with the Marlins.
- Rockies infielder Jeff Baker, unaffected by the trade rumors, homered twice yesterday.
- John Moores says the Padres sale to Jeff Moorad is "awfully close," talking to MLB.com's Barry Bloom. As you know, Sandy Alderson will step down as CEO when the deal closes (possibly today).
- Padres pitcher Shawn Hill had offers from six teams, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock.
- The Red Sox signed reliever Rocky Cherry to a minor league deal.
- MLB.com's Alyson Footer says reliever Danny Graves asked for and received his release from the Astros.
Rangers Release Brendan Donnelly
According to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers released reliever Brendan Donnelly today. Donnelly allowed five runs in six spring innings, striking out five and walking one.
Donnelly, 37, was on a $950K minor league deal. He had Tommy John surgery in '07 and played at various levels in the Indians organization last year.
The Rangers now have seven pitchers fighting for four bullpen slots, including offseason imports Derrick Turnbow and Jimmy Gobble (and possibly Jason Jennings).
Rangers Make Contract Offer To Hamilton
THURSDAY, 8:46am: Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a bit more. He says the Rangers are aiming to buy out at least one year of free agency, and will probably use the contracts given to Ian Kinsler and Hank Blalock as guidelines.
WEDNESDAY, 4:36pm: According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the Rangers presented a contract offer to Josh Hamilton and his agent. Hamilton was "disappointed" with the proposal.
Sullivan notes that Hamilton is already under team control through 2012, and is believed to be seeking "a deal in the 4-6 year range with possible options." Hamilton will be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season.
Rangers To Reduce Payroll Next Year
According to Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Rangers owner Tom Hicks would like to subtract $20MM from the payroll for 2010. That'd presumably put the Rangers in the $50MM range.
Reeves' column has a negative tone to it, but why wouldn't the Rangers want to replace Hank Blalock, Frank Catalanotto, and Vicente Padilla with Max Ramirez, Brandon Boggs, and Derek Holland? When you have the best farm system in baseball it's not hard to trim payroll. Hicks even mentioned he'd still be interested in making a Ben Sheets type addition via the free agent market.
Reeves also touches on Kevin Millwood. Hicks claims he wants Millwood to reach 180 innings this year, causing the pitcher's $12MM 2010 option to vest. As for Catalanotto, Reeves takes Hicks' financial caution as a sign the team will not be cutting him and eating his $6MM.
Odds & Ends: Gregerson, Hanley, Strasburg
Links for Monday…
- Matt Eddy of Baseball America has the minor league transactions, including the Dodgers' signing of J.D Durbin.
- Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune says Rays Rule 5 pick Derek Rodriguez, a reliever, has been returned to the White Sox.
- Yahoo's David Brown talked to Carlos Pena about many topics, including his agent Scott Boras.
- According to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Padres received pitcher Luke Gregerson as the player to be named later in the Khalil Greene deal. The other player the Padres received, the now-injured Mark Worrell, was also a minor league closer. Given the state of the Padres' pen, Gregerson could reach the Majors this year. UPDATE: Here is Paul DePodesta's take on Gregerson.
- MLB.com's Ken Gurnick noted yesterday that the Dodgers cut pitcher Shawn Estes, and he's yet to decide whether to accept a Triple A assignment. UPDATE: Estes will head to the minors and attempt to reinvent himself as a lefthanded specialist.
- Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald quizzed Hanley Ramirez about Boston's attempt to reacquire him in November.
- MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan wonders about Frank Catalanotto's future. Useful player, but the Rangers would have to eat most of his $6MM to move him.
- Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post talked to Nationals president Stan Kasten about the six-year, $50MM Stephen Strasburg rumor. We all know how Boras works…if he wants $25MM for Strasburg, he starts at $50MM.
- South Side Sox and Sox Machine comment on the Gavin Floyd extension, as well as the offers to John Danks and Carlos Quentin.
- Talking to David Lennon of Newsday, Tom Glavine responded to Pedro Martinez's distaste for signing a "Glavine-like" contract.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun spoke to Aubrey Huff, who "doesn't even understand the concept of a contract push."
- Ivan Rodriguez explained to MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez why he didn't sign with the Marlins.
Rosenthal On Jeter, Jenkins, Keppinger
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports posted a new column last night.
- Rosenthal wonders if the eventual emergence of Yankees shortstop prospects Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez will prompt the team to ask Derek Jeter to change positions in the future. Neither player ranked among the Yankees' top 30 prospects in the Baseball America 2009 Handbook, however. Jeter's current contract runs through 2010.
- Rosenthal says Boston's talks for catchers Miguel Montero and Jarrod Saltalamacchia "remain stalled because of those clubs' respective asking prices."
- Rosenthal believes the Phillies are unlikely to trade Geoff Jenkins or Matt Stairs.
- The Reds are considering trading infielder Jeff Keppinger, and Rosenthal wonders if the Astros would be a fit. He also speculates on Juan Uribe for Houston. John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer talked about the Keppinger possibility on Friday.
Andruw Jones Likely To Stay In Texas
2:17pm: Sullivan now states that Jones is likely to stay with the Rangers. Jones will accept a limited role, and says that he expected this situation when he came to camp on a minor-league deal:
"I never came into camp expecting to be a regular everyday player or to play center field," Jones said. "That was not my goal. My goal was to work with [hitting coach] Rudy [Jaramillo], get my swing together and be the player I once was. I never said I have to play."
General Manager Jon Daniels said that they have not asked Jones about the possibility of beginning the season in the minor leagues.
1:38pm: MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan writes that the Rangers have asked Andruw Jones to stay in camp, and that Jones wishes to stay as well. Apparently, they feel that Jones can serve as a backup outfielder and a right-handed option at DH. Texas will not add him to the 25-man roster at this point, however.
The problem for the Rangers is that they need to make room for Jones by doing something with Frank Catalanotto and the $4MM owed to him for 2009, plus the $2MM buyout on his option for 2010. That contract hardly looks appealing on the trade market at this time.
Jones has until midnight on Monday to make a decision on his future.
Rangers Working On Extending Hamilton
According to Jeff Wilson of the Star-Telegram, the Rangers are expected to begin moving toward a long-term contract extension for Josh Hamilton and could have something done by the end of spring training. The Rangers have been discussing this for over a month.
For how much or how long remains to be seen. Hamilton has 3 years of arbitration remaining after this year before becoming eligible for free agency in 2012. Wilson thinks Texas will want to cover 2 years of free agency. The Rangers signed Ian Kinsler to a 5-year, $22MM deal in February 2008 so a five-to-six year deal similar to the Kinsler deal, or recent deals signed by Dustin Pedroia (6 years), Troy Tulowitzki (6 years), Evan Longoria (6 years), or Ryan Braun (8 years), could be expected for Hamilton.
T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com says the Rangers are expected to make a proposal to Hamilton's agent, Michael Moye, early this week.