Nationals Rumors

Nats Release No-Show Odalis Perez

By | February 23, 2009 at 11:04am CDT

According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, the Nationals have released left-hander Odalis Perez because of his failure to report to spring training.

"He would not return our phone calls and after talking internally with [manager] Manny Acta, [pitching coach] Randy St. Claire and the organization, we all feel it’s important that we want players that want to be here and help us win. We made that decision this morning," GM Jim Bowden said. "We left messages yesterday for his agent, we left messages for Odalis. Again I left messages for him this morning. They made their point pretty clear. We need to turn the page. We have a lot of pitchers in camp that are committed to helping us win."

The mandatory reporting date for all players was Sunday, February 22. Perez, 31, agreed to a minor league contract worth $850K two weeks ago, but later decided he wanted more compensation. Now he won’t see a dime from the Nationals.

He is still expected to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, which starts on March 3. A strong showing there could lead to a deal with a new club.

Odds and Ends: Smoltz, Crede, Burnett

By Tim Dierkes | February 22, 2009 at 6:38pm CDT

A few links for Sunday evening…

Chicago Tribune reporters Todd Lighty and Oscar Avila have more info on the David Wilder bonus-skimming scandal.
Terence Moore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to John Smoltz recently about players leaving or choosing not to sign with the Braves.
SI.com’s Pablo S. Torre digs into Ken Griffey Jr.’s decision.
Juan C. Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel learned that Marlins third baseman Dallas McPherson (42 home runs at Triple A last year) would like 500 at-bats, but a bench role is more likely. McPherson is out of options.
Joe Crede talked about the White Sox going young, but Ozzie Guillen did not agree.
Newsday’s Kat O’Brien talked to A.J. Burnett, who was leaning toward the Yankees well before he signed. He chatted often with Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon this winter.
Speaking of Damon, River Ave. Blues points out a passage in Joe Torre’s book about how the Yankees chose Rondell White over him back in ’02.
Nationals special assistant Jose Rijo is taking a leave of absence, partially because of the Esmailyn Gonzalez scandal. ESPN’s Jorge Arangure Jr. has much more on the situation, after talking to Gonzalez/Lugo’s trainer.
South Side Sox takes a stab at fixing free agent compensation.
Orlando Hudson could’ve had $24MM for 2009-11 if he’d taken an offer the D’Backs made before the ’08 season. Nick Piecoro says Hudson’s counteroffer was "so unrealistic that it actually upset people with the Diamondbacks."

Odalis Perez Not Returning Calls

By Tim Dierkes | February 22, 2009 at 5:13pm CDT

According to the AP, Odalis Perez is M.I.A. He missed the mandatory Spring Training report date, and isn’t returning calls from the Nationals or his agent. GM Jim Bowden believes he has an agreement on an $850K minor league deal. Bowden ultimately expects Perez to honor the agreement. Perez’s statement from a few days ago:

"I thought it best and I prefer to sit in my house if the Nationals do not show more appreciation for my work. Appreciate my work means to increase the value of the contract and guarantee it. I will not accept any minor league contracts with no safeguards. I instructed my agent to report my position to the Nationals."

Bowden told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that he dealt with a similar situation with Tony Fernandez in ’95.

Odds And Ends: Royals, Zimmerman, A-Rod

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | February 21, 2009 at 10:04am CDT

Links for Saturday…

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney breaks down the 2009 Royals and considers them an improvement over last year’s team.
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Brendan Ryan is not yet out of options because of the time he spent on the DL back in 2006.
Yahoo’s Tim Brown writes that the Nationals lack stability. He wonders "if the organization really is getting anywhere."
Chico Harlan of the Washington Post heard that Ryan Zimmerman thinks the time is right for a long-term deal with the Nats, despite the weakened market and his 2008 injuries.
Wallace Matthews of Newsday thinks Hank Steinbrenner should have let Alex Rodriguez sign elsewhere after 2007 because the slugger’s become a "toxic mortgage" to the team. Say what you will about A-Rod, it’s hard to match his production.
The Tigers don’t have the organizational depth they did when they dealt for Miguel Cabrera, but FanGraphs examines what’s left in the minors.

Odds and Ends: Lester, Arbitration, Beimel

By Tim Dierkes | February 20, 2009 at 3:00pm CDT

Links for Friday…

RotoAuthority hosts a roundtable discussion of the worst fantasy picks of the first three rounds.
Nationals president Stan Kasten expects "heavy trade talk," given the team’s surplus of first basemen/outfielders. Nick Johnson is the most likely candidate.
Mark Sweeney may be forced into retirement, according to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News.
Joe McDonald of the Providence Journal wonders if Jon Lester could be the next Red Sox player to get a long-term extension.
Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball analyzes the salary arbitration class of 2009.
Brian McTaggart of the Houston Chronicle has Astros GM Ed Wade explain split contracts.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes the Yankees outfielders and Scott Boras clients Xavier Nady and Johnny Damon have been affected by the Stanford financial scandal.
MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan says Joe Beimel turned down a minor league offer from the Rangers about a month ago. Tough time to be a lefty reliever.

Nationals Avoid Arb With Ryan Zimmerman

By Tim Dierkes | February 20, 2009 at 1:49pm CDT

1:49pm: The Nationals and Zimmerman still hope to hammer out a long-term deal, according to Harlan.

8:37am: According to Chico Harlan of the Washington Post, the Nationals avoided arbitration with third baseman Ryan Zimmerman by signing him at $3.325MM for ’09 (the midpoint of the submissions).

The Nationals hope to sign Zimmerman long-term; they have him under team control through 2011. Back on January 26th, Nationals president Stan Kasten noted, "I know it’s just a coincidence that [Zimmerman and Ryan Howard] have the same agent who doesn’t seem to like to do long-term contracts before free agency," in reference to Casey Close.

Nationals Sign Five

By Steve Adams | February 19, 2009 at 9:55pm CDT

9:55pm: This is getting a little ridiculous. Bill Ladson reports another signing; the Nationals agreed to terms with righty Jason Bergmann. Bergmann was just 2-11 with a 5.09 ERA last season.

Ryan Zimmerman is now the team’s lone unsigned player. Zimmerman has been talking long-term with the Nats, but has an arbitration hearing scheduled for tomorrow.

8:59pm: Another update from the Miami Herald, the Nationals signed Lastings Milledge today as well. And as long as I’m mentioning Milledge, while it’s not really Hot Stove related, Bill Ladson reported earlier that Milledge will hand his number 44 over to Adam Dunn and wear the number 85 (the year he was born) this year.

7:09pm: Pete McElroy adds that the Nats also signed Anderson Hernandez to a one-year deal today. Still no word on any of the numbers.

6:43pm: The Miami Herald is reporting that the Nationals have agreed to terms on one-year deals for Alberto Gonzalez and Mike O’Connor. No word on the numbers yet.

Gonzalez, acquired from the Yankees in 2008, hit .347 with one home run and 9 RBI in 17 games as a National. He’ll be in the mix for second base in Washington.

O’Connor was 1-1 with a 13.00 ERA over five games, including one start, in 2008.

Odds & Ends: Boras, Cordero, NCAA Agents

By Steve Adams | February 19, 2009 at 9:51pm CDT

Some links for your Thursday night viewing pleasure…

Diamond Leung has some Dodgers notes, including a particularly interesting one regarding Scott Boras. Earlier, Peter Gammons reported that the Dodgers scouting department wouldn’t be touching any Boras clients in the June draft. Leung refutes that, citing Dodgers Assistant General Manager of Scouting Logan White’s statement that the Dodgers will consider Boras clients because "talent comes first."
The Nationals have been watching Chad Cordero’s auditions, according to Dave Sheinin. Cordero threw 40 pitches "at 70-75 percent effort" the other day. Cordero’s agent, Larry Reynolds, says that he’s on pace to be ready for Opening Day.
Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News has a good article highlighting Okalahome State University lefty Andy Oliver and his victory in a lawsuit against the NCAA. Oliver challenged the rule that athletes cannot have attorneys participate in direct negotiations with Major League teams prior to being drafted. Oliver was suspended prior to an NCAA Regional in 2008.
Ringolsby also notes, in the same article, that the Braves have interest in Garret Anderson.
Tim Hudson got into a heated exchange with a reporter in the clubhouse, regarding the recent Ken Griffey Jr. drama, and had to be separated by a team official, according to the AP.
Speaking of Griffey, the Mariners will hold a press conference for him this Saturday, Geoff Baker reports.
Anthony Castrovince reports that Edward Salcedo, a top Dominican prospect who had been tied to the Indians last year, had an investigation launched surrounding his age. There were doubts that he was really 16, which obviously quieted talks.

Odalis Perez Holdout

By Tim Dierkes | February 19, 2009 at 10:01am CDT

THURSDAY, 10:01am: Harlan has quotes from Stan Kasten on the Perez holdout:

"Our understanding is that he has an agreement which both MLB and the union considering binding, and we think the best course would be for [Perez] to come in and honor the agreement. I’ve known Odie a long time, he came up with me in Atlanta and he’s had a nice career for himself. I think this would be a very ill-advised and foolish way for him to conduct the next part of his career."

TUESDAY, 9:16am: Harlan says the mandatory reporting date for those participating in the WBC is today, and Perez intends to pitch in the tournament. The Nationals have not been in able to get in touch with Perez, says Pete McElroy of MASN.

MONDAY, 6:23pm: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post talked to Nationals GM Jim Bowden, who says he has a "signed term sheet that has been confirmed by the players’ association" for Perez. However, a source of Harlan’s says the MLBPA’s database of approved contracts does not show this deal.

3:47pm: Odalis Perez’s $850K minor league contract did seem light at the time. Now word comes from ESPN’s Enrique Rojas that Perez has asked his agent to renegotiate the contract. He regrets giving his verbal approval and will not supply his signature to the current deal. Perez has yet to show up for Spring Training, saying:

While Perez says he’s not negotiating with other clubs, he added:

"I will play in the World Classic for the Dominican Republic and show everybody that I’m in great shape. I hope to find a team that values me, otherwise I’ll go home."

This isn’t the first time Perez reacted childishly when he felt he wasn’t getting proper recognition.

Esmailyn Gonzalez Falsified Identity

By Tim Dierkes | February 18, 2009 at 4:52pm CDT

4:52pm: Stan Kasten talked about the situation, calling it an "elaborated, premeditated scheme no teenager concocted."

10:43am: Chico Harlan of the Washington Post has a few quotes from Rijo. He says the Nationals will have a conference call about the topic this afternoon.

8:32am: According to Melissa Segura of SI.com, Nationals shortstop prospect and 2006 signee Esmailyn Gonzalez falsified his identity and age. He’s actually named Carlos Alvarez Daniel Lugo, and he’s 23 rather than 19. The Nats had signed him for $1.4MM; the next highest bidder was the Rangers at $700K.

Lugo’s buscon, who brokered the deal for him, is a childhood friend of Nats exec Jose Rijo. Rijo and Nats GM Jim Bowden were under investigation last year in regard to the bonus skimming scandal.

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