Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Nationals Rumors

Nationals Fail To Sign Aaron Crow

By | at

FRIDAY: Baseball America’s Jim Callis says the Nationals failed to sign Crow.  The Nats were at $3.3MM and Crow’s agents at $4MM.  So, the Nats missed out on a quality pitching prospect over a matter of $700K.

The Nationals signed 15th rounder J.P. Ramirez to an above-slot deal as a consolation prize.

THURSDAY: According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Nationals top draft pick Aaron Crow signed a contract with the Fort Worth Cats yesterday.  Crow’s agent says he and Jim Bowden don’t have anything more to discuss.

As Ricky Treon points out, this could still go either way.  As of right now it seems like Crow still wants a Major League contract and the Nats won’t do it.

Dodgers Win Claim On Ron Belliard?

By | at

9:15pm: MLB.com’s Bill Ladson thinks the Nats will keep Belliard, because they’re in a bind at shortstop due to injuries.

FRIDAY, 7:57am: MLB.com’s Bill Ladson says Jim Bowden and Ned Colletti have not spoken this week.  Ken Rosenthal believes the Dodgers are interested in Belliard, and says he did not clear waivers.  Dylan Hernandez says the Dodgers made the claim on Belliard to block the D’Backs, but Rosenthal does not agree.

THURSDAY, 11:26pm: According to Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News, the Dodgers won a waiver claim on Nationals infielder Ron Belliard.  The two teams are discussing a trade.

Belliard, 33, is hitting .237/.340/.442 in 259 plate appearances.  He’s played first, second, and third base this year for the Nats.  Belliard is owed another $395K this year plus $1.9MM in ’09.  With Casey Blake in the fold and Nomar Garciaparra off the DL, Belliard makes less sense for the Dodgers than he did in July.  Still, he could be a cheap second baseman for ’09 if Jeff Kent retires.

Draft Roundup: Crow, Matusz, Alvarez

By | at

The deadline to sign ’08 draft picks is 11pm CST on Friday.  Here are the latest rumors.

Week In Review: 8/3 – 8/9

By | at

Here’s a quick look back at some of the bigger stories on MLBTR over the past week:

  • D’Backs ace Dan Haren signed a very affordable extension with the team, which would keep him in Arizona through 2012 with an option for 2013. Great deal for the D’Backs and their fans.
  • Brian Giles was claimed off waivers by the Red Sox, which is now believed to have been an effort to block the Rays from acquiring him. Giles blocked the trade to Boston with his no-trade clause.
  • The Rockies acquired Livan Hernandez from the Twins. Minnesota won’t receive a player in return, but unloads Hernandez’s remaining $1.5MM on his contract, as well as his 5.48 ERA. Seems fine to me.
  • Fifteen teams watched a throwing session from Freddy Garcia. Here are a few reactions.
  • Relievers on the move: The Cubs DFA’ed Scott Eyre, and traded him to the Phillies the next day. The Rays acquired Chad Bradford from the Orioles, and DFA’ed Al Reyes in order to make room for him. In a rare inter-division trade, the Royals traded Horacio Ramirez to the White Sox. Huston Street was claimed, but is staying put.
  • Position players on the move: Felipe Lopez signed with the Cardinals, the Mariners released Jose Vidro, and the Marlins signed Paul Lo Duca in addition to claiming Brad Ausmus off waivers. No word on whether or not a deal will be worked out for Ausmus yet.
  • A few glimpses into 2009? Rafael Furcal hopes to re-sign with the Dodgers. Bobby Abreu hopes to be wearing Yankee pinstripes again, and the Nationals hope Willie Harris is a part of the organization again as well.
  • Tim made a list of waiver trade candidates for both the American League and National League and compiled a list of players who were known to have cleared waivers in 2007. Remember, these are just players who would likely clear waivers, whether because of their talent level or contractual status. Teams often place big-name players on waivers that they have no intention of trading.

Odds and Ends: Manny, McDonald, Bradford, Bowden

By | at

Collection o’ links…

Odds and Ends: Delgado, Heilman, Teixeira, Alvarez

By | at

Time for today’s linkage.

  • Geoff Baker tries to determine who "won" the Jose Vidro trade.
  • Ken Davidoff doesn’t expect anyone of value to clear waivers.  We didn’t have much August trade action last year either.  Some decent names were dealt in August of ’06 though – David Wells, Shawn Green, Jamie Moyer, Livan Hernandez, Ryan Franklin, Eric Hinske, and Scott Schoeweneis.
  • The Mets can retain Carlos Delgado for ’09 at essentially $8MM, since there’s a hefty $4MM buyout on his $12MM option.  Back in May Delgado’s agent said it was a $16MM option.  However, MetsBlog’s Matthew Cerrone told me that is only the case with a top five MVP finish.
  • Joel Sherman wonders whether Aaron Heilman will be a non-tender candidate this winter.  Seems unlikely; he won’t be that expensive.
  • Mark Teixeira’s three favorite places to play are New York, Seattle, and Anaheim, for what it’s worth.
  • Yahoo’s Kevin Kaduk considers "Dr. James Andrews" the worst three words in baseball.  He also lists some other three-word contenders.
  • The Pirates will not "grossly exceed" the market to sign Pedro Alvarez.  They seem to be hoping Scott Boras will come down to the $4-6MM net present value range on August 15th.
  • The Nationals are thinking around $2.15MM for Aaron Crow.
  • RotoAuthority discusses trading injured players in fantasy leagues.

Felipe Lopez Signs With Cardinals

By | at

The Cardinals announced yesterday evening that they have signed infielder Felipe Lopez for the remainder of the season.  The Nationals released him on Thursday.  The Cardinals will use Lopez as a utility infielder and occasional outfielder.

Lopez, 28, hit .234/.305/.314 this year in 363 plate appearances.  He had a similar season in ’07.  He banged out 23 home runs in ’05, which apparently was his career year.  The Scott Boras client is earning $4.9MM this year, most of which the Nationals will cover.

Draft Update: Crow, Alvarez, Matusz

By | at

MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo reminds us of baseball’s next deadline: this year’s draft picks must be signed by end of day August 15th.  Mayo provides links updating progress on unsigned top ten picks Pedro Alvarez, Eric Hosmer, Yonder Alonso, and Aaron Crow.  No news on Gordon Beckham.

  • Roch Kubatko says both the Orioles and Brian Matusz remain confident a deal will be done.  No hard feelings on either side regarding the delay.
  • Based on this Q&A with Nationals GM Jim Bowden, talks with Crow apparently haven’t gotten too far. 
  • As for Alvarez, the Pirates have a dollar figure they’d prefer not to exceed.

Week in Review: 7/27 – 8/2

By | at

We saw the non-waiver trade deadline come and go this week, and plenty of action to go along with it. Let’s recap the big moves of the week:

  • The Dodgers, Pirates, and Red Sox completed a three-team, blockbuster trade that sent Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles, Jason Bay to Boston, and Andy LaRoche, Bryan Morris, Craig Hansen, and Brandon Moss to Pittsburgh. The Pirates got a pretty nice haul, and while Bay won’t necessarily replace Manny’s production, he’s much more affordable, signed through ’09, and doesn’t disrupt the clubhouse. The Dodgers add the big bat they need for a push in the NL West, though are now overloaded with overpaid outfielders. All in all, I don’t think any team made a bad deal in this one.
  • The Angels made a big move in adding Mark Teixeira to their lineup, sending Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek to Atlanta in exchange. The Angels didn’t need help at the time – they’re running away with the AL West – but this move will undoubtedly be significant in the postseason. Great boost to the Halos’ lineup.
  • The White Sox and Reds completed a trade that sent Ken Griffey Jr. to Chicago in exchange for Nick Masset and Danny Richar. I don’t understand this trade from the Sox perspective. Griffey was only hitting .245 at the time of the trade, and his range in center field isn’t close to what it once was. Still, he’s a presence in both the lineup and the clubhouse. Will playing for a contender rejuvenate him?
  • The Yankees acquired future hall-of-famer Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers in exchange for Kyle Farnsworth. With Jorge Posada out for the season, New York did a good job of solidifying their catcher’s spot, while the Tigers got some much-needed improvement in their bullpen.
  • The Twins aren’t known for making big trades at the deadline, and they held true to that in 2008. However, they made a move that could be bigger than any trade they might have made, when they designated Livan Hernandez for assignment, and recalled Francisco Liriano from Triple-A Rochester. The Twins DFA’ed Craig Monroe as well. The Rockies are looking for a fifth starter, and could have interest in Hernandez.
  • Relievers on the move: Arthur Rhodes was traded to the Marlins, giving them another effective lefty option in the bullpen. The Astros acquired LaTroy Hawkins, still buying despite being 9.5 games out of the wildcard race at the time.
  • The Nationals released Paul Lo Duca and Felipe Lopez. Both were highly unsuccessful this season, though they could generate interest from other teams.
  • Tim explained the rules behind waiver trades for those who are unfamiliar with how the process works after the July 31st non-waiver deadline. He also takes a look at some noteable names who stayed put at the deadline.
  • Minor moves: The Yankees signed Victor Zambrano to a minor league contract, while the Red Sox did the same with former Cleveland closer Joe Borowski.
  • The Diamondbacks are talking extension with their second ace, Dan Haren.
  • USA Today wrote an article on MLBTR. Check it out!
Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top