Rumors for December, 2009
Mark DeRosa Rumors: Dropping asking price?
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 17:50: MLB.com reports that Mark DeRosa has dropped his reported salary demand to three years and $18 million from three years, $27 million. (This tip was provided by @jagulubnan)
Boston.com has reported that free agent INF/OF Mark DeRosa is willing to drop his asking price.
- His previous asking price has been in the $10 million per season range.
- The Mets may be interested in DeRosa at first base.
- The article says that DeRosa could be a good fit for the Red Sox.
- MLBSecrets.com has previously blogged that teams that have had interest in DeRosa include: Giants, Yankees (probably out now with signing of Nick Johnson) and Cardinals.
- You can see Mark DeRosa’s complete statistics here.
Jason Bay Rumors: Are the Mets the only one bidding?
Posted by: | CommentsESPN.com reports that the New York Mets may be the only ones bidding on Jason Bay’s services:
- John Harper of the Daily News wrote Friday that the Mets continue to feel that they don’t need to significantly improve their offer of four years for approximately $65 million to Jason Bay. That would change only if the Mets are convinced Bay has another interested party.
- The Mariners were to believed to be interested in Bay.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday writes today that “if there is another team in the running to sign Bay, that team has done an excellent job of keeping its interest quiet.”
- Some executives with teams that had past interest think the Mets are on an island with their offer.
- Bay’s agent, Joe Urbon, says Bay would prefer to sign outside of Boston.
Matt Capps Rumors: Interested in Cubs?
Posted by: | CommentsReliever Matt Capps maybe interested in the Chicago Cubs, according to ESPN:
- There have already been preliminary discussions with the Cubs about joining the team.
- Capp’s former teammate, Tom Gorzelanny, joined the Cubs last season and may influence Capps’ decision in joining the Chicago team.
- Capps was quoted as saying, “Like I talked about before, I want to be in a winning environment, and I want to see what the best opportunity is for me personally and the best opportunity for the team to win is, and we’ll go from there. There’s just as good a chance of me being a Cub as being anybody else. “
- There is a comfort factor for his family in coming to Chicago, as his wife and Grabow’s and Gorzelanny’s wives, are good friends.
- You can see Matt Capps statistic here. Other Capps’ rumors can be seen here.
Lowell for Ramirez trade is "better than 50-50, but not a lock"
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 18:21 PST: Boston.com reports that Lowell needs surgery, trade off.
Update 18:17 PST: Rob Bradford of WEEI Tweets: Mike Lowell will have surgery on his right thumb. Torn medial radial colateral ligament. 6-8 week recovery. Trade unlikely to happen
Update 18:12 PST: Amalie Benjamin, beat writer for the Boston Red Sox, Tweets: Lowell will require surgery for the thumb injury.
Update 12/19 18:09 PST: Amalie Benjamin, beat writer for the Boston Red Sox, Tweets: Lowell has a torn ligament in his right thumb, source says. It appears that the deal to Texas won’t happen after all.
Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports report that the Mike Lowell for Max Ramirez trade between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers will be resolved in “one way or the other” by the weekend. The original trade was rumored last week at the Winter Meetings. Many speculated the trade was done in anticipation of the Red Sox signing Adrian Beltre. The hold up of this trade is due to the possibility of Lowell requiring surgey on his right thumb.
Morosi and Rosenthal go on to say according to one source the chances of the deal are “better than 50-50, but not a lock”.
| Team | Acquires |
| Rangers | 3B Mike Lowell $9 million to cover part of Lowell’s $12 million salary |
| Red Sox | C Max Ramirez |
Coco Crisp Rumors: Crisp negotiating with San Diego?
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 12/19 14:32 PST: Corey Brock, MLB.com writer for the Padres, Tweets: ” GM Jed Hoyer doesn’t feel anything will happen before XMAS. “Nothing is imminent.” There’s interest in Crisp, as we said Thursday.”
Free agent outfielder Coco Crisp has been linked to the San Diego Padres. Corey Brock of MLB.com reports that Steve Comte, the agent for Crisp, said on Thursday that both sides have had discussions. The Padres are in need of a right handed hitting center fielder.
“We have been talking to them. We see a real fit there, possibly,” Comte said. Comte and Crisp are hoping to reach a decision by next week.
Crisp missed most of the 2009 season (he played in 49 games with the Royals) after going through surgery on his right and left labrum (for the non-medical readers it’s shoulder cartilage).
The Royals turned down their $8 million option on Crisp for 2010, instead paying him a $500,000 buyout.
Crisp has been linked to the White Sox, A’s and Cubs this off season. In his last full season in 2008 with the Boston Red Sox, he had a .283 batting average and stole 20 bases. You can see his complete statistics here.
Red Sox to trade Buchholz for Padres' Gonzalez?
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 12/19 14:29 PST: Corey Brock, MLB.com writer for the Padres, Tweets: “Hoyer and the #Padres won’t never say never (to a AG deal). But I get the sense it will take a monster deal to move him. Don’t count on it.”
Update 12/17 08:24am PST: The Boston Herald reports, “According to multiple major league sources, the Red Sox are unlikely to acquire San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez before the season.” All of the rumors associated with the trade are ““an overstatement”, and “way premature”, according to the same sources.
The Boston Herald goes on to say that new San Diego general manager Jed Hoyer risks too much by trading Gonzalez as his first move. He stands a chance of alienating the Padres’ fan base if the team does not get enough back in return from the Red Sox, Hoyer’s former employer.
Update 11:54am PST: Gordon Edes, ESPNBoston.com Red Sox reporter, Tweets: Red Sox know what it would take to get Gonzalez, and they’re not trading Buchholz and Ellsbury, baseball source tells me. SD asking a ton.
Update 12/16 09:51am PST: Jorge Arangure of ESPN Tweets: “Source close to A Gonzalez believes he’ll be traded to Red Sox within next 10 days.Does this mean deal will happen?No.But momentum is there”
Update 12/15 10:12am PST: Jon Heyman of SI.com Tweets: “wondering if clay buchholz could be a trading chip now that lackey’s coming to boston. adrian gonzalez still a boston target”. MLBSecrets will let you know if this trade continues to develop.
Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reports that the Boston Red Sox have flexibility in trading RHP Clay Buchholz to the Padres for power hitting first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Kevin Youkalis would move from first to third to take the place of Mike Lowell (who currently is in trade limbo with the Rangers pending the status of his thumb). They would then use a platoon of Mike Cameron and Jeremy Herminda in left field and therefore removing them from any potentials trades/signings of Adrian Beltre, Matt Holliday or Jason Bay.
We reported earlier today that the Padres are asking for Clay Buchholz and RHP prospect Casey Kelly or outfielder Ryan Westmoreland. For the time being the Red Sox are not willing to give up Kelly or Westmoreland. You can read that article here.
You can read previous Boston rumors regarding Buchholz, Gonzalez, Beltre, Holliday and Bay here.
Matt Holliday Rumors: Going to Boston? Yankees? Mets?
Posted by: | Comments12/19 14:25 PST Update: Buster Olney Blogs: The Cardinals continue to believe their offer to Holliday is the best, sources say
12/18 10:40am PST Update: Buster Olney Tweets: Heard this: Before the Red Sox signed Lackey for $82.5 million, they offered $82.5 million to Holliday. Now they’re out on Holliday.
12/17 16:08 PST: ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney blogs that “the Red Sox would still be interested in signing (Matt) Holliday, but at less dollars than are currently being offered by the Cardinals.”
Olney goes on to say that the Yankees may be in play for Holliday, but an official with knowledge of the Yankees’ thinking told Buster there is “not a chance” of the team signing Holliday or Bay. The Mets are monitoring the negotiations between the Cardinals and Holliday, but Holliday may be out of the Met’s price range.
Last week Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals have offered free agent outfielder Matt Holliday an 8-year contract that is worth “around $16 million a season”. The Cardinals have attempted to address Holliday’s agent Scott Boras’ displeasure with the proposal’s average value by adding years to the deal.
Cub's Center field Rumors: Byrd, Podsednik, Ankiel, Cabrera, Gardner
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 13:48: Jon Morosi of Fox Sports Tweets: #Cubs have asked #Nationals about Nyjer Morgan, but Washington doesn’t want to move him.
Cubs need a new center fielder now that they traded Milton Bradley to Seattle.
- “Not leaning toward” any one candidate.
- Marlon Byrd (true centerfielder) and Scott Podsednik (left handed batter, hits leadoff, less expensive) are the strongest candidates
- Rick Ankiel is a less likely option because of a bad 2009 season.
- Yankees Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner may be available from the Yankees this offseason.
- You can read the entire article from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports here.
Nationals pursuing Jon Garland
Posted by: | CommentsKen Rosenthal of Fox Sports Tweets: Nats making strong run at Garland. Wants 3 yrs. Nats would prefer two. Other possibilities for Nats: Marquis, D. Davis
- The Mets previously showed interest in Garland, Marquis, Davis and Joel Pineiro.
- Marquis was quoted indicating interest to pitch for Washington.
- Mariners were rumored to be looking at Marquis.
- You can see Jon Garland’s statistics here.
- You can see Jason Marquis’ statistics here.
- You can see Doug Davis’ statistic here.
- You can read more about the Garland rumor here.
