Rumors for January, 2010
Skip Schumaker Rumors: Expecting a new contract soon
Posted by: | CommentsRick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Cardinals second baseman, Skip Schumaker, is expected to receive a one-year contract around $2 million.
According to Schumaker, “no deal done yet, but I think we’re close. I don’t think either one of us wants to go to arbitration. I don’t have anything bad to say about (the Cardinals), so I really don’t want to go.”
Schumaker, 30 by Opening Day, hit .303 with a .364 on-base percentage with the Cardinals in 2009 while making $430,000. His high batting average can be attributed to Mark McGwire who has tutored Schumaker in past seasons. You can see Schumaker’s complete contract history and statistics here.
Clarification: McGwire tutored such players as Matt Holliday, Bobby Crosby, Chris Duncan and Schumaker as a private hitting instructor. Please don’t read in between the lines. =P
Bengie Molina Rumors: What if the Mets do not sign Molina
Posted by: | CommentsThe New York Mets and Bengie Molina have been negotiating back-and-forth all winter. Molina wants a three-year deal while the Mets are offering one-year plus an option year.
Molina knows he’s the best available veteran catcher on the market and as long as the Padres, Rangers and Giants need catchers then the negotiation leverage is in his court. (It’s safe to say that the Giants are not one of Molina’s options for this year).
If the Mets do not go with Molina, the New York Post says that one candidate the team will strongly consider is Josh Thole, 23. Thole hit .321 (17 for 53) in 2009 with the Mets and according to the New York Post, he’s hitting .381 with .470 on-base percentage in the Winter Leagues.
Right now the number one catcher on the depth chart is Omir Santos. Santos, 28, has 107 career Major League games, so the Mets’ confidence may not be too high. If the Mets do not sign Molina, look to see Thole and Santos compete for the starting position in Spring Training with an outside chance that Henry Blanco or Chris Coste having a shot.
Jarrod Washburn Rumors: Going back to Mariners?
Posted by: | CommentsNick Cafrado of the Boston Globe says that free agent left-handed pitcher Jarrod Washburn is looking for Randy Wolf-like money (three years, $30 million), but he will probably have to settle less. Cafrado says that Washburn has been talking with the Seattle Mariners about a possible return, but he could also head to the National League.
Earlier this month, Washburn turned down a one-year, $5 million offer from the Minnesota Twins. Last month, Washburn was quoted saying, “The thought of playing close to home has always appealed to me.” He is a native from Wisconsin, so he would be interested in playing with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Washburn, 35, has a career 107-109 record with a 4.10 ERA and 1.301 WHIP. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers last season where he made $10.35 million in the last year of a four year contract.
You can see Jarrod Washburn’s contract history and statistics here.
The Baseball World According to Jon Paul Morosi
Posted by: | CommentsJon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com wrote an article Ten questions to be answered by Opening Day. I’ll save the article for your reading pleasure, but here are a few highlight:
- Morosi thinks that Johnny Damon may end up with the Yankees since the Tigers don’t want to pay him what he’s asking for (two years, $19-20 million).
- The Dodgers are handcuffed because of the Frank McCourt divorce.
- Joel Pineiro may have to decide on the no money Dodgers or the no credibility Mets (based on their shenanigans regarding Carlos Beltran).
- The Tim Lincecum arbitration case will one of the closely watched arbitration cases in recent memory.
- There’s a surplus of free agent hitters (Russell Branyan, Hank Blalock, Jim Thome, Johnny Gomes, Jason Giambi, Gary Sheffield and Marcus Thames) and a surplus of teams needing full-time designated hitters (Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Seattle and Toronto).
- The Cubs are looking for another starter since Ted Lilly won’t be ready for the beginning of the season.
Chicago Cubs Rumors: Plans for Marlon Byrd, batting order
Posted by: | CommentsESPNChicago.com reports that manager Lou Piniella will put center fielder Marlon Byrd in fifth spot with Alfonso Soriano slotted for the sixth spot.
Piniella said, “that, to me, is the most important thing to our team this year offensively – who hits fifth,”
Byrd spent of last season with the Texas Rangers in the clean up spot and hit only .223 (94 at-bats) in the fifth spot for team. Byrd will replace Milton Bradley, who spent most of his time as the Cubs’ number five hitter.
Piniella plans to look at both Kosuke Fukudome and Ryan Theriot as the team’s potential leadoff hitter. Derrek Lee will hit third and Aramis Ramirez will be cleanup.
Byrd, 32, hit 20 home runs, drove in 89 RBI’s and had a .283 batting average while making $3.06 million with the Texas Rangers in 2009.
Eric Byrnes Rumors: Wants to play for the Giants?
Posted by: | CommentsYesterday MLB Secrets talked about a possible situation where Eric Byrnes could be traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks to the New York Yankees. Today, John Seah of the San Francisco Chronicle, writes that Byrnes has an interest to return to the San Francisco Bay Area and play for the Giants.
“It’s not a real secret (that) I’d definitely be interested,” Byrnes told Shea in a phone interview. “The Giants, of course, that’s the best fit geographically.”
Byrnes grew up south of San Francisco and played six season with the Oakland A’s.
Byrnes, 33, played most of his career in left field, but is versatile enough to play all outfield positions. The Giants currently have newcomer Mark DeRosa in left and Aaron Rowand in center. Right field is undecided, but is expected to be manned by Nate Schierholtz.
The problem right now is that Byrnes is designated for assignment with a decision to be made in the next eight days. The ideal scenario for the D-backs is to get another team to eat some of his salary in a trade. However, Byrnes has a no-trade clause in his contract, so any move the Diamondbacks make will need to have Byrnes’ blessing. Unless the D-backs can give Byrnes some financial motivation to waive the no-trade clause, expect him to be released and sign on with a new team for the Major League minimum of about $400,000.
You can see Byrnes’ contract history and statistics here.
Joe Crede Rumors: Talking with the Baltimore Orioles?
Posted by: | CommentsPhil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Baltimore Orioles are talking to the free agent Joe Crede. The Orioles already have two right-handed-hitting third basemen in Ty Wigginton and Garrett Atkins.
If they sign Crede they could use him as the designated hitter, but the O’s already have Luke Scott.
Crede, 31, had season-ending back surgery in 2009 while with the Twins. He played in 90 games and hit 15 home runs, drove in 48 RBI’s and hit .225 while making $2.5 million. He is expected to to an open audition in Arizona for interested teams sometime in January. The Twins have show interest in Crede and are in need of a third baseman.
You can see Joe Crede’s contract history and statistics here.
The Chicago White Sox avoided arbitration by signing closer Bobby Jenks and outfielder Carlos Quentin to one-year contracts.
Jenks, 28, will make $7.5 million in 2010. Jenks went 3-4 with a 3.71 ERA and 29 saves for the White Sox in 2009. You can see Jenks’ contract historya and statistics here.
Qunetin, 27, signed a deal for $3.2 million. Quentin hit .236 with 21 home runs and 56 RBIs in 99 games last season. He made the All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger Award. You can see Quentin’s contract history and statistics here.
The only other arbitration-eligible players that the White Sox have to work with are John Danks and Tony Pena.
LA Dodgers Rumors: Need Joel Pineiro more than any other contender
Posted by: | CommentsUpdate 1/16 19:44: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated Tweets: hearing #angels, #dodgers and #mets all in on joel pineiro
Chris Bahr of The Sporting News says that of all the teams that are interested in signing free agent pitcher Joel Pineiro, the Los Angeles Dodgers would benefit the most. Pineiro is the best available starting pitcher on the free agent market, and he would be a strong addition for a team that isn’t expecting him to make an ace-like impact.
Bahr says that Pineiro would bring his veteran presence to an already solid rotation that includes Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw and Hiroki Kuroda. Pineiro has been looking for a Randy Wolf type of deal of three-years, $30 million.
Pineiro, 31, went 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA over 214 innings with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009 while making $7.5 million. Others teams that are going after or believed to have been going after the pitcher include the Mets, Yankees, Angels, Rays and Mariners.
You can see Joel Pineiro’s statistics here.
To see other Joel Pineiro rumors, click here.
Eric Byrnes Rumors: Will he waive his no-trade clause for the Yankees?
Posted by: | CommentsThe Arizona Diamondbacks recently designated left fielder Eric Byrnes for assignment (DFA). If the D-backs do absolutely nothing in the next ~10 days they will owe Brynes $11 million (see his 2010 contract here).
On the other side of the country, the New York Yankees have a need for a left fielder. They have been telling agents this week that they have $2 million to sign a player for that position.
The Diamondbacks have an extra left fielder, the Yankees need a left fielder. The Diamondbacks could benefit by getting the Yankees to pay $2 million. Win-win, right? Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy.
Byrnes has a no-trade clause in his contract, so it will require him to waive that clause before the Diamondbacks can put him in a U.S. Airways seat to JFK Airport. The ball is now in Byrnes court. The D-backs are handcuffed. They can beg and plead Byrnes to do something, but once the 10 days after his DFA expires, Byrnes is free to go wherever he wants.
Byrnes, 34 by Opening Day, hit 8 home runs, drove in 31 RBIs and hit .226 in 84 games for the D-backs last season. Byrnes could wait out the 10 days, collect his guaranteed $11 million throughout the 2010 season, and sign with a team for the Major League minimum salary of about $400,000.
Another possibility is that the Diamondbacks financially persuade Byrnes. I’m not sure if this is legal since it was not pre-negotiated, but it’s a thought. Let’s say the D-backs pay Byrnes an addition $1 million ($12 million total), Byrnes waives his no-trade clause, and the D-backs trade him to the Yankees who in return send the D-backs $2 million plus a fourth-tier prospect.
The Yankees get their veteran outfielder that can platoon with Brett Gardner. The D-backs save $1 million and Byrnes makes about $600,000 more than he would if he tested the open-market. Makes sense? Here’s a visual of my proposal:
| Team | Acquires |
| Yankees | Eric Byrnes from D-backs |
| D-backs | $2 million from Yankees 4th Tier Prospect from Yankees |
| Eric Byrnes | $11 million from D-backs $1 million for financial motivation from D-backs |
If this situations happens, all parties have about 9 days left before Byrnes gets his freedom. If the D-backs wait too long, then the negotiation leverage will go to either the Yankees or Byrnes, so they need to move now.
You can see Byrnes’ contract history and statistics here.
