Rumors for February, 2010
More PRO Rumors for Wednesday:
- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein was on the Dennis and Callahan show of WEEI and talked about improving his 95 win club, his attempts to sign Jason Bay, Mike Lowell and playing backup, their closer, and getting a bat “is easier to do at the trade deadline than find(ing) an elite pitcher.”
- Dan Hays of The North County Times reports that the Padres have signed Eric Munson to a Minor League contract.
- When asked if J.D. Drew is worth every penny that the Red Sox have paid him, “absolutely”, Drew said. “In this game, you battle yourself to get in a position to explore the free agent market, and that’s what ended up happening. Are there a lot of expectations and a lot of added pressure that come with that? Yes. You want to live up to your value and to what you think your expectations are, and I have extremely high expectations for myself, day in and day out.” (Steve Buckley of The Boston Herald)
- ESPN Insider says that the Texas Rangers have the farm system depth to make an impact trade this Summer. The report suggests that Neftali Feliz, Martin Perez or Justin Smoak could be candidates for a trade if the Rangers are in contention after the All Star Break.
- Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle says that corner infielder/catcher Jake Fox has an excellent opportunity to make the A’s Opening Day roster unless he has an “abysmal spring”. Fox is currently out of options.
Contract of Khalil Greene voided by Rangers
Posted by: | CommentsT.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that Ranger’s infielder Khalil Greene had his contract voided. Greene has been suffering from anxiety issues and had not reported to the team’s camp.
Greene agreed to a one-year, $750,000 contract with the Rangers in January. Last season, Greene went on the disabled list twice for social anxiety disorder.
Greene, 30, hit 6 home runs and had a batting average of .200 with a .272 on-base percentage in 77 games while with the Cardinals in 2009. He made $6.5 million in the last year of a two-year $11 million contract. Greene was to replace Omar Vizquel, who signed with the Chicago White Sox earlier this off season.
You can see Green’s contract history and statistics here.
Derek Jeter Rumors: Moving from shortstop to right field?
Posted by: | CommentsDerek Jeter’s $189 million contract expires at the end of this season, and it has everybody guessing what’s going to happen next?
John Harper of the New York Daily News says that Jeter will demand to be paid as much as Alex Rodriguez, who has seven years remaining on his 10-year, $275 million contract. It’s the Yankees’ policy to not extend contracts until the contract are due, so any contract talks will have to wait until the season is over. However, Jeter’s agent, Casey Close, did call GM Brian Cashman this winter to talk about getting a deal done.
Harper also brings up the possibility that the Yankees could move Jeter from shortstop if his defense declines as he gets older. ESPN the Magazine’s Buster Olney says that right field is a possibility.
Jeter, 36 in June, will want one more big pay day before he hangs it up for good. The question is how much are the Yankees willing to pay for a player in their twilight years?
Adrian Gonzalez Trade Rumors: Expects big contract after 2011
Posted by: | CommentsDan Hayes of the North County Times reports that San Diego Padres’ Adrian Gonzalez is seeking a big dollar payday when his contract comes due after the 2011 season. Gonzalez says, “This next contract is going to be the one where I look for what I deserve. I’m going to let my agent worry about those negotiations, but in talking to my agent, it’s going to be about where my value is.”
Hayes says that Gonzalez could get a deal similar to the one Mark Teixeira of the New York Yankees received in December 2008 ($180 million over eight season).
Gonzalez checked trade sites over the winter, and he said that “99.9 percent of everything’s false, so you don’t believe everything you read.” It was rumored this off season that Gonzalez was a trade target of the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners. If the Padres can trade him this year, they can fetch a good bounty considering the new team will have him for two play off runs.
Gonzalez hit .277 with 40 home runs and 99 RBIs in 2009 with the Padres. You can see Gonzalez’s statistics and contract history here.
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Jay McGwire shares big brothers steroid secrets
Posted by: | CommentsOn January 12, 2010, Mark McGwire came clean about his steroid use. According to McGwire, it wasn’t for the extra leg strength, or the quicker bat speed that the steroids allowed him to have. McGwire said that his usage of anabolic steroids was for health reasons only, and it was for nothing else.
“I believe I was given this gift. The only reason I took steroids was for health purposes,” says McGwire.
It was hard to believe then, and it isn’t much easier now, thanks to little brother Jay McGwire. In his newest book, “Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and the Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst Kept Secret”, Jay McGwire spills the beans on big brother Mark. He goes into detail about the dosages of the performance enhancing drugs that “Big Mac” was using from 1994 until 1997.
According to Jay McGwire, “Oh, his strength. His leg strength was awesome. I talked about what he is doing on the leg press — over 600 pounds for 20 reps. That is pretty good for a baseball player. And that is the key in baseball, I think. … Mark didn’t really have big legs until after that. He couldn’t do some other serious leg workouts because of his lower back issues, so we had to be careful with that.”
Sure, health reasons seem feasible. Lower back issues? Believable. But what happens when the fans wanted to see more and more from Mark? He couldn’t just say, “Sorry guys. I’m all healed now. No more fame. It’s not what you want, it’s me. Besides, these things are illegal.” Could he? He should have, but he didn’t. Even Jay elaborated by saying, “Fans are funny. As soon as he starts hitting home runs they are kissing his butt. It shows you that the fan wants to see things that are freaky. Seeing records being broken. … People like to see freaky people produce, if it is a fight or whatever. That’s what the fan wants.”
It’s safe to say that Mark knew what he was doing. He knew the precautions, and he chose to openly defy them. It wasn’t like he was doing small stuff- a pill here, an injection there. Jay McGwire described normal dosages as:
“Dbol [oral, 50 up to 70 mgs/day], Winstrol [oral, 50 up to 80 mgs every other day] and Primobolan [oral, 60 up to 80 mgs/day] for a minimum of 12 weeks.”
Even Jay told ESPN reporters, “At 12 weeks and those dosages, that’s not baby food.”
Kirk Radomski also spoke with the reporters and described how McGwire wasn’t taking healing dosages of the drugs. He explained how growth hormone would make sense, but once anabolics were thrown into the mix, growth in size was being looked for. As for the questions we’re asking ourselves, such as: Why didn’t anyone say anything when they realized Mark was getting so big so quick? Could it be part of the vicious cycle commonly known as the “don’t ask, don’t tell” process? More than likely.
In my opinion, Jay should have been questioned much sooner. It’s funny how, in the midst of all of this chaos, no one stopped to ask one of his closest relatives. Jay himself even said, “It’s funny, huh? You’d think that you’d want to go to the core of the story. And no one has really suspected me. I’ve been the person all along.”
Information from Mike Fish of ESPN.com was used in this article.
Here are a few more PRO Rumors to follow for Wednesday:
- Bill Ladson of MLB.com caught up with Nationals present Stan Kasten and had a Q&A about this years club.
- Mark Bowman of MLB.com writes about the Braves’ Jesse Chavez and his solid first impression with his new club.
- The Diamondbacks would like to sign catcher Miguel Montero to a multi year deal, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.
- 36-year-old right-hander Ryan Franklin of the St. Louis Cardinals is considering retirement after the 2011 season, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
- Chicago Breaking News said the pitcher Mark Buehrle may retire when his current contract is up “in a couple of year.”
Here are links to follow for Wednesday:
- Adam Rubin of The New York Daily News said that LHP Arturo Lopez has been designated for assignment by the Mets to make room for Rod Barajas.
- John Tomase of The Boston Herald says that Red Sox’ Mike Lowell understands that there’s a good chance he’ll be traded.
- The Associated Press says Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter won’t address his contract situation until the end of the year. Jeter is in the final season of a $189 million, 10-year deal. “I’ve said from Day One, this is the only organization I’ve ever wanted to play for, and that’s still true today.”
- The Los Angeles Times says the Dodgers ownership situation may not be settled until the end of the year.
- Bernando Fallas of The Houston Chronicle says that this is a make-or-break season for Astros first baseman Lance Berkman. If the Astros do not pick up Berkman’s contract, then he probably won’t be back.
- Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel says that nine out of ten Marlins fans probably consider the front office’s failure to trade Renyal Pinto the offseason’s biggest shortcoming.
- Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal says that Jonathan Papelbon cut short his training session on Tuesday because he had a bad back from sleeping wrong.
- Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times said that Evan Longoria was eating alone at the River City Grill when Manager Joe Maddon walked. Maddon pulled up a stool and ate dinner together for about 45 minutes.
- John Tomase of The Boston Herald says that the Red Sox have unofficially retired Roger Clemens‘ number 21. This was proven when first base coach Ron Johnson, who wore No. 21 while manager Triple-A Pawtucket, came into the clubhouse and received jersey No. 50.
- Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times writes that when Minor League catcher Nevin Ashley got married he insisted his wife take his last name. So what’s wrong with that? His wife first name is “Ashley”. The catcher said, “I said she had to take my name for pure shock value,” Nevin said of the former Ashley Long. “She has fun with it. And when she goes on a job interview or something, she’s way ahead because you know they remember her name.”
Joe Mauer Rumors: Could Mauer get $200 million deal?
Posted by: | CommentsThe Pioneer Press says that an “eight-year, $200 million deal wouldn’t be unreasonable” if catcher Joe Mauer decides to remain a Twin. Earlier this month, it was believed Mauer had signed a ten-year contract with the Twins. The reports proved to be premature. Both the Twins and Mauer’s camp are currently negotiating.
The Pioneer Press goes on to say that should Mauer opt for free agency, the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox could offer Mauer a contract worth $30 million per season.
Mauer, 26, won the 2009 American League MVP when he hit .365 with 28 home runs and 96 RBIs. You can see Mauer’s contract history and statistics here.
Fred Lewis Rumors: Showcasing himself for a trade?
Posted by: | CommentsAndrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury said that San Francisco Giants outfielder Fred Lewis is reporting to camp upbeat despite not having any minor league options and facing a full outfield of Mark DeRosa, Aaron Rowand and Nate Schierholtz.
Lewis says, “Yeah, I know I’m showcasing myself.”
The Giants outfielder and his agent requested a trade this off season. It was rumored during the Winter Meetings that the Giants attempted to trade Lewis and Kevin Frandsen to the San Diego Padres for Kevin Kouzmanoff, but the deal did not happen.
Despite the many obstacles for Lewis, manager Bruce Bochy intends to use Lewis this season. “Freddy is part of this club,” Bochey says, “I’ll do all I can to get him all the playing time he needs.”
Lewis, 29, hit .258 with 4 home runs and 20 RBIS in 122 games with the Giants in 2009. You can see Lewis’ contract history and statistics here.
