Rumors for February, 2010
PRO Rumors: Miguel Olivo, Johan Santana, Jerry Manuel, Mark McGwire, Moyer, Winn
Posted by: | CommentsHere are some links for Friday:
- Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury writes that Edgar Renteria was embarassed by his poor performance last season, closer Brian Wilson’s bullpen session looked good, pitcher Madison Bumgarner started his bullpen session soft but he improved over time, and rookie catcher Buster Posey will probably start off at Triple-A.
- According to the Pioneer Press, negotiations between the Twins and Joe Mauer are moving at a “favorable pace”. The Pioneer Press speculates that there is a high likelihood of a deal coming together.
- John Harper of the NY Daily News believes that Joba Chamberlain’s future is in the bullpen as opposed to being the Yankees’ fifth starter.
- According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Blue Jays’ Alex Anthopoulos said that he may add a “minor piece for depth in the next day or two.” Bastian speculates that the Jays may add depth behind the plate, outfield or starting pitching.
- According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Reds’ manager Dusty Baker lists Aroldis Chapman, Matt Maloney, Travis Wood, Justin Lehr, Mike Lincoln, Kip Wells, Micah Owings and Jon Adkins as condidates for the fifth starter.
- Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune says that Carlos Zambrano comes to camp 15 pounds lighter and he’s ditching the cut fastball from his arsenal. Zambrano will focus more on his sinker.
- According to Marc Garig of The Star-Ledger, Yankees manager Joe Girardi expects newly the newly acquired Randy Winn to compete for a starting corner outfield spot.
- Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post says that Rockies catcher Miguel Olivo owes a lot of his success to Kansas City’s pitching coach Bob McClure who made Olivo a more complete player.
- According to Mike Puma of The New York Post, Johan Santana is optimistic about the 2010 season. He named himself the best pitcher in the NL East. He also expects to win the World Series. “My plan is definitely to win the World Series, that is definitely what we want to do and that’s what we’ve got in mind,” Santana said. Santana probably won’t start in Spring Training until the second week of the Grapefruit League since he’s recovering from elbow surgery.
- Kevin Kernan of The New York Post says that Met’s manager Jerry Manuel and GM Omar Minaya will be under the microscope from the very beginning. Both have to produce right away or they’ll be looking for jobs soon.
- According to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners offered Mark McGwire a position as their hitting coach. At the time he didn’t accept the jobs, but he was close. He accepted the job with the Cardinals now because the timing was right.
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal says that Placido Polanco of the Phillies is already in camp getting used to the third base position, a position that he hasn’t played full-time since 2002.
- Lauber also says that Jamie Moyer is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. Moyer had three surgery including one for the knee in the last 4 1/2 months. He’ll be competing for the No. 5 starter position.
Ryan Theriot and Chicago Cubs go to arbitration
Posted by: | CommentsCarrie Muskat of MLB.com reports that the Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry and shortstop Ryan Theriot went in front of an arbitration panel this morning. A decision is expected by Saturday. Theriot is asking for $3.4 million and the Cubs have offered $2.6 million.
Theriot, 30, hit .284 with 7 home runs and 54 RBIs in 2009 with the Chicago Cubs. He had a $500,000 base salary in 2009. You can see Theriot’s contract history and statistics here.
Johnny Damon Rumors: White Sox still in play?
Posted by: | Comments2/19 07:21: According to the Official Tiger’s Twitter, “President, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager David Dombrowski confirmed the club has offered a contract to Johnny Damon.”
2/18 09:34: According to Scot Gregor of the Daily Herald, White Sox GM Kenny Willliams said, “I will talk about this on Sunday.” It’s unclear what Williams meant by this statement, but the Tigers already haave an empty locker waiting for Damon at Spring Training.
2/18 03:14: According to Mark Gonzalez of The Chicago Tribune, he quotes a White Sox team source saying, “I think we have a good shot (Damon) to get him now.”
2/17 14:47: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated Tweets, “regarding rumors mrs. damon prefers chicago to detroit, johnny just texted: “But its up to me. She’s going wherever I go.”
2/17 14:30: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports tweets, “#WhiteSox 1-yr offer to Damon includes heavy deferrals. Present-day value in $4.5M range. Keep hearing Damon does not want #Tigers.”
2/17 09:39: According to Lynn Henning of The Detroit News, the Tigers and Johnny Damon “appear to be moving, at less than full speed, toward a deal.”
2/17 09:34: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated tweets that the the Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf recently got involved in the Johnny Damon talks.
2/16 18:47: There has been a back and forth with Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. He earlier said that the Chicago White Sox have made a second offer with outfielder Johnny Damon, but he retracted that info with a later Tweet. Rosenthal now says the White Sox have “not budged from their original offer to Damon”. It is believed the offer is competitive with the Tigers’ proposal to Damon – a one-year, $7 million or two-year, $14 million.
Rosenthal says that White Sox are discussing Damon internally and they are confident that deal with Damon could happen.
Others believe that Damon’s agent, Scott Boras, could be using the White Sox in an attempt to persuade the Tigers to increase their offer.
Damon, 36, hit .282 with a 24 home runs and 82 RBIs for the World Champion New York Yankees in 2009. You can see Damon’s contract history and statistics here.
Russell Branyan Rumors: Talking closely with Indians
Posted by: | Comments2/19 05:52: According to Roger Mooney of The Tampa Tribune, the Tampa Bay Rays have made an offer to free agent Russell Branyan. However, Cleveland may be more appealing to Branyan since he could get more playing time there.
2/18 09:21: According to Peter Gammons of MLB.com, he tweets, “The Rays are seriously fighting the Indians for Russell Branyan.”
2/16 23:20: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, the Red Sox are out of the Branyan race. It’s going to come down to the Indians and Tampa Bay Rays, but the Indians are the favorites.
2/16 14:02: According to Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com, the deal is for a Major League contract.
2/16 09:27: Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com says that the Cleveland Indians have an offer on the table to Branyan. It is not clear if it’s a Major League guarantee or a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training. The Indians are seeking an insurance option at first base since Matt LaPorta wis coming off surgers on his left hip and left big toe.
2/15 21:14: According to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports, free agent Russell Branyan is talking with several clubs, but is furthest along with the Cleveland Indians.
The Indians could offer Branyan more playing time than either the Tampa Bay Rays or Boston Red Sox, who also are interested in Branyan. The Red Sox may have problems opening a roster spot for Branyan, but if they could trade away Mike Lowell, Branyan could provide the Sox injury protection to cover multiple positions.
Branyan gives his next team position flexibility since he could play first base, third base and both corner outfield positions.
Branyan, 34, hit .251 with 31 home runs and 76 RBIs in a shortened 2009 season. He played in 116 games but none after August 29. He was diagnosed with a herniated disk that sidelined him throughout the month of September. You can see Branyan’s contract history and statistics here.
Joe Torre and Dodgers working on extension
Posted by: | CommentsAccording ot WFAN (via Mark J. Miller of Yahoo Sports), the Los Angeles Dodgers and manager Joe Torre are working on a contract extension.
In mid-January, Bill Shaikin of the LA Times said that Dodger’s GM Ned Colletti is working on an extension for Torre through 2011. Don Mattingly may be the heir apparent to Torre after he steps down from the managerial role. Torre’s three-year, $13 million contract will wrap up after the completion of the 2010 season.
The Dodgers are also looking for a fifth starter, but they are expected to find that pitcher from within their system.
