Rumors for March, 2010
Adam Dunn Contract Rumors: No deadline for deal
Posted by: | CommentsBill Ladson of MLB.com says that Adam Dunn of the Washington Nationals does not have a deadline to complete a contract extension.
Dunn, a free agent after the 2010 season, said he’ll continue with negotiations after the season starts because he does not want his name to come up in trade rumors.
“It’s not a deadline,” Dunn said. “There is progress being made, but I don’t want any distractions during the season. When [the trade deadline] comes around, my name gets thrown around. I hate that.
“If we are close to getting something done and it drags on for a couple into the season, OK. But I don’t want it to drag on until the All-Star Break or things like that. We’ll just pick it up again [after the season].”
Yesterday, Dunn’s agent, Greg Genske, said the negotiations are “amicable and upbeat,” and he optimistic about getting a deal done.
Dunn, 30, is a popular player with the Nationals’ fans. He hit .267 with 38 home runs and 105 RBIs in the 2009 season. You can see Dunn’s contract details and statistics here.
Carl Crawford Rumors: Headed to the Bronx?
Posted by: | CommentsMarc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times says that the New York Yankees are expected to be big players when Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Carl Crawford becomes a free agent after the 2010 season.
Despite his pending free agency, Crawford did not want to focus on the future. Rather, he kept all reports here in the present. “I just don’t even get to that point,” he said. “I’m still with the team, with the Rays. I just like to think about things we’re doing here. And my mind is still I want to be a Ray, and I don’t even think past next year. I don’t even want my mind to venture that far, ’cause I’ve still got to focus on playing the game.”
In late February, the Rays and Crawford tabled their contract extension talks. Crawford is looking for market value, which would be in the $13-16 million per season range. Rays’ owner Stuart Sternberg said at the time that the team’s payroll will be under $60 million next year, so at the time it was hard to believe that the team was going to dedicate over 25% of their payroll to one player.
Crawford, 28, hit .305 with 15 home runs, 68 RBIs and had 60 stolen bases in 2009 with the Rays. This is Crawford’s final season of a six-year $33.5 million contract. You can see Crawford’s contract history and statistics here.
Joe Mauer Contract Rumors: Deal will happen very soon or months from now
Posted by: | Comments3/19 13:53: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated says that talks are progressing with Joe Mauer and a deal is expected to be completed in a few weeks. Heyman says that both sides are willing to talk into the season to complete the deal.
3/19 09:59: Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine says that any contract extension between MVP catcher Joe Mauer and the Minnesota Twins will either happen “very soon — sometime in the next couple of weeks, or much sooner” or it will happen “way down the road, months from now.”
Olney says that the Twins may table the conversations if a deal is not struck by Opening Day due to the new ballpark opening and to allow Mauer to focus on the 2010 season.
Some players set Opening Day deadlines to get a deal in place. Some do it to get their mind away from the negotiation grind and others want to use it as a negotiation tactic to force the other parties’ hand. On occassion a player will continue to negotiate during the season especially if a deal is close. Mauer’s agent, Ron Shapiro, has had precedence in working on deal during the season when he finalized a contract for Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr.
Mauer has been recently mentioned as candidate to replace Jorge Posada in New York after the season in addition to being a trade candidate by midseason if both sides cannot come to an agreement before then.
Mauer, 26, won the 2009 American League MVP when he hit .365 with 28 home runs and 96 RBIs. If Mauer hits the free agent market, you can expect that the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will be the first in line to throw money at him. You can see Mauer’s contract history and statistics here.
Josh Beckett Contract Rumors: Deal expected to be north of $82 million
Posted by: | CommentsJon Heyman of Sports Illustrated says that despite the lack of noise, the contract extension talks between Josh Beckett and the Boston Red Sox are strong and progress is being made. Heyman expects that a deal will be in place in the coming weeks and does not expect that Beckett to hit the free agent market after the season.
The deal is expected to be slightly north of John Lackey’s $82.5 million, five-year free-agent contract with the Red Sox.
Last week, Nick Carfardo of the Boston Globe said the toughest part of the Beckett negotiations is getting the Sox fair injury protection while still making certain Beckett gets what he’s worth. “There’s been a lot of back and forth on that issue already,” said the source. “This is something that may take some time. If it’s a shorter deal of three years, the language may not be required or it may be scaled down. If it’s longer, then the language would likely have to be included.” Beckett’s agent Michael Moye is looking at a number of ways to make this part of the deal happen. The market for pitching appears to have shrunk the past two years, so it may behoove Beckett to sign now.
New York Yankees Trade Rumors: Could they deal Gaudin or Mitre to Diamondbacks?
Posted by: | CommentsJoel Sherman of the New York Post says that the Arizona Diamondbacks are in need of rotation depth especially with Cy Young winner Brandon Webb not expected to be back until late April at the earliest. With that said, the team is actively searching for a starting pitcher.
The Yankees have been expected to deal pitcher Chad Gaudin or Sergio Mitre with possible destinations that include the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs.
The Yankees currently have a surplus of starting pitchers with only the fifth spot in the rotation able to accommodate one of them. Currently the team has Gaudin, Mitre, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Alfredo Aceves competing for that spot. Those that do not become a starter will either move to the bullpen, go to the Minors or get traded.
Heath Bell Trade Rumors: Twins extenstively scouting Padres closer
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to Bob Nightengale of USA Today is reporting that the Minnesota Twins are “extensively scouting” San Diego Padres closer Heath Bell for a trade.
In the wake of the injury to reliever Joe Nathan, the Minnesota Twins have been trade candidates for a closer. Names that have recently come up include, Indians closer Kerry Wood, Reds closer Francisco Cordero and free agent John Smoltz.
Bell, 32, was 6-4 with a 2.71 ERA with 42 saves with the Padres in 2009. You can see Bell’s contract history and statistics here.
Here are your Thursday evening PRO Rumors:
- San Diego Padres slugger Adrian Gonzalez is willing to take deferred money if the Padres were to offer a fair market offer. (Dan Heyes, North County Times)
- The Cardinals returned Rule 5 pickup left-handed pitcher Ben Jukich to the Cincinnati Reds. (Derrick Goold, St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle says the Astros starting catching job will come down to the last week of Spring Training between J.R. Towles and Jason Castro.
- Clay Hensley may get a spot in the Marlins’ rotation after having a string of 10 1/3 scoreless innings this spring. The final two spots in the Marlins’ rotation are undecided. (Joe Capozzi, The Palm Beach Post)
- ESPN says that Diamondbacks’ pitcher Brandon Webb is targeting a late April return. Webb is recovering from shoulder surgery last year and is rehabbing the shoulder will a regular three-day plan of long-toss, short-toss and a day off.
John Smoltz Retirement Rumors: Joining TBS as analyst
Posted by: | Comments3/18 22:28: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, his contract with TBS includes “outs” in the event he wants to return to his baseball career.
Rosenthal says that the Philadelphia Phillies have interest in Smoltz as a possible midseason addition.
3/16 15:11: According to a Turner Sports press release, John Smoltz will be joining the company as an analyst for TBS. He will serve as a TBS analyst for the regular season, as well as the network’s coverage of the MLB Playoffs.
“Joining Turner Sports’ Major League Baseball coverage is a great opportunity for me to stay immersed in the game that I love and I’m really looking forward to this experience. Having worked with TBS and Peachtree TV before, I am thrilled about the start of the 2010 season,” said Smoltz.
Smoltz has not officially announced his retirement from baseball, so the job with TBS comes as somewhat a surprise. Smoltz’s name has come up as recently as of last week with the Twins when injured pitcher Joe Nathan was diagnosed with a torn ulnar colateral ligament that may require Tommy John surgery.
If Smoltz, 42, does retire, he will finish his career with a 213-155 record, a 3.33 ERA, 154 saves and 3084 strikeouts in 21 seasons with the Braves, Cardinals and Red Sox. You can see Smoltz’s contract details and statistics here.
Rangers Rumors: Chat with Rangers GM Jon Daniels
Posted by: | CommentsTexas Rangers Gm Jon Daniels wants to make it clear that the Rangers were not blackmailed. The question of blackmail was presented to Daniels in an open online chat on the Dallas Morning News after a story by Randy Galloway appeared yesterday in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The article cited “numerous sources” saying that the club had been blackmailed by a former employee about the situation concerning Ron Washington.
“I haven’t read Randy’s column,” Daniels said ” but was told generally what he said. We don’t know where the story came from. We do have a former employee that we think may have known about this, and it’s possible he’s the source, but to my knowledge there was no attempt at blackmail… That said, if it did come from there, that’s shameful in my opinion. Enough said.”
Daniels also mentioned that Washington was being drug tested by MLB three times a week and that Washington has voluntarily agreed to be tested to “erase any doubts that some may have.”
While most of the conversation concerned Washington a few free agents were discussed. The Texas Rangers have no interest in recently released Elijah Dukes to help in the outfield. Daniels also does not count on Khalil Greene returning this year saying “Nothing new with Khalil at this time. We haven’t ruled it out in the future, but we’re planning as though he won’t be with us at all this year.” Greene had his contract voided by the Rangers earlier this year after he did not report to spring training because of personal issues.
Cristian Guzman Trade Rumors: Mets may be interested
Posted by: | Comments3/18 13:02: Mike Rizzo, GM of the Nationals, told MASN, “Would we think about offers for him? Him, and everybody else, if it’s the right deal. This guy is a vital player for the organization, because he’s a productive player at a very impactful position. I don’t want to say that, ‘Yeah, I would listen to trades on him,’ because that makes it sound like we’re trying to trade him, and we’re certainly, certainly not.”
3/18 06:01: Bill Ladson of MLB.com says that the New York Mets may be looking at Washington Nationals’ shorts stop Cristian Guzman as a backup plan in the event that their current shortstop Jose Reyes is not ready for Opening Day. However, the Mets have not talked to the Nationals nor are monitoring Guzman.
Ladson says that trading Guzman would be tough because he is making $8 million this season, and given the high-value salary, there have been no takers for the infielder.
Guzman is currently competing with Ian Desmond for the starting shortstop job. Guzman, 32 next week, hit .284/.306/.390 in 135 games with the Nationals in 2009. You can see Guzman’s contract details and statistics here.
