Rumors for June, 2010
Man gets hit in the face with baseball while on his cell phone
Posted by: | CommentsThe title says it all:
I’m surprised the Yankee fans allowed this guy to use his phone during Tuesday night’s game versus the Seattle mariners. Talking on a cell phone during a game is a sin!
Courtesy of Deadspin.
Do you want to buy World Series tickets for your team at face value?
Posted by: | CommentsMajor League Baseball is offering fans the opportunity to buy post season tickets at face value for their favorite team… AT FACE VALUE. MLB.com has introduced the Postseason Ticket Reservations system.
It basically works like stock options and futures. You can buy a reservation for the Division Series ($10 per reservation), League Championship Series ($15 per reservation) and World Series ($20 per reservation). The maximum purchase for each game is two reservations per household per team per series. If your team makes it to the playoff series that you reserved the tickets for, then you can buy those tickets at face value. If your team is eliminated prior to your reservation becoming valid, then MLB pockets your money.
This is a great revenue stream for MLB since only eight teams will qualify for post-season play and as the playoffs go on, more people will lose their reservation. However, if your team is the lucky two to make it all the way, you can skip the lines at the box office and the ticket brokers and get the tickets at face plus the fees that always end up on the order.
However, if you are the gambling type, can you put down $90 down [2 x ($10 + 15 + 20)] and you and a friend can be guaranteed two seats for one game in each playoff series.
Sorry Yankee fans, there’s no reservations available for you.
Information from Mark Newman of MLB.com was used in this article.
Update – Mark Prior trying to make a comeback?
Posted by: | Comments
6/30 21:57: Tom Krasovic of Fanhouse tweets, “Veteran scout: Mark Prior “just all right” in today’s throwing session.”
6/28 23:12: Tracy Ringolsby of FOXSports says right-handed pitcher Mark Prior is trying to make a comeback. The 29-year-old will work out for major league clubs at USC on Wednesday.
Ringolsby says most major league teams are expected to have a scout in attendance.
There were rumors in mid-May about Prior starting comback. At the time he took a line drive off of his pitching shoulder when throwing batting practice to a local team. He was shutdown for three weeks after the incident.
Prior last pitched for the Cubs in 2006 when he went 1-6 in nine games. He has a career 42-29 record with a 3.51 ERA. He had a promising start, but his career was derailed with several injuries.
Washington Nationals interested in Diamondbacks Dan Haren?
Posted by: | CommentsThe Washington Nationals are 12 games out in the National League East and haven’t yet determined if they are buyers or sellers, according to Bill Ladson of MLB.com. Despite their situation, Ladson says that GM Mike Rizzo is expected to make deals to to improve their club.
“Right now, we are going to make a deal that’s a proven deal for the Nationals long term,” Rizzo said. “If that means buying, we would buy. If that means selling, we will sell. That hasn’t changed since Opening Day.
“If there is a good deal to be made to acquire talent, we’ll acquire it. … We are always looking to make a deal.”
Trade candidates on the team include infielder Cristian Guzman (who has 10-5 rights), first baseman Adam Dunn and outfielder Josh Willingham.
The team’s biggest need is starting pitching, and Rizzo would like to add another dominant arm that compliments rookie Stephen Strasburg. Roy Oswalt was rumored to be on the Nationals’ target list, but it is unlikely that Oswalt would approve a deal given the team is in last place in the NL East.
Other starting pitcher targets include Dan Haren and Edwin Jackson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dbacks are in position to start selling off their players, and Haren is their primary trade chip.
“Our biggest need now and at the Trade Deadline is starting pitching,” Rizzo said. “That’s everyone’s biggest need, and we are included in that. We need more starting pitching. Premier, front-line starting pitching is what everybody needs to get to the next level of championship-caliber clubs. We are no different.”
Ladson says the Nats need to add a defensive second baseman and another bat. Rizzo has previously inquired about Royals outfielder David DeJesus and White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin, but he was told they were not available.
The Nationals should not expect much more from this year’s team, but they should stay mindful of the future and build around Strasburg. The postseason will come, but it’s unlikely that it will happen this year.
Update – Cliff Lee Trade Rumors: Yankees working on pre-trade contract extension?
Posted by: | Comments6/30 20:11: If the Twins acquired Lee, one GM said “that would be a very different-looking team going into October. That would be a team that could win it all,” according to Buster Olney of ESPN. The Mariners need catching and the Twins could offer prospect Wilson Ramos.
“I’d think that Ramos would be much better value in return as the primary piece for Lee than Tejada,” said one evaluator.
6/30 17:03: Andy Martino of the New York Daily News is saying the Mariners have not made its ace available.
“It is the same thing with (Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik) as it has been all along,” Martino’s source said. “He knows to contact teams when he’s ready to deal. He hasn’t done that yet, but that could change any minute.”
Lee is the Mets’ top choice with Roy Oswalt as a backup plan. Martino says the team is not interested in Kevin Millwood or Jake Westbrook.
6/30 15:46: Jason A. Churchill of Prospect Insider says the Yankees are in on Lee and he says there’s a possibility that Lee and agent Derek Braunecker may be willing to consider signing a pre-trade extension that assures the Yankees that they won’t be giving up prime prospects for a short-term rental.
Churchill adds that there’s “really no frontrunner or favorite” to land Lee right now.
It’s possible that Lee could be dealt before his next start on Sunday in Detroit, but the talks are not as far along as they’d need to be.
6/30: 15:24: Buster Olney of ESPN says that the Mariners are now doubling back and giving back counter offers to teams interested in Lee. Olney also points out that the Mariners need to move Lee now because of an ab strain which could hurt his value.
6/30 13:48: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, the Mets, Yankees, Rangers and Phillies were the only teams to watch Lee pitch last night. The Twins, Dodgers and several other teams with interest in Lee did not attend.
6/30 09:01: Joel Sherman of The New York Post says that if the Mets want Lee, a trade will have be build around Jenrry Mejia or 18-year-old infielder Wilmer Flores. The Mariners will not accept anything less than one blue-chip prospect or they will not do this trade.
6/30 01:06: Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik didn’t want to comment on the Cliff Lee trade status.
“I don’t have much to say,” Zduriencik said. “There is a lot of speculation, but I don’t want to comment on that at all.”
“We’re here to play baseball the best we can. We are just trying to win baseball games, improve our record and see what happens.”
Lee pitched a complete game on Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium for his seventh win of the season. Hopefully he enjoyed playing in front of the New York media, because the Yankees and the Mets are two potential landing spots for Lee, whether it is by the July trade deadline or come free agency this winter.
When Lee was asked about being traded he said, “It’s out of my control, so I don’t even worry about it. I’m a Mariner until they tell me something different. That’s where my focus is, and it’s really that simple. There is nothing else to it.”
Asked if he had a preference for the East Coast, West Coast, AL or NL, he said, “That is kind of a loaded question. I am going to choose not to answer it. Obviously, I do have preferences, but I’m not going to tell you who I want to play for — if I had a choice, and I don’t. So it’s pointless to consume time talking about it or worrying about it.”
“When we acquired Cliff, we were hoping that we would have a better season than what we’ve had up to this point,” Zduriencik said. “Our focus right now is to win baseball games. Cliff is an awfully talented guy, and we’re looking forward to watching him pitch. He’s been a quality, quality pitcher in his career, and he’s on top of his game now. It’s important that we play better baseball than we’ve played, and that’s where our focus is right now.”
When manager Don Wakamatsu was asked about the possibility of Lee being traded, he said, “We’ve had dialogues over the last month, and he’s handled [the rumors] as professionally as anyone I’ve ever been around. He wants the ball and wants to go out and pitch.
Los Angeles Angels interested in Hank Blalock and Adam Dunn?
Posted by: | CommentsMike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times says the Los Angeles Angels are interested in corner infielder Hank Blalock. Blalock was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
We’re not limiting our options,” General Manager Tony Reagins said. “There are opportunities to get better, and we’re exploring all of them.”
Another option for the Angels is Washington Nationals’ first baseman Adam Dunn, and he appears to be at or near the top of the Angels’ wish list, but Nationals GM Mike Rizzo told ESPN Radio in Chicago on Wednesday that, “For us to move [Dunn] will be very painful, and it will probably be very painful for the team that wants to acquire him.”
Blalock, 29, was hitting .254/.319/.349 with 1 home run in 26 games with the Rays this season. Blalock signed a Minor League deal with the Rays in March, but did not make the big league club out of Spring Training. He was called up to the Rays in mid-May.
Dunn is on the last year of his two-year, $20 million contract. He has been optimistic that an extension would occur with Washington. Both parties have discussed a contract extension, but nothing formal has been submitted.
UPDATE – Rogers Clemens to make a comeback… to pitch batting practice to Minor Leaguers
Posted by: | Comments6/30 16:56: It’s official according to the Associated Press. Clemens will pitch to his son Kob, on Wednesday night in the Home Run Derby of the Texas Leageu All-Star Game in Midland, Texas.
6/17 18:58: The Rocket is back… sort of. Roger Clemens has reached out to the organizers of the Texas League All-Star Game in Midland, Texas and has expressed interest in pitching to the Minor Leaguers during batting practice. and for the pre-All-Star Game home run derby.
Clemens son, Koby, is an All-Star seleciton with the Corpus Christi Hooks, a Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.
“He said he wouldn’t mind helping out with the home run derby and said he would sign autographs on the concourse,” said Monty Hoppel, the Midland RockHounds’ GM and one of the event’s organizers.
Clemens is currently being investigated for perjury from his 2008 congressional testimony when he denied using performance enhancing drugs.
Hoppel, does not expect fans to respond negatively towards the Rocket despite his legal problems.
Information from Christian Red of the New York Daily News was used in this article.
SOLVED: The mystery of the $1 million Stephen Strasburg rookie card?
Posted by: | Comments6/30 16:40: Neal Augenstein of WTOP.com says the seller has removed the card from eBay and wil work with Huggins and Scott Auctions in Silver Spring, MD to put the card up in their July auction. The bidding will start at $9,000.
6/29 13:35: A little more than a week ago, we came across a 2010 Bowman Stephen Strasburg Red Border autographed 1/1 on eBay. At the time the auction was going for $34,000+. We kept our eye on it over the next few days and it touched $500,000+ and according to Jim Williams of The Washington Examiner, it reached $999,900 (likely many fake bids) and then disappeared.
Williams checked with eBay and a representative said that the card was pulled before the Monday sale date.
A similar, but non-autographed 2010 Bowman Chrome Superfractor of Strasburg sold in May for $16,403.
Speculation within the industry says a side deal was likely done, but who knows what the final price was, or if it was sold at all.
Dodgers RHP Charlie Haeger clears waivers – outrighted to Triple-A
Posted by: | Comments
6/30 16:25: According to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, Haeger has cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Albuquerque.
6/25 18:39: Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tweets that right-handed pitcher Charlie Haeger has been designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Haeger, 26, was 0-4 with a 8.53 ERA in 8 appearances (5 starts) for the Dodgers.
Boston Red Sox sign LHP Rich Hill to Minor League contract
Posted by: | CommentsPeter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox have signed 30-year-old left-handed pitcher Rich Hill to a Minor League contract and will report to Triple-A Pawtucket.
The lefty signed with the Cardinals this past off-season and was invited to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee.
Hill has a career 21-20 record with a 4.87 ERA in 76 appearances (70 starts). He was with the Baltimore Orioles in 2009 and went 3-3 with a 7.80 ERA.
