Rumors for June, 2010
John Maine Rumors: Could Mets designate him for assignment?
Posted by: | CommentsDuring today’s pre-game press conference, New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel indicated that right-handed pitcher John Maine may not have a spot on the team’s roster when he returns from his rehab assignment.
David Lennon of Newsday says, “Maine has probably thrown last pitch for #Mets. When rehab done, I’m thinking DFA.”
Kevin Burkhardt of SNY.tv quoted Manuel saying, “I don’t see him [Maine] as a canidate for the bullpen.”
Maine, 29, is 1-3 with a 6.13 ERA in 9 starts this year.
Photographic evidence that President Obama is too cool to do the wave
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s visual evidence courtesy of the Chicago Tribune of President Obama being too cool to do the wave at the Washington Nationals and Chicago White Sox game.
The White Sox beat the Nationals 2-1 (the President left before the game was over) and rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg struck out ten Sox batters.
Texas Rangers confirm interest in Roy Oswalt
Posted by: | CommentsBrian McTaggart of MLB.com says Texas Rangers president Nolan Ryan has acknowledged the team’s interest in right-handed pitcher Roy Oswalt.
“You know, we definitely are looking to improve our ballclub, and when you have an opportunity, or might have an opportunity, to acquire someone like that, you have to look at it and evaluate it and see if that’s a possibility and see if it’s doable,” Ryan said.
“There hasn’t been really any conversations I’ve been aware of here in the last week to 10 days,” Ryan said. “I think, from the Astros’ perspective, that would pick up as we would get closer to the [non-tender] Trade Deadline in July.”
Yesterday T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reported that the Rangers have been calling clubs about the availability of starting pitching.
When Oswalt was asked about the possibility of going to the Rangers, he said “I’m open. Just have to wait and see what works for both of us.”
The Rangers are leading the AL West and are actively seeking starting pitching help. The team is somewhat in a bind because they are in the middle of bankruptcy and an ownership transition. They cannot take on a significant salary. If they were to go after a high-price name like Oswalt, they may need to involve a third-team that can pay the salary while the Rangers include prospects in the deal.
Cincinnati Reds Rumors: Could Cliff Lee be a fit?
Posted by: | CommentsThe Cincinnati Reds are facing the Seattle Mariners and left-handed pitcher Cliff Lee today, so the team will get a first-hand look at a possible future teammate in Lee. There have been trade rumors about Lee being a trade candidate for the Reds.
Mark Sheldon of MLB.com says the Reds are contending and have a depth of prospects that they can package for Lee, so it may be a good fit.
“We haven’t discussed it,” Reds GM Walt Jocketty said of Lee. “We’ll do what we can to improve our club. We’re looking at pitching. I don’t know how many bullets we’re going to have, so we’ll have to be careful how we use them. With [Edinson] Volquez coming back and [Aroldis] Chapman — [Travis] Wood is still down there and pitching well, and [Matt] Maloney.”
Lee has been a candidate for several teams including the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Minnesota Twins.
Los Angeles Dodgers Rumors: Looking for starting pitching help
Posted by: | CommentsOn Friday, Los Angeles Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said the team is looking to acquire a starting pitcher to bolster their rotation.
“The conversations have picked up a little,” said Colletti. “It doesn’t seem that anything is really hot. There are six or seven weeks to go [until the July 31 Trade Deadline]. Teams holding on to pitchers, their value won’t go down unless they get hurt.”
Colletti said Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee isn’t his target, but Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reminds us that colletti made a strong run at Lee last summer and is reported after him again. The Mariners want a young slugger in return, so Los Angeles may need to bring a third team to make a Lee deal work.
“When we’ve got an opportunity to make a move, we’ll bring it up at that point,” Colletti said.
Florida Marlins Rumors: Looking for help or having a fire sale?
Posted by: | CommentsFlorida Marlins Cody Ross says that front office will go looking for outside help by the July 31st deadline if the Marlins are around .500. However, if the team continues to lose, then expect a fire sale from South Beach.
“If we’re around .500, I think they would potentially make a move to help us out,” Ross said. “Obviously, everyone in [the clubhouse] wants to add. We want to let somebody help us rather than see some of us gone.”
The team has a history of going after help come trade deadline. According to Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald, “The Marlins were 54-49 on July 31 last season when they traded for first baseman Nick Johnson. They were 48-45 on July 11, 2003, when they made the trade for reliever Ugueth Urbina.”
The team is hoping for a lengthy winning streak to get them back into a race. The longest winning streak they had this year is four games.
“We’re waiting for that spark to get us going and get on that roll and try to ride that wave, but we haven’t been able to do it so far,” Ross said. “We definitely don’t want to fall further behind than what we are right now.”
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated has a few rumors regarding managers and their job security:
Atlanta Braves: Bobby Cox has said he will step down after this season whether he wants to or not. Fredi Gonzalez, the manager of the Florida Marlins and the third base coach for the Braves from 2003-2006, is a likely choice for Cox’s replacement.
Toronto Blue Jays: Heyman says it time to go for Cito Gaston.
Chicago Cubs: Management worry about Lou Piniella’s health. A likely replacement is Ryne Sandberg, manager at Triple-A Iowa, but he would be a “gamble” in a difficult job.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Joe Torre and owner Frank McCourt could not reach agreement this spring on a new contract for 2011. Most people see McCourt moving on with bench coach Don Mattingly as a likely successor. Some wonder if Mattingly is ready.
Milwaukee Brewers: Ken Macha is in the final year of a two year deal. Some players don’t especially love him.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Manager John Russell’s contract was secretly extended for the 2011 season. With the team in its current poor state, ownership may want to send a message to fans by replacing Russell and eating his contract.
Florida Marlins: Heyman says Fredi Gonzalez may not be appreciated by owner Jeffrey Loria. Gonzalez should be okay especially if he gets the Braves’ job.
Arizona Diamondbacks: GM Josh Byrnes is fighting to keep is handpicked manager, A.J. Hinch. Heyman says that Byrnes’ job may not be totally safe, but firing the bright young Byrnes would be “absolute insanity”.
Baltimore Orioles Manager Rumors: Is Davey Johnson a candidate?
Posted by: | CommentsJon Heyman of Sports Illustrated said former New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles manager Davey Johnson has been mentioned a possible candidate for the vacant managerial role in Baltimore.
Johnson managed the Baltimore Orioles in 1996 and 1997, where he took the team to the League Championship Series in both years. He last managed the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2000.
Other candidates that have been discussed so far include Bobby Valentine, Eric Wedge and Buck Showalter. Valentine and Wedge have already interviewed for the position and Showalter is expected to interview with the Orioles next week. Former Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin could be another candidate given his good relationship with Orioles’ owner Peter Angelos and the fact that he played for the O’s in 1989-1991.
Club president Andy MacPhail said by phone, “Let’s be honest, I’m not sure this gig’s for everyone. We may have more interest in some guys than they have in us.”
Heyman said the Orioles are likely to favor a manager with big-time experience as opposed to going with a rookie manager, so it’s unlikely that interim manager Juan Samuel will get the permanent job.
MLB teams hand out ID cards to players in the Arizona Rookie League
Posted by: | CommentsThe Arizona immigration law will take effect on July 29th and some 150 or so prospects from Latin America could be subject to police questioning when the players arrive in the state for the Arizona Rookie League.
Arizona’s law orders immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there’s reason to suspect they’re in the United States illegally.
Teams such as the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers have issued identification cards tot he players and have asked them to carry them at all times. The Brewers cards have contact information for team officials if authorities question why the player is in Arizona.
“It’s a preventative measure,” assistant general manager Gord Ash said. “We haven’t had any problems so far.”
The Indians have brough in local police officers to explain the situation and each player is issued an ID card so they don’t have to carry their visa and paperwork with them.
The Arizona Rookie League will wrap up at the end of August, and most teams do not expect any problems regarding the immigration law. Kansas City Royals GM Dayton Moore says players usually have to go out of their way to get in trouble with the law, and when it happens it usually is “centered around alcohol or females.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
