Rumors for July, 2010
Phillies vomiting fan Matthew Clemmens sentenced
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7/30 10:50: We all remember Matthew Clemmens and his story that will go down in my book as one of the worst things to happen at a baseball game. Clemmens pleaded guilty in May to charges of assault, harassment and disorderly conduct and was sentenced to one to three months in jail, two years of probation and 50 hours of community service. The maximum penalty was two years in jail.
Clemmens was taken into custody after Family Court Judge Kevin Dougherty sentenced him, and several family members burst into sobs.
Clemmens admitted he stuck his fingers down his throat and vomited on Vangelo. After the friend was ejected, Clemmens was sitting alone behind the Vangelos when he answered his cell phone and said: “I need to do what I need to do. I’m going to get sick,” the prosecutor said. Dougherty also ruled that Clemmens would have to pay Vangelo $315, the cost of the five tickets for him and his family to attend the game in April. Vangelo said he intended to donate the money to the Easton Police Athletic League.
Information from ESPN.com was used in this article.
5/25 12:57: According to the Associated Press, 21-year-old Matthew Clemmens of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count each of simple assault, disorderly conduct and harassment for his stupidity at the April 14 Phillies-Nationals game at Citizens Bank Park.
Clemmens shoved his fingers down his throat and vomited on an 11-year-old daughter of an off-duty police officer. He then proceeded to slug the officer in the head several times.
“It was the most vile, disgusting thing I’ve ever seen,” said Captain Michael Vangelo, the father of the 11 year-old girl, “and I’ve been a cop for 20 years.”
According to David Gambacorta of the Philadelphia Daily News, the final vomiting act came after several innings worth of “slurred curses, spilled beer and spit” that Clemmens and another man directed at Vangelo.
Clemmens and his accomplice were seated a row behind Vangelo and loudly cursed until the 15-year-old daughter asked them to stop.
“One guy started spitting . . . first it landed on the back of my daughter’s chair. Then it landed on her hooded sweatshirt.” Vangelo said that Clemmens then loudly stated that he was going to be sick. “He leaned over and put two fingers down his throat.”
In exchange for his guilty pleas, charges including reckless endangerment and corruption of minors were dropped.
Clemmens will be senteced on July 30 with guidelines calling for Clemmens to get probation.
Chicago White Sox acquire Edwin Jackson from Arizona Diamondbacks
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According to several news outlets, the Chicago White Sox have acquired Edwin Jackson from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Daniel Hudson and David Holmberg.
It was rumored that the right-handed pitcher was going to be involved in a three-way trade that also would have included the Washington Nationals. Earlier this morning, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports said that deal was in the hands of the Washington Nationals. Apparently, the Nationals balked at the deal and the trade proceeded without them.
Tim Kurkjian of ESPN says the “Nationals told him directly they are NOT trading Dunn to Sox for Edwin Jackson (via Jim Bowden of FOXSports)
The White Sox need for another starting pitcher arose after right-hander Jake Peavy was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. Peavy’s replacement, rookie righty Daniel Hudson, has a 6.32 ERA in three starts.
Rosenthal was the first to report the “serious discussions” for Jackson. Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports contributed to the coverage of the trade.
Jackson, 26, is 6-10 with a 5.16 ERA in 20 starts for the Diamondbacks this season. The White Sox will be Jackson’s fifth team in his young career. He may be best remembered for his no-hitter that he threw against the Tampa Bay Rays last month.
Hudson, 23, is 1-1 with a 6.32 ERA in 3 starts for the White Sox this season. He has 1.787 WHIP and a 1.27 SO/BB ratio.
Holmberg, 19, was drafted by the White Sox in the second round of the 2009 MLB Amateur Draft. In his two-year Minor League career, he’s 3-3 with a 4.59 ERA.
San Francisco Giants have asked Orioles about LHR Will Ohman
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A source close to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports says the San Francisco Giants have asked Orioles about left-handed reliever Will Ohman. The source says the deal doesn’t seem likely.
Last night, Michael Urban of Comcast Sportsnet said, “No names yet, but the #sfgiants are working hard on a deal at this hour. More details to come if they come available.” Urban followed up this morning by saying “nothing new.”
Chris Haft and Cash Kruth of MLB.com said the Giants are focused in on adding to their bullpen with Blue Jays’ lefty Scott Downs and Seattle’s Brandon League also on the team’s wish list.
Brett Myers Trade Rumors: Chicago White Sox going after Houston Astros RHP?
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There’s some buzz going on about the Chicago White Sox going after Houston Astros right-handed pitcher Brett Myers.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets, “Sox GM Kenny Williams, the king of the trade deadline, is quietly exploring possibility of acquiring Brett Myers from Astros”
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated echoes Nightengale by saying, “#chisox have looked at brett myers”
Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports is a little more vague, but it appears that the White Sox are interested in a pitcher. “#WhiteSox exploring hitters other than Dunn, not all LH. Are “all over the place,” source says. Also looking for mid-rotation starter. #MLB”
It was believed that the Astros would hold onto Myers since they traded Roy Oswalt. If they trade Myers, it’s likely that Astros’ owner Drayton McLane has embraced the fact that his franchise needs to rebuild from the ground up.
Myers and the Astros have a mutual option for $8 million next year, and a New York Mets official said, “I think Houston wants to bring him back next year.”
7/30 09:19: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says to not be surprised if the Cardinals refrain from adding a starting pitcher by the July Trade Deadline.
In addition to the names below, Rosenthal adds Ted Lilly, Edwin Jackson and Jeremy Guthrie to the list of possible pitchers that could get the Cardinals attention in August.
7/30 08:22: “We explore a lot of things,” Cardinals GM John Mozeliak said on Thursday. “We go down the road and sometimes things work out and a lot of times they don’t. … We still have a lot of balls in the air.”
According to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cardinals officials have said that they have payroll flexibility – not just to add on for this season but to acquire a player with a contract beyond 2010.
As far as middle infielders go, we talked about Stephen Drew below, but Diamondbacks’ Kelly Johnson would also be another fit. Goold mentions that it’s unlikely that Arizona would move two arbitratoin-eligible players in Drew and Johnson.
7/29 16:01; After making a good effort, but failing on acquiring Roy Oswalt from their division foes, the St. Louis Cardinals are focusing their efforts on second-tier pitching and starting middle infield help, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Three pitchers could be targets of the Cards: Aaron Cook, Jake Westbrook and Paul Maholm.
We talked earlier about a possible deal for Colorado Rockies starting right-handed pitcher Aaron Cook. Cook is owed roughly $14.25 million on his deal, so he’s a pricey option.
Right-handed pitcher Westbrook of the Cleveland Indians has been in numerous trade talks. Westbrook is a free agent after this season, and has about $4.48 million left on this year’s contract, so he’d be a good fit for the Cards who don’t want to take on too much payroll. Read More→
Cleveland Indians to explore third baseman free-agent market this winter
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The Cleveland Indians are wrapping up another July clearance sale. They already cleared the rack of Russell Branyan and Jhonny Peralta, so now they must look forward to the next player they could build up to trade in July 2011.
Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer says the Indians will audition players to take over Peralta’s third base position. Jayson Nix gets the first shot, but management will be looking for a long-term substitute for Peralta. Manager Manny Acta said the Tribe will explore the third baseman free-agent market this winter to see who is available.
Hoynes points out that possible free agents the Tribe can look into include Garrett Atkins, Wilson Betemit, Geoff Blum, Jorge Cantu, Pedro Feliz, Jerry Hairston Jr., Bill Hall, Wes Helms, Brandon Inge, Jose Lopez, Mike Lowell, Melvin Mora, Peralta, Robb Quinlan, Miguel Tejada, Juan Uribe and Ty Wigginton.
Update – Three-team trade including Adam Dunn and Edwin Jackson still in play
Posted by: | Comments7/30 09:25: Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets, “If deal gets done, the White Sox would send Daniel Hudson and prospect for Jackson,and take on Jackson’s entire $8.75 million salary”
7/30 08:43: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports tweets, “Rival exec still believes #Yankees are in heavy on Dunn. Their “we’re out” message was directed at #Nationals: Quit messing around!”
7/30 08:40: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports tweets, “Source: #Diamondbacks not sure they want to move Heilman. Interest in Qualls. LaRoche could move Saturday after smoke on Dunn clears.”
7/30 08:31: A source close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says that the Nationals are fielding offers for Dunn from other clubs. That want to see if they can do better than Edwin Jackson.
7/30 08:05: A source close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says the Chicago White Sox are still in play for a possible three-way deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals. The deal would include Adam Dunn going from the Nationals to the White Sox, right-handed pitcher Edwin Jackson going from the Diamondbacks to the Nationals and right-handed pitcher Daniel Hudson going from the White Sox to the Diamondbacks. If the deal fails Jackson would end up with the White Sox.
Rosenthal notes the deal is in the Nationals’ hands.
Update – White Sox in serious discussions to acquire Edwin Jackson?
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7/30 07:33: Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweets, “Club officials from the Sox and D-backs are confirming they are close to a deal, sending Edwin Jackson to Sox”
7/30 00:00: Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports tweets, “Second prospect in discussed Jackson-Hudson deal would be a pitcher going to #Dbacks, source says. ”
7/29 23:13: Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports says that the White Sox are in “serious discussions” for Edwin Jackson. They would send Daniel Hudson and a prospect to the D-Backs.
7/29 22:48:The White Sox have been attempting to acquire Adam Dunn in recent days. We have also heard speculation about a possible 3-way trade that would land Edwin Jackson with the Nationals and Dunn in Chicago. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports is reporting that the White Sox may now be shifting their focus to acquiring Edwin Jackson and keeping him.
While the White Sox covet Dunn, they have grown discouraged about their chances of completing a trade with the Nationals, sources say. The White Sox offense also has improved during the team’s recent surge, and currently ranks seventh in the American League in runs per game.
The White Sox need for another starting pitcher arose after right-hander Jake Peavy was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. Peavy’s replacement, rookie righty Daniel Hudson, has a 6.32 ERA in three starts. If any trade is made, Hudson could potentially be a centerpiece in a trade for Jackson.
Update – San Francisco Giants want Jose Bautista of the Toronto Blue Jays
Posted by: | Comments7/31: 01:28: Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News does not expect the Giants to get Bautista from Toronto unless the price drops at the last minute. He does see the Giants getting a relief pitcher.
7/30 19:27: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated says the San Francisco Giants are interested in Major League Baseball home run leader, Jose Bautista. Heyman says that Emmanuel Burress or Ehire Adrianza could go in a trade.
Earlier Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports said, “#BlueJays unsure if they will make multiple trades or none. One source with knowledge of club’s activities says “million balls in air.””
Jon Paul Morosi and Rosenthal add that the Giants could be one of the most active clubs in the finals hours before the Trade Deadline. Other possible players the Giants could acquire from the Blue Jays include left-handed reliever Scott Downs or right-handed reliever Jason Frasor.
Update – Ted Lilly Trade Rumors: Interest in left-hander about to pick-up?
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7/30 00:25: Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports says that it is unlikely the Twins will deal for Lilly.
7/29 10:57: Once all of the Roy Oswalt rumors go away, the Chicago Cubs’ left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly will become the best pitcher left on the market, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports. This is barring a last-minute mystery starting becoming available of course.
Rosenthal reminds us that last July the Mariners’ Felix Hernandez was dangled at the last minute, and he suggests that Kansas City Royals’ Zack Greinke could be this year’s mystery pitcher that could make noise in the next 48 hours.
Teams such as the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Detroit Tigers could enter the mix on Lilly. One stipulation to note – the Twins are on Lilly’s no-trade list, so he would need to be compensated in some way to pitch for Minnesota, but according to a source, Lilly is more open to a trade.
