Rumors for October, 2010
Rockies looking for bat to protect Tulowitzki and Gonzalez
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The Denver Posts’ Troy E. Renck says finding a bat this winter to protect Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez is a top priority.
The team has previously been interested in catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez and could go after him once he becomes a free-agent after the World Series. Other names that have been mentioned include the Oakland A’s Conor Jackson and St. Louis’ Colby Rasmus, if the Cardinals decide to move the troubled outfielder.
New York Yankees’ Lance Berkman could be a potential target for the Rockies too.
“That’s a place that I would definitely have interest in,” Berkman said last week.
The Yankees are not expected to re-sign Berkman once he is eligible to become a free-agent after the World Series.
Joe Beimel wants to return to Colorado Rockies
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Left-handed relief pitcher Joe Beimel wants to return to the Colorado Rockies, according to The Denver Post’s Troy E. Renck.
John Gibbons withdraws name from consideration for Pirates job
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Kansas City Royals bench coach and former Toronto Blue Jays manger John Gibbons has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Pittsburgh Pirates managerial vacancy, according to a source close to The Kansas City Star’s Bob Dutton. Gibbons has decided to remain as the Royals’ bench coach for 2011.
“Who knows who will get that job [in Pittsburgh]?” Gibbons told the Star. “I just had a feeling that I might be better off staying in Kansas City.”
Gibbons was the third among seven candidates for the open managerial position in Pittsburgh. Other candidates that have interviewed include Eric Wedge, Ken Macha, Bo Porter, Jeff Banister, Dale Sveum and Carlos Tosca. GM Neal Huntington said the other candidates are being considered, according to MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch.
Gibbons spent part of five season as the Toronto Blue Jays manager. During his tenure he was 305-305. He has been the Royals’ bench coach since 2009.
Detroit Tigers and Brandon Inge agree to a two-year contract
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Matt Sosnick, Josh Willingham’s agent, said Willingham is trying to avoid going to free agency next year, and he expects to sign a multi year contract with the Nationals this off season according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
Apparently no negotiations are taking place right now between the team and Willingham, but he would accept a one-year deal if that’s what the team in looking for.
Willingham had surgery on his left knee in August to repair the meniscus in his left knee. He’s expected to be ready for Spring Training 2011. Willingham is arbitration eligible-after for the final time this winter. He could avoid the hassles of arbitration by signing a long-term deal. Teams tend to sign players to long-terms with the hopes to keep them on the team for an extended period for lower than market-rate. In exchange, players will agree to the long-term deal for the security of a guaranteed contract.
Will Jose Bautista’s surgery impact a possible long-term contract?
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After leading the Majors with 54 homers, the Toronto Blue Jays have a big decision to make regarding the contract of Jose Bautista. Earlier this month, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian wondered if the Jays will enter into the typical arbitration process with Bautista or reward him with a long-term contract. At the time, GM Alex Anthopoulos would not reveal which direction Toronto would take.
Now a new question raises over Bautista’s future in the aftermath of his surgery. About an hour ago Bastian said via his Twitter account that Bautista just had a surgery to repair a sports hernia, and the recovery time should be around 4 to 6 weeks. The injury was bothering him since May, but despite that he managed to hit .260 with 54 HR and 124 RBI’s.
It’s possible that the Jays could wait on a long-term contract and see what Bautista does in 2011 especially with the uncertainty of his surgery. It’s possible that 2010 was a fluke and rather than commit to a multi-year deal, they may overpay for 2011. It’s a gamble for the Blue Jays because if Bautista can repeat his efforts, he’ll get a higher value on the free-market with back-to-back above average years.
Angels will prioritize hitters this winter
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After falling short to make it to the playoff this season the Angels are looking for hitters to boost their line-up. MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer wrote in an article published earlier today that the Angels are going to give priorities to land at least one of the top free-agents hitters available in the market.
Names like Washington’s first baseman Adam Dunn, Tampa Gay’s outfielder Carl Crawford, although he said he would like to stick around with the Rays, Red Sox’s third baseman Adrian Beltre, who is believed not coming back with the Red Sox and Philadelphia outfielder Jayson Werth are about to hit the free agency, and the Angels expect to get at least one of them.
In a perferct world, he Angels’ would prefer Crawford, then Beltre, Werth and Dunn. Any of these players hopefully will assist the Angels in driving in runners from scoring position.
Detroit Tigers and Brandon Inge agree to a two-year contract
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In a team press release, the Detroit Tigers and third baseman Brandon Inge agreed on a two-year contract, with a club option for the 2013 season. According to The Associated Press the contract is worth $11MM and the option is for $6MM with a $500.000 buyout.
In 144 games in 2010, Inge hit .247 with 28 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs and drove in 70 RBIs.
“The Tigers organization is pleased to announce the signing of Brandon today,” Tigers President, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager David Dombrowski said. “Brandon is one of the top defensive third basemen in the game and a quality individual we are proud to have as a representative of the organization.”
Both Inge and and Detroit have been discussing a contract for some time. The longest tenured Tigers player is coming off a four-year contract that paid him $6.6 million in 2010.
MLB considering a 7-day concussion-only disabled list
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A source close to The Associated Press says that Major League Baseball is considering a 7-day disabled list for players with concussions. The new disabled list could be in place as soon as next season.
The new disabled list tier will be considered this off-season by a new concussions subcommittee. If the subcommittee approves the idea, it would need approval of commissioner Bud Selig and then the players’ union.
Baseball currently has disabled list tiers: 15-day and 60-day. Players need to complete their time on the disabled list before they can be eligible to play. Players on the 15-day disabled list are not counted against the team’s 25-man roster. Players on the 60-day disabled list are not counted against both the 25-man roster and the 40-man roster.
One of the more notable players that experienced a concussion this season was Minnesota Twins’ first baseman Justin Morneau. He suffered a concussions on July 7 after getting accidentally kneed in the head by Toronto Blue Jays second baseman John McDonald. Morneau did not play after that game and missed the Twins’ American League Divisional Series appearance.
Pittsburgh Pirates may be waiting for Tony Peña
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The Pittsburgh Pirates may not decide who their manager is going to be for the 2011 season until the postseason is over according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Apparently the Pirates are waiting on Tony Peña, a former Pirates catcher and current bench coach of the New York Yankees. Peña cannot negotiate with the Pirates until the Yankees’ postseason is complete.
Other candidates for the Pirates managerial vacancy include Texas Rangers hitting coach and former Rockies World Series manager Clint Hurdle, Giants bench coach Ron Wotus and Yankees third base coach Rob Thomson. Thomson is also a candidate for the Toronto Blue Jays opening.
Pena, 54, managed the Kansas City Royals between the 2002-2005 seasons, being the 2003 his most successful season where the Royals went 83 and 79 for a third place in the AL Central.
Yankees send Shive and Cusick to Indians to complete Wood deal
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According to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger, the New York Yankees have send right-handed pitcher Andrew Shive and second baseman Matt Cusick to the Cleveland Indians to complete the Kerry Wood trade.
Wood was traded to the Yankees before the non-waiver deadline on July 31st. At the time, ESPN’s Jayson Stark said the deal for Wood was a for a player to be named later or cash. The Indians are also believed to have swallowed much of Wood’s $10.5 million contract.
Woods, 33, has a $11 million team option that the Yankees will unlikely pick up for 2012.
