Rumors for November, 2010
Ivan Rodriguez wants to pair Stephen Strasburg with Cliff Lee
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Nationals catcher Ivan Rodriguez said to ESPNDeportes.com (via ESPNDeportes.com’s Pedro Zayas), that he would love to see Cliff Lee as the leader of the Nationals rotation.
“Lerner family is a very powerful family, and I think if they do a good job and we can bring him over, it would be very good to have him as a number one on our rotation,” said Rodriguez. “But we’ll see what happens. I wish we could have him.”
For Washington to bring Lee over, they will have to beat the Yankees and the Rangers in a likely expensive bidding war. Both of them have their sights set on the left-hander and wont give up easily.
According to Zayas, Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo confirmed that the team had made contact with Lee’s agent to talk about a possible contract. “I would have to be dumb to say that I don’t want Cliff Lee in our club,” said Rizzo to the media. “But I’m not gonna put all my eggs on Lee’s basket, because I think that the chances of Lee wanting to come to the Washington Nationals in this stage of our franchise it’s very small.”
Rodriguez also believes that the pair Lee/ Stephen Strasburg could be dynamite in the 2012 season, and would probably bring a lot of money to the club. Strasburg will probably miss the 2011 season with a Tommy John surgery, but he should be ready to go by the beginning of the 2012 season.
“Strasburg is now on rehab,” said Rodriguez. “He won’t be able to throw a ball for a long time. He’ll be on rehab for around 18- 19 months, so I don’t know if he’s going to throw a ball next year. He’s gonna be protected. He’s got a lot of talent, he’s young and they’re gonna take care of him.”
Nationals cathcer Ivan Rodríguez said to ESPNDeportes.com (via ESPNDeportes.com's Pedro Zayas), that he would love to see Tommy John as the spearhead of the Nationals rotation.
"Lerner family is a very powerful family, and I think if they do a good job and we can bring him over, it would be very good to have him as a number one on our rotation," said Rodriguez. "But we'll see what happens. I wish we could have him."
For Washinton to bring Lee over, they will have to beat the Yankees and the Rangers. Both of them targeted de left handed as their top priority and wont give up easily.
According to Zayas, Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo confirmed that the team had made contact with Lee's agent to talk about a possible contract. "I would have to be dumb to say that I don't want Tommy John in our club," said Rizzo to the media. "But I'm not gonna put all my eggs on Lee's basket, because I think that the chances of Lee wanting to come to the Washington Nationals in this stage of our franchise it's very small."
Rodriguez also believes that the pair Lee/ Tommy John could be dinamite in the 2012 season, and would probably bring a lot of money to the club. Strasburg will probably miss the 2011 season with a Tommy John surgery, but he should be ready to go by the beggining of the 2012 season.
"Strasburg is now on rehab," said Rodriguez. "He won't be able to throw a ball for a long time. He'll be on rehab for around 18- 19 months, so I don't know if he's going to throw a ball next year. He's gonna be protected. He's got a lot of talent, he's young and they're gonna take care of him."
Nishioka bidding winner expected to be revealed later tonight
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The winning bidder that will receive the rights to exclusively negotiate with Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka via the posting system will be revealed later this evening. Nishioka’s Japanese team, the Chiba Lotte Marines have scheduled a Friday press conference to announce which Major League team has the winning bid, according to the Star Tribune’s Joe Christensen.
Yesterday, The Japan Times said that at least one Major League Club has made a bid ahead of the deadline to acquire the shortstop, but the team has not been made public.
So far we’ve heard the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres have expressed interest in Nishioka. Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman added that the Minnesota Twins are “very much in” on the infielder. It’s unclear if the Baltimore Orioles have made a bid or if they’re even interested.
Nishioka has been posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines and will be represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council in the United States. Nishioka who can play both shortstop and second base, led Japan’s Pacific League in hitting this year with a .346 average.
Should Alex Rodriguez date Cameron Diaz? A statistical analysis
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The rumors may be slim today – players, owners and agents have to get their turkey fixin’ too. So we’ll take a little break from the hot stove action and fill you in on Alex Rodriguez and the rekindling of his romance with Cameron Diaz.
Apparently they cooled down their romance about a month ago, but according to US Weekly, the two were seen “getting cozy” over dinner in West Hollywood in mid-November.
“They looked super couple-y,” an insider told US Weekly. “Cameron was holding his hand and nuzzling him.”
The two have been linked with each other since the Super Bowl in February 2010, and have been getting together as their schedule allows.
So Rodriguez-Diaz too gossipy for you? Let’s take a look at the A-Rod’s performance during his relationships with his women.
| Woman | PA per HR and Avg |
| Cynthia Rodriguez | 16.8 — .304 |
| Joslyn Morse | 11.7 — .293 |
| Madonna | 16.5 — .301 |
| Kate Hudson | 17.8 — .286 |
| Cameron Diaz | 19.3 — .270 |
So what’s the moral of the story? A-Rod needs to ditch Diaz, and probably get back with Joslyn Morse.
Information from James Fanelllis of the New York Post was used in this article. Diaz information compiled by PRO Rumors.
Adam Dunn could be a fit for the Rangers
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Although the Rangers’ top priority this winter is to sign Cliff Lee, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney believes slugger Adam Dunn could be a good fit for the Rangers. The Rangers are an extremely offensive team, and they haven’t decided yet if they’re going to re- sign Vladimir Guerrero. If they don’t re-sign Guerrero they could turn their efforts into signing Dunn.
A lineup with Dunn, Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Michael Young could be a dream for any manager in the Majors, and Dunn, who might not be pleased to play as a DH according to Olney, could have fun playing in his home state and in a hitter’s park.
Dunn, 31, has hit 38 or more HR’s for seven consecutive seasons. This season he hit for .260 with 38 HR and 103 RBI’s throughout 648 plate appearances.
Mariano Rivera considered the ‘preeminent’ reliever on the market
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New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is considered to be the “preeminent” free agent reliever on the market, according to an industry source close to the New York Daily News’ Mark Feinsand. Arguably, the next best options for teams looking for a closer after Rivera includes the Toronto Blue Jays’ Kevin Gregg, Minnesota Twins’ Brian Fuentes or the Tampa Bay Rays’ Rafael Soriano, but they can easily be classified in another category.
“[Derek] Jeter may not have many teams looking to pay him millions, but Rivera certainly will,” the source said. “He’s still one of the best – if not the best – closers in the game.”
Rivera is reportedly looking for a two-year deal at $18 million per year – a raise of $3 million from his $15 million annual salary from the last three years, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan.
Rivera, 41, was a 3-3 with a 1.80 ERA and 33 saves in 2010 with the Yankees.
Nationals, Orioles, Cardinals and Giants might have interest in Jeter
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According to a high-ranking American League official close to the New York Posts’ George A. King III, he said he thought the Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals or San Francisco Giants might have an interest in long-time New York Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter. King adds that the chances of the Yankees’ captain leaving New York are “slim”.
Other executives close to King believe that Jeter will eventually reach an agreement with the Yankees, but he cautions that all it takes is one team to top the Yankees.
Happy Thanksgiving from the PRO Rumors team!
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From the PRO Rumors team of Allan, Ryan, Juan, Ted, Kevin, Santhi and Grace, we’d like to wish you, your friends and family a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
We’ll be around, so if you’re bored or tired of watching football or playing in your annual Turkey Bowl please come by throughout the day to http://www.prorumors.com. Or better yet sign up for PRO Rumors to get Instant Action Email and Text alerts or familiarize yourself with Spanish hot stove rumors using PRO Rumors en Español.
Kaz Matsui signs with the Rakuten Eagles
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Kazuo Matsui (Kaz) will be leaving the states and returning to Japan to play for the Rakuten Eagles, this according to the Denver Post. The switch hitting Matsui played seven season in the majors from 2004-2010, which included stints with the New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Houston Astros.
Matsui was waived by the Astros in May and finished the year in the Rockies minor league system.
When Matsui signed with the Mets on December 17, 2003, he became the first Japanese infielder to sign with an MLB team.
Matsui also holds the accomplishment of being the only player to ever hit a home run in his first plate appearance of the season for 3 consecutive seasons with the last one being an inside-the-park home run (Info from Elias Sports Bureau).
Matsui will be joining ex-MLB veteran Akinori Iwamura who just signed with Rakuten a week ago after being released by the Athletics. Also ex-MLB vet Byung-Hyun Kim may also be joining the Rakuten Eagles as it was reported the submarine pitcher was receiving a try-out with the team.
Boston Red Sox interested in Rod Barajas
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A Major League source close to FOXSports’ Jon Paul Morosi says that the Boston Red Sox are interested in free agent catcher Rod Barajas.
Barajas was not offered arbitration by the Dodgers before the Tuesday deadline, but the Los Angeles Times’ Dylan Hernandez said the team is in contact with the catcher and the Dodgers hope to re-sign him.
The 35-year-old catcher wrapped up the season with the Los Angeles Dodgers after he was acquired by the team in August from the New York Mets for cash. In 25 games for the Dodgers, Barajas hit 5 home runs and hit .297/.361/.578. Barajas signed a one-year contract before the 2010 season for $500,000.
One MLB club has made a bid on Tsuyoshi Nishioka
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to a baseball source close to The Japan Times,at least one Major League Club has made a bid ahead of the deadline to acquire Japanese shorstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka via the posting system. The team nor the bid have been made public, but Nippon Professional Baseball has been notified of the bid amount. The winning bidder, who will be notified on Friday, will have a 30-day period to exclusively negotiate a contract with the All-Star shortstop.
So far we’ve heard the Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padreshave expressed interest in Nishioka. Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman added that the Minnesota Twins are “very much in” on the infielder. It’s unclear if the Baltimore Orioles have made a bid or if they’re even interested.
Nishioka has been posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines and will be represented by the Beverly Hills Sports Council in the United States. Nishioka who can play both shortstop and second base, led Japan’s Pacific League in hitting this year with a .346 average.
