Rumors for December, 2010
Brewers claim RHP Roque Mercedes off waivers
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According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, the Milwaukee Brewers claimed RHP Roque Mercedes off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Mercedes, 24, has a 24-26 record with a 4.43 ERA in 168 Minor League appearances (53 starts). He has yet to play in the Major Leagues.
Padres acquire Rob Johnson from Seattle
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The San Diego Padres have acquired catcher Rob Johnson from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a Player to be Named Later or cash considerations according to the Padres’ official Twitter account.
Johnson was designated for assignment earlier this month by the Mariners.
Angels out of Adrian Beltre Negotiation?
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There are conflicting reports on the Los Angeles Angels’ negotiations with Adrian Beltre.
Earlier this morning, a source close to Joe McDonnell of KFWB, says the Los Angeles Angels have dropped out of the Beltre negotiations after “making him (Beltre) an incredible offer”. The offer was rejected by Beltre and his agent, Scott Boras, and “there’s no room for further negotiation.”
However, Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports said the Angels have not given up their pursuit of Beltre, but they may not be close to agreeing to a deal. It’s believed that Beltre is seeking a five-year, $85-$90 million deal or even a six-year deal with a comparable salary.
Last week it was reported by Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, that the Angels made a “significant offer” to the free agent. The offer was believed to be in the five-year, $70 million range.
The Oakland Athletics had reportedly offered the third baseman a five-year, $64 million deal sometime last month, but have since gone in a different direction after Beltre has turned them down twice in as many years.
Indians officially sign Travis Buck
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According to MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian, the Cleveland Indians have officially signed outfielder Travis Buck to a split contract. Bastian first reported the Minor League deal on December 20. He adds that the deal will include an invitation to the team’s Major League Spring Training and he will make $625,000 if he is on the Major League roster.
In four seasons with the Oakland A’s, he hit .250/.330/.424 in 170 Major League games. He played 14 games in the big leagues last year – splitting time between left and right field.
Nationals officially sign Rick Ankiel
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The Washington Nationals have officially signed outfielder Rick Ankielaccording to the team’s official Twitter account.
Yesterday, Ankiel agreed to terms with Washington on a one-year $1.5 million deal. The deal will include $1.25 million in performance bonuses.
Ankiel, 31, split time between the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals in 2010. He hit .232/.321/.389 with 6 home runs and 24 RBIs in 74 games in 2010.
Blue Jays sign Corey Patterson
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In a Tweet by Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press, the he says the Toronto Blue Jays have signed Corey Patterson and five others to Minor League deals.
The veteran outfielder played with the Baltimore Orioles in 2010. In 90 games, he hit .269/.315.406 with 8 home runs and 32 RBIs.
Brandon Webb rumors: Webb not expected to decide today
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On Monday, we heard the Texas Rangers, along with the Chicago Cubs, were the front-runners to land free agent pitcher Brandon Webb. T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com confirmed that the Rangers are exploring the possibility of signing the right-hander, and a source told him that the Rangers are “very much in the mix”, but the team is not as far along as people are saying it is.
Sources close to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports say that Webb isn’t expected to decide on a team today.
The club has not met with Webb and there are no plans to do so.
Club officials said on Monday that the Rangers are “exploring a number of things.”
The Rangers are looking to add pitching depth, and general manager Jon Daniels has been known to take chances on players such as Webb. The Rangers look for players coming off injuries or other problems to see if they can find their way to their old level of success on an incentive-laden contract.
Athletics officially sign Rich Harden
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The Oakland Athletics have officially signed right handed pitcher Rich Harden, according to Denver Post’s Troy Renck.
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated says the deal is for $1.5 million plus incentives.
Renck adds that Harden will compete with Brandon McCarthy for a spot in the Oakland rotation. If Harden does not make the rotation, he will then become an important option in the Oakland bullpen.
The right-handed pitcher drew interest from Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers and the Colorado Rockies early in December at the Winter Meetings.
Harden, 28, was 5-5 with 5.58 ERA in 20 appearances for the Rangers this season. He does have a career 3.63 ERA which is why teams are probably showing interest in the pitcher. He made $7.5 million on a one-year contract with Texas.
Pete Rose Jr. to manage White Sox Minor League team
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According to a Chicago White Sox press release, the team has announced that Pete Rose Jr., the son of Major League Baseball’s all-time hits leader, will manage the team’s Advanced Rookie Bristol team. He will be assisted by pitching coach Larry Owens, hitting coach Greg Briley, trainer Kevin Pillifant and conditioning coach Ibrahim Rivera.
The 41-year-old Rose played 11 Major Leagues games in his career – all with the Cincinnati Reds in 1997. He finally gave up his playing career when he was released by the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball on September 14, 2009.
In 2006, Rose was convicted and sentenced to one month in federal prison for distributing gamma butyrolactone (GBL) to his teammates in the late 1990’s.
Information from the Wikipedia was used in this post.
Nationals remain interested in RHP Carl Pavano
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In an article by Bill Ladson of MLB.com, he says the Washington Nationals remain interested in right-handed pitcher Carl Pavano. He adds that the sides had talked as recently as Sunday.
The Nationals’ interest in Pavano became known earlier this month, along with their interest in filling their first base need with Derrek Lee or Adam LaRoche. Pavano’s agent, Tom O’Connell said earlier this month, that there is “no timetable” for his client to make a decision about where he will pitch next.
Pavano, 34, has also drawn heavy interest from his former club, the Minnesota Twins. The right-hander was 17-11 with a 3.75 ERA in 2010 with the Twins.
