Rumors for January, 2011
Athletics working on a Figgins-Kouzmanoff trade
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The Oakland Athletics are working on a trade that would send third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and possibly a pitcher to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for the speedy infielder Chone Figgins according to Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times.
Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said Friday that he wants Figgins to be their Opening Day third baseman according to Jane Lee and Greg Johns of MLB.com. “I’m looking forward to Figgins being our starting third baseman,” Zduriencik said. “He’ll be here tomorrow [for the Mariners' FanFest]. He’s been agreeable to moving back to third base and that’s our plan, to have Chone be our Opening Day third baseman.”
A source close to Buster Olney of ESPN adds that the Toronto Blue Jays could be involved in the trade talks.
The A’s have shown interest in Figgins in the past as they pursued him last winter as a free agent.
Figgins, 33, hit .259/.340/.306 with 1 HR and 35 RBI’s with the Mariners in 2010.
Jon Daniels extension now a priority for the Rangers
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Earlier this month, we learned that the Rangers delayed the inevitable contract extension for their GM, Jon Daniels, because of their busy off season.
Now that the Rangers are done shopping, team president, Nolan Ryan, said he’s putting a contract extension for Daniels at the top of the club’s priority list, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated adds that team’s officials are optimistic about Daniels’ extension.
“I would expect that something will be done before spring training,” Ryan said. “If he had not been on vacation these last 10 days, we might be much further along. It’s going to be a priority for us for the next couple of weeks.”
Daniels turned down the opportunity to leave the organization at the end of last season. He was a likely candidate for the New York Mets’ opening before it went to Sandy Alderson.
It’s clear that Daniels wants to remain in Texas to be in charge of the baseball operations department that he restructured since being promoted by then-owner Tom Hicks at the end of the 2005 season.
VIDEO: Brian Wilson’s appearance on George Lopez
Posted by: | CommentsSan Francisco Giants’ closer Brian Wilson may be auditioning for his career after baseball. Check out his hilarious appearance on George Lopez:
Orioles agree to a Minor League deal with Nick Green
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According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (via Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun), the Orioles have agreed on a Minor League deal with infielder Nick Green. The infielder will receive an invitation to the Major League Spring Training.
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated adds that Green will earn $600,000 if he makes the team.
Connolly mentions that Green and the Orioles were close to an agreement in December, but the infielder decided to explore other options.
Green appeared only in 14 games in 2010 with the Dodgers and the Blue Jays. He hit .143 with 2 RBI’s.
Dodgers sign Mike MacDougal to a Minor League deal
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According to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Dodgers have signed right handed pitcher Mike MacDougal to a Minor League deal, with invitation to the Major League Spring Training.
MacDougal played in 2010 with the Cardinals. He was 1-1 with a 7.23 ERA in 18.2 innings.
Baltimore Orioles making progress with Vladimir Guerrero
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In a Tweet by ESPN’s Buster Olney, he’s heard that the Baltimore Orioles are making progress in their talks with Valdimir Guerrero. However, the Orioles have been told that Guerrero already has an $8 million in hand – a number that’s about $3.5 million (including incentives) more than what Baltimore wants to offer.
It’s been reported that the sides have been talking about a contract for the past few days, but the sides may be stuck on the contract amount. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports reported that the offer that the Orioles made was for one-year, $3 million – an amount that Guerrero is “not thrilled with”.
It’s believed that Guerrero has been asking for as much as a two-year, $16 million contract earlier this winter. He was hoping to cash in on the .300 batting average and 29 HR’s he hit last year with the Rangers.
Brewers sign 7 players from 40-man roster
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The Milwaukee Brewers have signed seven players from their 40-man roster according to Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel.
The players are:
Right handed pitchers:
– Wily Peralta
– Cody Scarpetta
Left handed pitcher:
– Dan Merklinger
Infielders:
– Eric Farris
Catcher:
– Martin Maldonado
All of this players have less then the three-years of Major League service that is required to be arbitration-eligible, so they are subject to the Major League minimum of $400,000 + cost of living adjustment COLA (Cost Of Living Allowance).
Top 9 Major League Baseball scheduling anomalies: #9-6
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Today it is expected Major League Baseball will announce that the Marlins will move their June 24-26, 2011 interleague series versus the Mariners from Miami to Seattle to accommodate a concert by Bono and U2. The games will be played in Safeco Field under National League rules with the Mariners likely wearing their greys and the Marlins wearing their whites (or they can confuse us all and wear their alternates).
Weird eh? Yes. Uncommon? Not really.
Let’s turn back the block and look at a few other schedule discrepancies that were not planned. Every once in a while Major League Baseball games are played at neutral sites and occasionally there’s an odd doubleheaders that makes you say “huh?”. If you didn’t know any better, it would make you think twice when you saw the highlights on SportsCenter:
9. Marlins playing home games versus Mariners in Seattle: (see above)
8. Construction delays force A’s to open season in Las Vegas: In April 1996, the Oakland Athletics were forced to play their first six-game home stand at 9,300-seat Cashman Field in Las Vegas. The Raiders forced expansion to their shared stadium and construction was not finished in time for the beginning of the baseball season. (Source: Wikipedia)
7. Collapsed beam forces Yankees to play home game at Shea: On April 15, 1998, the Yankees played one home game against the Anaheim Angels at Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets. The team was forced out of their stadium because a beam collapsed at Yankee Stadium two days before, destroying several seats. The Mets had a home game that same night against the Chicago Cubs. The Yankees used the visitor’s locker room and dugout and the Angels used the home dugout and the old locker room of the New York Jets. (Source: Wikipedia)
6. Blue Jays play a home series versus the Phillies in Philadelphia: This is the most recent case of scheduling anomalies. The G20 Summit in 2010 caused security concerns in Toronto and forced the three game series to be moved to Philadelphia. The Blue Jays took the home gate receipts and final results were counted as either a home (Blue Jays) or road (Phillies) win/loss. Individual statistics for the Phillies were counted as home stats and the Blue Jays’ players were credited for road stats. The big kicker was that Roy Halladay could not return to the place where he started his career. (Source: PRO Rumors)
Looking for #5-1? Click here!
LHP Joe Beimel agrees to Minor League contract with Pirates
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The Pittsburgh Pirates have officially announced that they have agreed to terms with left-handed free agent pitcher, Joe Beimel.
Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com says that although Beimel isn’t guaranteed a spot on the Major League roster, he is expected to fill one of the team’s bullpen spot on Opening Day.
“It would probably be like the [D.J.] Carrasco situation last year, where there is every expectation in the world that he’s going to make our club,” Pirates’ GMNeal Huntington said of Beimel’s chances to make the club. “But he still has to go out and perform. Anything we can do to increase the depth of our bullpen is a good situation.”
John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus was the first to report that there was a good chance that Beimel would do so with the Denver Posts’ Troy E. Renck confirming the agreement.
There had been previous rumors that five teams were interested in the reliever including the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. He also had several offers on the table, but was patient to find the right opportunity with the team that he wanted.
Beimel was 1-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 71 relief appearances for Colorado in 2010. Beimel pitched for Duquesne Univeristy (in Pittsburgh), has family is in the area and was recruited by former Rockies’ manager, Clint Hurdle.
Rays sign Casey Kotchman to Minor League deal
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The Tampa Bay Rays have signed first baseman Casey Kotchman to a Minor League deal with an invitation to Spring Training, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated adds that Kotchman will receive $750,000 plus performance bonuses. The assumption is that these payments are contingent upon the first baseman making the team. Kotchman made $3.5 million last season.
If Kotchman makes the team, he will return home where he was born and attended Seminole High School in nearby Seminole, Florida.
Kotchman spent all of the 2010 season with the Seattle Mariners after he was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Mariners. The 27-year-old is a lifetime .259/.326/.392 hitter. He’ll have the opportunity to spell Dan Johnson at first base and get time as a designated hitter if he makes the big league roster.
