Rumors for March, 2011
Kevin Frandsen signs with Diamondbacks
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The San Diego Padres released infielder Kevin Frandsen earlier this morning, and according to BayBridgeBaseball.com’s Jeff Fletcher, their National League West Rivals, the Arizona Diamondbacks, quickly snatched him up.
Dan Hayes of the North County Times, was the first to suspect the release of Frandsen when he observed that he was clearing out his locker.
Frandsen signed a Minor League deal with the Padres early in January. He was set to make $575,000 if he made the Major League roster.
The 28-year old Frandsen is a lifetime .240/.304/.341 hitter with 7 HR and 39 RBI’s throughout four Major League seasons with the Giants and Angels.
Owner confirms sale of Houston Astros is progressing
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Houston Astros owner, Drayton McLane, has confirmed to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that the sale of the team is preogressing and that Houston businessman Jim Crane is one of the three parties in the process of negotiating a sale.
“There is no agreement with anybody, and there are at least three that are far along in the process,” McLane said Friday. “Jim Crane is certainly one of them. There are several others. There is no agreement, and it’s a wide-open field. It’s a long process.”
The sale of the team has been known since November 2010 when McLane retained Allen & Co. to help him sell his franchise for $800 million.
A key figure in Allen & Co. is Steve Greenberg, son of Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg. Greenberg has been labeled as the “King of the Sports Deal.” He has previously counseled MLB commissioner Bud Selig and his family during the sale of the Milwaukee Brewers.
“We’re a lot closer to the finish line than we are to the starting line,” Greenberg said. “We’re toward the end. It’s always hard to predict when you’re going to actually close something out. Sometimes the last few points can get resolved very quickly, and sometimes they can take a month. We’re working our way through it, but I’m not prepared to say that we’re on the brink of a deal at this point.”
McLane purchased the Astros for $117 milllion in 1992 and has taken the franchise to the playoffs six times between 1997 and 2005 with its first World Series appearance in 2005.
Daisuke donates $1 million to help Japanese victims
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Right-handed pitcher Diasuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox has donated $1 million to the Red Sox Foundation to victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports. The Red Sox Foundation will support the Japanese Red Cross Society.
“Our efforts on the field are dedicated to all who are suffering from this catastrophe. We are in this together, so we must overcome tragedy together.” Matsuzaka said
Matsuzaka joins fellow country Hideki Matsui and Ichiro Suzuki in supporting the relief efforts. Matsui donated about $620,000 and Ichiro donated $1.25 million earlier this month.
How many MLB games will your team win in 2011?
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Wondering how your team will do in 2011? Bodog.com has a constantly updating list of over/unders for the coming season that starting in less than a week. The over/under is line originally set by sports book experts and it is influenced over time by the way people bet.
Check out how your team matches up:
| Team | Exp. # of wins |
| Arizona Dbacks | 72.5 |
| Atlanta Braves | 88 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 76 |
| Boston Red Sox | 95.5 |
| Chicago Cubs | 81.5 |
| Chicago White Sox | 84.5 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 85 |
| Cleveland Indians | 71.5 |
| Colorado Rockies | 86.5 |
| Detroit Tigers | 84 |
| Florida Marlins | 82 |
| Houston Astros | 71.5 |
| K.C. Royals | 68.5 |
| L.A. Angels | 83 |
| L.A. Dodgers | 84 |
| Milwaukee Brewers | 85.5 |
| Minnesota Twins | 86 |
| N.Y. Mets | 77 |
| N.Y. Yankees | 91.5 |
| Oakland A’s | 83.5 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 96.5 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 67.5 |
| San Diego Padres | 75.5 |
| San Francisco Giants | 88.5 |
| Seattle Mariners | 70 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 83.5 |
| Tampa Bay Rays | 84.5 |
| Texas Rangers | 86.5 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 76.5 |
| Washington Nats | 71.5 |
The Philadelphia Phillies lead the way with 96.5 with the Boston Red Sox just behind them at 95.5. World Series champions, San Francisco Giants are at 88.5 while the AL Champion Texas Rangers are expected to win 86.5. The Pittsburgh Pirates are at the bottom of the list with 67.5 wins.
Royals acquire John Whittleman from the Rangers
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In a deal that won’t get much attention, the Rangers shipped John Whittleman to the Royals for a player to be named later, reports Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News.
Whittleman, 24, was selected by Texas in the second round (67th) of the 2005 draft. Whittleman was drafted as a “slugging” first baseman but has not played above Double-A.
Whittleman’s career highlight is when he was selected in 2008 to the Future Games (Minor league all star game) and hit a home run. In 6 seasons, the slugging first baseman has 56 home runs with a .242/.353/.389 line.
RHP Braden Looper retires after 12 season career
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After 12-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals, Florida Marlins, New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers, right-handed pitcher Braden Looper has decided to retire, Bruce Miles of the Daily Herald reports.
Carrie Muskat of MLB.com first reported on March 24 that Looper would likely retire if the Cubs decided that he wouldn’t be on the Major League roster. That’s exactly what happened to day, according to Miles.
The Cubs signed Looper to a Minor League deal in late January. If he had made the club, he would have earned about $1 million, and he could have topped out at $3 million if he became a starter.
Looper played for the last time in 2009 with the Brewers. He was 14-7 with a 5.22 ERA in 196.2 innings throughout 34 starts.
Royals trade RHP Gaby Hernandez to the White Sox
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The Kansas City Royals have traded Minor League right-handed pitcher Gaby Hernandez to the Chicago White Sox, Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star reports. It’s not known what the Royals will receive in return, but Dutton thinks it could be cash.
The 24-year-old pitched in Triple-A Omaha in 2010 where he went 10-6 with a 4.91 ERA over 31 appearances (22 starts). He was originally a third-round draft pick of the New York Mets in the 2004 MLB June Amateur Draft.
San Diego Padres release Kevin Frandsen
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According to Corey Brock of MLB.com, the Padres released utility man Kevin Frandsen.
We just didn’t think there would be a fit on the team for Kevin,” manager Bud Black said.
Dan Hayes of the North County Times, was the first to suspect the release of Frandsen when he observed that he was clearing out his locker.
Frandsen signed a Minor League deal with the Padres early in January. He was set to make $575,000 if he made the Major League roster.
The 28-year old Frandsen is a lifetime .240/.304/.341 hitter with 7 HR and 39 RBI’s throughout four Major League seasons with the Giants and Angels.
Mike Sweeney to officially announce retirement
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According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, Mike Sweeney will officially announce his retirement later today.
As of January of this year, the 37-year-old was looking to play in 2011. He was looking for the right fit with a contender and for a Major League deal.
The Phillies had told Sweeney that they would invite him to Spring Training on a Minor League contract, but he was looking for a better fit with more playing time.
With the Mariners and the Phillies in 2010, he hit .252/.321/.444. He has a lifetime .297/.366/.486 with 215 home runs in a 16 year Major League career.
Mariners return rule 5 pick RHP Jose Flores to the Indians
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The Cleveland Indians have accepted back right handed pitcher Jose Flores from the Mariners for $25,000 according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
Flores was picked by the Mariners in the Rule-5 draft. He’ll be reporting to Minor League camp for the Indians.
Flores has a 3-11 record with a 3.92 ERA in 156 innings throughout 79 games, 13 starts in four Minor League seasons with the Indians Organization.
