Rumors for March, 2011
Astros sign Fernando Nieve to a Minor League deal
Posted by: | Comments
The Houston Astros have agreed to a Minor League deal with right handed pitcher Fernando Nieve according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Nieve already passed his physical earlier today and will report to Minor League camp.
The 28-year old righty was released by the Pirates earlier this week. He pitched with the New York Mets in 2010. He has a lifetime record of 8-11 with a 4.61 ERA in 99 appearances (19 starts) with the Mets and Astros. He was a non-roster invitee of the Pirates with an invitation to the team’s Major League camp.
Dennys Reyes accepted the team’s request to extend his opt-out date by one day
Posted by: | Comments
Left handed relief pitcher Dennys Reyes, who is battling for one of the final Red Sox’s bullpen spots, has accepted the team’s request to extend his opt-out clause date by one day according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Reyes is scheduled to pitch Friday against the Blue Jays. Now he has the option of getting out of his contract with the team if they don’t put him on the Major League roster by Saturday. “It’s a little bit stressful,” said Reyes. “It’s stressful that you’ve been working so hard and you don’t know the answer and have to wait until the last moment. You have to understand that you have to do everything you can, and that’s what I did. I did everything I could and put all my cards on the table. The last decision is going to be up to them.” The lefty signed a Minor League deal with the Red Sox back in February. He is set to make $900,000 if he makes the team and can go up to $1.4 million with performance bonuses. Reyes, 33, was 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 59 relief appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2010.
No indication that Padres will trade Heath Bell
Posted by: | Comments
According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, there are no indications from the San Diego Padres that they will trade closer Heath Bell.
Rosenthal says that the team is reluctant to upset their fan base before the season starts and especially in the aftermath of trading off superstar first baseman Adrian Gonzalez over the winter.
Bell and the Padres have been discussing a contract as recently as last week. The closer wants to stay in San Diego for three years and is willing to take less money to do so.
“My biggest thing is that I’d like three years,” Bell said earlier this week. “That’s my biggest thing. If it means taking less money, then that’s something I’ll do to make sure I’m here for the next three years or more.”
Bell avoided arbitration this winter by signing a $7.5 million contract in January. He’ll be a free agent for the first time this winter if the sides cannot agree to an extension. Because the Padres are operating on a limited budget, they may be motivated to trade their closer rather than let him walk for almost nothing when his contract expires.
Buck Showalter rips Derek Jeter and Theo Epstein
Posted by: | Comments
Maybe it’s a way for his team to get into the big boys’ heads or the Baltimore Orioles manager just likes to create controversy. Either which way, Buck Showalter is not afraid to call out his AL East rivals days before the season before the season begins.
“The first time we went to Yankee Stadium, I screamed at Derek Jeter from the dugout,” Showalter said in the April issue of Men’s Journal . “Our guys are thinking, ‘Wow, he’s screaming at Derek Jeter.’ Well, he’s always jumping back from balls just off the plate. I know how many calls that team gets — and yes, he [ticks] me off.”
He also called out the Boston Red Sox GM and wondered if he could work his magic with a smaller payroll.
“I’d like to see how smart Theo Epstein is with the Tampa Bay [Rays] payroll,” Showalter. “You got Carl Crawford ’cause you paid more than anyone else, and that’s what makes you smarter? That’s why I like whipping their butt. It’s great, knowing those guys with the $205 million payroll are saying, ‘How the hell are they beating us?’”
Showalter won’t have to wait too long to get the reactions from either Jeter or Epstein. The Orioles visit the Yankees on April 12-14 and they host the Red Sox on april 26-28.
Top 10 Most Valuable MLB Teams
Posted by: | Comments
Here’s the annual list of Forbes MLB valuations per franchise:
1. New York Yankees – $1.7 billion (+6% from 2010)
2. Boston Red Sox – $912 million (+5%)
3. Los Angeles Dodgers – $800 million (+10%)
4. Chicago Cubs – $773 million (+6%)
5. New York Mets – $747 million (-13%)
6. Philadelphia Phillies – $609 million (+13%)
7. San Francisco Giants – $563 million (+16%)
8. Texas Rangers – $561 million (+25%)
9. Los Angeles Angles – $554 million (+6%)
10. Chicago White Sox – $526 million (+13%)
Overall, baseball franchise’s increased 7% with an average value of $523 million. There’s no surprise that the Yankees are number 1 – they’ve been on top for 14 straight years.
Only three teams’ value didn’t increase: the New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians.
Is Freddy Garcia the Yankees’ fifth starter?
Posted by: | Comments
Much has been said about the New York Yankees rotation after Cliff Lee decided to sign with the Phillies and Andy Pettitte decided to retire.
The Yankees began the Spring Training with three starters C.C. Sabathia, A.J Burnett and Phil Hughes and six other pitchers fighting for the fourth and fifth spots on the team’s rotation. The Yankees signed veterans Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon to Minor League deals to compete for a shot at the rotation with internal candidates Ivan Nova, Sergio Mitre, Manuel Banuelos and Dellin Betances.
Betances and Banuelos were cut from Major League camp and sent to Minor League camp which left Mitre, Garcia, Nova and Colon fighting for two spots on the rotation and a spot as the team’s swingman.
Reports coming out of camp have annointed Nova as the bearer of the fourth spot, and it appears that Mitre could be released at anytime. Colon and Garcia will battle for the fifth spot with the loser either being cut or getting a role of swing man – a spot starter or long reliever.
According to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com, Yankees manager, Joe Girardi, may have hinted that Garcia will be the team’s final starter with Colon taking the swing man spot.
Garcia pitched for the White Sox last season so he has recent experience facing Major League hitters while Colon didn’t pitch in the big leagues at all. Colon performed well in the Dominican Winter League, but he hasn’t pitch more than 100 innings in a single season since 2005, so his long-term durability may come into question.
Another scenario that has played out is giving Garcia the fifth starter job and possibly sending Colon to Triple-A to continue stretching him out while getting him more starts. Garcia has indicated that he does not want to go to the Minors, though this scenario seems unlikely, it would at least keep both veteran starters in the Yankees system as starters.
Jorge Posada open to playing elsewhere in 2012
Posted by: | Comments
If the New York Yankees do not want Jorge Posada back in 2012, he’ll find it difficult, but he’ll look elsewhere to play, Kevin Kernan of the New York Post reports.
“I feel like I can keep playing, I feel like I can still contribute,” Posada said.
“That’s the toughest one,” Posada said of the possibility of moving to another team. “I really don’t want to go anywhere else. I would like to stay here.”
The soon-to-be 40-year-old has agreed to switch from being the team’s backstop to the designated-hitter, so he’s open for change. If they don’t want him back in the Bronx, Kernan said believes that Posada has the confidence to make a successful transition.
Posada’s four-year, $52.4 million deal wraps up after this season. The team locked up his long-time teammate Derek Jeter to a three-year deal with the hopes that they would not have to see him in another uniform. It’ll be interesting to see if the Yankees will take the same strategy with Posada next winter.
Red Sox have NOT released RHP Matt Albers
Posted by: | Comments
Source close to Maureen Mullen of CSNNE.com earlier today said the Boston Red Sox have released right-handed pitcher Matt Albers to allow him to play in Japan. Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reports that that GM Theo Epstein has said that Albers is not released.
The Red Sox signed Albers in mid-December 2010 after he was non-tendered by the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the month.
Albers, 27, was 5-3 with a 4.52 ERA in 62 relief appearances for the Orioles in 2010. Albers had a split contract that paid him approximately $640,000 in 2010.
Royals release six Minor League players
Posted by: | Comments
According to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, the Kansas City Royals have released six Minor League players.
The six players are catcher Brian Peterson, outfielder Rene Oriental and pitchers Claudio Bavera, Tyler Gatrell, Matt Morizio and James Thompson.
White Sox trade Kyle McCulloch to the Reds
Posted by: | Comments
The Chicago White Sox have traded right handed pitcher Kyle McCulloch to the Cincinnati Reds for cash considerations according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America.
McCulloch, 25, has a 33-40 record with a 4.54 ERA in 605 innings throughout five Minor League seasons with the White Sox.
