Rumors for March, 2011
Luis Castillo set to join the Phillies
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Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com is reporting that Luis Castillo is set to join the Phillies on a minor league deal.
Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reported earlier this afternoon that second baseman Luis Castillo was close to joining the Philadelphia Phillies.
In the wake of the injury to Chase Utley, the match would be good for the unemployed Castillo (who is familiar with the NL East).
Castillo was released by the Mets two days ago, and he was quickly linked to the Marlins and Phillies both teams with question marks right now at second base.
The Mets are responsible for the $6 million owed to him for 2011, but that would be reduced to approximately $5.6 million should he sign with another team for the required league minimum of a little more than $400,000.
Could Luis Castillo be wearing a new uniform by tonight?
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In a tweet by Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com, he says that second baseman Luis Castillo may find a new team by tonight.
Castillo was released by the Mets two days ago, and he was quickly linked to the Marlins and Phillies both teams with question marks right now at second base.
Phillies’ assistant general manager Scott Proefrock was asked about the possibility of acquiring Castillo and he said “That remains to be seen.” The Marlins have internally discussed the possibility of re-acquiring the second baseman as well.
Castillo was hoping to get a new contract to continue his career. “I’m fine, man. I’ve done a lot of things in baseball,” said Castillo. “”I’m going to wait, go home and hope to catch on with another team.”
The switch hitting Castillo posted a .604 OPS in 2011, which ranked 291st among 305 players with at least 250 plate appearances in the majors last year.
Selig monitoring Dodgers ownership situation closely
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In an impromptu news conference held on Sunday, commissioner Bud Selig spoke about the Dodgers’ ownership situation.
“I’m not going to say anything [about that] today,” Selig said. “I have monitored it, and I am monitoring it very closely. But I think that any further comment at this point would be very inappropriate.”
Current owner (ex-wife Jaime is still fighting for 50% ownership via the court system), Frank McCourt, has said that he has no plans to put the team up for sale despite the many questions about his financies.
Selig recently stopped McCourt from borrowing $200 million from FOX which Tony Jackson of ESPNLosAngeles.com says would put more pressure on Frank McCourt to sell the team. McCourt wanted to use the Dodgers’ cable television rights as collateral, extending the team’s current contract with FOX by as many as four years if he did not repay the loan.
One possibility that was mentioned in January was the possible involvement of billionaire financier Tom Gores. Gores and his brother Alec were rumored to be interested in purchasing the club, but those rumors were denied.
Padres claim Pat Neshek off waivers
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The San Diego Padres have claimed right handed pitcher Pat Neshek off waivers from the Minnesota Twins according to the team’s official Twitter account.
Dan Hayes of the North County Times says that Neshek is not guaranteed to make the Padres Opening Day roster since he still has Minor League options left.
The Twins signed Neshek to a one-year, $650,000 deal back in December. He was 0-1 with a 5.00 ERA in 9 innings throughout 11 games.
Joe Girardi refuses to officially name Ivan Nova the teams 4th starter
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Right handed pitcher Ivan Nova is having the best Spring of any Yankee starter. He is 1-0 with a 1.29 ERA, including six hit-less innings in his last outing against the Orioles, but Yankees’ manager, Joe Girardi, still refuses to officially name him as the teams fourth starter according to Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.
“We just want to let it play out. Let it all play out.” Girardi said. “He’s pitched well, he has. I think it’s important that people go out and earn things, and continue to work and show us what you got. He has to earn it. Yes, he had some starts last year but that doesn’t guarantee that he’s our fourth or fifth starter. It just doesn’t. He’s got to go out and earn it.”
Yesterday, we learned that Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon would have to fight over the last spot of the Yankees’ rotation because Nova appeared to have one of the spots locked.
“We’re going to have to make a tough call,” GM Brian Cashman said. “Who do we think is going to help us as we move forward, period. We have to make a bet. We have to bet on somebody.”
“I think ultimately we have guys who have outs in their contracts with Garcia and Colon,” Cashman said. “I don’t know the dates off the top of my head. We have to stretch guys out. We have to start defining roles sooner than later.”
Nick Cafardo on scouts wages, Dennys Reyes and Tim Collins
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Here’s the latest from The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo:
– Most scouts, unless they are directors or special assistants to the GM, live on low wages. “It’s disgraceful,’’ said an agent. “Think about it. They’re entrusted with grooming the most prized possessions of an organization and they could make more money working full-time at a department store or fast-food restaurant. And you can’t say anything about it.’’ The Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees have a reputation of taking care of their scouts.
– Tim Collins has a chance to become Joakim Soria’s setup man in Kansas City.
– The Angels have a surplus of catchers and the Red Sox are looking for one to keep at Triple-A for insurance. Cafardo doesn’t say whether the sides have talked recently.
– The Red Sox’s left-handed pitcher Dennys Reyes is becoming a hot commodity. He could become a roster casualty when camp closes.
– The Orioles are looking for a fifth starter.
– Infielder Drew Sutton of the Red Sox is generating positive reports from scouts. Cafardo says that he could generate trade interest.
– The Giants will have to make a decision on Brandon Belt – whether to keep him in the Minors for now or start him with the big league club when the season begins. If Belt joins the team by Opening Day, the team will have to make a decision on one or more of the following players: Aaron Rowand, Travis Ishikawa and Nate Schierholtz
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Rosenthal on Alex Rodriguez, the Tigers, Dodgers and Manny
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Here are a few notes from around the league provided by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports, as we move closer to the start of the season.
-Alex Rodriguez appears to be in prime shape going into the season thanks to Cameron Diaz. Ok maybe not her but when Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long was asked about Rodriguez he had this to say. “I can’t say enough about his swing, his body, the shape he’s in. Every time he’s up there, I think he’s going to hit a home run.” This offseason, Rodriguez lowered his body weight from 233 to 223 pounds and his body fat is down to 9% from 12%. Rodriguez said he feels like he is in the best shape of his life. Yes most players say this but for some reason I agree with Rosenthal and Rodriguez has my vote for AL MVP (not that my vote means anything).
-The Tigers have an abundance of outfielders and could eventually use one of them as a trade chip to help out the back end of their rotation if it begins to falter. The Tigers will start Ryan Raburn in left, Austin Jackson in center and Magglio Ordonez in right. In the mix for the bench spots are Brennan Boesch, Clete Thomas, Casper Wells and Andy Dirks. Rosenthal has heard that Wells has all but locked up a bench spot as he can play all three outfield spots and is the only left handed hitter in the group. Wells has also been described as the second best outfielder behind Austin Jackson by manager Jim Leyland. Of the outfield options that the Tigers do not keep, they could use them as trade bait for pitching depth.
-The Dodgers are going to struggle this season to score runs unless some of the players have career years. Their pitching will keep them in games but I see a lot of one run demoralizing defeats for them. Rosenthal points out that the average NL OBP is .324. Last year Juan Uribe had only a .310 OBP last season, Rod Barajas .284, Casey Blake .320, Jay Gibbons, .313 Tony Gwynn .304 and Matt Kemp .310. Yes Kemp is showing flashes that he has put the 2010 season and Rihanna behind him which should help him regain his 2009 .352 OBP form. But the others, I’m thinking not so much.
-Most expect Manny Ramirez to rebound from his poor season last year if he is able to stay healthy. Rosenthal spoke with a scout who said “He’s playing with enthusiasm, bringing it again. He’s got his swagger back. He looks like the old Manny.”
Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon could get cut by Yankees
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The New York Yankees have a tough decision to make on for their fourth and fifth starter spots. Ivan Nova appears to have one of the spots locked up according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. That leaves Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon to fight over the last spot.
“We’re going to have to make a tough call,” GM Brian Cashman said. “Who do we think is going to help us as we move forward, period. We have to make a bet. We have to bet on somebody.”
Garcia may have sealed his fate last week by allowing five runs on five hits in six innings. In his previous start he gave up four runs in 2 2/3 innings.
“I think ultimately we have guys who have outs in their contracts with Garcia and Colon,” Cashman said. “I don’t know the dates off the top of my head. We have to stretch guys out. We have to start defining roles sooner than later.”
Kevin Millwood may not get a job by just sitting at home
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Take this one out of the book of common sense, but one evaluator close to Buster Olney of ESPN says that right-handed free agent pitcher Kevin MIllwood may have a better chance at locking up a contract by pitching in games.
“That’s no way to win a job — sitting at home,” the evaluator said.
This is obviously easier said then done.
In hindsight Millwood could have taken a Minor League deal with an opt-out to void the agreement should he not be on the team’s Major League roster when camp breaks. This would give him the opportunity to show off his skill set, but not be forced to ride the Triple-A bus if he is not on the big league team.
The strategy Millwood and his agent, Scott Boras, took was to wait it out with the hopes that a team would offer him a Major League contract out of desperation for a starting pitcher.
Teams that were mentioned in play for the right-hander this winter included the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals. The free-agent could help the back-end of any team’s rotation. He had 31 starts and ate up 190 2/3 innings with Baltimore last season, but was a dismal 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA.
Is Oliver Perez’s time with the Mets done?
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Could Oliver Perez join former New York Mets’ infielder Luis Castillo in the unemployment line? It’s possible after the left-hander struggled in today’s game versus the Washington Nationals.
In 2/3 inning of relief, Perez gave up three hits (two home runs), one walk and two earned runs – not a good sign for the starter turned reliever who is fighting for a spot on the roster.
“We have other guys in here that are working hard and doing a good job from the left side,” said the pitching coach, Dan Warthen said via Tyler Kepner of the New York Times. “He’s trying to make a left-handed job, and these other guys are doing a very good job right now.”
Perez, who is due $12 million, acknowledged that he did “a really bad job”.
“Sandy and I are going to talk about it,” Collins said, referring to General Manager Sandy Alderson. “We’ll compare notes and come up with a plan.”
