Rumors for April, 2011
Rays may look for another bat to replace Manny Ramirez
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According to Marc Topkin of the St. petersburg Times, the Tampa Bay Rays may look for another bat to replace retired/cheat Manny Ramirez. Though the Rays may not make a move for a couple of months.
Topkin says that part of the reason the Rays will wait for a bit is because there aren’t any quality players available this early in the season.Trade talk doesn’t typically start until mid to late May and doesn’t warm up until after the June draft.
There are also a variety of players that were released, or weren’t in any Spring Training camp, or have agreements with independent leagues to look for, but according to Topkin they won’t provide much help for the team.
The Rays also have the money issue. Although they saved most of the $2 million of Ramirez’s contract, their replacements are costing the team pretty much the same money. Felipe Lopez gets a $1 million salary (with up to $1 million in incentives) and Casey Kotchman $750,000 (with $400,000 in incentives).
Both players are out of options, so neither of them can be sent back down to the Minors without going through waivers. If they decide to go that way, the team could end up losing them and still paying most of their salaries.
Brewers sign INF Luis Figueroa to a Minor League deal
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The Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a Minor League deal with shortstop Luis Figueroa according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.
Figueroa last played in the Majors in 2007 with the San Francisco Giants. That year he hit .200/.200/.200 in 5 AB’s. Heyman adds that Figueroa resurrected his career after a solid season this winter in Puerto Rico.
Nick Cafardo on Bay, Gonzalez, Fielder and Minaya
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Here’s the latest from Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe:
– “One of the worst decisions both by a team and by the player was Jason Bay leaving Boston,’’ said one National League general manager.
– Some baseball people feel that Jayson Werth is a better fit for the Red Sox than Carl Crawford.
– The Adrian Gonzalez deal was done in December, despite it being announced jus this week.
– Suitors for Prince Fielder could be the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers.
– Former Mets’ GM Omar Minaya may soon decide what he wants to do. “I’m a free agent,” Minaya said. He could land a job as a GM’s special assistant or as a scout in Latin America.
Dodgers have to borrow money to pay everyday bills
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The title kind of says it all, but things continue to get worse for the Dodgers and their fans. Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that the beloved Frank McCourt recently took a loan from FOX of $30mm to cover the Dodgers’ payroll obligations as well as expenses (extra police, hot dogs you know those kind of things) into next month.
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.
Steve Sugerman, the spokesman for McCourt, declined to confirm the deal or discuss its terms. “The team is meeting its financial obligations as it always has,” Sugerman said, “and will continue to do so.”
To make matters worse, Frank was sued by the Boston law firm that drafted the since-invalidated property agreement that McCourt had relied upon to establish his sole ownership of the Dodgers. No further details are known at this time of the lawsuit.
So why would FOX continue to loan a man money who they know won’t pay them back? They are banking on McCourt not paying them back so that he will be forced to extend the current TV deal the Dodgers have with FOX. FOX would like McCourt to sign a new TV deal in the neighborhood of $3 billion for twenty-years. FOX is pushing McCourt and willing to loan him money to sign a new TV deal as they recently lost the LA Lakers to Time Warner.
Mets to designate LHP Pat Misch for assignment
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The New York Mets will designate Pat Misch for assignment on Sunday, according to Andy Martino of The New York Daily News.
The left-hander was placed on waivers by the Mets towards the end of Spring Training. He had the option to opt-out of his contract after he cleared waivers.
The 29-year-old was 0-4 with a 3.82 ERA in 12 games (6 starts) with the Mets in 2010.
Injury updates: Rodriguez, Kuo, Oswalt and Gutierrez
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Here’s a running list of injury updates for several Major league players:
– Alex Rodriguez was taken out of today’s ballgame with lower back and oblique stiffness reports Ben Shpigel of the New York Times. There are no tests planned for the third baseman as of this writing.
– According to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Twitter account, left handed pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo has been placed on the 15-day Disabled List (retroactive to 4/14) with a lower left back strain.
– Phillies’ starter Roy Oswalt is confident that he will make his next start according to David Hale of the Wilmington News Journal. He says his mid-back spasms are not related to previous back injuries.
– According to Shannon Drayer of ESPN 710 outfielder Franklin Gutierrez will possibly be sent to the Mayo Clinic for for further evaluation regarding his stomach issues.
– The New York Mets hope they can activate outfielder Jason Bay from the Disabled List next Tuesday reports Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Bay will play in Port St. Lucie today and tomorrow.
– Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger tweeted earlier today that right handed pitcher Chris Young has been placed on the 15-day Disabled List with right bicep tendinitis.
Rangers looking for bullpen help
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The Texas Rangers are concerned that they don’t have a shut down right-handed pitcher to be their 8th inning guy reports FOXSports’ Ken Rosenthal.
One of the team’s options for that role was Alexi Ogando, but he has been one of the strongest starters in the Majors so far. Another option would be Darren O’Day, who is coming off two strong seasons, but according to Rosenthal, the team views him more as a seventh inning guy.
If the team doesn’t suffer a big injury that needs to be addressed immediately, they will focus on getting a power right-hander to become the team’s set-up man before the trade deadline.
It has been mentioned before that the Mets could trade closer Francisco Rodriguez. Rodriguez has an option that will vest if he finishes 55 games, and with all the financial problems the Mets have been experiencing lately, they will probably try to deal him before the trade deadline.
Rosenthal on Conger, DeRosa, Gonzalez and Garcia
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Here’s the latest from FOXSports’ Ken Rosenthal:
– Rookie catcher Hank Conger, could be the team’s everyday catcher. He has started three of the last four games prior to today’s game and manager Mike Scioscia has been working hard with him. According to Rosenthal, Conger has responded well and the pitchers love working with him. Besides that, the Angels other option behind the plate, Jeff Mathis, is a lifetime .199 in almost 1000 career AB’s.
– Mark DeRosa appears to be a very viable trade candidate for the Giants. He’s had only 11 AB’s this season so far and Rosenthal says he doesn’t have a chance to play on infront of Pablo Sandoval. The Giants have their infield set with Freddy Sanchez at second base and Miguel Tejada at shortstop. Their outfield will also be crowded once Cody Ross and Andres Torres return from the DL.
– Rosenthal believes that the Cardinals’ Jaime Garcia and A’s Gio Gonzalez, could be the next young pitchers in line to get contract extensions following the recent extensions given to Clay Buchholz and Trevor Cahill. Gonzalez’s case though is different he still has four arbitration years left, and the A’s would probably have to cover at least his first free agent year.
Brad Emaus will get a legitimate chance to be the Mets everyday 2nd baseman
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According to Terry Collins, Mets manager, the team will give Brad Emaus a “legitimate chance” to develop into the everyday second baseman for the Mets (via David Lennonof Newsday).
“When Brad Emaus made this club, there were some things discussed, and one of them is to give him a legitimate chance,” said Collins. “Putting him in and out of the lineup — we’re not going to get answers out of that, so I got him back in there.”
Lennon says that the team’s other option is to play Daniel Murphy, and adds that it’s a better one, but the team is not ready to cut ties with Emaus after selecting him in the Rule 5 draft.
Collins was asked about what he meant with “legitimate chance,” and he answered that he has a number of AB’s in mind, but didn’t want to reveal it. “I think it’s a qualified number that we’ll get a good idea of how he’s going to do.”
Emaus is currently hitting .200/.294/.200 with 1 RBI in 30 AB’s throughout 12 games.
Braves acquire Stefan Gartrell from the White Sox
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The Chicago White Sox have traded Minor League outfielder Stefan Gartrell to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus.
Gartrell is a lifetime .275/.355/.462 hitter with 83 HR’s and 320 RBI’s in six Minor League seasons with the Chicgo White Sox organization.
