Rumors for June, 2011
Alex Rodriguez and Cameron Diaz break up
Posted by: | Comments
Yankees third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, and actress Cameron Diaz have decided to part ways according to Christina Boyle of the New York Daily News.
The couple broke up just one month after the actress spoke publicly about their relationship for the first time says Boyle. “They’ve broken up,” a source said. “[Cameron is] hurt and betrayed, because she tried so hard to please him. … She went overboard.”
Diaz and Rodriguez started dating last year and they were often spotted publicly together. There were even rumors that the actress wanted to make a movie with the Yankees slugger, although those rumors were eventually dismissed.
Rodriguez has been linked now to Diaz, Kate Hudson and Maddona, so we could only guess who will be Rodriguez’s next sweetheart.
Want to know if A-Rod’s offensive performance improves or declines while he was dating Diaz? Check out how his home runs per plate appearance changed depending on who he was dating clicking here.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Yankees actively looking to improve their pitching
Posted by: | Comments
At the moment, the New York Yankees are first in the AL East, two games above their arch-rival the Boston Red Sox. According to Yankees’ GM, Brian Cashman, they will continue to look for ways to improve their pitching. (via Joel Sherman of the New York Post).
“We are a championship-caliber-contending team with areas of need that I need to work on,” he said. “We are going to have to continue to look for ways to improve our pitching.”
Sherman says that from what he has heard, the team won’t pursue a “significant bat”, so they will look for offensive improvement within the organization.
Cashman would love to add a left handed reliever because they don’t have too many options in the organization right now, and Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte are both injured.
The team is expected to improve their rotation adds Sherman. “Overall, the pitching is going to be the defining thing for us,” Cashman said. “The pitching has excelled, but it is not wise or prudent to sit back and try not to reinforce and improve on it.”
Even though veteran starters Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon have been outstanding, their health could be a concern down the stretch. Colon hasn’t pitched over 100 innings since 2005, and Garcia also has a history with injuries.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Diamondbacks sign Yhency Brazoban to Minor League deal
Posted by: | Comments
The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a Minor League deal with right hander Yhency Brazoban according to sources close to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.
Brazoban was released yesterday by the Rangers after he exercised his out-clause. Brazoban was signed to a Minor League deal by the Rangers in December. The right hander last pitched in the Majors in 2008 with the Dodgers. He is a lifetime 10-12 with a 4.70 ERA in 116 games and 115 innings throughout five Major League seasons, all of them with the Dodgers.
Image by Ken Lund under the Creative Commons License.
Brian Sabean rips Scott Cousins
Posted by: | Comments
Earlier this week when I wrote about the possibility of Buster Posey playing first base for the Giants I said that we haven’t heard the end of Posey’s pandemonium.
Last week, I wrote about Posey’s “schadenfreude” and how wrong it was to harvest at least a little bit of joy about that situation. Yesterday, Giants GM, Brian Sabean, decided to rip Scott Cousins during an interview on KNBR (via Andrew Barggarly of the San Jose Mercury News).
“Why not be hard nosed?” Sabean said. “If I never hear from Cousins again or he never plays another game in the big leagues, I think we’ll all be happy.”
Sabean also left some doubt if the team will take some sort of vengeance with Cousins.
“He chose to be a hero in my mind,” he added. “and if that’s his flash of fame, that’s as good as it’s going to get, pal. We’ll have a long memory. Believe me, we’ve talked to (former catcher Mike) Matheny about how this game works. You can’t be that out-and-out overly aggressive. I’ll put it as politically as I can state it: There’s no love lost and there shouldn’t be.”
Again, I believe this is wrong. I understand how Sabean and the Giants feel, but harvesting that amount of hatred is not the way either. Sabean should really shut his mouth and apologize to Cousins and the Marlins for what he said.
It’s probably something easier said tgan done, and probably because I am an outsider in the situation I can see it from a different perspective.
Image by SD Dirk under the Creative Commons License.
Hideki Okajima wants to be traded
Posted by: | Comments
Hideki Okajima’s tenure as a member of the Boston Red Sox has been an up-and-down roller coaster as of late. In November he was non-tendered, only to quickly sign a new one-year deal with a base salary of $1.75mm. Then as rosters were being set for Opening Day, Okajima was sent down to Triple-A only to be brought back up shortly after the season started. You still with me? Good. In seven games, Okajima went 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA.
Then towards the end of May, Okajima was released and was later outrighted to Triple-A. But now, Boston have a lefty in their bullpen with the recent injury of Rich Hill. But according to Michael Vega of the Boston Globe, Okajima has little to no hope of being promoted to fill Hill’s spot. “I’d rather not be called up in this situation,” he said through an interpreter. Okajima had made it known that he was hoping to be traded after he was designated.
It’s definitely a new start for me,’‘ Okajima said. “I’m in a new position. It’s all about pitching well and hopefully along the line another team will show more interest in me and I can be traded.”
With a career 3.11 ERA, a team down the stretch may take a gamble on him if the Red Sox agree to kick in some money.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Brewers trade Jeremy Reed to the Twins
Posted by: | Comments
The Milwaukee Brewers have traded outfielder Jeremy Reed to the Minnesota Twins according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He will be assigned to Triple-A Rochester.
The Brewers signed Reed back in January to a Minor League deal and was designated for assignment in April. Reed, 29, played in seven games with the Brewers this season but did not get on base nor did he get a hit. He’s a lifetime .252/.309/.354 hitter in eight Major League Seasons.
Image by Mike Tigas under the Creative Commons License.
Diamondbacks looking for a seventh inning pitcher
Posted by: | Comments
The Arizona Diamondbacks are now leading the NL West, and instead of becoming sellers at the deadline, they are ready to spend money to improve the team.
According to Major League sources close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports Diamondbacks GM, Kevin Towers, is focused on upgrading his bullpen. Towers wants a dominant reliever to pitch in the seventh inning.
They have David Hernandez and J.J. Putz to cover the eight and ninth innings respectively, but they need somebody to accompany them in the late-innings.
Rosenthal says that Towers’ idea is to build a late-innings trio like the Padres have with Luke Gregerson, Mike Adams and Heath Bell. The three of them are supposed to be on the block but may be difficult to acquire as the Padres would probably want more in return since the D’backs are in the same division.
Image by SD Dirk under the Creative Commons License.
Rangers sign RHP Manny Delcarmen
Posted by: | Comments
According to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Texas Rangers have agreed to a Minor League deal with right handed pitcher Manny Delcarmen and assigned him to Triple-A.
Delcarmen was signed by the Mariners back in February. The 28-year old was 3-4 with a 4.99 ERA and 38 SO in 57 appearances for the Red Sox and Rockies last season.
Image by Keith Allison under the Creative Commons License.
Rockies claim Josh Roenicke, Ryan Rohlinger off waivers
Posted by: | Comments
According to the Rockies official Twitter account, the team has claimed right handed pitcher Josh Roenicke from the Blue Jays and infielder Ryan Rohlinger from the Giants. Both players were placed on waivers by their respective teams.
The teams optioned both players to Triple-A. Rohlinger, 27, is a lifetime .134/.183/.194 hitter in 67 at-bats over four seasons with the Giants. Roenicke last pitched in the Majors in 2010 with the Blue Jays. That season he was 1-0 with a 5.68 ERA in 19 innings.
Image by cliff1066™ under the Creative Commons License.
Rangers release Yhency Brazoban
Posted by: | Comments
Right handed pitcher Yhency Brazoban has requested and been granted his outright release from Round Rock according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Brazoban was signed to a Minor League deal by the Rangers in December. The right hander last pitched in the Majors in 2008 with the Dodgers. He is a lifetime 10-12 with a 4.70 ERA in 116 games and 115 innings throughout five Major League seasons, all of them with the Dodgers.
Image by theterrifictc under the Creative Commons License.
