Rumors for September, 2011
Red Sox tried to acquire Chris Capuano from Mets
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In a report by the Boston Herald, a source close to John Tomase said the Red Sox tried to acquire Chris Capuano from the New York Mets in exchange for cash. The team wanted to have Capuano start against the New York Yankees on Sunday.
While Capuano would not have been eligible for the postseason, he would have helped the struggling Red Sox rotation as they attempt to clinch a playoff spot.
Capuano is 11-12 and has a 4.55 ERA with a 159 strikeouts this season.
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Manny Ramirez wants to play in 2012
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Veteran outfielder Manny Ramirez is planning to end his brief retirement and play in 2012 according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (No, this is not a September’s Fool joke).
Back in April the controversial Ramirez retired after being informed by MLB of an “Issue” regarding the Drug Prevention program. He was looking at a 100 game suspension at the moment because it was his second offense.
Earlier this month Ramirez said he was going to play Winter League in the Dominican Republic, but because their Winter League is affiliated with MLB, commissioner Bud Selig considers him ineligible to play.
Now, Ramirez wants to make a comeback even if it is in Japan. “I informed Scott Boras about my decision and he began the process,” said Ramirez. “If somebody wants to sign me in the Majors I’ll play, if not I’ll try to play in Japan or any other place. I wasn’t ready for retirement.”
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Angels, Rays shrink gap with the Red Sox for the AL Wild Card
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At the beginning of the season nobody thought the Red Sox would be in this position (fighting in the last weeks just to make it to the post season). And now even if they make it to the post season, they will finish once again in the Yankees’ …. (to quote a line from the motion picture “Fever Pitch”).
As of today, the Rays and the Angels are just 2.5 games behind the Red Sox for the AL Wild Card. And it is not completely crazy to think that either one of them could clinch the post season berth and leave the Red Sox out of the post season for a second year in a row.
The Red Sox have to go now to the “House of pain” A.K.A Yankee Stadium (quoting “Fever Pitch” again), to play a three game series. It is true the Yankees already clinched the division, but I’m sure they won’t make things easier for the struggling Red Sox. After that, the Red Sox will complete their 162-game season with three more games at Baltimore.
The Rays on the other hand have one game left at Yankee Stadium and then they will go home to host the Blue Jays and the Yankees for three games each. Not easy either, but at least they will have the home field advantage for the last two series.
Now let’s talk about the Angels, in my opinion this team has the best pitching staff to make the last push. Today they’ll play the Blue Jays one final time, with Ervin Santana on the mound against Venezuelan rookie Henderson Alvarez. Then they’ll go home to play a three game series against the A’s and the Rangers, who will probably clinch the division by then.
At this point I don’t want to say who is going to win the AL Wild Card, because let’s face it, my predictions have sucked so far, but I’m sure whoever wins it will do it in the last minute.
Cardinals, Berkman agree to a one-year extension
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The St. Louis Cardinals and outfielder Lance Berkman have agreed to a one-year contract extension according to the team official Twitter account.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch adds that Berkman will get $12 million guaranteed. Earlier this week, we learned that both parts had a difference of opinion about the player’s value.
Vladimir Guerrero not thinking about retirement
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Orioles designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero is not thinking about retirement even though the Orioles are unlikely to re-sign him, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports.
Guerrero is on the verge of becoming the All-Time MLB hits leader for a Dominican Republic player, and Connolly says that he wants” to build on that record for another couple seasons.”
“Right now I don’t know how to feel,” said Guerrero. “We’ll see when the time comes.”
“I feel I can play two or three more years,” he added. “And I just need to work a little harder this offseason when I go to the Dominican and see what happens.”
Guerrero is hitting .292/.320/.421 with 13 HR’s and 60 RBI’s in 534 AB’s for the Orioles in 2011.
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Manny Ramirez can’t play in Winter League
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Disgraced baseball superstar, Manny Ramirez, can’t play in the Dominican Winter League despite his intentions becoming public knowledge yesterday. According to an MLB official close to ESPN.com, because the Dominican Winter League is affiliated with MLB, commissioner Bud Selig considers him ineligible to play.
Yesterday, it was reported that the president of the Eagles, Winston Llenas, said that Ramirez was expected to start training with his team next week.
Ramirez retired in April after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. He also faces criminal charges in Florida after being accused of slapping his wife in a recent argument.
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Royals designate Kila Ka’aihue For Assignment
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The Kansas City Royals have designated Kila Ka’aihue for assignment, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The move was done to create a roster spot for right-handed reliever Kelvin Herrera.
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Nationals interested in C.J. Wilson?
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According to baseball sources close to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, the Washington Nationals have sent a scout to Oakland to watch C.J. Wilson pitch tonight.
Ladson adds that the Nationals GM, Mike Rizzo, was not available for comments, but he says that it is not a secret that the Nats are looking for pitching depth.
Wilson will be a free agent after this season, and this could mean that the Nationals could be interested in signing him this winter. The lefty is 16-7 with a 2.97 ERA in 215.1 innings throughout 32 starts with the Rangers in 2011.
Are the Reds picking up Phillips’ option?
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According to Reds GM, Walt Jocketty (via John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer), second baseman Brandon Phillips will be back with the team in 2012. That could mean the team is picking up his 412 million option.
Fay also adds that the Reds and Phillips have had “preliminary talks on an extension.” Back in February, we learned that Phillips wanted an extension from the Reds, but as late as June there were no talks between the two.
Phillips is hitting .294/.346/.452 with 18 HR’s and 81 RBI’s in 586 AB’s with the Reds in 2011.
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Aramis Ramirez not optimistic about a return with the Cubs
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Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez left Tuesday’s game with a mild quad strain and he believes that could have been his last game as a Cub at Wrigley Field reports Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
Ramirez was asked if that was his last game there. “Probably,” said Ramirez. “There’s a good chance. I’m a free agent and I don’t know what’s going to happen. But it looks like I’m going to hit the market.”
The veteran third baseman has a $16 million club option, but he hasn’t heard anything from the Cubs about his option. “We don’t have a GM, so I don’t know who you talk to,” he said.
A couple of days ago, we learned that Ramirez was on the Marlins’ radar. The Marlins are moving to a new stadium in 2012 and a veteran like Ramirez could serve them well.
Ramirez is hitting .306/.360/.506 with 25 HR’s and 92 RBI’s in 559 AB’s with the Cubs in 2011.
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