Rumors for team
Buck Showalter hired as manager of Baltimore Orioles
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In an expected move, the Baltimore Orioles have hired Buck Showalter as their new manager, according to a source close to Tim Kurkjian of ESPN. Showalter’s first game as manager will be Tuesday against the Los Angeles Angels.
Showalter, 54, is taking over the Major League’s worst team. The Orioles, currently 31-70, fired manager Dave Trembley on June 4 and replaced him with Juan Samuel on an interim basis.
It’s expected that the official announcement won’t likely be made until after the completion of the Trade Deadline (Saturday, July 31 at 1pm PST). A managerial announcement will not come until at least August, president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail confirmed earlier this week, as he concentrates on the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Showalter is 882-833 as a Major League manager. He has managed the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers in his career. He won the Manager of the Year award in 1994 with the Yankees and 2004 with the Rangers.
Derrek Lee prefers to remain a Chicago Cub
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Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee told the organization that he prefers to remain a Cub rather than accept a trade. GM Jim Hendry confirmed this to ESPNChicago.com.
According to a Major League source, the Los Angeles Angels proposed a trade to the Cubs over the past 10 days for Lee. Lee turned down the deal because he has been in the league for 10 years and five with the same time. Lee also has a no-trade clause.
Earlier this week, Jayson Stark of ESPN said it was “highly doubtful” that Lee would waive his no-trade clause.
The Los Angeles Angels also have been a candidate for Lee. The team has been looking for a temporary solution at first base and a bat since Kendry Morales had his season ended with an injury in May.
The free-agent-to-be, Lee, is batting .249 with a 11 home runs and 44 RBIs.
Rockies will not make trade unless current team improves play
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The Rockies have been playing bad. They just finished a road trip where they went 2-9 and each facet of the game produced poorly.
If management believes one or two well-placed additions could put the club over the top, it is more likely to add payroll or sacrifice youth for experience, as the Rocks did last year when they added a pair of bullpen arms for the pennant race.
But when a team can’t seem to do anything right, sacrificing the future for the present starts to look pointless.
“We’ll still talk to clubs and do what we always do, but we’re going to have to make sure it’s something that fits for us, more so than maybe when we went out on the trip,” Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd said Tuesday. “It’s not like you can go out and make a trade and improve every aspect of the club. The bottom line is some of the players are going to have to start playing better.”
“There’s really not a ton of players on the market right now in the impact category,” O’Dowd said. “There’s one in particular I think if we’re not able to acquire by the 31st probably wouldn’t be there. The rest we’ve come across I don’t think the 31st is necessarily a firm deadline.”
The Rockies are sinking quickly. They find themselves 8 games back in the NL West and 5 1/2 games back in the Wild Card. Hope is not lost in picking someone up as O’Dowd believes many players will clear waivers come August.
Information from Dave Krieger of the Denver Post was used in this article.
FanHouse Staff on MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: Dunn, Podsednik, Jackson, Marlins
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s a quick summary from the staff of AOL FanHouse on the latest MLB Trade Deadline Rumors:
Contract talks are ongoing for Washington Nationals first baseman Adam Dunn. “We’ve been in communication with him [on an extension] for a while now,” GM Mike Rizzo said. “We haven’t made a lot of progress. If it doesn’t get done by the trade deadline we’ll probably keep him through the season and continue working on it.” (Ed Price)
The San Francisco Giants are interested in Scott Podsednik, according to a Major League source close to FanHouse. The San Diego Padres are not going after Podsednik. (Jeff Fletcher and Tom Krasovic)
The Arizona Diamondbacks are entertaining offers for right-handed pitcher Edwin Jackson. We heard the Washington Nationals want him. (Steve Phillips)
The Florida Marlins are not likely to hire a strong-willed, big-name manager like Bobby Valentine. Interim manager Fredi Rodriguez may be a good fit to keep the job. (Jeff Fletcher)
Jorge Cantu may be “falling in the eyes of some suitors.” Manager Fredi Rodriguez thinks the trade speculation has become a distraction. (Jeff Fletcher)
The Red Sox have interest in A’s reliever Michael Wuertz, but Oakland would need to be overwhelmed to move him. (Jeff Fletcher)
White Sox frustrated with other teams high asking prices
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White Sox GM Ken Williams says the team may not make any moves prior to the trade line.”Prices are still too high as far as I’m concerned,” said general manager Ken Williams, speaking to the media for close to 20 minutes prior to Monday’s series opener with the Mariners. “You know, we have a plan and that plan resulted in this team being constructed the way it is.
“This plan also has contingencies based on somebody going down for injury and being able to bring up Minor Leaguers to fill those needs. And next year, we’ve got guys that come up and fill much bigger roles. So you have to be cognizant of making a move that is a little too shortsighted and jeopardizes your future.
However, Williams also noted that if a team lowered its asking price and the right deal presented itself, he would pull the trigger. Williams has been attempting to obtain a bat and has most notably been linked to Adam Dunn and possibly obtaining him in a three-way-deal.
One reason why Chicago might have problems with a trade this year is that teams are asking for pitching prospects in return. The White Sox don’t have any true pitching prospects to deal aside from Daniel Hudson. If the White Sox decide to trade Hudson, the move also leaves them thin in the starting rotation without a corresponding move. Read More→
VIDEO: Matt Garza throws Tampa Bay Rays first no-hitter
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s the video of Tampa Bay Ray’s Matt Garza throwing the Tampa Bay Rays’ first no-hitter of their franchise history:
Garza faced the minimum 27 batters of the Detroit Tigers in the 5-0 victory. The only batter to reach base was a one-out second inning walk by Brennan Boesch. Congratulations Matt!
7/26 13:52: Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets, “Don’t expect #Mets to shake up coaching staff today. Team source says nothing big is happening. “Everything is status quo.”
7/26 02:10: Despite giving New York Mets’ manager Jerry Manuel a vote of confidence last week, GM Omar Minaya could not offer the same to the Mets’ coaching staff after the team failed to score in the final 16 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” Minaya said. “I feel everybody here is trying hard. I could tell you the staff is trying hard. If you ask me [about] the overall performance that has happened, of course I’m not happy. Nobody is happy.
“Guys are doing the best they can. But we’re going to continue to sit down with Jerry and continue to evaluate how we can get better.”
The Mets averaged 2.1 runs per game and hit .196 to go 2-9 in their opening 11-game road trip after the All-Star Break. Read More→
Baltimore Orioles won’t change manager until after Trade Deadline
Posted by: | CommentsDan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun says the Orioles will continue without a permanent manager until at least after the July 31st non-waiver Trade Deadline.
Baltimore’s president of baseball operations, Andy MacPhail, said that he does not have a timeline for hiring someone to replace interim manager Juan Samuel. A managerial announcement will not come until at least August, Macphail confirmed, as he concentrates on the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
The leading managerial candidate, Buck Showalter, is not discouraged by the situation. He has had several talks with MacPhail and he remains interested in the position.
“I’m OK with the process and am respectful of what Juan is doing and with what Andy is trying to do with this organization,” Showalter told The Baltimore Sun today. Read More→
Could Bobby Valentine be the Cubs next manager?
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The ESPN analyst and former New York Mets and Texas Rangers manager says he’s interested in taking over for the retiring Lou Piniella after this season.
Valentine, who led the Mets to the pennant in 2000 and managed the Texas Rangers, calls the Cubs job “one of the most coveted positions in all of sports” and adds “anybody who thinks of himself as a manager would love to be considered as one of the people who might take his place.”
Valentine spoke before Sunday’s game between the Cubs and Cardinals.
He returned to ESPN during the 2009 playoffs after his second stint as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan’s Pacific League. He says he won’t leave the network “unless something very special came up,” and the Cubs job “falls in the category of very special.”
Valentine was close to taking the Florida Marlins head job recently when the plans blew up and he wasn’t hired. Valentine went on TV and said “If this is a major-league process, I hope I’m never in the process again.”
We also heard earlier this week that Joe Torre, Tony LaRussa and Ryne Sandberg as well as other could be interested in the Cubs head job.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this article.
Here’s are a few highlights from Sunday’s article from Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe
Cafardo wonders how to handle the contracts of Prince Fielder, Derek Jeter and Albert Pujols as they all approach free agency. Fielder is approaching free agency soon, his weight is a big issue especially if you’re a GM and you need to valuate a 7 or 8 year contract. The consensus is “buyer beware” with Fielder, but that hasn’t stopped the White Sox or Angels. Carfardo says that a team needing a splash could give Fielder a Mark Teixeira deal and the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles could be in the market for the pudgy first baseman in the off season.
Jeter is a free agent after this season, and he’s 36-years-old. Cafardo wonders if you pay the Yankee icon $25-$30 million each for the next five years? The same goes for Pujols. He’s been great for his first 10 years, but do you pay him $30 million per year for the next 10?
Former Arizona Diamondbacks’ GM Josh Byrnes has received “15 job offers” according to a close friend of Cafardo.
It would make perfect sense for Joe Torre to manage the Chicago Cubs next year. He wraps up his current three-year deal with the Dodgers after this season.
Adrian Gonzalez 2011 option has gone from $5.5 million to $6.2 million because of escalators triggered from 2008-2010. Still a bargain.
Cafardo reminds us that the Yankees may be interested in Kansas City Royals closer Joakim Soria as a setup guy, and a catching prospect Jesus Montero would be a good fit for the Royals.
Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Livan Hernandez could be a half-year solution some teams may begin to consider.
Ben Sheets of the Oakland Athletics was placed on the disabled list, lessening the likelihood that he’ll be dealt.
Baltimore Orioles closer Mike Gonzalez could be a target of the Boston Red Sox.
Cafardo wonders if Red Sox infielder Jed Lowrie could be traded to the San Diego Padres for a pitcher.
Look for Padres owner Jeff Moorad to pull the trigger on an Adrian Gonzalez deal this winter.
Cafardo says it’ll be interesting to see what the Marlins do with second baseman Dan Uggla. Uggla has one more year of arbitration eligibility. Uggla has drawn a lot of interest from a lot of teams, and some think he could move to left field.
San Diego Padres outfielder/pinch hitter Matt Stairs thought he was going to retire after last year. He enjoys San Diego. Maybe he’ll be back for another season.
