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Archives for January 2011

White Sox Sign Kinney, Lindsay

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The White Sox have signed Josh Kinney and Shane Lindsay to minor league deals, according to Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com. Both are expected to receive non-roster invitations to Spring Training.

Kinney will be 32 on Opening Day and has seen Major League time with the Cardinals over parts of three seasons, most recently in 2009. He owns a career 4.56 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, and 3.8 BB/9 over 47 2/3 innings. His minor league numbers are more impressive: a 2.78 ERA over 514 1/3 innings with a strong 8.6 K/9. His 2010 was particularly impressive, as he posted a 1.80 ERA and 0.93 WHIP through 60 innings of work, striking out 7.6 per nine along the way.

Lindsay, 25, has never reached the Majors, likely due to his big-time control issues (career 6.6 BB/9). The Australia native makes up for that to some extent with his career 12.4 K/9. Lindsay began 2010 with the Rockies but was claimed off waivers by the Yankees and then the Indians early in the season. He struggled to the tune of a 5.80 ERA last year, but Baseball America has praised his mid-90s fastball and knuckle curve. He'll turn 26 in a couple of weeks, so he still has time to put it together.

Poll: Where Will Jim Thome Sign?

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After uncertainty early in the offseason, Jim Thome's mind is made up — he'll play in 2011. Any team would love to have Thome's 2010 production on board. The likely Hall of Famer hit .283/.412/.627 and blasted 25 home runs for the Twins, moving into sole possession of eighth place on the all-time home run leaderboard.

However, Thome is unlikely to repeat that line, and few teams can afford his reported asking price. We learned last week that Thome is looking to make up for the meager $1.5MM contract he signed last year, possibly seeking as much as $8MM on a one-year deal.

There's also the fact that several teams already have their designated hitter spot filled and don't have much wiggle room with their roster to accommodate someone who's strictly a DH.

We know there's mutual interest with the Twins, but they picked up Jason Kubel's $5.25MM option and seem to be focusing on Carl Pavano for the time being. The Rays freed up some money in the Matt Garza trade, and have an opening at DH, though $8MM would likely still be too much for them. Batimore was recently linked to Vladimir Guerrero, even after signing Derrek Lee, so one would think Thome should appeal there as well. Same goes for the Angels, though they have Bobby Abreu and Juan Rivera.

Toronto committed $2.5MM to Edwin Encarnacion, but Thome could platoon with him at DH if the Jays plan on using Adam Lind at first base. If Detroit decides to use Victor Martinez as their primary catcher in 2011, Thome could join his fourth AL Central team as their DH as well.

There's no clear fit for Thome in terms of roster flexibility, team need, and available payroll, but eventually, someone will bring him on board and watch him close in on the elite 600 home run mark. Thome sits just 11 homers shy of that honor, and while his health is no guarantee, I'm not betting against him reaching that plateau when he can still hit homers like this one. Let's open it up to everyone:

Quick Hits: Darvish, Balfour, Torre, Sale

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Links for Sunday….

Pirates No Longer Pursuing Brian Fuentes

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Before the new year, the Pirates were identified by SI.com's Jon Heyman as one of a handful of teams with some interest in Brian Fuentes. However, Pittsburgh is no longer pursuing the left-hander, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

When he listed teams' remaining needs, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes opined that the Pirates could use another veteran reliever, making Fuentes a logical fit. Biertempfel agrees that the 35-year-old would have been a good addition to Pittsburgh's bullpen, but suggests the cost is too high for the club. Fuentes is looking for a multiyear deal worth $5MM annually and "doesn't seem inclined to budge."

Fuentes also still appears to be seeking a closing opportunity, with the Rays and Blue Jays among the suitors who could offer a shot at some save opps.

Scott Schoeneweis Hopes To Play In 2011

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Despite posting a 7.41 ERA in 60 big league appearances over the last two seasons, Scott Schoeneweis still feels he can excel as a situational lefty, says Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The 37-year-old tells Cafardo that he's hoping another team gives him a chance in 2011, after the Red Sox released him in May last year.

As Cafardo explains, Schoeneweis found his wife dead of a drug overdose in May 2009, after years of dealing with her addiction. The left-hander acknowledges that his on-field performance may have been affected by the tragedy, but believes he can return to his previous form.

"I have a hard time understanding how I’ve fallen so far off the map," Schoeneweis said. "It’s not sour grapes. My place is more important to be here raising the kids, but for me personally, I wasn’t quite done. My skills haven’t diminished…. The last three or four years of my career were wrought with a tough situation off the field. In retrospect, I’m actually amazed I was able to perform at all."

Schoeneweis spent the first month and a half of 2010 with Boston, recording a 7.90 ERA in 13 2/3 innings prior to his release. While the numbers aren't impressive, the veteran is one of the few southpaw relievers remaining on the market, as MLBTR's free agent tracker shows. There are always at least a few teams seeking left-handed bullpen arms, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him land a minor league deal in the coming weeks.

New York Notes: Castillo, Choate, Garza, Soria

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In his Insider-only ESPN.com blog, Buster Olney writes that the Mets have internally discussed the possibility of simply releasing Luis Castillo. The team has repeatedly tried to free up some money by trading the second baseman, but has yet to find a taker. Olney indicates that it's possible the Mets could drop both Castillo and Oliver Perez before Opening Day. Here are this morning's other New York-related notes:

  • The Mets were one of the teams pursuing Randy Choate before the southpaw signed with the Marlins, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. Davidoff says the Mets made Choate a one-year offer worth about $1.4MM, but the veteran lefty accepted more years and more guaranteed money from Florida. If the Mets still intend to add a Pedro Feliciano replacement, Davidoff continues, it'll probably be someone on a minor-league deal, since the market is thinning.
  • Brian Cashman told Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News that he felt the asking price for Matt Garza was too high to seriously pursue a trade with the Rays. "We never got off the dime, but strong impressions were that it would be something that would cost us more because we are in the division, kind of like Roy Halladay," said the Yankees GM.
  • Considering Andrew Friedman's comments about using the money saved in the Garza deal to sign other players, Chad Jennings of the Journal News wonders if the Rays' targets could overlap with the Yankees'.
  • The Royals have told interested clubs that Joakim Soria will not be traded, a stance which Bill Madden of the New York Daily News finds puzzling. Madden suggests the Yankees were willing to part with Jesus Montero and Eduardo Nunez for Soria.
  • In his blog entry linked above, Olney disagrees with Madden's argument that the Royals need to trade Soria. According to Olney, Soria's contract is so team-friendly it makes it nearly impossible for the Royals to get equal value from the Yankees or anyone else at the moment.

Quick Hits: Liz, Rangers, Cubs, Nationals, Gonzalez

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Links for Saturday evening…

This Date In Transactions History: January 8th

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Now that everyone has recovered from the holidays, the hot stove action has started to pick up. Let's look back at some of the moves made on this date in years past…

Nationals, Eckstein Have Not Talked Recently

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The Nationals and free agent infielder David Eckstein have "not communicated in a long time" according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (on Twitter). Any interest in Eckstein would have presumably been for a bench role, since the team appears ready to start 2011 with Danny Espinosa and Ian Desmond holding down the middle infield.

It's been a pretty quiet winter for Eckstein, other than some news about his return to the Padres being a long shot. His 36th birthday is less than two weeks away, and over the last three years he's hit just .264/.327/.335 in 1,436 plate appearances. He's been relegated to second base defensively for the last two-and-a-half years because of his arm, so it's unclear if he'd even be able to handle the left side of the infield at this point. 

Cubs Acquire Matt Garza

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Eight player trades don't come along very often, but the Rays and Cubs finalized one today. Tampa sent Matt Garza, Fernando Perez, and minor leaguer Zach Rosscup to Chicago in exchange for Sam Fuld and prospects Chris Archer, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos, and Hak-Ju Lee.

Garza, 27, posted a 3.91 ERA with 6.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 35.8% ground ball rate in 204 2/3 innings for the Rays last year. He heads to arbitration for the second time this winter and is set to receive a raise from the $3.35MM salary he earned in 2010.

Garza joins Ryan Dempster, Tom Gorzelanny, Randy Wells, Carlos Zambrano and Carlos Silva in a crowded Chicago rotation. It wouldn't be surprising to see Cubs starters appear in trade rumors before long. If any team could afford to spare a starter, it was the Rays, who still have David Price, James Shields, Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson. The return from the Cubs doesn't impact Tampa's Opening Day roster, but it adds depth to the Rays' already impressive farm system.

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