It's time to take a look back at the week that was..
- The Cards got a bad break this week when they learned that pitcher Adam Wainwright will miss the 2011 season after undergong Tommy John surgery. St. Louis will try to find a solution from within for now, but could start looking for an answer via trade or signing soon. Recently, Chris Carpenter said he wouldn't get in the way of a trade if the club wanted to move him, but its unlikely that they would part with another pitcher under the circumstances.
- If the Cardinals decide to use reliever Kyle McClellan to fill Wainwright's spot, they could use some extra bullpen depth to offset the move. This week they took a look at Kiko Calero.
- White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle said he would be willing to approve a trade if the White Sox were looking to deal him, provided that it is the right fit.
- BoSox president Larry Lucchino assured fans that the Red Sox will extend Adrian Gonzalez before he hits free agency after the season.
- Agent Casey Close will leave CAA Sports when his his five-year contract expires at the end of the month. The high-profile agent represents Derek Jeter, Ryan Howard, Michael Cuddyer, and Derrek Lee, among others.
- The Braves signed GM Frank Wren to a two-year contract extension through 2013.
- The Mets received a $25MM loan from Major League Baseball to help ease their financial troubles.
- Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is downplaying the trade talk surrounding Joe Blanton.
- Former Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth said that he believes the team could have had him and Cliff Lee if they had planned things out better.
- The Indians have reached agreement on a deal with Chad Durbin. The right-hander hoped to join a contender, but couldn't pass up the Major League contract.
- Soon after bringing Nick Swisher aboard agent Dan Lozano added Manny Machado, Yonder Alonso, and Danny Valencia to his stable of clients.
- Veteran infielder Mark Grudzielanek decided to retire this week. The 40-year-old appeared in 30 games with Cleveland last season before being released in June.
- Jose Guillen will consider retirement if he doesn't have a deal soon.
- The Pirates are "in a great position" financially and are willing to spend money, owner Robert Nutting says.
- The Mets signed three players to minor league deals on Sunday.
HerbertAnchovy
Jose Guillen needs to retire, not just consider it. The guy is a joke already, but being left off the playoff roster because of an HGH case is the icing on the cake.
stl_cards16
Doesn’t look like much good happened in the past week. How about we just scrap the whole week, and we will see ya in camp Monday morning Waino?
Brian S
Too bad for Wainwright. Not a Cards fan, but I hope he comes back as good as he was in a year or two. Let’s start the season already…when Mark Grudzielanek retiring is one of the top stories in any week it’s time to start the regular season.