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Archives for April 2012

Quick Hits: Royals, Teixeira, Wright, Rockies, Royals

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On this day in 2000, the (Devil) Rays purchased Dwight Gooden from the Astros.  Doc made eight starts with Tampa Bay before being released in May, allowing him to finish out his career in New York with the Yankees.  Gooden obviously didn't replicate the numbers of his prime in this final season but did post a 4.71 ERA with 4.7 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 for the three teams.  Here's a look at tonight's links..

  • The Royals have hope for the first time in a long time but they'll have to ramp up the spending to truly contend, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.
  • Teams continue to sign first basemen to long, expensive agreements despite mounting evidence that such deals are not very good ideas, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com.  It looks as though Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is in decline in the middle of his monster deal and even Todd Helton's team-friendly pact with the Rockies wound up looking like an overpay.
  • In a piece for CapitalNewYork.com, Howard Megdal wonders if the Mets might be laying the PR groundwork to let David Wright walk at the end of this season.  The Mets hold a $16MM option on the third baseman for 2013.
  • Mike Fontenot could replace Pete Orr on the Phillies' bench as the utility man, but don't expect him to replace Freddy Galvis, writes David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News.  The Phillies signed the 31-year-old infielder to a minor league deal earlier today.
  • Mike Cameron signed a one-day deal with the Mariners today in order to retire with the club and though he may look to be a coach or instructor he vowed to never pursue a managerial career, tweets John Hickey of SportsPressNW.com.

Nationals Designate Brett Carroll For Assignment

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The Nationals have designated Brett Carroll for assignment in order to make room for Rick Ankiel, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter).  The outfielder made just one plate appearance for Washington this season.

Carroll, 29, appeared in 173 games for the Marlins from 2007 through 2010 but has seen limited action in the big leagues since then.  The right-handed hitter has put up strong numbers in Triple-A for his career, posting a .277/.343/.500 slash line in parts of five seasons. 

The veteran was signed by Washington in December to help bridge the gap between Opening Day and Bryce Harper’s eventual promotion.

Dodgers Sale Approved In Court

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The sale of the Dodgers to the group headed by Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson was approved today in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court hearing.  Ultimately, this should mean that the club will be under their control by April 30th, according to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).

A number of issues were addressed during the hearing today, including FOX's concern that the new group had an informal TV agreement with Time Warner Cable starting in 2013, but FOX was assured that no such deal is in place, Shaikin writes.  Major League Baseball also argued for the time and opportunity to review the conditions of the sale such as financing and debt, but ultimately the judge approved the sale (via Twitter).

Rangers Notes: Hamilton, Wilson, Daniels

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The 5-2 Rangers send Matt Harrison to the mound in Minnesota tonight. Here are some Rangers-related notes…

  • While GM Jon Daniels isn't wild about mid-season contract talks he told Jim Duquette and Mike Ferrin of MLB Network Radio (audio link) that the club is still open to getting a new deal done with Josh Hamilton.  Hamilton is also open to talking about a deal during the season.
  • Hamilton has suggested to the Rangers that he should be paid like an elite player, but Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says the outfielder will have to make some compromises on his next contract. The Rangers may seek contract language that protects them against drug or injury issues and probably wouldn't feel comfortable offering a nine or ten-year deal. Yesterday we asked readers about Hamilton’s next contract.
  • Rangers GM Jon Daniels told Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that he's appreciative of C.J. Wilson's years with the Rangers, but doesn't want to discuss last offseason's contract negotiations publicly. Wilson said on The Dan Patrick Show that the Rangers "wasted" his time over the winter (audio here via sportsradiointerviews.com).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Central Notes: White Sox, Twins, Carroll, Brewers

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Things are looking good on the South Side of Chicago as the White Sox find themselves on a three-game winning streak.  They'll look to make it four straight tomorrow afternoon when they take on the Tigers at home.  More on the White Sox and other items out of the Central divisions..

  • White Sox GM Ken Williams termed the club's quiet hot stove season as "boring," writes Scott Merkin of MLB.com.  "At the same time we were confident in our young players," the GM said. "We were still feeling around that veteran deal, something that could bring it all together. It was just different. Not as active. My phone bill was lower."
  • Some were skeptical this offseason when the Twins gave 38-year-old Jamey Carroll a two-year deal to be their everyday shortstop.  Rob Neyer of SBNation looked at other players who went from utility roles to starting jobs so late in their career and was unable to find a true comparable.  Carroll's contract guarantees him $6.75MM with a third year vesting option worth $2MM if he gets to 400 plate appearances in 2013.
  • The Brewers reinstated right-hander Mark Rogers from the restricted list, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.  Milwaukee will assign the 26-year-old to Triple-A.

Angels Notes: Pujols, Gonzalez, Aybar

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The Angels will look to rebound from a 2-4 start to the season this weekend when they take on the Yankees in New York. Here are the latest Angels-related links…

  • Albert Pujols told reporters including Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com that he isn't sure if the contracts given to him, Prince Fielder, and Joey Votto are indicative of future deals for first basemen.
  • Pujols told reporters that he doesn’t miss St. Louis these days, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets. "I'm way past that,” Pujols said. “I have a new family, new teammates."
  • Angels GM Jerry Dipoto said he is "looking under every rock" for relief help, Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times reports. However, there aren’t many quality relievers available, according to the GM.
  • Dipoto said he is not pursuing any free agent relievers, so it doesn’t sound as though Mike Gonzalez is in the Angels’ plans.
  • The Angels are "making progress" toward an extension for shortstop Erick Aybar, Dipoto told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. “I’m very confident that we’ll be able to get something done,” Dipoto said of Aybar, who's on track for free agency following the 2012 season.

Lerner On Kasten, Rizzo, Gonzalez

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Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that ticket sales are up this year and that he’s hoping “all the hype turns into reality.” Lerner weighed in on an assortment of Nationals-related topics; here are the details:

  • Lerner said he doesn’t know or care how valuable the Nationals are. “It’s not something we’re ever going to get rid of,” he said.
  • Though Stan Kasten isn’t prohibited from hiring Nationals employees, Lerner doesn’t expect the new Dodgers executive to lure Washington’s front office staff to Los Angeles. “Stan is an honorable man,” Lerner said. “He wouldn’t do that.”
  • People close to GM Mike Rizzo say it’s doubtful he’d be willing to work under Kasten again. It’s unlikely that Rizzo would have as much autonomy working under his former boss.
  • Rizzo signed a five-year extension following the 2010 season and Lerner said he hasn’t considered discussing another extension just yet. However, he praised his GM’s work and suggested a new deal will occur eventually. “When the time comes, I’m sure we’ll have discussions with Mike.”
  • Lerner called the Gio Gonzalez trade a bold move that the Nationals couldn’t have made a year ago.

Phillies To Sign Mike Fontenot

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The Phillies have agreed to sign infielder Mike Fontenot, Jim Bowden of ESPN and MLB Network Radio tweets. The Phillies announced that the Paragon Sports International client gets a minor league deal.

Fontenot, who was released by the Giants toward the end of Spring Training, was said to be deciding between the Braves and Phillies. He posted a .227/.304/.377 line in 252 plate appearances at second base, shortstop and third base last year. The Fielding Bible Volume III suggests Fontenot provides adequate defense around the infield. 

Philadelphia infielders Chase Utley, Michael Martinez and Ryan Howard are presently on the 15-day disabled list. The Phillies have been relying on Freddy Galvis at second base and Pete Orr on the bench so far this season.

Stark On Dodgers, Fielder, Rays, Braves

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It’s tempting to assume the Dodgers will spend aggressively on free agents once new ownership is in place, but Jayson Stark of ESPN.com says it’s not that simple. Here are Stark’s latest rumors, starting in Los Angeles…

  • Former Braves and Nationals president Stan Kasten, a key member of the Dodgers’ new leadership group, spent conservatively on outside free agents while in Atlanta, and the Nationals didn’t start spending aggressively until Kasten had moved on. Agents say spending lavishly on free agents is not Kasten’s style.
  • Longtime Braves GM John Schuerholz "wouldn't be surprised" if the Dodgers spend big here and there, but he doesn’t expect splashy signings to become habitual.
  • For the first time ever, no MLB team has a payroll below $50MM.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin told Stark that National League teams have trouble competing for free agent sluggers who may have to become designated hitters late in their careers. Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols joined American League teams on long-term deals this past offseason. “When the length of those deals got to nine and 10 years, we just couldn't compete," Melvin said.
  • The Rays aren’t looking for a short-term solution behind the plate, but they’d like to add an everyday catcher who can contribute for years, according to Stark.
  • Schuerholz, who’s now the Braves president, says the team hopes to retain Brian McCann long-term, even though there are “no guarantees” that’s possible.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Kinsler, Baker, Trout, Loney

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Eight years ago today, Barry Bonds passed Willie Mays on the all-time home run list by taking Ben Ford of the Brewers deep. His 661st career blast put him in third place all-time. The ball was caught by the same fan in McCovey Cove who caught Bonds' 660th career homer the night before. Here's the latest from around the baseball corner of the web…

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