Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for May 2012

Giants Sign Brad Penny

By | at

SATURDAY: Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com reports that Penny will make the pro-rated portion of a $500K salary while with the big league team (Twitter links). He says the contract language is open-ended, but the target date to have Penny on the roster is May 30th.

FRIDAY: The Giants have signed Brad Penny to a minor league contract reports John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). The Legacy Sports Group client will head to Extended Spring Training next week and is considered a bullpen candidate.

Penny, 33, threw for GM Brian Sabean, manager Bruce Bochy, and pitching coach Dave Righetti today according to Shea (on Twitter). The right-hander started the year with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks but requested his release after just one start. Penny pitched to a 5.30 ERA in 31 starts for the Tigers last season and spent the second half of 2009 with the Giants, posting a 2.59 ERA in six starts.

NL Links: Braves, Mets, Oswalt, Dodgers, Wood

By | at

Here are some links from the National League as the Cardinals and Dodgers play baseball's only intra-league game of the night…

  • Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears the Braves have not ruled out signing Roy Oswalt, but he assumes their interest depends on the price (Twitter link). Oswalt has begun auditioning for teams.
  • The Mets, meanwhile, are not in the running for Oswalt according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.
  • Steve Dilbeck of The Los Angeles Times praises Dodgers GM Ned Colletti for his job building the team that owns baseball's best record.
  • The Reds tried to sign Kerry Wood this offseason, manager Dusty Baker told John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). "But he loves Chicago, and Chicago loves him," said Baker.
  • The Cubs will announce Wood's new position with the team tomorrow, reports Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). He's expected to become a special assistant.
  • After Wood announced his retirement today, Baseball America compiled some old scouting reports from his days as a prospect. "Scouts say Wood is so advanced that he should be ready for the big leagues faster than all but one or two college pitchers," said the publication when Wood was a high school senior in June 1995, less than three years before he made his big league debut.

Oswalt Worked Out For Phillies, Red Sox

By | at

8:14pm: Scott Miller of CBSSports.com hears that Oswalt already has several "very nice offers" on the table, though it's unclear which teams presented them.

3:53pm: The Angels haven't had anyone watch Oswalt throw near his Mississippi home recently, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com tweets.

11:48am: Rosenthal reports (on Twitter) that neither the Yankees or Tigers are in the mix for Oswalt at this time. The righty intends to sign soon, possibly within the week, and pitch in MLB by mid or late June, Rosenthal tweets.

11:19am: The Phillies and Red Sox occupy last place in their respective divisions, but both teams are eyeing midseason reinforcements. Free agent right-hander Roy Oswalt threw a bullpen session for the Phillies last week and worked out for the Red Sox this week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (all Twitter links).

Oswalt is also throwing for two unknown teams, Rosenthal reports. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com hears from someone who expects Oswalt to return within a month (Twitter link).

The Phillies, winners of five consecutive games, are familiar to Oswalt, who pitched for Philadelphia in 2010 and 2011. The Red Sox, who have won six of their last seven games, expressed interest in Oswalt last offseason after the Phillies declined his 2012 option. The 34-year-old appeared to be in good shape during his workouts but was not yet in midseason form, Rosenthal reports. Bob Garber of Select Sports Group represents Oswalt.

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Nolan Ryan Expects Hamilton To Test Free Agency

By | at

Rangers president Nolan Ryan spoke to reporters (including MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan) today, saying that he expects Josh Hamilton to test free agency after the season. Ryan said the team will “put their best foot forward” during contract talks, but he expects the situation to drag out until “either at the end of November or December.”

Hamilton, 30, currently leads the American League in batting average (.399), OBP (.452), SLG (.826), homers (18), and RBI (45). Contract talks between the two sides were a hot topic following the outfielder's four-homer game last month, but Hamilton said he would not negotiate during the season this past winter.

Colletti Expects To Have Flexibility At Deadline

By | at

The Dodgers have the best record in baseball at 25-13 and they currently lead the NL West by six games over the Giants. GM Ned Colletti told Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times that if he needs to make a move to improve his club at the trade deadline, he expects to have the financial flexibility to do so.

"If we have a chance to improve our club, [ownership is] open-minded to doing it and everything that it entails," said the GM.

Guggenheim Baseball Management's first major expenditure could involve retaining one of their own, however. Colletti acknowledged that he's spoken to the ownership about parameters for an Andre Ethier contract extension, and in fact the two sides have been talking since last month.

"I'm not going to get into where it is, but we've discussed it," he said.

Los Angeles has already picked up Bobby Abreu on the cheap, but Colletti could look for reinforcements at first base, third base, and as always, on the mound. Although the GM acknowledged that they will have to deal with Dee Gordon's growing pains – .207/.247/.264 this year – the club could potentially look for an upgrade at shortstop as well.

Minor Moves: Lew Ford, Henry Sosa

By | at

The latest minor moves from around MLB…

  • The Orioles signed outfielder Lew Ford to a minor league deal, according to their Triple-A affiliate (via Steve Melewski of MASNsports.com on Twitter). The 35-year-old last appeared in the Major Leagues in 2007, but he picked up MVP votes after posting an .827 OPS with the 2004 Twins.
  • The Astros have sold the rights of right-hander Henry Sosa to the Kia Tigers of the Korean Baseball Organization, Alyson Footer of the Astros tweets. Sosa, 26, started ten games for the Astros last year, posting a 5.23 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9 in 53 1/3 innings. He had been starting for Houston's Triple-A affiliate this season.

Stark On Myers, Phillies, Wang, Giants, Appel

By | at

There will be interleague games throughout most of the season, starting next year, ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark reports.  MLB will limit the number of interleague contests during the last five weeks of the season to ensure that most teams play within their own league down the stretch. Here are more of Stark’s rumors…

  • Brett Myers told Stark he doesn’t want to be traded, but realizes it’s beyond his control. Though Myers doesn’t have a no-trade clause, he obtains a $500K bonus if dealt.
  • The Phillies have “zero” interest in trading Cole Hamels or Shane Victorino, according to an executive who looked into the possibility of trading for the free agents to be. "They'd have to be really out of it to trade anybody,” the exec said.
  • Some teams have expressed interest in rehabbing right-hander Chien-Ming Wang. The Nationals don’t seem interested in trading him, however.
  • The Giants are sending signals that they’re in the market for a corner outfield bat, Stark reports. The Giants, who are also monitoring the infield market, may not have much selection since few power bats seem to be available.
  • Rival teams believe the Astros are leaning toward selecting Stanford right-hander Mark Appel with the first overall selection in this June’s amateur draft. One person said Astros GM Jeff Luhnow seems to want to select someone close to the Major Leagues.
  • The loss of pitching coach Dave Duncan entered into the Cardinals' thinking when they extended Yadier Molina earlier in the year, GM John Mozeliak told Stark. "With the fact that Dunc was gone, it was a subtle way of still keeping that same presence on our staff,” he said.

Esmil Rogers Drawing Interest

By | at

FRIDAY: At least two AL teams are scouting Rogers, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports.

THURSDAY: The Rockies are drawing trade interest in out-of-options right-hander Esmil Rogers, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. The Rockies are open to moving Rogers in the right deal.

Rogers, 26, has allowed 24 hits, 13 walks and 17 earned runs in 17 2/3 innings so far this year. However, he has 21 strikeouts and his average fastball velocity is a career-best 95.9 mph, according to FanGraphs. Assuming the projected super two cutoff is accurate, Rogers will be arbitration eligible as a super two player this offseason. He can't be sent to the minor leagues without passing through waivers.

Nick Weglarz Clears Waivers

By | at

Outfielder Nick Weglarz has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Double-A, MLBTR has learned. The Indians had designated the 24-year-old for assignment over the weekend, removing him from the 40-man roster and exposing him to other teams. The team has confirmed the move (on Twitter).

Weglarz, the Indians' 2005 third round selection, has spent the 2012 season at Double-A. He has a .202/.295/.333 batting line so far this season, but he had a batting line of .285/.390/.503 as recently as 2010. Baseball America ranked him 58th among MLB prospects entering the 2009 season. Weglarz, who bats and throws left-handed, reached Triple-A in 2010, but has yet to play in the Major Leagues.

2013 Contract Issues: New York Mets

By | at

The Mets are next in MLBTR’s 2013 Contract Issues series:

Eligible For Free Agency (6)

  • D.J. Carrasco - Carrasco, currently in DFA limbo, has no reason to expect a roster spot in 2013, since he's no longer a member of this year's team.
  • Jon Rauch - Rauch has seen his strikeout rate dip to 4.9 K/9 so far this year, and he's generating fewer swings and misses than before. It would be understandable if the Mets' confidence in Rauch were diminishing.
  • Ramon Ramirez - A one-year, Major League contract seems like the most probable outcome for Ramirez this offseason.
  • Ronny Cedeno - The addition of Cedeno has been a success so far, and he's still just 29. Presumably he'd prefer a starting job if one's available to him as a free agent.
  • Scott Hairston - Hairston remains a capable extra outfielder, though it's too early to know what the Mets' outfield needs will be this winter. Alternatively, the Mets could stick with internal options like Mike Baxter.
  • Tim Byrdak - Byrdak has been effective as a Met and could be a fit again in 2013. He won't obtain a qualifying offer from the front office, nor will any of the team's other free agents.

Contract Options (2)

  • David Wright: $16MM club option with a $1MM buyout. Wright can void option if traded. The Mets will exercise Wright's option and they're expected to try to work out an extension with the hot-hitting third baseman. Wright leads the NL in batting average (.411) and on-base percentage (.513), so he'll be paid like a superstar on his next contract.
  • R.A. Dickey: $5MM club option with a $300K buyout. Dickey will be a bargain for this price, and I expect the Mets to exercise the option.

Arbitration Eligible (8)

Pelfrey will presumably be non-tendered, and Acosta will have to pitch better to avoid a similar fate this December. It's possible Torres could be non-tendered despite his defense and .352 on-base percentage. His salary ($2.7MM this year) is on the rise and the Mets have outfielders Lucas Duda, Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Jason Bay. Though four of the Mets' key players will head to arbitration for the first time this winter, this doesn't figure to be a prohibitively expensive class, assuming Pelfrey obtains his release.

2013 Payroll Obligation

The Mets have committed $54.5MM to next year's payroll, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. Their 2012 payroll is below $100MM for the first time since 2004, but they may be able to spend more freely now that the team's owners have reached a settlement to resolve their involvement in Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows FOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top