Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Erik Bedard

Wang Has Offers, Could Sign Soon

By | at

5:04pm: MLB.com's Bill Ladson reports that the Nationals are "aggressively pursuing" Wang, and that they are one of the finalists for his services. Ladson adds that it's unknown if they've made him an offer, though.

4:02pm: Chien-Ming Wang has received offers from two clubs and could sign soon, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Mets and Dodgers are not among the teams to offer Wang a contract. Rosenthal hears that the 29-year-old Wang would like to play for Joe Torre again, but Torre's Dodgers are lagging behind in their pursuit of the right-hander. As for the Mets, they're even further behind than the Dodgers.

The Orioles have discussed Wang and the Cardinals, Nationals and Phillies have all been connected to him this offseason. Rosenthal says the Blue Jays were in on Erik Bedard and wonders if they could pursue Wang, too.

Wang, who is recovering from arthroscopic shoulder surgery, will likely make a decision within a week or ten days.

Odds & Ends: Hudson, Red Sox, Bedard, Mets

By | at

A Super batch of links..

  • In a piece for Fangraphs, Dave Cameron writes that the Twins are in the mix for the best offseason in baseball.  Earlier this week, Minnesota agreed to a one-year deal with Orlando Hudson for just $5MM and appear to be close to locking up Joe Mauer.
  • Even former Met Darryl Strawberry offered up a critique of the Mets' quiet offseason, writes Newsday's David Lennon. Strawberry said that the offseason "could have been better," when asked about it. Lennon's piece looks at some offseason targets that never became a reality for New York.
  • Following up on yesterday's news that Bobby Kielty is converting to a pitcher, MLBTR heard from Kielty himself via email. Kielty says his ultimate goal is to be a right-handed bat off the bench and eat up some relief innings if necessary. He threw some bullpens for the Mets last season and has thrown for Oakland as well. Kielty says he reads MLBTR every day. Thanks for the support, Bobby!
  • Peter Abraham has the full list of players who will be with the Red Sox in training camp this year.
  • Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun reports that Erik Bedard seriously considered an offer from the Orioles similar to the deal he signed to return to Seattle. 
  • Joel Sherman of The New York Post spoke one agent about the Mets, who said "How can you have that payroll and still not have a starting catcher or first baseman, a second baseman you hate and no legitimate starters after Johan?”
  • Paul Lo Duca is unlikely to accept a minor league assignment if he doesn't make the Rockies, reports Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. Colorado signed Lo Duca to a minor league deal in January.
  • Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says that Pirates' GM Neal Huntington admitted that there are "a lot of rumblings" that prospect Jose Tabata might actually be in his mid-20's. Tabata's listed age is 21, and ESPN's Keith Law ranked him as the 57th best prospect in baseball last month. The Pirates originally acquired Tabata from the Yankees in 2008 as part of the Xavier Nady–Damaso Marte trade.

Mariners Re-Sign Erik Bedard

By | at

The Mariners officially re-signed Erik Bedard today to a one year deal worth $1.5MM guaranteed with a mutual option for 2011 worth $8MM. Incentives based on games and time in the majors could bring the total payout in 2010 close to $8.5MM, and there are similar escalators for 2011 as well. The southpaw started throwing at his Navan, Ontario home last month, and said the Mariners were his "first choice."

Bedard, 31 in March, believes he could be pitching in May after having surgery last August to repair a frayed labrum and inflamed bursa in his throwing shoulder, though a June or July return may be more realistic. He'd previously had a shoulder procedure in September of '08 to remove a cyst. The Mariners were satisfied enough with his physical to go forward with the deal. 

Hip and arm injuries have limited Bedard to just 30 starts and 164 innings since initially coming to Seattle in a six-player blockbuster with the Orioles two years ago, however those were high quality innings: 3.24 ERA, 8.9 K/9, 3.87 FIP. Once healthy, he'll slot in behind Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee to form a potent 1-2-3 punch in the Great Northwest. 

GM Jack Zduriencik has been a very busy man this winter. In addition to bringing back Bedard, he also imported in Lee, Chone Figgins, Milton Bradley, Eric Byrnes, Brandon League, Ryan Garko, and Casey Kotchman while locking up Hernandez and Franklin Gutierrez to long-term deals. The Orioles, Royals, and Red Sox also had varying degrees of interest in Bedard this offseason. 

MLB.com's Jim Street initially reported the agreement, while Marc Brassard of Le Droit confirmed the deal and the terms. Kirby Arnold of The Everett Herald, Larry LaRue of The News Tribune, Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com (Twitter), and Larry Stone of The Seattle Times (Twitter) added details along the way. 

Mike Axisa contributed to this post.

Olney On Verlander, Branyan, Bedard

By | at

ESPN.com's Buster Olney points out that Orlando Hudson would likely benefit from hitting in front of Joe Mauer. Those hitting before Mauer saw lots of fastballs last year and Hudson hits the heater well. Here are Olney's rumors:

  • An AL scout calls the Justin Verlander deal a "solid sign for the club." An NL GM calls Verlander a "top-of-the-rotation type, long term." An NL scout says it's a "great signing" for the Tigers if the righty stays healthy.
  • Despite concerns about Russell Branyan's back, one current coach says the slugger looks good in workouts. 
  • Some within the industry believe Erik Bedard could miss months of the upcoming season. The lefty is close to signing with the Mariners. 

Odds & Ends: Tejada, Lincecum, Bedard

By | at

Some links for your Tuesday night…

Stark On Damon, Bedard, Phillies, Smoltz, Gregg

By | at

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com points out that teams aren't handing out long-term contracts as liberally as they were a few years ago. We've seen just eight contracts of three-plus years this offseason, after seeing 13 such contracts in each of the previous two winters. The offseason before that? Players signed 29 contracts of three years or more. Here are Stark's rumors:

  • Detroit doesn't seem that interested in Johnny Damon and the Braves haven't spoken with Damon's agent, Scott Boras, in a month and a half. The Rays have checked in, but they have little to spend.
  • Erik Bedard and the Orioles have mutual interest in a reunion, Stark hears. 
  • The Phillies would like to add a veteran left-handed reliever on a minor league deal, but Alan Embree and Ron Mahay are holding out for big league deals at this point, despite the Phillies' interest. 
  • Kevin Gregg is high on the Rockies' shopping list. They're looking at infield options and hoping to save enough money to shore up their bullpen, too. 
  • The Blue Jays have told clubs that Scott Downs and Jason Frasor are available. The Cubs have checked in on the pair of relievers. 
  • The Royals have told teams they're "open minded" about moving Gil Meche or Brian Bannister. 
  • John Smoltz is in no rush to sign. He's open to waiting for a few months, since he'd like a starting job and some execs question his ability to start for an entire season. 
  • Ben Sheets will be the first A's pitcher to make $10MM (though some believe Sheets will be traded before the end of the year).
  • Mark Prior is throwing off a mound and would like to make a comeback. 

Royals Interested In Erik Bedard

By | at

The Royals are looking into signing Erik Bedard, tweets Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star. The Royals need upcoming moves to be "payroll neutral," so the team will have to shed as much salary as it adds. Mellinger doesn't think the club is likely to sign Bedard.

The 30-year-old pitched just 83 innings last year, allowing 65 hits and 34 walks to go along with 90 strikeouts for a 2.82 ERA. Bedard hasn't had an ERA above 4.00 since 2004, but he's been slowed down by injuries.

Bedard's most often been linked to the Orioles this offseason, but earlier in the winter the Royals were reportedly pursuing the left-hander.

Orioles Notes: MacPhail On Bedard, Hendrickson

By | at

According to MASN's Roch Kubatko, the Orioles are simply looking for "any kind of pitching" as the club winds down its winter shopping.  While corner infield help ostensibly remains at the top of Baltimore's shopping list, O's GM Andy MacPhail told Kubatko that it isn't a critical priority given the club's organizational strength at the corners (i.e. prospects Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder).

As for pitching, however, MacPhail said, "we'll always sort of stay in the hunt for pitching."  Here's what MacPhail had to say about two potential free-agent targets…

  • Erik Bedard.  We've heard some rumors about the O's looking to bring the left-hander back to Baltimore, but the lack of activity should not be taken as a decline in interest on the club's part.  Bedard "doesn't seem to be in a rush to sign" with anyone, and MacPhail noted that Bedard was likely to sign "a late-January type deal anyway, if that."  Given how Bedard's probable contract will be a one or two-year, incentive-laden deal, it makes sense that clubs would wait to see how the rest of the offseason pitching market shakes down before making Bedard an offer.  MacPhail added that based on some preliminary medical information the Baltimore staff has received about Bedard, the southpaw will be able to pitch before midseason, contrary to what some reports have suggested. 
  • Mark Hendrickson.  It's been widely assumed that Hendrickson would re-sign with Baltimore, and the pitcher himself said he was hoping to get a deal done quickly back in October.  But now we're a third of the way through January and the left-hander is still a free agent.  MacPhail said the team is still interested in bringing Hendrickson back, but they have been waiting "to see how some of these other things play out, as far as what we do and how extensive it's going to be and how our roster shapes up.  So we can't quite commit yet, but we never pretended that there wasn't interest." 

Kubatko also reported that the door seems to be closed on Ben Sheets joining the Orioles.  Sheets fit the Bedard mold as a pitcher who would sign a short-term deal, but Kubatko said Baltimore asked for (and never received) Sheets' medical records.  Sheets "apparently wants to be paid as if he isn't a health risk," which is a pretty firm negotiating stance for a pitcher who hasn't appeared in a Major League game since 2008.

Marlins Notes: Amezaga, Uggla, Coghlan

By | at

MLB.com's Joe Frisaro answered some questions from fans and discussed all things Marlins in his latest inbox piece…

  • Though Florida non-tendered Alfredo Amezaga earlier this month, "both sides have mutual interest" in seeing the utilityman back in the teal-and-black.  Amezaga played in just 27 games last season due to knee surgery, and was non-tendered since he likely would have earned an arbitration raise from his 2009 salary of $1.3MM.  If the Fish are hoping to sign Amezaga at a lower price, however, they'll have to make a better offer than the other 10 teams interested in Amezaga's services.
  • If Dan Uggla is traded, Frisaro thinks that it isn't automatic that Chris Coghlan would take over at second base.  Frisaro thinks the defensively-superior Emilio Bonifacio would be given a shot at playing second, though he notes that both Bonifacio and Coghlan combined couldn't make up Uggla's power numbers.
  • Frisaro shoots down any chance of the Marlins pursuing Erik Bedard, since even on a short-term and discounted contract, he's still out of the club's price range.
  • Moreso than finding a starter, Frisaro says that Florida's greater priority is signing an experienced reliever.

Odds & Ends: Vazquez, A’s, Orioles, Marlins

By | at

A few links…

  • ESPN's Keith Law rated David Ortiz signing with Boston as the best free agent pickup of the decade. Darren Dreifort's deal with the Dodgers was the worst, and he called the Erik Bedard trade the biggest of the decade. That last one is certainly debatable; I prefer the Bartolo Colon for Grady Sizemore (plus others) deal.
  • Interestingly, Yankees' GM Brian Cashman noted today that the club tried to acquire Javier Vazquez from Arizona after 2005 and the White Sox after 2008, “but we just didn’t match up," reports Chad Jennings of The Journal News.
  • Bruce Jenkins of The SF Chronicle says that the A's are winning the battle of the Bay Area this offseason. Of course, the regular season is the battle you really want to win.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports that Orioles' president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said "My guess is I wouldn't think we'll be doing anything anytime soon, which is not to be interpreted as not doing anything between now and Sarasota." The O's finalized the Garrett Atkins deal today.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro writes about the Marlins' first base situation, noting that there's certainly no shortage of in-house options.
  • Bill Ladson of MLB.com tweets that the Nationals continue to show interest in righty John Smoltz, "but they are not willing to break the bank to get him."
  • Coco Crisp's physical with the A's was delayed because of travel issues, so the announcement of his signing will have to wait says Susan Slusser of The SF Chronicle. 
  • Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball takes a look at the growth of player salaries over the last decade.
  • Here's some news on a different kind of contract negotiation: According to the AP (via ESPN) MLB and the umpires hope to have a new agreement in place tomorrow, which will allow for greater flexibility with postseason assignments.
Show all

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

hide arrows FOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top