Results tagged ‘ Adrian Gonzalez ’

Red Sox in on Beimel, kicked tires on Bautista

The Red Sox and about four other teams, including the O’s, are going after southpaw reliever Joe Beimel, according to the Baltimore Sun. No teams besides the O’s and Red Sox were named, but one other club is identified as being an American League team.
Turning 34 in April, Beimel went 1-2 with a 3.40 ERA for the Rockies in 45 innings and 71 appearances last season, striking out 21 and walking 15. 
Beimel’s been better been against left-handed hitters (.221 last season vs. .329 against righties) and he’s been durable in a 10-year career, making no fewer than 62 appearances in each of the last six seasons. For Baltimore, Beimel would be a complement to Michael Gonzalez, while for Boston, he’d provide depth behind Hideki Okajima.
—
Mulitple outlets on Tuesday reported that the Red Sox pursued Jays’ slugger Jose Bautista before landing Carl Crawford, making “multiple offers” for him — a sign of how serious Boston was about upgrading its offense. The lineup took a hit when Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez departed via free agency, but was quickly revamped when Adrian Gonzalez (via trade) and Crawford (via free agency) arrived in the same week.
Other unnamed teams reportedly pursued Bautista, who led the Majors with 54 homers, as well.
“It’s all just rumors to me at this stage…who knows if any of it is true?” Bautista told The Boston Globe by text. “There’s nothing for me to comment on yet.”
The Jays reportedly were never serious about trading Bautista, who is looking for more than $10.5 million in arbitration. Toronto submitted a $7.6 million figure. Bautista is a free agent after this season and, according to FOX Sports, there aren’t current talks of a long-term extension.
– Evan Drellich

Padres moving on from Gonzalez

A day after the Padres completed their five-player trade that involved sending three-time All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to Boston, Padres general manager Jed Hoyer was finally able to move on and go about filling holes for 2011.

There are a lot of them, too.

The Padres need a first baseman, at least for one year, a second baseman, shortstop, a backup catcher and a starting pitcher.

The Padres have been linked to free agent Jorge Cantu, who can play first base and third base and could provide some right-handed power. Another option might be left-handed hitting Lyle Overbay, who is also a free agent.

Though PETCO Park doesn’t set up well for left-handed power hitters, Overbay is more of a doubles guy who could fit the ballpark. He’s also a plus-defender and the Padres certainly covet defense.

– Corey Brock, MLB.com

Williams avoids Gonzalez-Beckham trade rumor

Before there was Adam Dunn, was there almost Adrian Gonzalez for the White Sox?

According to a Monday Tweet from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the White Sox were the runner-ups to Boston in the Gonzalez derby. He added how the White Sox offered second baseman Gordon Beckham and prospects but were turned down.

White Sox general manager Ken Williams wouldn’t talk about any trade rumor when speaking to the Chicago media on Monday. But he finished up his comment with an indirect indication as to how Gonzalez would be considered a White Sox target.

“All I can say is that it’s always been business as usual for us and we try to go after impact players every year,” Williams said. “But I’m not going to get into the particulars of those types of things.”

Beckham, 24, struggled through a miserable first of the 2010 campaign, hitting just .199 as late as June 23. But Beckham hit .310 the remainder of the season.

This bounce-back effort from Beckham earned an extra dose of respect from Williams moving into the 2011 season.

“I’m more so confident that he has now gone through some struggles that you go through as a big leaguer and he’s come through it on the other side,” said Williams of Beckham, who hit .252 in his sophomore season, with nine home runs and 49 RBIs. “It’s just unfortunate that he had the injury. He was having quite a second half. That Chicago tough that I talk about, he showed some a little bit of it in doing what he did.”

Red Sox, Padres complete Gonzalez deal

Multiple sources told MLB.com on Sunday that the Red Sox deal for Adrian Gonzalez, a the three-time All-Star, is essentially done. The Red Sox have scheduled a news conference Monday morning at Fenway Park where they are expected to formally announce the deal.

The trade remains the same as first reported Saturday. The Red Sox get Gonzalez for a package of three well-regarded Minor League prospects — right-handed pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Reymond Fuentes — and a player to be named.

In 2010, Gonzalez hit .298 with 31 homers and 101 RBIs, to go along with a .904 OPS. In 858 Major League games, Gonzalez is a .284 hitter with 168 homers and 525 RBIs. The lefty-swinging Gonzalez has a smooth opposite-field stroke, which makes him a perfect fit for Fenway.

Roundup: Jeter chapter closed, plenty others open

The focus of the hot stove season shifted away
from Derek Jeter on Saturday, but not necessarily away from the Yankees.

Jeter and the Yankees finally came to terms — a move almost
universally expected — to the tune of a guaranteed three-year deal, worth $15
to $17 million per. The deal isn’t official until Jeter takes a physical, but the
hard part, the sometimes contentious negotiations, should be a thing of the
past.

Left atop the free agent market are Cliff Lee and Carl
Crawford, and the former’s destination could be what determines the latter’s.

MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer wrote that the Angels are
actually pulling for the Yanks to land Lee: If Texas, the other perceived
contender in the Lee sweepstakes, is able to re-sign Lee, that means the Angels
could be up against not only the Red Sox, but the Yankees in a bidding war for
Crawford. If the Yankees sign Lee, however, New York likely would be
hard-pressed to get seriously involved with Crawford as well.

Boston on Saturday grabbed headlines too when it took a
giant step toward a revamped lineup.

Adrian Gonzalez, the Padres’ first baseman who is a free
agent after the 2011 season, was flown into Boston on Saturday and passed a
physical. The Padres and Red Sox have a trade in place that would bring
Gonzalez to the Sox, but that’s contingent on Gonzalez agreeing to a contract
extension. The reported deadline for the two sides to reach an agreement is 2
p.m. Sunday.

The Cardinals made noise late in the day by announcing the
signing of Lance Berkman. The one-year, $8 million deal brings the 34-year-old
back to the National League Central, where he thrived for so long with Houston.

Another NL Central club, the Reds, might have reason to be
concerned that their slugger — and the league’s MVP — might not want to be
around for long. Joey Votto, who’s arbitration eligible, said on Saturday that
he’s just not sure where he’ll be a few years down the road.

“When [Colorado's Troy Tulowitzki] signed that 10-year
contract, I was blown away,” Votto told MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. “I
can’t imagine seeing myself 10 years from now saying I want to be here. It’s an
overwhelming thing to ask a young person like myself and say, ‘Here’s a lot of
money. Be happy with this over 10 years, deal with it.’”

The Dodgers have had a busy start to the offseason, locking
up Ted Lilly, Jon Garland and Hiroki Kuroda. They added Rod Barajas to the mix
on Saturday, signing the catcher to a one-year, $3.25 million deal.

– Evan Drellich

Padres ready to make moves?

Aside from trading for Marlins CF Cameron Maybin last month, it’s been a quiet winter for the Padres.

Well, aside from watching free agents Jon Garland, Miguel Tejada and Yorvit Torrealba sign elsewhere.

It looks like the Padres have reached a deal with right-handed pitcher Aaron Harang, who is a San Diego native and said Thursday that he would love to pitch at PETCO Park. I imagine it’s going to be a one-year deal, maybe with a mutual option.

Harang, effectively, would take the spot left by the departure of Garland.

So what’s next for the Padres? How about dealing first baseman Adrian Gonzalez? It could happen, as an online report Friday stated the Padres are talking to the Red Sox.

It’s a forgone conclusion that Gonzalez, a free agent after the season, won’t finish the 2011 season with the Padres. Until recently, it looked as though the team was prepared to take him into the regular season.

Perhaps that has changed. If so, the Padres, who won’t likely have a payroll exceeding more than $40 million or so, would be asking for a handful of prospects. The Red Sox have plenty and Padres GM Jed Hoyer — who used to be the assistant GM in Boston — knows the farm system well.

We figured to hear a lot about Cliff Lee, Carl Pavano and Carl Crawford at the Winter Meetings next week in Florida. Could we hear more about Gonzalez?

– Corey Brock, MLB.com

Gonzalez option a no-brainer for Padres

Consider the Padres decision on Tuesday to pick-up the option on Adrian Gonzalez’s 2011 contract the easiest decision they will ever make in regards to their All-Star first baseman.

The next decision — as in when and where to trade Gonzalez, who will be a free agent after 2011 — figures to be much tougher. But let’s save that for another day.

Gonzalez, as part of a contract he signed before the 2007 season, before he won the first of his two Gold Gloves and before he appeared in the first of three All-Star Games, called for him to make $5.5 million this season.

The deal was a good one at the time for Gonzalez and for the team. The deal was made by former general manager Kevin Towers, who last month was hired to do the same job in Arizona.

Anyway, Gonzalez’s option is now $6.2 after he reached incentives. It’s still a very, very good bargain and, perhaps, the best deal in the game considering his worth.

– Corey Brock, Padres.com and Twitter: FollowThePadres

Roundup: Cardinals give GM a 3-year extension

It turns out John Mozeliak‘s deal with the Cardinals won’t expire just yet. The club awarded its general manager a three-year contract extension on Thursday, which will keep him with the club through 2013 and keep him from walking away at the end of this season, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 
Mozeliak joined the Cardinals via the scouting department in 1995 and later served for five years as assistant GM under Walt Jocketty, who’s now with the Reds — the team leading the Cardinals in the division by a game. Mozeliak, named senior vice president and GM after the ’07 season, is most noted for acquiring Matt Holliday before the non-waiver Trade Deadline, then signing him to a seven-year contract at the end of the season — one that saw St. Louis claim a National League Central title. 
Here’s more from around the league … 
* The Reds are “looking hard” for right-handed relief help, ESPN’s Buster Olney wrote in his Twitter account. Kerry Wood, Olney speculates, could be an option. 

* The Dodgers placed late-inning lefty reliever George Sherrill on waivers recently, a baseball source told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick. Sherrill, owed $4.5 million this season, posted a 1.70 ERA in 72 games last year, but has a 7.32 ERA in 34 appearances this season.

* The Padres may be in contention, and Adrian Gonzalez may be under contract for another season after this one, but the Red Sox still like him, and would still like to attain him, according to a report from WEEI.com.  

* The Angels are not willing to trade outfield prospect Mike Trout, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote on his Twitter account. 

* Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon, expected by many to be a top pick in the upcoming First-Year Player Draft in June, suffered a fracture-dislocation of his right ankle while playing in a USA Baseball Collegiate Team exhibition against Korea on Wednesday night, writes MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo. He will require surgery and will miss the rest of Team USA’s summer season. 

– Alden Gonzalez

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