Results tagged ‘ Padres ’

Roundup: Market for veterans heating up

With Spring Training fast approaching, many elite free agents have found their home for 2011, but there are more than a few impact players still on the market. Two such players, Andruw Jones and Jim Thome, headline a group of veteran role players aiming to prove they can still be difference-makers. 
Jones has reportedly drawn interest from the Yankees in recent weeks. At this point, the Bombers see Jones as their best option, SI.com’s Jon Heyman tweeted on Monday, but the two sides are still apart on the money. Jones would seemingly be a strong fit for New York, serving as a fourth outfielder with significant pop off the bench. Jones, 33, would also fit the bill of a right-handed hitting outfielder, which the Yanks have been seeking this offseason.
Thome, another aging yet still productive slugger, is drawing interest from the Rangers, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Buster Olney. Olney reported that the team is “actively trying to lure” the slugger to Texas. After the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre, it began to look unlikely that they’d try to keep Vladimir Guerrero around as the designated hitter. After hitting 25 homers last season, it seems likely that Thome could help fill the power void left by Guerrero. 
Here’s a look at other news and notes from around the league on Monday: 
– Jose Bautista could be facing a position switch this season, moving from the outfield to third base, Fox Sports reported on Monday, citing an unnamed team official. Unless the Jays add another starting infielder, Bautista figures to be moving to third to start the season. Bautista, who lead the Majors with 54 home runs in 2010, is scheduled to be a free agent after this season, so it’ll be a key year for the 30-year old, the report noted. 
– Catcher Max Ramirez was claimed off waivers for the second time in less than a week, this time by the Cubs from the Red Sox. Boston claimed Ramirez from the Rangers on Jan. 5. Ramirez, 26, gives the Cubs some additional depth behind the plate. Ramirez, who is out of Minor League options at this point, hit .217 in 28 games with Texas last season.
– The Padres completed a two-year deal with shortstop Jason Bartlett on Monday, which will pay the infielder $11 million over the life of the deal. There is also a vesting option for 2013, which could bring the total of the deal to $15 million according to MLB.com’s Corey Brock. 
– The Red Sox made their one-year deal with left-hander Hideki Okajima official on Monday. After non-tendering him earlier this offseason, the Sox have re-signed Okajima for $1.75 million. Okajima, 35, could increase that figure to the neighborhood of $2.3 million with incentives, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick.
– The Astros and Phillies completed a minor trade, swapping two Minor League players on Monday. Houston sent second baseman Albert Cartwright to Philly in exchange for left-hander Sergio Escalona. Escalona was recently designed for assignment after the Phils re-signed J.C. Romero.
- Bailey Stephens

Roundup: Rays looking to deal?

The Hot Stove took a bit of a backseat on Wednesday, with the announcement that Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this July dominating the baseball headlines.

With Adrian Beltre‘s signing with the Rangers now official, the rumor mill did ramp up on the trade market — namely, on Tampa Bay starter Matt Garza and a possible deal to the Cubs, reported on Tuesday night by the Chicago Sun-Times. That story was news to the Cubs, according to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat, who also reported that the Rays are more likely to wait until the summer to move Garza.

Here’s the rundown of the rest of the news from Wednesday:

- Staying in the NL Central, the Cardinals have resumed extension talks with their own potential Hall of Famer, first baseman Albert Pujols. Pujols could hit the free-agent market following the 2011 season.

- The latest out of Southern California is that the Angels have interest in signing Vladimir Guerrero.

On MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM, Angels manager Mike Scioscia told co-hots Jim Duquette and Kevin Kennedy that the Angels are not closing the door on the possibility of Guerrero returning to his former home after one season in Texas.

After hitting .300 with 29 homers and 115 RBIs in 2009, the Angels’ American League Most Valuable Player in 2004, accepted a one-year contract with the Rangers and helped the AL West rivals reach the World Series.

Guerrero, whose career began with nine games in Montreal in 1996, is a .320 career hitter with a .383 on-base percentage and .563 slugging mark.

- The Mariners are working on a potential two-year deal with recently acquired shortstop Brendan Ryan, according to MLB.com’s Greg Johns. Ryan, who came over from St. Louis in a December trade, is eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career.

- The Red Sox claimed catcher Max Ramirez off waivers from the Rangers, tweeted MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan. Ramirez, you may remember, was close to going to Boston last off-season in exchange for Mike Lowell. Ramirez hit .217 in 28 games for the Rangers in 2010.

- The Blue Jays announced that they claimed left-handed reliever Wil Ledezma on waivers from the Pirates. Ledezma was 0-3 with a 6.86 ERA for Pittsburgh in 2010.

- The Diamondbacks resigned lefty reliever Clay Zavada to a Minor League deal, as reported by Baseball America. Zavada pitched in five games for Triple-A Reno in 2010 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Zavada posted a 3.35 ERA in 49 games for Arizona in 2009.

- The Rangers and Beltre made it official on Wednesday, with the club announcing the addition of the third baseman in an afternoon press conference. The signing of Beltre means that the Rangers are no longer interested in their former DH Vladimir Guerrero, according to a tweet from the Dallas Star-Telegram’s Anthony Andro.

- Likewise, the Brewers finalized their deal with Takashi Saito. As reported by MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, the right-hander’s base salary will be under $2 million, but he can make more than $3 million in incentives.

- The Rockies have signed utilityman Hernan Iribarren to a Minor League contract. Iribarren, 26, last played in the Majors with Milwaukee in 2009, spending last season with Texas’ Triple-A affiliate.  The deal includes an invitation to Colorado’s Major League Spring Training camp.

-  The Padres signed versatile Kevin Frandsen and catcher Guillermo Quiroz Minor League contracts.  The deal will pay Frandsen $575,000 if he makes San Diego’s Major League roster, according to ESPN.

Frandsen, 28, has played several positions during his MLB career with the Giants and Angels, playing primarily third base last season for the Angels, who did not tender him a contract for 2011.

Quiroz, 29, has played parts of the last seven seasons in the Major Leagues with the Blue Jays, Mariners, Rangers and Orioles. He is a career .208 hitter in 255 at-bats.

–Tim Britton

Roundup: Clubs wrap up smaller prizes

As the push to land big name free agents Brandon Webb and Adrian Beltre intensifies, many clubs have begun using the final days before the Christmas holiday as a chance to wrap up some smaller signings. 
A host of these type of signings and announcements occurred on Tuesday, including the Blue Jays inking of outfielder Corey Patterson and the announcement of Rich Harden’s deal with the A’s.
Here’s a rundown of Tuesday’s top news from around the league: 
- Patterson was just one of a group of six that received contracts from the Blue Jays on Tuesday. The others who officially inked contracts include right-hander Winston Abreu, catcher Ryan Budde, left-hander Sean Henn, left-hander Mike Hinckley and right-hander Brian Stokes. 
- The talk surrounding Brandon Webb seemed to gain some steam on Tuesday. While there is no deal imminent as of yet, there are indications the Rangers are having an on-going dialogue with Webb and his agent, Jonathan Mauer, MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reported Tuesday. Sullivan points out that for a deal to be reached, there are likely several key factors to consider with regard to how the contract is structured. The Nationals and Cubs also reportedly have interest in the free agent right-hander.
- The Halos are still quite interested in bringing in Beltre and haven’t rescinded their earlier offer, contrary to conflicting Internet reports, a source told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick Tuesday. The only other team believed to have serious interest in Beltre is Texas, but they could be priced out at those terms, according to the source. The Angels are believed to have made a five-year, $70 million offer for Beltre, who is said to be seeking a six-year deal in the neighborhood of $90 million. 
- The Red Sox made their signing of reliever Bobby Jenks official on Tuesday, announcing a two-year, $12 million deal. Jenks, who successfully passed his physical, will add significantly more depth to the back of the Red Sox ‘pen. 
- In a minor trade, the Padres picked up catcher Rob Johnson from the Mariners, in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Johnson would seemingly slot in behind Nick Hundley in a back-up role. 
- The Brewers picked up another arm for their bullpen, claiming right-hander Roque Mercedes off waivers from the D-backs. Mercedes, 24, returns to Milwaukee nearly a year and a half after being sent to Arizona in the July 2009 trade that brought infielder Felipe Lopez. 
-The Nats made Rick Ankiel’s signing official on Tuesday, inking the 31-year-old outfielder to a one-year deal. 
– Bailey Stephens

Roundup: O-Dog (fittingly) headed to PETCO

It turns out Orlando Hudson may be team-less no more.

Hudson broke the news himself on MLB Network Radio that his next destination is San Diego, and FOXSports.com reported that the Padres and the free-agent second baseman agreed to terms on a two-year, $11.5 million contract.

Hudson — a two-time All-Star joining his fourth team in four years — will fill the role played last year by David Eckstein, who’s a free agent and said recently that the Padres have not contacted him about a return.

Here’s more from around the league …

* The Yankees, according to multiple reports, have agreed on a two-year contract with veteran reliever Pedro Feliciano. Feliciano, the former Met who has led the Majors in appearances each of the last three seasons, joins Boone Logan to give the Yanks two lefties in the bullpen.

* Reigning World Series MVP Edgar Renteria was none-too-thrilled with the $1 million offer the Giants tendered him this offseason. “That offer from the Giants was a lack of respect,” Renteria told ESPNdeportes.com. “A total disrespect.” Renteria has previously stated he’d like to finish his career with the Marlins or Cardinals. 

* The Astros reached an agreement with the versatile Bill Hall to be their starting second baseman, sources told MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. According to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal, the two sides agreed on a one-year contract worth about about $3 million and with a mutual option for 2012. 

* A couple of notable deals have been made official: The Cubs’ with Kerry Wood, and the Tigers’ with Magglio Ordonez.   

– Alden Gonzalez  

Roundup: Greinke market heating up?

Everyone’s waiting on Cliff Lee’s decision, but the reality is that one team will miss out on the ace. Regardless, there is still a top of the line starter out there in Royals ace Zack Greinke.
While the Royals haven’t indicated they are overly interested in unloading Greinke, there have been suggestions that an impressive enough trade could convince them. Royals general manager Dayton Moore is at least taking stock of the market for Greinke, ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick noted in a report Monday.
The question is, would Greinke be a fit in New York or Texas? If their forced to turn their search for a starter elsewhere, their prospects may not mesh with the Royals’ wish list, baseball sources suggested to the website.
Royals general manager Dayton Moore is reportedly interested in adding Major League-ready up-the-middle position players in return.
While some clubs are still searching for starting pitching, here’s a look at Tuesday’s other rumblings around the league:
- The Athletics agreed to a one-year deal with reliever Joey Devine on Monday. Devine, 27, hasn’t appeared in the Majors since 2008 after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. In 2008, however, Devine went 6-1 with a 0.59 ERA for Oakland.
- Texas solidified their catching situation on Monday, agreeing to a one-year contract with Matt Treanor. Treanor, who will earn $850,000 next season, will serve as a backup to Yorvit Torrealba. 
“It was a no-brainer,” Treanor said. “I wanted to come back to Texas if they would have me back. It’s a winning ballclub and everybody wants to be part of a winner. I want to be part of something special.”
-The Dodgers signed three players to Minor League deals with invites to Spring Training on Monday, including infielder Juan Castro, catcher JD Closser and utilityman Eugenio Velez. Of the three, the veteran Castro is probably the most likely to make the club, according to MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick, due to his strong defensive abilities.
- San Diego made its one-year deal with Dustin Moseley official on Monday. Moseley went 4-4 with a 4.96 ERA in 16 games with the Yankees last season. New York non-tendered Moseley last week. The former first round pick will be 29 on Opening Day.
–Bailey Stephens

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

Cardinals odds and ends

A few odds and ends from the Cardinals on day one of the Winter Meetings:

* The Padres’ interest in Brendan Ryan is real and acknowledged. What exactly would constitute a fit between the two teams remains to be determined, but if the Cardinals decide to move Ryan, San Diego looks like a prime landing spot. Pittsburgh is a possibility, but the Pirates’ interest seems less ardent.
Moreover, it’s worth noting that the Cardinals and Padres have a good relationship, having dealt with one another several times in recent years.
Manager Tony La Russa said in a radio interview on Monday that one way or another, Ryan will not be the Cardinals’ starting shortstop. The skipper seemed to indicate that Ryan would be best suited by getting a change of scenery.
“If he stays with us, he’s a utility player,” La Russa said on the Bernie Miklasz show on WXOS radio in St. Louis. “I think he would
be useful as a utility player. I don’t know at this point in his career if that
something that would fire him up to come to the ballpark. I think ‘Mo’ is going to
be checking out to see where his value is. If there’s value in an area that we
can do some good, then that’s probably a better situation, to get him a place
where he can play. He would be an excellent utility man, but I don’t know that
that would motivate him to be excited to come to the park. He’s young and he
wants to be a regular.”
* A couple of outlets today reported that the Cards should not be ruled out as a suitor for Rays infielder Jason Bartlett. SI.com’s Jon Heyman tweeted “don’t coun’t them out,” while the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the Cardinals “retain interest” in Bartlett.
However, in the same radio interview, La Russa dashed that notion.
“We’re not chasing Bartlett,” La Russa told WXOS. “I just don’t think that that makes sense for us. We probably need to figure out what we’re going to do in the utility role. We’ve still got Brendan and stuff like that, but I don’t think that… nor do we have the resources to try to add a multimillion dollar player. What we’ve got here is now finishing up and complementing the roster.  But I don’t think that’s accurate [that the Cardinals are pursuing Bartlett].”
* Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown tweeted Monday that Gregg Zaun is a player of interest to the Cardinals, and that’s one rumor that makes some sense. Zaun is a well-regarded veteran, widely considered an excellent clubhouse guy — and that’s clearly one of the aims of the front office in reshaping the roster for 2011. 
Additionally, Zaun can hit. In 2010, he put up a 265/350/392 line. Over the past seven seasons, he’s at 256/353/401, which is outstanding for any catcher.
The question is Zaun’s health. He didn’t play after May of last year, and underwent surgery on the labrum of his throwing shoulder in early June. That could be off-putting to a team that places a great deal of emphasis on stopping the opponent’s running game.
–Matthew Leach

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

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