All Teams - General News

Total news: 3564
Last news: December 31, 1969 19:00:00

Here are a few random notes from the MLBiverse... Paul Hagen is reporting that the Mets are interested in acquiring a first baseman and/or a corner outfielder. Hagen says that Omar Minaya is rumored to be interested in Kevin Millar, Jason Bay and Xavier Nady. Hagen must share a source with Dan Graziano, who mentions the same trio. Might Aaron Heilman be used as bait? According to the minor league deal that Jeff Weaver signed with the Brewers, if he was not called up by this Sunday he could ask for his release. The Brewers and Weaver's agent, Scott Boras,... - [Read more]

According to MLB.com, the Indians have extended starter Jake Westbrook through the 2010 season, with no option years. PECOTA would only offer about $25MM to the groundballer, but I would imagine it's in the neighborhood of $35MM. That'd be on par with Javier Vazquez's recent extension. UPDATE: Baseball Digest Daily reports the amount as $33MM. A fine deal for the Tribe.... - [Read more]

Tuesday’s nuclear meltdown of Oliver Perez in Shea Stadium has an important potential impact on the NL East as the Mets are counting on Perez to hold down the fort till Pedro’s bionic arm heals. Perez is nursing the uneven balance between an ace’s arm and a George McFly mind that has inspired many in the business to toss in their two cents. Perez’s talent has been the lost pirate treasure for many the gold thirsty pitching coach and columnist, each with their own interpretation of the treasure map. After Tuesday’s multi walk extravaganza, the theories were bountiful even if... - [Read more]

Esteemed Denver Post writer Tracy Ringolsby drops a few trade rumors on us in this morning's column. Ringolsby writes that the Padres have some rainy-day money saved up to be used specifically for one of three players, if they are available and the team is contending. The players are future free agents Ichiro Suzuki, Andruw Jones, and Torii Hunter. I'm not sure how Mike Cameron would feel about that, and whether it would affect his contract negotiations. Hopefully he wouldn't mind moving to a corner. Should Eric Gagne prove himself healthy and reliable (a long shot), the Red Sox, Indians,... - [Read more]

Jon Heyman has been talking to Mets' closer Billy Wager, who is apparently close friends with the down-and-out former Astros' closer Brad Lidge. Who knew that Wagner was an expert insider in major league baseball-- he refutes the Astros' claim that they are not planning on moving the shell-shocked reliver. According to Wagner, Philadelphia wouldn't be a good fit, because, well, it wasn't a good fit for him. From Heyman's article: He needs to be in a place where he can [exhale],'' Wagner said. Houston's so laid back. Maybe I'm biased against [Philadelphia] ... [But] all it takes is one... - [Read more]

Do you believe in the theory that a rebuilding team like the Royals or Nationals needs to make a splash as a good faith gesture toward the fanbase? Thom Loverro of the Washington Times does. And not just an ill-advised $55 deal like Gil Meche's - he wants to the Nats to sign Andruw Jones this offseason. Loverro believes that a new ballpark wouldn't be enough, and that a superstar needs to be paired with Ryan Zimmerman to keep fans coming through the tough years. Do I agree with Loverro and Bobby Cox that Jones is in the middle of... - [Read more]

One aspect of both ESPN and Baseball Prospectus that I love is the chats. I feel that it really gives you a sense of a writer's personality, and that it's a challenge for the person to answer questions in a rapid-fire way. I'd love to do chats here and there for both MLBTR and RotoAuthority, but don't have the tech savvy. Does anyone know how to create some simple chat software, or somewhere that I can license some? It would have to drop all the questions in a queue as they arrive and let me choose which to publish on... - [Read more]

The MLBTR Reader Blog is my initial attempt to give our readers a voice, a chance to easily create a blog post on any baseball-related topic and vote up the best ones. I encourage you to check it out, and show off your writing chops if you dare. If you're good, your posts will make the front page. A few topics discussed today: One MLBTR reader describes his experience at Miller Park last night, where the Tribe played their home opener. Do you consider it an honor to be beaten with a pillow by Frank Thomas? This reader does. Did... - [Read more]

More rumors, news, and analysis is always a good thing. Today I'm looking for someone to represent the Oakland Athletics. What am I looking for in this person? Solid writing skills and a style that fits with MLBTradeRumors. Basically, I'll know it when I see it. I'm looking for the same type of analysis you see here every day. Someone who can post up-to-the-minute A's rumors as they surface. I want a person who follows the team religiously and will have every source (traditional newspapers, high quality blogs, radio) covered. It would make sense to have all the pertinent websites... - [Read more]

Daisuke Matsuzaka received all the hype from ESPN entering tonight's game. After all, it was his Fenway debut. He tossed a solid seven innings, allowing three runs to the Mariners. He retired Ichiro every time, even striking him out once. Matsuzaka also threw one high and tight to Ichiro, and it wasn't an accident. Nor was his HBP of Jose Guillen, in my opinion. Kenji Johjima, who's had plenty of ABs against Matsuzaka, smacked a couple of doubles for the Mariners. But the big story was 21 year-old Felix Hernandez, who carried a no-hitter into the 8th inning. I was... - [Read more]

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Twins recently offered Johan Santana a two-year extension for $36MM plus a club option for 2011. I know you have to start somewhere with negotiations, but the Twins could essentially double their offer and it would still be well below market value. Heyman mentions that Santana has informed the Twins that he won't negotiate again until he hits the open market after the 2008 season. Maybe Santana made that assertion because he felt insulted by the team's lowball offer. If the Twins are that far apart from an extension with Santana, they might... - [Read more]

The complaining in Philadelphia is going to reach a fever pitch if GM Pat Gillick doesn't shore up the bullpen soon. Charlie Manuel put it bluntly: We've got to fix our 'pen. So which relievers might be available, aside from the aforementioned Brad Lidge? There's Byung-Hyun Kim, but he'd probably be a nightmare in Philadelphia. The Rockies can't seem to pawn him off on anyone. The Phils would love to get Scott Linebrink, but the Padres don't have any reason to give him up and in fact might yet work out a contract extension. Salomon Torres should be available, but... - [Read more]

Combining a couple of reports this morning, it appears that the Devil Rays may have some interest in acquiring ousted Houston closer Brad Lidge. Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle has a friend covering an AL East team reporting that his team is talking to Tim Purpura about Lidge. Naturally one might think the Red Sox would be interested in Lidge for a setup role, as they've talked to the Astros about him in the past. However, Jose's friend may be Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, who covers the Devil Rays. Topkin reports that the Rays... - [Read more]

Openserving is a community-based project not unlike Digg, where social bookmarking, blogging, and democratic editorial control are combined (to quote Wikipedia). I'd like to try out this concept with an MBLTR flavor. This is your chance to write about trade rumors or signings I may have missed on MLBTR, providing your own analysis. Maybe it's a sketchy message board rumor that you just want to throw out there. Maybe you'd like to discuss Frank Thomas and pillow fights, even though it's not exactly a trade rumor. Click here to visit the MLBTR Reader Blog, and contribute today! You also have... - [Read more]

I just added John Peterson to help with the Mets coverage - you can read his first post here. I would also like to welcome two additional writers to the team. Dan LaToraca is an English major at the University of Scranton, writes for the school newspaper, and follows the Yankees religiously. He's often seen in the press box at Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees games (Triple A). Dan already has a Phil Hughes interview to his credit (did you know Phil likes to listen to AFI and Rise Against?) Dan will write about the big club and the Triple A team.... - [Read more]

A few small Rockies tidbits from Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post: Part of the reason the Rockies were unable to bring reliever Ron Villone aboard was that they didn't have room in their budget. To get some flexibility, they'd love to unload Byung-Hyun Kim's $2.5MM and get a cheap reliever in return. Renck mentions that the Rox have kicked the tires on Milwaukee's recently demoted Jose Capellan. Scott Boras declared yesterday that there will be no in-season negotiations regarding a multiyear contract for Matt Holliday. Holliday won't reach free agency until after 2009, but if he keeps doing... - [Read more]

I know this is a translation, but this quote from Ichiro regarding Daisuke Matsuzaka is worth a mention: I hope he arouses the fire that's dormant in the innermost recesses of my soul. That is a strange thing to say in any language. At any rate, it doesn't sound like playing for the Mariners excites him. Wednesday's Mariners-Red Sox game is shaping up to be a classic. Matsuzaka vs. Felix Hernandez at Fenway, plus the Ichiro angle.... - [Read more]

It's all connected in beautiful symmetry: First Armando Benitez pitched for the Orioles, Mets and Marlins, and now hurls for the elderly Giants. When Jorge Julio came to New York by way of Baltimore, it seemed that Benitez had never left. Also a shaky, flame-throwing right-hander, Julio even looked like Benitez to Mets fans-- many of them thought the two pitchers were the same man. Now Julio occupies Benitez's former role as Marlins' closer. What does this have to do with the Mets now? According to DNL from Armchair GM, the trade last year of Kris Benson and his wife... - [Read more]

26 year-old Pirates infielder Jose Castillo hasn't exactly asked for a trade, but you get the impression he would welcome one. He doesn't have a position with the Bucs after Freddy Sanchez returned from the DL Sunday. Castillo has played mostly second base in his Major League career. While he's played outfield in winter ball, his bat doesn't play there unless he's an above-average center field glove. That seems very doubtful. He was raised a shortstop in the minors, but started playing second base in Double A in '03 when Pokey Reese got injured. His work at short had been... - [Read more]

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Padres will announce a four-year contract for starter Chris Young tomorrow. There's also a club option for the fifth year. Rosenthal also mentions that the club is working on a three-year deal for Mike Cameron; they had been reluctant to add the third year. The dollars haven't been revealed yet, but Young's deal could be in the neighborhood of $10MM guaranteed with a $7-8MM option for 2011. However, Young may have wanted more money than the Noah Lowry/Rich Harden/Matt Cain standard package. He entered 2007 with 69 big league starts under his belt, more... - [Read more]