The Major League Baseball Offseason Post

[frenchblue23]

I hope the Dodgers have a plan B if Manny decides to be a Free Agent.

I don't want to go through all waiting mess again.

 

[N41D]

I think the biggest concern with McGwire isn't necessarily that he wasn't a great hitter... It's just that you're hiring a guy as a majorleague hitting instructor and he's NEVER done that job on ANY level...

Sure, he worked with Matt Holliday last offseason, but can he conform the way he teaches to every guy in that dugout... Can he handle teaching and tweaking 12or 13 different swings? How's he gonna handle working with Albert Pujols vs. working with Colby Rasmus? That's the biggest question...



Rangers interviewed Rusty Greer for their hitting coach position yesterday.. Dennis Gilbert, Jim Crane and Chuck Greenburg have all been in Arlington forpresentations from the Rangers FO on the inner-workings of the everyday baseball side of things... Seems like the sale of the team with come down to thosethree and by all indications, MLB and Tom Hicks want this thing all but wrapped up by the end of the month...

 

[osh kosh bosh]

http://twitter.com/keithlaw

keithlaw Meanwhile, Jason Knapp just reached for the remote to turn up the volume and shredded his labrum.

 

[ooiron manoo]

Ya'll are snoozing!


[h1]http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/blue-jays-claim-hoffpauir-from-cardinals.html[/h1]

[h1]Blue Jays Claim Hoffpauir From Cardinals[/h1]
By Howard Megdal [November 3 at 5:36pm CST]

The Toronto Blue Jays claimed infielder Jarrett Hoffpauir off of waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. Left-handed pitcher Bill Murphy was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Hoffpauir.

Hoffpauir, 26, is an intriguing pickup. He posted a .291/.357/.486 batting line in 402 plate appearances for Triple-A Memphis, and also held his own in 16 plate appearances with St. Louis. In other words, he's right around the same part of his career Marco Scutaro was when Oakland gave him a chance to play every day.

One wonders if this is a sign that Toronto doesn't plan to bring Scutaro back. For what it's worth, Hoffpauir has played 10 games at shortstop in the minor leagues, while Aaron Hill, Toronto's second baseman, came through the minor leagues as a shortstop.
Murphy, 28, had posted a 7.59 ERA in Triple-A, so this move can't be considered much of a surprise

[h1]http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/rays-close-to-dealing-iwamura.html[/h1]

[h1]Rays Deal Iwamura To Pirates For Chavez[/h1]
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [November 3 at 6:15pm CST]

6:15pm: The deal is official, as per a press release by the Pirates. The deal is Chavez for Iwamura straight-up.


4:34pm: ESPN's Buster Olney tells us the Rays will receive reliever Jesse Chavez in return. Chavez, 26, posted a 4.01 ERA in 67.3 innings this year as a rookie, with a 6.3 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. He throws hard - his average fastball was 94.5 mph. Chavez is under team control through 2014.

Kovacevic believes the Pirates "will probably get another player in the Iwamura deal." He notes that Iwamura would be the Pirates' highest-paid player.

3:35pm: Topkin says Iwamura is headed to the Pirates, and the deal will be announced tonight. MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch does not believe the Bucs will surrender an established player. I'm a bit surprised they're willing to take Iwamura on at that salary, not that he's bad value.

3:04pm: Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets that he's hearing the Pirates are part of the Iwamura trade talks. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro believes the Marlins would have interest, but not if they had to assume Iwamura's entire contract.

2:41pm: Roger Mooney of the Bradenton Herald believes Iwamura is headed to an NL club.

12:45pm: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times hears that the Rays are on the verge of trading Akinori Iwamura. Topkin's source, who's not with the Rays, says the team close to acquiring Iwamura is not the Dodgers or Cubs.

The Rays have until one day after the end of the World Series to pick up Iwamura's $4.85MM option or buy him out for $550K. The Rays don't need Iwamura thanks to Ben Zobrist's emergence, but it's not surprising that other teams have interest in the Japanese infielder. The 30-year-old has a career line of .281/.354/.393 and he plays a solid second base, according to UZR/150.

 

[N41D]

Rangers will hire Clint Hurdle as their hitting coach...

 

[wildkycat]

What do you think the chances are that the Reds will keep Bronson Arroyo considering their payroll?
-- Kathie C., Lewis Center, Ohio

The chances should be pretty good that Arroyo will stay -- if the Reds are serious about wanting to win. Arroyo has won 15 games the past two seasons and pitched 200 innings each of the last five. He owned the lowest ERA in the Majors during the second half of 2009. No one else on the staff can say that, and the rotation isn't deep enough to do without Arroyo.

 

[kiddin like jason]

Vicente Padilla was treated for a minor self-inflicted gunshot wound in his right leg at a hospital in his native Nicaragua on Tuesday, his agent Adam Katz said.

Katz described the incident as a "hunting accident," saying that Padilla was grazed in his right thigh by a bullet. Katz said that Padilla spent 30 to 40 minutes at a hospital and was discharged.

"He's fine," Katz said.

News reports out of Nicaragua stated that Padilla was hurt at a shooting range. At least two news outlets reported that Padilla was accidentally shot by his "escort," who was trying to fix Padilla's malfunctioning gun.

Don't point guns at your friends when you're trying to fix them.

 

[stringer bell 32]

Aki to the Pirates

ok

 

[philballa09]

Phils better let Feliz go

looking at that list.

i hope the phils go after some of these players

Figgins
Harden
Lyon/Grabow
Soriano/Gonzalez
Valentin
DeRosa/Cora/Counsell

resign Lee and CHP

 

[proshares]

Mark Teahen to the White Sox.

 

[trillipinotrapstar]

Braves will re-sign Huddy for three years.

 

[kiddin like jason]

Mark Teahen to the White Sox.

For Chris Getz and Josh Fields.

That's a nice trade.

 

[p mac one]

Dodgers decline Jon Garland's 10 Mil option.

He would likely make close to 10 Mil in arb, so don't expect the Dodgers to offer him.

Ned Colletti traded Tony Abreu who OPSd .902 in 307 ABs between AA and AAA this year for Garland, and of course Orlando Hudson is a free agent.

What a #$*#@%! idiot.

 

[proshares]

^ Thanks KLJ. Just got a text about it w/no other info and posted from my phone.

 

[ooiron manoo]

The day after the World Series and it has been a busy one....

[h1]http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/angels-resign-bobby-abreu.html[/h1]

[h1]Angels Re-Sign Bobby Abreu[/h1]
By Mike Axisa [November 5 at 2:19pm CST]

2:19pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman says the deal also includes a vesting option for 2012.

1:58pm: The Angels have re-signed outfielder Bobby Abreu to a two year deal, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but stay tuned for updates.

The 35-year-old Abreu made just a $5MM base salary in 2009, though incentives tied to plate appearances put another $1MM in his pocket. Abreu hit .293/.390/.435 in his first year in Anaheim, driving in 100+ runs for the seventh straight season.


[h1]http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/mets-tell-putz-they-will-not-pick-up-his-2010-option.html[/h1]

[h1]Mets Tell Putz They Will Not Pick Up His Option[/h1]
By Mike Axisa [November 5 at 1:47pm CST]

According to Bart Hubbuch of The NY Post, the Mets have informed reliever J.J. Putz that they will not pick up his $9.1MM option for 2010, instead paying him a $1MM buyout. Hubbuch says the club cited health concerns when breaking the news to Putz.

The 32-year-old righthander appeared in just 29 games for the Mets before going down with an elbow injury that eventually required surgery. Putz's velocity was down all year, and his walk rate has jumped nearly four walks per nine innings pitched in the last two seasons.


[h1]http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/royals-agree-to-trade-mark-teahen-to-white-sox.html[/h1]

[h1]Royals Trade Mark Teahen To White Sox[/h1]
By Mike Axisa [November 5 at 11:13am CST]

11:13am: The White Sox have confirmed the trade, according to The Chicago Sun Times. It's Teahen for Getz and Fields.

10:17am: ESPN's Buster Olney says talks are "not that far along." Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun Times mentions that Getz hasn't heard anything about a trade.

9:04am: According to Bill Madden of The NY Daily News, the Royals have agreed to send the versatile Mark Teahen to the White Sox in exchange for Chris Getz and Josh Fields. Madden says Teahen is expected to replace free agent-to-be Jermaine Dye in right field.

The 28-year-old Teahen hit .271/.325/.408 last year, but is a career .261/.325/.514 hitter at U.S. Cellular Field. FanGraphs has him at -2.0 UZR/150 in right, which is a massive upgrade over Dye's -17.5 mark. Teahen earned $3.575MM in 2009, and has two more years of arbitration eligibility ahead of him. He's certainly been the subject of many trade rumors over the years.

Getz, 26, was Chicago's every day second baseman for most of 2009, hitting .261/.324/.347 with 25 stolen bases in 27 attempts. Fields, 28, has struggled to find a place with the White Sox, hitting .229/.302/.416 in 746 plate appearances over the last four years while playing first, third, and left field. Both players are in their pre-arbitration years, and have a combined ten years of team control left.


[h1]http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/daniel-cabrera-becomes-a-free-agent.html[/h1]

[h1]Daniel Cabrera Becomes A Free Agent[/h1]
By Mike Axisa [November 5 at 1:31pm CST]

In addition to declining their 2010 option for Chad Tracy, the Diamondbacks cleared three 40-man roster spots by outrighting players, according to The Arizona Republic. The casualities were outfielders Alex Romero and Trent Oeltjen, and righthander Daniel Cabrera. Cabrera elected to become a free agent rather than accept a minor league assignment.

The suddenly well-traveled Cabrera got into six games (one start) for Arizona, allowing eight runs and 20 baserunners in just 11 innings. He also made eight starts and one relief appearance with the Nationals after spending five years in Baltimore.


Cliffies:

-Jon Garland's option declined by Dodgers

-Bobby Abreu re-signed by the Angels. Two years-$ not disclosed.
- Mets will decline JJ Putz option.
- Diamondbacks decline Chad Tracy's option, outright Daniel Cabrera. Cabrera refuses assignment to become a free agent.
- Mark Teahen traded from Royals to White Sox for Chris Getz and Josh Fields.
- Arizona declines

 

[kiddin like jason]

How incoherent do you think NT is to post cliff notes for 3-5 line "articles?"

 

[ooiron manoo]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

How incoherent do you think NT is to post cliff notes for 3-5 line "articles?"

Sometimes NT baffles me

Dude's in General will post 3 sentence stories and dudes are asking for cliff notes

My post is ADD friendly

 

[scott frost]

Dodgers decline Jon Garland's 10 Mil option.


$10 Mil for that bum?

 

[kookcle]

Originally Posted by ooIRON MANoo

The day after the World Series and it has been a busy one....

[h1]http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/11/angels-resign-bobby-abreu.html[/h1]

[h1]Angels Re-Sign Bobby Abreu[/h1]
By Mike Axisa [November 5 at 2:19pm CST]

2:19pm: SI.com's Jon Heyman says the deal also includes a vesting option for 2012.

1:58pm: The Angels have re-signed outfielder Bobby Abreu to a two year deal, according to Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but stay tuned for updates.

The 35-year-old Abreu made just a $5MM base salary in 2009, though incentives tied to plate appearances put another $1MM in his pocket. Abreu hit .293/.390/.435 in his first year in Anaheim, driving in 100+ runs for the seventh straight season.

nice

....also Gary Matthews wants out. He wants to be the no.1 CF on a team somewhere

 

[bobby1109]

Originally Posted by ooIRON MANoo

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

How incoherent do you think NT is to post cliff notes for 3-5 line "articles?"

Sometimes NT baffles me

Dude's in General will post 3 sentence stories and dudes are asking for cliff notes

My post is ADD friendly

 

[stringer bell 32]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

Mark Teahen to the White Sox.

as long as Teahen isn't starting

 

[jdcurt2]

[h1]Red Sox Acquire Jeremy Hermida[/h1]
By Mike Axisa [November 5 at 4:33pm CST]

According to Juan C. Rodriguez of The Sun Sentinel, the Red Sox have acquiredJeremy Hermida from the Marlins in exchange for minor league lefthanded pitchers Hunter Jones and JoseAlvarez.

Hermida, 25, has hit .265/.344/.425 in almost 2,000 career plate appearances, which is not what many had in mind for the guy Baseball America once ranked asthe fourth best prospect in baseball. He earned $2.25MM in 2009, and still has two more years of arbitration eligibility ahead of him.

The 25-year-old Jones got his first taste of the big leagues in 2009, when he put up a 9.24 ERA in 12.2 innings. He spent most of the year in Triple-A,where he held lefties to a .206 AVG against. Alvarez, 20, spent 2009 in Class-A ball, where he put up a 2.26 ERA in 26 games (12 start).

Does this mean they won't be re-signing Bay?

If not this trademakes no sense.

 

[stringer bell 32]

I don't think the Teahen - Getz trade is a done deal



according to Twitter atleast

 

[wildkycat]

Griffey's future to be known soon

The future of Cincinnati native, former Red and future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. could be resolved soon, his agent Brian Goldberg said on Thursday.

Goldberg said he was scheduled to meet with the Mariners soon and any decision on Griffey's future with the team -- and in baseball -- would be made sooner rather than later.

Griffey signed with the Mariners during spring training last season after it was reported he'd signed with the Braves.

Based upon statements by both the team and Griffey after this season, it appears Griffey could return to the Mariners in a role similar to the one he played this season, when he served most as the team's designated hitter.

Griffey played in 117 games with a line of .214/.324/.411 with 19 home runs and 57 RBIs. His 63 walks led the team and he was also credited by many of healing a fractured clubhouse

 

[jdcurt2]

I hate to say it but I think it's time for Jr. to hang em up.