Rumors thread

[qwerty]

With the Dback series of moves, I would say that Wilson is prolly the one that actually ends up there.... I don't know the salaries off-hand, but I would say that he's the highest of the bunch. And that's what AZ seems to value above all else right now.

 

Wilson is twelve, cameron six million, and payton is 3.5 million.

[qwerty]

The Orioles are still trying to pry Javier Vazquez away from the Diamondbacks, but they aren't having any luck. The Diamondbacks have made it clear they intend to open the season with Vazquez in their rotation. He could be sent to another team in July if he doesn't want to stay in Arizona. Feb. 2 - 5:24 am et

 

For the Devil Rays to trade the left-handed-hitting Aubrey Huff, they'd have to be blown away. After all, this is a 28-year-old guy with power and a .295 batting average. He has never struck out more than 80 times in a season. He's signed for two more years at a total of $12 million. That's a lot of money for a team operating on a shoestring, but this would not be a forced trade. Tampa Bay does not need to move his salary. It would consider a deal only because Huff has failed to establish himself on the infield corners and it has a stable of young outfielders in Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, Joey Gathright and Delmon Young. To pry Huff away, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry would probably have to send the Devil Rays one of his two best prospects, first baseman Brian Dopirak and outfielder Ryan Harvey—who are both from the Tampa area—and a truckload of pitching. Call it two or three from a list that excludes only the four primary starters. It's possible Tampa Bay wouldn't do a deal without Carlos Zambrano being in it. If that's the case, there probably won't be a trade. But if the Rays will do it for Dopirak or Harvey and two or three other pitchers from a list including Kyle Farnsworth, Sergio Mitre, Jon Leicester, Angel Guzman, Renyel Pinto, Billy Petrick and Bobby Brownlie, then Hendry should do it.

[JUGGERNAUT]

Around the Mil:

Brewers are getting no where with Sheets & Spivey. They have a few wks left to avoid arbitration. The same can be said for the Twins & Santana.

 

On the table is a 70M/5yr deal with the Tigs provided Maggs can play.

The entire contract is voidable if the bone-marrow edema in Ordoñez's left knee persists. This has peaked the Mets interest. They are considering offering a 30-70M/5yr contract. A 30M non-voidable base with incentives that could push it to 70M/5yr. This is what has prompted BorASS to now seek a 7 yr deal from the Tigs. All this for a guy who has yet to prove he can still play.

 

Cameron prefers to be a CF. That's what's prompting trade talk & the strong possibility the Mets will pursue Ordonez. So at present there are only 3 offers out there: 70/5, 30/5, & 30/2 (BorASS offer to the Cub).

 

The O's still want Vasquez but AZ seems content to open the season with him. The O's do fit the requirement of being an E coast team but Vazquez now prefers to stay in the NL. One interesting aspect of the O's desire is that they are not looking for cash from AZ in the deal. That could get it done.

[WilliamTell]

I hope the Mets jump in on this deal. Cameron and Ordonez may have a reunion in the outfield.

[WilliamTell]

I do commend the Orioles for trying to get Vasquez. They want to make it a 3 team race in the A.L. East. While I still think they'll finish 3rd, at least they're on the right track. What I don't understand is getting older players like Lopez, Palmeiro, and Sosa. All three are past their prime, I don't know how much good that'll do.

[southsider17]

I hope the Mets jump in on this deal. Cameron and Ordonez may have a reunion in the outfield.

 

They'll likely deal Cameron to clear space and $$$ for Ordonez. They'd rather dump Floyd but Cameron may be easier to trade.

[captain video]

Brewers having trouble signing Sheets.......that's music to my ears. I hope KW is watching that one with a close eye. I'd offer any combination of BMac, Garland, Contreras, Diaz, Anderson, Lopez, Borchard...........Crede/Ben Davis/wewillie! This is the guy I have wanted for a long time -- a "strikeout" pitcher who can dominate!

Sheets -- Garcia -- Buehrle -- El Duque -- Cotts/Hermanson/whoever else KW can get cheap! If both Contreras and Garland are included with a few prospects -- the money we save can go to Sheets in a long term deal. Maybe it makes sense for the Brewers -- we all know they can ill afford "one" player eating up 25-35% of their payroll. IMHO this would be a reason for Jerry to increase the payroll!

[santo=dorf]

QUOTE(captain video @ Feb 2, 2005 -> 04:06 PM)

Brewers having trouble signing Sheets.......that's music to my ears.  I hope KW is watching that one with a close eye.  I'd offer any combination of BMac, Garland, Contreras, Diaz, Anderson, Lopez, Borchard...........Crede/Ben Davis/wewillie!  This is the guy I have wanted for a long time -- a "strikeout" pitcher who can dominate!

Sheets -- Garcia -- Buehrle -- El Duque -- Cotts/Hermanson/whoever else KW can get cheap!  If both Contreras and Garland are included with a few prospects -- the money we save can go to Sheets in a long term deal.  Maybe it makes sense for the Brewers -- we all know they can ill afford "one" player eating up 25-35% of their payroll.  IMHO this would be a reason for Jerry to increase the payroll!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Contreras and Garland?

 

Please no more 5th starter bulls***.

[CWSGuy406]

Brewers having trouble signing Sheets.......that's music to my ears.  I hope KW is watching that one with a close eye.  I'd offer any combination of BMac, Garland, Contreras, Diaz, Anderson, Lopez, Borchard...........Crede/Ben Davis/wewillie!  This is the guy I have wanted for a long time -- a "strikeout" pitcher who can dominate!

Sheets -- Garcia -- Buehrle -- El Duque -- Cotts/Hermanson/whoever else KW can get cheap!  If both Contreras and Garland are included with a few prospects -- the money we save can go to Sheets in a long term deal.  Maybe it makes sense for the Brewers -- we all know they can ill afford "one" player eating up 25-35% of their payroll.  IMHO this would be a reason for Jerry to increase the payroll!

 

Rest assured -- if this team is in first place or a game or two out come June, and one of Garland/Contreras/El Duque prove to be inconsistent (or in El Duque's case, injured for a long period of time), Kenny will make his pitch for Sheets.

 

And he'll probably need to overpay in terms of talent, too. I'm thinking Anderson, Diaz (Perhaps B-Mac), and at least two of the upper tier prospects (though hopefully not Sweeney/Mac).

 

It also begs the question of what we may need at the AS Break. We seem pretty deep in the bullpen, unless Shingo fails early on in the season. I don't think we'll see an IF upgrade, I think he'll stand pat with Pierz/Konerko/Iguchi/Uribe/Crede, unless one of them is really, really not producing, as well as sucking defensively. And, with our OF, even if someone out there gets hurt, you still have two more than capable replacements in Gload and Everett.

 

It seems the past two seasons, Kenny has, more-or-less, started off everything as far as mid-season deals go. I'd love to see Kenny make a pitch for Sheets, though...

[captain video]

Another year with a questionable 5th starter is the last thing I want..... BUT, if we can get Ben Sheets we would be stupid not to do it. I am not convinced we will all be so gung ho about our staff when El Duque is hurt, if Contreras can't put together back to back good starts...etc. Adding Sheets gives us a solid #1 --- KW can always go back to the drawing board to fill the 5th spot. I still say we need pitching -- whether its Vazquez or Sheets -- the addition of that type pitcher signed to a long term contract would be awesome.....and KW knows it!

[CanOfCorn]

And he'll probably need to overpay in terms of talent, too.  I'm thinking Anderson, Diaz (Perhaps B-Mac), and at least two of the upper tier prospects (though hopefully not Sweeney/Mac). 

 

I don't know about this...they got Carlos for less than his market value. If we come competitive, it might not matter too much. Of course, that's assuming Doug Melvin has integrity (and doesn't receive a better bid from some other team).

[JUGGERNAUT]

Be rest assured the SOX will not be the only team looking at Sheets.

Just about every club with some $ to spend will be.

All of the SOX starters are signed to reasonable contracts so the SOX should have the advantage there. But don't be surprised if it takes Mark or Freddy to land Sheets. Milw will not likely trade him w/out getting at least a #2 in return.

 

The only exception I could see to that is if 1 of Hernandez, Contreras, or Garland is having a great 1/2 half. That might be enough to build a trade around w prospects. That would be sweet.

[SkokieSox]

Be rest assured the SOX will not be the only team looking at Sheets.

Just about every club with some $ to spend will be.

All of the SOX starters are signed to reasonable contracts so the SOX should have the advantage there.  But don't be surprised if it takes Mark or Freddy to land Sheets.  Milw will not likely trade him w/out getting at least a #2 in return.

 

The only exception I could see to that is if 1 of Hernandez, Contreras, or Garland is having a great 1/2 half.  That might be enough to build a trade around w prospects.  That would be sweet.

I think Garland, Anderson, and McCarthy would probably get it done, and possibly a throw in. Cheap talent is the key, and that fits the bill. Would we be willing to give up those players for Sheets? My guess is most would say yes, and I'm certain KW would say yes. Although I would love to hang on to the prospects, a chance at getting Sheets is just too overpowering, especially if we're in contention. However, I would have to be certain that we'd be able to get a three year deal out of him in order to pull the trigger.

[Jabroni]

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpag...ort=MLB&id=8908

Latest News  Feb. 2, 2005 - 9:50 pm et

 

The Dodgers will announce the signing of Norihiro Nakamura in a press conference on Thursday.

It's assumed Nakamura will receive a minor league deal after the Dodgers won his rights through the posting system.

[YASNY]

The reason the Brewers won't sign Sheets to a multiyear deal is that he had back surgery over the offseason. They want to see if he can hold up over a few starts. Maybe we should use caution as well.

[ihatethecubs]

anyone who is still that young and that dominating will be pursued by MANY teams...so hes gonna end up with some nice contract somewhere.

[Chisoxfn]

With the Dback series of moves, I would say that Wilson is prolly the one that actually ends up there.... I don't know the salaries off-hand, but I would say that he's the highest of the bunch. And that's what AZ seems to value above all else right now.

I gotta say this, I disagree with some of the salaries they gave but there is no doubt in my mind that the Dbacks are a much improved ball club over last season and if they were to acquire Byrnes I'd say they took another step in the right direction.

[qwerty]

I gotta say this, I disagree with some of the salaries they gave but there is no doubt in my mind that the Dbacks are a much improved ball club over last season and if they were to acquire Byrnes I'd say they took another step in the right direction.

 

I disagree, glaus is pretty damn overated and expensive. I would rather have tracy and hillenbrand and save 8 million dollars and spend that else where. They signed royce clayton. What else can i say but haha. Why not just stick with who has potential to get better unlike clayton. They signed ortiz for another bad price. They now have the two worst guys at getting the ball over the plate ( webb and ortiz). Vazquez will probally be very solid with them. They did a good job with green by restructing his deal because his previous deal was awful. He was due 16 million this year in the old deal for a guy that has had an ops of .1000 zero times in his career. Also think counsell was overpayed and did not deserve a two year deal. Also, does anyone know what happened to clark? Why is he now teh sux0rs after putting up solid numbers for several years. I could see if he was older but he has declined when you are suppose to be in your prime.

[Jabroni]

I disagree, glaus is pretty damn overated and expensive. I would rather have tracy and hillenbrand and save 8 million dollars and spend that else where. They signed royce clayton. What else can i say but haha. Why not just stick with who has potential to get better unlike clayton. They signed ortiz for another bad price. They now have the two worst guys at getting the ball over the plate ( webb and ortiz). Vazquez will probally be very solid with them. They did a good job with green by restructing his deal because his previous deal was awful. He was due 16 million this year in the old deal for a guy that has had an ops of .1000 zero times in his career. Also think counsell was overpayed and did not deserve a two year deal. Also, does anyone know what happened to clark? Why is he now teh sux0rs after putting up solid numbers for several years. I could see if he was older but he has declined when you are suppose to be in your prime.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed. Why the hell would they sign Royce Clayton when they have Alex Cintron? They are going to realize how sucky Royce "The Choice" is away from Coors.

[Jabroni]

"Nakamura, Dodgers agree to terms

Japanese star signs one-year minor league contract"

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/NASApp/m...ws_la&fext=.jsp

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers reached an agreement Wednesday with Japanese third baseman Norihiro Nakamura on a one-year minor league contract and will introduce him at a Dodger Stadium press conference Thursday.

 

Nakamura trained with the Dodgers last spring while healing from a knee injury and will receive an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

 

Nakamura has long desired to play in the Major Leagues and backed out of a tentative two-year, $7 million deal with the New York Mets before the 2003 season. He is a five-time Japanese All-Star and four-time Gold Glove third baseman.

 

A right-handed hitter, Nakamura slugged 46 home runs in 2001 and 42 more in 2002, but those numbers dropped to 23 and 19 in 2003 and 2004.

 

Having lost Adrian Beltre to free agency, the Dodgers signed left-handed hitter Jose Valentin to play third base and expect right-handed-hitting youngster Antonio Perez to see time there, too.

 

Nakamura would compete with Olmedo Saenz for a role as a backup corner infielder and right-handed pinch-hitter, although Saenz's $650,000 salary is guaranteed. Because of his defense, Nakamura also could become a Plan B at first base should Hee-Seop Choi struggle offensively.

Only a minor league deal? I would have loved a backup for Crede at that price but we don't really have the roster spot.

[qwerty]

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates have contacted Tampa Bay management to inquire about Aubrey Huff. Huff would look great in the middle of the Pittsburgh lineup, but he'd probably cost Kip Wells and prospects and the team would only have him for two years. It's very unlikely that a deal will be worked out. Feb. 3 - 3:21 am et

 

Tim Hudson, who is eligible for free agency after the season, is sticking to a March 1 deadline for having a contract extension worked out.

Braves GM John Schuerholz said the deadline isn't a problem because, ''It shouldn't take any more time than that to either decide we can or can't [re-sign him].'' Hudson figures to be able to command at least $13 million-$14 million per year as a free agent, so four years and $48 million is probably the least Atlanta can offer and still have a shot at signing him. For what it's worth, Chipper Jones said yesterday that he'd be willing to defer money to help the team out. Feb. 3 - 5:30 am et

[beck72]

Be rest assured the SOX will not be the only team looking at Sheets.

Just about every club with some $ to spend will be.

 

 

$ won't get a deal done for a guy like Sheets. Playoff contenders just need to have young talent they're willing to give up.

[kdhargo]

2005 will be Sheets' 5th year of major league service. Won't a team that (potentially) acquires him in a trade also have retainable rights for arbitration for 2006?

[JUGGERNAUT]

You need to have $ to sign Sheets long-term. But Milw should defer that decision. He can't go anywhere in 05 or 06 & at the very least they can offer

him arbit in 07. Next year would be the better year to seek a trade if they can't sign him.

 

Maggs is still on the radar for the Mets. AZ is trying to get Cameron. If that deal is worked out then the Mets will be be in hot pursuit of Maggs. The Cub has signed Burnitz to a 4.5M/1yr deal but I don't think we should rule out the possibility of Maggs playing LF for them. It looks like the Tigs are getting stood up again.

 

No word on the O's extending Sosa's contract but it's likely he will do that & the total cost to the O's will be around 30M/3.

[WSFAN35]

Why is everyone so sure Sheets is going to be available. I think Milwaulkee is trying to enter a new era, one that doesn't include ineptitude. The best way to build a good franchise is to start with a franchise pitcher. They're going to hold on to Sheets unless they get completely overwhelmed in a trade.