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Latest News  Mar. 24, 2006 - 3:56 pm et

 

Mariners released RHP Dave Burba.

Burba had pitched just two innings since giving up six runs in 1 1/3 innings three weeks ago in his spring debut. The 39-year-old might head back into retirement.

Wow, he's pretty old now.

Edited by SSH2005
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QUOTE(GoSox05 @ Mar 24, 2006 -> 09:34 AM)
Whats Bobby Thigpen up to nowadays?

Coaching some school's baseball team.. they are pretty good too. Hawk & DJ interviewed him during one of the ST games earlier :P

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QUOTE(GreatScott82 @ Mar 24, 2006 -> 10:07 AM)
In Boone I trust! But who is going to replace Hermy?? :huh

 

I would say Brandon McCarthy looks to be the leading candidate to bridge the gap at getting the ball to Cliff Politte and Neal Cotts.

 

I still think Jenks will be OK once the team breaks camp and heads east to Chicago. The dry AZ air and lack of humidty really messes with a pitcher's breaking ball.

 

Bobby Jenks will find his touch again.

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Latest News  Mar. 26, 2006 - 5:33 pm et

 

Danny Graves gave up three runs in an inning against the Reds today, but manager Eric Wedge said he pitched better than that.

Austin Kearns' solo homer off him was wind-aided. "He was down in the strike zone today and threw a couple good sinkers and a couple good breaking balls," Wedge said. "The end result wasn't an indication of how he pitched. For whatever reason, the ball is really flying out of right field here this year." Jason Davis pitched two scoreless innings today and Steve Karsay added a scoreless frame, so the competition for the vacancy in Cleveland's pen remains muddled.

Does Steve Karsay have anything left in the tank? If the Indians keep Danny Graves, would Karsay be worth picking up?

Edited by SSH2005
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More roto news:

 

Cardinals released RHP Jeff Nelson.

 

A shocker. Nelson apparently struggled in a minor league game last week, but he had allowed one hit over 5 1/3 scoreless innings in major league games. His phone will probably be ringing off the hook for the next couple of days. Nelson's departure appears to clear the way for Josh Hancock to win a bullpen spt. Mar. 26 - 8:58 pm et

 

Well, I would have to say that he's about as good of a scrap-heap option I've seen. Maybe the fact that we'd give him an opportunity to be a big part of our pen (and maybe get himself some jewelry) would get him in Chicago for some emergency help.

Edited by R.J.
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QUOTE(R.J. @ Mar 26, 2006 -> 08:29 PM)
More roto news:

Well, I would have to say that he's about as good of a scrap-heap option I've seen. Maybe the fact that we'd give him an opportunity to be a big part of our pen (and maybe get himself some jewelry) would get him in Chicago for some emergency help.

 

HERE HE IS!

 

Nelson is a veteran, he's about as cheap as they come, he's murder on right-handers and he would probably be a very nice fit with our clubhouse...think Hermanson part deux.

 

This is him.

 

Jabs, Jim, what do you think?

 

This is the guy.

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Nelson has proven that he can get righties out with ease. He would be a solid vet to add to our bullpen. Give him the tough righties in the 6th and 7th and now our pen looks deep again. Surely, he is better than Hermy (just b/c of injury issues,) Thorton and Lopez. And I am sure that as a veteran who is near the end of the road baseball wise, he would love to come to a contender for one last hurrah even if it were in a limited role.

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http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/NASApp/ml...t=.jsp&c_id=stl

Notes: Nelson surprised by release

Reliever felt he had done enough tomake team this spring

 

By Matthew Leach / MLB.com

 

JUPITER, Fla. -- When Cardinals manager Tony La Russa summoned Jeff Nelson into his office on Sunday afternoon, Nelson expected only the best. He figured his quest to make the club as a non-roster player had been validated, and that he was about to be told he had earned a spot on the roster.

 

Instead, Nelson was told that he was being released. Nelson, 39, pitched well this spring, but not well enough in the club's eyes to justify guaranteeing the $800,000 salary he would have received on the Major League roster.

 

"When he called me in, I figured, OK, finally," Nelson said. "They're going to not wait until the end of the week. I told him I didn't know what I had to do to pitch any better."

 

Nelson has no desire to pitch in the Minor Leagues, so rather than being reassigned to Minor League camp, he was simply granted his release. He will listen to offers to pitch somewhere else.

 

"I'll just wait," he said. "I still feel I can pitch, obviously. I've never been through this before, so I don't know. If I have to go home, that's fine. I don't care. But I didn't think there was a possibility that I wasn't going to make this team. Especially with the way I pitched. I didn't think there was a question mark."

 

Nelson struggled in a two-inning stint in a Minor League game recently, but in big-league games this spring, he permitted one hit and three walks in 5 2/3 shutout innings. He struck out seven.

 

"It was definitely a shock," he said. "This is my 16th or 17th big-league camp, and I don't think I've ever had a spring like this. I'm not going to throw 95 [mph] like I used to. That's just age and throwing. But as far as getting guys out, I can still get guys out. I proved that.

 

"They weren't hard outs. I was still striking out guys. So I didn't know what I needed to do. I have no idea."

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This signing almost seems too obvious for it to happen.

 

I expect a trip back to NY or Boston...

Neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox appear to have any room for Nelson in their respective bullpens...

 

Yankees

Octavio Dotel (not 100% healthy yet though)

Aaron Small / Scott Proctor

Tanyon Sturtze

Ron Villone

Kyle Farnsworth

Mike Myers

Mariano Rivera

 

Red Sox

Jon Papelbon

Lenny DiNardo

Rudy Seanez

David Riske

Julian Tavarez

Mike Timlin

Keith Foulke

 

But I guess it's the Yankees and they will probably grab any reliever they can get their hands on.

Edited by SSH2005
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Oh man, you can't have a guy like this fall into your lap, while we're in a situation like the one we're in, and pass it up.

 

Really, we're sitting here hoping we can coax Antonio Osuna out of retirment or ressurect the career of the immortal JIMMY GOBBLE, this is a gift in golden wrapping paper.

 

The bullpen is our only hole. Nelson isn't Mariano Rivera but he's what we need.

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QUOTE(R.J. @ Mar 26, 2006 -> 09:41 PM)
Oh man, you can't have a guy like this fall into your lap, while we're in a situation like the one we're in, and pass it up.

 

Really, we're sitting here hoping we can coax Antonio Osuna out of retirment or ressurect the career of the immortal JIMMY GOBBLE, this is a gift in golden wrapping paper.

 

The bullpen is our only hole. Nelson isn't Mariano Rivera but he's what we need.

ewwwwww

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The problem with Nelson is that lefties hit him pretty hard, he's a veteran you can't just send down to AAA and bring back during the season, and he makes more than the Sox are likely to want to spend on the back end of their bullpen.

 

The pen right now is:

 

Jenks

Cotts

Politte

McCarthy

Thornton

Logan

(Hermanson DL)

 

If you add Nelson and send Logan down, what do you do if and when Hermanson returns? Ship out Thornton? Can he be shipped out without losing him? Since Nelson can't get lefties out, does it make sense to get rid of the LOOGY's? Do you ship out a bench player like Ross Gload?

 

I doubt Nelson will end up back in NY -- that ship has sailed. But I also think we should pass. I thought Thornton was a stretch, but I think at this point management is committed to ironing him out. He only has to pitch as well as Damaso Marte did last year, which isn't asking that much.

 

We could use an innings eater like Vizcaino at the back end of the pen, but Nelson isn't that. He's only pitched 60 innings total over the last two years.

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At this point, worrying about which of our relievers to send down is a luxury we don't have. In fact, if it gets to that, I'd be willing to bet that of that group someone would make it clear that they're the weak man, be it the unexperienced Logan, the aging Nelson (please?), or the just really awful Thornton (prove me wrong kids, prove me wrong).

 

And I don't want to rain on any parades, but to be counting on Hermanson to make it back this year and actually be effective when he has shown absolutely no indications he can throw a baseball since last August seems really, really optimistic to me.

 

We made a mistake in not finding a cheap free agent (or minor league contract) insurance policy for Hermy when there were guys readily available. Now we're in big trouble because plan A looks to have faltered. I'm confident McCarthy can be our innings eater guy as he works through possible first half struggles or the adjustment to working from the pen - what I'm worried about is having a guy who can come into the ballgame and get us out of a jam or work a scoreless frame when we need one. Nelson is a guy who can give you that. McCarthy might - we don't know for sure yet. But Hermanson? Hermanson won't. Not anymore.

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Latest News  Mar. 27, 2006 - 4:58 pm et

 

Diamondbacks reassigned RHP Mike Koplove, C Juan Brito and 3B Brian Barden to minor league camp.

The Diamondbacks probably wouldn't ask for anything in return if another team was willing to take Koplove's $1.175 million salary off their hands. Maybe that's a bit too much money, but he'd be a useful 11th or 12th reliever.

Edited by SSH2005
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Latest News  Mar. 28, 2006 - 12:26 am et

 

According to MLB.com, right-hander John Wasdin has been placed on waivers by the Rangers.

Wasdin had a 10.64 ERA in 11 innings this spring. Should he clear waivers, the Rangers will likely try to re-sign him to a multiyear deal. His departure makes it likely that Rule 5 pick Fabio Castro will stick with the Rangers.

Source:  Rangers.mlb.com

Wasdin will earn $600,000 this season. He pitched 75.2 innings last season and had a 4.28 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and .261 BAA. He's a long reliever / spot starter. He has been pretty awful over his career though.

Edited by SSH2005
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QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 28, 2006 -> 12:40 AM)
Wasdin will earn $600,000 this season.  He pitched 75.2 innings last season and had a 4.28 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and .261 BAA.  He's a long reliever / spot starter.

s***, I had hom as a replacement for Borchard... :P

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It would make a lot of sense to get like one or two of these guys [12th reliever types] for AAA. Now's the time to pick up a guy. The trade deadline is pretty far off and any help for the Sox MLB team must come from the minors. Lopez is one nice option for the bullpen. But Hermanson shouldn't be counted on. Esp. someone to groom for closer. I don't know who is set to close for Charlotte.

 

Of course, the sox could use a SP like Liotta or Broadway as a last resort--esp. as they can throw more than 1 inning and pitch to both lefties and righties.

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