 1. Braves waiting for Damon's price to fall
2. Orioles trading Wigginton?
3. Yankees GM: No new deals for Big Three
4. Schilling: Red Sox should extend Beckett
5. Twins owner staying out of Mauer negotiations
6. Plenty of talent could be on move
7. Unsigned free agents take wait-and-see approach
8. Citi Field's C-F walls are being lowered
9. Phils to continue their due diligence
10. O's still eyeing Ohman
11. Yankees bring Thames into outfield mix
1. Braves waiting for Damon's price to fall
The AJC is reporting The Atlanta Braves haven't come out yet to say that they don't want Johnny Damon on their roster this year so speculation is growing in the Athens of the South that the former New York Yankees outfielder will be batting leadoff there when the season gets underway, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The Braves need a stronger leadoff hitter and would take Damon if it were only for a year and a few million bucks, which is a far cry from the kind of cash and years Damon wanted at the start of the offseason ($13 million annually, three or four years).
It seems the market is pretty dried up for Damon, except for maybe in Detroit, but these two teams don't appear to be ready to get into any kind of bidding war. So the Braves and Tigers will just wait a little longer to see how desperate Damon gets before making any offer, if room is made in the budget to make one at all.
To read more..
http://blogs.ajc.com/jeff-schultz-blog/2010/02/08/braves-could-be-waiting-on-damon-to-lower-his-price/
2. Orioles trading Wigginton?
MASN is reporting There are a few teams looking for a right-handed bat off the bench and the Baltimore Orioles may be the team that helps fill that need for one of them. MASN hypothesizes that backup first and third baseman Ty Wigginton may get moved out of Baltimore before Opening Day.
He apparently had an awesome spring training last year and never quite lived up to it for the rest of the season, going .273 with 11 dingers and 41 RBIs. The team doesn't really have much use for the 32-year-old now that it's signed Miguel Tejada and Garrett Atkins.
Wigginton is due to make $3.5 million this year.
To read more..
http://masnsports.com/2010/02/getting-in-position.html
3. Yankees GM: No new deals for Big Three
The NY Post is reporting When Brian Cashman looks at Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Joe Girardi, the Yankees' GM paints his shortstop, closer and manager with the same brush. And with spring training opening next week in Tampa, Cashman has no plans to stray from his plan of not negotiating with them. All three contracts are in the final year.
TO read more..
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yankees/cashman_no_new_pacts_for_big_three_wX8jpc0bmsEhjsc28BTAiI
4. Schilling: Red Sox should extend Beckett
Boston.com is reporting Curt Schilling fired up his blog again and write that the Red Sox should sign Josh Beckett to a contract extension. His reasoning is that Beckett tries really hard. Just a guess, but the Red Sox might work in a few more factors before they make a decision.
TO read more..
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2010/02/schilling_sox_s.html
5. Twins owner staying out of Mauer negotiations
Twincities.com is reporting Twins owner Jim Pohlad, in a meeting with reporters Monday at Target Field, said he's "absolutely not" involved in any Joe Mauer contract negotiations. the Twins seem confident their all-star catcher will be around for the long haul, perhaps in large part because, as the organization readies to start a new era at Target Field, revenue boosts should bolster their ability to afford the 2009 American League MVP's salary.
TO read more..
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_14361727?nclick_check=1
6. Plenty of talent could be on move
Mlb is reporting "When players make themselves at home in their respective clubhouses in a couple of weeks, some will be trying on new uniforms, while most will be putting on the same ones they've worn for years.
A few might not want to get too comfortable in this spring's colors, though.
Trades will happen. Some will happen soon, some might not happen until summer as the July 31 Trade Deadline approaches. But they'll happen.
It might be something we've heard about for months, like Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox. It might be one that could make sense even with the ink barely dried on a player's contract, like Ben Sheets with the A's. And you can pretty much bank on there being a doozy or two nobody had any idea was coming. "
TO read more..
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100208&content_id=8041666&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
7. Unsigned free agents take wait-and-see approach
Fox Sports is reporting The strategy for right-hander Braden Looper — the strategy for a number of unsigned free agents — will be to wait.
Looper’s representatives are telling clubs that the pitcher will not settle for a major-league contract with a low base salary or a minor- league deal with an invitation to spring training.
Looper, 35, is preparing to pitch this season; he does not plan to retire. But he simply might wait for an opportunity to develop in spring training or even during the season, be it through an injury, trade or poor performance.
Free-agent hitters such as outfielder Jermaine Dye could take the same approach, but the danger is that well-paying jobs might not open, effectively forcing such players into at least temporary retirement.
Outfielder Jim Edmonds, for example, sat out all of last season, only to return on a minor-league contract with the Brewers last month.
Pitchers generally are in greater demand than position players, so Looper — along with bigger names such as Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz — might eventually get contracts they desire.
Looper has averaged 13 wins and 190 innings as a starting pitcher the past three seasons. He had a 5.22 ERA for the Brewers in 2009 and led the majors with 39 homers allowed, but pitched the entire season with an injured right knee that required arthroscopic surgery in October.
To read more..
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/MLB-offseason-buzz-012010
8. Citi Field's C-F walls are being lowered
Theropolitans.com is reporting According to Adam Rubin, the Mets will lowed the centerfield walls in Citi Field.
Currently, the wall stands 16 feet tall in front of the Home Run
Rubin writes that, “the height of Citi Field's center-field wall will be sliced in half, making the ballpark more homer-friendly.”
Does that only apply to the area in front of the apple? Because cutting the whole centerfield wall in half would make it about six feet tall in most areas.
What I assume is going to happen (don’t quote me on this), is that they will push the area in front of the apple back, so that there will still be a wall in front of the apple, but that the “home run area” will all be at the same level (the lower line).
Read more: http://theropolitans.com/2010/02/cf-walls-are-being-lowered.html#ixzz0f2uKRuCm
9. Phils to continue their due diligence
Mlb is reporting Like Eric Gagne and Ben Sheets before him, the Phillies will be on hand to watch Noah Lowry's pending throwing session in Phoenix, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Lowry was originally scheduled to throw in front of team representatives on Tuesday, but he pushed it back in order to better prepare himself, since he hasn't pitched in two years because of thoracic outlet syndrome -- a circulatory problem that causes pain in the neck and shoulder. Lowry is said to be healthy now after undergoing surgery to correct it in May, and his agent, Damon Lapa, told The Associated Press the rescheduling was not health-related.
The 29-year-old left-hander went 14-8 with a 3.92 ERA in 26 starts for the Giants in 2007 and is 40-31 with a 4.03 ERA in his five-year career.
TO read more..
http://hotstove.mlblogs.com/
10. O's still eyeing Ohman
Mlb is reporting In search of a reliever to compete with Alberto Castillo, Wilfredo Perez and non-roster invitee Mike Hinckley for the situational lefty in Spring Training, the Orioles "really want" to bring in Will Ohman, according to The Baltimore Sun. The O's watched Ohman throw a bullpen session in Arizona nearly two weeks ago and extended him a Minor League offer, but the 32-year-old is holding out for a guaranteed contract, the Sun originally reported in January. The newspaper wrote that Baltimore won't give him that, but it will offer a good opportunity to make the Opening Day roster if he performs well this spring. Ohman, who has held left-handers to a .204 batting average throughout his seven-year career, is coming off elbow and shoulder surgery. He posted a 5.84 ERA in 21 games for the Dodgers in '09.
To read more..
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100208&content_id=8036680&vkey=hotstove2009&fext=.jsp
11. Yankees bring Thames into outfield mix
Mlb is reporting While announcing the addition of Randy Winn with a one-year contract, the Yankees reportedly signed Marcus Thames to a Minor League deal, according to several published reports. Thames, who turns 33 on March 6, will come in competing with Winn and Brett Gardner for playing time, according to SI.com, which first reported the signing. He will get $900,000 if he makes the 25-man roster, the New York Post added. The right-handed hitter -- a 30th-round Draft pick of the Yankees in 1996 -- batted .252 with 13 homers and 36 RBIs in 87 games for the Tigers in 2009. From 2006-08, Thames averaged 100 games, 23 homers and 57 RBIs per season in Detroit. Winn's contract has a base salary of $1.1 million plus up to $900,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances against left-handed pitchers, according to the Associated Press.
TO read more..
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100208&content_id=8036680&vkey=hotstove2009&fext=.jsp
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