The San Diego Padres have acquired right-handed relief pitcher Bryan Corey from the Boston Red Sox for a player to be name later or cash.

Corey was outrighted to Triple-A Pawtucket on April 30 by the Red Sox.  In 7 appearances with the Red Sox this year, the 34-year-old poste a 10.50 ERA.

The Padres will hope that Corey can strengthen their bullpen as they attempt to crawl out of the hole they have dug themselves early this year.  Unfortunately, however, Corey cannot hit.  So they’re offense will continue to remain inept.

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Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Dispatch believes that it is almost a given that Cardinals pitcher Anthony Reyes will be dealt soon.

Of the fact that Reyes, who was once considered one of the game’s top pitching prospects, was once again demoted to the minors last week, Strauss writes, “This year, however, the club appears firmer than ever in its stance: If Reyes enjoys success as a major-league pitcher it will likely occur elsewhere.”

Reyes’ most recent demotion represents the team’s use of his final option, meaning that if the club demotes him again next season, he’ll have to pass through waivers first.  That means, of course, that if St. Louis feels they have done all they can with Reyes, now may be the last chance they have to get something decent in return via trade.   And it appears that pitching coach Dave Duncan is, in fact, ready to give up on Reyes.  As Strauss writes, “Reyes is most comfortable throwing a four-seam fastball while pitching up and away from contact. It is no secret Duncan prefers a two-seam approach, pitching down with a desire for ground balls early in counts.”

General manager John Mozeliak insists that he is not ready to dump Reyes, though, saying, “We have no interest in giving Anthony Reyes away.”  Mozeliak is apparently asking for a top prospect plus another prospect in an attempt to fleece.  But it seems obvious that the Cards are at the end of their rope with Reyes, so any team that offers up a decent package for the pitcher deserves to get fleeced.  In my opinion, Reyes represents a very good “buy low” opportunity for a team that can afford to be patient with him. 

Filed under: St. Louis Cardinals | 1 Comment »

Tim Sullivan of The San Diego Union-Tribune points out that future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux could very well become available for trade if the Padres struggles continue.

Maddux earned his 350th career win last night and, at age 42, could be in his final season before retirement.  With San Diego struggling mightily, this is no way to end such a storied career.  Ace Jake Peavy agrees, saying, “He can help somebody.  It sucks that this is probably the last year of his career and he’s got to sit here and be a part of this and have (this be) the last thing he remembers in baseball — if this thing doesn’t turn.”

“If this thing doesn’t turn” is the key, of course.   The Padres currently sit at 13-24 and 10 games behind the first place Diamondbacks.  They certainly have the pitching to compete (although they made some bullpen help), but the offense has been atrocious and would have to be added to for them to right this ship.  So it will be an interesting decision for the Padres management to make: Try to beef up the offense via trade in an effort to make a run this seasonbefore it’s too late; or consider the prospect of waving the white flag and moving pieces such as Greg Maddux in an effort to build towards next year. 

One thing is for certain, though.  Plenty of contenders would welcome the addition of Greg Maddux to the back end of their rotations.  The Professor could represent a good fleece opportunity for San Diego.

Filed under: San Diego Padres | No Comments »

Given their unlikely hot start to the season, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports that the Florida Marlins (of the $22M team payroll) may actually look to add veterans as the trade deadline approaches if their success continues.  Frisaro write that “a high-ranking team source on Friday said the team would seriously entertain making moves to upgrade in hopes of reaching the playoffs this season.”

First on their list may be recently released Jacque Jones.  Per the article, three sources confirm that the Fish are still interested in Jones.  We had reported earlier this week that both Florida and San Diego are interested in the hacking outfielder who was recently cut by Detroit.  Jones could become an option in centerfield for Florida, along with Cody Ross and Alfredo Amezaga if Florida wants someone who won’t be able to get on base in front of Hanley Ramirez.

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UPDATE: (5/10/08, 11:30am) Yankees manager Joe Girardi doesn’t think David Wells is a good idea.  In fact, Girardi RUINED Wells by telling CBS Sportsline, “I don’t know if he’s capable of pitching, still.”

May 9th, 8:45am: As per Mike Puma of The New York Post, 45-year-old southpaw David Wells believes he could add value to the troubled starting rotation of the New York Yankees.

And apparently, Hank Steinbrenner has thought about the idea.  Wells recently appeared on “The Best Damn Sports Show” and Ole’ Hank admitted seeing the appearance and thinking about the possibility of adding Wells.

However, the topic has not been broached with GM Brian Cashman or Manager Joe Girardi yet.  Still, Hank isn’t ruling it out.  “You never know,” Steinbrenner tells The Post. “[Wells] hasn’t come up in conversation, but I’ve had so much other [bleep] to deal with lately.”

Wells was 9-9 with an ERA of 5.43 for San Diego and the Dodgers last season.  He does not consider himself retired.  The big guy actually says, “I’m in shape, I’d just have to fine-tune a couple of things.  I’d need a little bit of time, but not much. Physically I feel fine, real good.”

Needless to say, the Krispy Kreme’s and McDonald’s of New York are ecstatic about this possibility.

Filed under: Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres | 3 Comments »

According to Juan C. Rodriguez of The Florida Sun-Sentinel, Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez has “told an acquaintance he has agreed to the framework of a six-year, $70 million extension.”

The contract, which is pending a physical and will not be announced until at least early next week, would rank as the largest contract in the Marlins franchise history, although that is not saying much given the tendency of the franchise to treat it’s fans like garbage by not retaining it’s home grown superstars.

In just over two full years in the big leagues, Ramirez has not only become one of the game’s best shortstops, but also one of the game’s best offensive players.  In 1,411 major league at-bats, Ramirez has a .314 average, .374 OBP, .525 slugging percentage, 54 homeruns and 115 steals.  He was, of course, acquired from the Boston Red Sox prior to the 2006 season along with Anibal Sanchez in the Josh Beckett/Mike Lowell deal.

Given Ramirez’ proximity to his arbitration years (he would have become eligible after this season), the fact that the shortstop would agree to a 6-year deal is quite surprising, as this contract will buy out the first three years of his free agency at a very reasonable rate.   Had Ramirez just played out his arbitration years, he would have been a 28-year-old star shortstop entering free agency in three years.  I don’t even want to guess at what he would receive on the market in that case, but it would probably break records.  Nonetheless, Ramirez appears willing to accept a slight fleece from the Marlins in order secure this massive amount of cheddar.  He’ll still be just 30 (his birthday is 12/23/83) when this contract is up, and he will certainly be in a position to fleece at that point if he can stay healthy and productive.

We’ll post an update when this deal is made official.

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Brewers’ reliever Derek Turnbow has cleared waivers, and accepted an assignment to AAA Nashville. The former all-star has struggled this season, and has opted to report to AAA as opposed to free agency because he’d be walking away from over $3 million. He’ll report to Nashville on Monday.

This season, Turnbow is 0-1 for the Brewers with an ERA over 15. Yes, that’s right, 15! In 6 1/3 innings, he’s allowed 25 base-runners. Batters are hitting over .400 against him. Hat tip to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s blog for the information.

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Richie Sexson has been issued a 6-game suspension for starting a bench-clearing brawl in Thursday’s game against the Texas Rangers. Felix Hernandez had hit two Texas batters (one being Ian Kinsler, who had earlier taken King Felix yard), and when a pitch from Ranger’s pitcher sailed high in the following inning, Sexson decided to charge the mound and fire his helmet into the back of Kason Gabbard. In all reality, the pitch was not even close to Sexson.

According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Sexson had been experiencing some “personal issues” regarding his young son, so if the man happened to snap a bit prematurely, we can perhaps understand why.

Sexson plans on appealing the 6-game suspension.

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According to Ken Rosenthal, the Toronto Blue Jays have added some depth to their offense by adding outfielders Kevin Mench and Brad Wilkerson today. Wilkerson, who had been released by the Mariners, was signed as a free agent. Mench was acquired from the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations.

Mench should serve as a decent platoon partner with DH Matt Stairs. Blue Jays’ GM J.P. Riccardi said that he has always been a fan of Brad Wilkerson, as well. Wilkerson was struggling for Seattle, with no homers and just 5 RBI. Seems like a low-risk, decent reward signing. Wilkerson has never hit for batting average, but does have pop in his bat which could help the Jays if he turns his play up a notch.

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UPDATE: (5/9) 10:41pm (EST) - It has been confirmed, the Padres have released Jim Edmonds. Not only is Edmonds batting under .180, but his defense is no longer gold-glove caliber, as he’s obviously begun to struggle in this area as well. Edmonds may decide to retire, unless a team decides to take a shot on the aging veteran.

May 9th - According to The Newburg Report, the Texas Rangers have designated first baseman Ben Broussard for assignment.  The left-handed batter hit a paltry .159/.225/.268 in 82 at-bats this year.

Meanwhile, Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union Tribune believes veteran centerfielder Jim Edmonds could have a similar fate with the Padres.  He’s hitting just .180/.267/.236 thus far this year, which is certainly not what San Diego had in mind.

Filed under: San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers | No Comments »

Twins’ set-up man Pat Neshek may miss the remainder of the 2008 season, according to GM Bill Smith. He suffered apartially torn ulnar collateral ligament. He won’t even begin to start throwing a baseball for at least three months. Bill Smith said the primary goal of the Twins is to get Neshek healthy for spring training next season. The writing is on the wall, and it appears as though Neshek’s 2008 season has abrubtly come to an end.

What a big blow to the Twins’ bullpen. The side-armer has a career ERA of 2.91, and has been reliable and durable for Minnesota over the last few seasons. Matt Guerrier and Juan Rincon will have to assume the set-up duties in the absence of Neshek.

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As per MLB.com, the Pittsburgh Pirates have acquired 32-year-old outfielder Jason Michaels from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later.  The Indians will also pay the majority of Michaels $2.15 million salary, essentially admitting they were fleeced when they signed him to that deal a few years ago.  (Michaels was recently DFA’d by the Tribe.)

On Michaels, who will assume a bench role in Pittsburgh, Pirates GM Neal Huntington says, “Jason is another tremendous presence in the clubhouse.  He has been around a winning environment. And he brings another Major League player to our bench that can give [manager] John [Russell] the ability to rest [the other outfielders]. Similar to the [Tyler] Yates situation, we had a player who was squeezed out on a team that had a lot of depth in that area and we were able to acquire him for a very, very reasonable fee.”

In a corresponding move, the Bucs optioned Nyjer Morgan to Triple-A.

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Rob Bradford of The Boston Herald has an update on the Julian Tavarez/Colorado Rockies trade rumor, reporting that the Rockies remain interested in the versatile sinkerballer, who has been seldom used by the Red Sox recently.

The rash of injuries and ineffectiveness of the Rockies pitching (starters and relievers) would seem to make Colorado’s interest in Tavarez even greater.  Tavarez can start or relieve, and seems accepting of either role.  Says the 34-year-old, “If you let me pick, I’ll say I want to start.  But to me, I’m the kind of guy who will do anything for my team. Whatever they want me to do, I’ll do it. Like now, after not pitching for (12) days (before last night), you ask me what I want to do and I’ll tell you, ‘I just want to pitch,’ even if it was in batting practice in a batting cage.”

As Bradford writes, Tavarez has had decent success in Colorado, going 11-5 with a 4.43 ERA with the Rox in 2000 and has the same ERA in 41 appearances overall at Coors Field.  Bradford also notes that Colorado general manager Dan O’Dowd was the former Cleveland Indians executive who scouted Tavarez and then helped sign him to a contract with the Tribe when he was a teenager in the Dominican Republic.

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies | 1 Comment »

Well, we’re one month into the 2008 season, and super-agent Scott Boras is already prepping clubs for a fleece of monumental proportions. This time, it involves New York Mets starting pitcher Oliver Perez. Perez, 27, is rumored to be seeking a 5 year deal worth roughly $60 million or above. Yes folks, that works out $12 million per season. Perez is young, he’s a lefty, and he comes off a 2007 season where he had much success. In 2007, Perez went 15-10 while posting an ERA of 3.56 (coming off a 2005 season where he finished up 3-13 between the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets). Solid numbers in 2007, without a doubt. But Perez has the reputation of taking games, plays, and innings off mentally. He tends to be erratic, and seldom canget himself out of trouble. When things go bad behind him, he gets worse, instead of better. Of course, Boras disagrees with all of this. According to Boras, Oliver Perez was “brilliant” in his first two starts, and the last three starts were only blips on a radar. Boras has said Perez “compares favorably” to Johan Santana at the same age. He fails to factor in that mental edge that Oliver seems to lack.

Either way you slice it, Oliver Perez no doubt will be attractive commodity next off-season. $12 million or more annually? I’m not too sure about that, as that seems like quite a bit much for someone who can be so dominant one start, and fail to get out of his own way the next. Is this a case of Boras getting the most for one of his clients, or Boras pulling a “Kyle Lohse” on Oliver Perez? I suspect he’ll fleece someone. In my opinion, I would not go beyond 3 guaranteed years for him (at a max of $8 million annually, per say), with some built in options based on performance.

Filed under: New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates | 3 Comments »

According to the Arizona Republic, the Diamondbacks and ace Brandon Webb have once again started dialogue in regards to a long-term contract extension to keep the Cy Young award winning pitcher in Arizona. “Yeah, some progress has been made…We’ve been talking a little bit more. We’ve made some headway. We’ll see where it goes”, said Webb. Under Webb’s current deal, he is signed through 2009 with an option for 2010, but the D’Backs are most likely looking to push that deal three or four years beyond that.

Well, Webb is no doubt one of the best in the game today. Johan Santana got an annual salary averaging $22 million from the N.Y. Mets, where Jake Peavy’s new deal has him earning slightly more than $17 million per season. In theory, Webb should fall into the same category, but when players negotiate prior to hitting free agency they tend to earn a little bit less (i.e. - Roy Oswalt signing a 5 year extension worth $73 million). We’ll see how much the D’Backs are willing to pony-up to retain Webb’s services for the long term.

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According to the New York Daily News, Alex Rodriguez may not come off the disabled list when he is eligible next Thursday. Rodriguez took part in pre-game work out drills Wednesday night, and said he felt no pain and seemed ready to go. The Yankees are playing this with extreme caution, however, and will send AROD for another MRI prior to activating him. They want to make sure that quad is fully healed before inserting him back into their lineup.

The Yankees have struggled at times without their clean-up hitter, as they’ve gone 3-4 in games without Rodriguez playing third base.

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Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman has a piece out today about impending free agent Mark Teixeira.  The Braves 1st baseman is, of course, close to cashing in on a phat contract this offseason if he can stay healthy and put together a fine year.   The inevitable payload will be a payoff for Teixeira after he risked a lot of cheddar by not signing a long-term extension (remember, he turned down an 8 year, $140M offer from the Rangers before they traded him), which was very likely a move made at the request of agent Scott Boras (who loves trying to fleece people).  Here are some of the more interesting lines from Heyman’s piece:

• “Teixeira won’t name his price publicly. But someone who follows the markets and Boras predicts that the asking price could begin with ‘2’s” as in $20 million per year and $200 million toal.”
• “Three big-revenue teams should have openings at first base: the Yankees, Mets and Mariners, who appear to be nearing the end with Jason Giambi, Carlos Delgado and Richie Sexson, respectively. Call it the Teixeira Trifecta.”
• “One baseball executive who knows Teixeira well predicted, ‘No chance he stays (in Atlanta). He’s waited his whole life for this moment.””
• How about the hometown discount for his hometown Orioles?  Says Teixeira, “I have family in Baltimore. But I have family in Georgia. And I have family in New York.”  (In other words, show him the money, Baltimore.)
• Aside from the five teams already mentioned (Yankees, Mets, Mariners, Orioles and Braves), Heyman lists the Red Sox, Giants, Angels and Dodgers as possible suitors although I don’t see where he’d fit in with Boston, LAA or LAD.

In any event, and as we eluded to when we kicked off the Mark Teixeira rumors in December, it sounds like the switch hitting 1st baseman is ready to completely fleece someone this winter and may have great success in his quest.  Stay tuned.

Filed under: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers | 4 Comments »

ESPN’s Buster Olney has a few interesting tidbits in his blog today.  Here’s a rundown: 

• It’s pure speculation, but Olney sees a potential fit between the Indians and Rockies, involving Garrett Atkins.  Of course, it should take a bit more time before the Rockies even consider trading off veterans like “The Diet.”  But if the Rox do enter the “seller” mode before the trade deadline, Atkins’ name is sure to be brought up because prospect Ian Stewart would be able to take over the Colorado 3rd base job immediately.
• Olney believes that Ken Griffey, Jr. will eventually be traded this year, but does say this: “Rival scouts are not unanimous in their opinion that he can help a contender, at age 38. He’s hitting .238 in an exceptional hitters’ park, with a .377 slugging percentage, and some scouts think his defensive play - once extraordinary - has become a liability. The Mariners are scrambling for offensive options, and the return of Griffey to Seattle would make for a nice story. But it’s not a slam dunk that this is the right player move for the Mariners to make.”
• By the way, apparently it’s not a given that the M’s are after Griffey. (I’m going to call FALSE on that, though.  The M’s front office absolutely sweats Griffey.  In fact, the Reds should move on this NOW in order to maximize their fleece potential before either Griffey gets hurt or the M’s fall too far out of the race.)
• Regarding another aging, struggling outfielder - Jim Edmonds - Olney writes, “It would not be surprising if it turned out that he is in his last hours with the Padres.”
• Perhaps in an effort to make himself more marketable, Brandon Inge is becoming more accepting of his role, and is willing to take on more catching duties, as per Lynn Henning.
• Olney relays an Evan Grant piecewhere we learn that Ben Broussard may be on his way out of Texas.

Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers | No Comments »

On just four days of rest, Cincinnati Reds young hurler Edison Volquez pitched 7 shutout innings today, striking out 10 batters in the process.  The Reds defeated the Cubs, 9-0.

Here’s the thing, though.  After 5 innings, the Reds had a 7-0 lead.  Did Dusty take his young fireballer out then to preserve his arm?  No.  After 6 innings, the Reds had a 9-0 lead.  Does Dusty remove Volquez then?  Nah.  Old Dusty left Edison Volquez in for 7 innings, making the 24-year-old throw a total of 118 pitches on just four days rest in a 9-0 blowout.   Why, Dusty?  Why?  Don’t you realize that you need to preserve this kid’s fragile arm?  Did you learn nothing from your Chicago days?

We’ve said it here at the Fleece Factor before, and we’ll say it again.  Dusty Baker seems poised to repeat the mistakes he made with Mark Prior and Kerry Wood in Cincinnati with Volquez, Johnny Cueto and eventually Homer Bailey.  The fleece potential of his hiring is through the roof.

I just don’t get it.  After watching Baker butcher the Cubs, and then listening to his incoherent banter on Baseball Tonight, how could anybody want to pay him millions of dollars to manage a professional baseball team?  What am I missing?

Filed under: Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds | 8 Comments »

In a brief Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic, we learn that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer believes that, although ”nothing has been broached yet,” the Pirates are likely to approach centerfielder Nate McLouth about a contract extension this year - his last season before arbitration. 

This gives us a good reason to bring up the 26-year-old McLouth’s blazing start.  In 132 at-bats, left-handed batter is hitting .333 with a .417 OBP and .652 slugging percentage, with an amazing 9 homeruns and 28 RBI.  That’s incredible for a guy that was expected to battle it out for a starting job this year.  This production will certainly not last long, however (McLouth showed little to no power in the minors), so the Pirates should be a little careful if they do open up their purse.  But at the very least, McLouth is proving that he belongs in the majors and deserves a chance to play every day.

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• The San Diego Padres, looking for help in centerfield, have contacted Colorado, who feature depth at that position with Willy Taveras, Scott Podsednick, and Corey Sullivan. 
• The Rox have a week to determine the fate of pitcher Mark Redman.  Redman’s contract has a clause in it that allows Colorado to release him within 45 days of the season and only be responsible for paying him $250,000.  If they keep him past that 45th day, however, Colorado will owe him a cool $1 million.  Considering the fact that Redman has been nothing short of awful  this year (7.84 ERA in 31 innings), he should be a little worried.
• The Rockies are in need of a reliever so they have called up Alex Arias, and signed Aaron Fultz to a minor league deal.  I wonder if they regret giving up on Ramon Ramirez yet.
• Jason Hirsch threw a bullpen session yesterday and is hoping to be activated by early June.

Filed under: Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres | No Comments »

As per Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, White Sox general manager Kenny Williams may be running out of patience fast, and this could signal imminent changes to the team’s roster very soon.

Within this piece, Cowley mentions Juan Uribe as a Sox player that should be very worried. Uribe is hitting just .181 this season, and committed a baserunning blunder last night against the Blue Jays. In Spring Training, Uribe cleared waivers and ended up the team’s starting second baseman when the season began. He could be designated for assignment later this week. Alexei Ramirez would likely get the nod at 2B if that was the case.

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According to Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post, the Colorado Rockies are actively seeking trades to strengthen the depth of their starting pitching. The team has apparently been discussing trades for Cincinnati’s Josh Fogg (who rejected a $5M offer in the offseason to fleece himself) and Boston’s Julian Tavarez.

The Rox has also talked about dealing for one of Oakland’s two likely available starters - Rich Harden or Joe Blanton - but Harden is currently on the DL and Blanton is reportedly not available at this time. Texas starter Kevin Millwood is also an option, but the Rangers won’t just give him away to dump salary.

Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd had this to say about the search, “It’s early in the year, and there a lot of clubs sorting through issues, and when they get through them that’s about the same time that Hirsh, Morales and Reynolds should be ready to help us. So I am trying to find one guy for six or seven starts.”

Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers | No Comments »

Barry Zito’s time in the bullpen appears to have been short-lived, according to mlb.com. Zito has been slated to make the start on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. His time in the bullpen seemed to have been largely uneventful, maybe just a few days to clear his head. He ended up missing just one turn in the rotation. Bruce Bochy said that Zito had time to “work on some stuff on the side” over the last week or so, and the Giants hope Zito was able to figure some things out.

Zito is 0-6, posting a lofty 7.53 ERA thus far in 2008. Zito says he is “excited” to get back on the mound to see if some of the adjustments made will pay off in game action.

Filed under: San Francisco Giants | 4 Comments »

Cincinnati Reds GM Walt Jocketty tells ESPN that any trade rumors involving outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr. are “a little bit premature.”   Says the GM, “I have had no trade discussions with him.”

But then the GM decided not to shut the door completelely by saying, “I’m not saying that (a trade) couldn’t happen, but it just hasn’t at this point.”

Griffey has the right to veto any trade but has recently said that if the Reds came to him about waiving his veto, he would listen.   The struggling Reds (13-20) may eventually have that meeting, as Griffey and fellow outfielder Adam Dunn represent a large chunk of the team’s payroll and moving them both would make the rebuilding process that much easier.  

Meanwhile, Griffey is now 38 years-old and his internal championship clock is certainly ticking.  A potential return to Seattle has been mentioned within the rumor circle, but nothing substantial has been reported on that front. 

I have a feeling we’ll be hearing quite a bit more this summer regarding Ken Griffey trade rumors.  Stay tuned.

Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners | 2 Comments »

MLB.com is reporting that the Florida Marlins and San Diego Padres are interested in recently released outfielder Jacque Jones. 

Jones, who was recently DFA’d by Detroit, got off to a slow start with the Tigers, batting .165 (13-for-79) with just one home run, one triple, two doubles and five RBIs.  He has a less than stellar career OBP of .327, so the Tigers must have known what they were getting into.

Still, two teams seem desperate enough to add his inconsistent bat.  Despite the Padres meager outfield crew, the Marlins may have a more immediate need for Jones because of the recent injury to Josh Willingham, who was recently placed on the 15 day DL with a strained back.  Florida may not want to be too dependent on 93 year-old outfielder Luis Gonzalez, which is probably a very wise move

Filed under: Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres | No Comments »

According to ESPN.com, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling is scheduled to throw for the first time since being shut down in January with a bum pitching shoulder. At the time, Red Sox team physician said rehab was the way to go for Schilling. He went for a second opinion to a doctor that had performed previous shoulder surgeries on him, and that doc told him he should go the surgery route. Well, after much public drama and debate, Schilling went the rehabilitation route, and is now scheduled to throw again tomorrow. So I guess that was the right decision afterall.

The article notes that “Tuesday’s schedule includes playing catch with team trainer Mike Reinold along with pre- and post-throwing exercises.” The 41-year old putty-like pitcher was excited about his throwing session, saying, “There’s a Christmas Day feeling to it. Considering where I was four months ago and what the options were … I guess if I was climbing a mountain this would be getting to the base of the mountain.” Allllriiiight, Curt.

Filed under: Boston Red Sox | 4 Comments »

As per Tom Haudricourt at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Brewers general manager Doug Melvin says that the team has no plans to take closer Eric Gagne out of his current role, despite his struggles this season. On Sunday againt the Houston Astros, Gagne managed to blow a league-leading 5th save of this early 2008 season, while surrendering 2 runs in an eventual Brew Crew loss in extra innings. Despite that, however, Gagne is sporting 9 saves, so it’s not all terrible. A 1.70 WHIP and .382 opponent’s batting average is nothing to write home about though. In fact, *those* numbers are terrible.

When pressed about whether or not Gagne will be moved from the closer’s role, Melvin said, “There’s no magic number (of blown saves). If they are consecutive, that’s when you get worried. You stay with a closer as long as you can. If a hitter slumps for six weeks, you stay with him. Closers go in slumps, too. You give him the benefit of the doubt for now.” If you recall, the Brewers gave Gagne a 1-year, $10 million deal this past offseason.

Filed under: Milwaukee Brewers | 3 Comments »

According to Mark Bowman at MLB.com, the Atlanta Braves have acquired Greg Norton from the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named later or cash considerations. As reported here at Fleece Factor, the M’s deginated Norton for assignment last week when they decided to promote prospects Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentein. The Braves’ current plan for Norton is to use him as the team’s primary pinch-hitter. Braves general manager Frank Wren had this to say about the acquisition, “We wanted to improve the bench a little bit, and Norton is somebody we’ve been looking at since Spring Training.”

Norton, 35 years old, is a switch-hitting infielder (primarily at 1B) who is a carrer .253 major-league hitter. In 2006 for the Tampa Bay Rays, Norton hit .296 and belted 17 home runs.

Filed under: Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays | 2 Comments »

Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer informs us that the Tribe has cut ties with outfielder Jason Michaels.  Ben Francisco will replace him on the roster.

Says GM Mark Shapiro, “We think Ben can give us a spark.  We think he could be more than a platoon player. He hits right and lefthanders. This will give Eric Wedge a chance to keep David Dellucci healthy and strong in left field.  Ben can also spell Franklin Gutierrez in right field.”

As Hoynes notes, the move does not become official until Tuesday because Francisco has not been at Class AAA Buffalo for 10 days since he was last optioned by the Indians.  Michaels cleared waivers today.  I suspect some club will take a chance on him in the near future.  You could do a lot worse than Michaels (.294/.377/.449 career vs. lefties) as your 4th or 5th outfielder.  Look for Boston, who is looking for some depth, to kick the tires.

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John Paul Morosi of The Detroit Free Press reports that the Tigers have cut outfielder Jacque Jones.   And for good reason.  Jones hit just .165 in 24 games as the team’s left-fielder.  He’ll be replaced on the roster by Matt Joyce, who hit .299 with five home runs and 21 RBIs at Triple-A Toledo.

In a curious move, however, Gary Sheffield will start in left field today and Morosi believes that Sheff “will now start in left several times per week.”  It’s probably not even worth writing, but I’m going to write it anyway.  Is this a precurser to a Barry Bonds* signing?

Filed under: Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers | 1 Comment »

Each year in baseball, we notice a number of stars whose April/May numbers are nothing short of disappointing. For some players, it is alarming. Primarily in regards to aging veterans, where fans and media wonder: are they done as a player? This type of scrutiny can just lend to increased pressure on the ballplayer in question, leading him to press,  and continue to struggle as a result. For other players, the guys who are still relatively young (in baseball terms), yet have been around long enough to establish themselves as a steady player, if not a star, it can be somewhat nerve racking for the fans. We ask: What’s wrong? Are they hurt? When will they come around? The questions continue, until the guys start smoking like we know they’re capable, then all seems right with the world.

Here are a few players in 2008 to keep an eye on. By any rational calculations, they should start raking, or dealing, any day now:

Carlos Beltran, NY Mets: Beltran is off to a very poor start in 2008. As the clean-up hitter for the Mets, Beltran is batting just .210 with only 3 HR. We must remember, he did indeed miss weeks of spring training due to his “knee issues”. Aside from the fact that Carlos Delgado, who has had struggles of his own, has not offered Beltran much protection. There is a good sign, here. Despite hitting a pathetic .210, Beltran’s on-base percentage continues to hover around .370 (25 walks). This means he’s seeing the ball well. With Moises Alou returning as the team’s # 5 hitter, look for Beltran to start getting more pitches to hit.

Travis Hafner, CLE Indians: The slugging first basema