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 […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates | No 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 […]
Filed under: Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers | No 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 […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians | 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, […]
Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, New York Mets, New York Yankees | 12 Comments »
The Tigers’ have struggled without their lead-off hitter, but that could soon be changing. The offense has begun coming around of late, and Curtis Granderson is set to return to Detroit to offer an additional boost. He should be activated either today or tomorrow barring any unforeseen circumstances. Granderson went 1-3 in a single-A ballgame last night, his […]
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The 2008 payrolls were released earlier this month by Major League Baseball, and there were a few surprises. What isn’t much of a surprise is that the New York Yankees were once again #1 on that list, topping $209 million (yet another payroll record).
Of interest though is that both the Detroit Tigers and New York Mets have leap-froged the […]
Filed under: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals | No Comments »
UPDATE: (April 15, 7:12pm EST) - The Indians have placed Borowski on the 15-day DL with a strained triceps muscle. This is great news for Cleveland fans, as Rafael Betancourt should now be given a valuable chance to prove himself. Joe Borowski’s days as closer should now be over.
April 15, 9:44am (EST) - Remember the […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians | 5 Comments »
UPDATE: (April 10, 3:16pm EST) - The four guaranteed years (2008-2011) are worth a combined $15 million, and the total value of the package will reach $43 million if all of the option years are exercised and $48 million if Carmona reaches certain escalator clauses. (Source - MLB.com) Vote below and tell us who think was fleeced […]
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Cleveland Indians’ catcher Victor Martinez could return to the lineup as soon as tonight when the Indians take on the Los Angeles Angels. Martinez had injured his hamstring during the first game of the year, and had been listed as day-to-day. Martinez has worked out the hammy and says he is feeling better. “Victor ran around out […]
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Rotoworld.com has some updates on early injuries suffered to key players today. From the Chicago Cubs, starting pitcher and ace Carlos Zambrano had to leave today’s outing early as he experienced some forearm discomfort. The Cubs are calling it “forarm cramps”, and he is listed as day-to-day. This is great news for the Cubs, as the […]
Filed under: Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians | 3 Comments »
As per John Lowe at the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers, desperate for bullpen help, signed left-hander Aaron Fultz to a minor-league contract today. Fultz was released earlier this week by the Cleveland Indians, and will give the Tigers a much-needed arm to call upon in the late innings.
With Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya on the […]
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Some news and notes brought to you today by Jon Heyman over at Sports Illustrated:
The Indians are the latest team to inquire about right-hander Freddy Garcia, who will be out until at least June. Several teams had shown prior interest, including the Red Sox.
A member of the Orioles ballclub said this about Brian Roberts, “He can’t […]
Filed under: Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, Texas Rangers | 3 Comments »
According to ESPN.com’ Jayson Stark, the Tampa Bay Rays are believed to have made an offer to free-agent outfielder Kenny Lofton in the last 48 hours, but Lofton decided to say no thanks.
The team is currently looking for a “platoon-type oufielder.” Stark notes that they could just go with non-roster players Eric Hinske or Jon […]
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Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe delivers some knowledge down to all of us:
Mets GM Omar Minaya thinks that Moises Alou will be back much sooner than most people think. He is still, however, looking to add a right-handed hitting OF/1B.
Said Boras about his client Jeff Weaver, “There’s been a lot of interest. Pitching is […]
Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals | No Comments »
The Fleece Factor crew continues to work hard to complete in depth previews of all thirty major league teams as the 2008 season quickly approaches. These outlooks should be finished soon, at which point we will put ourselves on the line and make our own individual predictions. So stay tuned for those!
In the mean time, we have […]
Filed under: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, _Polls, _Team Outlooks (2008) | No Comments »
ESPN.com’s Buster Onley checks in with some rumors from around the major leagues. Here are some of the highlights from his piece:
The elbow of Atlanta Braves closer Rafael Soriano seems to have flared up . Not good news at all for the already fragile Braves pen.
Scouts feel that free-agent pitcher Kyle Lohse will look to land […]
Filed under: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies | 2 Comments »
The Padres current starting outfield of Brian Giles, Jim Edmonds and Scott Hairston (from right to left) is pretty gross…in a bad way. And Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Pads may, in fact, turn to a Gross to provide help - Gabe Gross. This, after deciding the Cubs demands for Matt Murton are too high.
Rosenthal notes that […]
Filed under: Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres | No Comments »
UPDATE: (2/21) 10:56am (EST) - Jerry Crasnick at ESPN is reporting that Nixon has agreed to a minor league contract with the D’Backs.
UPDATE: (2/21) 9:06am (EST) - As per Steve Gilbert at MLB.com, the D-Backs want to sign Nixon as insurance in case Chad Tracy isn’t ready to begin the season after offseason knee surgery. However, the […]
Filed under: Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays | 1 Comment »
You’d have to have been pretty excited with the 2007 season if you are a fan of the Cleveland Indians. The team finished with 96 wins and an A.L. Central division title. They were a pretty trendy pick going into the season, but to make that leap was surely not expected. Now, with a nice […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians, _Polls, _Team Outlooks (2008) | 7 Comments »
According to Paul Hoynes at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Indians starting pitcher Paul Byrd is still awaiting word from Commissioner Bud Selig on a possible punishment for his admitted use of human growth hormone, which could include a suspension of some kind. Byrd told MLB officials that he took HGH for a pituitary problem when he […]
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Despite the fact that negotiations for a long-term contract have been put on hold, the Cleveland Indians have no intention of trading ace C.C. Sabathia this season, according to Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Indians GM Mark Shapiro tells Hoynes, “Our priority is to win now. Nothing has changed.”
Other than the fact that the Indians […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians | 3 Comments »
Left-handed ace C.C. Sabathia has announced on his website that he has broken off talks with the Indians regarding a long term contract extension.
Writes Sabathia: “This off-season, through my representatives at Legacy Sports Group, I have discussed the possibility of a contract extension with the Cleveland Indians. At this time, we haven’t been able to […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians | 9 Comments »
UPDATE: (2/10) 3:08pm (EST) - Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer checks in again on the Sabathia extension rumors. The 4-year extension offer made by the Indians is expected to include the 2008 season, in which C.C. will make $11.25 million, thus making it basically a 3-year extension. It is believed to have an […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians, New York Mets | 12 Comments »
According to Rick Eymer at MLB.com, the Oakland Athletics have brought back relief pitcher Keith Foulke on a 1-year, incentive-laden contract. The deal is said to be for $700,000, with another $2.5 million in incentives, as per Susan Slusser. In 2003 with the A’s, Foulke went 9-1 with a 2.08 ERA and 43 saves, earning an […]
Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics | No Comments »
Jayson Stark is reporting that two former Red Sox have signed minor league deals with new clubs today:
The Tampa Bay Rays have signed free agent corner infielder Eric Hinske to a minor league deal that will pay him $800K if makes the Major Leage roster. This will be a significant pay-cut for Hinske, who fleeced the Red Sox out […]
Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Bay Rays | 1 Comment »
According to ESPN.com, the Cleveland Indians and 3B/OF/1B Casey Blake agreed to a 1-year deal and avoided arbitration. The pact is reportedly worth $6.1 million for the 2008 season. Blake started out the ‘07 season at 1B, and as a 4th OF, but moved over to 3B when prospect Andy Marte was demoted to the minors. He started […]
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UPDATE: (1/31) 9:21PM (EST) - As per Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports, Bonds’ agent Jeff Boris says his client is “unequivocally not retiring.” Boris went on to decline comment when asked if he was speaking to any particular teams in regards to his client.
UPDATE: (1/30) 1:51pm (EST) - As per Cliff Corcoran of SI.com, there […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers | 11 Comments »
UPDATE: (1/31) 10:09am (EST) - According to the Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, a massive contract for Johan Santana with the Mets may likely end any chance of Sabathia returning to the Indians. He will want his cheddar too, and the team will probably get “priced-out” of the market for his services.
Jan 27, 2:00pm […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians | 4 Comments »
UPDATE: (1/23) 4:09pm (EST) - As per Rotoworld.com, the 2-year deal is worth a guaranteed $5.4 million. The club option, which would buy out his 1st year of free agency, is worth $5 million.
UPDATE: (1/23) 11:54am (EST) - According to MLB.com, the Indians and Betancourt have agreed to a 2-year deal, with a club option for 2010. […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, _Polls | 1 Comment »
UPDATE: (1/20) 3:25pm (EST): According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, whatever interest the Indians may have had in Colon was lost after they watched him throw between 87 and 89 miles per hour, with absolutely no life on his fastball. In addition, the Mets have have also seemingly backed-off their pursuit of Colon.
Jan 19, […]
Filed under: Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets | 4 Comments »
UPDATE: (1/9) 11:04am (EST) - Orioles Hangout is reporting that a trade to the Cubs is complete. The Orioles would receive LHP Sean Marshall, RHP Sean Gallagher and SS Ronny Cedeno. However, according to baltimoresun.com, Andy MacPhail said the rumor is “very inaccurate.”
Yet another piece of info from Ken Rosnethal’s article at Fox Sports, both […]
Filed under: Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians | 3 Comments »
According to Eduardo Encina of the St. Petersburg Times, “the Edwin Jackson to Seattle rumors won’t die, but there still seems to be little substance to the idea of sending him to the Mariners.” No word on a potential return package for the Rays.
Also from Encina, the Rays are in search of a left-handed reliever. Then […]
Filed under: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays | 3 Comments »
The Beaver County Times reports this morning that the Pittsburgh Pirates, along with the Cleveland Indians, are a finalist for free agent pitcher Matt Clement. Clement, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, has narrowed his choice down to these two teams so that he can stay close to his new house […]
Filed under: Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates | 2 Comments »
We learn today from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it was the Pirates that pulled out of the Jason Bay trade with the Cleveland Indians at the Winter Meetings.
Kovacevic confirms that the offer on the table was Jason Bay and Ronny Paulino for Franklin Gutierrez, Kelly Shoppach and Cliff Lee or a minor-league pitcher.
I applaud […]
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As usual, Ken Rosenthal has a bag full of good MLB rumors today. Let’s look:
The Cubs are still pursuing O’s second baseman Brian Roberts. But Baltimore owner Peter Angelos’ love for Roberts may veto any trade - unless Chicago accepts getting fleeced. (Rich Hill? Sean Gallagher?)
Going against previous reports, Rosenthal says that Hiroki Kuroda has not yet signed with […]
Filed under: Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals | 1 Comment »
