Crisp may ask Red Sox to trade him

Coco Crisp may ask the Boston Red Sox to trade him if he's going to be on the bench next season. Though the Red Sox say there will be a competition between Crisp and young outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, Crisp thinks he sees the writing on the wall.

“I would honestly rather be somewhere else and play than be on the bench,” he said. “But I’ll take whatever comes and deal with it and no knock against Boston. I love the fans. They treated me well.”

There could be a few teams that are still looking for outfield help that could be interested in Crisp, but according to manager Terry Francona, “We want Coco on our team,” Francona said. “We have two good center fielders.”

Clement won't be ready for Opening Day

Surprise, surprise. Though, who really is surprised by the news from the St. Louis Cardinals that right-hander Matt Clement will not be ready by Opening Day.

Pitching coach Dave Duncan broke the news, saying it wasn't a physical setback but lack of strength in his pitching shoulder.

Clement is trying to make a comeback from surgery, almost a year and a half ago, on a torn labrum and rotator cuff.

When free agency had first started, there was a lot of talk that Clement was going to end up back with his former team the San Diego Padres. The Padres must have seen something in his medical reports that kept that signing from happening. It wasn't the fact that they didn't want a pitcher coming off surgery, they've got 2 of those in Mark Prior and Randy Wolf not to mention Glendon Rusch who's returning from a blood clot.

Bucs' GM Huntington releases statement to fans

With spring training just getting underway, the last thing you'd expect to see is your team's general manager releasing a statement, telling you fans why they were inactive during the offseason.

Well, one general manager decided he would. It was Pittsburgh Pirates' GM Neil Huntington. You can read it, in it's entirety here.

Here are just a few excerpts from it...

"While some have questioned the level of our player personnel activity this offseason, I want to assure you that we have hit the ground running and have worked very hard to restore the pride and passion of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Indeed, the Pirates are a fundamentally different organization today than at this time last year. Beginning with Bob Nutting assuming control of the ballclub a little more than a year ago, this organization has taken orderly steps to improve our internal operations and build a ballclub of which you can justifiably be proud...."

"On the Major League side, we simply cannot and will not repeat the same mistakes this organization has made in the past by making trades and/or free-agent signings simply for the sake of making moves. We chose not to trade players at their lowest value or to trade away our talented, young players just for the sake of making changes."

"Around the diamond we should be strong up the middle with Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez and Nate McLouth or Nyjer Morgan. On the corners, we are looking forward to healthy and productive seasons from Jason Bay and Xavier Nady and continued development from Adam LaRoche and Jose Bautista. Our bench will be anchored by versatile veteran Chris Gomez, and we will have solid, versatile Major League-caliber options for our manager to use as he deems necessary. Additionally we look forward to the continued development of exciting young players like Steve Pearce, Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Brian Bixler and others."

Cubs sign Cintron to minor league deal

The Cubs have signed infielder Alex Cintron to a minor league deal with an invitiation to spring training according to a team press release on Monday.

Cintron has a career .277 batting average (525-for-1897) seven major league seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2001-05) and the Chicago White Sox (2006-07). He has played 338 big league games at shortstop, 109 games at second base and 88 games at third base.

Nationals sign Odalis Perez

According to a press release from the Washington Nationals, they have signed free agent right-hander Odalis Perez, though there have no details of the deal released as of yet.

Perez finished the 2007 season with an 8-11 record with a 5.57 ERA in 27 starts for the Kansas City Royals.

A return to the National League may not be such a horrible thing for Perez, who faired pretty well with the Braves and Dodgers, including a trip to the 2002 All Star Game as a Dodger.

Texas lock up Kinsler long term

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports, the Texas Rangers have reached a contract extension agreement with 2nd baseman Ian Kinsler on Tuesday. The deal is reportedly is 5-years $22M with a $10M club option for 2013.

"This is a big day for me and my family," Kinsler said during his press conference on Tuesday. "I've been working my whole life to get to this point, since my dad first started taking me out in the backyard and started throwing the baseball with me.

"It's big for us," general manager Jon Daniels said. "It has been pretty clear since Day 1 that Ian is the type of person we want to be about and invest in. Ian has performed at a high level and I would expect him to continue to improve."

This is a great extension for the Rangers, especially to sign a player that is going to be the long term face of this franchise, not to mention he's one of the better young players in baseball and one to keep your eye on in fantasy leagues.

Greene says he wants to stay a Padre

Unlike previous reports and fan belief, Khalil Greene says he wants to say a Padre for life.

He spoke to reporters on Monday and said, "there's nowhere else where I would want to play than San Diego." There had been a belief among a lot of Padre, and baseball in general, fans that Greene wanted to move closer to his family in South Carolina, possibly to a team like Atlanta.

I guess we can put this bed for good? Eh, maybe not that quickly.

Padres to talk to Black about extension

According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union Tribune, Padres GM Kevin Towers and CEO Sandy Alderson plan to talk to Padres manager Bud Black about a contract extension prior to the start of the 2008 regular season.

Black is in the final year of a 2-year contract that includes an option for 2009. “We'll probably talk some time in spring training,” Towers said, confirming that Padres have discussed the subject.

Trot Nixon works out for Diamondbacks

Former Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon was in Arizona over the weekend to work out for the Diamondbacks. The DBacks are interested in Nixon in case Chad Tracy, who underwent microfracture surgery, isn't ready for the start of the season.

DBacks' GM Josh Byrnes was asked about what they were looking at with Nixon and said he's "a confluence of us monitoring our own health, specifically Chad Tracy, and then a player's appetite to take an opportunity if it's kind of narrow."

Looking Forward to 2008: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers come off a disappointing 4th place finish in 2007, they needed needed a new look, not only on the field, but in the dugout as well.

After the Dodgers fired manager Grady Little, like the Lakers, they brought in a familiar face to the sports world, former long time Yankee manager Joe Torre. Could this mean a new era in Dodgertown, especially with the team in it's final spring training season in Vero Beach, FL, making the move to Arizona in 2009.

Torre wasn't the only big move the Dodgers would make, bringing in former Braves' CF Andruw Jones (2-years $36.2M) to be their new center fielder, possibly forcing Juan Pierre to left field or possibly to a bench role.

Arrivals:

CF Jones

RHP Kuroda

C Gary Bennett

Departures:

OF Luis Gonzalez

LHP Mark Hendrickson

RHP Roberto Hernandez

3B Shea Hillenbrand

C Mike Lieberthal

INF Ramon Martinez

C Chad Moeller

INF Olmedo Saenz

RHP Rudy Seanez

INF Mark Sweeney

RHP Chin-hui Tsao

LHP David Wells

LHP Randy Wolf

Not only was Jones a big addition for the Dodgers, but they also landed Japanese right-hander Hiroki Kuroda (3-years $53.3M). Though this is his first year in the big leagues, the Dodgers think highly of him and believe he'll add depth to their starting rotation. Though, the Dodgers will have a few unknowns going into 2008, mainly the health of Jason Schmidt. Without Schmidt, the Dodgers still have a rotation that will win you a lot of games with Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley and another new addition in Esteban Loaiza.

On the offensive side, the Dodgers also seem very strong. Veteran 2nd baseman Jeff Kent returns to what could be his final season in the big leagues, along with catcher Russell Martin, SS Rafael Furcal, 1st baseman James Loney and young outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier. The one question will be with outfielder Juan Pierre, with the addition of Jones along with Kemp and Ethier, could the Dodgers look to trade him before the end of spring training?

Prediction Time:

Though the Dodgers look good on paper, their success will depend on what kind of year Andruw Jones has, if their pitchers stay healthy and Jason Schmidt is 100% when he returns. Bare in mind, they're in a division that is considered one of the best in baseball with the deepest pitching staffs in the national league, with exception to possibly the NY Mets.

Dodgers - 88-74

KRod wants long term deal from Angels

Angels' closer Francisco Rodriguez has made it clear that he wants a long term extension from the team or opt for free agency after the 2008 season.

Both sides are headed for an arbitration hearing this coming Thursday (2/21), Rodriguez is asking for $12.5M/year, the Angels countered with $10M/year.

When asked about the situation, Rodriguez stated, “If they would have wanted me here, they would have done something a long time ago. “There is still a long time before the season starts. We still have a month and a half. By then, when the season starts, I’ll have my decision made.”

Bret Boone out of retirement, signs with Nationals

After announcing his retirement back in 2006, Bret Boone has decided that he wants to play again and has agreed to a minor league deal with the Washington Nationals.

Bret will join father and assistant GM Bob Boone and younger brother Aaron in the Nationals organization.

Bret hasn't played a competetive game since 2005, you have to think there's got to be a lot of rust he would have to work off if he's going to make the team out of spring training.

Prank on Phillies' pitcher Kyle Kendrick

If you haven't seen this, it's hilarious. Orchastrated by Brett Myers, it included manager Charlie Manual, assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr, Kendrick's agent and even the media to pull this off. It's hilarious...

Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick was lead to believe they had traded him to Japan, little did he know, everyone was in on the joke except for him.

Edmonds training with LA SWAT?

According to Dan Hays of the North County Times, San Diego Padres' CF Jim Edmonds wanted to find a way to get his strength and agility back.

The direction he chose was a little out of the ordinary, but according to Edmonds his leg strength has increased 300%, feeling faster and more agile than he has in previous years.

Jim Edmonds wanted a more rigorous offseason training program and he got all he bargained for and a whole lot more. Former Cardinal teammate Skip Schumacher gave him the name Jim Moss. Moss is a 3-year veteran of the Los Angeles SWAT team and is also a personal trainer in the Dana Point area.

This was unlike anything Edmonds has ever experienced, calling it "brutal", also saying "Moss told me most guys don't make it back for the third workout. We were running right away. The lifting was ridiculous. Every day I walked in, he shook his head like, 'I can't believe you're back."

Time will tell whether this training program will bring Edmonds back to where he was in his hay day and can keep him healthy for 162 games. The Padres could definetely use his power and speed.

Beltran: "We're the team to beat"

Let the trash talk and the player predictions begin. When the Phillies reported to camp prior to the 2007 season, Phillies' SS Jimmy Rollins predicted that his team would be the team to beat, turns out he was right.

Now, with players reporting to camp, the trash talk and the player predictions have started. This time, it came from Mets' outfielder Carlos Beltran. Without being asked a single question, Beltran sat in the team dugout and, again, without being prompted said "To Jimmy Rollins, we're the team to beat."

When asked to ellaborate, Beltran stated "Let me tell you this, without Santana, we felt, as a team, that we had a chance to win in our division. With him now, I have no doubt that we're going to win in our division. I have no doubt in that. We've got what it takes."

Trevor Hoffman throwing out of a windeup?

In an article from Corey Brock of MLB.com, San Diego Padres' closer Trevor Hoffman worked mostly out of the windeup instead of out of the stretch, something Padre fans have been used to seeing.

Asked how he felt doing something he hasn't done a very long time, Hoffman responded "I almost felt dizzy ... I almost fell over, it was a little weird but it's something we'll take a look at."

Hoffman is in the final year of a 2-year $13.5M contract he signed at the end of 2006. There's been a lot of talk that right-hander Heath Bell could see more 9th inning appearances this season, leading to the assumption that Bell is being groomed as Hoffman's successor as the Padres' closer.

Looking Forward to 2008: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

This may be one of the strongest teams, not only in the American League West, but the entire American League.

After finishing 94-68 in 2007 and winning the AL West, you wouldn't think this team needed to make much of a change to be just as strong next season. Apparently, the front office thought otherwise, coming out of nowhere to sign free agent outfielder, and former Twin, Torii Hunter to a 5-year $90M deal back in November.

Hunter gives the Angels the cherry on top of an already stacked outfield with Vlad Guerrero, Gary Mathews Jr, Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits. It gives manager Mike Scoscia a combination of options that he could start on any given day and still have a scary offensive lineup, it will also allow him to move Chone Figgins back to the infield to possibly be the Angels' opening day 3rd baseman.

Arrivals:
RHP Jon Garland
CF Torii Hunter

Departures:
SS Orlando Cabrera
3B Dallas McPherson

On the pitching side, the Angels made a move that made a lot of their fans scratch their heads, sending SS Orlando Cabrera to the Chicago White Sox for right-hander Jon Garland. Garland had struggled in the White Sox rotation the last 2 seasons, but with a change of scenery, and being behind guys like Jared Weaver and John Lackey, it could give him a boost in confidence.

The one issue the Angels are still dealing with is the arbitration hearing with closer Francisco Rodriguez. Neither side is blinking, could this mean an end to an era? Talking to Angels' beat writer Lyle Spencer a few months ago, he mentioned that the Angels would be reluctant to give KRod $12M/year but that Rodriguez could be using the extension of Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera as a bargaining point.

Prediction Time:

The Angels, on paper, look strong enough to make a run at another World Series appearance, I think they should win the AL West fairly easily, especially with the A's in a rebuilding stage and the Rangers also starting a new era.

Angels - 99-63

Steve Goldman of YES Network

Steve Goldman, a noted Yankee historian and author of the Pinstriped Bible on YESNetwork.com, was nice enough to give me a few minutes on the Yankees and their upcoming 2008 season.


Baseball-Rumors: Let's start with Alex Rodriguez. Did Alex not want to opt out of his contract at the end of the 2007 season and how strained is his relationship now with his agent Scott Boras?

Steve Goldman: I think only Alex Rodriguez can tell you that for sure. It seems doubtful that Boras went cowboy and opted out all by himself. It may be that Alex wanted to stay and found that he had overplayed his hand to some degree, that the market wasn't going to top the Yankees or top them by enough to really want to make a change. Add in the botched announcement during the World Series and you had a complete disaster. It could be that Boras is just taking one for his player so that Rodriguez doesn't have to spend another year answering questions after they decided to stage a general retreat.


Baseball-Rumors: Fans had heard the name Ian Kennedy mentioned in the Johan Santana trade rumors, but the Yankees were unwilling to part with him. What do the Yankees like so much about Kennedy and what should Yankee fans look forward to about him?

Steve Goldman: It's a cliche, but he knows how to pitch. Kennedy's stuff is unexceptional, but he knows what to do with it. You hear about these polished college pitchers with a low ceiling--they are what they are. Teams draft them because they're guaranteed a certain minimum level of competency. But what if the player doesn't get even to that low ceiling, if he gets only 75% of the way there. Then you have, I dunno, a back-end guy, someone qualified to pitch for the O's or the Royals. Kennedy, as my Baseball Prospectus colleague Kevin Goldstein put it, has nailed that ceiling. It will be interesting to see if big league hitters figure himout, if he can keep making adjustments.


Baseball-Rumors: When do you expect the deal to be finalized with Robinson Cano?

Steve Goldman: Done, and not a moment too soon. The Yankees did themselves a favor by locking Cano in at a set cost rather than dragging through arbitration and all that jazz. He's really grown these last couple of years, and if he has just a little more of that coming he's going to be something quite special. Maybe he's already there.


Baseball-Rumors: Do you expect Joba Chamberlain to be in the starting rotation or will he be coming out of the bullpen?

Steve Goldman: They seem to be fluctuating on this somewhat. I don't think it matters so much so long as he's ultimately a starter. If a pitcher has his stuff and can sustain a starter's workload there isn't much of an argument for putting him in the pen. Unless you get 100 innings, all crucially timed, I don't think the contributions are equal, and of course most relievers don't throw 100 innings and most managers don't get the timing right, throwing away the best pitchers on some fairly safe game situations.


Baseball-Rumors: I understand there's going to be quite a battle for 1st base during Spring Training. Is there one guy that you think is the front runner going into camp?

Steve Goldman: It's hard to describe it as "quite a battle" when the players involved are such minor chess pieces as the pawn, the other pawn, the jester, and thejanitor. The Yankees decided to punt on the position again, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle and maybe keep things empty for Mark Teixeira a year from now. Jason Giambi is an amazingly productive hitter even batting .250, but that's if he's healthy and you can tolerate his defense, and both criteria haven't been met in some time. You have to hope Joe Girardi feels differently about these things than Joe Torre did. Failing that, a Wilson Betemit/Shelley Duncan platoon might be adequate.


Baseball-Rumors: What are you expectations for this team going into 2008?

Steve Goldman: I think it's going to be a very interesting year, with the young pitchers coming on line. There isn't much of a safety net and the Red Sox are going to continue to be very good... There isn't a whole lot of middle ground given that even if you label this a rebuilding year, because it's the Yankees it will be called a failure if they don't make the playoffs. As such, the youth movement will either succeed gloriously or fail gloriously. Either way, it was the right thing to do.

Reds avoid arbitration with Phillips

The Cincinnati Reds settled their last arbitration eligible case, signing 2nd baseman Brandon Phillips to a 4-year $27M contract on Friday which included a club option for the 5th year.

Phillips made it clear to the Reds that he wanted to stay with the team that gave him a 2nd chance after he was traded from the Cleveland Indians.

Rockies, Hawpe agree to 1-year deal

On Thursday, the Colorado Rockies came to an agreement with outfielder Brad Hawpe on a 1-year $3.925M contract, avoiding an arbitration hearing.

On top of his base salary, Hawpe can earn $100,000 in performance bonuses: $50,000 each for 600 and 675 plate appearances.

He finished the 2007 season with a .291 batting average with 29 HR's and 116 RBI's for the National League Champions.