MLB Rumors: Bartolo Colon, Wandy Rodriguez and the Latest MLB Buzz
MLB Rumors are still circulating even though the free agency boom has somewhat passed and spring training isn't that far down the road.
At this point in the season there aren't any (current) superstars out on the open market. But there are players who can make a contribution....or at least fill a roster spot.
And trade rumors and contract extensions are a 365-day-a-year affair.
Here is some of the news swirling through the Hot Stove right now.
Bartolo Colon: New York Yankees Take A Flier On Former Cy Young Winner
1 of 10
According to ESPNNewYork.com, the New York Yankees signed right hander Bartolo Colon to a one-year minor league deal today.
Colon was a dominant starter during a stretch from 1999-2005 with the Cleveland Indians, Montreal Expos, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels.
In 2005, Colon went 21-8 and won the AL Cy Young award, but he tore his rotator cuff the next season and has struggled with arm injuries ever since. He's made just 37 appearances in the past five years.
Wandy Rodriguez: Astros Sign Their Ace To Extension
2 of 10
The Houston Astros locked up their ace Wandy Rodriguez, signing the lefty to a guaranteed $34 million extension.
Rodriguez, who turned 32 last week, went 11-12 with a 3.60 ERA. The Astros scored the third fewest runs in the major leagues last season.
"We're very pleased to get this done," Houston's general manager Ed Wade told Reuters. "Wandy is one of the top left-handed starters in the game. With pending free agency and its uncertainty, it made all the sense in the world for us."
Rodriguez was scheduled to be a free agent in 2012.
Michael Young: Could The Rangers Send Star To Colorado?
3 of 10
Signing Adrian Beltre this offseason gave the American League Champion Texas Rangers not one, but two, excellent hitting third basemen.
And although there was a though that Beltre and Michael Young could co-exist (with Young moving to the DH spot) there continues to be rumors that Young will be on the move.
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has speculated that the Colorado Rockies would be the best fit: the Angels have shown interest, but trading the former batting champion to a divisional rival is not ideal.
The Rockies would be expected to move Young to second base.
.png?w=256)
Grady Sizemore: Indians Centerfielder On Nationals Radar
4 of 10
The Washington Nationals have already added one All Star outfielder to their roster this offseason, signing free agent Jayson Werth to an enormous contract.
And now, there are reports that they are interested in adding another. Cleveland centerfielder Grady Sizemore is coming off a second straight injury plagued season and the 28-year-old will become a free agent after next season.
Sizemore had been one of the American League's burgeoning stars a few years ago, when he won two Gold Gloves and averaged 77 extra base hits per year from 2006-2008. But an elbow injury in 2009 followed by a knee injury last year (which required microfracture surgery and cost him over 120 games) has made him a major question mark for the future.
That doesn't seem to bother the Nationals, who will have Nyjer Morgan and Justin Maxwell contend for the center field job next year.
Fausto Carmona: The Indians Other Star On His Way To D.C.?
5 of 10
The same reports that have Washington interested in Cleveland's Grady Sizemore have the Nationals interested in the only other star player on the Indians' roster.
Carmona, who has struggled since a fantastic second year in 2007 when he went 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA, is not eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season.
In 2008, Carmona spent two months on the disabled list, and a year later he struggled with a 5-12 record, but last season he seemed to return to form, going 13-14 with a 3.77 ERA, earning a spot in the All Star Game.
The Nationals are still trying to fill out there rotation which will be without phenom Stephen Strasburg and was unable to sign free agent Cliff Lee or any other big time arm this offseason.
Joe Beimel: Boston Red Sox No Longer Interested In Reliever
6 of 10
The Boston Red Sox and Balitmore Orioles were reportedly the top teams in the running for lefthander Joe Beimel, but now it appears the Red Sox have dropped out of the race.
WEEI.com's Alex Speier reported that "if the Sox are indeed pursuing the southpaw specialist, it is unlikely that the team would be offering him anything other than a minor league contract."
And since general manager Theo Epstein has stated that "we feel good about the team we’re bringing to spring training" the Orioles might be the favorite to bring in Beimel. Baltimore reportedly offered Beimel a deal already.
Beimel pitched for the Rockies last year, posting a 3.40 ERA in 71 appearances. The nine-year veteran will turn 34 this April.
Darryl Strawberry: Former Mets Star Things Club Made Wrong Manager Choice
7 of 10
Darryl Strawberry thinks that his former team should have hired one of his former teammates as their new manager.
The Mets hired Terry Collins last month to replace Jerry Manuel, but Strawberry says Wally Backman, the team's second baseman from 1980 to 1988 should have been the choice.
"Wally will be the next manager of the Mets, in my opinion. I don't have much to say, but I thought he would've been the right choice for them," Strawberry told the New York Daily News. "Not taking anything away from Terry. He's a great man, and I think he'll probably do a great job turning these guys around. But I think Wally's in the future, as far as the manager, and I think he'll be a super manager."
Backman was interviewed for the job in New York, but will manage the team's double-A team in Binghamton in 2011, after a promotion from his single-A gig in Brooklyn.
Armando Galarraga: Tigers Ship Their Young Righty To Arizona
8 of 10
Less than eight months after pitching the "perfect game that wasn't" Armando Galarraga will have a new home.
The Diamondbacks acquired the 6'4" righty for pitchers Kevin Eichhorn and Ryan Robowski.
"We are excited about the opportunity to acquire a pitcher of Armando Galarraga's ability a few weeks before the start of Spring Training," Diamonbacks general manager Kevin Towers said. "Armando is a quality pitcher as well as individual that will compete for a spot in our rotation with all of the other starting pitchers this spring."
Galarraga, famous for throwing having a perfect game negated by a bad call in the bottom of the ninth, finished 2010 with a 4-9 record and 4.49 ERA.
San Francisco Giants: Marc Kroon Added To Already Deep Bullpen
9 of 10
The San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series largely because of their incredible pitching staff. And with the bullpen flourishing in the postseason last year, they can afford to take a few chances.
That they did by signing Marc Kroon, a righty who has spent the past three years pitching for the Japanese team, the Yomiuri Giants.
The 37-year-old Kroon made his major league debut back in 1995 with the San Diego Padres and pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 1998 and the Colorado Rockies in 2004. In parts of four seasons, he's appeared in 26 games.
The Giants signed Kroon to a minor league deal, but should he make the roster, he can earn a salary one million dollars.
Seattle Mariners: Chris Ray Brought In To Fortify Bullpen
10 of 10
The Seattle Mariners, baseball's worst hitting team in 2010, went out and added a free agent pitcher today.
Chris Ray, a reliever who has bounced around in recent year, was signed to a minor league deal and will be one of the club's non-roster invites at spring training.
The 29-year-old made his major league debut in 2005 with the Baltimore Orioles and became the team's closer the following season, posting a 2.33 ERA and 33 saves in 2006.
But Ray needed Tommy John surgery late in the 2007 season, missed all of the next year, and a poor season in 2009 (he went 0-4 in 12 appearances with a 7.27 ERA) led to him being traded to the Rangers.
After a good start (2-0, 3.43 ERA) the Rangers shipped Ray to the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco Giants. Although he went 3-0 in 24 innings, Ray was left off the Giants postseason roster.
.png?w=480)
