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| Joel Zumaya, like teammate Gary Sheffield, had major surgery last October on his right shoulder. According to the Detroit Free Press, like Sheffield, Zumaya is among the early arrivals at the Tigers’ spring-training camp, which officially opens Friday.
Unlike Sheffield, Zumaya won’t be ready for the start of the regular season. The right-hander doesn’t even know when he will throw for the first time since the surgery. And he’s working on an emotional rebound, let alone the physical one.
“I’m on a mission,” he said. “Mark my words, I’ll be back, and I’ll be able to do what I’ve been doing.”
Zumaya acknowledges that because of the shoulder surgery, he might never again throw 103 mph. His days of owning the majors’ fastest fastball, the one measured in triple digits, might have been stolen forever by his shoulder damage. A timetable for the return of the Tigers hard-thrower has not been determined.
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| Gary Sheffield said that he is swinging the bat “pain-free,” according to the Free Press. Sheffield began a rehab program in late November after undergoing shoulder surgery in October. Sheffield and the club believed his surgery last fall was to “clean up” his shoulder. But the surgeon found additional, unexpected damage: a torn labrum.
Now it’s time to envision the healthy Sheffield in a lineup that has gained Miguel Cabrera and Edgar Renteria. If you take Sheffield’s performance in the 2 1/2 months before his injury, then project it over a full season, he would amass 50 homers and 135 RBIs. |
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| Olmedo Saenz, 1B, Washington Nationals | Tuesday 2/12, 7:20 PM CT |
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| The New York Mets announced today they have signed infielder Olmedo Saenz as a six-year minor league free agent and invited him to Major League spring training. According to Newsday.com, Saenz, one of the most productive pinch hitters in the big leagues over the last four years, is a career .256 hitter (72-281) off the bench with 12 home runs and 58 RBI.
Olmedo, a 37-year-old righthanded hitter, was with the Los Angeles Dodgers the last four years. In 2007, he tied for fourth in the majors with 14 pinch hits (14-63, .222) and also had two home runs and 12 RBI. |
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| Kevin Mench, LF, Toronto Blue Jays | Tuesday 2/12, 7:07 PM CT |
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| Kevin Mench agreed to a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on Tuesday afternoon. According to the Dallas Morning News he'll fight for a backup outfielder's spot along with David Murphy, Nelson Cruz and Jason Botts.
Mench, 30, hit .267 for Milwaukee last year with a .746 OPS and eight homers in 101 games. He had fallen out of favor in Milwaukee and had not been able to land a major league deal this winter. But it is worth noting that Mench had consecutive 25-homer seasons while with the Rangers.
Mench has agreed to start the season at Triple-A Oklahoma if he does not make the major league roster. He would be able to request his relase if not in the majors by June 1. |
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| The San Diego Padres evidently have finally reached an agreement with shortstop Khalil Greene on a new contract, according to the Sports Ticker.
The Padres agreed to terms with Greene on a two-year contract worth $11 million, according to a report Tuesday on the San Diego Union-Tribune's web site.
According to the newspaper, Greene will receive $4.5 million this year and $6.5 million in 2009.
The Padres reportedly had reached a tentative agreement to avoid salary arbitration with Greene last week. But the two sides had not reached an agreement on terms of Greene's new contract.
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| Clay Buchholz is the favorite to come away with the No. 5 spot in the Red Sox rotation, but Julian Tavarez will be in the thick of the competition, according to MLB.com. "The two very clear candidates for that are Clay and Julian Tavarez. I think we can't [forget to] recognize what Julian provided for us last year," said pitching coach John Farrell. "In the first two-thirds of the season, he was a very key component to our starting rotation. He gave us not only very good individual outings, but when you look at 125 to 135 innings that he pitched for us last year, that's a key role for us." Tavarez posted a 5.15 ERA in 34 games (23 starts) for the Sox last year. |
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| Rich Aurilia, 1B, San Francisco Giants | Tuesday 2/12, 3:21 PM CT |
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| If the season began today, Rich Aurilia would likely be the starter at third base for the Giants, according to MLB.com. However, Aurila could also end up playing first, and Kevin Frandsen could play third if he doesn't win the second base job. Aurilia hit .252 with five homers in 329 at-bats last year. |
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| Dan Ortmeier, LF, San Francisco Giants | Tuesday 2/12, 3:17 PM CT |
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| The first base job is Dan Ortmeier's to lose heading into spring training, according to MLB.com. A converted outfielder, Ortmeier hit .287 with six homers in 157 at-bats for the Giants last year. He'll likely have to fend off veteran Rich Aurilia for the job, though Aurilia would probably start at third if the season began today. |
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| Craig Hansen feels like a new man heading into spring training. The reliever underwent surgery for sleep apnea in November, and he's really felt the results. "When I did the sleep study last season, they said I had 56 currencies in an hour, and the normal amount is four," Hansen told MLB.com. "They said I pretty much didn't sleep at all. I basically had no clue until I woke up the next morning and still felt tired." Hansen had a disappointing 2007 season, failing to make it up to the big leagues after spending time with the Sox in both 2005 and 2006. We'll see if more sleep can lead to better results. |
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| The Astros are interested in signing free agent Shawn Chacon, but a deal has not been reached yet. "I'm talking to his agent but we haven't reached any agreement yet," GM Ed Wade told MLB.com. Chacon could compete for a spot in the Astros rotation. The Pirates have also expressed an interest in bringing Chacon back. |
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| Kris Benson, P, Philadelphia Phillies | Tuesday 2/12, 2:13 PM CT |
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| The Phillies aren't any closer to signing free agent Kris Benson, though there is a much better chance of them signing him than bringing back Kyle Lohse, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Other teams have watched Benson throw, but the Phillies have been linked to the right-hander more than anyone else. Benson missed all of the 2007 season while recovering from shoulder surgery. |
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| Orioles president Andy MacPhail told the Baltimore Sun on Monday that the club isn't close to making any other significant moves. The Cubs and Orioles have engaged in lengthy trade talks involving second baseman Brian Roberts , but despite constant media and fan speculation, the two sides haven't agreed on a package.
"Really, in the immediate, I don't see much going on in terms of a week out or so. But you don't ever know," MacPhail said.
"It's tired but it's true: If something makes sense for us, we will evaluate it. It's not different than other circumstances." RotoTimes.com sources report that the Cubs are more interested in making a move than the O's are. The Baltimore front office has traded away most of their box office attractions and must offer the fans something more than Triple-A talent. |
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| Greg Maddux, P, Los Angeles Dodgers | Tuesday 2/12, 12:58 PM CT |
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| Greg Maddux dropped a bombshell on the Daily Herald Monday telling the paper this could be his last season in baseball. He will consider retirement during the offseason.
When asked how long he planned to pitch, rather than the usual answer, the 41-year-old Maddux paused, "My son, Chase, is gonna be 11 here pretty soon and I want to start watching him play a little bit more. I think it's about time for me to watch him instead of him coming to the park to watch me,'' said Maddux. "I'm set to play this year, and we'll see what happens after that.'' Maddux's Hall of Fame career includes more than 350 wins, 3,300 strikeouts, 5,000 innings, 700 starts, 20,000 batters faced, 17 Gold Gloves, four Cy Youngs, eight all-star selections, 12 postseason appearances and four ERA titles.
He's going to wind up seventh or eighth all time in victories, at somewhere around 360, which is staggering if you actually stop and think about more than 130 years of baseball history. |
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| If Vance Wilson isn't ready to go at the beginning of the year, Brandon Inge will be the Tigers' backup catcher, according to the Detroit News. Inge hasn't caught an inning since 2004. His fantasy stock obviously took a huge hit with the Miguel Cabrera acquisition, but his value would be salvaged a bit if he happens to gain eligibility at catcher. |
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| Vance Wilson has not had the smoothest recovery from Tommy John surgery. He was experiencing pain and stiffness this winter, although it seems to have subsided in recent weeks. "He's throwing a little bit better," manager Jim Leyland told the Detroit News. "We'll have to wait and see. He's questionable, but I don't want to write anything off. He might be OK." If he's healthy, Wilson will begin the year as the backup to Ivan Rodriguez. Otherwise, Brandon Inge, who hasn't caught since 2004, will be No. 2 on the depth chart. |
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| Mark Sweeney, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers | Tuesday 2/12, 12:22 PM CT |
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| The Dodgers agreed on a one-year, $600,000 contract with Mark Sweeney Tuesday. Sweeney, who spent the last month and a half with the Dodgers last year, can earn a $125,000 roster bonus if he makes the opening day roster, and the deal includes performance-based incentives that can push his total earnings to $900,000, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. |
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| Hideki Matsui may not be at full strength when position players report next week, according to the New York Daily News. The outfielder is slated to fly to Tampa today to talk to team doctors and trainers due to lingering soreness in his right knee. Matsui's knee began bothering him in late August last year, and he proceeded to hit just .185 in September. This is a definitely a situation worth monitoring. |
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| Edwin Jackson will battle for a rotation spot this spring, and since he's out of options, the Rays could send him to the bullpen if he loses out on a starter's job, according to the Tampa Tribune. Jackson went 5-15 with a 5.76 ERA last year, though he was impressive in stretches (2.45 ERA in August, including the first shutout of his career). |
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| Joba Chamberlain will prepare during spring training as a starter, but the young phenom will begin the season in the bullpen, barring injury to any of the other five main rotation members, according to the NY Post. The Yankees don't want Chamberlain to exceed his workload from last year by much more than 30 innings. The team will use Joba out of the pen for the first two months before sending him to the minors for 3-4 weeks to stretch him out in preparation to be a full-time starter in the second half. Chien-Ming Wang, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy will begin the year in the rotation. |
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| Mark Mulder, P, St. Louis Cardinals | Tuesday 2/12, 9:24 AM CT |
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| Mark Mulder threw off a mound Monday for the first time since having shoulder surgery last September, tossing 10 pitches at something close to half-speed in a light bullpen session. At home "in Arizona, I'd have good days, I'd have bad days," Mulder said in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "The past two weeks here (in Florida), every time I have definitely been better each time, throwing a little bit harder, throwing a little bit better. This was another example, without a doubt." The lefty is working through a throwing program that could put him in the rotation by early May. |
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| Brad Lidge, P, Philadelphia Phillies | Tuesday 2/12, 9:10 AM CT |
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| Brad Lidge said he's been throwing off a mound since January and that his surgically repaired knee is ready to go. The reliever said if the season started today, he'd healthy enough to pitch, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lidge had surgery on the knee last October. |
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| Livan Hernandez has signed a one-year deal with the Twins, according to RotoTimes.com sources. The Twins were just one of several organizations trying to lock Hernandez into a one-year contract. FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that the deal is worth $5-6 million, though Hernandez can earn more if he hits some incentives. |
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| It's not looking good for Roger Clemens. Representative Tom Davis, the ranking Republican on the congressional committee investigating steroid use in baseball, told Newsday that the affidavit of Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte backs up trainer Brian McNamee in most details. McNamee has said he gave Clemens at least 16 injections of steroids or HGH, though The Rocket says both Pettitte and McNamee are mistaken. McNamee and Clemens will testify today at a congressional hearing. |
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| It's possible Daisuke Matsuzaka won't be traveling with the Red Sox to Tokyo when the team opens up its regular season with two games against the A's on March 25-26. Dice-K's wife is due to give birth to the couple's second child around the time of the games, and she is expected to stay in Boston to deliver. Matsuzaka hasn't commented on the situation. "She's just in a very sort of delicate situation right now and I'd prefer not to answer any questions," he told the Boston Globe. |
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| The Orioles had been interested in bringing free agent Corey Patterson back. However, that proposition is unlikely now that the team has acquired Adam Jones, according to the Baltimore Sun. Patterson may have to end up settling for a backup job somewhere. |
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| Fernando Cabrera had minor surgery on his right arm over the winter, which might cause him to be a week to 10 days behind when spring training starts, according to the Baltimore Sun. Cabrera, who was claimed off waivers from the Indians last year, could be a longshot candidate for the closer role, and this news obviously won't help his chances. |
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