Goosenest.net

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New Baseball Thread, post any transactions or rumors in here.
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Manny Rameriz is returning to the Dodgers.
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PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies closer Brad Lidge will have surgery on his right elbow on Wednesday.

Lidge is scheduled to have a loose body removed and Dr. Michael Ciccotti also will evaluate his right flexor/pronator tendon.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. also announced Saturday night that outfielder Raul Ibanez and reliever Scott Eyre will have surgery on Monday. Dr. Bill Meyers will repair Ibanez's sports hernia and Ciccotti will remove loose bodies from Eyre's left elbow.

Lidge led the majors with 11 blown saves this season but was better in the playoffs as the Phillies reached the World Series before losing to the Yankees in six games. Ibanez hit a career-high 34 homers in his first season with Philadelphia. Eyre had a 1.50 ERA in 42 games.
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PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies have declined their $5.5 million 2010 option on third baseman Pedro Feliz.

Feliz hit .266 with 12 home runs and 82 RBIs in 158 games for the National League champion Phillies this season. He'll receive a $500,000 buyout.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. says he won't rule out bringing back Feliz.

Feliz had the winning hit for the Phillies in the 2008 World Series clincher against Tampa Bay.


Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
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MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Twins have picked up outfielder Michael Cuddyer's $10.5 million option for 2011.

Cuddyer hit a career-high 32 home runs to lead the team. He also had 94 RBIs and was sixth in the American League with 73 extra-base hits.

When slugger Justin Morneau went out with a back injury in September, Cuddyer moved from right field to first base. He hit .352 with seven homers and 22 RBIs in the next 19 games as the Twins leapfrogged the Detroit Tigers and won the AL Central title.

The option is part of a contract Cuddyer signed in 2008. He will make $8.5 million in 2010 and be paid $33.5 million over the life of the four-year deal. If the Twins had declined the option, they would have owed Cuddyer a $1 million buyout.
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The Red Sox declined a $6 million option on shortstop Alex Gonzalez, according to multiple reports. Gonzalez's agent, Eric Goldschmidt, confirmed the news, which was first reported by the Boston Globe, to Comcast SportsNet.

The move would not preclude the Red Sox from trying to bring Gonzalez back at a lesser price.

Gonzalez, 32, plugged a big hole at short for Boston after being acquired from Cincinnati in a waiver deal this August. He made just one error in 44 games with the Sox and provided unexpected help offensively, hitting .284 with five home runs.

The move seemingly leaves the Red Sox without a reliable option at shortstop as Jed Lowrie was limited to 68 at-bats in 2009 because of injury.
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The White Sox did a buyout for RF Jermaine Dye's option making him a free agent.
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Chicago Cubs left-handed pitcher Ted Lilly had arthroscopic surgery to clean up debris and labrum fraying in his left shoulder on Tuesday.

The surgery went extremely well, according to Lilly and general manager Jim Hendry. The expected time for Lilly to begin throwing again is four months from Wednesday.

"I wanted to try and avoid surgery, but the shoulder didn't get any better after the season ended," Lilly said in a conference call Wednesday. "I didn't want to go into the season with the shoulder feeling this way."

Famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lewis Youcum performed the surgery.

"I'm feeling pretty good about the surgery," Lilly said. "There was no significant labrum work done, and the rotator cuff had no damage."

If Lilly's rehab goes according to plan, he might be only a few weeks behind the other pitchers in the organization when spring training begins in mid-February.

Lilly said he has no regrets not shutting down his pitching for the season in September when he was experiencing some soreness in the shoulder. The Cubs left-hander rehabbed his shoulder in July while having arthroscopic surgery in his left knee at the same time.

Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said this doesn't alter the Cubs' offseason plans with their own free agents.

This means the Cubs will most likely pass on bringing back starting pitcher Rich Harden, who will have a chance to declare for free agency later this month.

Hendry also said the truncated format of next week's general managers meetings will cut down on the time general managers will have to spend with each other exploring any trade scenarios. The GM meetings will begin at the O'Hare Hilton Monday evening and end Wednesday in the early afternoon. This format is almost a day and a half short of the length of the usual GM meetings.
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Lighter version of Sosa

I T'S NONE OF OUR business but . . .
Why in the world is Sammy Sosa undergoing a process that makes his skin color lighter?

Photos of Sosa at the Latin Grammy Awards last week in Las Vegas show his skin much lighter than it was when he was belting home runs for the Chicago Cubs.

The reason?

"He's not trying to be Michael Jackson," former Cubs employee Rebecca Polihronis told the Chicago Tribune. "He is going through a rejuvenation process for his skin. Women have it all of the time. He was surprised he came out looking so white. I thought it was a body double. Part of [the photo appearance] is just the lighting.

"He was doing a dermatological skin process after years and years [of playing baseball] in the sun. It did come out looking weird [in the picture].

"The picture is deceiving. He [Sosa] said, 'If you saw me in person, you would be surprised. When you see me in person, it is not going to seem like the picture.' People who saw him in person did not react the same way. He can't believe it is such a big deal."

Maybe not, but if he starts moonwalking, or gets a strong desire to set up a zoo in his backyard . . .
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The Boston Red Sox exercised their $7.1 million 2010 team option on catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez, his agent, Alan Nero, told the Boston Globe.

The procedural move certainly comes as no surprise, as general manager Theo Epstein at the end of the season all but declared Martinez his starting catcher for 2010.

The 30-year-old Martinez was dealt to the Red Sox at the trade deadline this past season, hitting .336 with eight homers and 41 RBIs in 56 games for Boston. Combined, he hit .303 with 23 homers and 108 RBIs in 2009.

This is the final year of Martinez's contract.

Next up for the Red Sox are decisions on whether to pick up team options on pitcher Tim Wakefield ($4 million) and catcher Jason Varitek ($5 million). If the Red Sox decline Varitek's option, he also has a player option to return next season at $3 million.
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TOKYO -- Japanese pitcher Ryota Igarashi of the Yakult Swallows has filed for free agency, saying he wants to play in the U.S. major leagues.

A total of 87 players in Japan's professional leagues became eligible for free agency Monday. Japanese players must wait nine seasons before becoming free agents to test the overseas market or eight seasons to change teams within Japan.

Igarashi, a 30-year-old right-hander used primarily as a relief pitcher, went 3-2 with three saves and a 3.19 ERA in 56 games. His best season was 2004 when he had 37 saves and 86 strikeouts in 66 games.
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DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers have named former infielder Tom Brookens as the team's first base, outfield and baserunning coach.

Manager Jim Leyland said Monday Brookens is a "perfect fit" for the staff.

Brookens played 12 seasons with Detroit (1979-8, the New York Yankees (1989) and Cleveland Indians (1990). He finished his career with a .246 batting average, 71 home runs and 431 RBIs in 1,336 games.

He spent the past five seasons as a minor league manager in the Tigers organization, compiling a 310-262 record.
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The mother of former major league pitcher Victor Zambrano was kidnapped Sunday in Venezuela, his agent told 1050 ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand.

Peter Greenberg, Zambrano's agent, said Elizabeth Mendez Zambrano was taken by eight armed men on the pitcher's farm in Villa de Cura, which is a half-hour outside of Maracay. Victor is currently pitching with Magallanes in the Venezuelan League.

In Venezuela, which is home to dozens of major leaguers, the families of wealthy athletes are periodically targeted by kidnappers. Colorado Rockies catcher Yorvit Torrealba's son and brother-in-law were released by kidnappers a day after they were abducted in June.

Zambrano last played for the Baltimore Orioles in the major leagues in 2007 but was released in October of that year. In seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Orioles, the right-hander went 45-44 with a 4.64 ERA.

In 2004, he was part of the trade that sent Scott Kazmir from the Mets to the Rays.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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MILWAUKEE -- The Mike Cameron era in center field for the Milwaukee Brewers ended Monday when the 15-year veteran filed for free agency.

Cameron's spot will be taken by Carlos Gomez, who was acquired Friday from Minnesota for shortstop J.J. Hardy.

Four other Brewers filed for free agency, including outfielders Frank Catalanotto and Corey Patterson, catcher Jason Kendall and second baseman Felipe Lopez.

In other moves, second baseman Rickie Weeks and relievers Mark DiFelice and David Riske were reinstated from the 60-day disabled list. Infielder Adam Heether was added to the 40-man roster, which now stands at 37.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)—The Tampa Bay Rays have exercised their $10 million option on All-Star Carl Crawford.

The team on Monday also declined $2 million options on left-handed reliever Brian Shouse(notes) and backup catcher Gregg Zaun(notes).

The 28-year-old Crawford was the MVP of this year’s All-Star game. The speedy left fielder also is the longest-tenured player in Rays history and the franchise’s career leader in hits, runs, steals, triples, RBIs and games. He hit .305 with 15 homers, 68 RBIs and a career-high 60 steals this year.

If the Rays had declined the option, he would have been owed a $1.25 million buyout.

Shouse gets a $200,000 buyout and Zaun receives a $500,000 buyout. Both became eligible for free agency.
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Rumors!

There is no question the Chicago Cubs have had conversations with the New York Mets about a deal that would send Milton Bradley to New York for second baseman Luis Castillo.

The latest FoxSports.com report of a three-way trade sending Bradley to Toronto, Castillo to the Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay to the Mets has some validity to it.

Castillo has two years left on his contract. If the Cubs were to obtain him, he would play second base and bat first or second in the lineup. The most likely hang-up for this type of deal would be Bradley's going to Toronto. The Blue Jays have a new general manager, and it's unlikely he would want to make his first move a trade for the troubled Cub outfielder.

If this trade is made, it would be considered a lateral move for all three teams, which are looking to move unfavorable contracts
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New Rumor:

The Texas Rangers have entered the Milton Bradley sweep stakes and they are offering Kevin Millwood.
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The St. Louis Cardinals are still figuring out how hitting coach Mark McGwire will eventually meet with the media and whether he will end his long silence on questions about his alleged connection to performance-enhancing drugs.

General manager John Mozeliak said the team is still in the planning stages of working out how it will formally re-introduce McGwire to Cardinals fans and the media. McGwire did not attend a news conference to announce his hiring late last month.

"There is going to be a wide range of what people are hoping to hear. For me personally, we're not there yet as far as what it's going to look like," Mozeliak told reporters. "Hopefully in the next week or so we can work through that."

McGwire has remained out of the public eye since a 2005 congressional hearing on steroids, at which he famously refused to answer questions about steroid use, saying he wasn't there to talk about the past. Former Oakland Athletics teammate Jose Canseco claimed McGwire had used steroids in his book "Juiced," and former federal investigators who led the Operation Equine probe have said they had information linking McGwire to steroids.

The Cardinals know the issue is there and that it won't disappear on its own, Mozeliak said, according to the report. "Clearly my energy is focused on players and looking at how to improve our 2010 team. Understanding that, the McGwire situation has to be recognized," Mozeliak said. "I don't have a timetable yet on when we're going to do things or how we're going to do them. But it's not something we're ignoring or hoping will go away."

The Cardinals hired McGwire as hitting coach last month, as manager Tony La Russa finally convinced the ex-slugger to end his self-imposed exile from organized baseball. While McGwire had privately worked with major-league hitters including Matt Holliday during the offseason, he had declined previous invites from La Russa to attend spring training as a hitting instructor.

Mozeliak said he has not approached McGwire about a media appearance, but hopes to do so with cooperation from La Russa. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, there is some desire within the organization that McGwire make himself available before the holidays to try and put the issue to rest.

A number of commentators, noting how stars including Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettitte met with the media after their connections to performance-enhancing drugs became public, have suggested that McGwire would be welcomed back -- and make major strides in restoring his image -- if he followed a similar path of public acknowledgement and apology.

"I think it does matter" that McGwire make himself available, Mozeliak said. "I just don't want to paint myself in the corner today on this topic. There are still some things I'm trying to learn and to understand."
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Ken Griffey Jr. has reached agreement on a one-year deal to return to the Seattle Mariners in 2010, according to a baseball source.

The deal is similar to the 2009 contract that paid Griffey a base salary of $2 million and earned him $3.15 million total with incentives, the source said.

The Mariners are expected to make the official announcement Wednesday before the conclusion of the general managers' meetings in Chicago.

Griffey, 39, batted .214 in 117 games with the Mariners last season. But he hit 19 homers, drove in 57 runs and drew a team-leading 63 walks.

He was also credited with being a positive influence on Ichiro Suzuki and the Seattle clubhouse. The Mariners finished third in the AL West with an 85-77 record, after finishing last in the division with 61 victories in 2008.

Griffey ranks fifth on Major League Baseball's career list with 630 home runs.
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The Zack Attack from KC wins the Cy Young.
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