2008 MLB General News Thread

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A-Rod Wins AL MVP

Alex Rodriguez is headed back to the New York Yankees as the American League's Most Valuable Player.

A-Rod won his third AL MVP award Monday, easily defeating Detroit's Magglio Ordonez.

Rodriguez had 28 first-place votes and 382 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Ordonez had two firsts and 258 points, and was followed by the Angels' Vladimir Guerrero (203) and Boston's David Ortiz (177).

The only two first-place votes that didn't go to Rodriguez were from Tom Gage of The Detroit News and Jim Hawkins of The Oakland Press in Pontiac, Mich.

Rodriguez became just the ninth player to win the MVP three or more times. Bonds holds the record with seven, and Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial and Mike Schmidt won three apiece.

A-Rod won his first MVP in 2003, his last season with the Texas Rangers. He also won the award while with the Yankees in 2005.

Rodriguez earned a $1.5 million bonus for winning the award, which completes the contract he opted out of last month. A-Rod earned $185.45 million over seven years in that deal, including bonuses, an average of $26.49 million annually.

After opting out of the final three seasons of that record contract, which had guaranteed him $252 million over 10 seasons, A-Rod is in the process of negotiating a $275 million, 10-year agreement with the Yankees. That came after a turbulent two weeks in which the Yankees said they wouldn't negotiate with him anymore, and then he approached the team without agent Scott Boras and negotiated his return through an investment banker.

A-Rod hit .314 and led the majors with 54 homers and 156 RBIs. But he flopped again in the playoffs as the Yankees lost to Cleveland in the first round. He went 4-for-15 (.267) with one RBI against the Indians, is in an 8-for-59 (.136) postseason funk dating to 2004 and is hitless in his past 18 playoff at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Source: Sports Illustrated

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Jimmy Rollins Wins NL MVP

Jimmy Rollins won the National League MVP award in a close race over Matt Holliday on Tuesday, boosted by speed and steady all-around play that drove the Philadelphia Phillies to their first playoff berth in 14 years.

The Gold Glove shortstop received 16 of 32 first-place votes and finished with 353 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.

Holliday, who led Colorado's surprising charge to the World Series, was the runner-up with 11 first-place votes and 336 points. Milwaukee slugger Prince Fielder came in third, with five first-place votes and 284 points.

Rollins batted .296 with 30 homers, 94 RBIs and 41 steals from the leadoff spot, helping Philadelphia rally from a big September deficit to win the NL East. He led the league in runs (139) and triples (20) -- and became the second consecutive Phillies player to win the MVP following Ryan Howard last year.

Rollins proved a prophet after saying in spring training that the Phillies were the team to beat in a competitive division.

Holliday, the NL championship series MVP, hit .340 with 137 RBIs -- becoming the third player since 1967 to lead a league in both categories. He also had 36 homers and topped the NL in hits (216), total bases (386) and doubles (50).

Source: Sports Illustrated

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Angels Sign Torii Hunter

Outfielder Torii Hunter and the Los Angeles Angels reached a preliminary agreement Wednesday night on a five-year contract thought to be worth at least $80 million.

"They play the game the right way," Hunter said. "They play hard-nosed baseball."

The agreement is subject to a physical.

The 32-year-old becomes the much-needed hitter the Angels sought to protect Vladimir Guerrero in the batting order. Hunter hit .297 with 28 homers and 107 RBIs for the Minnesota Twins this year and is a seven-time Gold Glove winner.

He finished 15th in AL MVP balloting and was on the AL's All-Star team for the second time in his career.

"We are very excited to have Torii joining our organization," Angels general manager Tony Reagins said in a statement. "Not only is he an outstanding ballplayer but he's also an outstanding human being. He'll impact our ballclub and community in a very positive way."

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals were among those interested in Hunter. The newspaper reports that Tony Reagins, the Angels' rookie general manager, called Hunter's agent Larry Reynolds on Tuesday and a deal for Hunter came together quickly.

"You're a little surprised, huh?" Reynolds told the newspaper Wednesday night. "It all happened within the last 24 hours."

Hunter will join a talented outfield that includes Gary Matthews Jr., Garret Anderson, Guerrero, Juan Rivera and Reggie Willits.

With Guerrero in right and Anderson in left, the move leaves no space in the starting outfield for Matthews Jr. The Angels said the center fielder, who signed a $50 million, five-year deal as a free agent last offseason, could see time at designated hitter and spell the corner outfielders.

With Hunter gone, the low-budget Twins' attention turns to two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. His contract expires after the 2008 season, and other teams think Minnesota will make him available if he doesn't agree to an extension.

Hunter said he also had negotiated seriously with the Rangers, but he thought they were a year or two from contending. The White Sox and Royals also were interested.

According to the Times, the Angels were also in trade talks with the Florida Marlins for Miguel Cabrera, but it wasn't known Wednesday night whether the Angels would still pursue Cabrera.

Reagins has made a splash on the job even before the agreement with Hunter. On Monday, the Angels traded Orlando Cabrera to the White Sox for pitcher Jon Garland.

For his career, Hunter is a .271 hitter with 192 homers and 711 RBIs in 1,234 games.

Source: ESPN

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Tigers Acquire Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera

The Florida Marlins and Detroit Tigers have agreed in principle on a trade that will send Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to Detroit for key prospects, sources told ESPN's Peter Gammons on Tuesday.

The Tigers would send outfielder Cameron Maybin, pitcher Andrew Miller, catcher Mike Rabelo and minor league pitchers Eulogio De La Cruz, Dallas Trahern and Burke Badenhop to the Marlins.

The deal is expected to be announced Tuesday night when the physicals and paperwork are completed.

"It's very serious, but nothing is finalized yet because some issues need to get worked out," Tigers manager Jim Leyland told The Associated Press.

Miller was Detroit's top pick in the 2006 draft and went 5-5 in 13 starts after being called up last summer. Maybin was the Tigers' first pick in 2005 and shot through the farm system, hitting .143 in 24 major league games, Rabelo batted .256 in 51 games, and 23-year-old De La Cruz appeared in six games for the Tigers, hitting 100 mph on the radar gun.

Detroit had not been considered a contender for Cabrera or Willis.

Cabrera would join an imposing lineup that already includes Magglio Ordonez, Gary Sheffield, Ivan Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Placido Polanco. The Tigers also acquired shortstop Edgar Renteria, a five-time All-Star, in a trade with Atlanta this offseason.

"I'm glad we're in the other division," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "That lineup just got scary."

Willis, coming off a down year in which he went 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA, will be part of a solid rotation with Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman as Detroit tries to reach the World Series for the second time in three seasons.

"It was kind of like, wow, when I heard. I halfway expected one of them to get traded, but not both in the same deal. So it's a little bit of a shock," Marlins left fielder Josh Willingham said.

"It's deflating because they're great teammates and good friends. It's going to be hard not seeing them around. I know we got some good players in the deal, but Miguel and Dontrelle are proven big league players, and it's going to be tough to fill those roles. Miguel brings you more than 100 RBIs, 30 home runs and a .300 batting average, and while Dontrelle had a disappointing year last year, he's a workhorse. He's going to eat up 200 innings and he's always healthy. It will be tough to replace those guys."

Source: ESPN

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Dodgers Sign Free Agent Andruw Jones

All-Star center fielder Andruw Jones and the Los Angeles Dodgers reached a preliminary agreement Wednesday night on a $36.2 million, two-year contract.

Jones, the former Atlanta star who has won 10 straight Gold Gloves, must pass a physical for the agreement to be completed, a person familiar with the negotiations said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.

Jones will receive a $12.2 million signing bonus, of which $5.1 million is payable next year, $2.1 million in 2009 and $5 million in 2010. He well get salaries of $9 million next year and $15 million in 2009, and also will receive a no-trade clause.

His agreement with the Dodgers was first reported by the Los Angeles Times on its Web site.

Scott Boras, his agent, wouldn't confirm the agreement but sounded as if a deal had fallen into place.

"Being on a competitive team was a very, very important part of his process," he said.

Jones hit .222 this season, his lowest average since he batted .217 in 106 at-bats as a rookie in 1996. His 26 home runs were his fewest since 1997.

Had Jones finished with big numbers, he likely would have sought a longer-term agreement. Boras said there were really only two options when it came to length.

"Very, very long-term or very, very short term," he said. "Nothing in between."

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment.

Adding Jones was the first major move for Los Angeles since Joe Torre replaced Grady Little as manager on Nov. 1. Jones will get a chance to work with Don Mattingly, who followed Torre to the Dodgers and became hitting coach.

Juan Pierre, who had been in center field, will switch to one of the corners, displacing Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp.

Source: ESPN

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Padres To Acquire Jim Edmonds From Cardinals

Hours after talks broke off with Mike Cameron, the San Diego Padres agreed in principle Friday to acquire center fielder Jim Edmonds and cash from the St. Louis Cardinals for a minor leaguer.

The deal was waiting approval from the commissioner's office because it will involve around $1 million going from the Cardinals to the Padres, according to a source with knowledge of the deal, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn't been finalized.

The Cardinals will get minor league third baseman David Freese.

Edmonds, 37, will return to Southern California, where he grew up and was drafted by the Angels in 1988. He played for the Angels from late in the 1993 season until being traded to St. Louis just before the 2000 season.

Edmonds was slowed by injuries last season but the eight-time Gold Glove winner recently pronounced himself fit.

The trade comes after the Padres were spurned by three outfielders in less than a week.

Cameron's agent broke off negotiations for a deal to bring back the center fielder on Friday. Left fielder Milton Bradley on Sunday accepted a one-year deal from the Texas Rangers worth approximately $5 million. The Padres had offered $4 million to bring back Bradley.

Plus, the Padres lost out in the bidding for Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, who signed with the Chicago Cubs.

Padres right fielder Brian Giles is coming off microfracture surgery on his right knee. The Padres have expressed interest in signing free agent Geoff Jenkins.

After the Cardinals won the 2006 World Series, the four-time All-Star had operations on his right shoulder and left toe. He batted just .222 in April.

"I wasn't even close to healthy," he said last month.

Edmonds wound up batting .252 with 12 homers and 53 RBIs -- his lowest totals since 1999 with the Angels. But heading into the final season of a $19 million, two-year contract, he expects much better production from himself next season.

"Everything is gone now and I'm feeling really good," he said. "I'm feeling the best I've felt in five or six years. I'm already working out and already running and doing some things that I need to do."

Source: Sports Illustrated

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Twins Trade Johan Santana to Mets

The Mets have agreed to a trade with the Minnesota Twins to acquire Johan Santana for four prospects, pending the left-hander working out an extension with New York.

The Mets have been granted a 48- to 72-hour window to work out a new contract with Santana.

If New York can work out a contract agreement with Minnesota, the Mets will send outfielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey to the Twins.

The trade agreement was first reported by USA Today on its Web site.

"Right now, the Twins have no comment," the Twins' head of communications, Mike Herman, told 1050 ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand. Mets vice president of media relations Jay Horwitz also had no comment.

Santana, who completely controls his fate because of the full no-trade clause he possesses, asked the Twins to make a decision, which is why Minnesota imposed a Tuesday deadline for offers from the interested teams.

The Red Sox also made offers, while the Yankees appeared to be out of the Santana talks altogether before the Twins accepted the Mets' offer.

The agent for Santana, Peter Greenberg, would not comment on whether he has been told the Mets have worked out a trade for his client, or about Santana's request for resolution.

It is not known if Santana, who turns 29 on March 13, explicitly informed the Twins that he would invoke his no-trade clause and then file for free agency after the 2008 season, but that has always been his right. It appears the Twins have taken his request seriously.

Among the three suitors for Santana, the Mets have the strongest need for a frontline starter, as well as the greatest willingness to pay him the enormous extension he will demand in order to waive his no-trade clause. It is expected that Santana's request will be for a deal in the range of six years for $150 million.

The Twins extended a four-year, $80 million offer to Santana, which he rejected this offseason. The offer was well beyond the $13.25 million he is scheduled to make in 2008.

Source: ESPN

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Oh never mind. I added this in the wrong place.

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Bonds Failed Drug Test in 2001

Barry Bonds tested positive for steroids in November 2001, just a month after hitting his record 73rd home run of the season, U.S. prosecutors said on Thursday.

The allegation came in a legal filing in his steroid perjury case that referred to Bonds' long-time trainer, Greg Anderson

"At trial, the government's evidence will show that Bonds received steroids from Anderson in the period before the November 2001 positive drug test, and that evidence raises the inference that Anderson gave Bonds the steroids that caused him to test positive in November 2001," U.S. Attorney Joseph Russoniello wrote.

In December, the record seven-time National League Most Valuable Player pleaded not guilty to lying to a federal grand jury in 2003 when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

Source: ESPN

Oh shit...someone better put an asterisk on that record book for sure...

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I thought the thing was 'knowingly' taking steriods from the get go..?