MLB - Sports Rumors

Getty Images

The Chicago White Sox have said Bobby Jenks' sore left shoulder was not a major concern, but there was more peace of mind Saturday after he underwent an MRI exam and CT scan, and both came back negative. Trainer Herm Schneider said after the tests that Jenks, who hasn't pitched since last Sunday, should be ready Tuesday when the Sox begin a three-game series in Kansas City.

Jenks has been experiencing tightness in his left [non-throwing] shoulder but told manager Ozzie Guillen he continued to feel better Saturday.

The team also is anticipating the return Tuesday of Paul Konerko from his current minor-league rehab assignment. On Saturday, Konerko started a second consecutive game for Class AAA Charlotte.

Source: Sun-Times

• 1 Comment
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

Only three weeks after returning from a torn thigh tendon that cost him 46 games, Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki sliced his right palm when he pounded his maple bat into the ground in frustration and it shattered. The accident occurred Friday night after he was replaced by Omar Quintanilla in the seventh inning.

"Yeah, it's tougher to take," Tulowitzki said Saturday of his return to the 15-day disabled list. "The other injury was baseball-related. You're out there on the field, going all out. And this one's kind of a stupid injury that I could have prevented."

Maple bats are the subject of a major league investigation because of their tendency to shatter when they break, unlike the softer ash bats, which usually just crack.

Tulowitzki required 16 stitches, but doctors told him the shards of wood that sliced into his right hand didn't damage any tendons or nerves, he said.

Source: Associated Press

• 3 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

Brad Penny cut short his simulated game Saturday because of discomfort in his right shoulder and has been ruled out from being activated before the All-Star break by Manager Joe Torre. Penny will be examined on Monday by team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

"I felt it a little bit," Penny said of the shoulder pain that landed him on the disabled list last month.

Dodgers miss a great chance, losing to... Photos: Giants 5, Dodgers 2Penny complained of discomfort a few pitches into the fourth inning of his simulated game, but Torre said that trainer Stan Conte didn't think there was anything structurally wrong with Penny's shoulder.

Torre said he liked what he saw from Penny until he had to stop throwing.

Source: Los Angeles Times

• 7 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

When Ronaldo Peralta was asked to head up the office in charge of enforcing Major League Baseball's regulations in the Dominican Republic a few years back, it was like sending a single sheriff into a lawless town in the Old West.

"People would pull guns on each other sometimes," he said shortly after taking over. "Well, they still do that. But not as much."

No, nowadays baseball is confronting a different kind of lawlessness in the Dominican. And it has the potential to shake the game there to its core. Federal agents, following up on baseball's own two-month investigation, have been interviewing representatives of all 30 major league teams after the May firing of Dave Wilder, the Chicago White Sox's senior personnel director, and two White Sox scouts. According to the Chicago Tribune, investigators are looking into whether Wilder may have pocketed portions of the bonuses the White Sox gave him to sign Dominican prospects. Ross Rice, a spokesman for the FBI office in Chicago, said no criminal charges have been filed.

Wilder has said nothing publicly since his firing.

And it may go higher than that. Several baseball sources, all of whom said their jobs would be jeopardized if they spoke on the record about a federal investigation, say at least one general manager has already come under suspicion. Peralta and officials in the commissioner's office declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. But according to Daniel and others, the recent escalation of bonuses that teams are paying in Latin America has made it easier and more profitable to skim money from players and teams according to the Los Angeles Times.

Dominican scouts, known on the island as buscones, or "searchers," have been doing that for at least a decade. Many tell families up front they will take 30% or more of a player's bonus when he signs, then play teams off one another in negotiations to drive that bonus — and, consequently, their cut — higher.

Source: Los Angeles Times

• 4 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

A New York Mets fan has put the city on notice that he intends to file a $5.5 million lawsuit for a Aug. 8, 2007, flying-bat incident at Shea Stadium that left him with broken teeth, facial fractures and a split palate.

James Falzon, 48, was in the second row — along the third-base line with his dad, 11-year-old son and 9-year-old nephew — watching the Mets play the Atlanta Braves on an annual family outing to Shea. As Mets second baseman Luis Castillo smacked a seventh-inning fly ball, his bat shattered and shards flew into the seats.

I was watching the ball," Falzon said, "and [the shards] hit me in the face. It knocked me off my chair."

The disfiguring injuries left him with massive bleeding, extensive hospital care and permanent metal plates and pins, he said.

"It broke my whole face," Falzon said.

Shea Stadium, owned by the city, has netting up to protect those sitting behind home plate. Falzon contends in Queens Supreme Court papers that there should be netting to protect other sections of seating as well.

Source: New York Post

• 25 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman emphasized the restocking of the farm system in hopes it would blossom in conjunction with this offseason when a massive amount of money was due to come off the payroll. That combination, he surmised, would give the Yanks substantial weapons to reload prior to entering the new Yankee Stadium. Let's take a closer look at the elements that are pushing the Yanks toward Sabathia this offseason:

The Yanks have eight veterans who could be free agents: Bobby AbreuBobby Abreu , Kyle FarnsworthKyle Farnsworth , Jason Giambi, LaTroy Hawkins, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano and Andy Pettitte. Total cost for those players in 2008: $87 million. Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, making a combined $26 million annually, come off the payroll following the 2009 campaign. So the Yanks have more than $113 million coming off the payroll over the next two years, with the significant amount falling away this winter.

It is not a break the Yanks wanted, but Chien-Ming Wang's injury and Melky Cabrera's subpar play mean their arbitration paydays should be lower than anticipated. The Yanks very well might bring Pettitte back, and maybe even Mussina or Giambi. But in the cases of Mussina and, especially, Giambi, it would be at a significant discount from their current pay.

The idea of a budget with the Yanks is always ridiculed. But remember, the key element in not pursuing Johan Santana was his cost. Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner have been adamant about bringing the Yankee payroll way down from $200 million-plus. The Yanks could sign Sabathia even at record dollars and still keep their payroll around $160 million or maybe even less next year.

Source: New York Post

• 47 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

Catchers are hard to come by, so the Washington Nationals are showcasing veteran Paul Lo Duca, who has lost the starting job to Jesus Flores.

The Nationals are moving Lo Duca around — catcher, first base, and left field - in the hopes of finding a contending team in need of a catcher who could be used at other positions in a pinch. Lo Duca has struggled offensively all season, but has begun to pick it up

Source: Boston.com

• 8 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

Who knows what changes could occur with the New York Mets if they don't make the playoffs, but one that likely won't happen is dealing shortstop Jose Reyes, while one that could is trading center fielder Carlos Beltran, who is making $18.5 million a year through 2011.

Beltran has a no-trade clause, but no one would be surprised if he approved a deal to get out of New York.

Source: Boston.com

• 32 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry

Getty Images

While the Milwaukee Brewers seem furthest along in trade talks with the Indians for Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia, with names of prospects Matt LaPorta, Taylor Green, and Lorenzo Cain on the table, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, scouts at the Mets-Phillies series felt strongly that Tampa Bay would at least explore talks with Cleveland.

While there are questions whether the Rays would fork over Johan Santana-like money to sign Sabathia long term, they certainly have the young players the Indians might covet. The Rays wouldn't part with lefthander David Price, but they do have 6-foot-9-inch righthander Jeff Niemann, who is 6-2 with a 3.76 ERA at Triple A Durham, as well as 22-year-old shortstop Reid Brignac, who could be included in any deal for a front-line pitcher.

The Dodgers, Rangers, and Phillies are also interested in Sabathia.

Source: Boston.com

• 16 Comments
• Permanent Link
• Email this Entry