Fantasy Baseball and MLB News, Rumors and Injury Updates

Fantasy baseball players in the news

January 6, 2012 @ 08:44:36

First Baseman

1B | Prince Fielder | free agent | Free Agents, Fantasy
The Texas Rangers reportedly are passing on a chance to sign free-agent 1B Prince Fielder (Brewers) to focus energies on signing Japanese League SP Yu Darvish and one more pitcher, this one a reliever.

1B | Ryan Howard | Philadelphia Phillies | Injury, Fantasy
Philadelphia Phillies 1B Ryan Howard (Achilles') was cleared Thursday, Jan. 5, to begin strength and power exercises after undergoing surgery on his left Achilles' in October. He will begin jogging underwater and is likely to resume baseball activities in four to six weeks. The team is refusing to speculate on whether Howard will be ready by Opening Day.

1B | Miguel Cabrera | Detroit Tigers | Fantasy
Detroit Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera pleaded no contest to driving while under the influence in Florida back in February of 2011. He will not serve any jail time. Cabrera received one year of probation and will be eligible for early termination following six months. He will have to pay $1,436.23 and his license will be revoked for six months.

1B | Mark Trumbo | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Fantasy
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim general manager Jerry Dipoto said 1B Mark Trumbo is not being shopped.

1B | Kendrys Morales | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Injury, Fantasy
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 1B Kendrys Morales (leg) is meeting with doctors in Colorado this week, and the Angels are "cautiously optimistic" that he will be cleared to increase his offseason workouts. Morales has been making "fairly consistent" progress, according to general manager Jerry Dipoto.

Second Baseman

2B | Edgar Gonzalez | Chicago Cubs | Transaction, Free Agents
The Chicago Cubs signed free-agent 2B Edgar Gonzalez (Giants) to a minor league deal.

2B | Howard Kendrick | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Fantasy
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have had preliminary discussions on multi-year contract extensions with 2B Howard Kendrick and SS Erick Aybar, but nothing is imminent.

2B | Daniel Murphy | New York Mets | Fantasy
The Tampa Bay Rays may look to trade for New York Mets 2B Daniel Murphy as they look to shore up their first base position this offseason.

Shortstop

SS | Emerson Landoni | Atlanta Braves | Transaction, Free Agents
The Atlanta Braves signed free-agent SS Emerson Landoni (Yankees) to a minor league contract. They also released RP Dustin Richardson and 2B Marcus Lemon.

SS | Hiroyuki Nakajima | Japanese League | Free Agents
The New York Yankees have failed to reach an agreement with Japanese League SS Hiroyuki Nakajima after winning the bidding rights to him 30 days ago. The $2 million the Yanks bid to negotiate with him will be returned. Nakajima will become a free agent next winter.

Third Baseman

3B | Corey Smith | Chicago White Sox | Transaction, Free Agents
The Chicago White Sox signed free-agent 3B Corey Smith (Dodgers) to a minor league contract. P Stephen Sauer was released.

3B | Placido Polanco | Philadelphia Phillies | Injury, Fantasy
Philadelphia Phillies 3B Placido Polanco (hernia) said he is feeling great and expects to be 100 percent healthy for spring training. OF Hunter Pence (hernia), who also underwent offseason hernia surgery, is also expected to be ready for spring training.

3B | Emilio Bonifacio | Miami Marlins | Fantasy
Miami Marlins president Larry Beinfest said OF/INF Emilio Bonifacio has the "inside edge" at the starting center field job this season.

3B | Eric Chavez | free agent | Free Agents, Fantasy
The New York Yankees are now expected to try to re-sign 3B Eric Chavez after failing to sign Japanese League SS Hiroyuki Nakajima.

3B | Josh Fields | Los Angeles Dodgers | Transaction
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed free-agent 3B Josh Fields (Japanese League) to a minor league deal Wednesday, Jan. 4.

Catcher

C | Brian Peacock | Cincinnati Reds | Transaction, Free Agents
The Cincinnati Reds signed free-agent C Brian Peacock (Nationals) to a minor league deal.

C | Landon Powell | Oakland Athletics | Transaction, Fantasy
Oakland Athletics C Landon Powell cleared waivers Thursday, Jan. 5, and he can refuse an outright assignment as a Super 2 player, but he's unlikely to go that route. His deal with the team is worth $620,000 but is not guaranteed. Powell can still be released during spring training.

C | Brad Davis | San Diego Padres | Transaction
The San Diego Padres signed free-agent C Brad Davis (Marlins) to a minor league deal Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Outfielder

OF | Nick Markakis | Baltimore Orioles | Injury, Fantasy
Updating an immediate report, Baltimore Orioles OF Nick Markakis (abdomen) said scar tissue was found during surgery as well as the extensive tear to his rectus abdominus and right abductor muscle. He said he won't do anything except walk for three weeks. He can begin some light lifting after that and maybe some baseball activities by week six.

OF | Ryan Ludwick | free agent | Free Agents, Fantasy
The Cincinnati Reds may take a look at either free-agent OF Rick Ankiel (Nationals) or OF Ryan Ludwick (Pirates), contingent on whether or not they can re-sign CL Francisco Cordero.

OF | Coco Crisp | Oakland Athletics | Fantasy
Oakland Athletics OF Coco Crisp's two-year deal became official Thursday, Jan. 5.

OF | Alfonso Soriano | Chicago Cubs | Fantasy
The Chicago Cubs are still open to the idea of trading OF Alfonso Soriano in the right deal. A potential trade will likely come down to how much of Soriano's remaining contract they will have to eat. He is due $54 million over the next three years. As many as eight American League teams have shown interest in Soriano, including the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before they signed 1B Albert Pujols.

OF | Yoenis Cespedes | free agent | Free Agents, Fantasy
The Miami Marlins could take a chance and submit a bid for Cuban OF Yoenis Cespedes when he establishes free agency in the coming days. "We really liked him when we saw him at that workout (in November)," president Larry Beinfest said. "It's something we're continuing to monitor, and we'll kind of leave it there. But we were very impressed. Obviously, as a Cuban we think it would be an interesting fit in this market and on this ballclub. It's something we continue to monitor and stay up on." Cespedes' agent, Adam Katz, also represents 3B Hanley Ramirez. Cespedes is expected to look for a six- to eight-year deal for as much as $6-8 million per season.

OF | Willie Harris | free agent | Free Agents
The New York Mets are unlikely to re-sign OF Willie Harris after they recently brought back OF Scott Hairston.

OF | Manny Ramirez | free agent | Free Agents
Free-agent OF Manny Ramirez (Rays) plans to conduct a workout for interested teams later this month as he attempts to make a comeback. It's unknown which teams will show up to watch Ramirez.

OF | Seth Smith | Colorado Rockies | Fantasy,
The Atlanta Braves' interest in Colorado Rockies OF Seth Smith has cooled of late, according to a major league source with knowledge of the trade talks. Atlanta doesn't want to trade 2B Martin Prado without another move that will help their infield depth. The Rockies are not pursuing SP Jair Jurrjens in any trade. Colorado is currently focusing on minor trades as spring training nears. Smith has also drawn some interest from the Oakland Athletics. The Tampa Bay Rays are not in the hunt for Smith's services, even though the Rockies covet SPs Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann.

OF | Joe Mather | Chicago Cubs | Transaction
The Chicago Cubs signed free-agent OF Joe Mather (Rockies) to a minor league deal Wednesday, Jan. 4.

OF | Scott Hairston | New York Mets | Fantasy
New York Mets OF Scott Hairston will make $1.1 million during the 2012 season.

Starting Pitcher

SP | Hisashi Iwakuma | Seattle Mariners | Injury
Updating previous reports, Seattle Mariners SP Hisashi Iwakuma can make $200,000 for 20 starts, $250,000 for 22 starts, $300,000 for 25 starts and $400,000 if he makes 30 starts. His innings bonuses work in similar fashion, beginning at 140 innings and reaching a final bonus of $400,000 if he hits 200 innings. There are side bonuses for things like a Cy Young Award, All-Star appearance and World Series MVP, but they only amount to a few hundred thousand of the total package. There have been concerns over Iwakuma's loss of velocity after he missed time last season due to a shoulder injury. His fastball now ranges between 89 and 91 mph, though GM Jack Zduriencik said it recently hit 93 mph.

SP | Greg Reynolds | Texas Rangers | Transaction,
The Texas Rangers acquired SP Greg Reynolds from the Colorado Rockies Thursday, Jan. 5, in exchange for OF Chad X. Tracy. Tracy is Rockies manager Jim Tracy's son. Reynolds has been assigned to Triple-A Round Rock.

SP | Josh Johnson | Miami Marlins | Injury, Fantasy,
Miami Marlins SP Josh Johnson (shoulder) will start throwing off a mound in the second or third week of January, according to president Larry Beinfest.

SP | Elih Villanueva | Miami Marlins | Transaction,
The Miami Marlins designated P Elih Villanueva for assignment Thursday, Jan. 5.

SP | Carlos Zambrano | Miami Marlins | Fantasy,
The Miami Marlins' trade for SP Carlos Zambrano was finalized Thursday, Jan. 5. Zambrano waived his no-trade clause with the Chicago Cubs and his $19.25 million option for the 2013 season that would have vested if he had finished in the top four for Cy Young voting. He also settled his grievance with the Cubs, getting back 24 days salary from his 30-game suspension last year. Zambrano will receive a $100,000 bonus if he wins Comeback Player of the Year in 2012.

SP | Johan Santana | New York Mets | Injury, Fantasy
New York Mets SP Johan Santana (shoulder) is three weeks into his throwing program and has thrown on back-to-back days at a distance of 75 feet. General manager Sandy Alderson said Santana should have a normal spring training routine.

Relief Pitcher

RP | Mike Gonzalez | free agent | Injury
The Texas Rangers remain interested in re-signing RP Mike Gonzalez (knee) and have requested the medical reports on his surgically repaired knee. The team spoke with Gonzalez's agent to the winter meetings.

RP | Jose Contreras | Philadelphia Phillies | Injury, Fantasy,
Philadelphia Phillies RP Jose Contreras (elbow) was cleared Thursday, Jan. 5, to begin a throwing program Friday, Jan. 6. "I don't have any timetable on him," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "We'll probably know more within the next month."

RP | Mike Adams | Texas Rangers | Injury, Fantasy,
Texas Rangers RP Mike Adams (hernia) underwent offseason surgery to fix a hernia, and he is expected to be behind the other players at the beginning of spring training. However, he's expected to be ready for Opening Day.

RP | Mike MacDougal | Los Angeles Dodgers | Transaction,
The Los Angeles Dodgers re-signed RP Mike MacDougal to a one-year deal Thursday, Jan. 5. The contract includes an option for the 2013 season. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

RP | Ryan Madson | free agent | Free Agents, Fantasy,
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim general manager Jerry Dipoto said the team is "very, very unlikely" to sign free-agent RP Ryan Madson (Phillies). "We're trying to add depth, and in a perfect world, we'd like to find another guy to join Jordan Walden, Scott Downs and LaTroy Hawkins to help with those last nine outs. But closer has never been the real priority," Dipoto said.

RP | Jon Rauch | New York Mets | Injury, Fantasy,
New York Mets RP Jon Rauch (knee) said he underwent surgery to fix cartilage damage in his knee in September, but he said he is 100 percent healthy heading into spring training.

RP | Robert Delaney | Miami Marlins | Transaction,
The Miami Marlins signed free-agent RP Robert Delaney (Rays) to a minor league deal Wednesday, Jan. 4.

RP | Merkin Valdez | Oakland Athletics | Transaction,
The Oakland Athletics inked free-agent RP Merkin Valdez (Rangers), P Fabio Castro (Mariners) and P Travis Schlichting (Dodgers) to minor league deals Wednesday, Jan. 4.

RP | Casey Fien | Minnesota Twins | Transaction,
The Minnesota Twins signed free-agent P Casey Fien (Astros) to a minor league deal Tuesday, Jan. 3.