Joe Smith @ St. Petersburg Times:
According to an industry source, the Rangers and White Sox have shown interest in CF B.J. Upton, and the Mets and Braves have inquired about All-Star LF Carl Crawford. The Rays have said they’re interested in discussing a long-term deal with Crawford, who is eligible to be a free agent after the 2010 season.
SoxNet’s take here.
Phoenix Desert Dogs vs. Peoria Javelinas: Boxscore, Gameday. Jordan Danks is playing CF. Brent Morel is playing 3B. C.J. Retherford is playing 2B. Weather: 70 degrees, sunny.
Watch the free live webcast at MLB.com or turn your TV at the MLB Network.
UPDATE: Peoria won 5-4:
Jordan Danks: 0-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Brent Morel: 2-4
C.J. Retherford: 1-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB
Sergio Santos: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB, 0 HR
Bottom of the 8th, 1 out, Peoria down 4-3: C.J. Retherford hits a 2-run HR and puts Peoria up 5-4. That was the final score. MLB.com story here. Baseball America recap here.
VIDEO: C.J. Retherford’s 2-run HR (0:46). More AFL videos here.
From MLBazFallLeague:
Peoria Javelinas lineup: Ackley 7, Danks 8, Mitchell 3, Morel 5, Lambo DH, Wells 9, Lucroy 2, Retherfoed 4, Iorg 6. SP: Anthony Varvaro.
Phoenix Desert Dogs lineup: Angle 8, Espinosa 6, C. Brown 9, Marrero 3, Desme 7, Bell 5, Ashley 2, Weeks 4, O’Malley DH. SP: Mitch Talbot.
Broadcasts: MLB Network on TV and FREE LIVE WEBCAST on MLB.com, today on 1:30 pm CT (2:30 pm ET). Game time: 1:45 pm CT (2:45 pm ET). Victor Rojas & Tony Clark on the call.
The White Sox are close to signing free agent shortstop Omar Vizquel, and a deal could be announced as soon as Monday, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
UPDATE: Van Dyck says the Sox offered Vizquel a deal around $1 million (1 year).
Bobby Jenks on comments by the Sox after his injury:
‘Did I feel I was being picked on? No. But I felt I was the easy scapegoat because I had struggled in the end with some nagging injuries. This organization, just like most in this game, tell you, ‘Come in, our door is open and tell us what’s on your mind.’ And when you do, they turn it around on you and make you feel bad. They’re playing on your own words. They want you to come in, be honest and then they turn it around. … ‘[General manager Ken Williams] is probably going through some tough decisions whether to keep me or trade me,” Jenks said. ”His decision is the tough one. Mine is easy. I just sit back and see what happens. Until that decision is made, he’s the GM, and I’m the player.”
Ozzie responds:
”Bobby is always going to have the problem that when he doesn’t perform, fans think he’s hurt or out of shape. Bobby has to stay in shape if he wants to play for the White Sox. That goes with any player. I don’t know where this is coming from. ‘For him to talk about trade, right now, I haven’t heard anything from Kenny. On the other hand, anytime someone has a bad year, they blame it on organization. Bobby didn’t have a bad year, but I don’t think we were coming out and saying Bobby was hurt all year. He would let me know when he was sore, but we didn’t make a big deal out of it.’ … The first time I told him he was overweight, I told him to his face. When you have that size, you don’t perform, all of a sudden you have weight problems. He can’t deny that his weight is a concern. Come on, he’s a big man. I’m surprised he said we don’t talk to him. We love this kid to death. I want him to stay in the organization, we all do. But if Kenny has something in mind, that’s part of the game. … He’s not on an island. He has his manager backing him up. But his manager will always be honest. Right now, that kid is going to carry that cross the rest of his career because of his size. Even when he’s in shape, he looks like he’s not in shape. He has been great for us. He has my number, [pitching coach Don] Cooper’s number, Kenny’s number. We’re not hiding from anyone. In the meanwhile, he has to take care of himself. Not for the White Sox, for his family. Bobby can have a broken arm and not be able to pitch anymore, and the first thing people will say is he’s out of shape. That’s life.”
A trade seems coming…
No games today. The Championship game is tomorrow (1:35 pm CT on MLB Network & MLB.com).
Let’s look at the final pitching stats for the Sox prospects:
Matt Long: 3.48 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP with 7 Ks and 1 BB in 10.1 IP
Kyle Bellamy: 1.59 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP with 7 Ks and 4 BBs in 5.2 IP
Sergio Santos: 6.14 ERA and a 1.70 WHIP with 20 Ks and 10 BBs in 14.2 IP
Justin Cassel: 7.85 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP with 13 Ks and 10 BBs in 18.1 IP
Jacob Rasner: 9.45 ERA and a 2.85 WHIP with 4 Ks and 6 BBs in 6.2 IP
