Jan
03
2009
Veteran utility man Tony Clark has resigned with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2009 season.
Clark will turn 37 in June and is a 14 year Major League veteran. He will be paid $800,000 in 2009 and is hoping to nab a ring at the end of the season.
Clark will more than likely be used as a pinch hitter in 2009, a role he has had success as in years past.
Clark played for the DBacks from 2005-2007 before signing as a free agent with the San Diego Padres in 2008.
He was reacquired by Arizona midway through 2008. He has 247 career homeruns and 813 RBIs. He made his Major League debut in 1995 with the Detroit Tigers.
Dec
27
2008
Free agent outfielder Willy Taveras has signed a two year contract with the Cincinnati Reds. Taveras will take over in center field for the recently traded Ryan Freel.
Freel was shipped to the Baltimore Orioles for catcher Ramon Hernandez.
Taveras has spent time in the Majors with the Houston Astros and most recently with the Colorado Rockies.
Taveras hit .251 in 2008 with the Rockies and led the Majors in steals with 68 and a .907 stolen base percentage.
The Reds envision Taveras as their everyday center fielder and their everyday leadoff hitter.
Taveras is a career .283 hitter with seven homeruns and 109 RBIs. He also has 169 stolen bases and has only been caught 36 times.
He hit .320 in 2007 in his first season with the Rockies.
He has played in 541 career games.
Dec
25
2008
Former Major League outfielder Sammy Sosa is ready for a return to the Majors and is waiting for teams to begin making offers.
Sosa hasn’t played in the Majors since 2007, when with the Texas Rangers, when he hit 21 homeruns in 114 games with 92 RBIs.
Sosa rejected a contract offer from the Washington Nationals prior to the 2006 season because he didn’t like the terms.
Sosa has played for the Chicago White Sox (twice), the Texas Rangers (twice), the Chicago Cubs and the Baltimore Orioles.
He has hit 609 career homeruns and has driven in 1,667 runs throughout his career. He also has 2,408 career hits.
Sosa is a career .273 hitter. He made his Major League debut in 1989.
Dec
23
2008
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have stated that they will not pursue free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez.
Angels’ GM Tony Reagins said on Tuesday that the team will give its current outfielders a chance to play.
Ramirez split time with the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 after winning World Series titles in Boston in 2004 and 2007.
He was sent to the Dodgers at the trade deadline in a three team trade between the Red Sox, Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Angels resigned Juan Rivera last week and still have Gary Matthews Jr., Vladimir Guerrero, Reggie Willits, and Torii Hunter patrolling the outfield for the 2009 season.
This announcement about Manny came only one day after the Angels told the media that they had pulled the offer from the table for Mark Teixeira.