Red Sox want The Rocket and other updates

[BuckFoston]

In what should be his last rehabilitation appearance for triple-A Las Vegas, closer Eric Gagne retired the six Memphis batters he faced in two innings, striking out two. Gagne did not allow a baserunner in four innings over three appearances and could be activated today.
-- Los Angeles Times

The Red Sox should do whatever it'll take to bring Roger Clemens back home for the stretch run in 2005. The Astros deny they'll trade Clemens if they continue to stumble, and the Rocket (who has a no-trade clause) comes with a hefty price tag, but the Sox should keep an open dialogue with Houston and pounce in late July. It would not be cheap. Clemens gets an automatic $3 million bonus if he is traded. There's also the small matter of his salary, which is $18,000,022. And it might cost a young player or two. After he beat the Marlins Monday, Clemens was asked if he'd finish his career in Houston and answered, "I'm not even thinking about that . . . I can't think that far ahead." That certainly sounds like a guy who would approve a trade. Better here than in New York, right Theo?
-- Boston Globe

Clemens has begun talking casually to friends about a possible Bronx revival. One thing holding him back today is prospect/son Koby's May 28 graduation from Houston's Memorial High School. Presuming the Astros' futility continues and provided the hometown folks understand his lust for a third ring, after May 28, he's good to go. The Yankees are already salivating at this possibility.
-- New York Newsday

The long-haired one has made what seems an irrefutable case that he is as indispensable to the Sox' future as catcher Jason Varitek. Johnny Damon also says he wants to stay with the Sox, but is committed, in the absence of any compelling initiative from the Sox, to test the open market as a free agent this winter. Would the Red Sox let Damon walk? If there's another team willing to satisfy Damon's desire for a five-year deal (he said this spring he'd like six years), the answer is yes, barring a sea change in the club's philosophy of not going beyond what they calculate a player's worth to be. Roster flexibility is a principal tenet of the Theo Epstein way. Will he make an exception for Damon? And can anyone come up with a reason he shouldn't?
-- Boston Globe

There is no question GM Epstein's master plan calls for more turnover on the roster next season. It's conceivable Edgar Renteria will be the only returning member of the infield in 2006, with third baseman Bill Mueller and first baseman Kevin Millar both free agents, and second baseman Mark Bellhorn whiffing his way toward the exits. The Sox also have demonstrated in each of the last two winters they'd be willing to unload Manny Ramirez's contract.
-- Boston Globe

The Phillies are off to another slow start. They're wallowing in last place in the National League East. It's been more than a decade since the team last made the playoffs. The consumers are fed up. They want changes, and they have the right to. The wolves are at the front door of Citizens Bank Park, and they're howling for blood. First on the hit list is GM Ed Wade. Second is manager Charlie Manuel. Don't hold your breath. Club president David Montgomery isn't ready to pull the trigger on anyone, and Wade, who discussed his underachieving team in a lengthy meeting with Manuel yesterday, has no big shake-ups planned.
-- Philadelphia Inquirer

The Orioles' team physician says right fielder Sammy Sosa could be out for a month with a staph infection on the bottom of his left foot. Team doctor William Goldiner said the infection was "serious and significant." But he said the antibiotics Sosa is taking are working, and team doctors believe the problem is under control.
-- Washington Post

The Orioles would like to trade for Mike Cameron. Give up setup man Jorge Julio, maybe a little less if the Orioles are lucky, to bring in one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, especially a guy like Cameron, whose star has been dimmed a little by injuries, a streaky bat and a subordinate role with the star-crazy Mets? There is no right answer for any trade. Some of the best moves are the moves you don't make. Some of the dumbest mistakes are not doing enough to help the club.
-- Baltimore Sun

Mets aren't interested in trading Cameron because it would mean making rookie Victor Diaz their starting right fielder and the team is unwilling to remove a proven bat from the lineup.
-- Washington Post

It could have been here. It could have been the Pirates and Lloyd McClendon. This time, it was the Royals and Tony Peña. Last year, the Royals traded Carlos Beltran because they couldn't afford to keep him, and the team lost a franchise-record 104 games as Peña's motivational skills were rendered useless with the team's lack of talent. When things didn't improve this season, he had had enough. We could easily go through the same thing here this summer. Both teams are at the low end of the payroll scale. Both have resorted to touting their young players. Oh, with McClendon, the wording might be different. It might be a firing.
-- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The next Royals manager, GM Allard Baird said, will need to share in the organization's youth-movement vision. This time, though, Baird added a slight twist, saying he would like the next manager to have been a tactician at the major-league level. "But that's not an absolute," Baird said.
-- Kansas City Star

Over nearly the last two decades the Royals have hired managers with no previous major-league managing experience. It started with John Wathan in 1987, and he had moderate success, as did Hal McRae, who followed. But Bob Boone, Tony Muser and Peña have failed with worsening results. And now the outlook for the Royals appears as bleak as ever in the history of the organization. Kansas City has the worst record in baseball and is on track to lose 100 games for the third time in four years. What manager would want to enter this gloomy picture?
-- Kansas City Star

Baird mentioned only one name as a candidate: current interim manager Bob Schaefer. "I will consider Bob for this position," Baird said. If the job is offered to Schaefer, he will take it.
-- Kansas City Star

There's talk that Cubs announcer Bob Brenly and roving instructor Grady Little might make the short list of candidates for the Kansas City managing job, but you wouldn't think it makes much sense for Brenly. He's a World Series-winning manager getting paid a big salary for a low-stress job and living in a city he loves. The Royals might offer more money, but there's no chance to win, and the only guarantee is gray hair and getting fired two or three years from now.
-- Arlington Heights Daily Herald

Dodger manager Jim Tracy has a few names the Royals can include in their search -- Glenn Hoffman, Terry Collins and Jim Riggleman.
-- Los Angeles Times

Why can't the Cubs trade for Oakland reliever Octavio Dotel? The simple answer is Athletics GM Billy Beane doesn't have to move him now.
-- Arlington Heights Daily Herald

The Pirates are expected to dangle closer Jose Mesa, but they won't get serious until right before the July 31 trade deadline.
-- Chicago Sun-Times

Released by the Yankees, Steve Karsay is now free to sign with any team (Florida, San Francisco, Texas and the Cubs all are possible destinations), and the team that signs him will have to pay only a prorated portion of the major-league minimum salary of $316,000 for the rest of this season.
-- Newark Star-Ledger

The Nationals continue to look for a righthanded bat and are said to be looking at Colorado's Preston Wilson. During spring training, they were scouting Cincinnati's Wily Mo Pena.
-- Philadelphia Daily News

Jarrod Washburn will be a free agent after this season and the Angels have yet to show interest in extending a multiyear offer. Florida's hard-throwing A.J. Burnett figures to be the top target on the open market. But Washburn, if he continues to throw well, might not be far behind monetarily. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...mlb/index.html

[Steak]

You know? I am getting tired of Roger bailing out when things go bad. Enough is enough. This is not just Roger. It's every athlete. When things go bad, they want to go to the Yankees or the Red Sox. It's getting sick and disgusting. Stick with your originial team and find a way to help them out.

Mike Lupica said it best that Roger would show his usual phoney side if he bolted out of Houston. Houston gave him everything that he wanted. It's time for him to show some loyalty, but then again loyalty has never been Roger's attribute.

[Fishercat]

I didn't see a single article there that said the Sox wanted Clemens, nor that Clemens would ever want to come back to the Boston. The Globe's idiotic hype machine is going off again. Not to mention, Roger isn't worth the 6 million over 2 months to the Sox, never mind prospects as well.

[Saber]

I expect pointless Clemens talk in the Yankee forum, not here.

[Killah Sith]

Wasn't his whole point of playing in Houston was to be closer to his family?

[Steak]

Wasn't his whole point of playing in Houston was to be closer to his family?

Exactly, but now his team is losing, he wants to bail out. He already won a ring. Why does it matter how many rings he need? I like to think an athlete has a committment for a certain team when times are tough. That shows you a sign what type of a player and person is. I am sick of guys like the Unit and Pay-Rod going to the Yankees because their teams just stink. That's not right. That goes for anyone that wants to go to the Red Sox or any other teams.

[redsrbetter]

Would be cool with me if he did leave Houston. That would be just fine! But I am with Steak here. He is bailing out of a losing season with a losing team. You can't ever expect Clemens to be loyal to a team. I bet he does go somewhere soon.

[Providence A's]

randy johnson and curt schelling did the same thing...oh AZ sucks, I wanna go to the Saux wah wah...I wanna go to the Yanks and only the Yanks wah wah. you can't win every year, more people lose than win...jease...

[Steak]

I find it funny people criticize my boy, Alonzo Mourning for leaving the Nets considering that franchise lied to him yet there is no criticism of Randy Johnson quitting on the D-Backs.

As for Curt, I don't think he wanted to leave Phoenix at all. D-Backs traded him since they were in cost-cutting mode. Remember Jerry Colangelo had to pay a huge debt to his investors so he had no choice to trade Curt to save salary. Plus he wanted to use those prospects in return to get Richie Sexson to improve their offense. That strategy was a disaster as Sexson left after one year.

[rockin500]

why does everyone assume that he is going to leave? It doesnt make business sense for any of those teams. nor for him and his family.