No Opening Day: Ex-Major Leaguers Struggle With Retirement

Todd Helton now regularly drives his two daughters to school or other activities back home in Tennessee, a huge life change for Colorado’s former All-Star first baseman.

Bangor Daily News

Jack Taschner Refuses Assignment, Declares Free Agency

Jenifer Langosch Twitter

Phillies Could Bring Miguel Cairo Back; Eye Mark DeRosa & Placido Polanco

The Phillies are looking at Mark DeRosa, Placido Polanco and Adrian Beltre as possibilities to be their new third baseman. DeRosa and Polanco seem to be good fits because of their reputation as good workers and good teammates, and because they could come relatively cheaply compared to other third basemen on the market.

Phillies Official Site

Phillies Weigh Options As Free Agency Looms

Let's catch up with where the Phillies stand as teams can sign free agents beginning Friday.

First, some important dates to know:

Phillies Official Site

Miguel Cairo Files For Free Agency, Milt Thompson Invited Back

Brett Myers, Pedro Martinez and Miguel Cairo also filed for free agency on Friday.

Phillies Official Site

Baseball America Transactions October 14-25

Granted Free Agency: Reid Gorecki (Braves)

Outrighted: Robinson Cancel (Mets)

Cardinals signed: Pedro Rodriguez -have no clue who he is, details later at The Cardinal Nation

Cardinals released: Elvis Hernandez, Tyler Leach, Jonny Bravo, Jack Cawley, Matt Rigoli, and Guillermo Toribio.

Baseball America

Prospectus Today: Post-Season Bullpens

The more you watch the likely post-season teams close out their seasons, the more you think we might be in for some very long nights next month. The number of teams with questions about their bullpens seems to be awfully close to the number of teams who will get to play in October.

Baseball Prospectus

Two Relievers Designated For Assignments Caught Interest From The Cardinals In The Past

Jack Taschner understood that the Phillies traded for him in March because they needed an extra left-hander in the bullpen. relievers
Phillies Official Site

Veteran relief pitcher Matt Herges was designated for assignment by the Indians following their 15-3 win over the A's on Friday.
Indians Official Site

Checking The Numbers: LOOGYing Around

Over the last several decades, with the platoon effect becoming more widely understood and exploitable, a flood of pitchers with otherwise weak skills in the broad strokes have found employment in the major leagues. No aspect of the sport has undergone as thoroughgoing a transformation as bullpen usage, and while the idea of a structured relief corps may in fact be inefficient in terms of roster management, it has certainly paved the way for the rise to prominence of a number specialist relievers.

Baseball Prospectus

Miguel Cairo Is It, An Upgrade Over So Taguchi

When Miguel Cairo signed a minor league contract with the Phillies early in spring training, I labelled him a "long shot" to make the Opening Day roster. But as spring progressed, it became apparent that the 13-year veteran was playing his way into the conversation. One of the first things he said when I interviewed for the first time is that he likes proving people wrong. This looks like another case. The Phillies have purchased Cairo's contract, meaning he will be the fifth and final member of their bench for the start of the season.
Philadelphia Daily News

The Phillies made the following transactions: infielder Miguel Cairo had his contract selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley; left-hander J.C. Romero was placed on the restricted list due to his 50-game suspension; and left-hander Mike Zagurski, who is recovering from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery on his left elbow, was placed on the disabled list retroactive to March 27.
Phillies Official Site

Luis Perdomo To Crack Giants 25-Man Roster

It's been so long since a Giants Rule 5 pick made the team, even front-office man Bobby Evans could not immediately remember who it was. Now it appears reliever Luis Perdomo will make it.
"The guy throws 93, 94 with a good slider. He's been impressive," Bochy said.

Had the Giants wanted to send Perdomo down, they would have had to run him through waivers then cut a deal with St. Louis, his former team, to keep him. Sabean said he knows Perdomo would have been claimed by the Padres, Nats or one of the other bottom teams in the NL.
SF Gate

A re-emphasized need for a second left-handed reliever -- namely, Alex Hinshaw -- and a long reliever, as well as the apparent ascent of Rule 5 Draft choice Luis Perdomo to the Majors.
Giants Official Site

Edgar Renteria Has Tightness In Right Elbow, May Still Play Sunday For Giants

Third baseman Pablo Sandoval and shortstop Edgar Renteria sustained mild injuries in the Giants' 11-10 exhibition loss to the San Diego Padres at Peoria, Ariz.

Half-Baked Ideas

Luis Perdomo Still Has Chance To Earn Spot On Giants Roster

Until then, the Giants have three bullpen openings for seven contenders: left-handers Alex Hinshaw and Jack Taschner and right-handers Osiris Matos, Brandon Medders, Justin Miller, Luis Perdomo and Merkin Valdez. Ordinarily, Taschner would be included with Jeremy Affeldt, Bob Howry and Brian Wilson as locks to make the team. But the Giants have tried to trade Taschner, casting his status into doubt. Non-roster invitees Medders, who's unscored upon in eight appearances, and Miller, who yielded five runs in an exhibition against Team Japan but has recorded seven shutout Cactus League outings, have legitimate chances to stick. But at least one of them probably will be squeezed out by Perdomo, the Rule 5 Draft selection who must be kept on the big league club or be returned to St. Louis, or Valdez, who's out of Minor League options.

Giants Official Site

Jack Taschner Thinks Trade Is Possible

This time, Jack Taschner believes the trade rumors involving him.

Giants Official Site

Elbow To Sideline Mark Worrell Indefinitely

The Padres' bullpen took another hit Wednesday, and that was before their game against the Rangers.
Padres Official Site

Shortly after he traded Khalil Greene to the Cardinals for two minor leaguers in December, General Manager Kevin Towers said he “sold low” on Greene, whose $6.5 million salary influenced the move.

Wednesday, the Padres shut down a Triple-A reliever they obtained in the trade – Mark Worrell – because of elbow soreness and sent him to San Diego for further examination. “It doesn't look great,” Black said.

A second minor league pitcher will complete the trade this month, said Towers, who declined the Giants' offer of reliever Jack Taschner for Greene.
San Diego Union-Tribune

Luis Perdomo In The Giants 2009 Plans

The Giants believe that less can mean more when it comes to their pitching.

Giants Official Site

Luis Perdomo Impresses Giants, Aims For Spot In Bullpen

Rule 5 picks typically aren't factors with the Giants, who have selected only three since 2001. But Perdomo, 24, has impressed the Giants with his velocity while striking out three in a pair of scoreless one-inning appearances. That included two strikeouts in the seventh inning of Sunday's 5-2 triumph over Milwaukee.

"Those Rule 5 kids are always tough decisions. But he certainly helped himself [Sunday]," Bochy said of Perdomo. If the Giants want Perdomo in their organization but not badly enough to place him on the Opening Day roster, they can negotiate a trade with St. Louis, as clubs often do.

Giants Official Site

Josh Phelps Swings For The Fences

Non-roster first baseman Josh Phelps has ambitions of making the Giants as a platoon player, but his chances dimmed when Rich Aurilia returned on a minor league contract.

Marin Independent Journal

Salary Arbitration 2009: The Super Twos

The following is the first part of a series of articles detailing the 2009 salary arbitration class in MLB. Look for an extensive article on Baseball Prospectus, as well as installments here on The Biz of Baseball and MLB Trade Rumors shortly. - Maury Brown

The Biz Of Baseball

Edgar Renteria Not Worried About Who's On Second

Edgar Renteria has worn enough hats that he no longer worries about blending in to a new clubhouse.

Mercury News