June 2007 - Texas Rangers Wiretap

It's become an annual tradition, of sorts, for Bert Blyleven at this time of year. That is to wait and see if this will indeed be the year that his long wait to get into Cooperstown has finally ended. In his 11th year on the Hall of Fame ballot, Blyleven is still hoping for the one honor that is noticeably missing from his 22-year career. There are many people who have wondered why Blyleven has yet to receive enshrinement in Cooperstown. In a career that spanned from 1970-92 with the Twins, Rangers, Pirates, Indians and Angels, he's in the top end of almost every all-time pitching category.

Bartolo Colon and Jason Jennings have both received interest from the Texas Rangers who have backed out of their pursuit of Freddy Garcia and Mark Prior.

ESPN's stable of baseball reporters linked 14 teams to the pursuit of Mark Prior, but that list drops when teams check out his medical reports. Texas was the latest to back out. San Diego makes the most sense, but the Padres ended trade talks with the Cubs after looking at the medical file. Prior wants to stay on the West Coast but could wind up in Cincinnati or Houston.

Texas Rangers' GM Jon Daniels said Saturday that the Rangers are close to a one-year deal with LHP Eddie Guardado, who could serve as something of a mentor to LHP C.J. Wilson as he grows into the closer's role. The Rangers likely won't do anything until after Christmas.

The Rangers and Reds agreed on a trade Friday that will send outfielder Josh Hamilton to Texas in exchange for right-hander Edison Volquez and a Minor League pitcher. Texas will have a press conference later in the day to announce the deal. Hamilton was quite a feel-good story early last season. Acquired by Cincinnati from Tampa Bay via a Rule 5 Draft trade, the 26-year-old -- who had been troubled throughout his career as a professional by drug and legal problems -- got off to an impressive start. Hamiltom missed a good chunk of the second half of the season due to a sprained wrist and a hamstring injuries. He finished the season with a .292 batting average and had 19 home runs and 47 RBIs in 90 games. The hard-throwing, 24-year-old Volquez fanned 166 batters while going 14-6 at three Minor League stops last season.

Milton Bradley insists that his recovery from knee surgery is going well and that he will be ready for the start of the season for the Texas Rangers. "I'll be ready to play in some capacity," Bradley said Tuesday during a conference call, his first since agreeing last week to a one-year free-agent deal worth up to $8 million. Bradley didn't elaborate when asked what he was doing now and if he was running yet. "I'm ahead of pace of the average person," the 29-year-old Bradley said. "I'm where I need to be. I'll be ready for the start of the season." While the Rangers expect him to play right field, Bradley could start the season as their designated hitter.

A teenage shortstop in the Texas Rangers' organization was suspended Friday for the first 50 games of next season after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance under baseball's minor league drug program. Julio Gonzalez, 19, hit .253 in 27 games this season in rookie ball in Arizona. The penalty came a day after the Mitchell Report was released, looking at steroids in the major leagues. Gonzalez got the 30th suspension this year under the minor league program. There have been eight under the major league plan.

The Texas Rangers signed Edgardo Alfonzo on Friday to a minor-league contract that would pay him $650,000, plus incentives, if he makes the major league roster. Alfonzo last appeared in the majors in 2006 for a total of 30 games with the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays.

Japanese reliever Kazuo Fukumori and the Rangers agreed to a contract Thursday. The right-hander, who pitched for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles this season, is coming off surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. He has undergone a physical for the Rangers. The deal was still being finalized Thursday night, but the Rangers had already scheduled a news conference for Friday to announce the signing.

The Rangers filled one of their primary offseason needs Wednesday night when they acquired first baseman Ben Broussard from the Mariners for minor league infielder Tug Hulett. Also Wednesday, the Rangers declined to offer a 2008 contract to Akinori Otsuka, making the reliever a free agent.