June 2012 - Baseball Wiretap

Giants Won't Use Cabrera In Postseason
The Giants would have to extend their postseason a bit in order for Melky Cabrera to become eligible.

Associated Press

La Russa Disagrees With 10-Year Deal Pujols Received
Tony La Russa is a huge fan of Albert Pujols, but even he wouldn't have given the slugger a 10-year contract.

ESPN

Executive: Hamilton Should Get $30M Annually
The Rangers have maintained interest in re-sign Hamilton, but they have let big names walk in the recent past.

Evan Grant/Dallas Morning News

Mets Won't Pursue Upton, Bourn Or Victorino
According to high-ranking insiders, the Mets will not pursue any high-profile outfielders via free agency this winter.

Andy Martino/New York Daily News

Varitek Close To Taking Job With Red Sox
Jason Varitek says he is "close" to taking a new job with the Red Sox, but it does not appear it will be as Bobby Valentine's replacement.

Gordon Edes/ESPN.com

Angels Prefer To Re-Sign Greinke Over Keeping Haren, Santana
The Angels will have a lot of decisions to make regarding their pitching staff this winter.

Alden Gonzalez/MLB.com

Gagne Claims '80 Percent' Of Dodgers Used PEDs
Eric Gagne admits that he used human growth hormone over five cycles in a three-year period toward the end of his career.

Mark Saxon/ESPN.com

Dusty Baker Suffered Stroke
In addition to his irregular heartbeat, Dusty Baker suffered a stroke last week and will need another week of rest before rejoining the Reds.

ESPN.com

Cueto Wins 19th, More Than Any Reds Righty Since 1974
Johnny Cueto is 19-9 with a 2.83 ERA and 3.4 K/BB ratio.

David Schoenfield/ESPN.com

Braves Clinch With Help From 2011's Goats
Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel and Chipper Jones, who all had a hand in Atlanta losing the 2011 finale, helped lead the team to the postseason on Tuesday night.

David Schoenfield/ESPN.com

White Sox Shuffle Rotation For Final Week
The White Sox have a half-game lead over the Tigers in the American League Central.

Scott Merkin/MLB.com

Ortiz Wants Money, Respect From Red Sox
David Ortiz will head into free agency this winter seeking the type of respect from the Red Sox that comes along with a lucrative, long-term contract.

Scott Lauber/Boston Herald

Machado Doesn't Seem Destined For 2013 Demotion
The Orioles surprised baseball by promoting Manny Machado to the Major League level last month.

Roch Kubatko/MASN Sports

Ichiro Leading Yankee Charge Towards Postseason
Ichiro Suzuki appears to have been rejuvenated by his trade to the Yankees.

Jon Heyman/CBS Sports

Youkilis Has Seen OPS Increase Since Trade
Kevin Youkilis is hitting just .232 with the White Sox, but he has no doubt contributed to the team since he was acquired via trade with the Red Sox.

Jon Heyman/CBS Sports

Mets Won't Release Jason Bay
The Mets will not absorb the $19 million that Jason Bay is owed by simply releasing him this offseason.

Mike Puma/New York Post

Jays Will Shop Aggressively In Search Of Depth, Veterans
Toronto has young stars in J.P. Arencibia, Brett Lawrie and Colby Rasmus, but they appear to lack depth and veteran leadership.

Ken Rosenthal/FOX Sports

Law Tabs Trout As Only 'Logical' Choice For MVP
Miguel Cabrera has entered the conversation, but Mike Trout is the runaway favorite to win the American League MVP, writes Keith Law.

Keith Law/ESPN

Cabrera Falls Out Of Lead In Triple Crown Category
Miguel Cabrera maintains a nice lead in average and RBI.

Anthony Odoardi/MLB.com

Yankees Owe Waiters Up To $1M In Unpaid Tips
The servers claim that the service charge went straight into the pockets of the Yankees and Legends Hospitality LLC, a corporation created to run the stadium's concessions.

Jay Busbee/Yahoo Sports!

White Sox Allowing Sale To Pitch As Strasburg Is Sidelined
Chris Sale tossed 118 pitches, the most he has ever thrown in his young career.

Jeff Passan/Yahoo! Sports

Royals Will Spend More On Pitching
Kansas City wants to contend in 2013.

Bob Dutton/Kansas City Star

Wood Expected To Be On-Field Instructor For Cubs
Kerry Wood hopes some other former players join him in Chicago.

Toni Ginnetti/Chicago Sun-Times

Astros Putting Together Plan For 2013 Draft
The Astros will have the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight year when the 2013 First-Year Player Draft is held next June.

Brian McTaggart/MLB.com

Hamilton Blames Vision Issues On Too Much Caffeine
Josh Hamilton returned to the lineup on Monday after missing five games with blurred vision and balance issues.

Richard Durrett/ESPN.com

Lee Has Seven Games With 11 Ks, No Walks
Cliff Lee has also made 15 consecutive starts of at least six innings and one or fewer walks.

Roger Schlueter/MLB.com

Marlins Likely To Reduce Payroll By $15M-$25M
The Marlins entered the 2012 season with a franchise-high $95 million payroll, something they will scale back this winter.

Clark Spencer/Miami Herald

Johnson May Have Filled Arizona's Hole At Third Base
Chris Johnson, who the Diamondbacks acquired from the Astros in mid-July, may end up filling a long-term need for the team.

Nick Piecoro/Arizona Republic

Phillies Unexpectedly In Market For Starter
Less than two years after putting together a starting rotation comprised of four aces, the Phillies are expected to search for help in that department this winter.

Bob Brookover/Philadelphia Inquirer

Bell: It's 'Hard To Respect' Guillen
Heath Bell was extremely critical of manager Ozzie Guillen during a radio interview on Monday.

ESPN