Category: Rumors & Gossip (Page 183 of 225)

Ben Sheets may need surgery

According to MLB.com, the Rangers nixed a two-year contract offer to free agent Ben Sheets because the pitcher might need to have surgery before the start of the season.

Ben SheetsThe answer is that free agent right-hander Ben Sheets may need surgery to repair the torn flexor tendon in his elbow, and his former employers may be asked to pick up the tab. Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said on Thursday that the team has been in discussions this week with Sheets’ agent and officials from Major League Baseball about who would pay for the procedure.

The Texas Rangers and Sheets reached an agreement on a two-year contract late last week and only a physical stood in the way of the deal being completed. But everything changed once it was determined that Sheets had a torn flexor tendon that might require surgery.

The Rangers could still pursue Sheets with a deal that would allow him to do his rehabilitation work with them in hopes that he would eventually pitch at a high level again. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.

No wonder he lasted on the market so long. The Brewers offered Sheets arbitration, but he declined and therefore might have left at least $10 million on the table this season. Sheets could be one of the best pitchers in the NL, but he can never stay healthy.

Houshmandzadeh interested in joining the Eagles

Free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh wouldn’t mind sporting green and white next year according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh“If the Eagles are interested in me, let’s put it like this. If they’ll be interested in me, I’ll be interested in them,” he said when asked if the Eagles would be his top choice.

There’s a chance that Houshmandzadeh could get the franchise tag from the Bengals, which would pay him $9.88 million for one season. However, NFL Network’s Adam Schefter cited a league source at the end of December who said the Bengals would not franchise the wide receiver. Per Schefter, if the Bengals want him back, they’ll attempt to sign Houshmandzadeh to a long-term deal.

“Did you watch the Eagles and the Bengals game during the season? I was just giving Andy Reid, I was giving him an interview in person,” Houshmandzadeh said. “That’s all I was doing. I was giving him a three-month interview ahead of time. That’s all.”

McNabb to Housh? That would be a pretty solid connection if the Eagles do in fact retain McNabb and make a push to sign Housh.

I think Houshmandzadeh is one of the most underrated receivers in the game. That said, it’s not unlike him to start complaining when things don’t go his way. How many times have we seen him get in the face of head coach Marvin Lewis on the sidelines during games? One could say that’s just Housh’s will to win shining through, but a head coach like Andy Reid isn’t going to put up with that. It’ll be interesting to see how this story develops. Maybe a change of scenery is exactly what Housh needs.

Cardinals to cut Edgerrin James?

Fresh off their Super Bowl XLIII appearance, the Cardinals are apparently set to release running back Edgerrin James this offseason.

From Rotoworld.com:

Edgerrin JamesAccording to the Arizona Republic’s Dan Bickley, Edgerrin James is “already gone” from the Cardinals.

Edge reportedly did not return to Phoenix with the Cardinals after the Super Bowl. James’ release, which cannot become official yet, will save Arizona $5 million under the cap, increasing the team’s spending limit to roughly $47M. It also creates a need area at tailback. J.J. Arrington is a free agent and the Cardinals will have to find a complement for Timmy Hightower.

This makes sense. Edge already stated throughout the regular season that he wanted out of Arizona, so why should the Cardinals keep him? They’ll save $5 million in cap space, and cut ties with a player that doesn’t want to be there. Plus, the draft is loaded with solid running back prospects this year so they don’t even have to use a first round pick on the position if they wanted to address other needs.

It’s not worth speculating at this point what teams will be interested in Edge, but considering he’s already hit the dreaded age of 30 he probably won’t receive more than a two-year offer.

Gonzo: ‘I didn’t ask to be traded’

Despite a YAHOO! Sports report on Wednesday that stated he wanted out of Kansas City, Chiefs’ tight end Tony Gonzalez is stating that he never asked to be traded.

Tony Gonzalez“I want to make sure people know I have not asked for a trade,” Gonzalez said Wednesday morning before the AFC’s Pro Bowl practice. “I haven’t even talked to (new Chiefs general manager Scott) Pioli yet. I said there are reasons I would ask for a trade, but depending on the coach they bring in and the free-agent acquisitions, I could easily be a Chief next year, too. In fact, that’s the direction I want to go.”

Gonzalez was particularly irked at the attention his “trade demand” received as it aired on an ESPN television crawl for his Pro Bowl peers and coaches to see, not to mention unsuspecting members of the Chiefs organization on the mainland. Gonzalez said he isn’t as down on the franchise as he believes the story made him out to be.

Gonzalez, though, admits he doesn’t know whether he will still be playing by the time Kansas City is ready to contend for a Super Bowl title. The Chiefs finished 2-14 in 2008 — their second consecutive season with double-digit losses — and failed to reach the playoffs for the ninth time in Gonzalez’s 12 NFL seasons.

Gonzalez, who turns 33 later this month, is under contract through 2011. While committed to playing in 2009, Gonzalez said he is taking a season-by-season approach toward retirement.

The original report might have misinterpreted what he said, but Gonzalez did ask for a trade last October so I don’t blame any media outlet that ran with a story of him wanting to be dealt this offseason. It’s clear he wants to play for a Super Bowl and if the Chiefs hire a collegiate coach, he could ask for a trade shortly thereafter.

You get the feeling that this situation is far from over and certainly nothing has been settled.

Larry Johnson officially asks out of Kansas City

In the same week that Tony Gonzalez expressed his desire to bolt Kansas City, Larry Johnson also is asking the Chiefs to either trade or release him.

From Rotoworld.com:

Larry JohnsonLarry Johnson told 610 Sports in Kansas City Wednesday morning that he wants a “clean break” from the Chiefs.

L.J. believes the organization hasn’t backed him, and it’s ruined his public image. He must not realize there is a new GM in town and KC will have a new coach shortly. Johnson also thinks he was on the trade block at the October deadline, and that the Chiefs “have been trying to trade me ever since I got here.” It’s pretty clear that L.J. was told he was great too many times by too many people in the mid-2000s. He’s lost touch with reality.

I agree with the writers at Rotoworld. Here’s a guy that caused a stink two years ago when he thought he wasn’t getting paid enough. So in August of 2007, the Chiefs signed him to a six-year, $45.05 million contract, which included $19 million in guarantees and a $12.5 million signing bonus. In October of last year, Johnson was suspended one game for allegedly pushing a woman at a nightclub, which also brought him simple-assault charges.

And now he’s saying the organization hasn’t backed him? Get a grip. They paid him what he wanted to be paid, stood by him when he got into trouble off field and now he thinks he can pick and choose what teams he wants to play for. Ridiculous.

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