Yardbarker: Ray Durham

Cards Considering Grudzielanek?

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:30:27 -0500

Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch is reporting that the Skip Schumaker experiment at second base is not going as well as planned. Schumaker is batting .300 (10-for-30), but is struggling with his foot work at second base. The Cardinals have several in-house options so they don't necessarily need to make a move, but Strauss believes the Cardinals may explore a trade or signing.
Free agent second baseman Mark Grudzielanek is available, but he is 39 years old and played in just 86 games last season. However, he is a career .290 hitter and a former Cardinal, hitting .294 with 8 HR in 2005. He is a Type-B free agent, but would probably sign at a low price if he was serious about playing again. Ray Durham is another option.
This story was approved by MLB Rumors.

Finally, that elusive big bat comes to Washington this offseason!

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:06:19 -0500

"I think his lawyers did a good job for him. It's over, and he doesn't incriminate himself in terms of use." (Tom Buchanan, defense attorney, via Baltimore Sun, 2/10/2009) ...make that a big bat back in the day. *wink* *wink* Miguel Tejada becomes the first player who can't say no to coming ...

Giants Positional Post-Mortem: Second Base

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:24:20 -0500

The second base situation for the Giants in 2008 played basically like a community trying to build it's way back up from some natural disaster. The two-year contract given to Ray Durham after the 2006 season, in retrospect, turned out to be a total waste. The first year of it was the hurricane devastating everything [...]

Yankees should pursue other Molina

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:25:22 -0500

While most Yankees fans are clamoring for a left fielder or another starting pitcher as the July 31 trade deadline looms, one overlooked position seems to be that of catcher. It appears Jorge Posada is lost for the season, and it could be that he is no longer able to play as an everyday backstop again. In the meantime, Jose Molina has filled in as the regular catcher, with very mediocre results. While he is a decent defensive player, his .220 batting average, .260 on-base percentage and .300 slugging percentage are laughable. You'll take that out of a back-up catcher one game per week, maybe. Jose's brother, Bengie Molina, on the other hand is a whole different story. Sure, the Giants catcher may be the slowest baseball player since Cecil Fielder, but beyond that, it's hard to find something he doesn't do well. This guy is simply a pro's pro. He defends well, rarely letting balls get by him, and he is second in the National League when it comes to throwing out would-be base stealers, having gunned down 34.5 percent this season. And while handling pitching staffs is sometimes an overrated quality, he is one of the best. But fielding aside, Molina is always a threat at the plate with men on base. He certainly rivals Posada when it comes to catchers hitting in the clutch, and he's been doing so ever since his Angels days, when he actually protected Vladimir Guerrero for a time. On a young San Francisco Giants team, Bengie is the unquestioned leader. On the Yankees, he would be a welcome veteran who could add some pop to the lineup and provide a reliable presence behind the plate. And being that he's under contract through 2009, he might make Posada's possible transition to 1B/DH a little smoother. The only question is: Do the Giants let him go? While San Francisco drafted Florida State phenom Buster Posey with the fifth pick in this year's amateur draft, the young catcher is likely a couple years away from The Show. GM Brian Sabean won't let him go for nothing. New York will need to dangle a couple of solid prospects, certainly making a better offer than what the Giants got from the Brewers for the pinch-hitter deluxe Ray Durham. So let the Molina brothers unite in The Bronx. It could make for a joyous reunion.

I’m Rick Weeks, B*tch!

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:39:10 -0500

Just when the various beat-writer types had decided Rickie Weeks was one of the Brewers' biggest liabilities heading down the stretch, and?collectively pronounced that the Ray Durham acquisition proved their point, Rickie Weeks?made a return trip to St. Louis'?left-field upper deck "Big Mac" land, validated Ned Yost's patience (at least for now), and bought himself [...]

Brewers, Giants Working Out Durham Deal

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 14:27:21 -0500

The Brewers and Giants are in serious discussions about a deal for Ray Durham. The Brewers, it appears, will not give up anyone of serious value on their 25 man roster, but nothing is written in stone. More on this as the deal is worked out.

UPDATE: ESPN.com is reporting that the deal is done, with Brewers prospects Darren Ford and Steve Hammond heading to San Francisco

Giants score!!

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:49:04 -0500

It's going to be a long season

Wow, somebody's optimistic about 2008 SF Giants

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:22:35 -0500

They DO have a lot of young talent. But if the final year of Dave Roberts' awful 3-year $18 Million contract prevents exciting young speedsters like Fred Lewis and Rajai Davis from seeing action in the outfield (same goes with Ray Durham keeping Eugenio Velez on the bench), Giants fans will be very disappointed. What about just buying out the contracts of Roberts and Durham and giving these younger players a chance? NBA teams do this all the time. Hell, college athletic departments do it. Apparently, Sabean and company do not like any of these above mentioned prospects or they wouldn't have dished out $60 Million for Aaron Rowand. This article says 81-81, but I cannot see this team scoring enough runs. I think a maximum of 75 wins is more probable. My prediction 72-89, last in the NL West.

Possible Baek for Durham; Roster Shakedown

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:07:45 -0500

Seattle could be about to trade pitcher Cha Seung Baek to the San Francisco Giants for Ray Durham and cash.

Vizquel out with knee surgery.

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:28:53 -0500

San Francisco Giants are going to be with out their Gold Glove shortstop Omar Vizquel for 4 to 5 weeks. The 40 year old, Vizquel will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Wednesday and then start rehab. Omar started to experience some soreness in the knee last week but thought nothing of it and thought it was no big deal. Today while testing his knee out thou he felt a pop and thought OK its time to get this taken care of.

No one named Ray wants to play for Tampa Bay

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:28:10 -0500

Give your own description and/or reactions to this article (don't copy and paste the original). Try to make it memorable -- that's the best way to earn a high rating!

Chase Utley, Alfsono Soriano, Roy Oswalt back on track!!!

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:56:12 -0500

What a week we're about to have in baseball. Division leaders verse second place, key players make their return, it's going to be awesome.

The SF Giants starting lineup is a bunch of Old Geezers

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 20:45:52 -0500

The Giants have what must be one of the oldest starting lineups in MLB history. And they can't hit. Which is a shame for Barry Bonds.

Baseball Musings: Alou Steals Home

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 22:00:35 -0500

Bonus points for those playing the streaking Alou in the playoffs. With Alou on third, Ray Durham tried to steal 2B. Johnny Estrada tried to nail him there while a frisky Alou came home. It wasn't exactly the same as Carl Crawford's steal from third earlier in the season, but it will look the same in the boxscore. It was Alou's second stolen base of the season. Over the last 14 days, Moises Alou is hitting .386 with 5 HR, 7 Runs and 16 RBI. The man can still play when healthy.