March 2006

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ESPN Deportes: Ortiz Nearing Extension

Thanks to reader Nick for the tip. A rough translation of this article: David Ortiz is nearing a four-year, $50MM contract extension with the Red Sox. The source has family ties to Ortiz. Ortiz's agency, SFX declined to comment   Continue Reading

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Who Could Use Melvin Mora?

Melvin Mora is still a pretty good third baseman, tied for tenth best in baseball in 2005 according to WARP. He enters his age 34 season with free agency looming. Mora set a deadline for today for the Orioles to work out a contract extension with him, but Orioles VP Jim Duquette is pretty much ignoring that. Reports say Mora wants $10MM annually, but there is no indication on a number of years. Mora will make just $4MM in 2006, and he should be worth about twice that. He can only hope he ages like Jeff Kent, one of his..   Continue Reading

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Gotham Baseball's Zito Rumor

Gotham Baseball's Executive Editor, Mark Healey, had some informed speculation on Monday about a possible trade of Barry Zito to the Mets for Lastings Milledge and Brian Bannister. I figured I'd pass it along, as these guys seem to have some good front office type sources. Here are some highlights quoted from Healey from the thread: "Call me nuts...but I still think something is happening here and will in the next couple of days... Mike and I talk to scouts, front office people every week, sometimes daily....mostly to check on things, etc... Before and after our respective trips to ST...we..   Continue Reading

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Twins Trade Brewing?

Some message boards are abuzz with the possibility of a significant Twins trade on the horizon. I've tried to dig up something concrete for you, but I've come up empty so far. I do know that Terry Ryan has hinted recently that a deal is possible but wouldn't elaborate. Speculation is that the Twins would try to shore up the left side of their infield, possibly by dealing from their starting pitching surplus. Julio Lugo, Mike Lowell, Hank Blalock, and Melvin Mora could all be targets. If the Twins want one of the bigger dogs out there they'll probably have..   Continue Reading

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Top 50 Free Agents Review #1-10

With the season on the horizon, I figured that it's time to take a look back at my Top 50 Free Agents list. I published this baby on October 25, 2005, which was before any of the other lists came out. My goal was to beat Steve Phillips and ESPN, so we'll tally it up at the end. The list is in the format Player - Prediction/Actual. 1. Roger Clemens - Astros/Undecided. The Rocket has been holding up this entire review for quite some time. He'll probably come back to Houston, so this one will be a win. But does..   Continue Reading

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Ask Jim Bouton A Question

Have a burning question for Ball Four author Jim Bouton? If yours is one of the ten best, Armchair GM will ask him in an email interview. Click here to read more and submit a question. If you're a youngster like me and you weren't around when Ball Four came out back in 1970, pick up a copy now and get acquainted with a baseball classic   Continue Reading

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Royal Rumblings

Today's KC Star reports this morning that the Royals, with the first waiver wire claim, will probably snag Tony Graffanino to plug into a utility role once again. They have a spare $4-5MM with which to do so. Take that, Mets! Furthermore, a new Royals source of mine (yes, they do exist) mentions that lefties Jimmy Gobble and Jeremy Affeldt are currently on the trading block. Mike Wood may also be available. According to the source, a deal might happen before the end of the week. Affeldt is probably the most intriguing of the bunch. The 26 year-old has a..   Continue Reading

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More Miscellaneous Rumors

Jim Bowden wants Nook Logan on his team...surprised? I suppose fantasy leaguers should take note, as a full-time Logan could steal 35-40 bags. And do nothing else whatsoever. Melvin Mora is getting annoyed that the Orioles won't give him a huge contract extension to compensate him for a string of very lucky high batting average seasons in 2003-04. While a good third baseman, Mora is entering his age 34 season. To be fair, he's been underpaid for a while now, making $10.5MM over 2004-06. If Mora settled for a mild raise to $12MM over the next three seasons, the Orioles..   Continue Reading

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Rumor Roundup

Let's see what we've got here. The Red Sox placed Tony Graffanino on waivers, so that tells you a lot about the trade market for second basemen right now. Some teams that are questionable at second base: Blue Jays, Marlins, Mets, Cardinals, Cubs. Braves starter John Thomson is on the block, though I'm not sure Atlanta has the pitching depth to deal him. Smoltz has to be considered a health risk and I'm not sure what they're going to get out of Davies and Sosa. Then again, Chuck James could step in if either falters. Still, it's better to be..   Continue Reading

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Jays Want Craig Wilson, Burnett To Miss A Month?

Columnist Marty York is "one of Canada's most popular sports columnists with a track record for breaking big stories." Works for me. In yesterday's column, he tells us that the Blue Jays would like to acquire Craig Wilson by Opening Day. York mostly disses the team's interest in Wilson, comparing him to other "slow, white guys who can hit relatively well but who cannot run much and who are so subpar defensively that they have to be hidden at positions where they’re least likely to cause problems." He ignores Wilson's .363 career OBP in his comparison. That's the difference, Marty...   Continue Reading

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