The Rangers are set to introduce the recently signed Yu Darvish at a press conference tomorrow night, reports Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Here's the latest from around the league…
- Some MLB executives say Matt Garza’s filing number of $12.5MM “greatly complicates” interest in him as a trade target, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. The right-hander filed for $12.5MM and the Cubs countered at $7.95MM as our Arbitration Tracker shows.
- Ryan Braun's appeal hearing for his failed drug test was today, reports Bill Madden, Andy Martino, and Teri Thompson of The New York Daily News. The three-person panel consists of union head Michael Wiener, MLB executive Rob Manfred, and independent arbitrator Shyam Dos. A decision is not expected this weekend, and no player has ever successfully appealed a positive test.
- "Of course we'd consider Prince Fielder," said Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski to Angela Wittrock of MLive.com in the wake of Victor Martinez's torn ACL. "But realistically, it's probably not a good fit … I would just say that the fit is really not there at this point."
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick wrote about the abundance of aging hitters still available on the free agent market. "Some of these guys have made so much money in their careers, the $2 million-and-less contracts don't sound very appealing,'' said an AL exec. "It's a supply and demand issue. When you have a lot of guys out there, the prices are going to get driven down.''
- Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com checks in with top Cubs prospect Brett Jackson and hears that the 2009 first rounder doesn’t get rattled by the possibility of a trade. “All players are tradable at any time,” Jackson said. “That doesn’t put me on edge." People in the Cubs organization have lots of good things to say about Jackson and the Cubs made him untouchable in compensation talks regarding president Theo Epstein, Mooney writes.
Mike Axisa contributed to this post.
“and no player has ever successfully appealed a positive test. ”
It is possible that this is inaccurate, as stated. Jimmy Rollins and others have said that there have been successful appeals of positive tests before the positive tests were made public. You aren’t supposed to hear about the positive test until after the appeal.
Ideally, Braun’s test results (and even his hearing) would not have been publicly acknowledged until much later….and if the appeal was successful, possibly never.
I don’t understand why Jimmy’s quote keeps getting overlooked. Not a shot at the website at all but I’ve seen numerous news outlets ignore suggestions from players like Jimmy that there have been appealed suspensions.
Bottom line Jimmy should keep his nose in his own business, maybe then he will run to first at least once this year.
Glad him jogging to first base like every other MLB player has anything to with him and he wasn’t the only player to chime in.
The original quote was from a question from a fan btw.
Ummm….I believe he is a Player’s Union Rep so it IS sort of his business since it’s a “member” vs mlb baseball issue.
uhh ohh… looks like theo’s clean track record avoiding arbitrations will get tainted now 😛
What makes Garza think he is worth 12 mil?
He’s definitely worth more than $8–they will settle for $10 before arb. He might choose to roll the dice as the arbitrator has to choose one or the other number. I hope Garza wins. If Theo maintains his MO he will not get to arb.
This is exactly what is wrong with baseball. A guy who has never won more than 15 games and who is a head case, people think that he is worth $10-22 million. Arbitration pushes up the pay scale for unproven players and players with a short history of success.
Arbitration was meant to reward players based on merits. It’s still a 1 year deal and it pails in comparison to what they would get on the open market. relax.
>>2012
>>Using counting stats
LOLOLOL
And when has anyone associated with Garza professionally said that he’s a headcase?
Probably has something to do with the fact that in the last four years his performance has been worth less than 12MM one time an last year it was worth more than 22MM. That and he’s coming off of a 5 WAR season.
Except he’s an arb2 player, so he should be receiving around 60% of his fair market value. He’s assuming he could get 20 million a year as a FA… he couldn’t.
If he takes this case to an arb hearing, he will lose. The Cubs number is low, but his is so high that it’s just impossible to rule in his favor. His agent should be fired for allowing that crap.
really shouldn’t use the “fangraphs value system”. As good as CJ Wilson was he wasn’t worth a SALARY of $26.5 mil which is what his 2011 season was valued at. Not even sure why they bother to have that as a valuation tool.
really shouldn’t use the “fangraphs value system”. As good as CJ Wilson was he wasn’t worth a SALARY of $26.5 mil which is what his 2011 season was valued at. Not even sure why they bother to have that as a valuation tool.
They have the number wrong on MLBTR. Garza filed for just over 10mil. If you click the Olney link, even he said so. The Cubs countered lower at around 7.9 mil. Theo and Hoyer are just trying to get leverage to ink a long term deal.
I would imagine that the Tigers insured VMart’s contract; therefore, if Fielder were to take a one year contract for $20 million, that should not put their payroll out of whack. Sign Fielder and then go get Garza and we are in business. The more I see Cepedes in the D.R. Winter League, the less I like him. I say pass on him.
A $2 million raise on a Super Two coming off his best season? Good luck Theo!
Maybe he low-balled it to get a lower settlement before the hearing?
You know, it’s kind of funny. I think both sides did things exactly right: They are both unrealistic in opposite directions and almost equally so. I think Theo is low and Garza is high; I’d say right in the vicinity of $10MM would be right.
Why is giving unrealistic numbers exactly right? First of all, because it makes settling in the middle be right on track; the midpoint is $10.225MM, right in the ballpark of what I think is fair. Second, because if it does go to arbitration, neither side is “the right choice.” Nobody has the right number but the arbiter has to pick one, so he’s essentially faced with “a couple million too high” versus “a couple million too low.” It’s a tossup, but that is exactly the decision you want the arbiter to have to make. You want it to be a hard choice if it goes that far. Well, I guess you want the other side to be completely bat-crap crazy, but that is seldom the case so being equally far off on both sides is the next best thing.
I totally agree. Theo hasn’t gone to arbitration in years, and I doubt he intends to anytime soon. They’ll agree to something in the middle, around $10M.
You hit it right on the nose. Aside from his stupid celebrations with Fielder…As a huge Cardinal fan,it was very pleasant beating the Brewers in the NLCS, just by the way the Brewers celebrated every time they scored a run. Aside from that I like the Brewers & Braun.
Yeah, I hated those celebrations. Can’t stand when guys like Jose Reyes, Braun & Fielder, etc have to pimp out every time they accomplish something.
it’s called enjoying the moment, usually a walk off hit or something? I’d rather see that than ballplayers who stand at the plate for 15 seconds admiring their homeruns.
I’d rather both go away forever. I’d rather just have guys like Chase Utley who hit a home run, circle the bases, high five do all that good stuff without showing anybody up.
They did that boxing thing EVERY TIME one of them hit a home run.
Cubs will send some money along with Garza. Great complication avoided.
I mean really, if that’s all that’s holding up a deal is that really a great complication? The Cubs don’t need the money, not this year and maybe not even next year either. They DO need high-caliber prospects, especially starting pitching prospects, and they need them badly. If it gets to “well I’d love to do this trade but the money…” there will be a suitcase of cash with him on the plane–especially if it can help gel a better deal from the Cubs’ perspective.
money with garza? no.
If that ends up holding up a deal? Absolutely. If it doesn’t, it’s not an issue worth mentioning and Olney’s tweet and my response to it are equally worthless. I’m not judging the veracity of the tweet, I am simply stating that there is no way the Cubs let some money destroy an otherwise good Garza deal if it ever came to that. It’s hardly a “great complication,” even in the hypothetical.
he filed for 10.225 million,not $12 million
I wonder how some of these over payed clowns would like being told “oh we are sorry, we are down sizing …….. why don’t you try McDonald’s”.
These ‘clowns’ probably know how to spell ‘overpaid.’ And if you think that you should be paid like them, why don’t you go in the Majors?
“Braun just doesn’t seem like the PED user type to me.”
=====================================Based on what?
I don’t really like that statement at all. Andy Pettitte was as straight a shooter as there was in this game and he ended up being a cheater. Really, we don’t know anything about what these guys are really like off the field. All we know about them is what they let the media know about them.
Ahhh, so he gets the David Ortiz pass too….Amazing
Because he’s a celebrity.
You wont get any of those prospects for Garza; however, you might be able to get Porcello and some lesser prospects for Garza. The Tigers should not need a pitcher like Garza [I think they need to add another upper tier sp for the World Series run] until the trade deadline anyway. In regards to Fielder, no one would pay him $30 million for one year; however, I read somewhere today that Fielder has no where to go because Texas is tapped out and the Nationals do not want to offer an 8 year contract. It is very possible that the Tigers could get him for a year and then Boras trys again next year when there is not so much 1st base competition.
I agree with your first point, but Cubs fans at some point have to get real on the asking price for Garza. If y’all have no problem keeping him then just keep him. Nobody is going to give up that ridiculous price.
The Tigers would never give up those three prospects unless it was for Felix. Garza is a great pitcher but we could easily get him with Turner Crosby and Oliver, The tigers wont give up Catellanos and if DD wanted to the Tigers would be welcoming Gio to Detroit right now you arent getting both
The Tigers (or anyone) will not get Fielder for anything less than $28M on a 1-year deal. I don’t believe Fielder would sign a 1-year deal anyway, with anyone.
You are high if you think each of those prospects is worth more than Garza. Mike Adams ALONE cost 2 top-10 prospects from SD. Beckett cost Hanley+.
I think people decide that since the Cubs want too much, it means he is worth nothing.
Suggesting that the Cubs won’t get any of the Tiggers top 3 prospects for a starting pitcher proven in the Al and that had a WAR in top 15 last year as a starter is absurd. Garza is an arguable ace (incoming Yankees fans that say he is a 3 at best). You need to dish out top prospects to get top rotation quality.
What about Garza doesn’t make him an upper tier starting pitcher?
That was EASILY the worst thing ever posted on this site.
ugh one hour too late to see
To be fair, Texas only traded away two guys that never would’ve worked in Arlington case they were serious fly ball guys. But you’re still very correct.
2 top 10 prospects is all relative. Neither were rated top 100 pre-season (Erlin made it to the mid summer top 50). Turner and Castellanos were both top 100 and I think Turner was a top 20 or so.
Beckett was 25, coming off 3 strong years with good peripherals and the thought of having an elite ace potential ahead of him. Garza is similar, but not nearly the same. Pitching in the AL East means something, but he has NEVER pitched to an FIP under 4.00 EVER until 2011 when he switched to the NL Central. Anyone that thinks a GM should disregard what happened prior to 2011 is not being realistic.
Garza has good value and he should get a nice return but this idea that teams should hand over the equivalent to the Yanks Montero, Bets and Bans is crazy.
Yankee fan here who never said Garza was a 3 at best, but I won’t say he’s an ace either. I’ll say he’s a very good #2.
Unless whoever they trade him to can work out an extension. If anything it’ll lessen the asking price for Garza. All the usual suspects with big payrolls would be if the price came down, regardless of a 12.5MM number.
Not even talking about trade value so why are you bringing it up? I get what you’re saying, but it’s not pertinent.
Yeah, he’s definitely not a #1. He just doesn’t pass the eye test when it comes to the dominance shown by an ace. That being said, he’s shown flashes in the past and seems to be on the edge right now. I think next year will be the deciding factor in whether or not he can push himself over into the ace territory.
I’d put him on the second tier behind guys like CC, Felix, Lincecum, Verlander, Kershaw, Halladay, Lee, etc. That’s not a bad thing, he’s just not a stud yet.
Erase 2011 and then look at the previous 5 years. It amazes me…..either a guy is way overrated or completely underrated. He is a good pitcher but saying he’s an ace based off of 1 year is as absurd as saying a 3 time Cy Younger winner is a wash up if he has 1 off season.
As a Cubs fan, you’re 100% correct with that placement. Garza is a very solid #2.
Agreed – Turner, Crosby and Oliver would get it done, I’d think. Or something like Turner and Smyly alone – no way they throw in Castellanos as well.
Cheater? Remind me what rules he broke and what punishment he served as a result of said rule breaking.
Steroid use for non-medicinal purposes (prescribed by a doctor) is against the law, therefor, even if it wasn’t stated as a violation of mlb rules it’s still illegal period. Hence, why people are facing jail terms which led to them snitching on others involved.
He admitted to using HGH. The reason he used it means nothing to me, an unfair advantage is an unfair advantage.
Did you miss that or is your head in the sand?
As I said, people are asking too much. However, if you look at 2011 Garza, his pitch selection is quite different. He wasn’t just a better pitcher last season–he was a different one.