Rosenthal's Latest: Lidge, Daniel Cabrera, Bonds, Edmonds

Ken Rosenthal has a new column up. I put the Griffey info in a separate post; let's discuss the rest. Rosenthal suggests that Brad Lidge would be harder to replace than Pat Burrell, and for that reason the Phillies will make a bigger effort to re-sign him. I imagine Phillies fans would prefer that course of action. The problem? The Phillies have little chance of offering four years, according to Jayson Stark. The Rangers will face a delicate situation in coming years: moving Michael Young to a different position. The chain reaction could make Hank Blalock available. Blalock has a...

Gillick Not Opposed To In-Season Extension Talks

According to Todd Zolecki of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Phillies GM Pat Gillick is open to breaking from his own policy and negotiating in-season with the team's impending free agents. Gillick's lame-duck status may necessitate it. I never liked the "no in-season negotiation" idea. Even with the possible distraction, you can't deny the huge cost savings compared to negotiating after the season. The two Phillies everyone's wondering about are left fielder Pat Burrell and closer Brad Lidge. Burrell, 31, has cooled off a bit after a monstrous April. He still has a 1.042 OPS. He'd probably require four years and close...

Stark's Latest: Griffey, Daniel Cabrera, Lidge

ESPN's Jayson Stark has a new column up; it's a must-read. Stark examines the impact of ten deals made last offseason; check it out. Because of last year's surprise playoff clubs, teams may wait extra long this year before throwing in the towel and trading veterans. As Peter Gammons has noted, Ken Griffey Jr.'s 2009 option will be an impediment in dealing him. Even if the Reds find a suitor Griffey will probably want that $16.5MM guaranteed for '09. Daniel Cabrera will be available again this summer. The Orioles should trade him as soon as possible; the .213 BABIP and...

Stark's Latest: Oswalt, Tejada, Upton, Burrell

Check out the latest column from ESPN's Jayson Stark. Stark talked to one exec who believed the Astros' baseball people might consider a Roy Oswalt trade, but owner Drayton McLane never would. The exec also questioned whether the Astros would've given up a bounty of five players to acquire Miguel Tejada if they'd known the player's true age. Stark implies that the Upton brothers are eyeing big bucks and aren't likely to sign extensions. Stark's sources believe the Phillies will offer Pat Burrell something like two years and $14MM. He'll probably want significantly more than that.

Odds and Ends: Burrell, Pedro, Fukudome

Today's link collection. Jon Heyman notes that Pat Burrell only wanted to go to the Yankees or Red Sox when the Phillies tried to trade him a few years ago. They're not great fits, but perhaps Burrell will have those two clubs at the top of his list when he hits free agency. Ross Newhan looks at the Dodgers' trade of Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields. He rates it the worst in franchise history. He also names the Brad Penny acquisition as the fourth-worst. Josh Kalk takes a look at Kosuke Fukudome's hot start for RotoAuthority. The Dodgers and Juan...

Free Agent Stock Watch: Pat Burrell

Phillies left fielder Pat Burrell was awesome in July and August of last year. Outside of that, he was just decent. He's off to a blazing start in his first 14 games of 2008. He turns 32 in October and can explore free agency after the season. Burrell is earning $14MM this year. Which players might serve as comparables for Burrell's next deal? Carlos Lee is similar, though he was a few years younger when he reached free agency in '06. Lee received $16.6MM per year for six years. Burrell could be compared to Alfonso Soriano, who received an even...

Burrell Enters Contract Year

All sorts of players are entering contract years, and it's become a popular Spring Training topic. Pat Burrell mentioned over a month ago that he'd love to re-sign with the Phillies. Todd Zolecki chronicles Burrell's trials and tribulations over nine years playing for the Phils. He's set to earn $14MM this year, finishing up the extension Ed Wade engineered. Other major power threats in Burrell's free agent class: Mark Teixeira, Adam Dunn, and perhaps Manny Ramirez. Dunn, by the way, hasn't had any extension talks with the Reds.