Marlins Sign Jose Castillo
The Marlins signed infielder Jose Castillo yesterday. Castillo turns 27 in March. The Fish are slotting him into their third base vacancy, though second base with an accompanying Dan Uggla shift is a possibility.
I took an in-depth look at Castillo here. I believe skipping Triple A threw off his development; a return to that level might be wise. Castillo currently doesn’t have the bat of an average second baseman, so he’s definitely not worthy of the hot corner.
The 7 Most Interesting 2009 Options
Even during a down time for rumors, a ton of fun can be had analyzing the 2009 MLB Free Agents list. Below I present the seven most interesting 2009 options.
1. Manny Ramirez – $20MM club option. Rob Bradford recently discussed this, a topic that will pick up steam in Boston as the season rolls along. He notes that Andruw Jones was able to snag a deal averaging $18MM despite coming off a terrible 2007. Also, Manny seems to want to retire in a Boston uniform. $20MM is just the right amount to make this a tough decision (not clear on whether there’s a buyout). If Manny hits 35+ home runs I think they’ll exercise the option. Otherwise, Adam Dunn could be an alternative a year from now.
2. Ken Griffey Jr. – $16.5MM club option with a $4MM buyout. That’s a net of a one-year, $12.5MM deal to keep Junior. I’m not positive but I don’t think any of the ’09 salary would be deferred. The price seems reasonable if Griffey can approximate his ’07 season again, but otherwise the Reds will have to make the tough decision to cut him loose.
3. Carlos Delgado – $16MM mutual option with a $4MM buyout. This will be an easy decline for the Mets if Delgado posts another sub-.800 OPS. But what if he has a 2008 season more like his ’07 second half – .285/.375/.469? Then is he worth one year and $12MM? This may depend on how Mark Teixeira‘s situation unfolds.
4. Garret Anderson – $14MM club option with a $3MM buyout. $11MM net doesn’t seem terrible, and Anderson had a nice second half with an .892 OPS. However my best guess is a subpar season with little to no defense, leaving the Angels with no choice but to decline.
5. Mark Mulder – $11MM club option with a $1.5MM buyout. Given the market for pitching, will he be worth $9.5MM in 2009? Will the time and money spent watching him rehab influence John Mozeliak’s decision?
6. Jason Giambi – $22MM club option with a $5MM buyout. The oddly hefty buyout at least gives you pause here. On the free market would anyone give one-year, $17MM to Giambi? Doubtful unless he bounces back to 2005-06 form and health. Most likely the Yanks will be happy to clear this money.
7. Jim Thome – $13MM club option with a $3MM buyout. $10MM for a 35 HR/.410 OBP middle of the lineup monster? Should be an easy one. But say Thome is only healthy enough for 110 games in ’08. Do the Sox still go for it?
Topkin On Rocco Baldelli
I recently named the St. Petersburg Times’ Marc Topkin as Rumor Royalty for the Rays. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for the site.
MLBTR: Do you expect Rocco Baldelli to be with the Rays on Opening Day? What kind of trade value does he have right now?
Topkin: I definitely expect him to be there, as much because the Rays need him badly the way the team is presently constructed as because his trade value is so low because of his lack of playing time due to a series of injuries. I can’t imagine the Rays getting anywhere near enough value for him now compared to what his peak value was/could be. An interesting sidenote is that the Rays have to decide by April 1 on his 2009 option, picking between a $4-million buyout or a $6-million salary AND then being on the hook for his combined 2010-11 option or a $2-million buyout.
Phillies Sign So Taguchi
The Phillies added some outfield depth today, signing So Taguchi to a one-year deal for around $1MM with an option for ’09. There had been a rumor that the Cubs were eyeing Taguchi.
The Phillies’ outfield will consist of Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, Geoff Jenkins, Jayson Werth, and Taguchi. They’ve also got Chris Snelling as an option if he can stay healthy.
Latest Johan Santana Rumors
The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo has the latest on the lingering Johan Santana saga.
- The Red Sox are standing pat with their offer of Coco Crisp, Jon Lester, Justin Masterson, and Jed Lowrie. I’ve said it before – I consider this an excellent offer, though I might try to find a permutation that involves Jacoby Ellsbury and another player rather than Crisp/Lester. The Twins seem to like this offer too; they just want to see if the Yankees crack and offer up Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera, and Phil Hughes.
- The Theo Epstein regime typically hasn’t been jazzed about contracts exceeding four years. However they will break that rule for a Santana extension and are prepared to go seven if they have to.
- Cafardo dismisses the idea that Josh Beckett would be upset by Santana earning twice his salary. Beckett will get his payday after the 2010 season, unless he flames out or the Red Sox extend him earlier.
- Random question: is there any chance the Red Sox exercise Manny Ramirez‘s $20MM option for 2009? Rob Bradford discussed this very topic over at the Boston Herald.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In
Let’s do another round of Baseball Blogs Weigh In, which is fairly self-explanatory.
- Jamey Newberg’s analysis of the Josh Hamilton for Edinson Volquez trade is a must-read. Check it out.
- Gaslamp Ball discusses Mark Prior‘s post-surgery abilities.
- Beer Leaguer doesn’t seem to mind the Geoff Jenkins signing, but notes that other "safe" Phillies signings haven’t worked out.
- Lookout Landing doesn’t find Carlos Silva to be much different than Josh Towers.
Orioles To Hold On To Bedard?
UPDATE, 12-22-07 at 4:52pm: John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer says the Orioles have backed off on their demand for Jay Bruce from the Reds in a Bedard deal. He says they still require three top prospects, who would probably be Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto, and Joey Votto. That would wipe out the farm system, as that trio ranks #2-4 in the organization according to Baseball America. Would it be better to substitute Edwin Encarnacion for Cueto?
FROM 12-22-07 at 12:35pm:
Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun recently snagged some quotes from Andy MacPhail, the Orioles’ president of baseball operations. MacPhail said there’s a "strong likelihood" that Erik Bedard is the Orioles’ Opening Day starter in 2008. He also said not to expect any Orioles deals before the new year.
MacPhail made the assertion because he hasn’t been impressed with any of the offers for Bedard. The Reds would have to crack and give up Jay Bruce. The Mariners would probably have to give up both Adam Jones and Brandon Morrow, and they seem unwilling to trade Morrow. The Dodgers seem out of the mix given the Hiroki Kuroda signing. It sounds like it would take a dark horse to sweep in and make a monstrous offer. The Indians could fit the bill, in my estimation.
White Sox Not Interested In Prior
On December 19th, ESPN’s Jayson Stark named the White Sox as one of eleven teams interested in free agent starter Mark Prior. However, White Sox GM Kenny Williams was asked whether he had interest in Prior yesterday and replied in the negative (hat tip to South Side Sox). So, no Prior jerseys on the south side.
The current scoreboard on Prior: the Red Sox, Mets, Cardinals, Padres, Astros, Giants, Reds, Nationals, Marlins, and Indians are in. The Yankees, White Sox, Rangers, Phillies, and Pirates are out. Buster Olney recently said that Prior could make his decision by this evening and named San Diego as the frontrunner.
Topkin On The Delmon/Garza Trade
I recently named the St. Petersburg Times’ Marc Topkin as Rumor Royalty for the Rays. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for the site.
MLBTR: In your opinion, which club got the better end of the Delmon for Garza swap?
Topkin: My immediate reaction is that the Twins did because Delmon established himself as a potential impact player for a long time, a guy who could be a ten-season All-Star and hit in the middle of a lineup for fifteen years, while Garza still has to make that leap and Bartlett has to become more than a "steady" shortstop.
Rumor Royalty: Marc Topkin (Rays)
As originally described here, Rumor Royalty is an MLBTR series where I name the one journalist for each team who has done the most for us hot stove junkies. If the writer is up for it, I ask that person three questions for publication on the site. You can see all of the entries in the series here.
Please join me in honoring Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times as the top rumormongering talent for the Rays. Topkin contributes to a blog for the paper called The Heater. I asked him three questions, which will be posted separately over the next few days.