Atkins, Holliday Wait For Big Payday
With yesterday’s signing of Brad Hawpe the Rockies have now locked up five young players through at least 2010 over the past 14 months. Impressive. The Denver Post says Garrett Atkins would be "the next logical candidate" for a deal, but that his situation continues to be complicated by Ian Stewart, who the Rockies are attempting to move over to second to avoid a logjam.
Naturally Matt Holliday‘s name came up in light of the Hawpe signing, but owner Dick Monfort tried to keep that at bay, calling the situation "a different animal, not related to these contracts."
This spring training is Stewart’s third with the team. He started and played four innings at second today, but didn’t have anything hit his way. He’s battling Jeff Baker, Omar Quintanilla, Jayson Nix, Clint Barmes, and Marcus Giles for the starting job in what should be one of the more interesting position battles this spring. Nix may have the edge, but the team would love for Stewart to help them avoid the Atkins question altogether by making a smooth transition.
Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle.
Send Questions To Brian Bannister
MLBTR did a Q&A with Royals starter Brian Bannister in January, and his answers were terrific. Far from the usual athlete cliches. Bannister recently answered questions at MLB.com, and he’ll be doing that twice monthly. He posted the email address infocus@royals.com for you to submit questions – go for it!
While we’re on the topic of Bannister, Rany Jazayerli discusses how he can continue to succeed in the Majors even if he can’t maintain a .262 batting average on balls in play.
Cameron, Padres Fan The Fire In Arizona
As early as April 2007 the Padres and Mike Cameron had seemed destined to go their separate ways, but the flames were rekindled down the stretch and the flirtation continued well into December to the point that a re-signing seemed likely.
Of course Cameron ran off to Milwaukee, but the two parties remain embroiled in a he said/they said with little reconciliation in sight. Tom Krasovic has the latest chapter in which Cameron shoots down the rumor he took a discount in signing with the Brewers, saying "I’m not stupid," and claiming the Padres punched his ticket when Jim Edmonds was brought to town via trade.
General Manager Kevin Towers claims Cameron’s side was looking for 2-years/$10MM, so the Padres never even made an offer. “Why make an offer if they said they’re not going to take less than $10 million?" Towers said.
Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle and can be contacted at eastwindupchronicle@gmail.com.
Tigers Look To Cubs For Relief
According to Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press, "the Tigers have had general discussions with the Chicago Cubs about acquiring bullpen help." Detroit’s pen has dealt with all kinds of injuries this year.
Morosi implies that Brandon Inge could be a fit for the Cubs if he could prove a capable center fielder. Seems a long shot though. In any case, Ryan Dempster could be a possible fit for Detroit. He’s set to earn a hefty $5.5MM this year and doesn’t seem to have a clear place on the Cubs’ staff. Neither does Jason Marquis, but he’s not what the Tigers need.
Recently At RotoAuthority
Fantasy baseball is in full swing. I’m in five leagues, personally. I also run a free daily fantasy baseball site called RotoAuthority. Here are some recent posts you may want to check out.
Mets Looking For Outfield Help?
A small note from SI.com’s Jon Heyman:
The Mets appear to be looking for a right-handed-hitting outfielder to platoon with Ryan Church.
Presumably the need would be for a lefty-mashing, right-handed hitter. Drunk Jays Fans would like a Reed Johnson rumor started. Pretty good fit. Kevin Millar, Jason Michaels, Matt Murton, and Jay Payton seem to make sense as well.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Papelbon, Fielder, Hamels
Last year, in his final year prior to arbitration eligibility, Ryan Howard was renewed for $900K. This was about twice what the Phillies were required to pay Howard, but significantly less than the reigning MVP thought he deserved. Of course, this year that number has been used as a measuring stick by several young stars that have yet to reach arbitration and are subject to automatic renewals from their clubs. It seems that this year, more than years past, players are voicing their displeasure about the automatic renewals. Prince Fielder is displeased at being renewed for $670K, or about 50% more than what the Brewers were required to pay. Jonathan Papelbon has stated that he wants the same $900K that the Phillies gave Howard, and said he would not agree to anything less. Cole Hamels called the $500K that the Phillies gave him a "low blow" compared to the $750K he was asking for. At the other end of the spectrum is B.J. Upton, who was automatically renewed at $10K less than what he made in 2007, despite hitting .300-24-82 with 22 steals last year. Upton made it clear that it was a "non-issue" and it will not impact future negotiations. The stances made by these players has many fans up in arms on both sides of the issue. Lets take a look at what is being written in the blogospere.
If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.
- Red Sox News understands why Papelbon is frustrated but notes there is no real incentive for the Red Sox to give him a long-term deal at this point noting that Papelbon is only one year removed from a season-ending shoulder ailment.
- Sox and Pinstripes urges the Red Sox to follow the lead of the Rockies and sign Papelbon to a long-term contract.
- Matt Watson of AOL Fanhouse notes that Papelbon may actually be costing himself money down the road if the Red Sox, one of the richest teams in baseball, decide not to give him a long-term deal and let him bolt when he becomes a free agent.
- Beer Leaguer is irked by the recent comments of Hamels, but is not surprised as this seems to be par for the course with the young pitcher. They wonder if being a member of the Phillies is important to Hamels.
- The 700 Level notes in the case of Hamels that it is easy for the fans to side with the players in these situations when it is not their money and they are worried about losing talent down the road, but feels this is the status quo in baseball.
- Bugs & Cranks feels the extra $250K for Hamels would have been a small price to pay just to keep this story out of the papers.
- Brewers Bar is worried that Fielder is just the latest puppet for Scott Boras but also thinks the Brewers could have avoided future headaches by giving Fielder the same deal ($900K) that Howard received last year.
- The Brewer Nation wonders if Fielder should really be upset over being renewed automoatically.
- Baseball Musings warns the Brewers that upsetting Fielder could end up the same way Barry Bonds did in Pittsburgh.
- Swing And A Miss feels that this increase in recent bitterness towards automatic renewals is less about money and more about players feeling they deserve "respect."
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
A’s Not Interested In Pierre
11:50am: Slusser says A’s sources are thoroughly denying this rumor. It was fun while it lasted! She is also skeptical of the Mark Ellis rumblings.
8:01am: There’s a headline I didn’t expect to write, given that the Dodgers’ Juan Pierre comes with a $36.5MM commitment over the next four years. Susan Slusser reports that the Athletics have inquired on him, proof that they may be looking to acquire a veteran center fielder.
It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense on the surface. Either the A’s would want the Dodgers to absorb a significant portion of the money, or they’d like to pass back their own questionable contract. Front row center would be Eric Chavez, owed $37MM over the next three seasons. Chavez’s ten and five no-trade rights haven’t kicked in yet, and the Dodgers aren’t among the teams on his current limited clause. The oft-injured Chavez isn’t expected to be ready for Opening Day.
Heyman’s Sabathia Suitors
SI.com’s Jon Heyman believes C.C. Sabathia‘s three most likely landing spots next winter are the Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants, in that order.
While Sabathia/Tim Lincecum/Matt Cain would be nasty, I can’t see the Giants doing another $100MM+ pitching contract. Then again, I didn’t see them as a top suitor for Aaron Rowand this winter.
Let’s take a look at some other possibilities for C.C. I agree that the Yanks and Dodgers will be top contenders.
- Blue Jays – An A.J. Burnett replacement? Not likely; the Jays don’t have a ton of money coming off the books beyond Burnett. And Roy Halladay‘s salary increases by $4.25MM.
- Mets – They seem more likely to go after Mark Teixeira, though they could lose Pedro and Oliver Perez after this year.
- Red Sox – Can’t count ’em out. They’ll probably at least check in.
- Rays – A .500 run this year, followed by a major free agent splash for a contending ’09 team? Would be fun, but I expect them to be more fiscally responsible.
- Tigers – Adding Sabathia to replace Kenny Rogers could be the icing on the cake of a very good team. Will depend on how Verlander/Willis/Bonderman/Robertson hold up this year.
- Royals – Long shot, though Dayton Moore has shown a willingness to spend some bucks on free agents. Could this be his version of the Braves’ Maddux signing?
- Angels – I think they’ll be in the mix; Garland is a free agent and Escobar has question marks.
- Phillies – Would be an interesting way for the new GM to introduce himself. Burrell leaving means $14MM off the books, though many have rising salaries for ’09. Plus the closer job will be open.
- Cubs – Many Cubs’ players’ salaries increase significantly in ’09. Zambrano by $2.75MM, Ramirez by $1.65MM, Soriano by $3MM, Fukudome by $5.5MM, Lilly by $5MM, Marquis by $3.5MM. That’s over $20 mil right there, and for that reason I don’t see it.
- Astros – This seems a fair possibility; they’ve shown a willingness to give out huge deals. They could be faced with $10MM in increases on current players, though, so it would require a major payroll increase.
- I don’t see any other clubs that would entertain a $100MM+ contract. Thoughts?
Dodgers Not Interested In Inge?
TODAY: Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times shoots this one down, citing the large amount of money owed to Inge.
SATURDAY: The Dodgers put in a call to the Tigers asking about Brandon Inge, according to Danny Knobler. Both Joe Torre and Larry Bowa are pushing for Inge, who would play third base in LA.
Nomar Garciaparra and Andy LaRoche have been jockeying for the position but the Dodgers aren’t sold on either as a solution just yet. Inge is set to earn $19.1MM over the next three seasons. The Dodgers definitely have salary dump candidates in Nomar, Juan Pierre, and Esteban Loaiza, but I’m not sure if there’s a fit.
By Big Mike Glab and Tim Dierkes