Ben Sheets’ Last Year in Milwaukee?
We’re well-overdue for a Ben Sheets rumor. I like Michael Hunt’s point on what could be the inevitable departure of Sheets:
"Chances are this is Big Ben’s last season with the Brewers, unless another medical anomaly throws a fat one over the heart of the team’s checkbook. But that’s the catch: The Brewers need him to be so good and healthy that he’ll be out of their economic grasp. Such is their balancing act… Absent the miraculous – the union agreeing to a salary drag – the Brewers can’t keep everyone. Maybe there’s your Sheets decision."
If Hunt is right and Sheets has to leave, with Yovani Gallardo in the wings and a youthful studly lineup locked up the Brewers should be just fine. Sheets is due $11MM this year, the final year of his contract, with a limited no-trade clause (can be dealt to only 8 teams). There’s a long list of starting pitching in the 2009 MLB free agent pool and if Sheets can remain healthy then he could even be up for a pay raise.
Odds and Ends: Crede, Rodriguez, Marlins
Just a couple items worth mentioning:
- Matt Hurst notes Elasticman Scot Shields says "(Heck) yeah" to whether or not the Angels should dish out the big bucks for Francisco Rodriguez, this despite incentives in Shields contract that would kick in should he be transitioned into the closer role.
- Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times touches in on Joe Crede‘s fate after notching his first homerun of the spring, easing concerns for his surgically repaired back. Says Cowley, "Crede’s agent, Scott Boras, already has told general manager Ken Williams that they want to explore the market. With Josh Fields waiting in the wings, the Sox are dealing from a position of strength. The Giants are a top suitor." Scouts were present for Crede’s homerun.
- Marlins Owner Jeff Loria says payroll is "all going to be a function of the revenues we generate. If we have a bigger base than we anticipate, that will go back to the payroll." This from Tom D’Angelo of the Palm Beach Post who add, "When asked if the team could lock up young stars like shortstop Hanley Ramirez for the long term, Loria said: ‘We’re going to look at that going forward. But we are challenged until we get into that new stadium." The Marlins payroll this year is just under $20MM.
Best Fit For Bonds: Atlanta?
UPDATE: Martin Johnson at The Root is taking a path-less-tread by calling for a "happy ending" to the Barry Bonds saga. He says Bonds can still hit, and where better than Pittsburgh, a city in need of attendance since Bonds left in 1992. Personally, I can’t see how Bonds can be anything more than a DH, which nixes this suggestion. Further, San Fran teammate Dave Roberts was quoted saying Bonds "is going to want to be in a situation where he can win," and the Pirates are not that. Still, Martin says,
"Bonds should offer his services to his first pro team, The Pittsburgh Pirates, and offer to play for the league minimum salary… Bonds has made $188 million playing baseball; in the name of boosting his public image, he can afford a pay cut."
What better way to start your week than with a Barry Bonds update? I’ll start by pointing to Tim’s recent survey that the majority of MLBTR readers (60.2%) don’t think Bonds will play for a Major League team in 2008.
Still, Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune explores the best fits for Bonds. Somehow, the Rays are still being considered an option here. We’re going back and forth at this point, as Peter Gammons had last reported there was nothing there, so I’m sorry if I’m beating a dead horse.
"Last week’s mini-firestorm about the Tampa Bay Rays’ interest in Bonds was not a smoke screen. Despite general manager Andrew Friedman saying this was a "non-story" there’s no doubt the St. Petersburg Times had it right. The Rays, especially principal owner Stuart Sternberg, are monitoring the availability of Bonds, who still might be capable of a 40-homer season at Tropicana Field."
Rogers notes payroll isn’t a hurdle for Tampa Bay. And he tosses in his opinion:
"If Friedman wanted to really roll the dice, he would sign Bonds and then trade his most marketable chip, Carl Crawford, for pitching and prospects."
Rogers then explores the idea of Atlanta being the best possible destination, "The best fit of all for Bonds could be in Atlanta, however, with a hole in left field and Bobby Cox to keep him in line."
Sunday Morning Starter
Nat Boyle here blogging from the windy tip of Cape Cod. Since I’ll be the regular Sunday morning starter here at MLBTR I thought I’d open with a little about myself. Seems the polite thing to do.
I’ve been a contributor for MLBTR since September. I’m a Boston University communications grad turned filmmaker living in Boston, currently studying graphic/web design. Along with cinema, I have a strong addiction to all things baseball. And today is day one of my favorite league’s slow live draft, so I’m definitely geeking out.
It’s Sunday which means a lot of trees have been cut down to deliver our weekly motherload of hot stove activity. So, sit back and click that refresh button. Or better yet, subscribe to the RSS. I’ll be here super-glued firmly to my computer devouring all things baseball.
Oh, and if you’ve got a rumor, email me.
Managers On The Hot Seat
It is a slow news day, so we are going to venture a bit off the beaten path…As spring training is now in full swing, a number of managers may have their jobs on the line during the ’08 season. Three managers are in the final year of their deals and another 12 managers have two years left on their contracts. This second group will be due either an extension or a pink slip next winter as few teams are willing to play out a season with a lame-duck manager. Therefore, any manager with two years remaining on their contracts (including options) will likely have their fate determined prior to the ’09 season.
Ignoring managers that may be on the hot seat for other reasons (i.e. Willie Randolph), here is a list of managers that could potentially have their jobs on the line in ’08 based on their current contract situations. (Numbers in parentheses represent the number of years remaining on current contract)
- Cecil Cooper, HOU (2)
- Bob Geren, OAK (1+1 team option)
- John Gibbons, TOR (1)
- Bobby Cox, ATL (1)
- Ned Yost, MIL (1+1 team option)
- Tony LaRussa (2)
- Bruce Bochy (2)
- John McLaren, SEA (1)
- Fredi Gonzalez, FLA (2)
- Dave Trembley, BAL (1+1 team option)
- Bud Black, SD (1+1 team option)
- Joe Maddon, TB (2)
- Clint Hurdle, COL (2)
- Jim Leyland, DET (2)
- Ron Gardenhire, MIN (2)
Taking a closer look at the list…Of the managers in the final year of their deal, Cox will be back if he chooses. LaRussa and Leyland may very well enter ’09 without new deals considering their ages. Yost, Gardenhire, Hurdle and Black look like locks for extensions prior to ’09. However, the remaining eight names on the list (Cooper, Geren, Bochy, Gonzalez, Trembley, Maddon, Gibbons, McLaren) may very well be managing for their jobs in ’08.
By Cork Gaines
Piniella Wants Hendry Back In ’09
This is a couple of days old, but Lou Piniella wants the Cubs to give GM Jim Hendry a contract extension.
"He’s on the last year of his contract," Piniella said. "He has done a heck of a job here. I’ve seen where other GMs have been extended. Why not ours?"
The renewal of Hendry’s contract is complicated by the pending sale of the Cubs. Piniella is worried that the sale could be dragged out, leaving the team without a general manager next off-season. On the other hand, any prospective buyer of the Cubbies may prefer to hire their own GM. If a deal is not reached on a new owner soon, this could potentially affect how the Cubs handle trades during the season and how they deal with free agents, player contracts and potential trades next winter.
Tim profiled Jim Hendry last May.
Delgado MRI May Reveal Mets’ Hole At First
With Carlos Delgado being sent to New York for an MRI on his sore right hip, the Mets may be in need of first base help.
Delgado hurt the same hip toward the end of last season, missing 2 1/2 weeks during the stretch run. The Mets say it’s not serious this time but Delgado is starting to show signs that he’s becoming old before his time. He may not be able to bounce back as quickly as he once did.
Now the Mets might be another potential destination for Scott Hatteberg if Joey Votto shoves him out of Cincinnati.
Hairston Key To Pads’ OF Dealings
The Padres still may need more outfield help. Centerfielder Jim Edmonds and rightfielder Brian Giles both are well into the brittle phases of their careers.
Sean Devaney of the Sporting News has Kevin Towers casting his left field lot with Scott Hairston – for the time being. Look for more chatter about Jason Bay, Matt Murton and any other available outfielder if Hairston fails to lock the job down within three weeks. It’s unclear whether Gabe Gross (who is out of options) is currently of interest. Kenny Lofton could be a free agent possibility.
Would Towers be willing to part with relievers Wilfredo Ledezma (LH) or Clay Hensley (RH) alone or part of a package to fill an outfield hole?
Hairston put in a nice month’s-worth of games with the Pads last year, slugging .644. That spurt was uncharacteristic of the 27-year-old’s major league career, though.
Angelos Gives MacPhail Permission To Move Roberts
This morning it was reported that the Cubs had two scouts at the Orioles’ spring game yesterday to watch Brian Roberts.
Now, several people have written in to let us now that Bruce Levine of ESPN 1000 is reporting that Peter Angelos has given Andy MacPhail the green light to trade Roberts. It has long been rumored that Angelos might have been holding up the trade to the Cubs because of his personal affection for Roberts. With Angelos’ blessing, this deal may finally happen in the next few days.
Of course, if this deal doesn’t get done soon, Tim is going to have to change the name of this site to BrianRobertsTradeRumors.com.
By Cork Gaines
Wanted: Major League Ready Shortstops
Both the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds have lost their starting shortstops to injury recently. Omar Vizquel had surgery to remove torn cartilage from his knee, while Alex Gonzalez‘ ‘sore knee’ turned out to be a broken knee. In both cases, the players are not expected to be ready for opening day and neither team appears to have a major league-ready shortstop ready to step in. The best options for the Giants appear to be Kevin Fransden and Rich Aurilia. Fransden is a natural second baseman while Aurilia has not been a regular shortstop since 2004. The Reds are now stuck with Juan Castro and Jeff Keppinger. Like Fransden, Keppinger is a second baseman by trade and Castro is a journeyman shortstop with a career OPS of .605.
McCovey Chronicles recently suggested that the Giants needed to make a trade and their target should be Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays. Zobrist, a switch-hitter, has impressive minor league numbers that have yet to register at the big league level. Zobrist posted a .428 OBP in the minors with a 176:234 strikeout to walk ratio. However, in parts of two seasons with the Rays, Zobrist has seen those numbers drop to .234 and 47:13 respectively. Now Zobrist is stuck behind Jason Bartlett whom the Rays acquired to shore up their defensive deficiencies. In addition super-prospect Reid Brignac may be ready for the big leagues in 2009.
That leads us to two questions: 1) What would it take to land Zobrist from the Rays? For the Giants, Pat Misch might get the deal done. For the Reds, maybe Bill Bray. 2) Are there any better options out there that either the Giants or the Redlegs could land to fill their holes at shortstop? Let us know in the comments.