Boras Discusses Varitek
Adam Kilgore of the Boston Globe talked to Scott Boras recently about free agent catcher Jason Varitek. As you’d expect, Boras’ spin is heavy on leadership and inherent value, so as to draw attention away from the .313 OBP and .359 SLG. Boras hinted that a multiyear deal would be appropriate.
Calls a great game, can’t hit…that sounds like the mass of freely available backup catchers floating around. To pay Varitek like a starter is to assign a multimillion dollar value to his intangibles. That doesn’t sound like a Theo Epstein approach, especially with his recent quotes about striving for at least league average at every position.
Scout’s View Of Marlins Trade Targets
Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel talked to a veteran scout this week about the Marlins’ possible trade chips.
The reviews were on the positive side for Scott Olsen, Mike Jacobs, Dan Uggla, and Alfredo Amezaga. The scout apparently recommended against Jeremy Hermida, Kevin Gregg, and Josh Willingham. Hermida’s report was particularly damning, with the scout claiming the right fielder has "no passion for the game."
For more on the Fish, check out our Offseason Outlook.
Yankees Targeting Cameron?
George King of the New York Post talked to "an industry source," who believes the Yankees have targeted center fielder Mike Cameron in the event that the Brewers decline his $10MM option. GM Brian Cashman wouldn’t bite on the rumor. Ken Rosenthal wrote back in January that the Yankees pursued him but may have passed due to concerns over paying both Cameron and Johan Santana.
King says the Brewers could also pick up Cameron’s option and then trade him. Cameron is a Type B player, by the way. Joel Sherman believes Cameron is a backup plan for the Yankees, as they’d prefer a longer-term solution in center.
Padres Notes: DePodesta, Zduriencik
A few Padres non-Peavy notes from Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune…
- Padres exec Paul DePodesta doesn’t have any interest in the upcoming Moneyball movie. I hadn’t realized that DePo appeared in a few episodes of the excellent "Homicide: Life On The Street" TV show back in the day.
- Padres GM Kevin Towers is a longtime friend of new Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik. Perhaps the Padres and Brewers will be frequent trade partners for Zduriencik.
Dodgers To Offer Shorter Term, Higher Salary To Manny?
SI.com’s Jon Heyman talked to "people familiar with the Dodgers’ thinking" recently. One such person told Heyman the Dodgers may offer Manny Ramirez a short term with a very high annual salary, perhaps something like $55MM for two years. GM Ned Colletti has taken this approach in the past with free agents Jason Schmidt, Rafael Furcal, and Andruw Jones.
Heyman’s sources say the Dodgers are "strongly disinclined" to give Manny five or six years. Colletti himself noted the Dodgers don’t have six-year contracts. However, "there are some who believe" Scott Boras won’t even sit down with a team offering four or fewer years. I can see Boras eventually finding a team willing to give four years.
Heyman lists six other potential suitors for Manny: the Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays, Mets, Orioles, and Rangers. Some of those suggestions are questionable though.
Japanese Team Pursuing Nelson Cruz?
Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a Sanspo.com story. Apparently the Hanshin Tigers plan to aggressively pursue Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz this winter. Cruz had an incredible 2008, both in Triple A and a month with the Rangers. It figures that they’ll pencil him in as next year’s starting right fielder rather than sell/trade him to Japan. A year ago, Cruz could’ve been had for little.
Cardinals Rumors: Pujols, Payroll, Needs
Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the latest Cardinals buzz…
- The Cards are going to stand pat with their starting rotation until they learn more about Chris Carpenter‘s injury. He’ll be examined in late November. Strauss says a swing man type acquisition is possible as insurance.
- The Cardinals are likely to approach Albert Pujols about an extension before he enters his 2011 option year. Pujols will earn just $16MM in each of the ’09, ’10, and ’11 seasons. Teams must be salivating at the prospect of Pujols on the free agent market, but the Cardinals will try to prevent that. Pitchers Hit Eighth recently did a roundtable about this very topic.
- The ’09 payroll is projected in the $106-108MM range. The Cardinals have $20MM+ to spend, with the exact number depending on several arbitration cases.
- The Cardinals need middle infielders and lefthanded relievers. Strauss says, "The club prefers to deal from its surplus of righthanded relievers, outfielders, minor-league pitching and corner infielders." I have argued about this in chats a bit…is there really a surplus here? To me a surplus in baseball means more starters than positions (rather than just good depth). The Cards have a starting outfield of Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel, and Skip Schumaker, with Colby Rasmus coming on fast. Rasmus will be a rookie, while Ankiel is a Boras client eligible for free agency after ’09. There are other interesting players on the roster (Brian Barton, Joe Mather, Chris Duncan), but the Cards aren’t overflowing with starters.
- Viva El Birdos contests the idea of a surplus of righty relievers, and would like to see Russ Springer re-signed.
- Strauss says the Cardinals have yet to talk to the agents for Cesar Izturis and Felipe Lopez. He sees players such as Rafael Furcal and Khalil Greene as possible middle infield targets.
Schilling Rips Manny Again
Curt Schilling apparently ripped former teammate Manny Ramirez on his blog, 38Pitches. The post was removed, but that didn’t stop Evan Brunell from preserving the inflammatory portions. According to Schilling, Ramirez made it clear that if he didn’t get traded he might take the rest of the season off for his knee.
Mariners Hire Zduriencik As GM
According to a press release, the Mariners hired Jack Zduriencik (formerly of the Brewers) as their new GM and executive VP. Zduriencik is credited for the Brewers’ run of successful draft picks. Geoff Baker provides his take on the decision at his Seattle Times blog.
Ricciardi On Burnett, Manny, Shortstop
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports talked to Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi today.
Re-signing A.J. Burnett is one of Ricciari’s primary goals, but Rosenthal says J.P. won’t spend $15-18MM on another free agent starter if Burnett leaves.
The Jays also want to add a hitter. Ricciardi’s take on Manny Ramirez:
"Manny is not priority No. 1. I can’t even say he’s priority No. 2. It would really be a long shot for us to bring him to Toronto. He’s on our radar, but maybe not on our radar like some people will report. I don’t see us getting involved in unbelievable, astronomical numbers. We would not go down that path."
The Jays are expected to add some kind of hitter, with free agent Raul Ibanez a person of interest from July. Rosenthal has also mentioned Jason Giambi as someone to consider. A shortstop signing seems unlikely. Ricciardi said he would "really need to be knocked over" to replace Marco Scutaro as the starter.