Carlos Beltran Not On Trading Block
The idea of trading center fielder Carlos Beltran will not be entertained by the Mets, according to a source of WEEI's Alex Speier. Beltran's knee injury limited him to 357 plate appearances this year, but that doesn't serve as motivation for the Mets to subtract an important piece for 2010. Beltran has a full no-trade clause, also.
Beltran, a Scott Boras client, signed a seven-year, $119MM deal in January of 2005. FanGraphs suggests he's already been worth $95.5MM in his five Mets seasons, with $76MM of that value coming in 2006-08.
Odds & Ends: Ricciardi, Sabathia, Chapman
Links for Monday…
- Former Padres GM Kevin Towers told Bill Madden of the New York Daily News recently "it's just a matter of when" the team trades first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
- The Astros claimed outfielder Jason Bourgeois off waivers from the Brewers, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart via Twitter. Bourgeois, 28 in January, hit .316/.354/.401 in Triple A while playing all three outfield positions. In other Brewers-related news, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says the team retained Mike Burns and Adam Stern on minor league deals.
- Don Mattingly is discussing his future with the Dodgers, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
- I missed this October 5th article from Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. Elliott talked to former Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey, who was frank in his opinions of ex-GM J.P. Ricciardi.
- Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times says the Angels bid $140MM for C.C. Sabathia last winter, but Olney says "the Angels bid a firm $100MM and discussed increasing their offer to $120MM."
- Andy Pettitte admitted to Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times, "I think everybody knows I wasn't real happy with the contract. But I wanted to take it and come back here and have a chance to do this." Pettitte ended up earning about $10MM in 2009, but only $5.5MM was guaranteed.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. says on Twitter that Aroldis Chapman "had good conversations" with Yankees GM Brian Cashman and other team execs at yesterday's game. Meanwhile, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says that Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos finds signing Chapman unrealistic for his club. Logically, the Chapman bidding should heat up after the World Series. The 21-year-old lefty is meeting with the Cardinals, Orioles, and Red Sox this week.
- Aaron Gleeman says it's reasonable for fans to call for Twins closer Joe Nathan to be traded, but not because he allowed a postseason home run to Alex Rodriguez.
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says reliever Scott Atchison hopes to return to MLB in 2009. Atchison, 34 in March, elected free agency in November of 2007 after posting a 4.11 ERA in 30.6 relief innings for the Giants.
- Jim Seip of the York Daily Record writes about the beginning of Ken Rosenthal's career.
- John Bonnes attempted to extract info about Joe Mauer's future with the Twins, talking to GM Bill Smith.
La Russa Signs Extension With Cardinals
MONDAY, 11:36am: At a press conference today, La Russa confirmed he's returning on a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2011. He also confirmed the hiring of McGwire as the Cards' hitting coach. Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has quotes from La Russa.
SUNDAY, 8:07pm: Buster Olney of ESPN reports that La Russa, like Braves skipper Bobby Cox, may only manage for one more year. Olney writes that La Russa's new deal is for one year, plus a mutual option for 2011, giving either party the ability to cut ties after this year.
5:33pm: Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that the Cardinals will announce that La Russa will return next season at a press conference Monday morning.
3:13pm: According to an ESPN report, while Olney's sources say a deal is in place, La Russa himself has not yet confirmed:
"We're getting closer," La Russa, who has managed the team for 14 years, said earlier Sunday. "But nothing has been decided. I can't tell you anything yet."
Both chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and general manager John Mozeliak would like La Russa to return. His current two-year, $8.5MM contract expires at the end of the month.
2:35pm: ESPN's Buster Olney has informed MLBTR, via email, that Tony La Russa has signed a new multi-year contract to return as the Cardinals manager. La Russa's coaching staff will look different though, as the Cards have fired hitting coach Hal McRae. The leading candidate to replace him? According to Olney, it's former Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire.
Trades Of The Decade: Griffey To The Reds
When the Mariners traded away the best player in the game a month into the new millennium, they didn't appear to have obtained much in return. They gave up Ken Griffey Jr.: an All-Star and Gold Glove winner every year of the 1990s and a member of the All-Century team.
At the time, Jake Meyer, Antonio Perez, Brett Tomko and Mike Cameron didn't seem like enough of a haul for Griffey. In the days following the trade, Michael Knisley of the Sporting News wrote that the Mariners "got fleeced last week more completely than Bo Peep's lost sheep at shearing time. For Junior Griffey, the man most likely to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run record, the game's most perfect all-around player in the prime of his career, the Reds gave Seattle … bits and pieces, drips and drabs of major leaguers and wanna-bes."
But Mariners GM Pat Gillick was cornered because Griffey became restless and demanded a trade in November of 1999. He had just one year and $8.25MM left on his contract, so many teams had interest, but Griffey's ten and five rights allowed him to veto any deal.
Sports Illustrated reported that Griffey gave Gillick a list of four teams to which he would accept a trade: the Braves, Astros, Mets and Reds. The Mariners were trapped; their star wanted a trade, but the team's leverage was disappearing quickly.
"It was not," Gillick said, "an ideal situation in which to negotiate."
Months of trade talks ensued between Reds GM Jim Bowden and Gillick. The Reds wanted to keep Pokey Reese and Sean Casey. The Mariners wanted a package that would provide depth in case Alex Rodriguez left as a free agent after the season.
Ultimately, the Reds acquired Griffey for Cameron, Tomko, Perez and Meyer. They promptly signed Junior to a nine-year $116.5MM deal. Lots of money, but SI's Tom Verducci said Griffey signed for about half his market value – the M's had apparently offered $138MM over eight years the summer before.
Griffey missed significant parts of the 2001-06 seasons with a variety of injuries. Whether it was his hamstring, his calf or his wrist, Griffey always seemed to be on the DL. He hit his 400th, 500th and 600th homers in a Reds uniform, but he didn't live up to the other-worldly standards he'd established in Seattle.
Cameron played at least 147 games for the Mariners in each of the four seasons after the trade, putting up a .798 OPS and winning a pair of Gold Gloves. Tomko never became an impact player for the Mariners and neither Perez nor Meyer actually played a game for the club, but that didn't stop Seattle from winning.
The Mariners made it to the ALCS in 2000 and again a year later after the club's historic 116-win campaign. Ten offseasons ago it looked like a great deal for Cincinnati, but Griffey never led the Reds to the playoffs and the club hasn't had a winning season since 2000. A possible silver lining: the Reds received pitcher Nick Masset in the deadline deal last year that sent Griffey to the White Sox. Masset had a fine year in '09 and could be the Reds' closer of the future.
Vlad’s Mom A Factor In Free Agency
With the Angels eliminated from the playoffs, it was only fitting for Ben Bolch of the L.A. Times to ask impending free agent Vladimir Guerrero about the future. Vlad's thoughts:
"I'm not thinking so much about the uncertainty, but I'm thinking about my mom and how comfortable she feels in Anaheim. That's always one thing that I'm going to think about regarding free agency. It would be very gratifying to continue to play with the guys I've known here and have gotten used to."
Guerrero also admitted the importance of showing he can play the outfield, since he spent the vast majority of this season at DH. Vlad turns 35 in February, and he's expected to take a pay cut from this year's $15MM salary. He projects as a Type A free agent, though an arbitration offer from the Angels seems unlikely.
Guerrero is one of seven Angels free agents. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register discusses Chone Figgins and the others in this article.
Discussion: Akinori Iwamura
Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura faces a $4.85MM club option for 2010 with a $550K buyout, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Topkin notes that under the terms of his contract, Iwamura will become a free agent if the Rays decline the option (despite not having six years of service time).
A healthy Iwamura should easily be worth that amount; he was in 2007 and 2008. However, he was limited to 260 plate appearances this year due to a knee injury. What's more, the Rays are tight on payroll and have other strong options at second base.
Topkin noted that Iwamura would discuss renegotiating the option at a lower price, because he loves the Tampa area. That might be hard to resist. But if the Rays prefer to move on, they could attempt to exercise the option and then trade Iwamura. According to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker, Japanese newspaper Sanspo is already speculating on the Dodgers as a fit.
Iwamura still appears capable of a .350 OBP and acceptable defense at second base (he also played third base in '07). If he reaches free agency or becomes available in trade, which teams make sense? Aside from the Dodgers, the White Sox, Indians, Tigers, Twins, and Diamondbacks could consider him.
Odds & Ends: Astros, Acta, Soria
Let's take one final look around the web as the Yankees and Angels battle in the Bronx:
- Astros General Manager Ed Wade confirmed to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that the club made an offer to Manny Acta to become their next skipper before he took the same position with the Indians. Sources tell McTaggart that Houston offered two years plus a one-year option whereas Cleveland was willing to give Acta three years in addition to a one-year option.
- Striking out on Acta makes this a very bad day for the Astros according to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
- Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer isn't so sure that the Indians made the right move in tabbing the former Nats skipper as their new manager.
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star implores the Royals to put emotion aside and consider dealing closer Joakim Soria. This past season the 25-year-old posted an ERA of 2.21 with 11.7 K/9.
Week In Review: 10/18/09 – 10/24/09
Even though we're still in the postseason, the hot stove is already heating up. Here's a look back at the week that was:
- The Padres hired BoSox assistant General Manager Jed Hoyer as their GM. In an effort to fill the void left by Hoyer's departure, Boston has extended offers to former Padres GM Kevin Towers and ex-Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi. Earlier this month Towers said that he wasn't sure if he'd want to be an office where he wasn't the GM.
- Multiple teams are in pursuit of troubled Cubs outfielder Milton Bradley. The 31-year-old is owed $21MM over the final two years of his contract.
- After months of speculation, 18-year-old lefty Yusei Kikuchi announced that he would sign with a team in Japan's Nippon Baseball League rather than make the jump to the United States. Eight MLB teams met with the highly-regarded prospect but ultimately the youngster felt that he was better off staying at home.
- Ben Sheets plans to pitch in 2010 and could end up returning to the Brewers. Based on GM Theo Epstein's comments, it appears that the Red Sox will also have interest in the 31-year-old.
- Having missed most of 2009 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Tim Hudson's 2010 was in limbo as the Braves held a $12MM option on his contract. Rather than pick up the option, the Braves may ink Hudson to a multi-year extension as they have begun talks with the pitcher and his agent.
- Ben Nicholson-Smith kicked off the "Trades of the Decade" series by taking a look at the swaps that landed Dan Haren in Oakland and Erik Bedard in Seattle. There are more to come but you won't see these deals featured as they just missed the cut. With deals of that magnitude on the cutting room floor, this is going to be an exciting series.
- Tim Dierkes brings us a look ahead at the Tampa Bay Rays offseason.
Yusei Kikuchi To Stay In Japan
SUNDAY, 8:52pm: NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman brings us his thoughts on Kikuchi's long-awaited decision. On a human level, Newman is happy to see the youngster stay in Japan as the process appeared to be bringing him a great deal of stress. Dealing with the American media at the age of 18 would require a very thick skin.
SATURDAY, 10:05pm: Highly touted left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi has announced that he will stay in Japan after meeting with eight MLB teams and 12 NPB clubs, according to Kyodo News. Kikuchi chatted with the Red Sox, Dodgers, Rangers, Giants, Indians, Yankees, Mets and Mariners before opting not to make the leap to the United States.
Leading up to his announcement, outlets in Japan claimed that the 18-year-old would state his desire to continue playing baseball in his home country. Earlier this month, Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker compiled a scouting report on the hotly sought-after hurler and noted that his dream is to pitch in the major leagues. We may still see Kikuchi in MLB down the road, but not in 2010.
Odds & Ends: Astros, Giants, Nationals
Let's take a look at some early evening links:
- After striking out on Manny Acta, the Astros must continue their search for a skipper. MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the search is now focused on three candidates: former Astros manager Phil Garner, BoSox bench coach Brad Mills and interim manager Dave Clark. One source told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that Mills would get the nod and that it would be a "surprise" if Garner were brought back. Another source said that Clark remains a possibility. Houston would like to reach a decision before the start of the World Series (Wednesday), but may even expand their search beyond these three choices.
- Matt Holliday and Jason Bay are both too pricey for the Giants, writes Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle. Holliday is represented by Scott Boras, who compared him to Mark Teixeira in hopes of fetching a deal similar to the eight-year, $180MM contract the first baseman received from the Yankees.
- Johnny Holliday of MASN Sports writes that the Nationals will announce the identity of their manager for 2010 "any day now." Interim skipper Jim Riggleman remains a candidate.
- Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan is likely to return in 2010, reports Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Duncan has said that his decision will be dependent on the return of Tony La Russa, who has reportedly agreed to an extension.