Archives for March 2009

Odds And Ends: Tazawa, Anderson, Viciedo

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 4, 2009 at 8:28pm CDT

A few links for Wednesday night…

Ian Browne of MLB.com writes that Junichi Tazawa could probably pitch in the majors now, it just wouldn’t be ideal for the pitcher’s development.
Newsday’s Ken Davidoff breaks down the offseason’s winners and losers.
Lars Anderson wasn’t disappointed when Mark Teixeira signed with the Yankees, according to Howard Ulman of the AP (via the Boston Globe), but the Red Sox prospect says he wouldn’t be doing anything differently if Tex were with Boston.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that third base prospect Dayan Viciedo could very well end up in the outfield if the White Sox decide to let Jermaine Dye walk after 2009.
Eric Seidman of FanGraphs tries to come up with the best way of evaluating winners and losers in trades.

Rockies Agree To Contracts With 21

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 4, 2009 at 7:59pm CDT

Steve Foster of InsidetheRockies.com reports that the Rockies have signed 21 players to one-year contracts. Some of the more recognizable names include Chris Iannetta, Greg Smith, Ryan Spilborghs, Matt Murton and Franklin Morales.

Dodgers Sign Manny Ramirez

By Tim Dierkes | March 4, 2009 at 7:43pm CDT

7:43pm: It’s official, according to this press release from Tony Jackson of the LA Daily News. Manny will donate $1MM to the Dodgers Dream Foundation. The AP (via Yahoo) reports that Manny passed his physical.

12:15pm: Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that an agreement has been reached. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe confirmed it with Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

11:44am: Not sure of the timestamp on it, but Mike Hiserman of the L.A. Times says no agreement has been reached and the Dodgers and Manny were still meeting in L.A. The Dodgers’ official website still says there’s an agreement though.

10:35am: Yahoo’s Tim Brown also says an agreement has been reached. He says a portion of the money both seasons ($25MM in ’09 and a possible $20MM in ’10) is deferred. Brown says to expect a press conference tomorrow.

Ken Gurnick and Barry Bloom of MLB.com have info on the deferred money:

Payment is deferred over five years without interest, with an opt-out clause after one season paid at $10MM each for the first four years and $5MM for the fifth.

10:05am: Tony Jackson of the L.A. Daily News says the meeting took place very early this morning and an agreement is in place.

10:01am: The story has been removed from the L.A. Times’ website.

9:37am: According to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers reached a contract agreement with Manny Ramirez today on a two-year, $45MM deal with an opt-out clause after the first year. The deal also includes no-trade protection. It’s pending a physical.

This was fun. We get to do it all over again after the season. Given the value of the opt-out, Scott Boras ultimately did get Manny a contract worth significantly more than the Dodgers’ initial offer.

The Biggest Deals Of The Offseason

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 4, 2009 at 7:31pm CDT

There’s been lots of talk about the tough market for free agents this offseason, but some players managed to sign big contracts regardless. Here’s a list of the offseason’s 20 biggest free agent deals (in order of total value):

$180MM (8 years):Mark Teixeira signed the biggest deal of the offseason with the Yankees.
$161MM (7 years): C.C. Sabathia signed with the Yanks too, passing on a 5 year $100MM offer from the Brewers. He can opt out after three years, at which point he’ll have $92MM remaining if he chooses to take it.
$82.5MM (5 years): A.J. Burnett signed with the Yankees after opting out of his deal with the Jays.
$60MM (4 years): Derek Lowe signed with the Braves after negotiations with the Mets.
$52MM (4 years): Ryan Dempster signed with the Cubs way back in November.
$45MM (2 years): Manny Ramirez signed with the Dodgers just this afternoon.
$37MM (3 years): Francisco Rodriguez signed with the Mets, who added J.J. Putz the next day.
$36MM (3 years): Oliver Perez chose this deal over a longer term option that averaged a lower salary.
$31.5MM (3 years): Raul Ibanez signed early on with the Phillies, a move he’s surely happy with.
$30MM (3 years):Rafael Furcal signed with the Dodgers, but not before infuriating the Braves.
$30MM (3 years): Milton Bradley signed with the Cubs for up to three years, but some language in the contract protects the Cubs in case Bradley misses considerable time with injuries.
$23MM (3 years): Kenshin Kawakami signed with the Braves.
$20.5MM (2 years): Kerry Wood signed with the Indians for two years with a vesting option for a third year.
$20MM (2 years): Adam Dunn signed with the Nats after some suggested he might only make $5MM.
18.5MM (2 years): Edgar Renteria signed a deal that’s been criticized by many, but the Giants can buy him out for $500K after this season if they choose not to pick up his $9.5MM option.
17.5MM (2 years): Brian Fuentes signed for at least two years with the Angels.
17.5MM (3 years): Casey Blake signed a deal that could keep him in LA for four years.
$16MM (2 years): Jamie Moyer re-signed with the Phillies for a lot, especially considering he’ll turn 48 just weeks after the deal’s up.
$16MM (2 years): Pat Burrell signed with the Rays for the essentially the same amount as his former teammate. The difference? Moyer’s 14 years his senior.
12.75MM (3 years): Juan Rivera re-signed with the Angels.

Manny Ramirez Reactions

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 4, 2009 at 5:41pm CDT

Manny Ramirez agreed to a deal with the Dodgers today after extensive negotiations. What’s everyone saying about it? Here’s a look at some reactions from around the game:

ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark passes along five words that were vital in the negotiations: "We want to say yes." Stark’s explanation of how the deal came together is a great read.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports writes that no one looks good in the aftermath of this deal.
Both sides made silly mistakes, but "everyone moved on," according to ESPN.com’s Peter Gammons, who likes this deal for all involved. Here’s a clip of Gammons discussing the deal on ESPN.com.
Ned Colletti’s the winner if you ask Bill Plaschke of the LA Times.
Jon Heyman of SI.com writes that Manny’s excited to be back, even without a $100MM contract in hand. The mood brightened at Dodgers’ camp today, even though Manny wasn’t there yet.
Yahoo’s Jeff Passan bluntly states: "Ramirez could care less about the team for which he plays so long as it dumps the most money into his bank account."
Rob Neyer of ESPN.com likes the Dodgers’ lineup. The gap between Manny’s production and Juan Pierre’s should be massive, yet the Dodgers only guaranteed Manny $1MM more than Pierre.
Alan Embree told MLB.com’s Thomas Harding that Manny will make a huge difference. At least one of Embree’s teammates, Brad Hawpe, doesn’t believe one player can change that much.
Yahoo’s Tim Brown suggests the saga was always going to end this way.
Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Giants would only have signed Manny if there was value to be had. The Giants’ players don’t sound disappointed to have missed out.

Odalis Perez Likes The Marlins

By Tim Dierkes | March 4, 2009 at 4:18pm CDT

According to Mike Berardino of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, free agent lefty Odalis Perez would love to play for the Marlins. However, they have not contacted his agent. Perez might sign for less than a million bucks again, but he wants a Major League deal. Perez told Yahoo’s David Brown he has nine or ten interested teams after he forced his release by refusing to show up to camp for the Nationals. He’ll pitch in the WBC for the Dominican Republic.

Berardino adds that the Marlins have a standing offer to southpaw reliever Will Ohman.

Barry Bonds Rejections

By Tim Dierkes | March 4, 2009 at 3:18pm CDT

Yesterday Bob Nightengale of USA Today talked to Barry Bonds’ agent Jeff Borris, learning that Borris will contact all 30 teams in hopes of landing a job for his client. Borris is not optimistic. In case it becomes a trend, we’ll use this post to note which teams have rejected the agent’s overtures.

The Nationals will pass – manager Manny Acta told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that "It’s not a match for us" while choking back laughter.
Twins GM Bill Smith to the AP: "I would tell you that I don’t think it’s a very good fit for us right now."
Reds manager Dusty Baker to John Fay: "I don’t [see] where. He might be better suited for an American League team."
Pirates president Frank Coonelly: "We are not interested in inviting Barry to Spring Training."
Nick Cafardo hears that the Red Sox won’t pursue Bonds either.
Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that Angels GM Tony Reagins has no interest in Bonds.

Offseason In Review: Baltimore Orioles

By Tim Dierkes | March 4, 2009 at 2:57pm CDT

The Orioles are next in our Offseason In Review series. Click here to see what we wrote about the team on September 4th.

Additions: Koji Uehara, Ty Wigginton, Rich Hill, Felix Pie, Cesar Izturis, Gregg Zaun, Ryan Freel, Adam Eaton, John Parrish, Mark Hendrickson, David Pauley, Brad Hennessey, Robby Hammock, Chad Moeller, Chris Gomez, Donnie Murphy, Jolbert Cabrera, Lou Palmisano

Subtractions: Kevin Millar, Ramon Hernandez, Daniel Cabrera, Adam Loewen, Jay Payton, Juan Castro, Alex Cintron, Freddie Bynum, Brandon Fahey, Garrett Olson, Brian Burres, Lance Cormier, Chad Bradford (midseason), Steve Trachsel (midseason), Randor Bierd

In September, I said that I didn’t see the need for the Orioles to throw away $5MM+ on a veteran innings eater despite their rotation uncertainty. They did just that on Uehara (assuming he can indeed eat innings). I don’t mind the signing though – the dollars weren’t huge and the team entered the Japanese market. And maybe there’s something to be said for adding a little stability behind Jeremy Guthrie.

The Orioles’ rotation, dead last in the AL in ERA last year, almost can’t help but be better after subtracting the 6.00+ ERAs of Burres, Olson, and others. What can we say about Uehara, Hill, Eaton, Hendrickson, Parrish, Pauley, and Hennessey? They’re different, at least, and aside from Uehara they cost next to nothing. Even if one works out it’s a win. In a perfect world the Orioles will have Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, and Jake Arrieta in the 2010 rotation, so most of this winter’s imports are placeholders. Wigginton, Zaun, and Izturis also fit the placeholder mold; they weren’t terribly expensive.

Over $30MM will come off the books for the O’s after the ’09 season, so Andy MacPhail can make a surgical free agent strike if the team is ready to contend. Matt Wieters may be an offensive force in the bigs by then, and you have to love Baltimore’s outfield. MacPhail’s biggest needs will be the positions easiest to fill – the infield corners and the DH spot.

MacPhail’s Nick Markakis extension should be commended; such deals are usually favorable to the team. Aspects of the Brian Roberts extension can be questioned, but it’ll hardly cripple the team.

Bottom line: 2009 is a year of transition for the Orioles, a team that is getting younger, better, and cheaper. MacPhail’s offseason additions didn’t set the club back and a few could turn into long-term pieces.

Odds & Ends: Marte, Wilkerson, Bowden

By Tim Dierkes | March 4, 2009 at 12:37pm CDT

Links for Wednesday as we enter the short post-Manny phase of the offseason…

RotoAuthority has 18 undrafted players to watch for mixed leagues.
WEEI’s Rob Bradford talked to Bill Lajoie, who was behind Boston’s acquisition of Andy Marte while Theo Epstein was on hiatus. Lajoie admitted he acquired Marte with the intent of flipping him.
SI.com’s Melissa Segura writes about fraud involving Dominican prospects.
Nothing cooking yet with the Red Sox and Jason Bay, says Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe.
Jorge Says No! says shortstops Bobby Crosby and Khalil Greene are at the crossroads of their careers.
WEEI’s Alex Speier notes that Boston outfielders Jeff Bailey and Brad Wilkerson have opt-out clauses if they’re not in the bigs by certain dates.
Fire Jim Bowden has the ten best moves of their namesake GM.
Nick Piecoro wonders if Randy Johnson took a subtle jab at Chris Snyder.
Updated June draft order at Baseball America.
Ken Davidoff of Newsday looks at each team’s 2012 commitments.

Cubs Bobby Crosby Rumor

By Tim Dierkes | March 4, 2009 at 11:41am CDT

According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle:

Shortstop Bobby Crosby becomes the A’s backup middle infielder with the Orlando Cabrera acquisition, but there could be some interest in him before the spring is over – including from the Cubs, according to one source. One of Chicago’s top scouts was watching Tuesday’s game and is known to have been a fan of Crosby in the past.

The biggest hurdle for a Crosby trade, of course, is the $5.25MM owed to him in 2009. I spoke to a source familiar with the Cubs’ thinking, and he said there’s "nothing to it." He said the Cubs scout was watching the A’s as part of general coverage of all teams.

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