Rays Payroll Unlikely To Increase
Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times says the Rays payroll, which increased by 40% this offseason, is unlikely to do so again next year. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg says the increase was thanks to saved money from previous years and earned last year. Topkin says Sternberg believes the Rays will have trouble sustaining their $60MM payroll for next year.
An interesting note from Topkin is that the Rays ALCS Game 5 loss to the Red Sox wound up being their "best worst loss ever." Topkin says the increased revenue from playing Games 6 and 7 at Tropicana Field allowed the Rays to go out and sign Joe Nelson, Brian Shouse, and Pat Burrell, and push their payroll past $60MM for the second time in franchise history. That pours some salt on the wounds of Red Sox fans.
Olney’s Latest: Mark Ellis
Last month, Orlando Hudson signed for a third of what Mark Ellis got back in October. That Ellis signed for more than Hudson shows the unpredictability of the current free agent market. With Hudson expected to be the bellwether, Ellis was considered an affordable alternative. His extension was expected to increase demand for Hudson's glove.
Buster Olney points out just how smart Mark Ellis and his agents look by agreeing to a 2-year $11MM extension with the A's that at the time was considered a mistake by many. Olney notes it wasn't about economic forecasting:
This begs the question: Would Billy Beane have been better off waiting? With Oakland's young rotation, Ellis' defense is probably not something they wanted to risk losing.
Odds & Ends: Cardinals, Yankees, Young, Barfield
Your Saturday night links, with more to come…
- Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com takes a look at the Cardinals' third base race. Brian Barden appears doubtful to win the job, however temporary it may be, despite a .344 spring record.
- Yankees manager Joe Girardi could decide to start the season without a designated long reliever, according to Peter Abraham of The Journal News. Alfredo Aceves, Dan Giese and Brett Tomko would be the casualties of that decision.
- Dmitri Young told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that he plans to be on the Nationals' 25-man roster when the team heads north.
- Josh Barfield has claimed the Indians' final roster spot. His versatility apparently won him the job.
- Can't get enough of MLBTR? Follow the action on Twitter. And if you're feeling really adventurous, why not add me, your good friend Drew Silva?
Stark’s Latest: Keppinger, Baker, Phillies
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark has a new blog post up. Some of this is old news, but probably worth revisiting…
- The Reds are dangling infielder Jeff Keppinger, with the Red Sox and Astros as possible suitors.
- The Red Sox and Astros have also checked in on Colorado's Jeff Baker, along with the Phillies. But, the Rockies are reportedly demanding a "quality young starter" in return.
- The Mets expressed interest in Ronny Paulino before he was dealt to the Giants (then moved swiftly to the Marlins).
- The Phillies continue to shop around for a right-handed reserve outfielder.
Mark Teixeira: In His Own Words
Mark Teixeira appeared on New York-based radio station WFAN this morning and spoke, among other things, about why he decided to sign with the Yankees over other interested teams. Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times has transcribed a few of the more interesting quotes:
"I always had the Yankees in my sights, and one thing my agent and I had asked every single team is, we're not going to negotiate through the media, and we ask you not to," Teixeira said. "The Yankees were really the only team that did that. The other teams went out and told everybody their offers, told everybody that they talked to me, that they made this call, made that trip. The Yankees kept quiet. We talked all winter. When they were ready to make their final offer, it was a great offer, and my wife and I were excited about going to New York."
Asked specifically about the Red Sox, who made their December 18 visit to his home in Texas public knowledge, Teixeira admitted to being bothered: "I think in the end, it probably worked against them a little bit, because everyone thought the Red Sox were my No. 1 choice. … The Yankees had a leg up all along."
Indians Won’t Negotiate With Cliff Lee
SATURDAY, 3:41pm: Indians GM Mark Shapiro brushed aside reporters Saturday when asked why negotiations won't take place this season (quote courtesy of CBSSports.com):
"Over the course of spring training, we meet with a number of player agents," Shapiro said. "Consistent with that, we talked with Darek Braunecker, who represents Cliff. Other than that, there's really nothing for me to say. We never talk about negotiations."
THURSDAY, 8:57pm: According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Indians told reigning Cy Young winner Cliff Lee they will not negotiate an extension with him right now due to the economy. The Indians have a reasonable $9MM option on Lee for 2010, and he'll be eligible for free agency after that.
Lee's agent Darek Braunecker (of A.J. Burnett fame) confirmed the Indians' stance with Hoynes after meeting with the team. Braunecker does not plan to discuss an extension during the season, and Lee noted that the player gains leverage when he enters his free agent year. So the Indians would probably have to make a convincing offer to lock him up during the 2009-10 offseason after they exercise his option.
Lee is having a rough Spring Training – 25 hits and 16 earned runs allowed in 11.6 innings.
Doug Mientkiewicz To Make Dodgers?
Ramona Shelburne of the Los Angeles Daily News writes that Doug Mientkiewicz "seems to have played himself into contention for a spot on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster."
Just a month ago, Mientkiewicz was pondering retirement. Now he's being viewed as an ideal left-handed pinch hitting option for a squad with legitimate playoff aspirations.
"Doug's certainly got our attention," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said Friday. "I told him, `If somebody else sees you and you and you get an opportunity to play someplace else that's fine.' But he just won't let up. As Yogi (Berra) would say, he's trying to make himself necessary."
Mientkiewicz is hitting .300/.371/.700 this spring with two home runs and 11 RBI in 30 at-bats. Plus, he has one of the wildest player portraits on all of MLB.com.
Twins Strike Deal To Keep Jason Jones
According to Phil Miller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Twins traded right-hander Charles Nolte on Friday night for the rights to Rule 5 pick Jason Jones. Miller explains the odd circumstances:
The right-hander (Jones) was the Twins' lone selection in last winter's Rule 5 draft, but the Yankees were allowed to reclaim the pitcher if he didn't remain on the Twins' 25-man roster all season. Rather than exercise that right, since Jones is not expected to break camp with Minnesota, the Yankees agreed to take Nolte instead.
Jones, 26, has posted a 2.70 ERA in seven appearances this spring and will join Triple-A Rochester once the season begins. Nolte, 23, went 4-3 with a 2.05 ERA in relief for Single-A Beloit last season. He was drafted by the Twins in the 24th round two years ago.
If you need a refresher, Bart Given of Inside the Majors has a great article on the Rule 5 Draft return process. Given was once the assistant general manager of the Blue Jays.
The Remaining Free Agents: Who’s Left?
With little more than a week remaining before the regular season begins let's check the list of unsigned free agents..
- Pedro Martinez is the biggest name out there. The Dodgers don't like his asking price of $5MM and Omar Minaya says Pedro's not coming back to the Mets.
- Orlando Hernandez, Mark Mulder and Will Ohman are still on the market.
- And don't forget about Paul Byrd and Ben Sheets, who could return midseason.
- Richie Sexson, Mark Grudzielanek and Ray Durham are some of the more interesting free agent infielders
- Dave Roberts and Jim Edmonds could offer outfield depth, but haven't attracted a lot of reported interest.
- Luis Gonzalez is on the market too. Could he return to the Marlins? He could return to the D'Backs if he retires as a player.
Odds And Ends: Braves, Bernie, Boras
Links for Saturday…
- MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports that the Braves are considering dealing outfielder Josh Anderson. Bowman suggests the White Sox could be a fit even though Ozzie Guillen said he expects to find a center fielder internally. Bowman also passes along some fun anecdotes about Chipper Jones and Santonio Holmes.
- MLB.com's Sarah D. Morris likes the bench assembled by Dodgers GM Ned Colletti.
- MLB.com's Ed Eagle reports that Bernie Williams wants to play in the majors again, but not if it means playing in the minors or an independent league first.
- In this article by Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune Scott Boras says the Padres will spend more liberally on amateur talent now that Jeff Moorad's taking over the club.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer offers his take on a female knuckleballer from Japan.
- Tim recently did a Q&A about the Jays at The Blue Jay Hunter blog.
- Steve Melewski of MASN Sports breaks down the minor league free agents in Orioles camp.
- ESPN The Magazine's Jeff Bradley profiled Manny Ramirez.
- The Astros, Marlins and Pirates made decisions about their respective backup catchers.