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Archives for September 2009

Odds & Ends: Aramis, Marte, Lowe

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Links for Wednesday…

  • Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune talked to Aramis Ramirez about his $14.6MM player option for 2011, and the Cubs' third baseman was noncommittal.  Other third basemen who may become free agents after the 2010 season include Garrett Atkins, Jorge Cantu, Mike Lowell, Jhonny Peralta, and Scott Rolen.
  • Former top prospect Andy Marte spoke with Indians GM Mark Shapiro about the future, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Shapiro told Marte to play first and third base in winter ball and show up early to Spring Training.  It was a tough year for Marte, who turns 26 in November.  He was designated for assignment to make room for Juan Salas in February, cleared waivers, raked at Triple A, and then struggled in the bigs.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren told MLB.com's Mark Bowman that Derek Lowe "pitched really well for us."  Aside from his home run rate, Lowe's numbers declined across the board this year.
  • The Nationals will improve their minor league catching depth for next year, GM Mike Rizzo told MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • Miguel Angel Sano is on the backburner for the Orioles, Roch Kubatko of MASN learned from team president Andy MacPhail.  MLB's inconclusive age investigation is the problem.
  • David Waldstein of the New York Times says Ramon Pena, a special assistant to Mets GM Omar Minaya, will not be back next year.  Waldstein says a scouting/player development shakeup is in order.  Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News has info on possible changes aside from Pena.
  • White Sox closer Bobby Jenks is out for the season with a calf injury.  Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times wonders about the righty's future, given a possible $7MM arbitration reward for the 2010 season.
  • Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News notes the impending raise for Giants closer Brian Wilson, who enters his first arbitration year.  Jenks' $5.6MM salary this year will serve as a comparable, so the Giants will add around $5MM to the payroll compared to Wilson's $480K this year.
  • Braves manager Bobby Cox was not happy with the way GM Frank Wren handled the John Smoltz situation last winter, according to Yahoo's Gordon Edes.

Webb Not Interested In Restructured Deal

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We've seen speculation that the Diamondbacks could decline Brandon Webb's $8.5MM club option in hopes of negotiating a more favorable deal, as risky as that sounds.  Given the $2MM buyout, it's a net of just $6.5MM for the D'Backs in 2010.

Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic spoke to Webb today, and the pitcher said he is not interested in a restructured deal.  If the Diamondbacks decline the option, Webb will hit the open market.  Talking to Scott Bordow of the East Valley Tribune, Webb referenced John Smoltz's $5.5MM guarantee, noting that "he's got a little bit of age on me and my surgery wasn't even close to his."

Webb's preference is still for the D'Backs to pick up the 2010 option.  Despite what's been written I'd be surprised if they don't.

Cards Void Wagner Mateo’s Contract

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8:28pm: Cardinals GM John Mozeliak told Derrick Goold of the P-D he has no plans to renegotiate with Mateo at this time.  Mozeliak is disappointed the deal fell apart.

5:37pm: Badler talked to Mateo's agent Edgar Mercedes, who said his client will be among those in attendance at a tryout in October.  By the way, the Cardinals noted that there were no concerns about Mateo's age.

2:43pm: The Cardinals voided the contract of top prospect Wagner Mateo, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 16-year-old Dominican signed a $3.1MM deal with the Cards in July, but failed to meet the club's physical standards. The team discovered "pre-existing injuries and physical defects" and voided the deal. 

Mateo's representatives say the outfielder has 20/30 vision in his right eye, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America. However, they say Mateo doesn't have a degenerative eye condition or nerve damage. Mateo's representatives say the prospect's vision is the same as it was earlier in the year when Mateo was impressing scouts. Regardless of the severity of Mateo's eye issue, he's a free agent again now.

Eddie Guardado Considering Retirement

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Reliever Eddie Guardado is considering retirement, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Guardado, 39 in October, admitted he's "thinking about hanging it up," but left the possibility of another season open.

If he retires, Everyday Eddie will finish with a 4.32 ERA in 942.6 innings for the Twins, Mariners, Reds, and Rangers.  He also has 187 saves, 86 in 2002-03.  He's earned approximately $29MM in his career.

Odds & Ends: Greinke, Rangers, A’s, Yankees

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Some more links for the afternoon…

  • Zack Greinke told WEEI.com's Alex Speier that he wouldn't have trouble pitching in any city except New York. The Cy Young contender sounds confident that he could thrive in other places, but suggested he might struggle if asked to pitch in the Big Apple on a regular basis.
  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan provides the names of some possible bidders for the Rangers. George Bush and Nolan Ryan don't appear to be candidates to buy the club.
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer says the A's could use some big bats next year. As Ken Rosenthal pointed out earlier today, Adam Kennedy's .767 OPS leads all A's with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.
  • Matthew Pouliot of NBC.com's Circling the Bases continues to rank the offseason's top free agents. Carlos Delgado and Hideki Matsui place 40th and 36th, respectively. 
  • As Peter Abraham of the Journal News points out, Andy Pettitte will probably earn about $5MM in incentives before the season ends. Earlier in the month Jon Heyman of SI.com predicted this would happen.
  • Abraham also notes that Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez were literally lined up to speak with Scott Boras at one point yesterday.

Odds & Ends: Astros, Indians, Werth

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More links for Tuesday…

  • Today's chat starts in an hour.
  •  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Astros aren't likely to hire Jeff Bagwell as the club's next manager. Former MLB managers Jim Fregosi, Buck Showalter and Manny Acta could all be considered for the job.
  • As MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince reports, the Indians continue to discuss manager Eric Wedge's performance. An announcement about the skipper's future with the Indians should come soon after the end of the season, if not earlier.
  • If the Indians decide to fire Wedge, Boston pitching coach John Farrell would be the favorite to replace him, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
  • Jayson Werth explains to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick how Philadelphia fans bring out the best in him. Werth's having a career year, with 34 homers and a .900 OPS.

Mets Rumors: Sheffield, Marquis

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The latest on the Mets' offseason plans from a pair of New York Post writers…

  • Gary Sheffield tells Kevin Kernan that he will play at least one more season. Sheffield would consider returning to the Mets, but he's not ruling out other clubs. Kernan lists the Astros, Rangers, Rays and Marlins as possible fits. 
  • I find it hard to imagine the Rays making a play for him. Still, Sheffield, who turns 41 in November, has managed an .822 OPS in 309 plate appearances, so he can still hit.
  • Jeff Francoeur tells Mike Puma that his friend Jason Marquis would "love to come" to New York and pitch for the Mets. Francoeur raves about Marquis, who will hit free agency after the season. 

Olney On Bradley, Jays, Wood

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that the Rangers probably wouldn't welcome Milton Bradley back. Here's the latest on the now-suspended outfielder, along with the rest of Olney's rumors:

  • Olney says the Cubs will likely have to eat a huge portion of Bradley's contract to move him, perhaps as much as $18-19MM. The Cubs owe the 31-year-old $21MM over the next two years.
  • The Padres may be looking for a corner outfielder this offseason, so they could have interest in Bradley.
  • Olney says baseball people presume Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi will be fired. (What do you think?) If the Jays cut ties with their GM, Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken could be a candidate to replace him.
  • Clubs expect the Indians to consider moving Kerry Wood this offseason. Cleveland is rebuilding, so they'd presumably be happy to unload his $10.5MM salary.

D’Backs Rumors: Snyder, Webb

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Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has the latest on the D'Backs' offseason plans…

  • Chris Snyder will undergo back surgery tomorrow and the operation figures to hurt the catcher's trade value. The D'Backs have relied on Miguel Montero this year, so they don't need Snyder as much as they expected to when they signed him to a $14.25MM deal last offseason. The contract and Snyder's .200/.333/.352 line would likely have prevented the club from trading the 28-year-old even if he wasn't having surgery tomorrow.
  • The D'Backs tend to avoid incentive-based contracts, but they may consider one if they approach Brandon Webb about restructuring his current deal. When Tim interviewed Josh Byrnes earlier in the year, the D'Backs GM said he prefers to avoid bonuses because he likes having a stable payroll and wants to avoid clubhouse distractions.

Odds & Ends: Mets, Bradley, Free Agents

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Some links for Tuesday morning…

  • Be here at 2pm CST for today's chat.
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff thinks Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudson are among the free agents the Mets should avoid after the season.
  • Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times says Jim Hendry's decision to sign Milton Bradley was inexcusable. The signing didn't work out, but Bradley did lead the AL in OPS last year.
  • ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports that the MLB Players Association may file a grievance in response to the Cubs' suspension of Bradley. The volatile outfielder doesn't know if the Cubs will pay him over the course of his suspension.
  • Be sure to check out our list of 2011 free agents. These players are on track to hit free agency after next season. Joe Mauer and Derek Jeter are among the bigger names to appear on the list.
  • And here's our list of players who will hit free agency after this season. You can find both lists at the right side of the site and we'll keep them updated at all times.

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