Iwamura Wants To Return To Tampa Bay
Earlier in the week we heard speculation that the Rays could decline Akinori Iwamura's $4.25MM option for 2010. The Rays need the money and, because of Jason Bartlett, Reid Brignac and Ben Zobrist, they don't need the middle infield depth. But, according to Mark Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times, Iwamura wants to return.
"I love this team," he said through his interpreter, "and I love the Tampa area."
The 30-year-old second baseman has a .294/.356/.388 line this year, right in line with his career averages. Iwamura, who says his knee is at full strength, has been a league-average fielder in the majors, according to UZR/150. Iwamura's numbers don't stand out from this year's free agent second basemen, but he may find himself competing for jobs with them in spite of his love for Tampa.
Davis Would Return To D’Backs Or Brewers
Doug Davis has played his entire National League career with two teams: the D'Backs and Brewers. Now that he's about to become a free agent, Davis tells Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic that he'd return to either club. However, he knows other teams are likely to have some interest in him, so he's not publicly ruling anything out.
"I think there are a lot of teams out there that could use me," he said.
Davis, who turns 34 on Monday, has been remarkably consistent throughout the last six years. He doesn't have electric stuff, but he's made 30 starts or more nearly every season. A year ago, Davis missed time to recover from cancer, but still managed to start 26 games.
Davis says he won't ask for a ton of money, but he considers himself one of the better left-handers available, so he expects to be paid fairly. After the Brewers nearly acquired him last month, Davis said he wants a three-year deal. Since there are other innings-eaters out there, a deal that long would be a coup for Davis and his agent.
Odds & Ends: Buchholz, Burnett, Yanks, Cards
Some links as the weekend draws closer…
- Thought the Red Sox were going to deal Clay Buchholz this summer? You're not alone. Buchholz tells WEEI.com's Rob Bradford he expected to be traded because of all the rumors.
- Peter Abraham of the Journal News points out that one of the Yankees' biggest acquisitions of the year, A.J. Burnett, has pitched poorly over the course of his last nine starts. Now Burnett must prove to his teammates that he's ready for the Division Series.
- Tom Verducci of SI.com says the Yankees' plan to add power pitchers to the rotation worked (even if Burnett has struggled lately). It's hard to argue with 94 wins in mid-September, but there's more to the Yanks than their rotation.
- Verducci notes that some of the best free agent signings happened late last offseason and some of the worst ones were finalized early. Could we see GMs play the waiting game this winter?
- Joel Pineiro, Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa will have to wait until the season's over to sign their next contracts. Cards GM John Mozeliak told Bernie Miklasz that the team doesn't expect to negotiate deals with prospective free agents before the season ends.
Heyman’s Latest: Mets, D-Backs, Indians
Jon Heyman takes a look at three teams that underachieved this season and how each might approach the off-season…
New York Mets
- Heyman thinks the payroll will be about the same next season, noting that any attempt to lower the payroll would be a tough sell to the fans.
- Needs include left fielder, first baseman, catcher, starting pitcher and overall depth.
- Mets are looking at Matt Holliday and Jason Bay and could target Adrian Gonzalez and Bengie Molina.
- Starting pitchers the Mets may pursue include Randy Wolf, Jon Garland and Jason Marquis as well as Roy Halladay if he's available.
- Mets may try to move Luis Castillo and replace him with Orlando Hudson.
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Heyman hears the D-Backs will try to sign Brandon Webb to a new deal at slightly less than the $8.5MM option they have for next season.
- The D-Backs may try to re-sign Doug Davis, but that will still leave a couple of holes in the rotation.
- Arizona may try to fill the second base job via trade. Heyman suggests that Eric Byrnes and Chris Snyder could be trade bait and feels Byrnes could be moved for Castillo.
Cleveland Indians
- Heyman says the Indians need to replace Carl Pavano's ability to eat innings.
- The Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee deals saved the Indians $21MM, some of which could be used in free agency.
Other notes…
- It looks like Andy Pettitte will reach most of the incentives in his contract, nearly doubling his base salary of $5.5MM.
- Dan Uggla feels he will be traded this off-season and Heyman says the Marlins won't want to pay his arbitration figure.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Zambrano, Johnson, Fielder, Felix, Braves
On this date 39 years ago, the Mets purchased the contract of Dean Chance from the Indians. At the time, the Mets were 1.5 games back in the NL East. The former Cy Young winner would make only three relief appearances down the stretch and the Mets finished six games back in third place. Chance would subsequently be traded in the off-season and play just one more season. With only two weeks remaining before the start of most team's off-season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Goat Riders of the Apocalypse feels the reports that Carlos Zambrano is largely responsible for the Cubs' failures this season are just PR by the Cubs to make it easier to move Zambrano this off-season.
- Fangraphs makes a case that Nick Johnson's injury history could increase the number of teams that are interested in his services this off-season.
- Dodgers Rumors wonders if Ned Colletti will be back next season as the Dodgers' GM and whether he deserves to be.
- MLB Notebook breaks down the possibility of Prince Fielder being traded this off-season.
- Jorge Says No! writes about the Mariners' inability to sign Felix Hernandez to an extension.
- DC Sports Plus looks at some free agent starting pitchers that could help the Nationals next season, with John Lackey, Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro at the top of the wishlist.
- The Ghost of Midnight Graham suggests that teams avoid Pineiro this winter.
- UmpBump takes a look at who might be playing first base for the Braves next season.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Did Soriano Contract Help Phillies Win World Series?
Following the '06 season, the Cubs signed Alfonso Soriano to an eight-year, $136MM contract. Among the teams interested in Soriano at the time were the Phillies.
Paul Hagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer looks back at that off-season and suggests that the non-signing allowed the Phillies to build the team that ultimately won the World Series.
The rumor was that the Phillies might be willing to consider a deal in the $100 million range…While there's no way of knowing exactly how the script might have played out had Soriano chosen red pinstripes, one thing can be said with absolute certainty: The money that would have been funneled to him would not have been available to spend elsewhere…Since then, they've tied up Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Brett Myers and Cole Hamels with multiyear deals. They made midseason trades that added significant contracts for Cliff Lee, Joe Blanton and Kyle Lohse. They increased the payroll when they acquired Brad Lidge…They've signed free agents (Raul Ibanez, Pedro Feliz, Chan Ho Park) to plug holes. They've been able to keep virtually every potential free agent and arbitration-eligible player they've wanted to.
Hagan makes a strong case. However, it should be noted that the best offer the Phillies reportedly made to Soriano was for only $73MM.
Odds And Ends: Knapp, Crow, Mets
A few tidbits to start the day…
- Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that the key prospect in the Cliff Lee deal, Jason Knapp, had surgery yesterday to remove loose bodies from his throwing shoulder. The Indians do not believe the Phillies "pulled a fast one," but do feel that the Phillies misdiagnosed Knapp's original injury (Knapp was on the DL at the time of the trade).
- Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star is reporting that Aaron Crow's contract ($3MM guaranteed) could be worth as much as $4.5MM depending on how much time he spends in the big leagues the next three seasons.
- Sam Mellinger also writes in his blog, that the Royals came out the victors in the negotiations based on MLB slot recommendations and what Crow turned down last year.
- MetsBlog take a look at the Mets off-season and how the team may approach free agency.
Offseason Outlook: New York Mets
SATURDAY: Several readers have pointed out a major error in the original post. The Mets did not enter the '09 season at $149.4MM, but rather something closer to $139.6MM. Assuming a steady payroll, they would have $25-30MM to spend. They'll have to skimp on some of the needs listed, unless Omar Minaya can swing a clever trade or two.
THURSDAY: Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Mets. Their commitments for 2010:
C – Omir Santos – $400K
C – Josh Thole – $400K
1B – Daniel Murphy – $401K
2B – Luis Castillo – $6MM
SS – Jose Reyes – $9MM
3B – David Wright – $10MM
IF – Anderson Hernandez – $400K
LF – Angel Pagan – $575K+
CF – Carlos Beltran – $18.5MM
RF – Jeff Francoeur – $3.375MM+
OF – Cory Sullivan – $600K+
OF – Jeremy Reed – $925K+
1B/LF – Nick Evans – $403K or OF – Fernando Martinez – $400K
SP – Johan Santana – $21MM
SP – John Maine – $2.6MM+
SP – Mike Pelfrey – $1.3125MM
SP – Oliver Perez – $12MM
SP – Jon Niese – $400K
Other candidates: Fernando Nieve – $414K, Tim Redding – $2.25MM+
RP – Francisco Rodriguez – $11.5MM
RP – Pedro Feliciano – $1.6125MM+
RP – Sean Green – $471K+
RP – Pat Misch – $402K
RP – Bobby Parnell – $400K
RP – Brian Stokes – $410K
RP – Carlos Muniz – $402K
Other commitments: J.J. Putz – $1MM buyout
Non-tender candidates: Redding, Maine, Nelson Figueroa
That puts the Mets at about $105MM, plus arbitration raises to Pagan, Francoeur, Sullivan, Reed, Maine, Feliciano, Green, and Redding (some of whom will likely be non-tendered). The Mets are in the $110MM ballpark after entering the '09 season with a $149.4MM payroll. Omar Minaya should have $35-40MM to patch his team's many holes.
The Mets have a strong core of superstars, and their collective health almost has to improve in 2010. I don't see the logic behind trading Reyes, Wright, Beltran, or Santana.
The Mets need a catcher, first baseman, and corner outfielder. They may be competing with the Braves for certain first base and left field candidates. But the Mets also need at least one solid starting pitcher as well as bullpen help.
The catching market is weak, but pairing someone like Gregg Zaun with Thole makes sense. First base presents more options. Who's a bigger health risk – Carlos Delgado at 38 or Nick Johnson at 31? Johnson's .428 OBP is hard to ignore.
The market is flush with left fielders. With so many needs, I have a hard time seeing Minaya take a run at Manny Ramirez, Matt Holliday, or Jason Bay. Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, and Jermaine Dye are more reasonable targets. With Castillo, Johnson, Wright, Beltran, and Abreu, the Mets would potentially have five .400 OBP players. Zaun (assuming the Rays let him go), Johnson, and Abreu could be signed for less than $25MM in 2010 salaries.
With the remaining money I'd attempt to lure Randy Wolf from the West Coast while also pursuing Erik Bedard, Brad Penny, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, or Ben Sheets for a one-year deal. Admittedly there wouldn't be much left to spend on relievers, but decent arms can be found for a million or two.
Certainly the Mets could use top free agents like Holliday and John Lackey. However, the available money would be better used to acquire four or five sensible free agents. Let's hear your recommendations in the comments.
Mariners Trade Jamie Burke To Nationals
According to a press release, the Mariners have traded catcher Jamie Burke to the Nationals for cash. Burke has appeared in 184 games in parts of seven big league seasons. He was originally drafted in the ninth round of the '93 draft by the Angels. The Nationals will be his fifth organization.
Royals Sign Aaron Crow
8:54pm: Now Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star is reporting (via Twitter) that the deal is only for $3MM guaranteed including a $1.5MM signing bonus.
8:30pm: Jim Callis of Baseball America is reporting that Crow will make just under $4.5MM and that the deal will be finalized in time for Crow to attend the Royals' instructional league program beginning Saturday. Callis adds that Crow could debut in the Arizona Fall League.
7:47pm: Via a press release, the Royals have signed their first-round pick Aaron Crow to a three-year Major League contract that will begin in 2010. Crow was the 12th overall pick in this year's draft and was not subject to the August 17th signing deadline.
No further details are available at this time. However, earlier today, Buster Olney reported that the deal would be worth $3-4.5MM. Crow reportedly turned down a $3.5MM offer from the Nationals as the ninth overall selection in 2008.