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Heyman On Pujols, Holliday, Acta, Cubs

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The Cardinals want to lock up Albert Pujols, but Jon Heyman of SI.com wonders if they can keep him and Matt Holliday. One GM says there's "no chance" the team can keep the two stars, despite owner Bill DeWitt's goal to "lock up both of them." Here are more details on the Cardinals' superstars, along with the rest of Heyman's rumors:

  • Heyman says it's illogical to expect Pujols to demand anything less than $30MM per season.
  • Holliday is "thought to be interested" in a deal comparable to Mark Teixeira's $180MM pact. No doubt Holliday would have interest in that kind of deal, but would any team consider it? (I doubt it.)
  • There are many reasons it makes sense for the Cards to try to lock up Holliday and Pujols. As Heyman says, such an attempt would show manager Tony La Russa, pitching coach Dave Duncan and the fan base that the team wants to win at all costs.
  • Heyman hears that the Astros will interview former Nats manager Manny Acta for their managerial opening.
  • Indians GM Mark Shapiro is facing pressure to fire manager Eric Wedge, especially now that the club has lost 11 straight.
  • Not surprisingly, two GMs consider Alfonso Soriano untradeable. He has $90MM remaining on his contract.
  • The Cubs would have to eat a "decent chunk" of Carlos Zambrano's contract if they decide to trade him. A trade doesn't seem likely, however.
  • If the Cubs deal Milton Bradley, Heyman considers the Padres a logical fit.
  • Execs around the league expect Roy Halladay to be on the trade market again this winter.

Discussion: The Worst Signing Of The Offseason

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Look no further than the Toronto Blue Jays or the Chicago Cubs to see the kind of franchise-changing effect a bad contract can have on an organization. Alfonso Soriano and Vernon Wells both signed nine-figure deals that their clubs must be regretting. Though the free agent market was depressed last winter, we saw teams commit to some massive deals.

There doesn't appear to be a Barry Zito–esque clunker among them, but some teams still overspent. Now that the regular season is only ten days away from completion, we have nearly an entire season's worth of information to help decide which move was the worst. (We won't really know how good or bad these deals are until they expire, of course, so we'll simply use the information we have so far.)

If you check out MLBTR's list of last winter's 20 biggest moves, you'll find that last offseason's most lucrative deals appear to have worked out. Where would the Yankees be without Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett? Ryan Dempster pitched well for the Cubs and Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez added value to their respective clubs. But not every signing looks good. Here are some candidates for last winter's worst free agent signing:

  • Oliver Perez - $36MM over three years - He allowed 51 runs in 66 innings for an ugly 6.82 ERA. Knee injuries shortened his season, but he still managed to walk 58 batters, almost one per frame.
  • Milton Bradley - $30MM over three years - The volatile outfielder saw his OPS tumble by over 200 points this year. His off-field antics led to a suspension and the Cubs will now try to find a taker for the 31-year-old.
  • Edgar Renteria - $18.5MM over two years, plus club option - Those who criticized the Giants for this deal appear to have been justified. Renteria hit just .250/.307/.328 and didn't play good enough defense to make up for his struggles at the plate.
  • Jamie Moyer - $16MM over two years - To his credit, Moyer pitched over 150 innings for the defending champs. Still, do the Phils want to pay a hittable 47-year-old $8MM next year? Probably not.
  • Pat Burrell – $16MM over two years – It's one thing for the Phillies to mis-spend, but the Rays don't have money to throw around. Andrew Friedman envisioned more than a .382 slugging percentage when he signed Burrell last winter.

So which of these contracts is the worst one? Was $161MM too much for a pitcher? Will Derek Lowe wear down? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Odds & Ends: Wagner, Astros, Haren, Mora

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Some more links to check out…

  • Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reconstructs the day that the Red Sox acquired Billy Wagner with help from the hard-throwing lefty himself.  
  • If you ask Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle, Astros owner Drayton McLane sets an open tone for the entire organization.
  • Justice believes the Astros need to add an innings eater this offseason and says he expects them to shop for bargains.
  • Dan Haren says he wants the D'Backs to bring Brandon Webb back next year, according to Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic.
  • Melvin Mora tells Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he'll never tire of thanking the Orioles, even if they don't exercise his option after the season. It would be a shock if the O's picked up Mora's $8MM option.

Dotel Would Play For Mets Or Yankees

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The White Sox told Octavio Dotel that he's not in their long-term plans when the righty approached the club about a contract extension last month, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The 35-year-old reliever says he'd like to play in New York for the Yankees or, his preferred team, the Mets. Dotel has experience in New York; he began his MLB career as a starter with the Mets in 1999 and played a season with the Yankees in 2006.

This year Dotel has allowed 54 hits in 61.2 innings, walking 36 and striking out 74 for an ERA of 3.36. He projects as a Type A free agent, so teams will have to surrender a high draft pick to sign Dotel if the White Sox offer him arbitration. He's currently making $6MM in the second deal of a two-year contract.

Lincecum Open To An Extension

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Tim Lincecum is open to the idea of a long-term deal, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 25-year-old righty says he'd consider a multi-year deal if the Giants approach him about one.

"I definitely like San Francisco," Lincecum said. "I've seen nothing but positive things as far as my personal experiences. It's where I see myself being for a while."

If the Giants decide to extend the reigning Cy Young winner, there won't be many precedents off of which to base a deal. After all, few pitchers win Cy Youngs in both of their first full seasons. Lincecum has an ERA of 2.47 and a league-high 247 strikeouts over the course of his 211.1 innings pitched, so he's a leading Cy Young candidate once again.

Lincecum will be a super two player this offseason, so he's about to hit arbitration for the first time. Fellow super two Cole Hamels signed a three-year deal worth $20.5MM last offseason, so Lincecum's agent, Rick Thurman, will be in position to demand at least that much if the sides start negotiating. Lincecum, who is on track to become a free agent after 2013, could conceivably demand Zack Greinke money ($38MM) to cover his four years of arbitration. Greinke's deal bought out two of his free agent years, but Lincecum can demand a precedent-setting deal since he has established himself as one of the game's best.

Odds & Ends: Harden, Pirates, Corpas, Astros

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Some links for Friday morning…

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't think the Mets should pursue Rich Harden when the righty becomes a free agent this winter. Instead, Sherman would like to see the Mets sign someone with a more consistent history.
  • The Pirates want manager John Russell and his coaching staff to lead the club again next year, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Team president Frank Coonelly and GM Neal Huntington both sound confident in the skipper despite the club's 95-loss season.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects the Rockies to shop Manny Corpas aggressively this offseason.
  • The Astros are just beginning to search for a permanent manager, but Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle says we shouldn't rule out current third base coach Al Pedrique.
  • It's possible that Roy Halladay will make his final home start for the Blue Jays tonight. As MLB.com's Jordan Bastian points out, Halladay is an offseason trade candidate.
  • Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the Rangers weren't impressed to hear that Milton Bradley sat out to make sure his stats looked good before signing with the Cubs as a free agent.

Odds & Ends: Jays, Zambrano, Harden

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A few more evening links….

Cardinals To Discuss Extension With Pujols

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The St. Louis Cardinals will attempt to lock up slugger Albert Pujols long-term during the offseason, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com, via Twitter. Heyman tweets that Cards owner Bill DeWitt informed him that St. Louis will try to sign Pujols to an extension past 2011.

The 29-year-old first baseman has been the best hitter on the planet this decade, batting .334/.427/.629 since being called up to the majors in 2001. In 2009, he has posted a .330/.447/.676 line with 47 homers, and is the favorite to repeat as the NL's Most Valuable Player.

Pujols is making $16MM this season, the sixth year of a seven-year, $100MM deal, which includes a $16MM club option for 2011. Given his incredible production over the course of the deal, he'll undoubtedly be in line for another raise. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak already announced that the team doesn't intend to negotiate with its potential free agents such as Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, and Joel Pineiro until season's end. Attempting to retain those players, in addition to inking Pujols to a triple-digit extension, could mean a busy and expensive winter in St. Louis.

Odds & Ends: White Sox, Phillies, A’s

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Only a handful of games on the schedule tonight, but here are some links to make up for it….

  • White Sox GM Ken Williams is let down by his team's performance this season, according to Chris De Luca of The Chicago Sun-Times. Players like Jake Peavy and Alex Rios were acquired with more than just 2009 in mind, but the Sox still hoped to earn a playoff spot in a weak division this year. Dave Cameron at FanGraphs and Rob Neyer at ESPN.com point out that the White Sox didn't underachieve, but rather performed almost exactly as expected. Whether Williams' disappointment will inspire any major offseason moves remains to be seen.
  • Scott Merkin at MLB.com suggests one possible change for the 2010 White Sox: Matt Thornton replacing Bobby Jenks as the team's ninth-inning option.
  • More potential musical chairs in the bullpen ranks from ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. He talks to one scout who suggests that the best closing candidate for the Phillies in October might not be Brad Lidge or Ryan Madson, but Chan Ho Park, if he's healthy. As a soon-to-be free agent, Park could certainly see his stock rise with a strong postseason.
  • Buster Olney and ESPN.com take a look at what moves the Oakland Athletics could make this offseason. The theme is a familiar one in Oakland: veteran bargain hunting. Olney mentions Jermaine Dye and Miguel Tejada as two players in their mid-30s the Athletics might look into signing, and also thinks the A's will try to bring back Justin Duchscherer if they can.
  • T.R. Sullivan at MLB.com writes that Nolan Ryan is interested in ownership of the Texas Rangers. Current owner Tom Hicks has expressed willingness to surrender controlling interest of the club.

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