Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for November 2009

Blue Jays Rumors: Scutaro, Cabrera, Brignac

By | at

Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail has the latest on the Blue Jays in the aftermath of this morning's signing:

  • The Blue Jays will offer Marco Scutaro salary arbitration. Blair hears indications that the shortstop may have a three-year deal coming his way.
  • The Jays made a serious run at Orlando Cabrera, but decided against a deal since it would have taken a commitment of about $12MM and two years. The Jays like Cabrera, but have concerns about the former Gold Glover's range and arm.
  • Cabrera's agent is telling teams that his client is ready to play second base. The Twins may have interest in re-signing Cabrera to play second.
  • The Jays spoke to the Rays about Reid Brignac, but felt Tampa was asking for too much.
  • Blair wonders if Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos will try to trade Gonzalez at next summer's trade deadline if the shortstop starts the year well.

Trades Of The Decade: A-Rod For Soriano

By | at

You might remember that the Red Sox were very nearly the ones to acquire Alex Rodriguez when the Rangers made him available after the 2003 season. According to USA Today, the reigning MVP would have gone to Boston, Manny Ramirez would have gone to Texas and the Red Sox would have dealt Nomar Garciaparra to the White Sox. The blockbuster Red Sox-Rangers deal fell through when the MLBPA stepped in, providing the Yankees with the opportunity to acquire Rodriguez.

That's exactly what Brian Cashman did on February 16th, 2004. The Yankees obtained the 28-year-old shortstop for Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later (the Yanks would eventually send Joaquin Arias to the Rangers to complete the move).

Rodriguez OK'd the deal, waiving his no trade clause and agreeing to move to third base because of incumbent shortstop Derek Jeter, but the Commissioner's office had to approve the move, too. Bud Seilg gave the deal his blessing because of the "unique circumstances" of Rodriguez's contract.

The Rangers took on $67MM of the $179MM A-Rod was still owed under his historic $252MM contract, though they did save some of it when A-Rod opted out of the deal. (Texas is still paying Rodriguez under his previous contract, even though the Yankees signed him to a new deal two winters ago.) 

The Rangers ultimately saved money, despite the salary they still owed A-Rod. Soriano was set to earn $5.4MM in 2004, his first season of arbitration-eligibility, and the difference between the two stars' salaries contributed to the Rangers' decision.

"We need flexibility," Rangers GM John Hart told USA Today. "It's a win for the Rangers, Yankees and Alex."

The Rangers needed flexibility because they'd handed out bad contracts to expensive non-contributors like Rusty Greer, Jeff Zimmerman and Chan Ho Park.

Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus said the Rangers should have tried to create financial flexibility in some other way. He wrote that trading A-Rod to subsidize the Park deal was "unbelievably dumb," even though the Rangers "made a great decision in 2000," when they signed Rodriguez to the record-setting deal.

To replace A-Rod, the Rangers obtained an All-Star caliber player in Soriano, and a minor leaguer. Arias, now 25, has a .748 OPS in 141 big league plate appearances, but isn't considered much of a prospect now.

Soriano hit .274/.316/.498 in two seasons for the Rangers, with 64 homers and characteristically poor pate discipline. (In case you're wondering, FanGraphs says he was worth the $12.9MM he cost them.) The Rangers would go on to flip Soriano to the Nationals for Armando Galarraga, Termel Sledge and Brad Wilkerson after the 2005 season.

Two years of Soriano at market value doesn't seem like much for A-Rod, but as Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News pointed out right after the trade, the Rangers had limited negotiating power. In a sense, they had to take what they could get.

A-Rod, meanwhile, faced intense pressure in New York. Soon after the trade went through, George Steinbrenner said Rodriguez had the potential to make a Reggie Jackson-esque impact on the club. A-Rod has since made the occasional faux pas, endured a postseason demotion and admitted to banned substance use, but he hasn't stopped producing.

In six seasons with the Yankees, Rodriguez has averaged 40 homers and 20 steals, hitting .300/.401/.567 and winning a pair of MVP awards. The Yankees have paid him generously and FanGraphs suggests he's earned his money. It would have cost $156MM to replace that production on the open market and Rodriguez has earned a base salary of $157MM so far. Now that he's been part of a World Series champion, A-Rod has done it all in New York.

The Latest On Aroldis Chapman

By | at

Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com explains that Aroldis Chapman will focus exclusively on baseball, now that he has dropped his former agency, API. The interviews and public appearances are over for now.

"He's preparing to fulfill his dream of pitching in the major leagues," agent Rodney Fernandez said.

Fernandez, who works for the Hendricks Brothers, says Chapman has a reserved nature and prefers not to be in the public eye. One MLB executive doubts that questions about Chapman's character will limit his value, but says the prospect shouldn't expect to get paid like an established player.

"The $40-$50 million being floated by the other agent was silly," the exec said. "The way the player was being paraded about was also a negative. This guy is a prospect … not a veteran major league player."

Chapman's former agent, Edwin Mejia, may try to recover some of the expenses he incurred while housing and feeding Chapman (the lefty has apparently gained muscle now that he's eating more beef). It's possible that the agent will file a grievance with the MLBPA, but he wouldn't be likely to win such a case.

Odds & Ends: Cabrera, Johnson, Halladay

By | at

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are some links to check out…

  • Darren Rovell of CNBC hears that the Yankees will receive World Series shares or $367K.
  • Miguel Cabrera may have to DH by the time he's 30, though he remains one of the ten or so best hitters in the league, according to Keith Law of ESPN.com.
  • The Blue Jays looked into Orlando Cabrera before signing Alex Gonzalez, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. O-Cab is using Jack Wilson's two-year $10MM deal as a starting point.
  • The Marlins have options with Josh Johnson, even though they're not negotiating with the pitcher now, according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. They could trade him after the 2010 season or at the 2011 trade deadline, collect compensation picks for him or re-open extension talks.
  • Former MLB catcher Sal Fasano will manage the Blue Jays' Class A Lansing affiliate, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
  • Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News says Shelley Duncan is a hard worker who deserves a shot with an MLB club. The slugger became a free agent yesterday. 
  • Peter Gammons of ESPN.com wonders (via Twitter) whether it's worth giving up three prospects for Roy Halladay, especially since he'll be in a position to demand close to $20MM per year if he signs an extension.
  • Check out the game's best and worst baserunners since 2005 over at ACTA Sports. Bengie Molina and Grady Sizemore figure prominently in John Dewan's rankings.

Blue Jays Agree To Sign Alex Gonzalez

By | at

11:09am: The Red Sox were prepared to offer Gonzalez a one-year deal worth $3MM, according to Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe, but the shortstop chose to accept the Jays' offer instead of waiting for the Red Sox to explore other options.

10:11am: The Jays will pay Gonzalez $2.75MM in 2010, according to Bastian. They also hold a $2.5MM option for his services in 2011.

10:07am: MLB.com's Jordan Bastian hears it's a one-year deal with a club option for 2011. We don't know the numbers yet, but Bastian says an announcement could come soon. 

9:24am: The Blue Jays agreed to sign Alex Gonzalez to a one-year deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The combination of Gonzalez and John McDonald makes it hard to envision a deal with free agent Marco Scutaro, though the club may still offer arbitration to obtain draft picks for the Type A free agent. Gonzalez was not a ranked free agent, so the Jays don't have to forfeit picks and the Red Sox don't obtain any.

Gonzalez, 32, hit .238/.279/.355 for the Reds and Red Sox last year, but he played tremendous defense, as usual, according to UZR/150. Longtime Blue Jays fans will experience deja vu next year – the other Alex Gonzalez played short for the Jays from 1994-2001.

The Price Tag For Roy Halladay

By | at

ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Red Sox would "almost certainly" have to part with prospect Casey Kelly and pitcher Clay Buchholz to acquire Roy Halladay from the Blue Jays. That would be an immense price to pay for a year of Halladay, and Olney says it "makes no sense" for the Red Sox to hand over that kind of talent, especially since it will take a considerable amount to lock Halladay up long-term.

One executive called the Halladay trade talks "Santana 2," in reference to the Johan Santana trade talks two offseasons ago. The Yankees and Red Sox held onto their prospects then, and their decisions look wise today.

But don't expect the Blue Jays to lower the asking price for their ace. One person who was involved in last summer's trade talks tells Olney that the Jays will continue to ask for top prospects, even if it means they don't make a deal.

"It'll probably be easier for them, as an organization, to just keep him and let him walk," the talent evaluator said. 

If they do trade Halladay, they'll likely ask for shortstop prospects, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. It doesn't sound like the Jays are close to dealing Doc and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports expects trade talks to develop slowly.

MacPhail On The Orioles, Free Agents, Wagner

By | at

Orioles president Andy MacPhail tells ESPN.com's Buster Olney that he sees a "critical mass" of talented young players ready to contribute to Baltimore's next great team.

"The improvement in the standings, like Tampa Bay showed, can come overnight," MacPhail said.

The O's expect to supplement their young core with some free agents. The team has uncertainty at the corner infield positions, but MacPhail expects to be able to find answers on the market, since there are lots of options at first and third. Miguel Tejada and the Astros have interest in extending the infielder's stay in Houston, but in theory, Tejada could return to the O's.

MacPhail, who values shut-down relievers, expects the relief market to develop slowly and sounds confident that the O's will find a late-inning arm. Billy Wagner is one of the relievers the Orioles have some interest in. His Type A status won't scare the O's off, since they're prepared to surrender a draft pick for the right free agent.

Holliday Would Play Anywhere

By | at

Like Jason Bay, Matt Holliday is choosing not to rule out any potential suitors. Holliday told Jody McDonald and Rob Dibble of SIRIUS XM Radio that he's open to signing anywhere; Newsday's Ken Davidoff has the transcript.

"I've been around, and I've lived in some big cities so I would say that I'm open to any sort of coast or city," Holliday said. "Obviously I've never lived in some of the big cities on the East Coast, but at the same time, I've spent some time there."

Davidoff writes that Holliday considers the Yankees his first choice and the Mets his second choice. The Yankees may simply bring Johnny Damon back, but Davidoff says the Mets consider Holliday a "serious" option for their left field vacancy.

Red Sox “At Or Near” The Top Of Scutaro’s List

By | at

The Red Sox are eyeing Marco Scutaro and, according to the Boston Herald, the interest is mutual. The shortstop's agent, Peter Greenberg, told Michael Silverman and John Tomase that Scutaro likes the idea of playing in Boston.

“Boston is at or near the top of Marco’s list of where to sign," Greenberg said. "But quite a few teams have expressed interest.”

Greenberg says his client will remain in contact with a number of teams, even though he has "a lot" of interest in the Red Sox. Boston is likely more comfortable with a two year deal than a three-year deal, since they have 19-year-old prospect Jose Iglesias in the minors.

Scutaro is a Type A free agent, so he will cost a top draft pick if he turns down the Blue Jays' arbitration offer. Talks with the Jays have stalled for now, and it would be a surprise to see Scutaro accept arbitration. The Red Sox could receive compensation picks if their Type A free agents (Jason Bay and Billy Wagner) sign elsewhere, which could make losing a top pick palatable.

Scutaro's contact skills and versatility make him perhaps the most appealing shortstop available via free agency or trade, though he turned 34 last month.

Jason Grilli Signs With Mystery Team

By | at

THURSDAY, 8:08am: Grilli tweets that he hasn't signed with the Yankees, though he says he'd love to play for them eventually.

MONDAY, 8:38pm: According to Jason Grilli's Twitter account, the well-traveled pitcher has signed with his seventh team.

Grilli tweets, "Well it is official. I am signing with my 7th team. Can you guess? Drum roll please! Will let ya know when I am able."

If, as it appears from Grilli's comment, this is his seventh different team, that rules out the Giants, Marlins, White Sox, Tigers, Rockies and Rangers.

The 33-year-old righthander pitched to a 5.32 ERA in 2009 for the Rockies and Rangers.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top