Discussion: Omar Vizquel
No one in Major League history has played more games at shortstop than Omar Vizquel, who this year served as a mentor to Elvis Andrus in Texas while doubling as a valuable option off the bench. We know that Vizquel will not be returning to the Rangers in 2010, and instead is looking for a similar role with a more high-profile team.
The 42-year-old continues to be a marvel on defense, posting well-above-average UZR/150's at second, third and short this year. Unfortunately, Vizquel ceased being an offensive weapon several years ago, though his .266/.316/.345 batting line in 2009 was his best offensive season since 2006. He signed a minor league deal last offseason that paid him $1MM.
Where do MLBTR's readers see Vizquel playing next year? Could a return to Cleveland be in order? What about a get together with the Red Sox, who are perpetually looking for a shortstop? Tell us what you think in the comments.
Wilson & Zduriencik On New Deal
When the Mariners acquired Jack Wilson this summer, he wasn't sure what to expect. But it didn't take long for him to realize he wanted to play in Seattle for a while.
"An hour? An hour and a half?" Wilson says he decided quickly.
Now that he has signed with the Mariners, the shortstop will be wearing blue and teal for at least two years. Wilson said he feels great after battling injuries last season. Though he was banged up, he maintained his reputation as a top defender. According to UZR, Wilson was the best defensive shortstop in baseball last season.
His defense didn't go unnoticed by Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik, who admired Wilson's glove when both men were with NL Central teams.
"Does it fit in to what we're trying to do?" Zduriencik asked. "Absolutely."
The Mariners had the league's best ERA last year thanks, in part, to the strong defense of Wilson, Ichiro, Franklin Gutierrez and Adrian Beltre (whose contract has expired).
Mariners Sign Jack Wilson
4:04pm: Kovacevic confirmed it, the deal is worth $10MM.
3:58pm: Kovacevic says the deal is believed to be worth a total of $10MM.
3:33pm: The Mariners signed shortstop Jack Wilson to a two-year deal, according to a team press release. Terms were not disclosed, but the sides were said by Dejan Kovacevic to be discussing a deal worth more than $8MM. Wilson's new deal overwrites an $8.4MM club option for 2010.
Wilson, 32 in December, is renowned for his defensive ability. In Wilson and Franklin Gutierrez, Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik has acquired two of the game's best defenders at their respective positions in his year with the club. The Mariners' left-side infield could be a wall if Zduriencik re-signs Adrian Beltre or inks Joe Crede.
Curtis Granderson Rumors: Friday
3:55pm: The Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers tweets that the Cubs are not yet involved in trade talks for Granderson, "but will become aggressive when the Tigers are ready for offers."
9:38am: The Angels and Tigers have discussed a trade for center fielder Curtis Granderson, according to Ken Davidoff of Newsday. Davidoff says the Halos would use Granderson in left field and either shift Juan Rivera to DH or trade him. In my opinion, the Angels could fill several needs cheaply for the Tigers with players such as Mike Napoli and Brandon Wood. Davidoff adds that the Yankees "think very highly" of Granderson and the Cubs are "expected to inquire." Talking to the Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers, Baseball America's Jim Callis suggested the Cubs are in the best position of these three suitors to acquire Granderson.
Granderson, 29 in March, hit .249/.327/.453 in 710 plate appearances this year. His defense is at least respectable. His contract is reasonable - $25.75MM guaranteed over the next three years. ESPN's Keith Law, however, considers Granderson a platoon player given his inability to hit lefties.
Trades Of The Decade: Hanley Ramirez For Josh Beckett & Mike Lowell
The only sure thing the Marlins obtained on Thanksgiving Day 2005 was salary relief. Yes, they acquired Hanley Ramirez, Jesus Delgado, Harvey Garcia and Anibal Sanchez, but none of them were considered certainties. For the four players, the Marlins gave up Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Guillermo Mota.
The Marlins had to shed payroll, but they weren't going to relinquish Beckett in a deal that didn't include a top prospect. Hanley Ramirez fit that description perfectly. Baseball America named Hanley Boston's top prospect every year from 2003-05 and they considered him one of the game's most promising players.
But Hanley hit a pedestrian .297/.352/.430 in the minors, never tallying more than eight homers in a season. So Baseball America's Jim Callis described him as "something of an enigma" at the time of the trade.
"He has the bat speed, raw power and pitch recognition to hit .300 with 20-plus homers per season," Callis wrote. "But he has yet to show the focus and preparation to get him there."
Beckett, meanwhile, had already graduated from top prospect status to become one of the game's best young pitchers. In his last season with the Marlins, Beckett, then 25, pitched to a 3.37 ERA in 29 starts, lighting the radar gun up with a fastball that helped him strike out nearly three times as many batters as he walked. It didn't hurt that he was named 2003 World Series MVP after pitching the Marlins past the Yankees.
Beckett had a history of blister problems, but the Texan still drew interest from a number of teams, including the Rangers. He was two years away from free agency, set to make $4-5MM in arbitration.
In just one season, Mike Lowell had become a major hindrance for the Marlins. After averaging 25 homers per season in the five years preceding 2005, Lowell stopped hitting. He managed just a .236/.298/.360 line with just 8 homers in 150 games. He was due to earn a total of $18MM in 2006 and 2007, so the Marlins couldn't afford his contract
The Red Sox, under Bill Lajoie and Craig Shipley, could absorb it, so they took it on, insisting that the third baseman could revive his career. Theo Epstein was on leave at the time of the deal.
"It's not that we had to take Mike," Lajoie told the Boston Herald. "It's that we wanted Mike.''
The Red Sox were onto something. Lowell has turned in four solid seasons with the club, hitting about 20 homers per season and never posting an OPS below .798. The former Gold Glover lost a considerable amount of range this year (according to UZR) after undergoing hip surgery last offseason.
Much to the dismay of Red Sox Nation, Beckett struggled throughout his first season in Boston, allowing 36 homers and posting an ERA over 5.00 for the first time in his career. But he's been effective and durable since and hasn't come close to matching that 5.01 ERA. Only a handful of pitchers have out-performed Beckett since his first season in Boston, even though he's been playing in the AL East.
When Beckett won 20 games and Lowell slugged .501 in 2007, the Red Sox won it all. That World Championship alone makes this deal worthwhile for the Red Sox, despite what they gave up.
Hanley is one of the game's best players now, but as Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe wrote at the time, he was far from a sure thing in 2005.
"What's the worst that can happen here?," Ryan wrote. "Hanley Ramirez turns out to be the next Barry Larkin or maybe even Derek Jeter?"
Four years later, Baseball-Reference lists Jeter as the most statistically comparable player to Ramirez (for his age) in baseball history. Hanley hasn't posted an OPS below .940 since his 2006 Rookie of the Year campaign and this year's NL batting champ has even become an average defender at shortstop, according to UZR.
Hanley wasn't even the only useful player the Marlins acquired. Control issues still trouble Sanchez, who's now 25, but he can strike people out and he pitched well this past season. It all came together for him when he no-hit the Diamondbacks in 2006.
Could the trade have worked out any better for the two clubs? The Marlins got the salary relief they needed and an elite shortstop to build around. Beckett and Lowell led the Red Sox to their second World Championship of the decade.
But that doesn't mean they wouldn't like Hanley back. Theo Epstein has tried to reacquire him before, so it's not hard to imagine a return to Boston.
Odds & Ends: Bonds, Bay, Astros, Mulder
Another stash of links for the afternoon…
- FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal says Red Sox GM Theo Epstein will have to be creative to keep the team competitive in both the short and long-term.
- Contrary to a report last month, Yahoo's Tim Brown says former Mets executive Tony Bernazard is not working for Scott Boras.
- Brown talked to Barry Bonds' agent Jeff Borris, who said he has not filed retirement papers because Bonds is "not retired – he was run out of the game."
- WEEI's Alex Speier talked to Jason Bay's agent Joe Urbon, who said "interest has been well distributed between the two leagues."
- Astros GM Ed Wade spoke to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart about his unsettled bullpen situation.
- Dialogue has continued between the Brewers and Mark Mulder's agent Gregg Clifton, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
- NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman passes along a report indicating the Braves are interested in 36 year-old Japanese righty Hidetaka Kawagoe.
Mets Rumors: Delgado, Francoeur, Non-Tenders
The New York Post's Bart Hubbuch has some good Mets info this afternoon, though it is unfortunately broken up into three tweets.
- Hubbuch learned that Mets GM Omar Minaya intends to watch Carlos Delgado in winter ball next month. Delgado could probably be re-signed cheaply after hip surgery limited the 37-year-old to 112 plate appearances this year.
- Cross Jeff Francoeur off the list of non-tender candidates – Minaya said Francoeur will be back and also mentioned that an extension is a possibility. Mets fans – do you believe Francoeur's 308 plate appearances with the club represent a reformed hitter?
- Hubbuch says Mets officials "plan to look hard" at the group of non-tendered players. Those additional free agents will be known on December 12th. Here are our candidates.
Ben Sheets Plans To Be Ready For Spring Training
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick spoke to Ben Sheets' agent Casey Close, who said his client is doing well rehabbing his February flexor tendon surgery and plans to be ready for Spring Training.
Close will apparently use Andy Pettitte as a positive comparable for the surgery. Pettitte had the surgery in August of 2004 and was ready for the start of the 2005 season eight months later. If we take Pettitte at his word, he used HGH to recover from a 2002 elbow injury but never again.
Several teams have already inquired about Sheets, according to Close. Three front office officials Crasnick spoke to expect Sheets will have to audition for teams, maybe in January or February. If he looks good, I imagine a dozen teams will be interested.
Offseason Outlook: San Francisco Giants
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Giants. Their likely commitments for 2010:
C – Buster Posey – $400K
C – Eli Whiteside – $400K
1B – Travis Ishikawa – $401K
2B – Freddy Sanchez – $6MM
SS – Edgar Renteria – $9MM
3B – Pablo Sandoval – $402K
IF – Kevin Frandsen – $410K
IF – Emmanuel Burriss – $404K
IF/OF – Eugenio Velez – $404K
LF – Fred Lewis – $440K
CF – Aaron Rowand – $12MM
RF – Nate Schierholtz -$401K
OF – Andres Torres – $400K
SP – Tim Lincecum – $650K+
SP – Matt Cain – $4.25MM
SP – Jonathan Sanchez – $455K+
SP – Barry Zito – $18.5MM
SP – Joe Martinez – $400K
Other candidates: Ryan Sadowski, Madison Bumgarner
RP – Jeremy Affeldt – $4MM
RP – Brian Wilson – $480K+
RP – Brandon Medders – $475K+
RP – Merkin Valdez – $401K
RP – Sergio Romo – $402K
RP – Dan Runzler – $400K
RP – Waldis Joaquin – $400K
Non-tender candidates: Ryan Garko
The Giants have about $62MM committed before arbitration raises to Lincecum, Sanchez, Wilson, and Medders. I'm assuming Garko is non-tendered. The pitchers' raises won't be cheap – they'll push the Giants up to the $80MM range. The Giants entered the 2009 season with an $82.6MM payroll, and it's not expected to change drastically. Nonetheless Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News suggested last month that the Giants have enough money to afford "one free agent starting pitcher and one modestly-priced free agent hitter."
Baggarly makes a good point, that the Giants really don't have the payroll space to dabble in the $15MM+ range of Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. GM Brian Sabean at least has positional flexibility with possible acquisitions – the infield and outfield corners are all fair game. Dan Uggla, Johnny Damon, and Mark DeRosa have already been named in various rumors. The Giants are pretty weak at the corners aside from Sandoval, so importing two bats would be ideal.
With payroll looking tight, it doesn't make sense to bring catcher Bengie Molina back. Instead, that money should be applied toward a starting pitcher to round out the rotation. Rumor has it, the Giants hope to re-sign Brad Penny. If he gets too pricey, there are plenty of similar free agents in the $5-8MM price range. It appears that the Giants would like to give Bumgarner some Triple A seasoning.
Sabean has had his troubles at the top end of the free agent market, but last offseason he made shrewd minor league signings with Juan Uribe and Medders. I didn't mind the Affeldt, Randy Johnson and Bob Howry signings either, so maybe the payroll limitations will work in the Giants' favor and give us the best of Sabean.
Rockies Decline Option On Rafael Betancourt
The Rockies declined their $5.4MM club option on reliever Rafael Betancourt, tweets Ed Price of AOL FanHouse. Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd told Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post he'll continue to negotiate with Betancourt.
Betancourt, 35 in April, found the NL to his liking after coming over in a trade with the Indians. He posted a 1.78 ERA with 29 strikeouts and five walks in 25.3 innings for the Rockies. Betancourt is a Type A free agent, and if he gets to December 1st unsigned it'll be interesting to see if the Rockies offer arbitration. Other teams would find Betancourt much less appealing with a draft pick cost attached. Troy Renck of the Denver Post feels that the Rockies will offer, as does Tracy Ringolsby of Inside the Rockies.
Saunders also mentions that the Rockies will "explore re-signing" Jose Contreras and Joe Beimel.