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Rangers Notes: Cliff Lee, Vlad, Molina

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It was a bittersweet ending for the Rangers last night, but they're still the AL champions.  They're planning to raise payroll, and now it's time to focus on Cliff Lee.  The Dallas Morning News has a bunch of quotes from the free agent market's top starter.  This cover-your-bases excerpt implies he'll at least test the market:

This is the first time I've been a free agent and I'm going to see what that's all about. It's an earned right by a player once you get six-plus years, and I'm going to take advantage of that and see where it leads me. I know I've enjoyed it here and I'm never ruling out the possibility of coming back, but I've got to play things out and see how it goes. I know this was a great group of guys, a lot of fun, and I would love to be a part of it next year, but there's so many things that could happen, you never know. There's a lot of things I've got to weigh into that. There's a lot of variables, what's best for my family, that's going to be a huge part of it. I want to be on a winning team. Obviously, this is one of those. We'll see, there's no telling what's going to happen.

Regarding the Rangers' other free agents:

Torrealba Declines Mutual Option

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Catcher Yorvit Torrealba has declined his side of his mutual option with the Padres, reports Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  The option, which was for $3.5MM, still pays a $500K buyout to Torrealba.

Torrealba, 32, hit .271/.343/.378 this year in 363 plate appearances for the Padres.  He caught 795.6 innings, with Nick Hundley taking the rest.  Torrealba threw out 37% of baserunners, his best mark since '06.  He's a solid regular in a free agent market with about eight of them.  Torrealba is a Type B free agent, so the Padres could get a draft pick if they offer arbitration and he turns it down and signs elsewhere.

Giants Notes: Sabean, Bochy, Renteria

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You just won the World Series.  What are you doing next?  A few notes from the Giants' celebration…

The Offseason Begins

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Congratulations to the World Champion San Francisco Giants and their fans!  The offseason officially begins today – 142 players immediately filed for free agency.  This year the exclusive negotiating period has been shortened to five days, so free agents can talk dollars only with their old teams until Sunday.  As always, MLB Trade Rumors will be your one-stop shop for all the signings, trades, and rumors.  Click here to see our list of free agents, including Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Adam Dunn, Adrian Beltre, Jayson Werth, Victor Martinez, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, and many more.

Last Year’s Non-Tenders

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Every year, non-tendered players provide teams with extra options for upside gambles and role players. This year's non-tender deadline is just over a month away, so let's take a look at last year's non-tenders:

Odds & Ends: Mets, Blue Jays, Wood, Jenks

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Congratulations to the 2010 World Champion San Francisco Giants! Here are your links as the celebration begins…

D’Backs Rumors: Konerko, LaRoche, Padres

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As soon as he took over in Arizona, GM Kevin Towers said he intended to improve the team's bullpen and bench. Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic hears that the D’Backs still plan to spend on those areas. Here are the details on the club's offseason plans:

  • Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago reported over the weekend that the D’Backs will pursue Paul Konerko, but Piecoro suggests a deal with Konerko “probably won’t happen.” The first baseman is in position to demand a lot of money and D’Backs people aren’t sure he can provide enough defense at first base.
  • Piecoro says it sounds like the D’Backs won’t pick up their part of the $7.5MM mutual option for Adam LaRoche this winter. That suggests that Towers is willing to pay a $1.5MM buyout instead.
  • Expect the D’Backs to add Padres executive Bill Bryk, who worked with Towers in San Diego.

Giants Don’t Intend To Trade Zito

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Giants GM Brian Sabean told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he does not intend to trade Barry Zito this offseason. The Giants owe the left-hander $64.5MM over the course of the next three years – a lot of money for someone who hasn’t pitched like a $20MM player. Zito struggled down the stretch and is not on the Giants’ World Series roster, but Sabean says he likes having him on the team.

"We like Barry's contribution as far as the innings he pitches and the starts he makes," Sabean said. 

Zito, who is in the fourth year of his seven-year $126MM deal, logged just under 200 innings this season. He posted a 4.25 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 overall, but pitched to a 6.14 ERA in August and September. Zito makes his starts, but it's not as if teams are lining up to acquire the former Cy Young Award winner. The Giants couldn't trade him without taking on $40MM or more.

Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and last night's hero, Madison Bumgarner, occupy four spots in San Francisco's rotation. Sabean said lefty reliever Dan Runzler may get the chance to start, according to Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse (on Twitter).

Recent Non-Tenders

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About a month from now, a new class of non-tenders will hit the free agent market. We've been breaking down the cases for and against tendering players contracts, but let's take a look at the players who were non-tendered from 2007-09.

This list doesn't have tons of predictive value, since some teams (like the one atop the list) now have new GMs and others have simply had bigger arbitration classes than others. That said, the results are still interesting:

Rangers Notes: Payroll, Lee, Washington

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The offseason isn't far away, so the Rangers are thinking ahead, even though they can continue their bid for a World Series title with a win against the Giants tonight. Here's the latest on the AL Champs:

  • GM Jon Daniels says the Rangers may be able to increase payroll next year, according to John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). The Rangers intend to bid on Cliff Lee, who won't come cheap, so it's not surprising to hear that the club has the flexibility to spend.
  • Yankees people are angry that Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg called Yankees fans "an embarrassment," according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Heyman says the Yankees will return fire after the World Series. The best way of retaliating would probably be to lure Lee to the Bronx if you ask me.
  • Daniels left no doubt that the Rangers will sign manager Ron Washington to a multi-year deal after the World Series, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter).

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