A Look Back At The First Week Of 2009
It's been a slow day for news and rumors, but if last year is any indication, we can expect an eventful coming week. Let's take a look back at the stories that dominated the hot stove a year ago, from January 1-7, 2009:
- Hard to believe it was only a year ago that Milton Bradley and the Cubs were putting the finishing touches on a three-year, $30MM contract. At the time, Bradley's health, as opposed to his personality or his production, was the biggest concern.
- Superstars Manny Ramirez and Jake Peavy dominated the rumor mill, as Ramirez considered contract offers and the Padres mulled trading their ace.
- Pat Burrell and the Rays agreed to a two-year deal worth $16MM. Like Bradley's contract, this one looks much worse now than it did then, though a strong 2010 from Pat the Bat would salvage some value for Tampa Bay.
- Let's add a couple more signings to the list of early 2009 moves that didn't work out as planned: The Athletics signed Jason Giambi to a one-year contract, while the Red Sox agreed to terms with John Smoltz.
- Earlier tonight, we suggested that a 2010 reunion for Johnny Damon and the Yankees doesn't appear likely. A year ago, it was Andy Pettitte who didn't seem likely to return to the Bronx, after the lefty rejected a contract offer from the team.
- Trevor Hoffman hadn't signed with the Brewers yet, but Milwaukee had emerged as the closer's top suitor, with the Dodgers also in the mix.
- Two pitchers that were on the market this winter were making headlines a year ago too. Jason Marquis was traded from the Cubs to the Rockies, while Carl Pavano signed a one-year deal with Cleveland.
- The Orioles signed Japanese import Koji Uehara to a two-year pact. Uehara was fairly effective in 12 starts for Baltimore before an elbow injury cut his rookie season short.
- The Reds signed Jerry Hairston Jr., who eventually won a World Series title later in the year with the Yankees.
With over 200 free agents still unsigned by our count, 2010 promises to kick off with plenty of hot stove action.
Discussion: Where Will Johnny Damon Land?
We've flipped the calendar to 2010 and Johnny Damon is one of baseball's most intriguing names that remains unsigned. Chuck Brownson at The Hardball Times pens an article today that asks why teams seem wary of signing the veteran outfielder. Brownson acknowledges Damon's oft-repeated shortcomings, including his below average arm and his questionable defense (-12.1 UZR/150 last season), but points out that the 36-year-old is still a dangerous offensive player and seems destined to be a bargain this winter.
The New York Yankees seemed like the logical fit for Damon heading into the offseason. After all, Damon was a significant part of the team's World Series run in 2009, and their park's short right field porch helped him match his career high in homers (24). The Yankees' search for a left fielder has them considering more affordable options than Damon though, and they've shown a reluctance so far this winter to deal out multi-year contracts (Damon is seeking at least two years).
So what are Damon's alternatives? The Rangers are looking to add a bat or two, but Damon may be a little too expensive for their liking. The Cardinals have the money and the outfield opening, though if they sign Matt Holliday they'll no longer be in the market for a left fielder. The Giants could sign another hitter and the Braves still have some leftover money from the Javier Vazquez trade, but would either National League team be comfortable paying Damon a sizable chunk of money to play in the outfield every day for the next two years? An American League team that could occasionally DH the 36-year-old might make more sense.
With Jason Bay having signed and Holliday potentially not far behind, the market for Damon could improve in the coming weeks. For now, it doesn't seem that many teams are interested, given his asking price. Where do you see Damon playing in 2010?
Multi-Year Deals So Far This Offseason
Here's a look at the multi-year deals teams handed out during the 2009 portion of the offseason. We're only including guaranteed multi-year deals for free agents. That means we're not counting one-year deals with club options (e.g. Juan Uribe), multi-year deals covering arbitration years (e.g. Chris Iannetta) or international free agents (e.g. Noel Arguelles). Here's the list of multi-year contracts so far:
- The Red Sox signed John Lackey to a five-year $82.5MM deal.
- The Mets agreed to sign Jason Bay to a four-year $66MM deal with a vesting option that could bring the value of the contract to $80MM.
- The Mariners signed Chone Figgins to a four-year $36MM deal.
- The Brewers signed Randy Wolf to a three-year $29.75MM deal with a club option for a fourth season.
- The Braves signed Tim Hudson to a three-year $28MM deal.
- The Angels signed Bobby Abreu to a two-year $19MM deal.
- The Phillies signed Placido Polanco to a three-year $18MM deal.
- The Red Sox signed Mike Cameron to a two-year $15.5MM deal.
- The Nationals signed Jason Marquis to a two-year $15MM deal.
- The Cubs signed Marlon Byrd to a three-year, $15MM deal.
- The Astros signed Brandon Lyon to a three-year $15MM deal.
- The Red Sox signed Marco Scutaro to a two-year $12.5MM deal.
- The Giants signed Mark DeRosa to a two-year $12MM deal.
- The Orioles signed Mike Gonzalez to a two-year $12MM deal.
- The Giants re-signed Freddy Sanchez to a two-year $12MM deal.
- The Angels signed Fernando Rodney to a two-year $11MM deal.
- The Mariners signed Jack Wilson to a two-year $10MM deal.
- The Cubs signed John Grabow to a two-year $7.5MM deal.
- The Brewers signed LaTroy Hawkins to a two-year $7.5MM deal.
- The Royals signed Jason Kendall to a two-year $6MM deal.
- The Nationals signed Ivan Rodriguez to a two-year $6MM deal.
- The Red Sox signed Tim Wakefield to a two-year $5MM deal.
- The Dodgers signed Jamey Carroll to a two-year $3.85MM deal.
- The Blue Jays signed John McDonald to a two-year $3MM deal.
- The Phillies signed Brian Schneider to a two-year $2.75MM deal.
- The Phillies signed Ross Gload to a two-year $2.6MM deal.
- The Phillies agreed to sign Danys Baez to a two-year deal worth an undisclosed amount.
So half of the teams in baseball have signed players to multi-year deals so far (for a total of 26 moves), but the Red Sox, Mets, Mariners, Brewers and Braves are the only teams to guarantee $20MM or more to a free agent so far this offseason. There's still lots of time, but the Yankees are noticeably absent from this list.
Lots of unsigned players are in position to command multi-year deals. Matt Holliday leads a group of free agents that also includes Adam LaRoche, Miguel Tejada, Adrian Beltre, Johnny Damon, Miguel Olivo, Bengie Molina, Rod Barajas, Yorvit Torrealba, Joel Pineiro, Jon Garland, Vicente Padilla and Jose Valverde.
Blue Jays Pursuing Aroldis Chapman
The Blue Jays are the latest team to enter the Aroldis Chapman sweepstakes, according to ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr.. They held a private workout for the Cuban left-hander in Florida yesterday morning and met with his representatives. The Hendricks brothers were in Florida, so Arangure Jr. wonders if Chapman may be close to signing with someone.
The Blue Jays were one of the many teams to watch Chapman work out in Houston last month. After the workout, Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos told fans on MLB.com that he was committed to adding amateur talent.
"We will be on top of every amateur player that is available," he said.
Odds & Ends: Byrd, Werth, Tigers, Brewers
Here's your first batch of links for 2010…
- Marlon Byrd signed with the Cubs partly because of hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Jaramillo worked with Byrd in Texas.
- The Marlins are willing to spend on Aroldis Chapman because they don't anticipate handing big bucks over to their first round pick next year, tweets MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. The Marlins have the 23rd overall pick in the draft.
- Jayson Werth is set to become a free agent after the 2010 season, and MLB.com's Todd Zolecki says he isn't sure the Phillies could retain him if he goes looking for a deal similar to what the Mets gave Jason Bay.
- Jason Beck of MLB.com says he'd be surprised if the Tigers didn't trade for a veteran reliever on a short-term contract to fill in at the back of the bullpen.
- Don't discount the idea of Brewers' GM Doug Melvin making another move to bolster his pitching staff, says Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Such a move could come before the season, or ahead of the trade deadline.
- MLB.com's Corey Brock notes that Padres' GM Jed Hoyer has talked about finding players that fit Petco Park, which would be "an athletic one, has doubles-power, someone who can run … if it's an outfielder, someone who can go get a ball, someone who won't clog the bases."
- The Rangers will bring in "at least one and possibly two" veteran catchers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. He notes that the team has talked about Rod Barajas and Yorvit Torrealba, but both are looking for two-year deals.
- In an interview with Dave O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chipper Jones says that he's told team officials he'll only change positions if the team brings in "the right personnel." Chipper also reiterated that he's going year-to-year at this point of his career, and admits there's parts of being a ballplayer that he's sick of.
- Here's the current 2010 draft order based on the free agent signings that are official. At the moment, the Angels have five of the first 37 picks.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pirates, Twins, Beltre, Giants
On New Year's Day 49 years ago, the stadium on the corner of Michigan Ave. and Trumbull Boulevard in Detroit was officially renamed Tiger Stadium. The then 49-year-old park had previously been known as Navin Field and Briggs Stadium. Tiger Stadium would serve as the home of Detroit's ball club until the 2000 season, and was demolished completely in 2009.
Here's a look at what's being written around the baseball blogosphere…
- Bucco Fans takes a look at what could have happened if the Pirates had kept their 2008 roster together.
- Twins Overlook runs down Minnesota's top seven prospects, led by outfielder Aaron Hicks.
- Meanwhile, Nick's Twins Blog examines the current state of the Twinkies' starting rotation.
- The Bottom Line looks at how signing Adrian Beltre could affect the big picture in Boston.
- DRaysBay compares Matt Joyce to Matt LaPorta, and finds that the gap between the two may not be as big as you think.
- Jorge Says No! looks at the potential risk and reward of the Mark DeRosa signing.
- El Lefty Malo guesses that the Giants will wait to see how Jonathan Sanchez's arbitration case turns out before deciding on whether or not to move a starter for a bat.
- Pinstripes Published suggests David DeJesus as a possible left field solution for the Yankees.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Angels Preparing Offer For Chapman?
Mark Saxon of ESPN Los Angeles says that the Angels "appear to be lining up an offer" for Cuban southpaw Aroldis Chapman. The Halos might have an advantage over other clubs in the Chapman sweepstakes because of first baseman Kendry Morales, who has become a good friend of the lefthander.
"Selfishly, we're a nice fit. It's hard to come over here, and Kendry gives him some idea of the pitfalls of the adjustment," Angels scouting director Eddie Bane said. "It's a fit, but who knows? It depends on the price."
So far only two teams have made an offer to Chapman (the Red Sox and Marlins), and Bane said that he doesn't "see a team like Oakland or Kansas City or someone like that getting him." We just learned about the A's interest in Chapman two days ago.