Konerko Open-Minded Entering Walk Year
Paul Konerko told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he's prepared to move on from the White Sox after the season and willing to listen if the team wants to discuss an extension.
Gary Sheffield’s Next Team
Gary Sheffield still wants to play. Actually, he wants to play a lot. Ten days ago, a source told MLB.com's Bill Ladson that Sheffield was still looking for an everyday job. But ask Jermaine Dye how easy it is for aging sluggers to find jobs these days. Dye is five years younger than Sheffield and hit 17 more homers last year, but he hasn't seen an offer he likes. It is not surprising to see the 41-year-old Sheffield unsigned at this point in the offseason.
- The Blue Jays have Jose Bautista and Randy Ruiz competing for at bats in the outfield and at DH, so the competition is not overwhelming. There's very little chance the rebuilding Jays could turn Sheffield into something valuable at the deadline (that applies to any club).
- The Rays already have one positionless player. Pat Burrell joins Matt Joyce, Fernando Perez, Gabe Kapler, Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez and Dan Johnson in pursuit of limited roster spots, so Sheffield doesn't appear to be a fit in Tampa.
- Like the Rays, the Red Sox, Indians, Royals, Angels, Rangers and A's have little need for an extra DH.
- The Marlins don't have much outfield depth after Chris Coghlan, Cameron Maybin and Cody Ross.
- The Cardinals and Astros have limited outfield depth, too.
- The Nationals have been adding veterans all offseason long, but they have enough outfielders already.
There doesn't appear to be an everyday job out there for Sheffield. At this point, it appears likely that he'll have to retire, wait for someone to get injured, or accept a minor league deal and a limited role.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Adrian, Howard, Jeter
A year ago today, the Giants renewed reigning Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum's contract for $650K. One year and a second Cy Young later, San Francisco bought out Lincecum's first two years of arbitration eligibility for $23MM. I'm sure they enjoyed paying him just six figures while it lasted.
Let's take a look at what's being written around the baseball blogosphere…
- The Friarhood looks at what some other teams could offer the Padres in exchange for Adrian Gonzalez.
- Crashburn Alley breaks down the possibility of the Phillies trading Ryan Howard so they could re-sign Jayson Werth.
- Meanwhile, TAUNTR thinks it's going to be tough for the Phillies to retain their right fielder.
- Statistician Magician says that letting Derek Jeter walk is an option for the Yankees.
- Mets Paradise takes a look at the Mets' catching situation with Rod Barajas now on board.
- More Hardball constructed a 25-man roster out of players that were signed to minor league contracts this offseason.
- River Ave. Blues wonders what CC Sabathia will do with his opt-out clause following the 2011 season.
- Baseball Bloggers Alliance challenges readers to put together Toronto's 25-man roster.
- The Sports Banter ranks each team's offseason, with two AL East powers leading the way.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Dodgers Notes: Ramirez, Belliard, Belisario
Some quick hits about L.A.'s blue team…
- Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported that Manny Ramirez said he would play three more years in the majors and then two years in Japan. This came just a day after Ramirez hinted that 2010 would probably be his last year with the Dodgers and possibly his last year in baseball altogether. At this point, Ramirez could announce that he wants to play for Mr. Burns' softball team and nobody would bat an eye.
- Hernandez also reported that infielder Ronnie Belliard estimated his weight at "210 or 211 pounds" upon his arrival at the Dodgers' spring camp. If Belliard weighs in at 209 pounds or less at any point during the spring, the $825K contract he signed last month will become guaranteed.
- MLB.com's Ken Gurnick says that reliever Ronald Belisario hasn't arrived to spring training yet due to a visa problem in his native Venezuela. It shouldn't be a major issue (Hernandez tweeted earlier today that the pitcher is expected this week), but Gurnick noted that if Belisario is held up for too long past L.A.'s March 5 preseason opener, the Dodgers couldn't send him down to the minors without risking losing him to a waiver claim since Belisario is out of options.
- In a separate piece, Gurnick talks to Brian Giles, who is looking at his minor-league deal with the Dodgers as his "last shot" to see if he's healthy enough to continue playing.
Discussion: Kiko Calero
A 1.95 ERA sure doesn't go as far as it once did. Veteran reliever Kiko Calero posted that career-low mark in 67 appearances for the Marlins last year, as well as an impressive 10.4 K/9 ratio. With those numbers, a career ERA+ of 132 and a history of dominance against right-handed hitting (RHB have hit just .202/.266/.312 against Calero in his career), you would've thought that the 35-year-old had set himself up for a decent free agent contract this winter.
Instead, teams have opened their spring training camps and Calero (a Type B free agent) is still without a new address. He has been connected to a few clubs, but hasn't signed for a variety of reasons…
- Florida, who signed Calero to a minor-league deal for $500K in January 2009, didn't offer salary arbitration to the right-hander and haven't pushed hard to bring him back. MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweeted that the chances of Calero returning to the Marlins "are very slim" since the Fish are worried about Calero's injury history. The reliever tore his right rotator cuff in 2008 and also missed a few weeks of action last season with shoulder problems.
- These arm problems may have also scared off the Cubs, who were talking to Calero last month. Chicago only wanted to give Calero a one-year contract, while the reliever was looking for two years. The Cubs have been looking for bullpen help all winter and might be well served to revisit negotiations with Calero given right-hander Angel Guzman's most recent injury woes.
- San Francisco made an offer to Calero that CSNBayArea.com's Mychael Urban guessed was probably a one-year deal plus an option. But that news broke over a month ago, and the Giants have since announced that they had finished their winter shopping.
So if these teams are out of the running, who's left? One intriguing destination is St. Louis. Calero broke into the majors with the Cardinals, posting a 2.80 ERA in 67 appearances with the Redbirds in 2003 and 2004 before being shipped to Oakland in the Mark Mulder trade. Erik Manning of Fangraphs points out that the Cards' bullpen is the "one potential Achilles heel" on a team that should dominate the NL Central, and finds it "surprising" that there have been no whispers about the Cardinals bringing Calero back.
If the righty performs as he did in 2009, he would provide a big boost to whatever team takes the plunge and signs him. For Calero's part, he might have to recognize the reality of the market and accept a one-year deal or a contract similar to the Giants' reported offer rather than hold out for a multi-year commitment. After all, not every reliever can be as lucky as Brandon Lyon.
Odds & Ends: Beckett, Jones, Cust, Cubs
A roundup of some news on this Thursday night…
- In an interview on CSNNE's Sports Tonight show, Josh Beckett said he would "probably not" negotiate with the Red Sox about a new contract once the season begins. WEEI's Rob Bradford reports on Beckett's appearance here.
- Bobby Cox thinks Chipper Jones will play out the final three years on his contract, reports David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jones was hinting at retirement last fall in the wake of his disappointing (for him) 2009 campaign, but thus far in spring training, O'Brien reports that Jones has been nothing but enthusiastic about Atlanta's chances this season.
- In an interview with Jane Lee of MLB.com, Jack Cust confirms what we all thought about this winter's crop of free agents at outfield and DH: "it just wasn't a very good market unless you're Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. Even for those guys, I don't think the interest level was as high as they may have thought it to be. Unless you're one of those big dudes, you take what you can get."
- Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com says that the Cubs have some interest in Luke Gregerson and/or Jason Frasor.
- Jon Paul Morosi tweets that there is "not much new" going on with the negotiations between Joe Mauer and the Twins.
- MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reports that Alex Rodriguez offered Johnny Damon some free agency advice this winter. Oh, so THAT's why it took so long for Damon to sign…
- We had heard about Toronto's possible interest in Jose Julio Ruiz, and MLB.com's Jordan Bastian now reports that the Jays may be looking at another Cuban prospect: Adeiny Hechevarria.
- Dick Kaegel of MLB.com reports that the Royals agreed to terms with Josh Fields and Kila Ka'aihue on one-year contracts. Terms were not disclosed, but Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweeted that neither deal is expected to exceed $500K.
Nationals Sign Rafael Martin
Washington has purchased the contract of right-handed reliever Rafael Martin from his Mexican League team, Saltillo. ESPN's Jorge Arangure was the first to break the news (via Twitter), and said the Nationals "agreed to terms" with Martin for a deal worth $450K a "couple weeks ago." MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweeted that Martin just passed his physical today, which may have been the reason for the delay in announcing the move.
Martin, 26, posted a 4.12 ERA in 63 1/3 innings for Saltillo last season and recorded 65 strikeouts. Ladson reported that Martin will start the season in Double or Triple-A, and that the Nats see the reliever as a possible set-up man behind Drew Storen. Ladson also said the Mariners and Yankees had been interested in acquiring Martin.
Berkman May Leave Astros If Option Is Declined
THURSDAY, 5:00pm: Astros owner Drayton McLane told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart that they'll focus on Berkman's situation "during the season or the latter part of the season." McLane also noted that Berkman and Roy Oswalt are the heartbeat of the Astros.
WEDNESDAY, 4:26pm: Bernando Fallas of the Houston Chronicle talked to Astros first baseman Lance Berkman, who is prepared to move on after the season if his $15MM club option is declined. Said Berkman:
"If they don’t pick it up, I'll probably take my ball and go home. If they don’t pick up my option, then to me that says they may like me to come back at a discount but they don't really want me. If that's the case, then I'll just see what else is out there."
Berkman, 34, didn't rule out retirement, but said he's likely to keep playing. GM Ed Wade essentially must decide if he wants Berkman on a one-year, $13MM deal, since his buyout costs $2MM. Berkman is coming off a fine .274/.399/.509 line in a season some considered an off-year. The 2011 free agent market could feature a few other big-name first basemen in Adam Dunn, Derrek Lee, and Carlos Pena.
Crawford Extension Talks Tabled Until End Of Season
Contract extension talks between Carl Crawford's agent Brian Peters and the Rays have been tabled until after the season, reports Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Said Peters:
"We had an opportunity to exchange ideas with the club about a contract extension for Carl and it was clear to all of us that an immediate agreement was not going to materialize. Thus, we all agreed to table discussions until the end of the year. We'd like to minimize distractions for Carl and the club and keep the focus on baseball, so we don’t plan to comment upon Carl's contract status again until after the season."
Crawford reiterated that he'd love to stay. However, Topkin estimates a five-year deal in the $75MM range, and doesn't think the Rays can afford it. They'd probably have to commit around a quarter of their payroll to retain Crawford. On the open market, I can see Crawford getting a sixth guaranteed year. He won't turn 29 until August. My guess is that the Rays will not trade Crawford midseason, but will take two draft picks when he signs elsewhere.
Odds & Ends: Munson, Ranaudo, Sheets
Links for Thursday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Dan Hayes of the North County Times tweets that the Padres signed Eric Munson to a minor league deal. Munson, 32, hit .265/.362/.450 in Triple A last year while catching 73 games.
- Potential high 2010 draft pick Anthony Ranaudo, a righty at LSU, will miss a start Friday due to elbow discomfort according to Baseball America's Aaron Fitt.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick looks at the mentor role Ben Sheets will play for the Oakland pitching staff.
- Maury Brown of The Biz of Baseball reports that despite a decrease in attendance, MLB revenue reached a record $6.6 billion in 2009.
- J.D. Drew feels that he's been worth the $42MM he's been paid so far by the Red Sox over the 2007-09 seasons, reports Steve Buckley of the Boston Herald.