Poll: Best Free Agent Hitter Signed Last Winter
Matt Holliday and Jason Bay got the attention and, eventually, the money. But many unheralded signings have turned into great ones. Halfway through the 2010 season, it's time to take a look at how some hitters are doing and determine the answer to the following question:
Which one of the hitters signed last winter has had the biggest impact so far this year?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.
Red Sox Have Not Talked Extension With V-Mart
The Red Sox have not approached Victor Martinez about an extension, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The catcher, who is now on the disabled list with a broken left thumb, becomes a free agent after the season. It isn’t clear whether the Red Sox would want Martinez to catch, play first or DH, but it doesn’t matter to V-Mart.
“I let them know very early in the season I’d like to play here and come back here, but the future is in their hands,’’ he said.
Martinez has impressed the Red Sox with his efforts to improve as a defensive catcher, but he says he would play anywhere on the diamond. Martinez split time between first and catcher in Boston last year, but has been the team’s primary catcher in 2010, throwing out 19% of would-be base stealers.
The 31-year-old has more impressive offensive numbers. Martinez had a .289/.344/.480 line before his trip to the DL. Those numbers won’t be enough to match Joe Mauer’s $184MM deal, but V-Mart was never going to approach Mauer’s record-setting deal. Instead, he could aim to sign a four or five-year deal in the $50MM range, as Jorge Posada has done more than once.
Odds & Ends: Phillies, Orioles, Nats, Rangers, Lowell
Monday night linkage..
- Using MLBTR's reverse engineered Elias Rankings, Jack Moore of Fangraphs writes that Ted Lilly and Felipe Lopez are two Type A free agents to keep an eye on in the National League.
- R.J. Anderson of Fangraphs sees Kelly Johnson and Jose Lopez as potential fits for the Phillies.
- Buck Showalter told Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun that he has not yet been offered the O's managerial position.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson expects the Nationals to be buyers at the Trade Deadline.
- Chuck Greenberg's group has waived their exclusive right to purchase the Rangers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. The lenders who hold the debt on Hicks Sports Group believe that there are other potential buyers out there who would pay more for the club.
- Brian MacPherson of The Providence Journal wonders if Mike Lowell might consider retiring before the end of the season. If he were to retire now, the veteran would be leaving more than $5MM on the table.
Cliff Lee Rumors: Monday
Yesterday Cliff Lee had another dominant outing and the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals and Phillies had scouts in Detroit to watch it. We'll keep track of all the day's Cliff Lee rumors right here, so check back later in the day to see if we have moved this post back to the top of the page with updates.
- The Twins aren't close to a deal for Lee, a team source tells LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
- The Twins have offered outfielder Aaron Hicks and catcher Wilson Ramos for Lee, a major league source told Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse (via Twitter).
- There are "interesting discussions" and "possibilities" for a Lee-to-Minnesota deal, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
- The Reds have talked to the Mariners about Lee, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. While tampering rules prevent GM Walt Jocketty from commenting on Lee in particular, Fay believes that his words infer that the 2008 AL Cy Young winner would be a player of interest.
“I will say this: We’re looking at any way we can to improve the club,” said the GM. “To improve the club, it would have to be a pretty significant player to do that. We have a lot of good things going. We don’t want to disrupt that.”
Fay writes that it will take more than Yonder Alonso, a trade candidate mentioned by ESPN's Buster Olney over the weekend, to land Lee. Edinson Volquez's performance upon his return will also have an impact on the Reds' interest in making a deal.
- The Rangers, Twins, Yankees and Mets are among the teams having the most active conversations with the Mariners about Lee, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Dodgers have also discussed the left-hander with the Mariners.
- The Tigers, Phillies and Cardinals have been scouting Lee, but those teams are not pursuing him as aggressively.
- Some of Morosi's sources believe the Mariners would rather obtain hitters than pitchers, while others don't believe position matters to GM Jack Zduriencik. There is consensus that the Mariners prefer prospects who are close to contributing in the major leagues.
Padres Drawing Interest In Gallagher
A "handful" of teams have called the Padres to discuss trading for pitcher Sean Gallagher, a team source told Dan Hayes of the North County Times. San Diego DFA'd the 24-year-old on Thursday in order to activate Tim Stauffer.
In 15 relief appearances for the Padres this season, Gallagher posted a 5.40 ERA with 8.1 K/9 and 7.3 BB/9. While he assumed a long relief role for the big league squad, he has served mostly as a starter in the minors.
One baseball source told Hayes that the righty still has value because of the "buzz from his prospect days". In 2008, Baseball America ranked Gallagher, then a member of the Cubs organization, the 82nd best prospect in the minors.
Rays Sign Brian Shouse
The Rays have signed reliever Brian Shouse to a minor league deal, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (via Twitter). Shouse will rehab his injured knee with the club's affiliate in the Gulf Coast League.
In 45 appearances for the Rays in 2009, the 41-year-old posted a 4.50 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9.
The lefty was released by the Red Sox in March, months after signing a deal that would have paid him $800K had he made the big league roster.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Red Sox, Werth, Gonzalez
Exactly one year ago, the Marlins signed Brendan Donnelly and the A's traded for Scott Hairston. Here are some links to check out today…
- Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News doesn't expect to see the Giants and Brewers strike a deal in the coming days.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean and one of his top evaluators, Lee Elder, may have been scouting Brewers players at today's Giants-Brewers game, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Schulman lists Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, and Ryan Braun as potential targets.
- There are scouts from 14 different clubs at tonight's Red Sox-Rays game, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- A scout told Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter) that the inconsistent delivery of recently DFA'd Sean Gallagher is "disappointing". The righty has been with three clubs in four big league seasons.
- Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs argues that Jayson Werth would have a whole lot of trade value if the Phillies made him available.
- The Pirates agreed to terms with six international 16-year-olds, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- The Brewers' approach to the trade deadline could depend on the outcome of the meetings the team's scouts are having this week, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Four GMs predicted to Peter Gammons that Carlos Gonzalez will be one of the NL's ten best players next year (Twitter link).
- Rival scouts tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that they rank Matt Thornton as one of the game's top ten relievers.
- Jack Moore of FanGraphs takes our latest Elias rankings and examines what they mean for Carl Pavano and Adrian Beltre.
- Omar Infante thought he had been traded when Braves GM Frank Wren phoned to tell him he had made the All-Star team, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Mets May Have Difficulty Adding Payroll
One of the Mets' debt covenants states that the team's payroll cannot increase, sources told Josh Kosman of the New York Post. Kosman writes that given their current financial state, the Mets may not be able to go after the ace that they seek at the Trade Deadline.
There is mounting evidence that suggests that the club, saddled with roughly $700MM in debt, is not turning a profit. The Wilpon family continues to feel the sting of the Bernie Madoff-perpetuated Ponzi scheme, which cost them "hundreds of millions". Sources say that the team is losing about $10MM per season when factoring in interest payments and depreciation.
Unsurprisingly, sources also told the Post that Fred Wilpon will ultimately have to sell his beloved franchise if things do not turn around.
Rangers May Look Internally To Improve Rotation
Texas will look to improve their starting five from within, writes MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Even though the club has the minor league talent to make a deal at the deadline, their financial situation could very well prove to be an impediment.
The Rangers are looking forward to Rich Harden and Derek Holland rejoining the rotation. Harden is on the disabled list with a strained back muscle and is scheduled to throw live batting practice tomorrow. Holland, who is dealing with inflammation in his left shoulder and a sprained right knee, could be close to throwing live batting practice as well. Both hurlers could be back in action before the Trade Deadline.
General Manager Jon Daniels says that even though he has his "finger on the pulse" of the trade market, he wants to see how the two look before looking to deal for an arm:
"We're very focused on improving the rotation internally right now," Daniels said earlier today. "From a health standpoint we've got a couple of guys that we'd like to get back after the All-Star break. A lot depends on how both proceed this week."
Cliff Lee continues to be atop the Rangers' wish list and Roy Oswalt's name has come up frequently. However, Texas may be content to just stick with cards that they have.
Kevin Millwood Is “Off The Block”
Kevin Millwood's underwhelming performance in recent starts coupled with injury rumors have resulted in the hurler being taken "off the block", according to Britt Ghiroli of MLB.com (via Twitter). Ghiroli theorized that Millwood could be injured after he lasted just one inning and allowed five runs in today's start against the Tigers.
The veteran pitcher's value was already plummeting after a dreadful June. Millwood posted an 8.82 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in six starts. His latest outing gives him an ERA above ten in his last seven starts.
The Mets were linked to the 35-year-old for quite some time but are said to no longer have him on their radar. Other teams, such as the Cardinals, have considered Millwood, though his $12MM salary is a sticking point.