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Archives for September 2010

Red Sox Prepared To Pick Up Ortiz’s Option

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David Ortiz hasn’t heard from the Red Sox about an extension, but the team is prepared to pick up the slugger’s 2011 option, a source told Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. Ortiz has said all year that he wants to return to Boston and would like an extension; so far, the Red Sox have not given Big Papi any indication that they’re going to offer a multi-year deal.

The Red Sox can bring the 34-year-old back for $12.5MM by exercising his 2011 option. They’ll surely be tempted to retain Ortiz for another season, since he has 28 homers and .262/.365/.528 line despite another awful start.

Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero, Carlos Pena, Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko are just a few of the first base/DH types that will surface in this offseason’s free agent class. The Red Sox would have alternatives if they turn down Ortiz’s option, but they seem ready to spend $12.5MM to keep Big Papi around. 

Odds & Ends: Garrison, Red Sox, Werth, Cubs, Burnett

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Labor Day linkage..

  • Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter) thinks that the Padres would like to keep Steve Garrison, who they DFA'd earlier today.  The lefty was protected by the club last winter.
  • Having Lars Anderson and Anthony Rizzo waiting in the wings won't necessarily preclude Boston from retaining Adrian Beltre and/or Victor Martinez, says Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (via Twitter).
  • Jerry Crasnick of ESPN tweets that he's hearing a lot of speculation about Jayson Werth taking Scott Boras on as his agent.  However, he also tweets that players tend to follow their teammates and he may be drawn to Arn Tellem as the agent secured Chase Utley's seven-year, $85MM deal with the Phillies.
  • It may be time for the Cardinals and manager Tony La Russa to part ways, writes Scott Miller of CBSSports.com.
  • A recent move by Cubs manager Mike Quade may have scored points with GM Jim Hendry, opines Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
  • Jayson Stark of ESPN (via Twitter) wonders aloud when A.J. Burnett will rank as a "full-fledged crisis" for the Yankees.  Burnett is set to earn $16.5MM each season until 2013.
  • It will be an active offseason for Boston, tweets Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com.

Padres Designate Steve Garrison For Assignment

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The Padres have designated Steve Garrison for assignment, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com.  The move was made in order to create space for outfielder Mike Baxter.

The lefty, who will turn 24 on Sunday, was acquired by the Padres from Milwaukee in a package for Scott Linebrink back in July of 2007.  Garrison got knocked around in five Triple-A starts this season but has a career 4.05 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 at the Double-A level. 

Baldelli Plans To Continue Playing

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In yesterday's game against the Orioles, Rocco Baldelli belted a two-run pinch hit homer in the seventh inning in his first big league swing of the season.  Prior to signing a minor league deal with the Rays, Baldelli worked with the club as a special assistant.  Now that he's back in the majors, he has no immediate plans to return to coaching, writes Ben Shpigel of the New York Times.

“I like playing; I don’t know what else I would do,” Baldelli said. “I have some ideas. What I did earlier this year was definitely pretty nice, but there’s nothing better than playing. Coming out here every day, it’s something that I’ve done the last ten years of my life and it’s not something I’m going to let go of easily," said the soon-to-be 29-year-old.

The right-handed hitter spent 2009 with Boston, posting a slash line of .253/.311/.433 in 164 plate appearances.

Poll: Manny Ramirez’s Next Contract

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Last week, ESPN's Buster Olney opined that a team interested in Manny Ramirez this offseason should present him with an incentive-laden contract to ensure that he will maintain his focus.  Olney suggests a base salary of $800K to $1MM with incentives based on plate appearances.

While major league GMs likely wouldn't object to such a deal, one has to imagine that Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, would.  As Tim Dierkes pointed out, last winter Boras was able to land $3.3MM and $2MM guarantees for Xavier Nady and Alex Cora, respectively.  After coming off of a two-year, $45MM deal, it's probable that Ramirez can fetch a higher guaranteed salary on the open market.

However, Ramirez has now left two baseball towns on a sour note twice in recent years.  Ramirez's struggles in the outfield and advanced age also mean that he's likely to remain in the American League as a designated hitter.  Ramirez, who has a career UZR/150 of -20.0 in the outfield, told Dodgers skipper Joe Torre that he feels that he belongs in the AL before his departure to Chicago.  In essence, this probably cuts the slugger's list of prospective suitors in half; minus one if you want to nix Boston from the group.  

While Olney's idea was a suggestion and not necessarily a prediction, it does raise the question of whether Ramirez might be forced to take on that type of deal.  Rather than $1MM, we'll set the over/under a little bit higher.

Will Ramirez end up taking a one-year deal with a base of less than $3MM?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Pirates To Designate Iwamura & Kratz

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The Pirates will designate Akinori Iwamura and Erik Kratz for assignment tomorrow, the team announced this afternoon. In related moves, Pittsburgh will recall Pedro Ciriaco, Jason Jaramillo, Brad Lincoln and Justin Thomas and select the contracts of Alex Presley, Brandon Moss, Brian Bass and Steven Jackson.

The Pirates, who traded for Iwamura last offseason, have already designated the infielder for assignment once in 2010. Pittsburgh reportedly tried to find a trade partner, but ultimately kept Iwamura and demoted him to the minor leagues. The 31-year-old hit .265/.403/.395 at Triple A Indianapolis – much better than the .182/.292/.267 line he posted in 193 big league plate appearances this year.

Kratz, 30, debuted in the major leagues this summer after a decade in the minors. His minor league numbers suggest he has some pop and patience, but Kratz collected just four singles and two walks in 36 big league plate appearances.

Poll: Derek Jeter’s Next Contract

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Derek Jeter will presumably re-sign with the Yankees this winter and even though he's having a down-year by his lofty standards, the Yankees don't intend to "play hardball" when their shortstop hits free agency this winter, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Understandably, they'd prefer not to bicker with their captain and are prepared to pay him.

Jeter has a .264/.331/.372 line in 2010. It's acceptable for a durable shortstop, but he has never posted lower batting, on base, or slugging averages in a full season. The stats aren't there this year, but Jeter did have an excellent season at the plate in 2009. The 36-year-old is 103 hits away from reaching 3,000 for his career and provides the Yankees with value as an iconic, marketable player. Let's make some predictions:

How much guaranteed money will Derek Jeter sign for?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Paul Konerko

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Paul Konerko's season has him all over the American League leaderboard and on the fringes of the MVP conversation. The 34-year-old has already homered 33 times and he ranks fourth in the league in slugging percentage (.582) and sixth in the league in on base average (.397). Jose Bautista is the only American Leaguer with more home runs than Konerko, who is setting himself up for his next contract.

The Red Sox, Orioles, Blue Jays, White Sox and Nationals could all have some level of interest this winter, but those clubs will be able to turn to the likes of Carlos Pena, Adam LaRoche and Adam Dunn if they don't like Konerko's asking price.

Dunn has similar numbers to Konerko and is reportedly seeking a three or four-year deal. Two winters ago, when Dunn was negotiating his current contract, he had to lower his demands. He eventually signed for $20MM over two years, though he was coming off a season in which he hit 40 homers and posted an .898 OPS. Dunn's reputation as a poor defender hurt him then and will likely limit his value again this winter. UZR has generally ranked Konerko as an average defender, though the metric suggests his fielding has been poor in 2010. 

Konerko's age (he turns 35 in Spring Training 2011) will likely make teams reluctant to commit to him for more than two seasons. Though Konerko has generally been healthy this season, he recently missed games with lower back stiffness. He can hit for power, but a number of similarly skilled DHs and first basemen will hit free agency along with Konerko this winter. If the first baseman is a Type A free agent after the season, as expected, and he turns down an offer of arbitration from the White Sox, teams would have to give up a draft pick to sign him, which could reduce interest.

Despite his age, Konerko is having his best season in years. Other players aren't as reliable as the 14-year veteran, who has hit fewer than 27 homers just two times in the last decade. That kind of consistency will allow Konerko to ask for a multi-year deal with a significant base salary. A two-year contract worth $20MM or so seems reasonable at this point.

Rosenthal On Jeter, Werth, Cardinals, Reds

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Derek Jeter’s .264/.331/.372 batting line is remarkably similar to Marco Scutaro’s .271/.331/.372 line, as Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out. Scutaro’s a quality major league player, but the two-year $12.5MM deal he signed as a free agent last winter pales in comparison to the kind of contract Jeter seems likely to sign when he hits the open market after the season. Here’s Rosenthal’s Jeter update, plus other notes from around the majors:

  • Yankees officials do not plan to “play hardball” with Jeter this winter.  MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes suggested in May that $30MM over three years could be reasonable, but the Yankees don’t want to lowball their captain.
  • One GM who may have interest in signing Jayson Werth this offseason has doubts about the outfielder’s ability to hit in a less imposing lineup.
  • Cardinals manager Tony La Russa told Rosenthal that St. Louis made multiple waiver claims on hitters last month, though they “went nowhere.”
  • The Reds and Dusty Baker have exchanged ideas since the Reds offered Baker a one-year extension with no raise, according to Rosenthal. 

Rangers Designate Alex Cora For Assignment

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The Rangers designated infielder Alex Cora for assignment to create roster space for Esteban German. The Rangers signed Cora last month after the Mets released him, but the 34-year-old played in just four games for Texas, batting only seven times (he singled twice). 

German, 32, has not yet appeared in the majors this season, though he is an eight-year major league veteran. He posted a .280/.371/.388 line at Triple A this year, spending most of his time at short, second and third. The utilityman also played left and center, though the Rangers presumably intend to use German on the infield.

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