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Archives for October 2010

Odds & Ends: Boras, Antonetti, Girardi, Cubs

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Links for Friday, as Josh Hamilton and the Rangers rest before trying to make up ground against the Giants. Incidentally, it was nine years ago today that the Rangers signed Edinson Volquez, the player they later flipped to Cincinnati for Hamilton…

  • The Phillies contacted Scott Boras about Jayson Werth this week, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. At this point, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says "There's really not much to say" about possible negotiations with the free agent right fielder. 
  • Bill Lubinger of the Cleveland Plain Dealer offers up a must-read profile of Indians GM Chris Antonetti. Pirates GM Neal Huntington says Antonetti is similar to former GM Mark Shapiro – to an extent. “I would say Chris is going to seek out maybe more opinions and he's going to be more inclusive," Huntington said. "Mark will seek out the opinions that he thinks are more crucial to the decision. Chris may get outside that narrow circle a little bit more than Mark."
  • We heard lots of buzz about Joe Girardi and the Cubs, but the manager says he "didn't really think about leaving the Yankees," according to Marc Carig of the Star-Ledger (on Twitter). The skipper agreed to a three-year extension yesterday.
  • The Cubs selected catcher Robinson Chirinos from Double-A and outrighted Jim Adduci to Triple-A and off of the 40-man roster.
  • Former Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi wants to get back into baseball operations and has been in contact with the Red Sox about working for them, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. We heard yesterday that Sandy Alderson contacted Ricciardi about joining the Mets.

Some Movement For Marlins, Uggla

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Agent Terry Bross told Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post that there has been some “movement” in negotiations with the Marlins about a long-term deal for Dan Uggla. The second baseman, who is one year away from free agency, seeks a five-year deal and the Marlins had been offering a three-year extension worth roughly $24MM.

Though Bross didn’t say as much, the “movement” could mean the Marlins offered a four-year deal. Earlier in the week, Marlins president David Samson told Capozzi that the team is “definitely” discussing a deal with Uggla and hopes to work something out. 

Uggla, 30, hit 32 homers in 2010, reaching the 30-homer mark for the fourth consecutive season and posting the highest OPS of his career. He earned $7.8MM and is headed for an arbitration raise that could place his 2011 salary at $10MM or so. I suggested a month ago that a three-year $24MM deal would not be fair for someone as accomplished and close to free agency as Uggla.

Alderson On Free Agents, Manager, Castillo, Perez

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The Mets officially announced that they signed Sandy Alderson to a four-year deal with a club option for 2015 and there's no question that the new GM definitely has his backers. Commissioner Bud Selig told Chris Russo of SIRIUS XM Radio that “the fans of the Mets ought to be very happy” with the team's choice. J.P. Ricciardi and Kevin Towers tell Joel Sherman of the New York Post that Alderson has earned their admiration and respect over the years. So what is Alderson himself saying about the Mets? Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog has the latest from this afternoon's news conference:

  • It doesn't seem like the Mets will spend big on free agents, as they have in recent offseasons. “Will we be aggressive in the free agent market this year?  Not likely,” Alderson said.
  • Alderson says “the manager is a critical part of the overall leadership structure” who has to be analytical. That doesn't mean Alderson will hire someone bland, though. He pointed out that he has worked with fiery skippers like Billy Martin before.
  • The manager he selects may or may not have previous managerial experience in the majors.
  • Alderson sidestepped a question about the future of Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, saying the team must "be careful about writing off any player or any asset … without thinking about it carefully.”

Amateur Signing Bonuses: Twins

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Time to take our amateur signing bonus series to the Land of 10,000 Lakes…

  1. Joe Mauer, $5.15MM (2001)
  2. Miguel Sano, $3.15MM (2009)
  3. B.J. Garbe, $2.75MM (1999)
  4. Adam Johnson, $2.5MM (2000)
  5. Ryan Mills, $2MM (1998)

It's funny looking back at it now, but the Mauer vs. Mark Prior debate was huge back before the 2001 draft. Both were legitimate first overall talents, but Prior was considered more of a sure thing and certainly closer to the big leagues. The Twins opted for the hometown kid with that first pick, and all he's done is develop into one of the two or three best players on the planet. Mauer debuted in 2004 as a 21-year-old and hit .308/.369/.570 in 122 plate appearances, though knee issues dampened his coming out party. He returned the next year fully healthy and hasn't stopped hitting since. Minnesota's franchise player is a .327/.407/.481 career hitter with four All Star appearances, three batting titles, and an MVP to credit. I'd say they got their $5.15MM worth.

The Twins faced heavy competition for Sano last year, most notably from the Pirates, but they were able to sign him to that huge bonus in December. He turned just 17 this past May, hitting .307/.379/.491 in 241 rookie ball plate appearances this season, his pro debut.

Garbe, Johnson, and Mills were all high-priced busts. Garbe, the fifth overall pick in '99, hit just .231/.314/.311 in more than five-plus seasons in the Twins' farm system, eventually getting traded to the Mariners for Pat Borders in August 2004. He's been out of baseball since 2006. Johnson was the second overall pick in '00 and managed to reach the big leagues with Minnesota for all of 26.1 innings (10.25 ERA) in 2001 and 2003. His minor league career consists of a 5.02 ERA in 747.1 innings, and he wound up in an independent league after the Twins released him in January 2005. Mills, taken sixth overall in '98, posted a 5.79 ERA in 480.1 minor league innings and never reached the big leagues. He's been out of baseball since becoming a minor league free agent after the 2004 season.

MLBTR Looking For Writers

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Would you like to join the MLB Trade Rumors team? We are considering adding a writer. The position pays on an hourly basis. The criteria:

  • Knowledge of all 30 baseball teams, no discernible bias. Knowledge of hot stove concepts like arbitration and free agent compensation.
  • Writing experience is necessary and online writing experience is preferred.
  • Attention to detail – absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.  Ability to follow the MLBTR style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs.  We need the best of both worlds: quick writing with thoughtful analysis.  You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers, or links to other relevant articles.
  • Ability to use an RSS feed reader such as Google Reader.  Ability to use Twitter.  Both of these are crucial.
  • Strong evening availability – typically 5-10pm CDT shifts.  
  • If you're interested, email mlbtrhelp@gmail.com and take a couple paragraphs to explain how you stand out. Hundreds will likely apply, so we cannot respond to most applications.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Braves, Rangers, Rays, Haren

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The Phillies won their second World Series in franchise history two years ago today, beating the Rays in the first suspended game in series history. Game Five started on October 27th, 2008, and the two clubs played to a 2-2 tie through the first five and a half innings before rain forced the suspension. The game didn't resume until October 29th due to the weather, but when it finallly did the Phillies outscored Tampa 2-1 the rest of the way for a 4-3 final score.

There's no weather-related delay for these links; here's the best from around the web this week…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Twins Pick Up Kubel’s Option, Decline Punto’s

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The Twins exercised Jason Kubel's $5.25MM option for 2011 and turned down Nick Punto's $5MM option, according to MLB.com's Kelly Thesier (on Twitter).

Kubel posted a .249/.323/.427 line this year and his lowest OPS since 2006. He hit 21 homers, spending most of his time at right field and DH. The 28-year-old would have been a Type A free agent, so Minnesota could have obtained draft picks if Kubel had turned down arbitration to sign elsewhere. As we predicted in August, the Twins chose to retain Kubel for another season.

Punto, 33 next month, batted .238/.313/.302 in 288 plate appearances and played short, second and third. As Thesier pointed out earlier this month, the Twins were not expected to pick up Punto's option. He is not a ranked free agent, so the Twins won't get compensation picks if they offer arbitration and he signs elsewhere. An offer of arbitration for Punto seems extremely unlikely. 

Poll: Ozzie Or Stanton

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Ozzie Guillen for Mike Stanton? It's not as outlandish as it sounds. There was some discussion about a trade that would have sent the White Sox manager to Florida for the young Marlins slugger, according to Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times.

Stanton entered the year as the third-best prospect in the game, according to Baseball America. He hit .313/.442/.729 in the minors with 21 homers and followed that up with 22 more long balls and a .259/.326/.507 line in the majors. He's just 20 years old and he's under team control through 2016. They don't come much cheaper or much more powerful than Stanton.

Guillen wouldn't be easy to replace, either. He's charismatic, energetic and vocal – sometimes opinionated enough to make the White Sox uncomfortable. Chicago won the 2005 World Series title under Guillen and the team has a 600-535 regular season record since he took over.

Even if the trade was 'discussed' it doesn't mean both sides seriously considered it, so let's not kid ourselves: this deal isn't going to happen. But we can still ask the question…

Which team would have won the Guillen-Stanton swap?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

Ortiz Wants Security, Defends Hitting Ability

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David Ortiz says he is still hoping to sign a multi-year deal with the Red Sox and insists that he remains an elite hitter despite the perception that he’s in decline. Big Papi told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he won’t be pleased if the Red Sox exercise his $12.5MM option for 2011 instead of offering more security.

"I'm not comfortable coming back just for one year because it's going to be the same roller-coaster that I had this year," he said. 

Ortiz’s representatives will meet with the Red Sox next week and Big Papi may drop in for part of the discussions. Ortiz says he wants to stay in Boston and the Red Sox figure to pick his option up even if they don’t offer a multi-year deal, so he’s not going anywhere for now. 

Ortiz considers himself “one of the best hitters in the game” and you can’t deny that he’s still one of the best designated hitters around. The 34-year-old was among the American League leaders in slugging (8th, .529), OPS (8th, .899), home runs (5th, 32) and walks (9th, 82) this year.

“You tell me, how does a guy who is declining finish in the top 10 best hitter in the league,” Ortiz asked. “How does that happen? Put it this way, the past two years I have 60 homers, and I have over 200 RBI. Is that bad?"

It’s quite good, but it may not be enough for the Red Sox to offer an extension. Even though Ortiz is tired of proving himself year after year, the Red Sox can simply exercise his option and postpone discussions about 2012 and beyond until next winter if they aren't completely comfortable guaranteeing more years.

Adrian Gonzalez’s Trade Suitors

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The Padres' surprising 2010 campaign might ensure that Adrian Gonzalez at least starts next season in San Diego, since the club will want to see if they can capture the same lightning in a bottle in 2011.  But if the Padres fall out of contention early (as they were expected to do last year), the simmering Gonzalez trade market will again catch fire.

Don Norcross of the San Diego Union-Tribune recapped the difficulty — or impossibility — that the Padres will have in signing Gonzalez to the expensive, long-term contract that he'll no doubt command when he reaches free agency after the 2011 season.  Norcross named three "favorites" and two dark horses as possible homes for Gonzalez come Opening Day 2012, so let's take a closer look at these options…

  • The Red Sox.  Boston has been at the forefront of Gonzalez rumors for over a year, and there's no question the Sox will be involved in trade talks for the slugger right down to the wire.
  • The Giants.  Norcross somewhat surprisingly adds them to his favorites list, pointing out that Aubrey Huff could be moved to the outfield (if he's re-signed at all) to accommodate Gonzalez at first base.  It's hard to picture San Diego dealing Gonzalez to a division rival, plus San Francisco isn't the kind of big market that could afford A-Gon's future contract.  That said, the Giants are rewriting their own history right now in the World Series.  They might decide to just go for broke and acquire Gonzalez while their window of contention is open.
  • The Angels.  As Norcross notes, L.A. is close to home for the San Diego-born Gonzalez, and the Halos will pay the money for top talent.  Kendry Morales is relegated to the outfield or the DH spot in Norcross' scenario, but Morales could also be the centerpiece of the Angels' trade package to San Diego.
  • The Dodgers.  One of the darkhorse contenders depending on if a new owner takes control of the team and wants to make an instant impact.  Gonzalez could be in a new uniform well before the Dodgers' ownership situation is settled, so we can probably write off at least one L.A. team.
  • The Cubs.  Gonzalez himself has shown some interest in playing in Chicago, but the Cubs might be looking to add Adam Dunn to play first base this winter.

Besides these five teams, a number of other clubs can and will arise in the market depending on how this offseason pans out.  The White Sox might need first base help if Paul Konerko departs, and could be interested in a long-term answer at first anyway given Konerko's age.  Texas might try to undo their infamous Gonzalez/Chris Young for Adam Eaton/Akinori Otsuka swap in 2006 and make a play for the first baseman.  Teams like Toronto, Baltimore, Washington or Seattle don't seem like candidates now, but could dive into the free agent market next winter if they think they're close to contention.  Even St. Louis could be considered a possibility if they're unable to come to terms on an extension for Albert Pujols.

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