Agent Matt Sosnick appeared on the Diamond Hoggers' Baseball Show today, and spoke at length about how he became involved in baseball, his experiences in the sport, and a few of his clients. Here are the highlights from the discussion, which you can listen to here:
- Jay Bruce is open to signing a long-term contract with the Reds. "If the Reds felt the same way," Sosnick said. "We'd be open to doing something that was five or six years."
- Sosnick acknowledged that locking up Joey Votto would likely be a higher priority for the club, but cited deals signed by Justin Upton and Troy Tulowitzki as potential starting points for a Bruce extension.
- As we heard earlier today, Josh Willingham is interested in signing an extension with the Nationals. Sosnick feels that if Willingham were hitting the open market this winter, the 31-year-old could land a multi-year deal worth $10MM annually.
- According to Sosnick, when the Giants made a push for Willingham, the Nats asked for either Jonathan Sanchez or Madison Bumgarner in return.
- Regarding a possible Ricky Nolasco extension, Sosnick says he and the Marlins agreed on the years, but were off by "about 20%" on salary. The two sides will resume extension talks in November or December, working on a one-year deal in the meantime.
- Adam Dunn is not a Sosnick client, but the agent predicts that Dunn will receive about $40MM for three years this offseason.
Willingham getting $10 Mil a year? Lol no
Oh sure, Nats. Take your pick of Bumgarner or Sanchez. Or would you prefer both?
seriously, who do they think willingham is, carl crawford? silly request. maybe if they asked for a package like manny burriss and casilla it might be considered
Who do you think Jonathan Sanchez is, Cliff Lee? A guy that’s about to get real expensive, entering his second year of arb, that still walks 4.5 per nine and had an unsustainable .262 BABIP which contributed to his 6.6 H/9 and 3.07 ERA? That’s not really too much of a stretch for an outfielder that consistently posts a .370ish wOBA. Willingham walks and can hit for power — two things the Giants, as a team (at the time of these requests especially) didn’t do. With Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner already in the rotation, Rizzo wasn’t out of line asking for Sanchez.
Bumgarner, well, of course not, but all GMs aim high in trade demands. Most just usually don’t cave. Unless you’re Bill Smith. =
Sanchez’s hit rate is not going to take much of a dip. he’s been the least hittable pitcher in the league for 2 yrs. If that guy can figure out how to not walk guys, he has cy young written all over him, although that’s not likely to happen. Sanchez is in line for a good sized raise, but it won’t be Ted Lilly money, putting him at under half of what Lee is going to get. If the Nats throw in a good prospect at a need position and the Giants give a bit less in prospects, maybe. But Willingham is not worth Sanchez straight up. Asking for that ends a conversation quickly
Haha. I can’t blame the Nats for trying but wow.
Now that’s awesome awesome awesome news for the Reds. The article says Bruce would like to be a Red as long as possible. Music to my ears
Agents should talk their clients up and have high expectations for new contracts BUT don’t think that knowledgable fans will drink that particular Kool-Aid!!!!
So ten thousand for a guy whose best year was 89 rbis and hasnt played a full season in three years. Really 10 mill that is ludacris especially if he is going to play 1st base.Haha ten mill for a guy who came off a 16 run season. He has pop but he hasnt proven he can be an rbi guy. Right now he is just an obp guy with some pop who has yet to eclipse a 100 rbi let alone 90.
So he’s not worth getting paid because he played for an awful team and couoldn’t drive in 100 runs with the likes of Nyjer Morgan and Ian Desmond not getting on base in front of him? Shame!
Of course he’s not worth $10 million annually, but RBIs?
What’s an RBI?
So ten thousand for a guy whose best year was 89 rbis and hasnt played a full season in three years. Really 10 mill that is ludacris especially if he is going to play 1st base.Haha ten mill for a guy who came off a 16 run season. He has pop but he hasnt proven he can be an rbi guy. Right now he is just an obp guy with some pop who has yet to eclipse a 100 rbi let alone 90.
Ok, they wanted Daniel Bard for Matt Capps and now Sanchez or Bumgarner for Willingham. I like Rizzo as a GM, I think he’s putting the Nats on the right course. But I have to wonder if some of his demands are either delusional or meant to be a way to just say “you don’t have what it takes.” On the other hand he was able to get Ramos for Capps.
I like what Rizzo has been doing too. I might be a Cubs fan but im a huge baseball fan and seeing what Rizzo has been up to makes me wish we had a GM like him. But before i get off on a “behead Hendry” rant, you cant blame him for trying to get those guys for Willingham. If you like a guy that much you say ok here is what i will take for him and if they dont go for it then you just keep going with what you have.
He was able to turn a good half of a season into Wilson Ramos who is probably more what he was in 09 than this year. Looking at it from a prospects perspective thinking Mauer might leave as a FA he had to be thinking ok maybe ill get a shot and then with the extension its like ok do i switch positions or hope for a trade or what?
It’ll be interesting to see what they do his offseason after getting burned by the Marquis deal and paying Wang to rehab. Extending WIllingham might be a start but is he really worth an extension as opposed to going to arb? Granted there isnt much other than Werth and CC this year in the corner OF spots but next year barring any extensions there are some guys that will be available for most likely the same type money and could be considered upgrades either with the bat or defensively. Cody Ross, Corey Hart, Matt Diaz, Juan Rivera, and David DeJesus just to name a few.
With the Wang deal it was probably 50-50 that there would be any return and I’m still supportive of Rizzo making a good deal to make sure Wang sticks around. In the fairly weak NL East Wang could make a solid #3 pitcher if he recovers. With the Marquis deal, yeah that blew up in his face and if it was any other GM in baseball I’d laugh. But with Rizzo and the Nats, I hope Marquis turns it around a bit next year.
If you believe the last report on Wang he seems to have his stuff back close to what it was pre injury. I think that he will be back on a 1yr with an option type deal. With Marquis you have to have the right kind of pitching coach for him to pitch well. You saw that with Duncan in STL his first 2 years and his first year in Chicago. But eventually he ends up tuning them out no matter how good they are. Hopefully he has a bounce back year at the back of the rotation. Is he going to win 18 games? No. But he can be a guy who if he has some run support can be at .500 or a little better. Pitch close to 200 innings and then move on in 2012.
I like some of the things that the Nats have been doing. However there are a couple things that interest me.
1. It seems like Dunn is gone. If thats the case then why not trade him. Especially since it was no guarantee that he recieves Type A status. If you really had no intention on bringing him back why not make a deal and get some quality pieces back.
2. The handling of Strasburg. Once he had the first problem with his arm he should have been shut down. There was NO reason at all to let him pitch again this year. I hope that its not the case but it seems like ticket sales was one of the reasons for wanting him to come back this year.
3. This is not so much on the front office specifically but on Riggleman. Nyjer Morgan should have been sent home. There is no excuse for throwing a ball at a fan. Combine that with the 2 nights down in Florida and he should have gotten a much bigger suspension than what he did. Its not even like you have the excuse of “oh well he is just a XX year old kid” he is 30 for christ’s sake. He is an embarrassment. Riggleman should have taken a page from Fredi Gonzalez and sat him down.
If you believe the last report on Wang he seems to have his stuff back close to what it was pre injury. I think that he will be back on a 1yr with an option type deal. With Marquis you have to have the right kind of pitching coach for him to pitch well. You saw that with Duncan in STL his first 2 years and his first year in Chicago. But eventually he ends up tuning them out no matter how good they are. Hopefully he has a bounce back year at the back of the rotation. Is he going to win 18 games? No. But he can be a guy who if he has some run support can be at .500 or a little better. Pitch close to 200 innings and then move on in 2012.
I like some of the things that the Nats have been doing. However there are a couple things that interest me.
1. It seems like Dunn is gone. If thats the case then why not trade him. Especially since it was no guarantee that he recieves Type A status. If you really had no intention on bringing him back why not make a deal and get some quality pieces back.
2. The handling of Strasburg. Once he had the first problem with his arm he should have been shut down. There was NO reason at all to let him pitch again this year. I hope that its not the case but it seems like ticket sales was one of the reasons for wanting him to come back this year.
3. This is not so much on the front office specifically but on Riggleman. Nyjer Morgan should have been sent home. There is no excuse for throwing a ball at a fan. Combine that with the 2 nights down in Florida and he should have gotten a much bigger suspension than what he did. Its not even like you have the excuse of “oh well he is just a XX year old kid” he is 30 for christ’s sake. He is an embarrassment. Riggleman should have taken a page from Fredi Gonzalez and sat him down.
With the Wang deal it was probably 50-50 that there would be any return and I’m still supportive of Rizzo making a good deal to make sure Wang sticks around. In the fairly weak NL East Wang could make a solid #3 pitcher if he recovers. With the Marquis deal, yeah that blew up in his face and if it was any other GM in baseball I’d laugh. But with Rizzo and the Nats, I hope Marquis turns it around a bit next year.
I like the ideas of extending Bruce, Willingham, and Nolasco with their respective teams. Willy and Nolasco have an established history yet are coming off of injury which may allow their teams to take a small break in their pay. Bruce has tremendous potential, but it’s still far enough down the line that the Reds could save money on a fixed contract before he establishes his value in arbitration.
I want Votto to stay in Cinci. but I would want him to prove to me that he can have that superstar level season again before commiting superstar money (especially considering the Reds’ depth at 1b, Votto’s health history, and his mental health). I’m not bashing Votto and I think he is that kind of superstar. But for the money it would take, I’d need him to prove that his numbers have staying power.
I like the idea of extending Bruce now as opposed to waiting. Nolasco is going to be coming off an injury to his knee, idk if that will really effect his value enough to figure into any contract talks. I like the idea of extending him sometime this year but maybe more toward the middle or the end of the season to see if he can get closer to his 2008 numbers first.
Willingham is the only one that i wouldnt extend. While his some of his offensive numbers are respectable he will be 31 next year his defense is not that good and he is coming off a knee injury. Go to arb this year see what he does and if he has a good year then think about maybe a 3 yr deal. If not there are younger and better defensive replacements that could be brought in next offseason for roughly the same type money. Guys like Cody Ross, Corey Hart, and possibly Nick Swisher to name a couple.
I like the idea of extending Bruce now as opposed to waiting. Nolasco is going to be coming off an injury to his knee, idk if that will really effect his value enough to figure into any contract talks. I like the idea of extending him sometime this year but maybe more toward the middle or the end of the season to see if he can get closer to his 2008 numbers first.
Willingham is the only one that i wouldnt extend. While his some of his offensive numbers are respectable he will be 31 next year his defense is not that good and he is coming off a knee injury. Go to arb this year see what he does and if he has a good year then think about maybe a 3 yr deal. If not there are younger and better defensive replacements that could be brought in next offseason for roughly the same type money. Guys like Cody Ross, Corey Hart, and possibly Nick Swisher to name a couple.
Willingham at $10MM per year isn’t that much of a stretch — the guy has consistently been about a 2.5 WAR player for his whole career. He’s not outstanding in any way, but he’s one of the more underrated offensive players in the game. The guy put up a .378 wOBA this year to follow up last season’s .373. His power dipped this season, but he also increased his walks and cut down on his Ks slightly to go along with that.
Over the past three seasons, there’s only nine qualified outfielders who have posted a higher wOBA than Willingham’s .373. He’s not an elite player, but he’s being written off in these comments far more than he should be.
Really, given the Giants’ pitching depth and lack of offense, I don’t think asking Sanchez is an unreasonable request. Bumgarner, of course, is ridiculous. But Rizzo saw a team that needs offense desperately, had pitching to spare, and tried to capitalize. Can’t blame the guy. I think Sanchez in general is overrated. He had a BABIP 40 points lower than his career average this season and walked 4.5 per nine again… until he learns some control, he’s never going to be an elite pitcher.
Bumgarner? No chance. Sanchez? Not that unreasonable, given the Giants’ situation.
I agree on the point with Sanchez not being a ridiculous request… only because he was not an elite pitcher in the first half of the season.
What I’ve noticed more and more, watching footage of Sanchez is that he has developed a no-break attitude towards the strike zone. He tries to paint the black regardless of an 3-0 count or a 3-2 count. Many of his walks in the second half were not results of poor control, but because he didn’t give in on 3 ball counts. You can see that along with his walks, he’s striking out guys more with the count full because hitters are taking these pitches on the edge.
He’s improved his efficiency on the mound, and is pitching deeper into games.
First-half Sanchez? Reasonable for Willingham. But he’s simply been a different animal since the ASB.
But that last point is not one to trivialize. if this discussion occurred in july, sanchez straight up probably doesn’t get accepted on the giants end, but its a decent starting point. if this occurred anytime later, then there’s no chance it happens without something else being kicked in by the Nats
As a Giants fan, even I understand that Rizzo was simply doing his job. which was to see if Brian Sabean was stupid enough to make such a move. There’s no harm in asking for Sanchez or even Bumgarner, on the off chance that Sabean is off his meds that day. But at Reaper said, at that point in this season, Sanchez’s value wasn’t as high as it was during the second half. As in the lottery, you don’t win if you don’t play.
After the second half of this season though, the Giants 1-4 starters are untouchable and off limits for the next 2-3 years. Of course, someone can have Zito but that will never happen.
And as far as the walks are concerned, don’t get hung up on the numbers. Sanchez has learned the benefit of the “strategic walk”, and would rather walk someone than give in and suffer a hit on a day when he doesn’t have his dominating stuff. Several of his high walk days came when he didn’t have his best stuff and simply wanted to get around someone who could hurt him so he could get to somone he could handle. Walks mean little when you have a good ERA and BA against like he does.
I am well aware of the difference. Overall he has made big strides this year to not putting himself in bad situations. I like to call Sanchez at his best “effectively erratic”. The problem with the rotation is, with Sanchez now in his 2nd arb year, I’m not sure if we can afford all of them much longer. If we want a bat, someone has to be traded
I hope the Cubs stay far, far away from Adam Dunn.
He would kill Wrigley. Liability, yes, but…
Why?
Because this is a rebuilding team that isn’t going to be playoff caliber next season. Adam Dunn is the type of player you add to put you over the top, not the guy you build around. At the coin it’ll cost to get him, I’d rather the Cubs sign Castro to a long term extension that eats into his free agency years, and invest the rest in the farm system. 2011 is already spent. Hendry shouldn’t compound his mistakes and saddle the Cubs with more bad contracts to declining veterans that will hurt the team in 2012 and beyond.
Tell that to the Nationals and Diamondbacks. I think he likes playing for poor teams.
You don’t sign a guy coming off of his rookie season to a long term extension. Adam Dunn is 31. 4 years of a guy with a career .902 OPS would not be a negative. The Cubs can absolutely be competitive next season. They play in the worst division in baseball. Teams with a $140 MM payroll don’t rebuild.
Never a sure thing in baseball. But Jay Bruce is as close as it gets. If the Reds don’t do this and let this kid leave, I’ll have a hard time staying as a fan to be honest.
I’m so glad to hear that Bruce wants a long term deal in Cincinnati. Much better than the response that Votto gave when asked that question. Bruce is loved in Cincinnati, even well before he hit the homerun shot that clinched the division. Regardless of a deal or not with Votto, the Reds should lock Bruce down for 5 or 6 years. He’s put up good numbers, but hopefully as he gets more experienced he’ll deliver the consistency rather than the streakiness he has had.
I agree that Votto can be a superstar, but I’d be really hesitant to give him superstar money right now. He definitely deserves a huge raise, especially considering he’s still playing barely above league minimum. But give him a couple of more seasons before offering superstar money (i.e. $15-20 million per year). I think the Reds would be good to look at something like 5-6 years at $10-12 million. It’s a risk taken by both sides; Votto may not achieve numbers like this year again (although I would love it if he did), but then again he may do it and he would still make a good paycheck and keep him affordable to the Reds. Harang’s $12 million a year contract is over now, give it to Votto.