Postseason Success Won’t Affect Rays’ 2011 Payroll
Stuart Sternberg, the Rays' principal owner, announced before the season began that the team's payroll may end up below $60MM in 2011. Seven months later, nothing has changed. Sternberg tells Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times that even if the Rays make a deep run in the postseason, the club's payroll will be significantly reduced next season.
"No question. Nothing can change that,'' Sternberg said. "Unfortunately there's nothing that can happen between now and April that can change that unless Joe Maddon hits the lottery and wants to donate it, or I hit the lottery."
If the Rays were to play in two or three playoff series, the handful of extra home games would earn the team some additional revenue. According to Sternberg though, the Rays still "can't come close" to turning a profit for 2010. With key contributors like Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano, and Carlos Pena facing free agency, Tampa Bay's roster will likely look very different by Opening Day 2011.
Padres Hire A.J. Hinch
Just two and a half months after being fired by the Diamondbacks, former manager A.J. Hinch has landed a position with one of Arizona's division rivals. According to Corey Brock of MLB.com (via Twitter), the Padres have hired Hinch to be their vice president of professional scouting.
Hinch, a former catcher for the Athletics, Royals, Tigers, and Phillies, took over as the Diamondbacks' skipper in May 2009, replacing Bob Melvin. He led the club to an 89-123 record before being fired, along with GM Josh Byrnes, on July 1st of this year. Prior to becoming their manager, Hinch was employed in Arizona's front office as the director of player development.
Cardinals Release Felipe Lopez
The Cardinals released Felipe Lopez, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. When GM John Mozeliak signed the infielder to a one-year $1MM deal late last offseason, it appeared that he had found a bargain. Instead, Lopez was a disappointment, batting .231/.310/.340 as a utility player for the Cards.
The 30-year-old played all four infield positions for the Cardinals and, in one wild game that took place long before his team's playoff hopes had disappeared, Lopez actually pitched a scoreless inning. The Cardinals decided to release Lopez because he was late again yesterday, according to FOX Sports Midwest (on Twitter).
Odds & Ends: Jeter, Torre, Towers, Bautista
Links for Tuesday, before Roy Halladay attempts to win 20 games for the third time in his career…
- Back in the spring, Derek Jeter told Jack Curry of the YES Network that we won't find him "hanging on" after his ability fades. Jeter is hitting a little better lately, though his numbers have fallen off overall.
- Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe explains that re-signing Adrian Beltre and Victor Martinez would help the Red Sox against the American League's best left-handers.
- Not surprisingly, the Brewers will not pursue Joe Torre to be their next manager, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (on Twitter).
- GM candidate Kevin Towers is back in Arizona for a second interview, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The D'Backs have discussed baseball with Towers, but not money.
- If you’re wondering why the Blue Jays would consider locking up Jose Bautista, BattersBox’s Dave Rutt can explain. He says the Blue Jays need to build around superstar caliber players to win in the AL East.
Non-Tender Candidate: Conor Jackson
When Billy Beane traded for Conor Jackson this June, he was presumably hoping to see the left fielder return to his 2006-08 form. For three years, Jackson combined patience and doubles power to be a productive piece of the Diamondbacks offense, so the former top prospect clearly has the ability to handle major league pitching.
But the player Beane acquired for reliever Sam Demel did not produce. Jackson, who missed all but 30 games in 2009 with Valley Fever, posted a .228/.362/.316 line in Oakland with one homer. He's now out for the season with a sports hernia, and he only batted 69 times, but his numbers weren't noticeably different in Arizona. Jackson doesn't have much to show for 2009 or 2010, consecutive injury-plagued seasons that have turned him into a non-tender candidate.
The D'Backs raised Jackson's salary from $3.05MM to $3.1MM last offseason, but the A's may not feel comfortable paying him over $3MM in 2011, Jackson's final season as an arbitration eligible player. In fact, Jackson's injuries and poor performance suggest the A's are likely to non-tender him. Click here to vote on Oakland's choice and here to view the results.
Rockies Have Considered Trading For A Starter
The Rockies have considered trading for a starting pitcher to help them reach the playoffs, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (Twitter link). No acquisition would be eligible to play in the postseason, so any starter the Rockies add will be cheering on the sidelines with Octavio Dotel if the team reaches the playoffs.
The third place Rockies trail the Giants by 1.5 games in the jam-packed NL West, so every win matters immensely. Since Jason Hammel is dealing with a dead arm, the Rockies could use some pitching to complement the offensive fireworks of Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki. Aaron Harang and Dave Bush are not fits for Colorado, according to Olney, who suggests Jake Westbrook could be a fit.
Explaining Non-Tenders
Matt Capps, D.J. Carrasco and Kelly Johnson were all non-tendered last offseason. One year later, we’re well on our way to welcoming another class of non-tenders to the club. It can be a confusing kind of transaction, so here’s an explanation of what exactly a non-tender is.
To tender a player a contract is to offer a contract, but non-tenders refer to a specific kind of offer: offers of arbitration. Rules and precedent shape the kind of salary a player can expect through arbitration, so players under team control usually get raises through the process.
For example, Joey Votto isn’t eligible for free agency yet, but he and agent Dan Lozano have some say in his future earnings. If the Reds offered Votto $750K in arbitration this offseason, Lozano and Votto could counter with a $4MM proposal and win. Arbitration can be expensive for teams, since a player’s salary depends in part on his previous earnings and comparable players.
Players generally earn $400K or so for their first few major league seasons, so they’re usually relatively cheap in their first arbitration seasons, but players entering their second, third or (for super twos) fourth arbitration seasons stand to make more money if they’re tendered an offer.
If an arbitration eligible player hasn’t performed well, but projects to earn a considerable amount, his team will likely consider a non-tender. That means they have turned down the option to negotiate a contract with that player through arbitration, but it doesn’t mean the player’s going to sign elsewhere.
Jonny Gomes and Jack Cust both re-signed with their former teams after being non-tendered last winter. Both took paycuts, so the Reds and A’s saved money, but they risked losing the players to rival teams. (After a player is non-tendered he hits free agency and can sign anywhere.)
It’s complicated, but here’s what you need to know: teams non-tender players when they would rather risk losing the players to another team than go through the potentially expensive arbitration process.
Red Sox Rumors: Beltre, Hall, Werth
The Red Sox, who could officially be eliminated from the playoffs this week, are looking ahead to the 2011 season. Here's the latest on what to expect from next year's team:
- Adrian Beltre told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that he hopes he doesn't have to exercise his player option. Depending on how many plate appearances the third baseman makes between now and the end of the season, he'll have an option worth $5MM or $10MM. The point is moot, since Beltre will opt out and test the market.
- Bill Hall has subbed in everywhere and provided pop off the bench, but the Red Sox aren't likely to pick up his $9.25MM option for 2011. Hall tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he hasn't though much about where he'd play or what kind of contract he'd get if he hits free agency.
- Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox could use Jayson Werth next year, even though they have J.D. Drew, Mike Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury and Ryan Kalish under team control.
Poll: Extending Josh Hamilton
When he’s on the field, Josh Hamilton is one of the best players in the game. Hamilton’s five-tool ability has translated into results for a few seasons now and at 29 he leads the American League in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS.
But Hamilton, who had completed just one full season in the major leagues before this year, has not played since bruising his ribs in early September. Injuries have prevented Hamilton from playing more regularly throughout his career, so questions about his ability to stay on the field would no doubt contribute to the Rangers’ willingness to guarantee tens of millions of dollars. At this point, Rangers GM Jon Daniels tells Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that he isn’t worried about extending Hamilton.
"Our only focus as it relates to Josh right now is getting him healthy and back in the lineup," Daniels said. "The contractual stuff will take care of itself."
The Rangers have Hamilton under team control for two seasons after this so they don’t face the same urgency that the Cardinals do with their franchise player. Hamilton won’t cost nearly as much as Albert Pujols, but he’s in a position to demand more than $40MM over four years, no small amount of money. It’s a good problem to have – how would you address it if you were in Daniels’ position?
Would you offer Josh Hamilton a long-term extension?
Click here to take the survey and here to see the results.
Odds & Ends: Pirates, Jenks, Jays, D’Backs GM, Torre
Links for Monday night, as the Phillies extend their NL East lead with an eighth consecutive win….
- Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provides a lengthy preview of the 2011 Pirates, speculating about how the team may improve its roster.
- Ozzie Guillen tells Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he has no idea whether the White Sox' front office plans to retain Bobby Jenks next year.
- The Toronto Sun's Ken Fidlin believes that questions about J.P. Arencibia behind the plate and Adam Lind at first base mean that the Jays could attempt to bring back John Buck and Lyle Overbay.
- Ed Price of AOL FanHouse reports (via Twitter) that Logan White is out of the running in the Diamondbacks' search for a general manager. ESPN.com's Buster Olney confirms (via Twitter) that it appears to be a two-man race between Kevin Towers and Jerry Dipoto. Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports suggests that the D'Backs are torn between the appeal of Towers and loyalty to Dipoto; they should name a GM this week.
- Joe Torre hasn't ruled out managing the Mets or another club, writes Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork. Torre told WFAN: "I don't really anticipate managing again, but I think it would be unfair not to listen just out of curiosity to see if something excites me."
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets that Coco Crisp would like to return to Oakland next year, though he knows he'll have little say in whether his 2011 option is exercised.