The Astros signed Wandy Rodriguez as an amateur free agent 12 years ago today. The lefty, who turns 32 next week, is an extension candidate this winter. Here are today's links…
- Stop by at 2pm CDT for this week's chat.
- In his latest blog post for ESPN, Buster Olney suggests that Grant Balfour could return to Tampa on a one-year deal if the Rays assure him that they won't offer arbitration again if he's a Type A free agent after 2011. Teams other than the Rays have to give up a top pick to sign the reliever this offseason and it isn't helping his market value.
- Vernon Wells explains to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star that he's a different person and teammate than he was a few years ago, when he first signed his $126MM extension. He also admits that he may not be a $100MM player. "Everybody would say I’m not worth the money and I would totally agree that I’m not worth that contract" Wells said.
- The Pirates are still looking for pitching, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- Some within the Cardinals organization liked the idea of bringing Brad Penny back to compete with Kyle Lohse for the final rotation spot, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). The Cards weren't willing to match the Tigers' $3MM guarantee, though.
I wish the Pirates didn’t sign Correia in the first place and instead would have signed Carl Pavano for some more money, who can be a real difference maker in the rotation.
I’m not simply referring to last year. If you follow his entire career (including the minors) with the exception of the year he pitched his home games in Petco he has never had success as a starter. The fact that they are already writing his name in ink for a rotation spot is a joke.
bigpat, no offense, but do the Pirates really need to sign someone like Carl Pavano? One arm isn’t going to keep them from finishing dead least in the NL Central. I think Correia was a decent pickup.
On the Grant Balfour topic – aren’t the Rays really strapped for cash this season. With all the picks they need to sign in the upcoming draft, and the last couple of holes they need to fill, why aren’t there any rumors of sign-and-trade out there? With Balfour, but especially Soriano, they could get the cash they need from the Yankees, and maybe a low-level prospect instead of the picks.
As a Yankee fan, I’d love to have either one of them or both. But the Rays know they probably can’t contend unless all their guys break out and show their potential. So with that being said, they’d rather have a supp and a draft pick than a low-end prospect and cash.
Also, why would the Rays have to agree to not offer arbitration to Balfour? What’s in it for them? Yes, the rule screws some players but they are the rules. He should have accepted arbitration and ask for a trade if he didn’t want to be in Tampa. There is value to be had for relievers getting paid reasonable money under team control.
He wanted to test his market value, but I agree. The Rays live off of getting draft picks, so doesn’t make sense he gets a 1 year deal with them with no offer of arbitration unless they plan to trade him.
I’m dreaming of the day when Lohse’s contract comes off the books…
I never thought he had bad attitude to begin with… I think he has become more of a leader over the years and when he is healthy, he is a good player and maybe people will think it’s crazy but he is one of the best CF in the game when he is healthy.
Yeah, I’m not sure I remember hearing he had a bad ‘tude either. IIRC, it was more an issue of focus and drive. That not being the kind of thing I can easily Google, I’d rather see what someone who follows the Jays more closely would say though.
I think the biggest frustration fans had/have with VW is that he played through injuries that no one knew about, and the production wasn’t there. I would rather it was out in the open, he took 2,3 4 months off and completly healed, rather than play through the nagging injuries trying to play up to his contract.
We have Correia to act as a mentor too don’t forget. But I agree Millwood would be a logical fit to fill out our rather inept rotation.
I think it’s just that Wells was trying too hard to live up to his big contract. Maybe trying to do too much but I think he understands now that he cannot possibly live up to that contract and he should just play his best and stick to his game. He is probably more relaxed as well after having a good season and not one where he struggled with injuries or didn’t play due to his injuries. Who knows, maybe he acts different when he is frustrated.
If Correia was brought in to “Mentor” young starters you will be in trouble for a very long time. This guy is garbage and the fact that he is promised over 3 Million this year is a joke. Best way a Correia could help a young team is making sure the young pitchers are not watching what he does.
So he had a bad season last year. Cut him some slack, he was clearly dealing with issues that consisted on grieving over the death of his brother. Which most definitely played a factor in his poor performance last season. The point is, prior to that proves this guy is a quality major league starter who could possibly bring a lot to the table if he performs at his 2009 level.