Here are some items of note for Friday night, including an interesting question posed by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com on the Mets' and Dodgers' messy financial situations:
- Giants outfielder Aaron Rowand will be under a lot of scrutiny this spring, writes Chris Haft of MLB.com, as he looks to be the odd man out in San Francisco's crowded outfield. It won't be easy to flip him though, Haft notes, because two years and $24MM remain on his contract, and he's coming off a down year in 2010. If the Giants do move Rowand, according to Haft, their trade partner will probably ask them to eat some salary or take on a similar financial commitment in return.
- Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera made his on-field debut at Spring Training on Friday, writes Jason Beck of MLB.com. His arrival, of course, was delayed by last week's arrest for allegedly driving under the influence and resisting arrest. Cabrera is facing the proverbial two-strike count with respect to his off-field travails, writes Steve Henson of Yahoo! Sports: If Cabrera slips up again, he will likely face serious repercussions from Major League Baseball.
- Orioles right-hander Alfredo Simon is no longer facing a civil suit after he was a suspect in a fatal shooting in his native Dominican Republic on New Year's Eve, but, per a Santo Domingo prosecutor, an investigation is ongoing and Simon has been denied bail, according to the Baltimore Sun. Prosecutors have till April 9 to file formal charges that could lead to a trial.
- The Mets' $25MM loan from MLB may be the most damning indication of their financial woes, says Rosenthal in an audio clip. Rosenthal also finds it curious that MLB loaned the cash to the Mets but denied the Dodgers' request to borrow $200MM from FOX, as was reported by Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. "It's a simple question of fairness," says Rosenthal.
How is it that I have heard more about Miguel cabrera over a DUI, a crime so many are guilty of whether or not you get caught, yet news like Simon being connected to a murder and Josh lueke raping a girl have received almost no attention and have not been dealt such scathing rhetoric as a man drunk and stupid?
Probably because Miguel Cabrera is an MVP caliber player and household name while those other two are virtual unknowns to those who don’t really follow baseball closely.
We have a win-nah.
Cabrera is a superstar, one of the most well known players in the league. That’s why.
Cabrera is a repeat offender.
I’m sure if Simon kills someone else next year, he’ll get the coverage he deserves.
He’s actually not, which makes the linked article confusing. Unless being drunk is a crime, nothing came of the incident a couple years ago.
Because if a person drinks and drives, and let’s say kills somebody, they are a murderer. Granted I am VERY biased on the subject. Still, Cabrera is a household name, and as such people care. I don’t know about you, but if ESPN had a headline with only Josh Luke’s name I wouldn’t read it, hence the extra coverage. Prior to your post I never knew the name Josh Luke. Anyway, drinking and driving is a big deal because it shows a gigantic flaw in a person’s character, and any crime committed while under the influence should be regarded as though the offender were sober.
Also, with his contact, can’t he afford a cab???
Question to everyone out there, maybe based on your team or on average what you think it would take to unload Rowand? I think at least half if someone gets desperate enough for an OFer and maybe the Giants can get some of it deferred in order for Aaron to get a chance to play somewhere else, because I don’t see him even more valuable than Schierholtz.
I don’t think it would take anything more than a team willing to take on most of his salary. I’m pretty sure the Giants would love to free up even half of that $24M they have committed to Rowand.
What will it take to unload Rowand? The will of the Giants to take on more than half his salary and not accept anything worthwhile in return. The guy hasn’t put up an OPS+ greater than 94 in his time with the Giants. No team wants him since they at least have an equal in AAA.
I was wondering the same thing. If Rowand can rebound a bit… maybe half. Who wants to pay $6 million a year, for the next two years for the 2010 version of him though? I’d guess the Giants could move him if they eat $18-20 million. He’s a sunk cost at this point so they shouldn’t mind the opportunity to free up $2-3 million dollars a year.
If McLouth repeats last year, Schafer breaks his wrist again, and the Braves refuse to give Matt Young a shot……they could come knocking.
Speaking of violence and intoxication, I’m starting to think Matt Young may have raped someones daughter. Guy’s done nothing but hit and play good defense in CF over the past few years, yet the Braves make trades for guys like Melky Cabrera and Rick Ankiel to fill that void in center.
Dont soil Young’s name with that filth.
“Rosenthal also finds it curious that MLB loaned the cash to the Mets but denied the Dodgers’ request to borrow $200MM from FOX”
Ken Rosenthal realizes the difference between 25M and 200M is a factor of 8, right? If you need 200M to keep your business running, you’re probably best off just selling the business.
Plus the fact that McCourt is in over his head. This may sound strange given the Wilpon’s current situation but I’d rather lend them money than McCourt. Imagine the mess that would be going on in Boston right now if Selig had “chosen” him to buy the Red Sox rather then Henry. The Dodgers are a big deal too obviously but the amount of angst and gossip would be tripled if it were the Red Sox instead. Plus, most likely no World Series wins for Boston either, just imagine how annoying Sox fans would be right now.
Probably about as annoying as all us Dodger fans complaining all the time that we’re in a big market yet don’t have an owner who can pony up and get us a true contending team (not saying we won’t be in contention this year but a team that can make big splash moves every year).
Without knowing all the details it seems to me like the Dodgers could afford a lot more in payroll if they weren’t paying interest on so much debt. I would imagine it’s pretty frustrating for Dodger fans, especially when the guy spending what money you do have is Ned Colletti. McCourt is robbing Peter to pay Paul and letting his GM insult and distract one of his best, youngest and cheapest players at the same time. Not a good situation.
I’m sure he realizes that. Just as I’m sure you realize the Mets asked mlb for a loan, while the Dodgers asked a third party.
My point is, your statement is weird because mlb wasn’t giving the dodgers the 200m… they just had to approve it while fox provided the funds.
I’m sure the MLB took issue both with the sum of the money the Dodgers were asking for and the fact that they were asking a third party. Asking for that much AND from a third party has great potential to start huge issues.
Spot on
Not only is the $200MM funding request an exorbitant amount, its also a flagrant conflict of interest. FOX has a major contractual relationship with MLB, and if the loan were to go unperformed (defaulted upon by McCourt) it would leave the MLB in a precarious position of owing the network from with it derives its revenue stream. resumably, if McCourt fails, MLB will step into his shoes, at least in the interim.
Alfredo can till the prison yard and grow some salary to eat.
Must be nice to have two free goes when it comes to breaking the law and endangering lives.
You would have to eat all of Rowand’s contract to move him. There isn’t much market for good glove, no hit outfielders. If you are paying him anyway, he is the Giants best defense backup centerfielder.
Loans will be the most productive player for the 2011 Mets.
I wish we had posting software that had a working edit function.