TUESDAY, 11:27am: The Rockies have examined Sizemore's medical records and believe he's worth the risk on a one-year deal, reports Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. The Rockies expect to watch Sizemore work out in the coming days.
The A's have no interest in pursuing Sizemore, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
MONDAY, 7:38pm: There's no shortage of interest in Grady Sizemore this offseason. The free agent outfielder has drawn interest from eight teams, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick. The Cubs, Rangers, Giants and Yankees are potential suitors for Sizemore, along with the Phillies, Rockies, Red Sox and Indians.
The Giants are interested, even after acquiring Melky Cabrera, and the Cubs view Sizemore as a possible fit in right field. The A's, who saw their entire outfield hit free agency after the season, have also been linked to Sizemore.
Sizemore's knees have limited him to 104 total games in the past two seasons, so the Indians declined their $9MM club option after the season, making the 29-year-old a free agent. He hit 10 homers and posted a .224/.285/.422 line in 2011, but Sizemore combined power, speed and on-base skills as one of baseball's premier center fielders from 2005-08.
The jays could trade Rajai Davis and bring Sizemore in, he would challenge Rasmus for centerfield.
I love the idea of the Jays going after him, but only as the left fielder. Rasmus has great potential but only if we let him reach it. Everyone has seen what clubhouse pressure does to Rasmus from when he was in St. Louis. Bautista in right, Rasmus in center, Sizemore in left. That outfield has the potential for almost 100 homers. Ridiculous.
sixty will have to come from Joey Bats.
I feel like that would just kill Travis Snider/ Thames.
Honestly, I think Snider/Thames will be ready by next year to take the everyday role.I think the Jays are far better off spending that money towards their GODDAMN BULLPEN.
i think what you meant to say is, “jays are far better off spending money on starting rotation, sure up second base and the outfield…bullpen should be the least of their concerns”
right?
It would have to be a buy low and sell high senerio if the Jays were to pursue Seizemore. They have Rasmus, Snider, Thames, Anthony Gose and Jake Marisnick (possibly Cespedes) all with great potential in the outfield. Add to that Joey Bats, Rajai Davis and EE, all more than capable of playing the outfield.
could be a good fit for yankee stadium with his power. but even as a yankee fan i dont want them wasting their money on a guy who is going to pretty much spend the whole season on the DL. his knees are done and hes not even a catcher. was a good ball player, but his days are numbered
i can’t understand how many teams are interested in him as a RF – his arm is not his strong suit – if i were looking at him for RF i’d be afraid people would be taking extra bases on him all day….
His arm isn’t Johnny Damon bad. He certainly doesn’t belong in RF and I think the only team that would put him there would be the Red Sox.
Would love the Phillies to take a flyer on him given their outfield depth if he falters. CBP would be a great place to rebuild his value.
what outfield depth?
John Mayberry, Domonic Brown, Ben Fransisco (if he’s tendered).
I would rather see them give Dom Brown a chance.
He’s not ready defensively, I think offensively, he was fine when he got called up. He struggled but his on base percentage was good and he was turning it around in July with regards to his batting average (.296/.398/.366).
I don’t think he was as bad as a lot of Phillies fans made him out to be. I’d personally love to see him just play a full season at the AAA level and come up in September and be ready to take over left field in 2013.
Agree with Phillies_Aces35 here – from seeing him at Lehigh Valley last season, Brown needs a LOT of LF practice. He’d never played there before, and the spin on the ball just completely screwed him up. He missed basic fly balls.
Offensively I think he’s ready for the bigs (or his SHOT at the bigs at least; nothing left to prove at AAA), but until he can be even a passable LF, he needs to stay down and learn.
I only like him coming here more because we only need a starting LF for one season. That is what Seizmore could be for us, just like Beltre was to the Sox. I don’t see him having trouble fielding in CBP either as it isn’t as big say Coors field, AT&T park. If he wants to get a lot of playing time, he should eliminate the Giants and Sox off his list though.
Giants for left field please 🙂
Learn how to play first base so you can play in 100 games at least.
Sizemore at first would be ridiculous. A first baseman with 30+ steals!!!
Since 1980 First baseman with 30+ steals. Bagwell did it twice in 97/99 with 31/30 respectively; Greg Jefferies in 93 with 46, and Gerald Perry in 87 with 42.
These 1b all played 85% of their games at 1b.
Don’t forget about Frank Chance, Ed Delahanty, Jack Doyle, Paul Molitor or
Charlie Comiskey.
I don’t think any of those guys played after 1980!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Molitor never made the play 85% of games at 1b threshold to be included on list.
But the original comment was “Sizemore at first would be ridiculous. A first baseman with 30+ steals!!!” They had 30+ steals while playing first base in the same season. Most of the people I included were alive more than 100 years ago. Lol.
My reply said “since 1980”..sorry for the confusion. I didn’t want to go too far back into time….
First base isn’t a bad idea to take a load off. Stealing bases has nothing to do with what position you play. Either you have speed or you don’t. Someone with speed generally leads off but needs to hit .300+ or have a high OBP. Speed and power hits 3, 4, or 5. Sizemore’s speed at this point is questionable. If you can’t steal successfully 80% of the time forget it.
He has been hurt running the bases not playing the outfield. So, unless you have a way for him not to run the bases….
Maybe if he were to run less somehow, he could run the bases and not get hurt. Hmm…
Surprised there isnt more interest. He wouldnt cost that much and could also turn into a valuable trade chip in july. Worst case hes awful and its only a 1 year experiment.
There are at least 8 teams looking at him. There will be a minor bidding war. I say he goes for $4.5 mil.
when are the phils going to trade Dom Brown?
He needs another year at AAA, if he plans on being a MLB player. Sizemore/Mayberry would be cheaper than Cuddyer.
Winter Meetings.
Hopefully for Middle Infield Prospects, not a middle age LF…if they do trade him.
I’d imagine the only way they trade him is for a 3rd baseman/short stop.
Whoa! How dare they make a list of suitors for a free agent without including the Marlins on the list. I’m sure its just a typo. Some of the players the Marlins get linked to don’t even make sense…Carlos Beltran? Playing CF? Really?
He was linked early on to Florida. Ozzie is a huge Grady fan and I wouldn’t be one bid surprised if he ends up there.
Idk. I think the Marlins have superior internal options in Coughlan, Petersen, and Bonifacio. Not to mention the possibility of signing Cespedes. There are too many options that would be cheaper and probably at least as productive.
agree with your logic, just wouldn’t be surprised to see Grady with Marlins.
Does anyone know of Sizemores Defense at right field? How strong of an arm does he have?
He can lift a car with his arm. That’s strong!
His arm does not profile as a RF. It isn’t Johnny Damon bad but it’s not good.
If it’s not Johnny Damon bad, it’s pretty close. Certainly the weakest outfield arm I’ve seen on the Indians this past decade, and that’s taking Jason Michaels into account.
He’d be a great fit in left, and I think he can still play a league average center.
A throwaway Heyman tweet = definitely not happening. Sizemore makes zero sense for the A’s, who have enough young OFers and aren’t looking to contend next year. Why block them?
sometimes its providing young OF more time to develop in minors, delay service time, or provide the offense with a punch while the young OFs go through the ups and downs that normally plague young players.
These guys the A’s have are all 24-27 or are AAA “ready-now” guys. Sizemore isn’t the answer, a guy like Logan Morrison makes a lot of sense though.
why not this sounds to much like a billy bean move he is better then nothing im prying we trade for lomo to get some more offence maybe we can dh sizemore and keep him helthey would be better then that slug chris carter the guy that has the speed of 12 dead turtels
annnd Jon Heyman making things up out of thin air just got exposed yet again…knew the A’s wouldn’t block prospects. I agree Morrison should be a perfect target for Beane though. Maybe if they want Gio, make Morrison part of a deal that raids their farm and brings in Dominguez and Yelich too…if the Marlins really are looking to win this year and the next few seems like a fair deal.
agree 100 percent
The Indians would have probably been smart to pick up his option and send 5 million in a trade, probably could have got some value back.
Injuries have rendered him pretty much useless for two years, so paying him anything is the funniest thing this side of Mark Prior.
Agreed. It’s a pretty desperate market if this guy has so many clubs after him. The idea he’ll steal 30 bases the rest of his career with those knees, never mind next year, is pretty fanciful.
i think it’s a statement on how barren the FA market is for outfielders.
Phillies—- not enough money
Indians—-probably not happening
Rockies— possibility if they trade Seth Smith
Rangers—have too many OF’s that arent (and are) injury prone
Red Sox—could happen if they decide Reddick isnt ready
Giants—–only if they dont sign Beltran
Yankees—where would he or Swisher play? Loses value as DH
Cubs——-makes most since from team standpoint
The Phillies have plenty of money. Especially for an incentive laden deal.
He will probably have too many suitors to sign an incentive laden deal. I read somewhere since the Papelbon signing the Phillies dont have as much to spend in free agency on an outfielder.
I still think his deal will be incentive-laden. He’s not the kind of player teams will bid each other up on IMO…i.e. a team may make an offer, but they’re not going to be pushed into the 4-5m guaranteed range to outbid others. He’s still such a huge, huge risk.
If he could be signed for 3-4m plus incentives to get it to 5-6m, I could see the Phils being in the game.
I wouldn’t say they have plenty of money, especially if they resign Jroll.
Well I meant as it stands now, they still have money to spend. It is widely believed that they still have the payroll to add two larger contracts ($10 mil+) (trying to remember where that was written, but it was in a wrap-up of Papelbon’s press conference), so if they were able to sign Rollins but unable to land a, say, Michael Cuddyer, they’d still have funds to make a competitive offer, especially on a one-year deal.
i dont think the phils have all this money people seem to think. I think their ownership knows they have a team that is made to win in the next 3 years, and they better spend now to get it done. That doesn’t mean they can blow money now.
did you accidentally hit the caps lock key?
i think a team with a surplus of established outfielders but a lack of pitching signs him and deals a good existing outfielder as part of a trade for a slightly above average pitcher
“Can he play first base?”
-T. Epstein
It would take the strain off his knees – his glove’s always been good, and maybe he could rediscover his swing in a new ballpark and a new spot in the lineup. Removes concerns about his arm strength too, and he could start playing outfield again as his knees get stronger.
surprised not to see seattle’s name not on that list. he’s from the area, he wants to play and the m’s could pretty much guarantee a starting job, the m’s need a better bat and a left fielder (back-up cf), and he would sign cheap(ish).
not the stadium i’d want to re-establish my value in
hmmm a left-handed bat for a stadium built for a left-handed batter? why not? he’s a career .320 hitter here at safeco (obp: 493, slg: 560, ops: 1.053)
Can’t see why the Cubs are interested in Sizemore. Unless, they’re thinking of putting Colvin or LaHair at 1B which I really hope not. We need to sign Fielder to man 1B for the next 6-7 years. Then to address the 3B options (Cuddyer *cough, cough*) trade Big Z, Soriano, and get a manager.
Trading Big Z and Soriano are pipe dreams though…hell the Phils have a better chance of trading a 1-footed $125m Howard than anyone biting on Big Z.
Z has 1 year with an option left on his contract. If we could swap bad contracts someone will bite. You’re right on Soriano though 3 more years for mediocre offense and worse than Manny being Manny defense. Makes me sick this guy makes 18 mil for the next 3 years. See contracts like Big Z and Soriano are why Jim Hendry doesn’t have a job.
If Z is willing to waive his no trade, so that limits even swapping bad contracts. And there isnt really many bad contracts that will benefit trading him.
Chris, Cuddyer will not be playing the hot corner on a regular basis. The Twins experimented with that idea for a few years. He would be best utilized by placing his cannon for an arm in right field and stepping in at 1b for a few games here and there to give the regular 1st baseman a rest. He can spot start in the infield here and there, but he’s nowhere near the infielder that he is an outfielder. He’s not great with the glove so infield errors would be a plenty if he were a regular there. He blossomed with the stick once he made the transition to playing in the grass regularly. Don’t mess with his head!
Better then many DH options around the league. He would make tons of sense in Tampa Bay, replacing Damon. He ought to take a one year contract to prove himself as a DH/1b type. He hits plenty for those spots IF he can stay healthy. Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Mariners, Cleveland, Twins, A’s. tons of teams like that could use his upside as a DH. I doubt he will be worth much more than replacement value as a defensive outfielder at this point anyway.
I feel as though the Braves aren’t interested (other than the injury aspect) because he’s LH?
Yeah and they’re in trade talks with Detroit, Delmon Young for Martin Prado.
1. Melky, CF
2. Sanchez, 2B
3. Posey, C
4. Sandoval, 3B
5. Beltran, LF
6. Belt, 1B
7. Shierholtz, RF
8. Barmes, SS
Bench: Sizemore/Ross, Keppinger, Huff, Torres, Crawford, Stewart/Whiteside
How are the A’s not interested? They’re probably trying to bring Luis Polonia out of retirement as I type….
I think the Cubs could get a Rasmus 4 a reasonable price but if the Blue Jays are Interested Sizemore..they could save Salary cap room…I really don’t understand why there’s so much hype about Sizemore…he was great in Cleveland 4 many years…but Injuries 2 his knee would scare alot of teams away…Rasmus would be a good fit 4 the Cubs who need a rightfielder if he could play in right field, Free agency could be interesting 4 both clubs…
Trade Marlin Byrd to Oakland for a pitcher. Bring Brett Jackson up
Trade Big Z, Josh Vitters, Rafeal Dolis/ Chris Carpenter, and another high level minor leaguer for Wright.
Sign Fielder
Sign Sizemore
C- Geovany Soto
1B- Prince Fielder
2B- Darwin Barney
3B- David Wright
SS- Starlin Castro
LF- Alfonso Soriano
CF- Brett Jackson
RF- Grady Sizemore
Line-up
Barney
Castro
Fielder
Wright
Soriano
Sizemore
Jackson
Soto
Bench
C- Steve Clevenger/ Welington Castillo
1B/OF- Bryan LaHair
OF- Tyler Colvin
INF/OF- Jeff Baker
INF/LF- Blake DeWitt
I’m a Cubs fan with one HUGE fantasy
I was really hoping the Dodgers owned by MLB would sign Sizemore for 5-7mil per two seasons to provide protection for Kemp who can win the Triple Crown and can go 40-40 if he just would see better pitches and not get IBB. Now it looks like the Rockies will probably sign him and then they will be awesome and win the Division next year.
He should go to NY
I wish the GIANTS would sign Beltran. He is the best and most savvy hitter I’ve seen at AT&T since Bonds. Pablo is very very good but he is still pretty raw. If I was Sabean I’d sure listen to Carlos. The GIANTS are nervous after, Rowand, Tejada, Zito, and Huff. The new contracts throughout baseball have to be incentive and production laden with a base salary. Zito and Rowand alone will cost the Gs roughly $35 million in 2012. This amount of money alone was almost equivelent to the 2011 Royals whole team salary which was $36,126,000. The D Backs were $53,638,833 and Tampa Bay $41,053,571. The latter 2 teams went to the playoffs.