Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Anderson, Pujols, Liriano
On this date in 1976, San Francisco mayor George Moscone intervened in the sale of the Giants to Labatt Brewery, which would have moved the team to Canada. Moscone helped arrange a last-minute sale to Bob Lurie and Bud Herseth for $8MM, keeping the team by the bay.
These links aren't in danger of relocating; here's the best the blogosphere had to offer over the last week…
- MLB Depth Charts is giving away a $100 Amazon.com gift card as part of its "Pick the Long Shots" contest.
- Stephen Goff at Examiner spoke to Chuck Knoblauch about his nephew Trace, who plays college ball for Indiana.
- Harness The Halo says goodbye to Garret Anderson.
- Crashburn Alley explains why Albert Pujols would not be a fit for the Phillies.
- Pine Tar And Pocket Protectors believes trading Chris Carpenter is the best way for the Cardinals to go.
- The Platoon Advantage tackles the Francisco Liriano trade rumors, noting that the Twins are an organization "driven by emotion."
- The Bottom Line tries to figure out who should hit cleanup for the Red Sox.
- Rooftop View is bullish on the Cubs bullpen.
- Ivy Report wonders if the Cubs should be interested in Barry Zito.
- Lookout Landing posted a short but not necessarily sweet Aaron Laffey comparison.
- Through The Fence Baseball breaks down some players at a career crossroads.
- Pirates Prospects takes a shot at fixing the free agent compensation system.
- More Hardball looks at some players that have been forced out of the game.
- DesigNate Robertson provides a way too early AL Central preview.
- The Mennella Line looks at Bobby Valentine's interest in buying a piece of the Mets.
- The composite, meanwhile, says the Mets should be contracted.
- The Shea Faithful thinks Rule 5 Draft pick Pedro Beato may have been born to be a Met.
- SB Nation explores the extreme side of baseball's superstitions, namely human mascots.
- 85% Sports lists their top five exhibits at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Fantasy Rundown compiles all of the prospect lists out there in one place, which Cubs Billy Goat Blog used to create a composite top 100 prospects list.
- Interpretation By Design put together a handy flowchart to help you pick a team to root for if you're undecided.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.
Papelbon: Future In Boston After 2011 Is “A Tossup”
Jonathan Papelbon says there’s a “50-50” chance that he returns to the Red Sox after the season, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Papelbon, who is set to earn $12MM this year before hitting free agency for the first time in his career, says it’s “a tossup.”
“Whatever happens, happens. I don’t have much control over that,” Papelbon said in reference to the free agent market in general. “I’m worried about putting up numbers and trying to be the best I can be at my craft, be part of the equation for a championship club again.”
Papelbon says the notion that he wants to play elsewhere is a “big misconception” and that he can see himself returning to Boston, where he has spent the first six seasons of his career. The 30-year-old will have competition on the free agent market after the season, when Heath Bell, Jonathan Broxton, Matt Capps, Francisco Cordero, Ryan Franklin, Brad Lidge, Joe Nathan, Francisco Rodriguez, Rafael Soriano and Jose Valverde could all hit free agency as well.
MLBTR At FanGraphs: The Tigers’ Rotation Depth
I’m writing a series of guest posts at FanGraphs, one of the first places baseball fans go for top analysis and stats. Today, I show that the Tigers are taking an unconventional approach to rotation depth. Most teams are picking up non-roster invitees and fringe starters to compete for rotation spots, but the Tigers appear content with their front five and willing to adjust on the fly if an injury arises.
Quick Hits: Richard, Crawford, Feliz, Castro
Links for Friday as Jake Peavy prepares for his first game action since last July. Peavy faces the Angels in Arizona this afternoon…
- Chris Richard, an outfielder/first baseman who spent parts of five seasons in the majors with the Orioles, Rays, Rockies and Cardinals, has announced his retirement, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times (on Twitter).
- The Angels offered Carl Crawford $108MM with an $18MM option, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). No wonder the outfielder accepted Boston's $142MM offer.
- Vernon Wells would have accepted a trade to the Yankees, not just to the Rangers or Angels, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
- Rangers higher-ups want Neftali Feliz to make the team's rotation, according to Heyman (on Twitter).
- Astros catcher Jason Castro could miss the entire season, after tearing his right ACL, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
J.D. Drew Considering Retirement
J.D. Drew doesn't always get credit for it, but he has been an above-average offensive player since arriving in Boston four years ago (120 OPS+). Despite his productivity at the plate, Drew told Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald that he'll consider retirement after the season, when his five-year contract with Boston expires.
“I don’t really know what I’m going to do, I’m leaning both ways. I guess, I don’t really know,” Drew said. “It depends on how the year goes. I don’t know what I’ll do. There’s benefits to both sides, but I have to think it out, pray about it, talk with my family, see how my body holds up over the year, and go from there.”
Drew, who hinted at retirement last fall, stayed on the field for 139 games last year, though his hamstring bothered him at times. The 35-year-old former first rounder hit 22 homers last year, posting a .255/.341/.452 line in 546 plate appearances.
Offseason In Review: Seattle Mariners
The Mariners are next in our Offseason In Review series.
Major League/International Signings
- Miguel Olivo, C: two years, $7MM. $3MM club option for 2013 with a $750K buyout.
- Jack Cust, DH: one year, $2.5MM. Can be controlled for 2012 as an arbitration eligible player.
- Esteilon Peguero, SS: $1.1MM bonus.
- Erik Bedard, SP: one year, $1MM.
- Gabriel Guerrero, OF: $400K bonus.
- Total spend: $13MM.
Notable Minor League Signings
- Josh Bard, Denny Bautista, Manny Delcarmen, Gabe Gross, Charlie Haeger, Adam Kennedy, Ryan Langerhans, Nate Robertson, Jamey Wright, Fabio Castro, Justin Miller, Chris Ray, Royce Ring, Luis Rodriguez
Extensions
Trades and Claims
- Acquired SP Chaz Roe from Rockies for IF Jose Lopez
- Claimed RP Jose Flores from Indians in Rule 5 draft
- Acquired SS Brendan Ryan from Cardinals for SP Maikel Cleto
- Acquired a player to be named later or cash considerations from Padres for C Rob Johnson
- Acquired P Aaron Laffey from Indians for IF/OF Matt Lawson
Notable Losses
- Jose Lopez, Maikel Cleto, Casey Kotchman, Russell Branyan, Rob Johnson, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Ian Snell, Sean White, Matt Lawson
Summary
The Mariners "won" the 2009-10 offseason and ended up winning 61 games. Now they're in a difficult position: they're not committed to a full rebuild, but they probably don't have the talent to contend in 2011. Let's see how GM Jack Zduriencik handled this conflict within the confines of limited payroll flexibility this offseason.
Baseball America's 2011 Handbook ranked Seattle's farm system 18th in the game, and the Mariners added quality prospects by signing Peguero and Guerrero. Getting Roe for Lopez was a win in that the latter appeared headed for a non-tender. However, Zduriencik did subtract one live arm in sending Cleto to St. Louis for Ryan. The goal should be to add to the farm system while retaining players who can help the Mariners compete in 2012.
Given the importance of intangibles when evaluating catchers, free agent contracts are often difficult to assess. I don't love the Olivo signing, but the price is OK compared to John Buck and there is something to be said for having a veteran behind the plate for top prospect Michael Pineda and other inexperienced pitchers. Going entirely with youth behind the plate last year did not go well.
Cust, Bedard, and minor league signings like Delcarmen and Ray are smart moves with little downside. Perhaps with more stability Cust can post a .400 OBP over a full season. Bedard took less to remain in Seattle and says he's as healthy as he's been in years. Delcarmen and Ray will take on prominent bullpen roles, which is a risk a contending team couldn't take. Ryan did cost Cleto, but the infielder fits with the Mariners' tendency to scoop up underrated defenders. The Mariners reportedly checked in on many starters with health concerns beyond Bedard, such as Justin Duchscherer, Chris Capuano, Rich Harden, and Jeff Francis. In the end, the risk/reward equation didn't work for Seattle with these free agents.
2011 may be more of a regrouping year than a rebuilding one for the Mariners under new manager Eric Wedge. They'll be free of significant payroll commitments after '11, though Felix Hernandez's salary takes a big jump for '12. I think the Mariners intend to make more of a push toward contention for '12, after seeing what they have in Pineda, Dustin Ackley, Michael Saunders, Justin Smoak, Dan Cortes, and Josh Lueke.
Dodgers Sign Randy Keisler
The Dodgers have signed Randy Keisler to a minor league contract according Dynasty Athlete Representation (on Twitter).
The 35-year-old left-hander hasn't appeared in the majors since 2007, and he's spent the last two years pitching in an independent league and the Mexican League. He spent the 2008 season with Triple-A affiliates of the Orioles and Cubs, posting a 4.03 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 114 innings. Keisler has pitched for the Yankees, Padres, Reds, Athletics, and Cardinals in his career, pitching to a 6.63 ERA in 150 2/3 big league innings.
Players That Signed Extensions With A New Team
Every year we see teams sign their star players to long-term contract extensions, often buying out arbitration and/or free agent years. But every so often a team will acquire a player in a trade and then sign him to an extension before they ever play a game in their uniform. Many times an extension will be a condition of a trade, other times it can be unexpected.
Here's a few extensions that were signed before the player ever played a game for the team, sorted by guaranteed money…
- Miguel Cabrera, Tigers – A little more than three months after the trade that brought him to Detroit, the Tigers gave Cabrera an eight-year, $152.3MM contract. Off-the-field transgressions aside, he's been worth every penny: .314/.388/.567 with 109 homers in three years in MoTown.
- Johan Santana, Mets – The trade was contingent on Santana agreeing to a new deal, which he did when the team offered six years and $137.5MM. Although he's battled injuries with the Mets, Santana's pitched to a 2.85 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in the three years since the trade.
- Ken Griffey Jr., Reds – The Kid signed what was then the largest contract in baseball history the day he was traded to Cincinnati, a nine-year, $112.5MM pact. He hit .270/.362/.514 with 210 homers in parts of nine seasons with the Reds, battling numerous injuries.
- Roy Halladay, Phillies – Philadelphia wasted no time getting Halladay under contract, giving him a three-year, $60MM deal the day he was acquired from the Blue Jays. The extension doesn't kick in until this year, but Doc was as good as advertised in his first season with the Phillies, winning the Cy Young Award to go with a regular season perfect game and a playoff no-hitter.
- Javier Vazquez, Yankees – After acquiring Vazquez from the Expos, the Yankees locked him into a four-year, $45MM pact. It didn't work out in New York; he pitched to a 4.91 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 2004 before being traded to Arizona as part of the package for Randy Johnson the following offseason.
- Dontrelle Willis, Tigers – The Tigers locked up Willis before they locked up Cabrera. He signed a three-year, $29MM contract about two weeks after the trade, and you can bet the team wishes it could have pushed the reset button on this one. Willis pitched to a 6.86 ERA in just 101 innings in a Tigers' uniform.
Dan Uggla joined this group earlier this winter, and it's very possible Adrian Gonzalez will before the end of the month as well. Other players like Josh Beckett and Scott Rolen (with the Cardinals) signed extensions within a few months of being acquired, playing just a handful of games with their new teams beforehand.
Mets Notes: Wilpon, Perez, Rodriguez, Finances
The latest on the Mets, including updates on two pitchers who haven't lived up to their contracts…
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says he finds it "increasingly difficult to believe that [Fred Wilpon] will remain viable as owner [of the Mets]." He believes Wilpon should sell the team and move on, for the good of all involved.
- Andy Martino of the New York Daily News hears that the Mets are close to giving up on Oliver Perez and could release him if he doesn't pitch well against the Cardinals today. Manager Terry Collins says Perez will have another chance to prove himself after today, however. The left-hander earns $12MM this year in the final year of his contract.
- Agent Paul Kinzer told David Lennon of Newsday that Francisco Rodriguez's 2012 option, which becomes guaranteed if he finishes 55 games this year, will be a "point of interest" that he'll watch closely. Kinzer says he hopes the Mets play to win instead of worrying about the $17.5MM option.
- The owners of the Mets, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, face more than a $1 billion lawsuit, but that's not all. They are expected to face additional allegations from a court-appointed trustee, according to Matthew Futterman and Michael Rothfeld of the Wall St. Journal.
Rangers, Daniels Nearing Extension
6:54pm: The two sides spoke today and are moving closer to a deal, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas. "I'm optimistic we're in the process of getting something done shortly," said Ryan.
8:24am: Jon Daniels and Rangers president Nolan Ryan are expected to meet today to discuss an extension for the GM, according to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. The deal is a priority for Ryan and the sides could arrive at an agreement as soon as today, according to Grant.
Daniels led the Rangers to the World Series last year after signing Vladimir Guerrero, trading for Cliff Lee, moving C.J. Wilson to the rotation and seeing young players like Elvis Andrus and Neftali Feliz emerge as regulars. For a more complete look at Daniels' work, click through to MLBTR's Transaction Tracker.
The Rangers are interested in exploring extensions for a number of their players, as well.