Passing along a few stray items out of the West divisions …
- Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz's two-year, $16MM contract is backloaded, according to the Associated Press (h/t Boston Herald). Cruz will earn $5MM in 2012, along with a $500K signing bonus, and will earn $10.5MM in 2013. The right-handed hitter can also earn up to an additional $500K based on plate appearances.
- Yoenis Cespedes did not secure a no-trade clause in his contract with the Athletics, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, so the A's will have the option of trading off the outfielder if he becomes too expensive as he nears free agency after 2015.
- The remaining bidders for the Dodgers will meet with MLB's ownership committee early next month, according to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press.
- The Padres will receive a rights fee of $30MM in 2012 for their new TV deal with FOXSports, a source tells Jay Posner of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The source adds that the Friars could earn as much as $40MM this year depending on a signing bonus and other factors.
And that’s why the A’s signed him…a trade chip for lots of young talent if he is as advertised.
Just like Matt Holiday… although they did lose Cargo :/
Not necessarily. If Parker and Peacock can become ready within this year or next, along with a healthy Braden and Anderson (hopefully), their rotation won’t look so bad. Plus, guys like Green, Choice, Norris, and Parker could be ready within the next year, which along with the likes of Jemile Weeks and now Cespedes, should make the club competitive. Am I saying that the A’s will compete with both the Rangers and Angels? Not in the near future. But if most the A’s prospects pan out and stay healthy, then I could at least see them being competitive within a couple of years. Plus, they will still have guys like Sonny Gray and A.J. Cole in the minors who by then should be close to ready (Gray is on the fast track, but I’m not quite sure when he will be called up, especially since they have a lot of depth in their rotation). The only thing I am concerned with other than whether or not Cespedes will pan out, is that by the time the A’s get their new ballpark (in which they hopefully will), Cespedes will be a free agent. A long ways ahead, but it will certainly be interesting to see what happens by the end of his contract with the A’s.
So, what you’re saying is that if every single one of the A’s prospects works out they will be a success? It never works like that.
No, I did not say that at all. All I’m saying is that if if their top offensive prospects do pan out, then they will look much better as a team overall. Of course I know that not all prospects pan out, but hypothetically I’m trying to point out that they will look much better as a club if these prospects pan out, especially given that they are not that far away.
I think this is a great signing for the A’s. He is going to be a very good hitter.
based on what?
Based on the reports that I have read about him as well as video I have watched this offseason
the video where he’s working out, running and jumping leads you to believe he will be a ‘very good hitter’ ?
whats your opinion on him lunchbox? cause i cant tell if your just curious or trying to be a smart donkey..for lack of a better word..
I think he’s super athletic, quick. If he gets good reads in the OF he could be a good defensive player and add some SB’s.
At the plate he has some power, and can catch up to a fastball, but his mechanics arent very good and he doesn’t have good pitch recognition..
If he was a prospect, he would be super exciting, but the reality is, he is going to need some time in the minors and is already 27.
I just don’t think he’ll ever be a ‘very good hitter’ unless he has a Jose Bautista transformation.. but he brings other things to the table where there is a chance he can be a good all around player
being an a’s fan, i’m gonna let myself be nitpicky on this one, he’s 26, he’ll be 27 in october
Why in the world would the A’s want to sign Cespedes for that kind of money? Could it be that they have a mind to trade him in his first year for prospects, thus costing them little and gaining a lot?
Because he ACTUALLY wanted to go to Oakland, unlike many other free agents who spurn to play to them due to their ballpark. Oakland jumped the gun knowing that in a few years, he could be a vital part of their next span of winning. Because many free agents refuse to play in Oakland, the A’s have to draft and grow offensive prospects themselves, and with only a handful of A’s offensive prospects who have a high ceiling to produce in the big leagues, the A’s decided that signing Cespedes would help their ball club both in the near and long-term future. The A’s knew that this deal is a huge risk, but with the fact that their payroll is pretty low, they knew that they needed to make this kind of risk in order to win. Plus, if Cespedes does pan out, 9 million a year won’t look so bad.
They had to spend the revenue sharing money, and Cespedes is the only guy worth spending on that would actually come to Oakland.
EEvery time the Dodgers get tagged in a post it scares me, I just assume Ned gave anothrt replacement level pitcher a two year back-loaded deal.
I had the same feelings as a Ranger fan when the duo of Tom Hicks and John Hart were running the team into the ground…and eventually into bankruptcy. Things will get better for the Dodgers.
Me too….please go away Ned
If Cespedes is any good the A’s will trade him during this season… no reason to have one good hitter when you can get more pitching!!!
The Padres need an official owner!
No no-trade clause on Cespede’s deal with the A’s = him getting traded in a year or two. Why? Because it’s the Billy Beane way
wow you should really look into patenting that, never heard that one before.
-_-
I really don’t get the hype of Cespedes he can’t hit a breaking ball.