Highlights from the latest edition of Full Count from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports..
- The Nationals continue to look for a taker for John Lannan but his $5MM salary is only part of the problem. A rival exec points out that any team that gets Lannan might prefer to let him go this offseason rather than go to arbitration with him, further diminishing his value.
- A rival executive says that Joey Votto's ten-year, $225MM contract with the Reds could affect Zack Greinke's talks with the Brewers. In the past, a team like Milwaukee could claim that a small market team could never afford such a deal, but that no longer seems like a fair argument.
- The Cardinals talked about trading Kyle Lohse or Jake Westbrook to free up space for Albert Pujols but it now looks like they made the right decision to hang on to both. While the two pitchers will earn a combined $20MM+ this season, both reported in excellent condition this season and are off to strong early starts.
- The Braves are locked into their local TV deal for the next 20 years – a deal that could soon become the worst in the sport. Meanwhile, their payroll is stagnant and while the farm system is deep in pitchers and shortstops, it's not terribly deep in other areas. Rosenthal can't imagine that the future looks promising for catcher Brian McCann as he is two years away from free agency.
The Brewers could certainly argue that the Reds cant “afford” the Votto deal in any meaningful sense. They have the ability to pay it, but it’s not smart business. That wouldn’t be a difficult distinction to make.
Apparently it’s a difficult distinction for “rival executives” to make though. Has anyone outside of Cincinnati looked at the Votto deal as a good move, let alone a smart baseball move?
Revenue sharing and a new TV contract will be paying a good majority of the deal, so it really won’t hamper the team in the future. I know my team is the one that signed him to it, so I am a little biased. Is it a few years too long? Probably. But that’s the price to lock up guys like Votto or Pujols or Fielder.
True, but there’s something to be said for the opposite argument too. Reds, Rays, Oakland, Royals, and Dodgers are all increasing or claiming to be increasing payroll over the next 5 years or so. Its going to be hard for the other mid-markets to say that they can’t do the same.
If teams simply spent their revenue sharing money on top of their current (profitable) payrolls, it’d be a major improvement.
The longer the Nats wait, the more Lannan’s value decreases. He’s been getting knocked around in Triple-A, and doesn’t look like Lannan of last year. Could be a lack of motivation being that he’s unhappy with his situation. Regardless, he’s got to improve…
How the heck does his value decrease if they wait? He has no value right now because nobody wants him. If they actually hold onto him when teams start to lose starters to injury, I’d think that’s when his value would increase, especially if they lose starters themselves and need a replacement. It’s Mike Rizzo, though, so they aren’t going to trade him just for the sake of trading him or because he wants to be traded. They’re only going to trade him if they get something significant or useful in return.
How the heck does his value decrease if they wait? Well, if he continues to get shellacked at Triple-A teams are going to look elsewhere when they need a pitcher. Maybe, they will look in-house or somebody other than John Lannan because right now he looks awful…
I see your point, but I don’t think teams would judge the entire body of a guy’s work based on his first two starts of the year. If they did that, Dan Haren would be one of the worst pitchers in the league this year. Teams know what they’re getting when they’d get him, and frankly I think it’s a combination of things: He’s expensive and teams don’t need him right now–or teams would take him but Rizzo is just asking for too much. Like I said before, they’re not just going to give him away because they can use him if any starter goes down, it’s him and Wang that are the next men in.
I’m not saying these two starts are it for him, just saying that he needs to get going. Like I said, I don’t know if he just isn’t motivated because of where he is, but regardless he needs to start pitching better. The problem I think, is that Washington really should of traded him during the offseason or spring. Maybe before the arbitration hearing…
Potentially the worst tv deal in baseball. That’s great to hear.
I tried to look for it quickly, but didn’t find much. How much are the Braves getting per year about from the TV deal signed a few years ago?
I don’t remember how much they are getting, but it isn’t going to increase much or at all over the next 20 years(when they can finally get out of it).
I couldn’t find any numbers on it either, so I guess it looks like we’ve got to just take some people at their word for now.
*One big gripe seems to be that the owners (Liberty Media) locked them into a deal that lasts a quarter of a century just a few years before the market exploded in a good way (which you would think a media company would see coming). Not sure if Liberty Media actually had anything to do with the deal or if that was constructed by previous ownership though, so that may not be a valid gripe.
From what I read in an AJC interview with Terry McGuirk, the deal was done by Time Warner before Liberty Media purchased the Braves. It was a 30-year deal and there are 24 or 25 years left on it, unless there is an opt-out clause near the end of it.
In an AJC interview with Braves CEO, Terry McQuirk, no numbers were discussed but he stated that there was a 25-year deal done under then-owner Time Warner-AOL, who took over after Ted Turner and before current owner, Liberty Media. The deal can’t be renegotiated and he said it’s something they would have to “live with”, also stating that the deal is not a competitive advantage – in comparison to the rich TV deals LAA/TEX recently signed that allowed for more cash flow.
This is yet another example of how the Braves could benefit greater from a consistent owner, and not be the tax write-off for a media company caring nothing about being a sports owner.
Notice NL teams seem to be the ones who like to give out large salaries (and retain at such) people who throw stuff like Lannan.. Jason Marquis has bounced around various NL teams and several have lavished him with abhorrent salaries.. Yet no AL teams. Prime example there.
The only AL pitchers really are on an entire team..The Minnesota Twins and they have finally figured out the error of their mis guided ways. Signing Pavano, there own home grown pile of rubbish throwers has led to year after year of loathsomeness from a pitching staff.
That John Lackey is an ace though.
Lackey isn’t a trash tosser like the afore mentioned names and actually was a #1 for Anaheim for years. Certainly he was awful in 2010, though was doing fine at the very start of 2011 before the symptoms of his elbow appeared and he remained silent until the season was almost over.
I have a feeling when lackey comes back he will be decent.. Not the #1 he was for years with Anaheim of course, probably not throwing 93-94mph either (something Lannan only dreams of) but will be a decent back end starter to go with Lester, Beckett and Bucholz next season.
It sure was a wasted contract thought looking back at it. probably not when one sees how well he was for years and the workhorse he was with a perennial winning team, but right now it looks bad.
I’m so dizzy from that spin-job, I think I need to sit down.
Jason Marquis is in the Al this year with the twins
“The only AL pitchers really are on an entire team..The Minnesota Twins
and they have finally figured out the error of their mis guided ways.”
Hence my adding the entire Twins (minus Liriano) into that group. Give the Twinkies credit.. They only gave him 3m.. A far cry less than the 5-9m he was suckering various NL teams out of the previous 6 years.
With Scott Baker done for the season and Nick Blackburn hurt tonight it is only a matter of time until the Twins acquire Lannan. Not sure if he is significantly better than an in-house option (Anthony Swarzak?), but being available and fitting the “Twins mold” it is bound to happen.
I really hate to see it and really mean that. There just has to be something deep down that they have and admit.. Know very little regarding their farm system, but it looks like their season is pretty much shot out already..
They MUST have somebody in the AA/AAA level they can try and see.
Lannan might have “some” success in that huge pitchers park while it’s cold, but summer will come and the ball will carry.
Think (they will have to) about paying him 5m as well.
Blyleven has to be having fits on the broadcasts.. Will have to catch a few…
If Blackburn is out for any extended period of time the only true starters on the 40-man roster are Scott Diamond and Anthony Swarzak.
Swarzak has already filled in for 2 starts, but was expected to be the long relief guy in the BP.
Scott Diamond is essentially the same pitcher as Lannan (left-handed, upper-80s FB), although 2 years younger.
Liam Hendriks has already taken the spot that was meant to be filled with Scott Baker.
Rosenthal says that under the assumption that all Mac cares about is the money. Not championship contention or playing in his hometown, just the money…way to be a good analyst Ken, not everyone is Cole Hamels.
I don’t think that’s fair to say about Cole. He’s in a position to be the best free agent arm in 2012 with LAD having just signed a massive ownership deal that puts him in line for a nice payday if they want to sign someone out of principle. It’s been reported that PHI tried to do a team-friendly contract similar to Jered Weaver’s deal, after his deal was done in 2011. Why should Halladay/Cliff Lee get $20M+ per year, while Cole is younger, putting up similar numbers? If anything, he should expect more because he’s a product of the Phillies farm system, thinking that you’d like to hold on to one of your own. But, that evidently isn’t the case. If they paid Cole his market price, PHI would be paying 4 players more than half the annual budget (Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Howard). That can’t happen on a team with a brittle 2B and a CF who’ll become a free agent this year (Victorino).
It could also be pointed out that Lannan isn’t helping his own cause with two terrible starts at AAA. His performance plus the Nats’ rotation’s incredible start are making the team look vert smart in sending him down.
True, but doesn’t it, at least slightly, lower his trade value?