Melky Cabrera missed out on a free agent payday of at least $50MM by testing positive for an elevated amount of testosterone, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes. Baseball is focused on improving ways of detecting testosterone and expanding tests for human growth hormone, Rosenthal reports. Here are some highlights from the remainder of his column…
- Dusty Baker might not have much leverage in contract talks with the Reds unless a managerial opening or two emerges, Rosenthal writes. Baker, whose contract expires after the season, earns $4-4.5MM per year and Rosenthal argues he deserves a raise. The Astros will be looking for a manager this offseason and jobs could open up in Boston and Anaheim.
- There’s no talk of the Braves shutting Kris Medlen down, even though he underwent Tommy John surgery at the same time Stephen Strasburg did. The Braves limited Medlen’s innings by starting the season with him in the bullpen.
- The Orioles are able to add payroll, but they didn’t do so in their recent trade with the Diamondbacks. Arizona sent about $300K to Baltimore to account for the difference in the salaries of Matt Lindstrom and Joe Saunders.
- The Orioles put in a claim on Joe Blanton earlier in August, Rosenthal reports. The Dodgers won the claim on the right-hander, who had nearly $3MM on his contract at the time he was placed on waivers.
Medlen has half as many pitches thrown this year as Strasburg. That’s the more relavent stat in my opinion.
Because he started the season in the bullpen. I don’t know if that was their reason for it, but it’s turned out great so far.
At least, we all hope there’s an open position in Boston.
Even Valentine detractors couldn’t possibly hope baker comes to boston. he carries more “goats” with him than anybody who has ever managed a team that i can remember, short of Don Zimmer.. lost opportunities, lack of knowledge on how to use a pitching staff.
he is very adept at shifting his failures to others.
Oh no, I don’t want Dusty baker to FILL the opening. I just want there to be one.
If they do make a change? I would like to see Dwight Evans. yeah.. he hasn’t even been a coach for quite some time understand fully, but once again is someone who knows the art of hitting (Walt hriniak style) and was a no nonsense player.
If Melky wasnt on the juice I highly doubt he would have been looking at a 50 million dollar payday to begin with.
Yeah, this. Not sure why people keep saying he cost himself that much money. If anything, his story is a perfect example of why players are still using PEDs. Rather than saying he cost himself $50MM by using, you might argue that he almost won himself an extra $50MM by using, but he waited too long to sign the extension and then get off the juice.
I might be wrong, but the Giants tabled the extension talks, not Melky.
And even now, IF (big if) the PEDs were a significant part of why he suddenly broke out, he’s still looking at more money in spite of the suspension.
Why would anyone believe its a big IF? Haven’t we seen enough results of people that were using to know it significantly helps a baseball player?
Freddy Galvis? Other bad players and minor leaguers who’ve been caught?
There’s no abject way to know who’s juicing and who’s not juicing (we only know who got caught and/or admitted to it), and we don’t definitively know how long they were juicing so we can’t really compare results with PED use to results without PED use.
Not really, and considering melky had a very high babip it was probably luck to begin with. His power didnt go go up since kc, and he was hitting more grounders this yr.
Right he almost got himself the 50 million he didnt lose anything because he was Melky freaking Cabrera before this happened. Very similar to Gary Mathews Jr a while back except he cashed in, at about 50 million I believe.
I don’t think there’s any chance Melky would have come close to a $50M contract, without his inflated PED numbers.
Ken is right about the Orioles… Excuses, Excuses!
what would you offer him as a contract if at all? 2 year for 10 million.
So basically the Orioles wanted a clearly bad, yet somehow overrated pitcher named Joe?