MLB executives tell ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark that they make sure to consider the differences between baseball’s two leagues when evaluating trade candidates. “I think it's safe to say you can look a lot smarter taking a pitcher from the American League to the National League than the other way around," one executive told Stark. Here are some highlights from his latest ESPN.com column:
- Baseball people expect the Mariners to sign Felix Hernandez long-term instead of trading him, Stark reports. Hernandez is under contract through 2014.
- Two scouts said they’d recommend signing Grady Sizemore if it doesn’t require much guaranteed money. The outfielder’s season is over and he figures to obtain a one-year, incentive-based contract this winter.
- One scout said he’d be nervous about trading for Johan Santana given his health issues. The Mets recently shut the left-hander down for the remainder of the season.
- Cardinals executives have told people they’re going to let Kyle Lohse’s contract situation play itself out. Lohse, who is headed for free agency this offseason, hasn’t had recent contract talks with the team, so it’s a safe bet he’ll hit the open market.
the red sox just traded 270million in payroll. so much for not having any flexibility
Depending on the deal with the Dodgers, the Sox are looking at dropping any where from $30M-$50M yearly salary. Add to that $10M from Matsuzaka’s contract and I’d say the Red Sox are going to have a lot more flexibility.
to spend on what? ellsbury..okay..but what else? henry will just keep the money and ticket prices will continue to increase….free agent signing? nope. free agents gets paid more and more every offseason…and so much for Rizzo and Casey Kelly…
not on ellsbury
Eh, I think this deal at the very least means they won’t aggressively shop Ellsbury, but I think they won’t make an long term decisions about Ells until after next season.
Plus, we will finally have a high draft pick…why relinquish that to another team for yet another free agent overpay.
If it’s a top 10 pick I think it’s still protected.
It doesn’t mean they have to spend right away. Part of the problems with the deals for guys like Lackey and Crawford could be attributed to the Red Sox believing they needed the highest priced talent.
At the very least the deal with the Dodgers gives Cherington a chance to build the team a different way. And honestly, I’m curious to see what he does with the team.
this is an excellent explanation.
” I’m curious to see what he does with the team.”
Build almost totally from within, or without high priced FA at least. The way every single GM before Epstein did.
Boston has the 2 WS now and both were before the wasteful FA splurges. lesson learned. They are not the NYY. Don’t try that again.
Every GM/Owner can hang a picture of Epstein on one side, the pictures/contracts given to Beckett, Lackey, Crawford on the other and show how pitiful a grand design it all amounted to.. Right up there with Minaya, Hendry and Sabean. Had not epstein had ownerships backing to spend on development of a top notch farm system? He would have been just as rotten a GM overall as those aforementioned 3..
I heard this guy Josh Hamilton is pretty good.
any chance the redsox attempt at a salary dump and aquisition of prospects is to make a very hard push for king felix?
It would be pretty tough to make a push for a 100% unavailable player.
It would take your top 5 or 6 good young players, and then we would still probably say no.
the gm who says no to 5 or 6 good young players should be fired
i guess you didnt read the article. Mariners are going to sign Felix to an extension. Red Sox tried to get Felix 2 years ago and Mariners said no
its a “report” and theyre “expected” to, i shoulda known those terms were code for “the deal is signed”.
It will be done, but during the off season. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
Seattle has already stated they will not trade Felix. The best approach for the Sox is to dump these primadonas and get good young pitching. They drafted pitching heavy this year but those guys are 2-3 years away. Zachary Stuart, acquired for Youk is an example. They need as many young arms as possible. Dump Pedroia too. He will bring top prospects and a #2 in return plus he is due $10M per year until 2014.
It’s closer to $70M for the next 2 years and $40M+ per year until 2018. Sweet!!!!!
Of course it’s not final yet.
Ellsbury is a unique talent but signing him is another story. He’ll be in control. IMO the Sox will trade him and continue to clear payroll before they put the team up for sale.
Ells should be traded. Doesn’t matter how much $$ they throw at him. Boras will insist on FA.
I might want to see the Phillies go after him depending on the guys they’d have to give up.
Grady Sizemore should take minor league contract & be happy with that as incentive base contract for guy who cannot stay healthy for past season seem like best for him & not for the team…
I think he’ll be able to get a major league deal. His power is still there.
The Redsox are gonna have tons of money to play with. I dont think they use much of it this year mybe next year or the year after were lacky an others will be off the books an dont forget Youks off the books this offseason as well.
We will spend lots of money against just wont be this offseason mybe but in the next 2-3 years well be spending
As an Indians fan and one of the biggest Grady fans you’ll find. It’s sad to say I think Sizemore has played his last out. His knees just aren’t responding correctly and I don’t see them ever healing.
On Felix Hernandez, he still has 2 years left to go on his current deal…I would be surprised if he’s extended this offseason. However, given that King Felix means so much to the franchise and that he lives near Seattle year-round, I think that he will be a Mariner for the rest of his dominant years, as with the trading of Ichiro, the face of the franchise is now number 34. I see an extension being done in spring training perhaps, but not during the upcoming offseason. Either way, Felix Hernandez isn’t going anywhere—and he will be their best starter since Randy Johnson pitched there. Hernandez will get paid, and those paychecks will be signed by Nintendo.
As for Sizemore, an incentive-laden deal may not be a such a bad thing, as he would essentially be a team’s reclamation project.
The article SHOULD say “baseball people expect Felix to be stuck on a bad team for a long time”
Best record since the All-Star break.
$20 says Lohse goes to the Red Sox after the season.
Funny.. Nowhere near Boston, nor the AL.. Boston has trash tosser’s at Pawtucket if they want one at 23YO (Hernandez). Why would they sign a high risk FA to a contract when they finally moved low risk FA/players in Beckett and Crawford?
They already have Lackey coming back next year and if Lohse by some chance moves to the AL next season (which he won’t if he is smart) my money is on Lackey doing better, returning from TJ and all.
I could see Lohse getting overpaid by the O’s or the Royals who would love to add a consistent veteran arm to their rotation, but he probably will not be as consistent outside of St Louis and in the American League.
Felix will sign an extension he want’s to stay a M for his career.
This recent trade proves that huge contracts are not un-tradable. This talk about extending or signing Ellsbury long term is nuts. They guy is hurt all the time, he had one good season. The Sox would be wise to ride out the current contract. If he gets hurt again next year his value will go down. People were talking 20m/per for Ellsbury, there is no way, unless the Dodgers want him. Ellsbury with injury history taken into account is a 12 to 15million value guy, and its a risk. Ellsbury is exactly like Grady Sizemore except Grady got hurt after he signed the big deal. Pittsburgh is the new model for all of MLB. A new stadium, a reengaged fan base, and a focus to find 1 or 2 veterans they can afford that will, not might, improve their roster.
Boston Fans want to see players from our minors become stars, that is where we are. I feel a little bad for Crawford because the guy never got a chance being injured so often. And on top of that it still infuriates me that the Red Sox never have African American players. We traded Ellsbury, Treated Jim Rice and Reggie Smith like junk, Let Ellis Burks go in favor of Mike Greensmell, did you know Boston was the last team in baseball to sign an African American Player? It might not be calculated, but as a life long Sox fan it is there it is a thing, we will treat Islanders well, but African American ballplayers all end up on the short end of the stick when they come to Boston.
”
We traded Ellsbury, Treated Jim Rice and Reggie Smith like junk, Let Ellis Burks” *Crawford not Ellsbury
Twins would probably take Santana back for a few prospects
Yeah, 3 games under 500 with the worst offense in the league is sooooo bad.
yea lets trade an ace who you need to contend for prospects. keyword prospects
6.5 back at the moment. A WC berth is a huge stretch this season, but the Ms will be in the hunt next year. They need Felix, however, to have a shot in 2013 and 2014.
so your solution is to trade the one thing they have?
They were a 101 loss team in 2010 and they’ve improved about 20 games even with a bad offense. Trading your best player isn’t going to help you, unless what you get in return is beyond overwhelming. Extending Felix is the best thing to do for our organization.
A’s traded there top 2 pitchers and an all star closer last offseason.. seems to be working out ok
And it would set them back several years. If we improve as well as we have over the last 2 years, we should be in the wild card hunt next year. No reason at all to get rid of him. Unless Bryce Harper or Mike Trout is the return.
Seeing as Felix is 25 and already established as one of the top pitchers in baseball, would it not make sense to rather trade those prospects for a hitter?
You really don’t know much about our farm system
Mariners have the best record in the AL since the All Star break (yes, better than the Yankees or Rangers). They are not as far away from competing as some here might think.
That’s just poor logic. If the Mariners had the prospect trio of Ackley/Smoak/Montero back in 2009, one would’ve said that they would easily be a contender by now. Talented prospects aren’t foolproof. It would be a tremendous risk to trade the core of the franchise, who is legitimately the only asset with the ability to put butts in Safeco seats, for 5-6 players who each carry less prospect hype than Ackley/Smoak/Montero did a few years ago.
Felix, but the prospects packaged into one can get you a really nice hitter. Prospects are prospects, Felix is an ace. You dont need to trade a young proven ace. You trade the prospects who have ace potential.
Doesnt matter people still like prospects…think Justin Upton, if the Dbacks trade him its going to be for prospects.
you don’t actually believe that do you?
You are completely disregarding the fact that the rangers and angels are in much better positions to improve their ballclubs and will much more aggressive in doing so going in to next year.
Yes, and the Yankees are in a much better position to improve their ballclub than the Rays, and yet Tampa Bay is right on their heels and currently in a wild card spot. Having financial resources definitely helps, but having talent is better, and, with apologies to Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander, nobody in baseball has a pitcher as talented as King Felix.