John Farrell has officially joined the Red Sox after many months of intense speculation. Here are some links, starting in Boston with Farrell’s new team…
- Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo is a strong candidate to join Farrell with the Red Sox, perhaps as the team's bench coach, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. We heard lots about the possibilities for Lovullo yesterday.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman acknowledged that Alex Rodriguez is not a superstar, but said he's still an "above-average" player, Peter Botte of the New York Daily News reports. The GM repeated that a deal involving Rodriguez seems "unrealistic." The 37-year-old has five years and $114MM remaining on a contract that includes no-trade protection.
- Derek Lowe, who pitched out of the bullpen for the Yankees down the stretch, says he would like to start again in 2013, George A. King III of the New York Post reports. Lowe hits free agency this offseason and probably won't interest the Yankees as a starter in the estimation of Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues.
- Andruw Jones, who also hits free agency this offseason, said he intends to play for four more years, according to King.
Jays fans, who would you all prefer for new manager? I thought Luvollo would be a candidate, guess not. There is Butterfield, Sandy Alomar Jr, Brad Ausmus, other…what do you think?
Jesse Litsch
Tim Wallach
manny acta.. he hates bunts
Dave Martinez, Alomar or Hale
Martinez never made it to the second round of interviewing last time.
Clearly the process was flawed last time…
touche sir, touche
I don’t like any of those options.
I want a manager who has been a manger in the majors and has shown:
1) leadership abilities
2) holds players accountable
3) has a track record of success
What manager with a track record of success currently doesn’t have a job?
Based on win percentage?
Cecil Cooper
Jack McKeon
Felipe Alou
Cito Gaston
Jerry Manuel
Ken Macha
Willie Randolph
Mike Hargrove
Larry Dierker
Based on how lethargic the current 1B FA crop is… “Flash” Cooper maybe should be taking grounders and contemplating a comeback next season…
and you seriously would take some of those guys lol
I would like Lovullo to be Farrell’s bench coach. So interested to see how the rest of his staff comes together if Lovullo is bench coach. This offseason started with a bang and they need to really work toward fielding a competitive team next year. I don’t care if they don’t make the playoffs, but I would be please with at the bare minimum a 81-81 record.
I agree 100% Hopefully Larry won’t get to choose any of the coaching staff.
True that. This has to be Cherington and Farrell’s decisions.
Wishful thinking could be a odd chance Farrell gets Varitek on his coaching staff and out of the FO….
Both would be a good tandem together with the pitchers, Tek gets experience in the dugout at the same time.
Odds of that happening? Very slim.
Lol, Andruw Jones might have plans for playing 4 more years but doesn’t mean the rest of the league has those same plans…
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Long Island Ducks, Newark Bears.
You forgot the Sugar Land Skeeters
as long as he is fine with a reserve/ dh roll, still can play all 3 OF positions and field very well and still crush left handed pitching there will aways be a team willing to pay him a mill or two
“4 more years! 4 more years!”
That $114MM number keeps getting bandied about for A-Rod, but that’s only the remaining salary. He also has $4MM in bonuses still guaranteed and he’s all but certain to hit the $6MM bonus for hitting 660 HR (he’s only 13 away). That makes for more like $124 in money left to pay him. And if he plays all five of those years, he’ll most likely get the $6MM for getting to 714, too. That’s $130MM.
There are also $6MM in escalators each for matching Aaron, catching up with, and passing Bonds. So that’s another $18MM, potentially.
But that extra $16MM above the oft-cited $114MM is all but a lock.
What happens to the bonuses if he’s released before triggering all of them?
when players are released the team pays the full amount of the contract minues the prorated minimum that a new team pays. So either no matter what the yankees pay it or there is a “buy out” type clause
The thing I dont get about why people keep bringing up the contract is this. IF the yankees were to trade him, I doubt they do becuase he still has value and was on pace for a good season before his injury and they have nothing of note in their system thats ready. The yankees will be paying upwards of 75% of the remaining contract, and more than likely send money to the new team if he hits those bonuses. Much like the Astros would have done with the whitesox had Brett Meyers option vested. So essentially these options, and bonuses wont matter too much to the new team because lets say he gets that 6 million one for hitting 660, the new team might only have to pay 2-3 million. The only thing holding the yankees back from trading him is His full no trade. He will more than likely want to go to a contender, probably one that he wont be DHing full time not the money
It’s relevant because the amount the Yankees would have to pay down isn’t $114MM, it’s more like $124-130MM.
4 more years? In the majors? He’d be lucky to be playing in the minors for that long.
mmm maybe..
On a good playoff team, he’s a bat bench that gets limited time hitting lefties.
but on lets say the bottom 2/3 of teams he could probably get 120 starts and do well. I mean he did have an OBP of +.350 last year.
not sure he is willing to go to a team that has no chance at the playoffs.. then again the yankees making the playoffs didn’t do him any good anyways.
Thats why I wanted him to come back for this season, but Jones was bad this year. He struggled mightily in the field, he also couldn’t hit lefties at all.
Billy Hall probably thought the same thing after his fluke 2010 season.. yet lasted another 2 months with Houston and has been bouncing around various organizations as an AAAA retread ever since.
Jones wants to play and it’s the same thing.. Teams have little to no use for aging players with low OBP who K 25-30% of the time.
Minor league deal with invite to ST.. That is his future and does not require a crystal ball either.
But the ball goes so far when he connects.
I know.. Unfortunately for Jones? Wade isn’t around anymore at Houston to give him a couple million to see that and over look the rest of his atrocious numbers.
Like Derek Lowe, I would also like to be a major league starting pitcher in 2013.
Also like Derek Lowe, my odds are not particularly good.
It’s not like two more years starting would give him a chance to cement a HoF resume. I don’t know why he wouldn’t prefer being a kinda good reliever to being a mostly awful starter.
Wouldn’t you rather pitch the 7th for a contender than butcher the first five innings of a game for a team like say, the Royals?
I guess you’d have to analyze his utility curve.
Yep, he won’t be the first choice for a starter on a contender, maybe at most an injury replacement.
I hope Torey is Farrell’s bench coach…and I’d like to see Brian Butterfield on staff…good coach, NE native, seems like a good fit.
I would be very upset to see him leave the Jays. Just take Luvullo
It likely won’t happen. Only will if the Jays truly gave all their coaches freedom to do what they will. Being a NE native might draw Brian in if that’s the case. As Ausmus dreamed of managing the Sox, Butterfield might well dream of coaching for them.
I really think it’s coming time for Jones to retire. He had a good early career, but he is 35 and really has fallen apart. He isn’t even good in the field anymore. 430 HR and he was brilliant in CF earlier in his career. HOFer probably. Very good defense + 400+ hr out of cf is rare.
Very low odds a HOF’er. I will always bring up Dwight Evans for this kind of player when they are brought up.
Evans has Jones hammered in just about every statistical category, except HR and that he is only 50 behind in and Evans won more GG at during a time GG were not awarded by default from writers, but had to be earned.
Who cares about GG’s? Jones was by far the best defensive CF of his time. Stats, Gold Gloves, Watching him play…..it doesn’t matter, he was the best. He has a higher Career WAR than Evans in 3 less years (over 400 less games). I’m not saying Jones is a slam dunk for the HOF, but he should definitely be considered.
Wrong.. Dwight Evans, AL and Cesaer Geronimo NL at their OF positions during their time were known as the best combination of throwing arm and defensive OF for their time. nobody ran on them.. Period..
As for offense? I already explained that part.
So….. what was I wrong about? Jones was by far the best CF of his time. So you are going to ignore something like WAR because they were “known as the best combination”? haha okay…….
No, not at all.. You went out and automatically dismissed the GG, then declared Jones as the best CF of his time (which he was for a time) then I pointed out that Evans was the best RF and he and Geronimo (a CF) had the best arms of their time. I saw both Jones and Evans at the height of their playing careers and Jones didn’t have the arm of either Geronimo, nor Evans for strength, nor accuracy.
You took what I said and dismissed it with a lackadaisical “whatever” and probably because never even saw either of the guys I mentioned even play.. See that very often here and geez it gets old.
Could care less…Lovullo wasn’t even good at first base this year. He barely sent runners and when they did it was him or Farrell making bad decisions at the wrong times… pe@ce out and bring in someone who actually knows a lot about stealing 2nd base.
A-Rod was 3rd among 3B in OPS…that’s much better than avg, just not $25M better..lol
Question: If Andruw Jones retired today. Hall of famer or not?