Here’s the latest from around the AL East…
- Manny Machado talked to reporters (including MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko) about several topics in a media session today, including his happiness that Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Darren O’Day are all still Orioles. The team’s willingness to spend this offseason “brings out hope” that Machado will also be able to sign a new contract to remain in Baltimore, as he desires. “They’re trying to keep everybody here. That’s good for me. I hope they keep me here for [the] long term,” Machado said. “But the case is, you can’t really sign everybody. You can’t bring everybody back. But it’s just part of the business, people you can bring back, people who you can’t, people who won’t be. But I think we’re making an effort of bringing everybody back, keeping the same clubhouse, the same core.”
- It’s “still quite unlikely” that Ian Desmond will sign with the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Desmond’s list of possible suitors got even thinner yesterday when the White Sox signed Jimmy Rollins to address the shortstop position. The Rays have had some talks with Desmond, but the sticking point is the Rays’ unwillingness to surrender its first round draft pick (the 13th overall selection) to make the signing, as Desmond is a qualifying offer free agent.
- In a session with reporters (including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi) this morning, Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins gave no comment on either Jose Bautista’s contract ultimatum or the reportedly off-the-table trade involving Jay Bruce and Michael Saunders. In regards to Bautista, Atkins said any extension talks between the team and the slugger won’t be made public, as “in relation to the negotiation, out of respect for him, out of respect for the Blue Jays organization, we just can’t get into the specifics of it.”
- In another piece from Davidi, he characterized the Blue Jays’ decision on Bautista as a bellwether of how the club plans to operate in the near future beyond the 2016 season, in regards to both spending and fielding a contender.
The O’s need to lock Machado up with a long term deal around 6 or 7 years
6 to 7 years around 250 or more, I think the good thing about Machado is that Boras is not his agent.
You’re nuts! $30mil+ per season for a player with those fragile knees? That’s franchise crippling.
He played all 162 games last season didn’t he? and a career high in home runs
He had surgery on his knees so they are stronger now and he is their future. You can’t let a guy like that get away.
I feel he can get a deal around what Davis got. I’m saying around 6-7 years for about 150 million range.
Machado will get more, He’s younger and he’s not a boras client
Boras clients tend to get more money though, so that goes against your theory that Machado will get more $. Machado will get more because of his higher OBP, better BB rate, better defense, lower K rate, and yes, his age.
Machado’s not FA eligible until prior to the 2019 season, so his last two seasons of arbitration will be less expensive than his FA years. If he builds on his success from this year he can reasonably expect a 5-7MM raise, then another 6-8MM the year after that. So for his two arb years you’re looking at $30-35MM on the high-ish end. Five more years at minimum $30MM AAV would put him around 7/$180 and he’d be going into his age 31 season when he hits the market again. This, honestly, seems low for Machado’s skillset. But again, an extension covering two arb years will be low-ish. If he hits FA on track prior to his age 26 season I think you’ll see something like 8/$250-300MM.
He is NOWHERE near deserving of that kind of money.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but if the Rays signed Desmond to a minor league deal, they don’t lose the pick, right?
I haven’t looked it up but I’m positive the only way to shed the pick attachment is to wait until June 1st to sign. If there was a minor league loop hole teams would sign all the QO free agents to those deals to save the pick.
Great question. If the answer is that the Rays wouldn’t lose the pick, what happens if Desmond then makes the major league roster?
It’s been time and time again that Desmond should have taken the qualifying offer, and I completely agree that he was smart to reject it to explore longer contracts with more money to provide for he and his family, but I am betting that he is regretting not accepting it now.
Or he should of taken the deal that the nationals offered him, I think the white sox were the perfect fit for him but they signed j-roll to a minor league deal.
Yeah it Machado gets an extension it will be like 4 years 70 mil
Lol, More AL East/Orioles notes:
Passan: Source: Questions have come up with Yovani Gallardo’s physical with Baltimore. Status of deal is unclear. O’s notorious medical sticklers.
Who was it a couple years ago that they were quite close to signing and something came up in the physical causing them to back out? I remember it created quite a stir.
Balfour
Belfor if I remember correctly
According to Jaysjournal, Bautista is looking for 150+ over 5 yr. Any thoughts on that baseball universe? Think he will even come close to that in the off season as a FA? As much as I love em, I gotta say that’s nuts.
I don’t think many teams will care too much about the money they’d pay for Bautista, but I really doubt a lot of those same teams will give him that fifth year.
Bautista said that thats false. Im pretty sure Wilner threw it out there on the radio as a question if he might be looking for something like that, and some TSN guy took it as thats what Jose wants. 4/100 is way more realistic, but that still likely to high without crippling us