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R.A. Dickey Discusses Possible Extension

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Mets knuckleballer R.A. Dickey expects that there will be a difference between his upcoming extension talks with the Mets and the contract discussions that took place before the 2011 season, when he signed for two-years and $7.5MM. Dickey, now in the midst of a Cy Young caliber season at age 37, says he has “more leverage” this time, according to Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.

“This mentality is different,” Dickey said. “Because I’ve done that now. I have more freedom to really weigh things.”

The Mets will exercise Dickey’s $5MM option for 2013 once the current season ends, but general manager Sandy Alderson has publicly repeated his intention to lock the knuckleballer up beyond next year. The Mets had some negotiations with Dickey during the 2012 season with the intention of extending him for at least one additional season.

Dickey suggested he and David Wright are a “package deal” to an extent, McCullough reports. The Mets are expected to exercise Wright’s 2013 option once the regular season ends then pursue an extension. If the Mets don’t work to extend the third baseman beyond 2013, Dickey will take note.

“I think it would be a message to everybody that they’re content to spend the next five or six years rebuilding this organization,” he said.

Opposing executives believe Dickey can continue succeeding for years, according to McCullough. One executive suggested Dickey would have a chance at a four-year contract if he hits free agency after the 2013 season.

Tigers Notes: Valverde, Boesch, Young

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The Tigers overtook the White Sox in the standings yesterday and now have a one-game lead in the AL Central with seven games to play. Here’s the latest from Detroit, where the Tigers will host the Royals this afternoon…

  • Agent Scott Boras, who now represents Jose Valverde, told John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press that his client can continue closing for many years to come. "Closers are good in their mid-30s, not in their mid-20s," Boras said. The Tigers don’t have an obvious internal alternative to the 34-year-old Valverde, who’s eligible for free agency this offseason.
  • Lowe and Free Press writer George Sipple note that the Tigers might not have room for Brennan Boesch on next year’s team. The 27-year-old will be arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason but he's a non-tender candidate.
  • The Tigers have a $6MM club option for Jhonny Peralta in 2013 and they probably won’t find anyone steadier for that price, Lowe and Sipple write. I expect the Tigers to exercise the option.
  • It’s not easy to see where Delmon Young would fit on next year’s Tigers team, the Free Press writers note. Victor Martinez is expected to return in 2013, which means the Tigers aren’t a logical landing spot for Young, who hits free agency this winter.
  • Anibal Sanchez could be a fit in Detroit next year, but the Tigers would have to re-sign him as a free agent.

Marlins Sign Adam Greenberg

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Barring another unexpected setback, Adam Greenberg will finally get an official at bat in the Major Leagues. Greenberg, who was hit in the head with a pitch when he debuted with the Cubs seven years ago, has signed a one-day MLB contract with the Marlins, MLB announced (on Twitter).

Greenberg, a 31-year-old who bats left-handed, will record his first official at bat on October 2nd against the Mets. It'll be his first plate appearance since July 9th, 2005, when he was hit in the head by a pitch from Marlins pitcher Valerio De Los Santos. Greenberg agreed to donate his salary to the Sports Legacy Institute via the Marlins Foundation, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.

NL East Notes: Nationals, Guillen, Phillies

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Congratulations to the Braves, who clinched a postseason berth with a win over the Marlins last night. Though Atlanta still has a shot at the NL East title, they're more likely to play the National League's second Wild Card team in a one-game playoff once the regular season ends. Here are some links from the NL East…

Red Sox Notes: Varitek, Pedro, Lester

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The Red Sox now have a 69-86 record, which means they’re at risk of losing 90 games for the first time in 46 years. The last time they reached the 90-loss threshold, back in 1966, Ben Cherington hadn’t been born, Bobby Valentine was in high school, and Carl Yastrzemski and Tony Conigliaro roamed the Fenway Park outfield. Here’s the latest from Boston…

  • The roles that the Red Sox envision for Jason Varitek and Pedro Martinez “will not be ceremonial,” Peter Gammons of MLB Network reports (on Twitter). Gammons cites Padres executives Trevor Hoffman and Brad Ausmus as possible parallels for the Red Sox.
  • Varitek is "close" to returning to the Red Sox organization. He will likely return as a special assistant to Cherington, Gordon Edes reported yesterday. The switch-hitting 40-year-old retired this spring.
  • Jon Lester discussed the team's "nightmare" year with Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, saying he's looking forward to forgetting about baseball for a while once the season ends. "The offseason for a lot of people hopefully is going to do good," Lester said.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Russell Martin

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Russell Martin has improved his value with a strong offensive second half, but the prospective free agent might have already turned down the largest contract offer he'll see this year. Martin, who homered again last night, is hitting well with weeks to go before his second career appearance on the free agent market.

Russell Martin - Yankees (PW)

The Yankees made Martin a three-year extension offer in the $20MM range this spring, around the time Miguel Montero (five years, $60MM) and Yadier Molina (five years, $75MM) signed multiyear deals. Martin declined, deciding to let the market for catchers establish itself. His numbers have since dropped off compared to his first season in pinstripes. Going into this afternoon's game in Minnesota, the 29-year-old has 19 home runs with a .206/.309/.389 batting line in 458 plate appearances. 

Martin's batting average declined for the fifth consecutive season in 2012, and it’s be unreasonable to count on major improvements from a player whose batting average on balls in play has been below .300 every month of his two-year tenure with the Yankees. Yet he continues to draw walks and hit for some power. Plus, his second half numbers — a .236/.318/.435 slash line with 11 home runs — provide some reason for optimism.

The right-handed hitter has a career line of .272/.386/.448 against left-handed pitching and while he’s not a part-time player at this stage in his career, Martin could be paired with a left-handed hitting backup to great effect. John Jaso or Jason Castro also figure to get regular playing time in 2013, but this kind of player — someone who hits right-handers much better than left-handers — would complement Martin’s offensive skills. 

Still, offensive numbers only reveal so much about a catcher’s value. Martin been durable, catching 120-plus games for the second consecutive season. He has prevented 24% of stolen base attempts so far in 2012, which is approximately league average. According to a pre-season scouting report in The Fielding Bible: Volume III, Martin has re-established himself as an above average defensive catcher. All told, advanced metrics suggest Martin continues adding value (1.3 wins above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference and 2.0 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs), though no longer at the All-Star level he played at in the early part of his career.

In the view of some prominent baseball executives Martin made a mistake when he turned down the Yankees’ extension offer. Three general managers recently suggested to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com that Martin will have to settle for a one-year contract this coming offseason. A deal in the $7.5MM range seems appropriate, though a multiyear agreement remains possible, the GMs said.

The last time Martin hit free agency he signed a one-year, $4MM contract with the Yankees. He had just missed a considerable portion of the 2010 season with a hip injury and been non-tendered by the Dodgers. Coming off of a healthy season, the Matt Colleran client figures to obtain a larger guarantee this time, even if he decides to accept a one-year, 'pillow' contract. He could also get multiyear offers given his youth and second half numbers. However, it seems unlikely Martin will see another $20MM offer following a below average offensive season.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Mets Notes: Davis, Wright, Dickey

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Mets general manager Sandy Alderson offered some insight into the team’s offseason plans in an interview with Gary Cohen and Ron Darling of SNY on last night’s Mets broadcast (transcript via Andrew Keh of the New York Times). Here are the details…

  • Alderson suggested rival teams won't "put a lot of stock in" the report that the Mets are frustrated with Ike Davis’ attitude and lifestyle. The Mets dealt with the matter internally and are not looking to trade Davis, according to Alderson. “For us to trade a guy that’s hit 30 home runs, we better know where the next 30 are coming from,” he said.
  • Alderson repeated that the Mets are interested in extending David Wright and R.A. Dickey this offseason. “Our intent is to work hard to try to keep them both,” he said. The Mets are expected to exercise 2013 options for both players then discuss long-term contracts.
  • The Mets aren’t likely to spend big on outfielders this offseason, Andy Martino reported earlier today.

Mets Unlikely To Spend Big On Outfielders

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The Mets don’t view this offseason as the time to spend significant money on outfielders, so they don’t expect to pursue high profile free agents such as B.J. Upton, Michael Bourn and Shane Victorino, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News reports. Though Mets executives have not finalized the team’s offseason plan, Martino reports that the Mets aren’t likely to offer any outfielder a multiyear deal.

The Mets will be pursuing outfielders this coming offseason, but GM Sandy Alderson is prepared to build through trades. While the 2013 payroll hasn’t been finalized, it’s expected to sit marginally higher than $90MM, Martino reports. The Mets would like to retain prospective free agent Scott Hairston, but they’re likely to non-tender Andres Torres, according to Martino. Assuming Torres doesn’t return, Lucas Duda, Mike Baxter, Jason Bay and Jordany Valdespin will be among the team’s internal options.

Outfield depth is a strength of the 2012-13 free agent class, so the Mets could find some late-offseason bargains if Alderson is willing to be patient and flexible. The trade market for outfielders could include players such as Shin-Soo Choo and Justin Upton.

Scott Boras To Represent Jose Valverde

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Jose Valverde said he has hired Scott Boras to represent him this offseason, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press reports. The 34-year-old right-hander will hit free agency in a matter of weeks when his multiyear contract with the Tigers expires.

Valverde downplayed the significance of the switch, saying "people change agents all the time." Last August Valverde switched agencies, leaving Praver/Shapiro for Proformance. The Tigers exercised their 2012 option months later, delaying Valverde’s free agency by a year.

In 65 innings this year, Valverde has a 4.02 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9. He has 31 saves and an average fastball velocity of 93.3 mph. Be sure to check out MLBTR's Agency Database for information about each MLB player's representatives.

Managerial Notes: Tracy, Astros, Ausmus, Indians

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Marlins right-hander Heath Bell told Jim Duquette and Mike Ferrin on MLB Network Radio that he made a poor choice of words yesterday when he implied he doesn't respect Miami manager Ozzie Guillen. Bell said he does respect Guillen, but repeated that he doesn't like hearing things through the media. Here are some more notes on managers and managerial openings from around MLB…

  • The Rockies and Jim Tracy could agree to a role change for Tracy within the organization, leaving the team free to hire a new manager, opines Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  Tracy's "handshake deal" with Colorado only guarantees him the manager's job through 2013, Renck notes.
  • The White Sox and Cardinals' decisions to hire inexperienced managers Mike Matheny and Robin Ventura has thus far paid off for both teams, writes Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • Astros owner Jim Crane says his team has narrowed its search for a manager down to three or four candidates and they hope to have their new field boss in place within a week, reports MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.  An announcement could come later than that if the new manager is currently working for a team going to the playoffs.  Tony DeFrancesco, Tim Bogar, Dave Martinez and Bo Porter appear to be the final field of candidates.
  • While Brad Ausmus is open to interviewing for managerial positions this offseason, he has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Astros’ position, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). Ausmus, now a special assistant with the Padres, had interviewed for Houston’s managerial opening.
  • Nothing has been decided regarding the future of Indians manager Manny Acta because the organization must first decide on the future of general manager Chris Antonetti, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. CEO Paul Dolan and President Mark Shapiro are expected to decide on the future of Antonetti, Hoynes writes.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

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