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The Marlins’ Offer To Dan Uggla

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Dan Uggla and the Marlins have interest in working out a long-term deal, but according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, Uggla's representation is asking for more than twice as much as the Marlins are offering; Uggla would like a five-year $58MM deal, but the Marlins are offering "in the range of three years and $24MM."

If the Marlins go to arbitration with Uggla this offseason, he should earn $10MM easily. He earns a $7.8MM salary this year and seems destined for another big raise given his offensive stats (32 homers, 100 RBI and counting). In a sense, a $10MM salary in 2011 is a given. On top of that, the Marlins are effectively offering a two-year $14MM deal.

Sure, it'd be nice for the Marlins if Uggla, one of the best second basemen in the game, wants to stay in Florida so badly that he'll take a paycut to do so. But Uggla could pocket $10MM in 2011 and hit the open market 13 months from now in search of $40-50MM more. Most second basemen don't hit 30 homers with the same consistency Uggla does, so he'll have no trouble finding multi-year offers if he hits the market next winter. 

The Marlins' offer does not appear to be worth taking, but the sides have six months before the 2011 season, so the team's proposal is by no means final. And if he's discouraged by the Marlins' offer, Uggla can look across the locker room to teammate Josh Johnson, who signed an extension last offseason after it seemed unlikely that he and the Marlins would agree on a multi-year deal.

Poll: Will The Nationals Re-Sign Adam Dunn?

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Adam Dunn is what he is: one of the few hitters in baseball capable of reaching 40 homers annually and a consistently below average defender. He knows it, the Nationals know it and so do all of Dunn’s other potential suitors. His game hasn’t changed much recently and his strengths and weaknesses will likely remain constant for the next few seasons.

The Nationals would like to build a better defensive team and, with no DH slot, must find room for Dunn on the field if they re-sign him this offseason. Any team would love to add 40 homers to its lineup, but after two years, the Nationals realize that Dunn’s defense is a liability. They are said to like Carlos Pena, another powerful first baseman on the brink of free agency, partly for his glovework.

Despite Dunn’s defense, the Nationals have had interest in re-signing him all season long. At this point it seems likely that Dunn will reach free agency, but the 30-year-old could be a fit in Washington in 2011. Ryan Zimmerman wants the slugger back and so do the Nats fans who have been encouraging the team’s front office to keep him. But their wish won’t necessarily come true…

Will the Nationals re-sign Adam Dunn?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

Heyman On GM Candidates

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There are only 30 general manager jobs in baseball, but for every GM, there’s a qualified candidate to replace him. At SI.com, Jon Heyman lists 30 GM candidates, some of whom will likely be hired to run big league teams at some point.

Heyman’s list includes former GMs Josh Byrnes, Allard Baird, Jerry Dipoto, Ben Cherington, Wayne Krivsky, John Hart, Mike Port, Gerry Hunsicker, Joe Garagiola Jr., Sandy Alderson and Pat Gillick. 

Not all of those execs would necessarily want another GM job, but Heyman has many alternatives to consider. Rick Hahn (White Sox), Damon Oppenheimer (Yankees), Dan Jennings (Marlins), Kim Ng (Dodgers), David Forst (A’s), Thad Levine (Rangers), John Coppolella (Braves), Al Avila (Tigers), Bill Geivett (Rockies), Logan White (Dodgers), De Jon Watson (Dodgers), John Ricco (Mets), Mike Arbuckle (Royals), Charlie Kerfeld (Phillies), Jason McLeod (Padres), Mike Chernoff (Indians), Tom McNamara (Mariners), A.J. Preller (Rangers) and Peter Woodfork (Diamondbacks) are also candidates.

Pirates To Select First In 2011 Draft

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No team in baseball will have a worse record than the Pirates this year, so Pittsburgh will have the top selection in the 2011 first-year player draft. The Mariners and Pirates could both finish 61-101 if the Mariners lose all of their remaining games and the Pirates win all of theirs, but even if that happens, the Pirates will have the first overall pick. Pittsburgh's record was worse than Seattle's in 2009, so the Mariners will not select higher than second.  For a look at how the rest of the picks are shaping up, check out MLBTR's reverse standings.

The Pirates will have the first overall pick for the fourth time in franchise history. The organization selected Jeff King (1986), Kris Benson (1996) and Bryan Bullington (2002) with its other top picks.  Baseball America's Jim Callis took a closer look at those three picks on Monday.

The Pirates have a poor major league product that clinched an 18th consecutive losing season earlier this year, but GM Neal Huntington has spent aggressively on amateur talent. For example, the team signed second overall selection Jameson Taillon to a reported $6.5MM bonus this year, so look for the Pirates to draft the best amateur player available next June.  Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon might be the favorite; Huntington told Dejan Kocacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last night, "Prior to the [ankle] injury, Rendon's a very interesting player. We've got to see where he is post-injury."

Odds & Ends: Hart, Cox, Giambi, Pierzynski

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Links for Tuesday night, as the Rays, Yankees and Reds clinch playoff berths…

Scot Shields Likely To Retire

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Scot Shields, who was a durable, sometimes dominant weapon in Mike Scioscia’s bullpen for the last decade, told Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that he’s “probably” going to retire after the season. He realizes the Angels have younger options and would like to spend more time with his family.

"On the personal side, your family comes first, and I've missed too much of my life with them. It might be time to go home," Shields said.

Shields missed most of the season’s last month with a sore elbow and his season ERA is now 5.28. The 35-year-old right-hander can still strike opponents out (7.6 K/9), but he walks too many batters (6.7 BB/9). This was Shields’ second consecutive disappointing season; he struggled last year before undergoing knee surgery.

At his best, Shields defined the Angels bullpen (along with Francisco Rodriguez and, for a while, Troy Percival). He averaged 85 innings per season from 2004-08 with more than a strikeout per inning and a 3.11 ERA in that five-year stretch.

Five 2009 Deals That Shaped The 2010 Pennant Race

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When we look back at the 2009 trade deadline, the deals that come to mind first are the ones that shaped the remainder of that season. After all, Victor Martinez, Matt Holliday and Cliff Lee led their new teams to the postseason a year ago. But some of last year's deadline deals had a major impact on this year's pennant race. Here's a closer look at five of them:

  • Reds acquire Scott Rolen – Rolen has played excellent defense in Cincinnati this year, adding 20 homers and batting .288/.361/.504.
  • White Sox acquire Jake Peavy for Clayton Richard and others – Here's a question for you: where would the Padres be without nearly 200 innings of 3.71 ERA ball from Richard? I'm guessing they'd be more than 0.5 games out of a playoff berth if Kevin Towers hadn't pulled the trigger on the Peavy deal. Keep in mind that Heath Bell and Adrian Gonzalez both stayed put last summer despite considerable interest from other teams.
  • Giants acquire Freddy Sanchez – The Giants didn't make the playoffs last year, but they signed Sanchez to an extension soon after the season ended. He hit .296/.345/.403 this year when shoulder problems didn't keep him out of the lineup. GM Brian Sabean was hoping the former batting champ would lead the Giants to the postseason last year, but Sanchez has helped his team in the uncomfortably close NL West this year.
  • Blue Jays keep Roy Halladay – Does Roy Halladay end up on the 2010 Phillies if the Blue Jays trade him last summer? It's possible, but lots of other teams had interest in Halladay, too.
  • Phillies acquire Cliff Lee – Not only did Lee help the Phillies reach the World Series, last summer's trade set in motion the sequence of events that led Lee to Texas, where he helped the Rangers win the AL West.

5 Minor League Deals That Shaped The Pennant Race

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Most MLBTR readers said R.A. Dickey was the best minor league signing of the year when we voted earlier in the month, but the Mets fell out of contention long ago, so Dickey didn't have much of an impact on this year's pennant race. The five minor league deals below had lasting effects on the 2010 pennant race:

  • Rays sign Joaquin Benoit – The reliever has a 1.39 ERA in 61 games with 11.1 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9. Amazingly, Benoit has allowed just 28 hits in 58.1 innings.
  • Reds sign Miguel Cairo – There are bigger stars on the Reds, but Cairo has batted .289/.352/.411 and played all four infield positions. Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty deserves credit for this find.
  • Yankees sign Marcus Thames – Thames has hit .287/.352/.500 this year with 12 homers in 227 plate appearances.
  • Giants sign Pat Burrell – GM Brian Sabean bought low on Burrell, who has responded with 17 homers and an .869 OPS in San Francisco. Burrell is playing the way he did in 2008 and without that kind of production, the Giants probably wouldn't be leading the NL West.
  • Padres sign Chris Denorfia – Denorfia has hit .264/.332/.435 in 302 plate appearances for the Padres, who have seen outfielders Tony Gwynn and Kyle Blanks miss significant time with injuries.

Five Non-Tenders That Shaped The 2010 Pennant Race

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Some non-tendered players end up performing like stars in new cities, but the best contract offer possible is sometimes the one a team doesn't make. Here's a look at five players who were non-tendered last year and impacted the 2010 pennant race:

  • Matt Capps – Capps has been excellent in 24 appearances for the Twins since coming over in a deal that sent catching prospect Wilson Ramos to Washington. The Pirates non-tendered Capps last December and the Twins and Nationals profit because of Pittsburgh's decision.
  • Dustin Moseley – Hey, he's pitched 60.1 innings for one of the best teams in baseball and even stepped into a starting role when Andy Pettitte went down. The Angels’ decision to non-tender Moseley isn’t necessarily one they would like to do over, but the swingman has added value for the Bronx Bombers, posting a 4.77 ERA so far.
  • Jonny Gomes – The Reds non-tendered Gomes only to re-sign him later in the offseason. The left fielder has a .761 OPS and 17 homers for the playoff-bound Reds.
  • Garrett Atkins – The Rockies guaranteed the combination of Melvin Mora, Jason Giambi and Miguel Olivo less than it would have cost to retain Atkins through arbitration. Instead of paying Atkins more than $7MM, GM Dan O'Dowd wisely non-tendered him and spent on other needs.
  • Kelly Johnson – Omar Infante and Martin Prado have produced well, so the decision to non-tender Johnson didn't necessarily hurt the Braves. Still, we can say with confidence that this year's Braves team would have seemed much different with more of Johnson (25 homers and .860 OPS in Arizona) and less of Prado and Infante.

Poll: Will The Brewers Trade Prince Fielder

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Prince Fielder's just 26 years old, but he already has 192 homers to his name. He's leading the National League in walks this year, and though his power numbers aren't as impressive as usual, he's now fifth in the league with 32 homers.

Next year, Fielder's last before hitting free agency, he will earn a raise from his current $10.5MM salary, so he's not exactly a bargain. Technically it's possible that the Brewers work out an extension with Fielder and agent Scott Boras, but lots of people, including Ryan Braun, expect the Brewers to trade their first baseman this offseason.

They could use starting pitching and Fielder could help them acquire a controllable arm or two. But Prince may not have quite as much trade value as you might think, so it's not as simple as plucking the top young pitchers from opponents' depth charts. What do you think GM Doug Melvin will do with his first baseman? 

Will the Brewers trade Fielder this offseason?

Click here to vote and here to view the results.

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