Poll: Best Free Agent Hitter Signed Last Winter
Matt Holliday and Jason Bay got the attention and, eventually, the money. But many unheralded signings have turned into great ones. Halfway through the 2010 season, it's time to take a look at how some hitters are doing and determine the answer to the following question:
Which one of the hitters signed last winter has had the biggest impact so far this year?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.
Red Sox Have Not Talked Extension With V-Mart
The Red Sox have not approached Victor Martinez about an extension, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The catcher, who is now on the disabled list with a broken left thumb, becomes a free agent after the season. It isn’t clear whether the Red Sox would want Martinez to catch, play first or DH, but it doesn’t matter to V-Mart.
“I let them know very early in the season I’d like to play here and come back here, but the future is in their hands,’’ he said.
Martinez has impressed the Red Sox with his efforts to improve as a defensive catcher, but he says he would play anywhere on the diamond. Martinez split time between first and catcher in Boston last year, but has been the team’s primary catcher in 2010, throwing out 19% of would-be base stealers.
The 31-year-old has more impressive offensive numbers. Martinez had a .289/.344/.480 line before his trip to the DL. Those numbers won’t be enough to match Joe Mauer’s $184MM deal, but V-Mart was never going to approach Mauer’s record-setting deal. Instead, he could aim to sign a four or five-year deal in the $50MM range, as Jorge Posada has done more than once.
Cliff Lee Rumors: Monday
Yesterday Cliff Lee had another dominant outing and the Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals and Phillies had scouts in Detroit to watch it. We'll keep track of all the day's Cliff Lee rumors right here, so check back later in the day to see if we have moved this post back to the top of the page with updates.
- The Twins aren't close to a deal for Lee, a team source tells LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
- The Twins have offered outfielder Aaron Hicks and catcher Wilson Ramos for Lee, a major league source told Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse (via Twitter).
- There are "interesting discussions" and "possibilities" for a Lee-to-Minnesota deal, tweets Jon Heyman of SI.
- The Reds have talked to the Mariners about Lee, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. While tampering rules prevent GM Walt Jocketty from commenting on Lee in particular, Fay believes that his words infer that the 2008 AL Cy Young winner would be a player of interest.
“I will say this: We’re looking at any way we can to improve the club,” said the GM. “To improve the club, it would have to be a pretty significant player to do that. We have a lot of good things going. We don’t want to disrupt that.”
Fay writes that it will take more than Yonder Alonso, a trade candidate mentioned by ESPN's Buster Olney over the weekend, to land Lee. Edinson Volquez's performance upon his return will also have an impact on the Reds' interest in making a deal.
- The Rangers, Twins, Yankees and Mets are among the teams having the most active conversations with the Mariners about Lee, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Dodgers have also discussed the left-hander with the Mariners.
- The Tigers, Phillies and Cardinals have been scouting Lee, but those teams are not pursuing him as aggressively.
- Some of Morosi's sources believe the Mariners would rather obtain hitters than pitchers, while others don't believe position matters to GM Jack Zduriencik. There is consensus that the Mariners prefer prospects who are close to contributing in the major leagues.
Odds & Ends: Brewers, Red Sox, Werth, Gonzalez
Exactly one year ago, the Marlins signed Brendan Donnelly and the A's traded for Scott Hairston. Here are some links to check out today…
- Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News doesn't expect to see the Giants and Brewers strike a deal in the coming days.
- Giants GM Brian Sabean and one of his top evaluators, Lee Elder, may have been scouting Brewers players at today's Giants-Brewers game, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Schulman lists Prince Fielder, Corey Hart, and Ryan Braun as potential targets.
- There are scouts from 14 different clubs at tonight's Red Sox-Rays game, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
- A scout told Dan Hayes of the North County Times (via Twitter) that the inconsistent delivery of recently DFA'd Sean Gallagher is "disappointing". The righty has been with three clubs in four big league seasons.
- Matt Klaassen of FanGraphs argues that Jayson Werth would have a whole lot of trade value if the Phillies made him available.
- The Pirates agreed to terms with six international 16-year-olds, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- The Brewers' approach to the trade deadline could depend on the outcome of the meetings the team's scouts are having this week, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- Four GMs predicted to Peter Gammons that Carlos Gonzalez will be one of the NL's ten best players next year (Twitter link).
- Rival scouts tell ESPN.com's Buster Olney that they rank Matt Thornton as one of the game's top ten relievers.
- Jack Moore of FanGraphs takes our latest Elias rankings and examines what they mean for Carl Pavano and Adrian Beltre.
- Omar Infante thought he had been traded when Braves GM Frank Wren phoned to tell him he had made the All-Star team, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Mariners Sign Mark Worrell
The Mariners signed right-handed reliever Mark Worrell, the team confirmed to MLBTR. The 27-year-old appeared in four games for the 2008 Cardinals and was sent to San Diego along with Luke Gregerson in the Khalil Greene trade. Gregerson has since become one of the best relievers in the league, but Worrell has yet to establish himself in the majors.
Worrell had Tommy John surgery in March of 2009 and missed the entire season. The Padres non-tendered him last winter, before re-signing him to a minor league deal. But after Worrell posted a 5.45 ERA in 25 Triple A appearances, the Padres released him last month. Worrell posted 9.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in Triple A Portland this year, so he may have re-discovered his pre-Tommy John form. Worrell's minor league resume includes a career 3.21 ERA and three times as many strikeouts as walks. He began his Mariners career by pitching a scoreless inning for Triple A Tacoma.
Geoff Jenkins To Retire As A Brewer
Geoff Jenkins will officially announce his retirement this Friday, according to a Brewers press release. Jenkins, who spent a decade of his playing career in Milwaukee, will retire as a Brewer before Friday's game at Miller Park. The 35-year-old asked the Brewers if they would let him retire as a member of the organization that drafted and developed him. GM Doug Melvin says he was happy to oblige.
"As far as we’re concerned, Geoff will always be a part of the organization and we look forward to welcoming him home,” Melvin said.
Jenkins is among the Brewers' all-time leaders in home runs (2nd with 212), slugging percentage (2nd with .496), RBI (4th with 704) and OBP (6th with .347).
The 1995 first rounder debuted with the Brewers in 1998 and played in Milwaukee until 2007. He signed with the Phillies before 2008 and has not played in the majors since that season. He earned $5MM with the Phillies, but the rest of his $46MM in career earnings came as a Brewer.
A’s Likely To Keep Mark Ellis
There's just a 40% chance the A's make Mark Ellis available, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The A's, who already traded infielder Eric Patterson, will choose between Ellis' $6MM option for 2011 and a $500K buyout if he's still in Oakland at the end of the season.
Ellis would probably draw interest if GM Billy Beane made him available. The 33-year-old is hitting .288/.355/.374 this year, and has been an average defender at second base over the course of the past two seasons (according to UZR/150).
The Red Sox and Phillies have injured second basemen and could have interest in Ellis, who missed time with a hamstring injury early in the year. The Yankees are looking for bench help, but Ellis has $2.75MM remaining on this year's contract and that's a lot of money to spend on a reserve.
Scott Downs’ Trade Value
There's always demand for quality left handers at the trade deadline, but this year, they're in short supply. Bruce Chen, Will Ohman and Javier Lopez could probably be acquired and Alan Embree and Scott Schoeneweis could be signed as free agents. There are not many left-handers to choose from, and that only increases Scott Downs' trade value.
The Blue Jays, below .500 after a June-long slump, would presumably listen on Downs, who hits free agency after the season. The 34-year-old lefty has an affordable $4MM salary and some impressive stats. In 35.1 innings, he has a 2.80 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. He is allowing less than one hit per inning pitched and boasts a characteristically high 55% ground ball rate. He's arguably the best left-handed reliever available this summer.
The Blue Jays have no reason to settle for anything less than a highly-touted prospect. Not only is Downs pitching well, he now ranks as a Type A free agent in the latest Elias rankings. That means the Jays can obtain two high picks in next year's draft if Downs turns down an offer of arbitration to sign elsewhere. We can't assume that the Blue Jays are willing to offer Downs arbitration, but they have just $39MM committed to next year's payroll, so paying Downs $5MM or so in 2011 appears possible under the team's budget.
Essentially, the Blue Jays can't lose as long as Downs stays healthy and continues pitching well enough to maintain his Type A status. Either someone offers a compelling package and the Blue Jays get talent now, or they keep Downs and offer arbitration. If he accepts the offer, the Jays have a quality reliever on a one-year deal. If he declines and signs elsewhere, they have two top picks in next year's draft.
2010 All-Star Bonuses
There's more at stake than a player's legacy when it comes to All-Star selections. Depending on a player's contract, a place on the All-Star team can be worth thousands of dollars. Here is a list of the 2010 All-Stars who will receive bonuses for their place on this year's teams, from contract information on Cot's Baseball Contracts:
$100K Bonuses:
- Tim Lincecum, Giants
- Torii Hunter, Angels
- Cliff Lee, Mariners
$50K Bonuses:
- Yadier Molina, Cardinals
- Albert Pujols, Cardinals
- Chris Carpenter, Cardinals
- Matt Capps, Nationals – According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson
- Chase Utley, Phillies
- Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
- Josh Johnson, Marlins
- David Wright, Mets
- Jose Reyes, Mets
- Ryan Braun, Brewers
- Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
- Evan Longoria, Rays
- Carl Crawford, Rays
- Ian Kinsler, Rangers
- Jon Lester, Red Sox
- Victor Martinez, Red Sox
- Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
- Adrian Beltre, Red Sox - According to WEEI
- David Ortiz, Red Sox
- Joakim Soria, Royals
$25K Bonuses:
- Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
- Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
- Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies
- Scott Rolen, Reds
- Matt Holliday, Cardinals
- Joe Mauer, Twins
- Justin Morneau, Twins
Unknown Bonuses:
- Brian McCann, Braves
This list may be incomplete, since not all contract details are publicly available.
Poll: Which Of These Teams Will Become A Seller?
Now that the July 31st trade deadline is less than a month away, we have a pretty good sense of which teams will be buyers and which ones will be sellers. But a team or two may surprise us within a few weeks. One streak can transform buyers into sellers and sellers into buyers, so tell us what you think:
Which of these teams is most likely to become a seller this summer?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.