Josh Johnson Won’t Be Traded This Offseason
According to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, Marlins GM Michael Hill told 790 The Ticket that Josh Johnson will open next season with the Marlins. The big righty has been involved in his share of trade rumors since the season ended, partly because extension talks aren't progressing and partly because he's an arbitration-eligible Marlin. So will Johnson still be on the Marlins come April?
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Cardinals Rumors: Pujols, Holliday, Nady, Beltre
The Cardinals know it will take a lengthy and substantial offer to keep Albert Pujols in St. Louis, but the slugging first baseman would like to see what the Cards do this offseason before beginning serious contract talks, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Agent Dan Lozano says he and his client aren't in a rush to complete a long-term deal. Pujols is under contract for next year and the Cardinals are expected to pick up his $16MM option for 2011.
Rogers On Mauer, Pujols, Vizquel
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune says the Twins are "getting serious" about a Joe Mauer extension. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported earlier in the week that the Twins hope to sign Mauer to an extension by Christmas. As Rogers points out, Mauer's agent, Ron Shapiro, represented Cal Ripken Jr. and Kirby Puckett, so there's hope for Twins fans who dread Mauer's impending free agency. Here are the rest of Rogers' rumors:
- Albert Pujols' representatives told the Cardinals not to worry about a potential extension until they take care of the team's other needs. Pujols is under control through 2011, a year longer than Mauer.
- The White Sox may ask Omar Vizquel to mentor 20-year-old shortstop Eduardo Escobar. Like Vizquel, Escobar is a Venezuelan switch-hitter with a good glove and little power. But White Sox farm director Buddy Bell cautions against making Vizquel comparisons just yet.
Indians Notes: Pavano, Free Agent Options
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer explains that the Indians would have been hesitant to offer Carl Pavano arbitration if they hadn't traded him to the Twins. After a healthy season, he could command close to $10MM if offered arbitration and the Indians are reluctant to commit that much to the righty, though they may end up bringing him back. Here's more on some free agents the Indians may consider:
- GM Mark Shapiro is looking to add a right-handed hitting first baseman. Hoynes wonders if Robb Quinlan (.651 OPS vs. LHP last year) and Kevin Millar (.723 OPS vs. LHP last year) might fit. Either player would presumably be cheap compared to other options on the market.
- The Indians are looking for an extra infielder. Hoynes suggests Ronnie Belliard, Alex Cora and Craig Counsell could be fits for the Tribe.
Discussion: The Trade Of The Decade
Over the last month or so, we've been taking a look at the decade's biggest trades. Here are some of the moves that defined, enabled and inhibited teams throughout the 2000s.
- Runners Up
- Mark Mulder for Dan Haren
- Erik Bedard to the Mariners
- Ken Griffey Jr. to the Reds
- Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano
- Bartolo Colon for Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips
- A.J. Pierzynski for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser
- Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers, Jason Bay to the Red Sox
- Hanley Ramirez for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell
- Mark Teixeira to the Braves
- Alex Rodriguez for Alfonso Soriano
With just weeks remaining in the decade, it's time to decide: Which one of those trades do you consider the biggest deal of all? The best? The worst?
Discussion: High-Risk Arms
This year's class of free agent starters is littered with high-risk, high-reward arms. These pitchers can dominate, but as the Red Sox found out with Brad Penny and John Smoltz, they aren't sure things.
Starters like Rich Harden (10.9K/9), Erik Bedard (9.8K/9), Ben Sheets (3.09 ERA in 2008), Justin Duchscherer (2.54 ERA in 2008), Smoltz (8.4K/9), Penny, Brett Myers and Randy Johnson (8.1K/9), provide plenty of options for teams willing to take a risk on an aging or recovering arm.
Would you offer any of these pitchers a multi-year deal? Which one of them is likeliest to pitch at an elite level next year?
Blue Jays Rumors: Scutaro, Cabrera, Brignac
Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail has the latest on the Blue Jays in the aftermath of this morning's signing:
- The Blue Jays will offer Marco Scutaro salary arbitration. Blair hears indications that the shortstop may have a three-year deal coming his way.
- The Jays made a serious run at Orlando Cabrera, but decided against a deal since it would have taken a commitment of about $12MM and two years. The Jays like Cabrera, but have concerns about the former Gold Glover's range and arm.
- Cabrera's agent is telling teams that his client is ready to play second base. The Twins may have interest in re-signing Cabrera to play second.
- The Jays spoke to the Rays about Reid Brignac, but felt Tampa was asking for too much.
- Blair wonders if Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos will try to trade Gonzalez at next summer's trade deadline if the shortstop starts the year well.
Trades Of The Decade: A-Rod For Soriano
You might remember that the Red Sox were very nearly the ones to acquire Alex Rodriguez when the Rangers made him available after the 2003 season. According to USA Today, the reigning MVP would have gone to Boston, Manny Ramirez would have gone to Texas and the Red Sox would have dealt Nomar Garciaparra to the White Sox. The blockbuster Red Sox-Rangers deal fell through when the MLBPA stepped in, providing the Yankees with the opportunity to acquire Rodriguez.
That's exactly what Brian Cashman did on February 16th, 2004. The Yankees obtained the 28-year-old shortstop for Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later (the Yanks would eventually send Joaquin Arias to the Rangers to complete the move).
Rodriguez OK'd the deal, waiving his no trade clause and agreeing to move to third base because of incumbent shortstop Derek Jeter, but the Commissioner's office had to approve the move, too. Bud Seilg gave the deal his blessing because of the "unique circumstances" of Rodriguez's contract.
The Rangers took on $67MM of the $179MM A-Rod was still owed under his historic $252MM contract, though they did save some of it when A-Rod opted out of the deal. (Texas is still paying Rodriguez under his previous contract, even though the Yankees signed him to a new deal two winters ago.)
The Rangers ultimately saved money, despite the salary they still owed A-Rod. Soriano was set to earn $5.4MM in 2004, his first season of arbitration-eligibility, and the difference between the two stars' salaries contributed to the Rangers' decision.
"We need flexibility," Rangers GM John Hart told USA Today. "It's a win for the Rangers, Yankees and Alex."
The Rangers needed flexibility because they'd handed out bad contracts to expensive non-contributors like Rusty Greer, Jeff Zimmerman and Chan Ho Park.
Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus said the Rangers should have tried to create financial flexibility in some other way. He wrote that trading A-Rod to subsidize the Park deal was "unbelievably dumb," even though the Rangers "made a great decision in 2000," when they signed Rodriguez to the record-setting deal.
To replace A-Rod, the Rangers obtained an All-Star caliber player in Soriano, and a minor leaguer. Arias, now 25, has a .748 OPS in 141 big league plate appearances, but isn't considered much of a prospect now.
Soriano hit .274/.316/.498 in two seasons for the Rangers, with 64 homers and characteristically poor pate discipline. (In case you're wondering, FanGraphs says he was worth the $12.9MM he cost them.) The Rangers would go on to flip Soriano to the Nationals for Armando Galarraga, Termel Sledge and Brad Wilkerson after the 2005 season.
Two years of Soriano at market value doesn't seem like much for A-Rod, but as Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News pointed out right after the trade, the Rangers had limited negotiating power. In a sense, they had to take what they could get.
A-Rod, meanwhile, faced intense pressure in New York. Soon after the trade went through, George Steinbrenner said Rodriguez had the potential to make a Reggie Jackson-esque impact on the club. A-Rod has since made the occasional faux pas, endured a postseason demotion and admitted to banned substance use, but he hasn't stopped producing.
In six seasons with the Yankees, Rodriguez has averaged 40 homers and 20 steals, hitting .300/.401/.567 and winning a pair of MVP awards. The Yankees have paid him generously and FanGraphs suggests he's earned his money. It would have cost $156MM to replace that production on the open market and Rodriguez has earned a base salary of $157MM so far. Now that he's been part of a World Series champion, A-Rod has done it all in New York.
The Latest On Aroldis Chapman
Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN.com explains that Aroldis Chapman will focus exclusively on baseball, now that he has dropped his former agency, API. The interviews and public appearances are over for now.
"He's preparing to fulfill his dream of pitching in the major leagues," agent Rodney Fernandez said.
Fernandez, who works for the Hendricks Brothers, says Chapman has a reserved nature and prefers not to be in the public eye. One MLB executive doubts that questions about Chapman's character will limit his value, but says the prospect shouldn't expect to get paid like an established player.
"The $40-$50 million being floated by the other agent was silly," the exec said. "The way the player was being paraded about was also a negative. This guy is a prospect … not a veteran major league player."
Chapman's former agent, Edwin Mejia, may try to recover some of the expenses he incurred while housing and feeding Chapman (the lefty has apparently gained muscle now that he's eating more beef). It's possible that the agent will file a grievance with the MLBPA, but he wouldn't be likely to win such a case.