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Rockies Sign Hawpe Long-Term

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Troy Renck of the Denver Post is reporting that the Rockies and Brad Hawpe have agreed to a three-year deal with a fourth-year option. The contract is worth $17MM with the 2011 option expected to be close to $10MM. The deal will lock up Hawpe for each of his arbitration seasons while the team option could eliminate his first year of free agency. The right fielder hit .291-29-116 with a 129 OPS+ in 2007.

The Rockies who won the NL last year with a payroll close to $52MM have now committed $91MM to four of their core players this off-season. In addition to Hawpe, the Rox have given long-term deals to Aaron Cook, Troy Tulowitzki and Manny Corpas. Colorado will see their payroll rise to $70-75MM in 2008.

By Cork Gaines

Mariners Make Offer To Felix

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3-3-08: John Hickey says the Mariners have made an initial offer to Felix.  On Friday I suggested it might take $15-17MM to buy out his three arbitration years.  The Mariners wouldn’t mind buying out a free agent year while they’re at it.

3-1-08: The Seattle Mariners have approached Felix Hernandez and his agent about signing a long-term contract. According to Hernandez’ agent, Wil Polidor, the club has broached the idea but no formal offers have been made. Polidor went on to say that he will be in Arizona for the next two weeks and has plans to meet with Mariners brass.

Hernandez, who was 14-7 with a 3.92 ERA in ’07 will be eligible for arbitration for the first time following the ’08 season.

By Cork Gaines and Tim Dierkes

Marquis Not Happy

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SUNDAY: Piniella and Marquis have patched things up.  Marquis noted that he has started "effectively the last four-plus, five years" and still hopes to start.

SATURDAY: Jason Marquis made it clear today that he does not want to be a member of the Cubs if he is sent to the bullpen:

I love Chicago.  I definitely want to stay here. This is the place I want to be. I signed here for a reason. But I also signed as a starter, and I think that’s where I help the team the most. Obviously we’ll see what happens when it’s time for [the Cubs] to make their decision.

Apparently Marquis forgot who his manager is. Lou Piniella responded by saying that Marquis will only be in the rotation if he wins a spot:

Well, if that’s the case, he can go somewhere else.  Win a spot in the rotation, you don’t have to worry about it. … I’ve got seven starters here for five spots, you know? It’s a little bit too early to start talking about what he wants to do or not do…He can go somewhere else right now if he wants. How’s that?

Marquis, who signed with the Cubs prior to last season, went 12-9, with a 4.60 ERA in 34 appearances last year. He has two years remaining on his deal that will pay him $6.4MM this year and $9.9MM in 2009.

By Cork Gaines

Managers On The Hot Seat

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It is a slow news day, so we are going to venture a bit off the beaten path…As spring training is now in full swing, a number of managers may have their jobs on the line during the ’08 season. Three managers are in the final year of their deals and another 12 managers have two years left on their contracts. This second group will be due either an extension or a pink slip next winter as few teams are willing to play out a season with a lame-duck manager. Therefore, any manager with two years remaining on their contracts (including options) will likely have their fate determined prior to the ’09 season.

Ignoring managers that may be on the hot seat for other reasons (i.e. Willie Randolph), here is a list of managers that could potentially have their jobs on the line in ’08 based on their current contract situations. (Numbers in parentheses represent the number of years remaining on current contract)

  • Cecil Cooper, HOU (2)
  • Bob Geren, OAK (1+1 team option)
  • John Gibbons, TOR (1)
  • Bobby Cox, ATL (1)
  • Ned Yost, MIL (1+1 team option)
  • Tony LaRussa (2)
  • Bruce Bochy (2)
  • John McLaren, SEA (1)
  • Fredi Gonzalez, FLA (2)
  • Dave Trembley, BAL (1+1 team option)
  • Bud Black, SD (1+1 team option)
  • Joe Maddon, TB (2)
  • Clint Hurdle, COL (2)
  • Jim Leyland, DET (2)
  • Ron Gardenhire, MIN (2)

Taking a closer look at the list…Of the managers in the final year of their deal, Cox will be back if he chooses. LaRussa and Leyland may very well enter ’09 without new deals considering their ages. Yost, Gardenhire, Hurdle and Black look like locks for extensions prior to ’09. However, the remaining eight names on the list (Cooper, Geren, Bochy, Gonzalez, Trembley, Maddon, Gibbons, McLaren) may very well be managing for their jobs in ’08.

By Cork Gaines

Piniella Wants Hendry Back In ’09

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This is a couple of days old, but Lou Piniella wants the Cubs to give GM Jim Hendry a contract extension.

"He’s on the last year of his contract," Piniella said. "He has done a heck of a job here. I’ve seen where other GMs have been extended. Why not ours?"

The renewal of Hendry’s contract is complicated by the pending sale of the Cubs. Piniella is worried that the sale could be dragged out, leaving the team without a general manager next off-season. On the other hand, any prospective buyer of the Cubbies may prefer to hire their own GM. If a deal is not reached on a new owner soon, this could potentially affect how the Cubs handle trades during the season and how they deal with free agents, player contracts and potential trades next winter.

Tim profiled Jim Hendry last May.

By Cork Gaines

Angelos Gives MacPhail Permission To Move Roberts

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This morning it was reported that the Cubs had two scouts at the Orioles’ spring game yesterday to watch Brian Roberts.

Now, several people have written in to let us now that Bruce Levine of ESPN 1000 is reporting that Peter Angelos has given Andy MacPhail the green light to trade Roberts. It has long been rumored that Angelos might have been holding up the trade to the Cubs because of his personal affection for Roberts. With Angelos’ blessing, this deal may finally happen in the next few days.

Of course, if this deal doesn’t get done soon, Tim is going to have to change the name of this site to BrianRobertsTradeRumors.com.

By Cork Gaines

Wanted: Major League Ready Shortstops

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Both the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds have lost their starting shortstops to injury recently. Omar Vizquel had surgery to remove torn cartilage from his knee, while Alex Gonzalez’ ’sore knee’ turned out to be a broken knee. In both cases, the players are not expected to be ready for opening day and neither team appears to have a major league-ready shortstop ready to step in. The best options for the Giants appear to be Kevin Fransden and Rich Aurilia. Fransden is a natural second baseman while Aurilia has not been a regular shortstop since 2004. The Reds are now stuck with Juan Castro and Jeff Keppinger. Like Fransden, Keppinger is a second baseman by trade and Castro is a journeyman shortstop with a career  OPS of .605.

McCovey Chronicles recently suggested that the Giants needed to make a trade and their target should be Ben Zobrist of the Tampa Bay Rays. Zobrist, a switch-hitter, has impressive minor league numbers that have yet to register at the big league level. Zobrist posted a .428 OBP in the minors with a 176:234 strikeout to walk ratio. However, in parts of two seasons with the Rays, Zobrist has seen those numbers drop to .234 and 47:13 respectively. Now Zobrist is stuck behind Jason Bartlett whom the Rays acquired to shore up their defensive deficiencies. In addition super-prospect Reid Brignac may be ready for the big leagues in 2009.

That leads us to two questions: 1) What would it take to land Zobrist from the Rays? For the Giants, Pat Misch might get the deal done. For the Reds, maybe Bill Bray.  2) Are there any better options out there that either the Giants or the Redlegs could land to fill their holes at shortstop? Let us know in the comments.

By Cork Gaines

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Garcia, Lohse, Colon

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With a full slate of Spring Training games underway today, there are still some big names hanging out in the free agent market. After the Red Sox signed signed former Cy Young winner Bartolo Colon to a minor league deal, there are still two big-name starting pitchers that have yet to find new homes. Former all-star Freddy Garcia is not expected to be ready until mid-season after having rotator cuff surgery last fall, but may have interest from several clubs. On the other hand Kyle Lohse is still looking for work despite being perfectly healthy. His biggest ailment maybe that his agent’s name is Scott Boras. With just over four weeks until opening day, let’s take a look at coverage of these pitchers in the blogosphere.

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

  • Mets Fever notes that the names Garcia and Lohse keep popping up on the radar and they are not surprised considering that the Mets rotation is a crapshoot once you get past Johan Santana.
  • Sox and Pinstripes says that signing Garcia would be a smart move for the Red Sox. With Colon and Curt Schilling, Garcia would provide the Sox with plenty of second half pitching insurance.
  • Fire Brand of the American League is hoping the Red Sox will sign Garcia as they believe he will be more dependable than Colon.
  • MetsBlog can’t see the Mets signing Lohse unless they can find a way to unload Orlando Hernandez. And then they would only go for a one year deal.
  • Sox & Dawgs notes the age-old baseball cliche that a team can never have too much pitching and likes the addition of Colon.
  • Bugs & Cranks says that the signing of Colon has them seeing El Guapo Deja Vu and wonder if he will be as important and beloved as another former Cy Young winner, Eric Gagne.
  • Surviving Grady notes that every good sitcom needs a fat guy and now the Red Sox have theirs in the form of Colon.

By Cork Gaines

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Roger Clemens

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Last week we looked at one face of the steroid era (Barry Bonds) and wondered where he might end up playing in 2008. Today let’s take a look at the newest face of the steroid era, Roger Clemens. Clemens has yet to decide whether to pitch in 2008.

While his friends believe that the Astros are the only option, Buster Olney suggested the Cardinals could also be an option. And while the Yankees and the Red Sox have shown zero interest, we can’t rule out a mid-season return to either team. Both have question marks in their rotations, and if the proposed solutions don’t pan out, they will be in the market for a proven pitcher in July, no matter what Hank Steinbrenner says now. Another team that could be a darkhorse after the All-Star break is the New York Mets. We learned yesterday that they have tried trading Orlando Hernandez, as there appear to be serious concerns about his health. And if the Mets are fighting for a playoff spot in July, memories of last year’s collapse with the added pressure of having added Johan Santana will fuel the effort to win "at any cost." Let’s also not forget that 11 more wins would put Rocket into the Top 5 all-time and 20 wins (2009?) would make Clemens the third winningest pitcher ever, behind only Cy Young and Walter Johnson. Let’s take a look at what some are thinking about Clemens in the Blogosphere.

If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.

  • The Redbird Blog does not see Clemens as a difference-maker for the Cardinals, and wonder if it is worth signing him.
  • C70 At The Bat does not think that the Cardinals pitching situation is as dire as some have portrayed, so the need for Clemens may be minimal.
  • My Baseball Bias reiterates what Hank Steinbrenner stated…Clemens will not pitch for the Yankees. They also think that the Astros are the only logical destination for Clemens.
  • Center Field feels that the Phillies would be a good match based on an actual letter sent from PETA to Clemens urging him to become a vegetarian.

And that’s it from the Blogosphere. Is Roger Clemens pitching in ’08 a non-story? Is there a team out there that we are not considering that the Rocket could help this season? Let us know in the comments.

By Cork Gaines

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