2009 Elias Rankings Released
The 2009 Elias Rankings have been released, and Ed Price of AOL FanHouse has a full list of the Type-A and B free agents.
Our 2010 MLB Free Agent list has been updated, and below is a summary of differences between the official rankings, and those projected by Eddie Bajek.
- Chone Figgins qualifies as a Type-A, not a Type-B as projected.
- Vladimir Guerrero qualifies as a Type-B, not a Type-A as projected.
- Gregg Zaun goes from no compensation to Type-B.
- Jerry Hairston Jr. goes from Type-B to no compensation.
- Hideki Matsui goes from Type-B to no compensation.
- Aubrey Huff goes from Type-B to no compensation.
If you're not sure how free agent compensation works, or if you just forgot, make sure you check out our primer.
Marlins Rumors: Uggla, Ross, Cantu, Johnson
Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post has some Marlins rumors for us today…
- The front office will explore options for trading some of their 11 arbitration eligible players at the GM meetings this week. They already moved one in Jeremy Hermida over the weekend.
- Capozzi writes that there are "indications" that Dan Uggla will be traded by next month's winter meetings. The 29-year-old pounds out 30+ homer seasons like they're going out of style, but he made $5.35MM in just his first year of arbitration in 2009.
- Cody Ross is expected back after earning $2.225MM in his first year of arbitration.
- Capozzi says it's "a 50-50 split" as to whether Jorge Cantu stays or not. He earned $3.5MM in 2009 and can become a free agent next offseason.
- The Marlins aren't going to increase payroll much from last season, if they do at all.
- The team is preparing a multi-year offer for ace Josh Johnson.
Heyman’s Latest: Holliday, Lackey, Bay, Trades
Jon Heyman has a new column up at SI.com, so let's dive on in…
- Scott Boras said on Sunday that the Cardinals have not made any proposals in an effort to retain Matt Holliday, and Heyman says "the chances for Holliday to remain a Cardinal look slim at this point."
- A source familiar with the situation said the Angels offered John Lackey an extension earlier this year worth less than $40MM over three years on top of 2009's $10MM salary, so if they wish to re-sign him now, they'll have to completely rethink their original stance.
- The Red Sox are trying to bring Jason Bay back on a four year, $60MM deal, though his agent maintains that Bay is the "most complete player on the market."
- The Mets, Giants, Braves, Cubs, Mariners, and Yankees could also be interested in Holliday and/or Bay.
- The Mets are believed to have Holliday higher on their wish list than Bay, and are also expected to pursue Randy Wolf.
- There is speculation that Lackey would like to pitch at home in Texas, but the Rangers' interest might depend on how quickly their sale is resolved.
- Heyman says that "MLB has set a tentative Thanksgiving deadline for the sale of the Rangers, but the price tag is expected to be in the $500 million range, and in cases of such big money there are no guarantees that things will go quickly."
- Roy Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Bobby Jenks, Dan Uggla, and Milton Bradley should highlight a star studded trade market.
- Halladay seems like a good bet to be moved, while the Red Sox and Dodgers represent possible suitors for Gonzalez.
- Tampa has a replacement for Crawford in top prospect Desmond Jennings, while Jenks and Uggla would be moved in cost cutting deals.
- Teams will certainly inquire on the availability of Felix Hernandez, but Heyman says the team plans to spend the winter trying to lock him up long-term. At the GM Meetings today, GM Jack Zduriencik said "Felix is our property. We're going to have him the next two years."
- The Yankees have started to think about re-signing both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
- Both the Brewers and Mariners are expected to have interest in Jarrod Washburn.
- If the Angels don't re-sign Chone Figgins, they are expected to pursue Adrian Beltre to fill their third base hole.
- The Rangers will let Hank Blalock walk as a free agent, and are expected to promote top prospect Justin Smoak next year.
- Orlando Hudson is expected to leave the Dodgers as a free agent, though Heyman says they could re-sign Ronnie Belliard to compete with Blake DeWitt at second base.
- Team officials would not be shocked if the Red Sox tried to move David Ortiz and/or Mike Lowell, though it's going to be tough to move them with all the DH-types available on the free agent market.
Red Sox Pick Up Victor Martinez’s Option
No surprise here, though now it's official: The Red Sox have exercised their $7.1MM option for Victor Martinez according to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe. This was about as much of a no-brainer as they come.
The 30-year-old Martinez hit .303/.381/.480 this season, .336/.405/.507 after coming to Boston at the trade deadline. He split his time in the field almost equally between catcher and first base, and FanGraphs values V-Mart's 2009 production at $21.9MM.
Dodgers Not Pursuing Aroldis Chapman
Bill Shaikin of The LA Times reports (via Dylan Hernandez) that the Dodgers are not pursuing Cuban lefthander Aroldis Chapman, even though starting pitching remains a top priority.
Here's our Chapman review from a little over a week ago last week. Since then we've learned more about the Angels, White Sox, Orioles, Cubs, Braves, and Marlins.
Nick Green, Joey Gathright Become Free Agents
According to WEEI.com's Alex Speier, both Nick Green and Joey Gathright elected to become free agents after the Red Sox outrighted them off the 40-man roster late last week.
Green, 31, hit .236/.303/.366 in 309 plate appearances in 2009, holding down Boston's shortstop gig for much of the season. Speier mentions that Green will have surgery on his back today to correct a disc and nerve problem.
The 28-year-old Gathright received just 32 plate appearances with the Cubs and Sox this season, but made Boston's postseason roster as a pinch-runner specialist.
Twins Looking At Veteran Starters
While speaking with Joe Christensen of The Star Tribune, Twins' GM Bill Smith may have tipped his hand regarding the team's offseason plans.
"We'll see what's out there," he said. "And if there's a veteran starter or two that's a good fit for us, then we'll proceed accordingly."
The team is already returning at least five young starters, and that isn't counting Kevin Slowey's return from wrist surgery. Christensen mentions that they'll try to re-sign Carl Pavano, and says that the Twins also plan to pursue Jarrod Washburn, who has made it known that he'd like to pitch closer to his home in Wisconsin.
It's unlikely the Twins could afford John Lackey as a free agent, but Christensen says the team should find out if they have what it takes to acquire Roy Halladay or Josh Johnson via trade.
Cardinals Not Expecting Much At GM Meetings
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak is lowering expectations for this week even though his team has plenty of issues to address this offseason, according to Joe Strauss The St. Louis Post Dispatch.
"I'd say the chances of us making anything happen there is very small," said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak, a central mover during last November's weeklong meeting at Dana Point, Calif. "My expectation is that this will be much more about MLB business."
Mozeliak also said he believes that rookie David Freese should get first crack at the third base job next year, although the team publicly remains interested in Mark DeRosa. He also indicated the team plans to promote a young pitcher to fill one of the rotation spots vacated by John Smoltz and Joel Pineiro, while seeking a "short-term veteran" for the other.
Strauss mentions that if the team believes it can retain Matt Holliday for $17MM annually, they're likely to be disappointed because Scott Boras "is believed committed to finding a far more lucrative deal for Holliday than the eight-year, $136 million deal left fielder Alfonso Soriano accepted to sign with the Chicago Cubs in November 2006."
Odds & Ends: Gonzalez, Halladay, Rangers
Here's some links to kick off the week…
- Bill Center of The San Diego Union Tribune reports that the Padres haven't contacted John Boggs (Adrian Gonzalez's agent) to discuss a contract extension yet, mentioning that Gonzalez could be an $18-20MM player. FanGraphs valued Adrian's 2009 performance at $28.4MM, tenth best among position players.
- The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin looks at some potential suitors for Roy Halladay, saying that there are ten teams that meet the necessary criteria to make a deal work.
- Meanwhile, Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe touches on two players figured to be tied to the Red Sox this winter: Gonzalez and Halladay.
- T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com writes that the Rangers have plenty of trade fodder thanks to their pitching, and they may be willing to deal someone like Brandon McCarthy.
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal looks at some third base options for the Phillies.
- Ken Davidoff of Newsday ranks the ten best general managers, with Billy Beane taking the top spot for the second year in a row.
- John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press takes a look at the key free agents in the AL Central.
- MLBTR's own Cork Gaines analyzes how the Rays have fared in free agency during Andrew Friedman's tenure.
- J.C. Bradbury defends his stance that just because there are more available free agents at a given position, it doesn't mean their prices wil drop.
Cubs Talk: Bradley, Trades vs. Free Agency
The GM meetings kick off today in Chicago, though free agents are stuck talking only to their current team until November 20th. As a result, the days ahead figure to be filled with plenty of trade talk, and Milton Bradley is certainly one of the higher profile players on the block. It's only natural that his name popped up this morning.
We heard back in October that "multiple teams are in contact with the Cubs" about Bradley, and now a source tells Gordon Wittenmyer of The Chicago Sun Times that "at least three more interested parties contacted the Cubs in the last week or so." Wittenmyer also mentions the Cubbies figure to be more involved in trades than free agency this winter.
''I think you'll see a lot of that,'' Hendry said. ''At the same time, I think the free-agent world will be a patient market like it ended up being last year, and some good players will probably be available as the winter progresses. We'll be looking to trade some pieces to get some pieces.''
We've already seen some speculation that the Cubs could bolster their bullpen through trades.