Will Aramis Ramirez Opt Out?
The Cubs will face uncertainty at the infield corners after the 2010 season. We discussed first baseman Derrek Lee earlier today. Now let's take a look at Aramis Ramirez's situation.
Ramirez faces a $14.6MM player option for 2011. He also has a mutual option for 2012 at $16MM, with a $2MM buyout attached. If the club exercises the '12 option and Ramirez declines, he forfeits the buyout. There are also circumstances under which the '12 option can vest. Basically, if he exercises his player option for '11, Ramirez will earn either $16.6MM for one year or $30.6MM for two.
Ramirez, who turns 32 during the season, has consistently raked in his Cubs career. He has had his share of DL trips, with last year's shoulder injury limiting him to 82 games. Even with a big 2010, Ramirez probably can't earn more than $15-16MM per year. It is possible, though, that the free agent market would offer a three or four-year guarantee. Ramirez told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune he won't think about his opt-out clause until after the season. A year ago, Ramirez said he wanted to finish his career with the Cubs.
Heading into the '06 season, Ramirez was in a similar situation. He had the opportunity to void his contract after the season and leave three years/$33.5MM on the table. He did so in October, but a month later signed a below-market five-year, $75MM deal to remain with the Cubs.
Brad Wilkerson Agrees To Deal With Phillies
Outfielder Brad Wilkerson agreed to a minor league deal with the Phillies, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Wilkerson was thought to have retired in April of '09.
Unlike fellow minor league outfield signings Chris Duffy and Dewayne Wise, Wilkerson will not participate in the Phillies' big league camp according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.
Odds & Ends: Boone, Smoltz, Benson
Links for Tuesday…
- SI's Tom Verducci lists his 13 most interesting non-roster invitees.
- Aaron Boone has officially retired and joined ESPN as an analyst. USA Today's Bob Nightengale first reported in October that Boone was likely to hang up the spikes.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says that John Smoltz currently prefers to start, but he'll be more open to relieving if he signs midseason. The Cardinals apparently do not have the funds to re-sign Smoltz.
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson tweets that Kris Benson is no longer talking to the Nationals, despite the pitcher's assertion yesterday.
- WEEI's Alex Speier tweets that the Red Sox released southpaw Jose Capellan.
- MLB.com's transactions page says Boston also released righty Edwin Moreno, who they signed to a minor league deal a month ago. Augusto Cardenas first tweeted of the move on Thursday, saying that Moreno will play in Mexico instead.
- Speier also has an article about David Ortiz reaching a career crossroads. Speier finds it unlikely that the Sox exercise Ortiz's $12.5MM club option for 2011.
Tigers Designate Casey Fien For Assignment
The Tigers designated righty Casey Fien for assignment to make room for Johnny Damon, according to the team's Twitter page. Fien, 26, posted a 3.41 ERA, 10.2 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9 in 58 Triple A relief innings this year. He struggled in 11.3 big league frames, which marked his Major League debut. Baseball America ranked Fien 27th among Tigers prospects, writing that he "profiles as a middle reliever." Still, his minor league command is intriguing.
Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects
Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list is out, and it's free to all. For comparison, check out MLB.com's Top 50 and Keith Law's Top 100 for ESPN.
Offseason In Review: Chicago White Sox
Next in our Offseason In Review series, the White Sox.
Major League Signings
- J.J. Putz, RP: one year, $3MM.
- Mark Kotsay, OF: one year, $1.5MM.
- Omar Vizquel, IF: one year, $1.375MM.
- Freddy Garcia, SP: one year, $1MM. Club option exercised.
- Ramon Castro, C: one year, $1MM. Includes $1.2MM club option for '11 with $200K buyout.
- Andruw Jones, OF: one year, $500K.
- Total spend: $8.375MM (not included in this number is Matt Thornton's $2.25MM club option, as he would've been arbitration-eligible anyway).
Notable Minor League Signings
Extensions
- Mark Teahen, 3B: three years, $14MM. Bought out two arbitration years and one free agent year.
Trades and Claims
- Claimed OF Alejandro de Aza off waivers from Marlins
- Acquired 3B Mark Teahen and $1.5MM from Royals for 2B Chris Getz and 3B Josh Fields
- Acquired OF Juan Pierre and $10.5MM from Dodgers for P Jon Link and P John Ely
- Claimed RP Freddy Dolsi off waivers from Tigers
Notable Losses
- Scott Podsednik, Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, D.J. Carrasco, Octavio Dotel, Chris Getz, Josh Fields, Dewayne Wise, Jon Link, John Ely, Wilson Betemit, Jerry Owens, Bartolo Colon, Jimmy Gobble
Summary
The White Sox made a pair of big moves last summer, acquiring Jake Peavy and Alex Rios. Peavy has three years and $52MM remaining, while Rios has five years and $59.7MM. While those were huge commitments, GM Kenny Williams was still pretty active this offseason.
Williams managed to spread $8.375MM over six veteran free agents, keeping his risk low. Williams' riskier moves were the acquisitions of Pierre and Teahen, who will both be given starting jobs. On the open market, would Pierre have matched the two-year, $8MM commitment taken on by the White Sox? And why not go year-to-year with Teahen, who hasn't hit like a corner infielder since '06?
Based on CHONE projections and the Baseball Musings lineup analysis tool, the Sox should score around 780 runs in 2010. That'd place in the middle of the AL and above last year's output, though the projection is probably optimistic since it doesn't account for injuries. There is a decent chance Chicago's offense remains below-average. It would've been worth putting the $2MM used on Jones and Kotsay toward a more productive free agent DH.
Using CHONE projections for earned runs while tweaking their innings estimates, it does seem reasonable to envision the club ranking second in the AL again in starter ERA. The highest projection among their front four is Gavin Floyd's 4.33. Bullpen-wise, the addition of Putz and a full season of Tony Pena offsets the losses of Dotel and Carrasco. Defensively, the Sox will benefit from the subtraction of Dye.
The 2010 White Sox will potentially suffer subpar production at traditionally offensive spots – left field, third base, and designated hitter. They still look like contenders, but it'll be on the strength of their run prevention.
Minor League Transactions: Bierbrodt, Jimerson, Cintron
The latest minor league transactions, from Baseball America's Matt Eddy…
- The Reds signed Aaron Harang's brother Daryl out of the Atlantic League.
- The Rockies signed lefty Nick Bierbrodt, the Diamondbacks' first-ever draft pick in '96. Bierbrodt, 31, sat out the '09 season.
- The Twins signed outfielder Charlton Jimerson out of the Atlantic League. He put up big numbers there in '09.
- The Mets inked second baseman Alex Cintron, who hit .285/.303/.387 in Triple A last year.
Khalil Greene Will Not Report To Rangers’ Camp
5:15pm: Club officials say there is a one-hundred percent probability that Greene's replacement will be internal, according to Sullivan (via Twitter).
4:58pm: Rangers officials say they have no interest in Lopez, tweets MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.
10:58am: Infielder Khalil Greene "will not be joining the team and will not report to spring training camp," according to a statement from the Rangers. They'll leave the door open for Greene, who signed for $750K as a free agent in January after missing much of '09 with social anxiety disorder. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets that "options on Greene could include the restricted list and voiding his contract."
According to another Grant tweet, the Rangers will give Joaquin Arias a longer look for a utility role. The 25-year-old, who came to the Rangers in '04 as part of the Alex Rodriguez deal, didn't hit much in his second Triple A stint. Though he had shoulder surgery a few years back, Arias could still be a plus defender. Also, he's out of options.
Grant also tweets that the Rangers reached out to Felipe Lopez and are surveying the thin free agent market. They've got Esteban German around as a non-roster invite, but lost Joe Inglett to a Brewers waiver claim in January.
Heyman On Blalock, Crawford, Reynolds
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman writes that the Rays and Marlins are thought to have interest in Hank Blalock. We discussed Blalock here; his prospects are dim now that the Indians, Orioles, Braves, and Pirates have gone in different directions.
- Heyman notes that the Yankees love Carl Crawford and that could be one reason they were reluctant to give Johnny Damon a two-year deal. We discussed Crawford's situation earlier today.
- The Diamondbacks offered Mark Reynolds an extension to cover his first three arbitration years, in the $11MM range. That'd be quite a concession, since he should easily top $5MM in his first arbitration year.
- Heyman tweets that the Braves and Reds "could be in the mix" for outfielder Garret Anderson. Presumably, Anderson is in line for a minor league deal. He was linked to the Dodgers before they signed Reed Johnson.
Jayson Werth Discusses Next Contract
Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth will be eligible for free agency after the 2010 season. The 30-year-old's '09 season featured career-bests in plate appearances, home runs, RBIs, runs, and slugging percentage. He also qualifies as an above-average defensive right fielder. Werth signed a two-year, $10MM extension in January of '09.
Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer was part of the group questioning Werth about the future today. Asked if he sees himself as comparable to Jason Bay and Matt Holliday, Werth said he feels he's "a season away from something like that." Keep in mind that 2009 was the only time Werth reached 500 plate appearances in his seven-year career.
Werth says he's only had very preliminary talks with the Phillies about an extension. He wants to stay, and deferred to his agent when asked if he'd negotiate in-season. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. raised the topic a month ago, saying "there will be some difficult decisions down the road."
It seems feasible that Werth will exceed the three-year, $30MM range occupied by Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley the previous offseason. Werth has advantages over both players, and given a strong 2010 he should be able to command four or five years at at least $12MM per.