Heyman On Manny, Felix, Bay, Washburn
The latest hot stove notes from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Manny Ramirez "is planning to exercise" his $20MM player option for 2010. This was expected but it'd still be interesting to see Manny jump back into free agency, maybe seek two years and $30MM.
- Heyman echoes what we've read regarding Brandon Webb – the D'Backs will pick up his $8.5MM option for next year, as Webb is not interested in renegotiating. On a related note, MLB.com's Steve Gilbert looks at some options for the two open spots in Arizona's rotation.
- The Red Sox "would still love to make a run at Felix Hernandez." Who wouldn't? I don't expect Felix trade talks to become reality unless the Mariners try and fail to sign him to an extension first. Heyman considers Roy Halladay more realistic for the Sox; Doc's price would presumably be slightly lower with the '09 season concluded. According to Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail, Halladay, his wife, and his agent had dinner with Jays president and CEO Paul Beeston last week to discuss the future.
- The Red Sox "were thought to have offered" $15MM to left fielder Jason Bay. How many years?
- Heyman says the Mariners and Brewers "are expected to be in the mix" for free agent lefty Jarrod Washburn. Scott Boras surely knows a move to the NL would help Washburn, who was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
Bad Contract Swap Meet
Got a bad contract on your hands? Maybe you can swap it for another team's problem. I'll list the bad contracts, you connect the dots.
- Vernon Wells, Blue Jays - five years, $98.5MM
- Alfonso Soriano, Cubs – five years, $90MM
- Barry Zito, Giants – four years, $83MM
- Alex Rios, White Sox – five years, $59.7MM
- Travis Hafner, Indians – three years, $40.25MM
- Aaron Rowand, Giants – three years, $36MM
- Carlos Guillen, Tigers – two years, $26MM
- Carlos Silva, Mariners – two years, $25MM
- Francisco Cordero, Reds – two years, $25MM
- Oliver Perez, Mets – two years, $24MM
- Gary Matthews Jr., Angels - two years, $23MM
- Milton Bradley, Cubs – two years, $21MM
- Juan Pierre, Dodgers – two years, $18.5MM
- Jeff Suppan, Brewers – one year, $14.5MM
- David Ortiz, Red Sox – one year, $12.5MM
- Jeremy Bonderman, Tigers – one year, $12.5MM
- Jose Guillen, Royals – one year, $12MM
- Eric Chavez, Athletics – one year, $12MM
- Dontrelle Willis, Tigers – one year, $12MM
- Eric Byrnes, Diamondbacks – one year, $11MM
- Fausto Carmona, Indians – two years, $11MM
- Scott Linebrink, White Sox – two years, $10.5MM
- Nate Robertson, Tigers – one year, $10MM
- Edgar Renteria, Giants – one year, $9.5MM
- Pat Burrell, Rays – one year, $9MM
- Kei Igawa, Yankees – two years $8MM
- Jeff Francis, Rockies - one year, $5.75MM
- Kyle Farnsworth, Royals – one year, $5MM
- Willy Taveras, Reds – one year, $4MM
- Aaron Miles, Cubs – one year, $2.7MM
- Honorable mentions: Michael Young (4/64, some deferred), Carlos Lee (3/55.5), Derek Lowe (3/45), Todd Helton (2/40.3), Kyle Lohse (3/32.625), Magglio Ordonez (1/18, possible vesting option), Mike Lowell (1/12), Chris Snyder (2/11.25), Cristian Guzman (1/8), Jamie Moyer (1/7.5), Kaz Matsui (1/5)
Aroldis Chapman Review
With all the information swirling around about free agent lefty Aroldis Chapman, I thought a summary would be helpful. Chapman has been declared a free agent and can sign at any time, though a deal is unlikely before the conclusion of the World Series. One GM told Yahoo's Tim Brown in July, "I'm sure all 30 teams will be interested to some degree." Nonetheless, let's look at specific suitors.
- Red Sox: They've been a top suitor from the start. Kiley McDaniel of Baseball Prospectus says Chapman was scheduled to throw a bullpen at Fenway today but it was cancelled due to inclement weather. ESPN's Peter Gammons believes Boston's signing of former Chapman teammate Jose Iglesias may impact the pitcher's decision.
- Yankees: They've also been a top suitor from the start. ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. said Chapman met with GM Brian Cashman and other Yanks officials at the October 25th playoff game and "had good conversations." Several reporters see Chapman as another Yankees-Red Sox battle.
- Mariners: Add them to the list – our source says they'd like to meet with Chapman in the next week.
- Cardinals: A scheduled October 26th meeting was cancelled due to the Tony La Russa announcement. The meeting is expected to be rescheduled.
- Orioles: They've maintained interest and are pushing for a meeting soon. In September, president Andy MacPhail admitted interest to MASN's Roch Kubatko, but added, "If some of the big boys are going to go after him, like the Red Sox did with Dice-K, that's not a risk that I would be willing to take."
- Mets: They met with Chapman on October 23rd. The New York Post's Bart Hubbuch said the Mets were out after being told Chapman wants up to $60MM to sign. I'm not so sure the Mets and Chapman actually discussed dollar figures.
- Tigers: They've confirmed interest.
- Angels: Scouting director Eddie Bane admitted interest in July, but noted that Chapman's breaking pitches are not yet effective in talking to Mark Saxon of the OC Register. Bane more recently told Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times that he'd need to see Chapman throw against live hitters before investing. Chapman has mentioned L.A. as a place he'd like to visit.
- White Sox: Our source said they've expressed interest.
- Cubs: Our source said they've expressed interest.
- Athletics: Named by Arangure Jr. as one of the teams "paying varying degrees of attention to Chapman." Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle confirmed Oakland's interest but says they haven't met with him.
- Giants: Named by Arangure Jr. as one of the teams "paying varying degrees of attention to Chapman."
- Dodgers: They aren't likely to be serious suitors, according to one of Arangure Jr.'s sources.
- Blue Jays: We named the Jays as an interested club, but GM Alex Anthopoulos told reporters that signing Chapman is "not realistic."
- Astros: Owner Drayton McLane seemingly considers Chapman too pricey, based on his comments to Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle.
Odds & Ends: Cubs, Byrnes, Orioles
Links for Wednesday…
- Chris De Luca of the Chicago Sun-Times doesn't expect much to change with the Cubs under the Ricketts family. He says to expect a payroll around $143MM. That might leave GM Jim Hendry with around $8MM to work with.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic believes Eric Byrnes' time with the Diamondbacks might be nearing an end. They may attempt to trade him before releasing him.
- John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer wouldn't be surprised to see the Reds release center fielder Willy Taveras, who is still owed $4MM.
- Sox Machine reader Chris Pummer makes the case for the White Sox offering arbitration to reliever Octavio Dotel. Dotel projects as a Type A free agent, though he's right on the fringe.
- Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun believes Andy MacPhail "will have to pull a huge rabbit out of his hat" to make the Orioles competitive in 2010.
- As expected, new Padres GM Jed Hoyer reassigned scouting director Bill Gayton according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- WEEI has a live online chat scheduled with Jason Bay tomorrow.
- Diamondbacks prospect Jarrod Parker blogged about his upcoming Tommy John surgery.
Discussion: Marlon Byrd
32-year-old outfielder Marlon Byrd makes for an interesting free agent case. He set career highs with 599 plate appearances, 20 home runs, and 89 RBIs this year. On the other hand, his .329 OBP and 5.3% walk rate fell short of his 2008 marks.
Byrd played all three outfield positions, as usual. He logged the majority of his innings in center field. His defense in center ranked as a slight negative according to UZR/150; it was a positive in previous years. John Dewan's plus-minus system also saw Byrd as a slight negative in center.
If Byrd is treated as a corner outfielder, he's not especially interesting. But the free agent market for center fielders is weak, with Mike Cameron and Coco Crisp the other palatable starting options. Byrd might be in a position to ask for $5MM+ annually for two or three years (he earned $3.06MM in '09). The Royals, Cubs, Brewers, and Padres might be in the market for a center fielder, though the Cubs will presumably seek a left-handed bat if they trade Milton Bradley. It may be a moot point, as the Rangers hope to re-sign Byrd. At the least, they should offer arbitration to the probable Type B free agent.
Tyler Yates Elects Free Agency
TUESDAY: Pirates GM Neal Huntington told Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the team is in dialogue with Yates in hopes of retaining him.
MONDAY: Tyler Yates elected free agency after being outrighted by the Pirates, according to a team press release. Yates had Tommy John surgery in July, and outrighting him now takes him off the 40-man roster earlier than non-tendering him in December. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote in July that "the Pirates' tentative plan for Yates is to offer him a minor league contract for 2010." The press release notes that the Pirates' 40-man roster is at 38, with Evan Meek and Jose Ascanio still on the 60-day DL.
Yates, 32, tossed 73.3 innings last year with a 4.66 ERA. At 5.0 per nine innings, walks were a problem. The Bucs acquired Yates from the Braves in March of '08 for Todd Redmond.
Trade Market: Catchers
We've covered the free agent market by position, but that only tells part of the story. With the GM Meetings just 11 days away, it's time to analyze the trade market. We'll start with catchers.
- Kelly Shoppach, Indians. Lou Marson, acquired in the Cliff Lee trade with the Phillies, could be handed the Indians' starting job in 2010. Shoppach is a non-tender candidate after hitting .214/.335/.399 in 327 plate appearances this year. The Indians may prefer not to pay him $2MM+ next year, so they could shop him around. Shoppach, 30 in April, slugged .517 in 2008.
- John Buck, Royals. Buck, 30, is another non-tender candidate. He hit .247/.299/.484 for the Royals in 202 plate appearances, and is due a raise on his $2.9MM salary through arbitration.
- Brayan Pena, Royals. The Royals have never seemed all that enamored of Pena, who turns 28 in January. He hit .273/.318/.442 in 183 plate appearances and is not yet eligible for arbitration.
- Ryan Doumit, Pirates. Doumit, 29 in April, slipped to .250/.299/.414 this year in 304 plate appearances. A broken bone in his wrist was a big factor. Doumit is guaranteed $9.15MM over the next two seasons on an extension signed in December of '08. He was benched at one point in August over a helmet-throwing incident.
- Chris Snyder, Diamondbacks. Like Doumit, Snyder was signed to an extension after an impressive '08. This year he was plagued with a back injury that culminated in September surgery. Snyder lost the starting job to Miguel Montero and has $11.25MM remaining on his contract for the next two seasons.
- J.R. Towles, Astros. Towles began the 2008 season as the Astros starting catcher; he was 24 at the time and was coming off a fine stint in Double A. Several injuries and 224 big league plate appearances later, Towles has lost the team's "catcher of the future" title to Jason Castro.
- Click here for our look at the free agent market for catchers.
Odds & Ends: Beeston, St. Claire, Bay
Links for Tuesday…
- The Blue Jays announced today that Paul Beeston will remain the team's president and CEO on a three-year deal.
- The Cub Reporter has three potential offseason targets: Rajai Davis, Jeremy Hermida, and Kelly Johnson.
- Kerry Wood replied, "Never say never" when asked on ESPN 1000's Waddle and Silvy show about returning to the Cubs after his Indians contract expires. I was surprised the Cubs didn't offer Wood arbitration a year ago.
- The Marlins hired Randy St. Claire as their new pitching coach; he received a two-year deal according to Barry Jackson and Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. St. Claire was fired by the Nationals in June.
- Jason Bay's agent Joe Urbon unconvincingly defended his client's defense in this article from WEEI's Rob Bradford. Curt Schilling weighed in on Bay and J.D. Drew here.
- Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times discusses the Angels' key free agents. He sees John Lackey getting at least five years and $100MM, and Chone Figgins landing around five years, $50MM. He adds that reliever Darren Oliver is again considering retirement.
- The Cubs sale to the Ricketts family is complete, says Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
Rays Re-Sign Gabe Kapler
The Rays re-signed outfielder Gabe Kapler to a one-year, $1.05MM deal, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Kapler, 34, hit .239/.329/.439 in 238 plate appearances while playing all three outfield positions (primarily right field).
Kapler originally signed with the Rays for $1MM back in January. The Rays seemingly got their money's worth, as Kapler's strong defense led FanGraphs to value him at $5.2MM this year.
Astros Hire Brad Mills As Manager
The Astros hired former Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills as their new manager, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart. The Astros fired Cecil Cooper with 13 games remaining in the season, replacing him with Dave Clark.
Mills inherits a club with many question marks; the Astros finished in fifth place in the NL Central last year with a 74-88 record.