Schilling To Reach Free Agency
The possibility of a preseason contract extension for Curt Schilling is out; he’ll file for free agency after the ’07 season. Schilling spoke to WEEI this morning and made the announcement.
This doesn’t rule out Schilling returning to the Red Sox for ’08 and beyond, however. I’d be surprised if the Sox don’t make an offer, assuming he stays healthy this season. If Schilling can duplicate his ’06 numbers (204 innings of 3.97 ball) he might be worth a one-year, $13MM commitment. PECOTA sees Schilling posting 198 innings of 3.84 ball this season, and would pay him $8.6MM in ’08. Suffice it to say he’ll top that on the open market, even if the Yankees aren’t involved.
One More Minor Move
The Athletics have claimed lefty swingman Lenny DiNardo off of waivers from the Red Sox. The Red Sox were going to have to part with somebody, and DiNardo seemed the most likely lefty to go, especially after Boston signed J.C. Romero.
DiNardo wasn’t going to have any chance of contributing in Boston and won’t be much of a factor in Oakland either, but may have a shot if/when injuries strike the A’s. Especially with Joe Kennedy in the rotation mix, the A’s don’t have a lot of good lefty options if Alan Embree goes down…and Embree is old.
By Jeff Sackmann
www.BrewCrewBall.com
One More Minor Move
The Athletics have claimed lefty swingman Lenny DiNardo off of waivers from the Red Sox. The Red Sox were going to have to part with somebody, and DiNardo seemed the most likely lefty to go, especially after Boston signed J.C. Romero.
DiNardo wasn’t going to have any chance of contributing in Boston and won’t be much of a factor in Oakland either, but may have a shot if/when injuries strike the A’s. Especially with Joe Kennedy in the rotation mix, the A’s don’t have a lot of good lefty options if Alan Embree goes down…and Embree is old.
By Jeff Sackmann
www.BrewCrewBall.com
Helton Talks To Resume?
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe talked to four baseball officials about the failed Todd Helton trade. The majority (three, I guess) agreed that the Rockies and Red Sox would rekindle talks in spring training.
Helton, however, has told the Rockies he is prepared to veto all future trades. Will he bend from that stance if the Red Sox and Rockies come to an agreement? I would expect Colorado to lessen their demands a bit if they can get this thing done before the seasons starts.
Helton Talks To Resume?
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe talked to four baseball officials about the failed Todd Helton trade. The majority (three, I guess) agreed that the Rockies and Red Sox would rekindle talks in spring training.
Helton, however, has told the Rockies he is prepared to veto all future trades. Will he bend from that stance if the Red Sox and Rockies come to an agreement? I would expect Colorado to lessen their demands a bit if they can get this thing done before the seasons starts.
Shaughnessy Talks To Schilling
Dan Shaughnessy got his arch-rival Curt Schilling on the phone recently to ask him about his contract demands.
Apparently Schilling had already been in discussion with Theo Epstein about coming back in 2008 before he broke the news on the airwaves. The story had been about to leak, so Schilling announced it himself.
Schilling thinks the Red Sox want him back and that both parties could get the deal done in 15 minutes if they are close. They’ll meet before spring training and make a decision one way or another. Schilling seems to consider $13MM a discount; he feels he could get $17MM+ on the open market using the Yankees as leverage.
It seems likely to me that he stays in Boston. A one-year, $13MM commitment is reasonable for the Red Sox.
Shaughnessy Talks To Schilling
Dan Shaughnessy got his arch-rival Curt Schilling on the phone recently to ask him about his contract demands.
Apparently Schilling had already been in discussion with Theo Epstein about coming back in 2008 before he broke the news on the airwaves. The story had been about to leak, so Schilling announced it himself.
Schilling thinks the Red Sox want him back and that both parties could get the deal done in 15 minutes if they are close. They’ll meet before spring training and make a decision one way or another. Schilling seems to consider $13MM a discount; he feels he could get $17MM+ on the open market using the Yankees as leverage.
It seems likely to me that he stays in Boston. A one-year, $13MM commitment is reasonable for the Red Sox.
Hope Of Renewing Helton Talks?
According to Jeff Horrigan of the Boston Herald, the Red Sox and Rockies did not speak yesterday and Boston has no intention of restarting negotations regarding Todd Helton.
On the other hand, Buster Olney recalled yesterday the deals for Chuck Knoblauch, Roger Clemens, and Ken Griffey Jr. All of the trade talks were supposedly dead but renewed later in spring. It seems that the Red Sox and Rockies weren’t terribly far apart, so if one side decides to give a little they could still figure out a deal. The Red Sox appear to be in the catbird seat, so I think the Rox would have to make further concessions. Maybe after Theo settles down with his new wife he’ll get re-engaged.
Of course, Helton could squash the whole idea with his no-trade clause.
Todd Helton Trade Update
UPDATE: An official statement has been released: the trade talks are dead. So many wasted words on papers and blogs. Oh well.
UPDATE: The Rockies don’t want to pitch in more than $36.6MM, so the Red Sox are reluctant to part with Delcarmen or Hansen in the deal. And the Red Sox aren’t happy with the Rockies’ leaking of Tavarez and Lowell’s names. Of course, the Red Sox were the ones who pulled the plug on the Larry Bigbie deal of ’05 at the last minute.
Let’s see what’s new in the Todd Helton saga.
First off, Josh Beckett admitted to watching Fever Pitch. Ouch. Michael Silverman indicates that the Red Sox still haven’t seen an offer they consider serious. Helton wants the deal done before spring training or not at all. He’d be happy to play in Boston.
The Denver Post tells us that Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd returns today from family matters to resume trade negotiations. The Post goes further than the before spring training thing, saying that Helton will veto any deal done after this week. The Rockies still want one or two of Hansen, Delcarmen, and Ellsbury. The Red Sox are more into the Tavarez/Lowell salary dump idea.
Buster Olney adds that the Rockies will make this trade if Delcarmen is included.
Schilling To Pitch In 2008
Curt Schilling has decided to pitch in 2008, and he’s currently in contract discussions with the Red Sox. He’s a free agent after the ’07 season, during which he’ll make $13MM. Schilling told WEEI that he won’t consider pitching in New York. He hopes to finish negotiations with the Red Sox before spring training, one way or another.
PECOTA likens Schilling to Gaylord Perry. BP’s projection system values Schilling at $8.4MM in 2008.
In my 2007 RotoAuthority Fantasy Guide, I’ve projected Schilling to post a 3.70 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 195 innings this year.