Heyman On Contracts, Loretta, Indians, Lackey
SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new column up…
- Heyman writes in praise of White Sox GM Ken Williams, who says, "People don’t really understand our way, our method."
- Heyman names his top 13 contracts, from an agent point of view. Barry Meister appears twice, with Edgar Renteria and Kyle Farnsworth. Scott Shapiro and Barry Praver get two mentions (Willy Taveras and Juan Cruz), and Scott Boras has three (Derek Lowe, Mark Teixeira, and Willie Bloomquist).
- Heyman writes of "talk at Dodgers camp" about possible Yankee interest in Mark Loretta (you may recall their consideration of him as a first base candidate in 2007). Loretta would have to consent to a trade, and keep in mind Brian Cashman’s comments yesterday.
- The Indians may have sufficient depth in young position players to make a trade for pitching.
- Heyman speaks of optimism for an extension for Angels ace John Lackey, since the team was able to hammer out his ’06 contract with agent Steve Hilliard.
Rosenthal On Pedro, A-Rod, Beimel, Ohman
Here’s the latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…
- One executive tells Rosenthal Pedro Martinez seeks a contract similar to the one John Smoltz received (a $5.5MM base plus $5.5MM incentives). Rosenthal’s speculative candidates for Pedro include the Dodgers, Marlins, Indians, and Mets. He says the A’s, Orioles, Nationals, and Brewers are out.
- Rosenthal does not expect a major acquisition by the Yankees to cover for Alex Rodriguez. He adds that the Yanks will not collect insurance on A-Rod’s salary.
- In addition to Orlando Cabrera, Manny Ramirez has a clause in his contract prohibiting his team from offering arbitration if he’s a Type A free agent after the season. Orlando Hudson and Bobby Abreu do not have such clauses.
- Two GMs told Rosenthal Joe Beimel wants a one-year, $2.5MM deal, but the pitcher’s agent Joe Sroba says they have’t gotten that specific. Sroba says new teams are in the mix for Beimel and he’s waiting for one to be "aggressive and sincere in their pursuit."
- The White Sox and Dodgers are two teams in on free agent lefty Will Ohman.
Heyman On Pudge, Pedro, Catalanotto
SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new column up; let’s take a look.
- Heyman says Oakland’s "win now" mandate this winter came from owner Lewis Wolff.
- The Astros and Marlins are interested in Ivan Rodriguez, "no matter what they say publicly."
- Heyman says Pedro Martinez is "talking up a Dodgers reunion." So far, there’s been no indication the Dodgers are entertaining it.
- Edgar Renteria‘s agent was initially asking for a three or four-year deal.
- It’s no surprise that Frank Catalanotto is available, but the $6MM owed to him is an obvious impediment.
- According to Heyman, Andruw Jones told Rangers brass he’s flexible on the March 20th decision date in his contract.
- Heyman describes the Josh Hamilton extension talks as "just getting going" and believe the John Lackey discussions have only been preliminary.
John Lackey Extension Talks Ongoing
SATURDAY, 10:19pm: DiGiovanna is thinking about five years, $80MM for a possible Lackey extension. Lackey wouldn’t reveal much about the status of the talks, in his quotes to Bill Plunkett of the O.C. Register.
FRIDAY, 8:43pm: According to Giovanna, Lackey is believed to be seeking a deal in the five-year, $75MM range.
FRIDAY, 4:35pm: Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times says Angels GM Tony Reagins is meeting with Lackey’s agent Steve Hilliard today.
WEDNESDAY: Let’s recap what’s gone on with Angels starter John Lackey since the season ended.
- In October, Lackey confirmed that he’d wait to see the Angels’ offensive plans before re-signing. Later that month the Halos exercised his ’09 option.
- In January, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports was unsure the Angels would be willing to offer Lackey A.J. Burnett money (five years, $82.5MM).
- The two sides had not had substantive contract talks as of February 18th, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times. Lackey said "it’s kind of on them" and said that while he’s receptive to staying he values the right to check out free agency.
Today, MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer learned that extension talks are ongoing between the Angels and Lackey’s agent. Lackey noted that "the top guys still got theirs" on the free agent market. He knows he’d be the best available free agent starter after the season, but will allow extension discussions to continue until Opening Day.
Vladimir Guerrero A Year Older
According to Yahoo’s Tim Brown, Angels outfielder Vladimir Guerrero is actually 34 instead of his listed age of 33. Vlad accidentally let it slip when talking to a reporter, but the Halos were already aware of his true birth date. Guerrero is eligible for free agency after the season, but this shouldn’t change much.
The Guerrero age discrepancy was first noted by Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times back in August.
Barry Bonds Rejections
Yesterday Bob Nightengale of USA Today talked to Barry Bonds‘ agent Jeff Borris, learning that Borris will contact all 30 teams in hopes of landing a job for his client. Borris is not optimistic. In case it becomes a trend, we’ll use this post to note which teams have rejected the agent’s overtures.
- The Nationals will pass – manager Manny Acta told Chico Harlan of the Washington Post that "It’s not a match for us" while choking back laughter.
- Twins GM Bill Smith to the AP: "I would tell you that I don’t think it’s a very good fit for us right now."
- Reds manager Dusty Baker to John Fay: "I don’t [see] where. He might be better suited for an American League team."
- Pirates president Frank Coonelly: "We are not interested in inviting Barry to Spring Training."
- Nick Cafardo hears that the Red Sox won’t pursue Bonds either.
- Bill Shaikin of the LA Times reports that Angels GM Tony Reagins has no interest in Bonds.
Odds And Ends: Orioles, Bowden, Nathan
A few links for Sunday afternoon…
- According to MLB.com’s Spencer Fordin the Orioles used "number crunching and statistical analysis" to compare Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis to similar past and present players before locking them up to deals worth $40MM and $66MM, respectively.
- Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that Joe Nathan‘s happy to see Jonathan Papelbon making lots of money this year ($6.25MM) because it’s good for closers in general.
- Jayson Stark of ESPN.com points out the absurdity of the Manny Ramirez negotiations and suggests the structure of a deal that could work for both sides. It’s been nearly four months since the Dodgers made their initial offer of two years and $45MM.
- Pete McElroy of MASN Sports reports that Dmitri Young‘s "shocked" to see Jim Bowden resign. Young, who first dealt with Bowden on the Reds, spoke glowingly of his former GM.
- According to MLB.com’s Jason Beck Jim Leyland confirmed that the Tigers had some offseason discussions about Juan Cruz.
- The draft’s still three months away, but Keith Law of ESPN.com is already putting together scouting reports about some top amateur players.
- MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer dreams up a deal that sends Adrian Gonzalez and Jake Peavy to the Angels for 10 players.
Today’s Signings: Sanchez, Weaver, Galarraga
MLBTR has an update on major league signings for today based on e-mail communication with Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman. His article is here.
Florida Marlins – Anibal Sanchez, $400,000
L.A. Angels – Jered Weaver, $465,000
Arizona Diamondbacks – Tony Pena, $430,000
Detroit Tigers – Armando Galarraga, $430,000
San Francisco Giants – Jonathan Sanchez, $455,000
Thursday Pre-Arbitration Signings
7:41pm: The Miami Herald has a list of eight players who agreed to terms with the A’s for 2009. Daric Barton, Kurt Suzuki, Dallas Braden, Dana Eveland, Gio Gonzalez, Sean Gallagher, Henry Rodriguez and Landon Powell all agreed to one-year contracts.
12:27pm: According to a press release, via the Miami Herald, the Brewers have inked Tony Gwynn Jr., Manny Parra, Hernan Iribarren and Chase Wright to one-year contracts.
11:48am: The Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett has a few more from the Angels. Howie Kendrick, Dustin Moseley, Kevin Jepsen and Matt Brown have been signed to ’09 contracts.
9:53am: MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert reports that the Diamondbacks have agreed to one-year contracts with Yusmeiro Petit, Leo Rosales and Kyler Newby. They’ll each make around $400K this year.
9:50am: According to a press release, via the Miami Herald, the Cubs have now settled with all 20 of their pre-arbitration players. Sean Marshall, Mike Fontenot and Micah Hoffpauir are some of the bigger names on the list.
9:49am: Jose De Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle reports that the Astros have renewed Hunter Pence‘s contract. He’ll earn $450K in ’09.
9:41am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a few more pre-arbitration signings. 2008 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum was inked for $650K, Angels pitcher Joe Saunders settled for $475K, Cubs reliever Carlos Marmol for $575K and Cubs infielder Ryan Theriot for $500K.
These are all guys without enough MLB service time to be eligible for salary arbitration.
Angels Surviving Tough Economic Times
Angels owner Arte Moreno told reporters Wednesday that the poor state of the economy won’t hurt his organization in its effort to remain competitive. Mike DiGiovanna filed the story for the Los Angeles Times.
"I have a lot of money invested, and I don’t want to be in a position where every three years I have to sell off players because we’re losing too much money," Moreno said. "A couple of these owners are moving players. We’re not in that position, and I don’t want to be. Our plan is to be successful and to manage it that way."
The Angels’ 2009 payroll currently sits at $117MM, down from the $125MM mark they set in ’08. Moreno isn’t anticipating a serious drop in attendance this season, so the club would seem to have some room in the budget for an in-season acquisition.
Then again, Chone Figgins and John Lackey are eligible for free agency at the end of the year and will be seeking lucrative long-term contracts.