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Discussion: Hideki Matsui

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Despite belting a crucial home run in Game 2 of the World Series, Hideki Matsui will not start tonight in Philadelphia. The 35-year-old DH's knee issues have been much-discussed this season, as he has yet to play a single inning in the field. Tonight's Yankees lineup, which has the ice-cold Nick Swisher starting in right field, once again raises questions about Matsui's future.

When we last looked at Matsui's offseason prospects, his situation was a little different. It still looked obvious that the Yankees would retain Johnny Damon and cut ties with Matsui, given Damon's strong campaign and the health problems that prevented Matsui from playing in the outfield.

The Yankees' decision is a bit more complicated now though. Damon has struggled down the stretch, posting a .631 OPS in September and hitting just .220/.250/.360 in the playoffs so far. Matsui, meanwhile, posted a .900+ OPS in each of the last three months and has hit .278/.422/.472 in the postseason. Throw in the fact that Damon is a year older than Matsui, and not a strong defender (he recorded a -11.9 UZR/150 in left field this season), and the gap between the two players isn't nearly as wide as it looked earlier in 2009.

Matsui said recently that he's comfortable with the Yankees, despite being unsure if they'll want him back. He has also insisted he's healthy enough to play in the outfield, or even to try first base, opening up the door for a National League team to take a chance on him this winter. It's still hard, however, to envision a team like the New York Mets committing millions of dollars to Matsui when he has yet to be given the chance to play defense.

If you were the GM of your favorite National League team, would you be confident enough in Matsui's knees to offer him a deal, or is Matsui staying in the American League in 2010? If so, will he be in New York or with another AL team? And what about you, Yankees fans: Do you still prefer Damon to Matsui, heading into next season?

Heyman On Pedro, Bay, Matsui

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • The only teams interested in Pedro Martinez this summer were the Rangers, Rays, Cubs, and Phillies (the Brewers bowed out when Pedro was late to a throwing session).  Heyman believes interest will pick up this time around, but Martinez may retire if the Phillies win the World Series.
  • Heyman believes the Red Sox are willing to offer Jason Bay four years and $60MM; the SI writer finds that "a bit short."  We know that geography won't be a factor for Bay, he'd prefer to sign early, and the Red Sox will have a contingency plan in case they can't sign him.  Click here to read Bay's comments from yesterday's WEEI chat.
  • Hideki Matsui admitted he's comfortable with the Yankees, but said, "I have no idea" when asked if he expects to be back next year.  The 35-year-old Matsui hit .274/.367/.509 in 526 plate appearances this year, but did not play in the field.  A few weeks ago, Newsday's David Lennon suggested Matsui was eager to get back to left field and would even consider trying first base next year.

Aroldis Chapman Review

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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.

Tigers Join Aroldis Chapman Chase

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9:42pm: MLB.com's Jason Beck reports that the Tigers have confirmed interest in Chapman.

Tom Moore, Detroit's Director of International Scouting, said to Beck: "We're basically just at the interest level. Because of the nature, I think it's a situation where they're going to take the time to allow clubs to spend some time with the player and see who he is."

8:18pm: Add the Detroit Tigers to the list of teams in pursuit of Aroldis Chapman, according to a report by Melissa Segura in SI.com.

Segura writes that "several industry sources expect Chapman will command more than the $32 million the Yankees paid Cuban right-hander Jose Contreras in 2002."

Speaking of the Yankees, Chapman was a guest of the team for Game 6 of the ALCS, writes Jon Heyman.

And the Blue Jays new GM, Alex Anthopoulos, has concluded that it is "not realistic" to sign Chapman, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

"We don't have enough background and scouting looks to make a proper offer," Anthopoulos wrote in an e-mail. "Going forward, these will be the types of things we will be more proactive with. I think the way the Red Sox pursued [Daisuke Matsuzaka] is a great model. They were doing homework on him for years."

Heyman On Chapman, Mets, Hudson

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The latest hot stove notes from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Despite interest from several other clubs, Heyman sees the Aroldis Chapman bidding as ultimately a Yankees-Red Sox battle.
  • Heyman says the Mets "don't seem inclined" to pursue free agent starter John Lackey.  Heyman believes Lackey will aim for $100MM+, which is higher than most estimates we've seen.
  • The Mets have no interest in Milton Bradley, despite a September report.  Heyman believes a left fielder will be the team's big-ticket import, with Matt Holliday atop their list.
  • Like many, Heyman does not see Orlando Hudson returning to the Dodgers.  Hudson earned about $8MM this year and will be a Type A free agent once again.
  • Look for a Jed Hoyer announcement today from the Padres.

Odds & Ends: Ricciardi, Sabathia, Chapman

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Links for Monday…

  • Former Padres GM Kevin Towers told Bill Madden of the New York Daily News recently "it's just a matter of when" the team trades first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
  • The Astros claimed outfielder Jason Bourgeois off waivers from the Brewers, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart via Twitter.  Bourgeois, 28 in January, hit .316/.354/.401 in Triple A while playing all three outfield positions.  In other Brewers-related news, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says the team retained Mike Burns and Adam Stern on minor league deals.
  • Don Mattingly is discussing his future with the Dodgers, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • I missed this October 5th article from Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun.  Elliott talked to former Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey, who was frank in his opinions of ex-GM J.P. Ricciardi.
  • Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times says the Angels bid $140MM for C.C. Sabathia last winter, but Olney says "the Angels bid a firm $100MM and discussed increasing their offer to $120MM."
  • Andy Pettitte admitted to Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times, "I think everybody knows I wasn't real happy with the contract.  But I wanted to take it and come back here and have a chance to do this."  Pettitte ended up earning about $10MM in 2009, but only $5.5MM was guaranteed.
  • ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. says on Twitter that Aroldis Chapman "had good conversations" with Yankees GM Brian Cashman and other team execs at yesterday's game.  Meanwhile, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian says that Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos finds signing Chapman unrealistic for his club.  Logically, the Chapman bidding should heat up after the World Series.  The 21-year-old lefty is meeting with the Cardinals, Orioles, and Red Sox this week.
  • Aaron Gleeman says it's reasonable for fans to call for Twins closer Joe Nathan to be traded, but not because he allowed a postseason home run to Alex Rodriguez.
  • NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says reliever Scott Atchison hopes to return to MLB in 2009.  Atchison, 34 in March, elected free agency in November of 2007 after posting a 4.11 ERA in 30.6 relief innings for the Giants.
  • Jim Seip of the York Daily Record writes about the beginning of Ken Rosenthal's career.
  • John Bonnes attempted to extract info about Joe Mauer's future with the Twins, talking to GM Bill Smith.

Strong Interest In Aroldis Chapman

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SUNDAY, 12:35pm: As suggested by Lennon earlier, Chapman's price tag is too high for the Mets. Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post reports (via Twitter) that the Mets were told Chapman wants up to $60MM to sign.

SATURDAY, 7:23pm: John Stockstill – the Orioles' director of international scouting – has confirmed that the club will meet with Chapman and his agent next week in New York, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN.com.  In a piece yesterday, Kubatko wrote that he doesn't think Baltimore will end up signing the 21-year-old.

SATURDAY, 2:38pm: Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports the A's have also had interest in Chapman since he became a free agent.  However, they were not among the teams that met the hard-throwing left-hander in New York this week.

FRIDAY, 1:59pm: Lennon says (via Twitter) that the Mets won't bid $40-60MM for Chapman.

FRIDAY, 1:19pm: Add the Blue Jays to the mix of teams interested in Chapman, according to our source.  Also, the Orioles have maintained interest and want to meet.

THURSDAY, 2:39pm: MLBTR has learned that the Cubs and White Sox have expressed interest in free agenty lefty Aroldis Chapman.  The Cardinals have been more aggressive than those clubs, and plan to meet with Chapman next week.  The Yankees and Red Sox, of course, have also been among the aggressive suitors.  A meeting with the Mets will come later this week, according to Newsday's David Lennon.

The Chapman tour began yesterday in New York, as the 21-year-old's agency decided not to make MLB clubs come to Andorra.  ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. believes Chapman will command a contract in the $40-60MM range.

Odds & Ends: Phillies, Dodgers, Swisher

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Thanks to the rain in New York, we're without baseball once again tonight.  No need to panic though because we got you covered with links from around the web:

  • The Phillies will have the opportunity to repeat as world champions but they're already looking beyond this year, writes Jayson Stark of ESPN.com.  Stark compares this Phillies team to the late-90s Yankees and notes that unlike that Yanks lineup, the Phillies position players are all north of 30, with the exception of Shane Victorino.  Keeping Cliff Lee and Ryan Howard after their contracts expire (2010 and 2011, respectively) will also be a challenging task.  Do you think the Phillies are in position to become the next great baseball dynasty?
  • After being fired as the Dodgers' team executive by her estranged husband Frank, Jamie McCourt is now seeking investors to help her buy out her husband and gain sole control of the franchise, writes Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.
  • Marc Carig of The Star-Ledger quotes Yankees manager Joe Girardi as saying Nick Swisher is "not a platoon player."  Despite the November acquisition's recent struggles, it's hard to argue with that statement as Swisher has impressed in pinstripes.  Swisher will start in right field over Jerry Hairston Jr. in Game 6 of the ALCS, now slated for 8:20 EST tomorrow night.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Torre, Wang, Wright

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A night without baseball just doesn't feel right…

  • ESPN's Buster Olney wonders if the "legal wrangling" caused by the McCourts' divorce could affect the Dodgers attempt to land a No. 1 starter this offseason. Within the same piece, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus notes that the prospects traded in deals for Casey Blake and George Sherrill have thinned out LA's system, meaning they might not have the ammo to pull off a major trade.
  • Meanwhile, Phil Wood of MASNsports.com writes that a source told him they believe Joe Torre will manage the Dodgers for years to come. "When push comes to shove, he won't want to leave," said the source.
  • Tyler Kepner of The NY Times mentions that Chien-Ming Wang isn't sure if the Yankees will tender him a contract this offseason. “Nothing’s sure,” Wang said. Wang has thrown just 137 IP over the last two seasons due to foot and shoulder injuries.
  • Dave Cameron at FanGraphs looks at the David Wright–Jose Cruz Jr. non-trade, and says that the Blue Jays messed up by not making the deal, but not because Wright developed into an All-Star. He says J.P. Ricciardi did wrong by not getting any return for Cruz Jr. before he left as a free agent in the offseason.

Arangure On Perez, Mateo, Sano, Chapman

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ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. has the latest on a number of international prospects:

  • Felix Perez, who was suspended for a year after lying about his age, has been reinstated by MLB. The 24-year-old outfielder is eager to sign with an MLB team, though he won't receive a bonus worth as much as the $3.5MM the Yankees were prepared to hand over when they thought he was 20.
  • Wagner Mateo may be close to signing with the Giants, as Arangure said earlier in the week.
  • Pitcher Noel Arguelles is looking less impressive than he used to.
  • Miguel Angel Sano has a visa, so he's closer to beginning his career in the States.
  • Aroldis Chapman will meet with the Yankees eventually. For now, the Cuban lefty wants to see Yankee Stadium – as a fan.
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