Rosenthal: Damon Will Seek Abreu Money
Ken Rosenthal's latest entry in the offseason blog at FOX Sports says that he believes Scott Boras will likely use Bobby Abreu's two-year, $19MM contract as a baseline for fellow 36-year-old outfielder Johnny Damon.
Damon put up a career year in his age 35 season, belting out 24 home runs en route to a line of .284/.365/.489. And, as Rosenthal is careful to point out, while Damon did play in the homer-happy Yankee Stadium, he also posted a career high OPS+ of 126, a stat which is adjusted to both league and home park.
Damon and Abreu both offer a good mix of speed and power, though they both have the same weakness – subpar defense in the outfield. If the Yankees are looking to bring back Damon on a one- or two-year deal, as we've heard in the past, they may have to open their wallets a little wider than originally thought. Should teams back away from a price tag that high, or is Damon worth that type of money? Fangraphs valued Damon's production this season at $13.6MM, and $16.4MM in 2008.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Tigers, Mariners
A few Sunday links to peruse….
- Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports ranks his top 20 free agent starting pitchers not named John Lackey.
- Jonah Keri of The New York Times warns the Yankees against getting complacent, outlining why the team needs to get younger.
- Within a piece focusing on Clay Buchholz, John Tomase of the Boston Herald writes that Jason Bay's defense shouldn't concern the Red Sox much, given Fenway Park's "cozy left field."
- In another article, Tomase examines the big free agent signings of the last few years and notices a "disturbing trend of underperformance."
- MASN's Phil Wood questions Phil Rogers' prediction that the Washington Nationals will be interested in signing Vladimir Guerrero.
- Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Tigers are currently paying the price for their failed win-now approach in 2006.
- Even though Adrian Beltre struggled in 2009, it won't be easy for the Mariners to replace his production at third, according to Larry LaRue of The News Tribune.
Cafardo On Lackey, Sheffield, Pavano
In his usual Sunday morning column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo passes on some hot stove talk from around the majors. Let's check out the highlights….
- The fate of John Lackey could potentially affect the offseason plans of each of the AL East powers. Both the Yankees and Red Sox have interest, and Cafardo suggests that landing Lackey would allow the Red Sox to turn around and move Clay Buchholz in a deal for a coveted bat, like Adrian Gonzalez.
- Cafardo relays this quote from an AL GM: "The Red Sox could be the major player this offseason if certain things fall together for them. They still have enough chips in their farm system to make something big happen."
- The Yankees, meanwhile, appear willing to part with Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain in the hunt for Roy Halladay, though they'd like to hang on to Austin Jackson.
- Gary Sheffield will return in 2010 and has softened his stance on DHing since his Tigers days. He now says he'd accept a DH role, though he'd still like to play in the field occasionally. Cafardo names a handful of teams that could find a spot for Sheffield, noting that the 41-year-old would love to return to Atlanta or play in his hometown of Tampa Bay.
- The Twins and Brewers are "very interested" in Carl Pavano.
- The Brewers could also be players for John Smoltz, though the Cardinals would like to bring him back.
Odds & Ends: Halladay, Teahen, Karstens
Some Saturday night links:
- MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (via Twitter) says that Roy Halladay's reported unwillingness to stay in Toronto is less than shocking and speculates that his time with the Blue Jays is nearing its end.
- Mark Teahen's flexibility could open up some interesting options for the White Sox this winter, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. GM Ken Williams says that he likes Teahen at third base, but wouldn't completely rule out the possibility of moving him to first base or right field.
- Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees Blog weighed in on the Astros' signing of former Yankees minor league pitcher Jose Valdez. Jennings was surprised not by the signing but by the fact that Houston chose to protect the once-highly touted hurler from the Rule 5 draft.
- As mentioned by Jennings, the Pirates DFA'd pitcher Jeff Karstens. Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com characterized the move as "somewhat surprising." The 27-year-old posted an ERA of 5.42 and 1.16 K/BB in 108 IP last season.
Odds & Ends: Chapman, Cubs, Holliday, Damon
Links for Saturday afternoon …
- Anthony McCarron of the New York Daily News spoke with a baseball executive who believes the Yankees will wind up with Aroldis Chapman. "My bet is that it'll come down to the Yankees and Red Sox, like it always does…" said the executive. "And I think the Yankees will get him. They can give him a big-league contract over five years for $20 million and they don't even feel that."
- The NY Post's Bart Hubbuch reports that the rumored three-way deal involving Milton Bradley, Kevin Millwood and Luis Castillo "isn't happening because the Rangers aren't interested in giving up Millwood so easily." He also mentions that the Mets aren't expected to make any majors moves until the Winter Meetings in two weeks.
- Paul Sullivan at The Chicago Tribune rounds up some Cubs' rumors all in one convenient spot, just like our Cubs archive.
- Meanwhile, Phil Rogers of The Chicago Tribune posted his projections on where some notable free agents will land. He sees Matt Holliday signing with Boston, while both Jason Bay and John Lackey land with the Angels.
- Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post Dispatch notes that the market for Holliday is diminished because officials from the Angels and Giants said they "would not be vying" for his services.
- The Yankees' biggest focus right now is finding a "common ground" with Johnny Damon, according to Newsday's Ken Davidoff. Hideki Matsui seems to be less of a priority.
- Larry LaRue of The News Tribune says that the Josh Johnson situation in Florida represents the worst-case scenario for the Mariners and Felix Hernandez.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report that says Yusei Kikuchi has inked his first pro contract with the Seibu Lions. Kikuchi will not be eligible for international free agency for at least nine years, though Seibu could make him available through the posting process before that.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Wood, Sheets, Bradley, Wagner
On this date two years ago, Mike Lowell re-signed with the Red Sox for three-years, $37.5MM. In this first two years of the deal, Lowell has taken in $25.5MM, and according to his WAR has been worth $19.9MM. In '10, Lowell will be 36 as he enters the final year of his deal. Today is the first day of free agency, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Howard Megdal and Chris Pummer of The Perpetual Post debate the Oliver Perez and Derek Lowe signings of a year ago.
- The Ghost of Moonlight Graham looks which teams might be interested in trading for Kerry Wood.
- Jorge Says No! look at which teams might be a good fit for Ben Sheets, with eight teams that could be in the hunt.
- The Sports Banter ranks the top free agents.
- MetsCitiBlog doesn't see the Mets signing Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, and feels they should set their sights on Adrian Gonzalez.
- UmpBump is running a series on what each team needs this off-season. Here is the Giants.
- Bleacher Nation wonders why the Braves aren't rumored to be in on the Milton Bradley sweepstakes.
- Baseball Time In Arlington thinks there should be plenty of money in the budget to bring back Bradley.
- 10 Scoreless projects the Twins' roster for next season.
- MLB Notebook looks at what it would take for the Mariners to compete next season.
- The Pinstriper makes some free agent predictions, with Billy Wagner ending up with the Rays.
- River Ave Blues breaks down what Hideki Matsui is worth to the Yankees.
- Sox and Pinstripes discusses the ramifications of a salary cap in baseball from the point of view of a Yankees fan.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Chien-Ming Wang Open To Dodgers
Chien-Ming Wang appears open to pitching for the Dodgers if the Yankees cut him loose, according to a Taiwanese report passed along by Diamond Leung. Reporters brought up the Dodgers idea and Wang replied, "Not bad" and talked about his comfort pitching for Joe Torre. Whether the Dodgers are interested, we don't know.
Wang is nearly certain to be non-tendered by the Yankees after having surgery in July to repair a torn ligament in his shoulder capsule. Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote earlier this month that the Yankees might not even offer an incentive-based contract after non-tendering Wang.
Stark On Bradley, Uggla, Yankees, Braves, Pedro
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark responds to some of Scott Boras' recent comments before providing some rumors in his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column:
- The Rays, Rangers and Jays appear to be the three likeliest landing spots for Milton Bradley. The Cubs say they don't want to eat much of the $21MM remaining on Bradley's contract, so a bad contract swap still seems possible.
- Stark hears that the Marlins were in serious trade talks with the Giants and Rangers about Dan Uggla.
- There's no indication that the Yankees are in on Jason Bay or Matt Holliday at this point. The Yanks figure to negotiate firmly with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.
- The Braves would like to trade for a cleanup-hitter and are expected to try to extend Javier Vazquez if they can move Derek Lowe and his contract.
- The Phillies don't appear to have a preference at third base, though they're said to be considering Placido Polanco, Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre.
- At least two executives believe Pedro Martinez fits best as a half-year starter next season.
Yankees Interested In Gonzalez, Soriano?
An MLB executive tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that the Yankees plan to pursue free agent relievers Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. However, another source tells Rosenthal that the Yanks intend to develop relievers from within the organization.
Both relievers are Type A free agents, so they would cost draft picks if the Braves offer arbitration. The Yankees might to prefer to wait until December 1st. By then, we'll know whether the Braves offered arbitration and if any other ranked relievers can be signed without surrendering a high pick.
We heard yesterday that the Red Sox asked the Braves for the relievers' medical records. If the Red Sox and Yankees decide to pursue Gonzalez, they'll be negotiating with his new agent: Scott Boras.
Nightengale On Jackson, Swisher, Rays, Halladay
USA Today's Bob Nightengale suggests we keep an eye on a possible three-way trade between the Tigers, Mariners and one other club. The Tigers would give up Edwin Jackson and the Mariners would give up Brandon Morrow. Here are some more rumors to read as you wonder who that third team might be:
- Nightengale says the Rays are the "clear-cut favorite" to acquire Milton Bradley from the Cubs.
- The Yankees are apparently letting teams know that Nick Swisher is available. Swisher was involved in his share of trade rumors after the Yankees acquired him last season.
- The Dodgers are focusing on Roy Halladay, who would potentially cost Chad Billingsley and others.