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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Jays, Bell, Davis, Dunn

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On this date in 2002, the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network launched. Although the regional network barely broke even that year, YES has gone on to generate millions in revenue, much of which goes right into the Yankees' pockets. As recently as 2008, there was talk that the network was worth more than the team itself.

After you wrap your head around that, here are some links to check out from around the baseball blogosphere…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

John Smoltz Lands TBS Job

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5:00pm: Smoltz's contract with TBS contains outs if wants to resume his baseball career, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  No surprise there.  Rosenthal notes that the Phillies "have shown a strong interest in Smoltz as a possible midseason addition."

THURSDAY, 12:24pm: Smoltz put the odds of pitching again at 50-1, talking to Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution yesterday.

TUESDAY, 12:31pm: Free agent pitcher John Smoltz will join TBS as a regular season and playoff analyst, according to a press release.  Smoltz's statement on the career move: "Joining Turner Sports' Major League Baseball coverage is a great opportunity for me to stay immersed in the game that I love and I'm really looking forward to this experience."

Smoltz told the AP he is not officially retired, though ESPN's Buster Olney talked to some club execs who read his career move that way.  Smoltz was still able to demonstrate strikeout and control skills in his 78 big league innings last year and generated interest from ten teams as a free agent.  A few days ago, Smoltz told Murray Chass he hasn't ruled out pitching but hasn't made any decisions.

Olney On Howard, Pujols, Adrian, Chris Young

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The latest from ESPN's Buster Olney (Insider required)…

  • Olney explains why the Phillies' internal discussions about offering Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols were accurate and newsworthy: "When you have confirmed information that the Phillies have discussed internally an avenue through which how they might pursue the best player in baseball — and you know exactly who said what to whom, and how sturdy the intent was — that is news."  Olney's information should be trusted despite the Phillies' denials, but keep in mind that this was simply one club's internal discussion.
  • Certain talent evaluators believe Adrian Gonzalez is so valuable given his contract that the Padres may not find a comparable return.  Some of Olney's sources believe the Padres should keep Gonzalez into 2011.
  • Olney's hearing Chris Young's velocity is back in its customary 87-88 mph range.  As the best-paid Padre and an impending free agent, Young has to be considered a midseason trade candidate.  He is earning $6.25MM this year with an $8.5MM club option for '11.

Odds & Ends: Mateo, Kelvim Escobar, Mariners

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Links to kick off the work week…

  • Dominican outfielder Wagner Mateo is scheduled to work out for the Diamondbacks today, writes Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.  Mateo's reps don't share the Cardinals' concerns about Mateo's vision.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Rays came second in the Kelvim Escobar bidding, offering $600K.  Unlike the Mets, the Rays saw Escobar as a second half contributor. 
  • Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post thinks stat lovers themselves "may be the new inefficiency in the market," making Adam Dunn a bargain at three years and $40MM even if his defense doesn't improve.
  • FanGraphs' Dave Cameron explains why the Astros and Royals sit at the bottom of his organizational rankings.
  • SI's Jon Heyman names his "bests" for 2010, with the Angels getting the nod for the best rotation top to bottom.  Heyman also talks about Jarrod Washburn, considered a person of interest for Seattle.
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Ms are "still pondering backup catching options from outside."  There aren't too many available backstops who can be considered clear improvements.
  • In his latest GM's Corner video for FOX Sports, Jim Bowden gathers all the GMs involved in the Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee deals.  Alex Anthopoulos mentioned that Ruben Amaro Jr. would not include Kyle Drabek or Domonic Brown when Halladay was discussed at the GM Meetings, but relented on Drabek a few weeks later.
  • Dustin Parkes of Drunk Jays Fans says "the team has put its money where its mouth is" by signing Adeiny Hechevarria.

Execs Name Best, Worst Moves Of The Offseason

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Recently MLBTR spoke to several MLB executives to gather their nominations for the best and worst moves of the offseason.

Free agent signings that received mention for the best moves: Felipe Lopez, Adrian Beltre, Adam LaRoche, Chone Figgins, Hideki Matsui, and Aroldis Chapman.  Said one exec on Chapman: "He might truly live up to the hype."  It's hard not to praise the Cards for getting Lopez on a one-year, $1MM deal.

Three trades came up as choices for the best moves of the offseason: the Mariners' acquisition of Cliff Lee, the Royals' trade of Mark Teahen, and the Rangers' trade of Kevin Millwood.  One exec noted that the Mariners "didn't trade anyone that can hurt them in the next couple of years" for Lee, while another believed that "trading Lee and Kyle Drabek in the Roy Halladay deal will hurt [the Phillies] in the long run."  The Royals received props for "getting some value for Teahen," while the Rangers' increased payroll flexibility from the Millwood deal was noted.

Nominated for the worst moves: free agent deals for Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, Brandon Lyon, Jason Kendall, Aubrey Huff, Jason Marquis, Randy Wolf, and Garrett Atkins.  All the execs polled mentioned Holliday's seven year, $120MM deal when choosing their worst deals of the winter.  Said one: "The fear that he would sign a one-year deal elsewhere and take his chances a year from now — that just doesn't make sense to me."

Aside from Kendall and Huff, there was a vibe of "like the player, hate the contract" with the panned free agent signings.  One exec felt the Royals downgraded behind the plate with Kendall.  Huff was nominated as a small-scale misstep, in that the exec felt that "Hank Blalock is better and he couldn't get half that salary on a non-roster deal."

Discussion: Is A Howard-Pujols Swap Realistic?

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The Phillies organization has internally discussed proposing a swap of Ryan Howard for Albert Pujols, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.  Philadelphia GM Ruben Amaro shot the notion down, saying, "That's a lie.  I don't know who you're talking to, but that's a lie."  Olney stresses that it is not fully clear whether the Phillies have actually approached the Cardinals with the idea.

Both sluggers are 30 years-of-age and both are eligible for free agency following the 2011 season.  Pujols is owed $16MM in each of the next two seasons.  Howard, meanwhile, is set to make $19MM in 2010 and $20MM the following year.  While Pujols comes at a slightly cheaper rate in the next couple of years he (in all likelihood) would cost more to retain than Howard.

Olney points out that Howard is a St. Louis native, meaning that the Cards may be able to sell their fans on such a deal.  However, the Cardinals faithful have more or less adopted their three-time NL MVP, who is entering his 10th big league season with the club.

While owner Bill DeWitt wants to keep Pujols in red and white for life, an A-Rodesque $275MM deal might not be financially prudent for the organization.  One has to wonder if the Cardinals will have to consider trading their megastar.  If so, could a deal centered around Ryan Howard make sense?

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Roberts, Giles, Amaro

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On this date nine years ago, the Astros signed Richard Hidalgo to a four-year, $32MM contract. At the time, it was the third-richest contract in franchise history, behind only Jeff Bagwell's five-year, $85MM deal and Craig Biggio's four-year, $33MM deal. Hidalgo would go on to hit .266/.342/.475 with 87 home runs during the life of the deal, though he was dealt to the Mets mid-way through the 2004 season.

Here's a look at what's been written around the web…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Odds & Ends: Mauer, Strasburg, Towers, Washburn

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Thursday linkage…

Polanco Probably Would Have Accepted Arbitration

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Placido Polanco certainly won't be hurting for money after signing a three-year deal worth $18MM with the Phillies this offseason, but if the Tigers had offered him arbitration, he probably would have accepted it according to MLB.com's Jason Beck.

"You know, if they would've offered me arbitration, I probably would've accepted it," Polanco said. "Probably. I didn't know what was out there. Most teams were waiting on that. Most teams wait on that, because the type of free agent I was, they have to give up a Draft pick. So that kind of worked out well for me."

After earning $4.6MM during his final season in Detroit, Polanco was probably looking at a $6MM salary or so if he had accepted arbitration and gone to a hearing. As a Type-A free agent, a team would have had to surrender a high draft pick to sign him if he turned down the offer. The Tigers had to weigh the pros of possibly landing two high draft picks against the cons of having Polanco on a one-year contract, likely at more money than they were comfortable paying him. 

Several players, including Rafael Soriano, Carl Pavano, and Rafael Betancourt, accepted arbitration this winter instead of exploring the free agent market. They went for the guaranteed pay day over a shot at bigger money as a free agent. Several teams, such as the Dodgers and Yankees, chose not to offer arbitration to any of their free agents to avoid getting stuck with a player on an expensive contract, even if it was only for one year.

Offseason In Review: Philadelphia Phillies

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Next in our Offseason In Review series, the Phillies.

Major League Signings

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • Roy Halladay, SP: three years, $60MM.  Includes $20MM vesting option for 2014.
  • Joe Blanton, SP: three years, $24MM.
  • Shane Victorino, CF: three years, $22MM.
  • Carlos Ruiz, C: three years, $8.85MM.  Includes $5MM club option for 2013 with a $500K buyout.

Trades and Claims

Notable Losses

Summary

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. had a baffling offseason.  He pulled off a huge deal for one of the game's best pitchers and signed him to a below-market extension, only to turn around and trade another ace to replenish the farm system.  Amaro gave out three other reasonable extensions to his own players, but overpaid for the majority of his free agent signings. 

The Polanco signing is a candidate for the worst of the offseason.  The Tigers were unwilling to offer arbitration to their Type A free agent second baseman, presumably because they felt the risk of a one-year deal in the $6-7MM range outweighed the prospect of two draft picks.  The three-year, $18MM commitment the Phillies gave Polanco in early December was the polar opposite of the one year, $1MM deal the Cardinals gave Felipe Lopez two months later. 

Amaro is aggressive in pursuing free agents he likes.  The approach made sense with his three-year, $24MM offer to Adrian Beltre, but there was no indication Polanco drew similar strong interest from other clubs.  Amaro also handed out two-year pacts to three marginal players who deserved one-year deals in Baez, Schneider, and Gload.

The Halladay trade was a huge win for the Phillies, especially when Doc signed for far less than his market value.  They gave up a couple of Top 100 prospects, but that's what win-now teams should do.  They also received $6MM, enough to go over slot on a big name or two in the June draft and help make up for the farm system hit.

On the same day as the Halladay deal, Amaro took off his "win-now" hat and decided to think about 2011 and beyond.  Lee was shipped to Seattle, costing the Phillies several wins in 2010 no matter how the prospects pan out.  Lee is hardly expensive at $9MM, and there is no indication Amaro shopped him around to get the best deal. 

The extensions to Blanton, Victorino, and Ruiz seem reasonable enough; Amaro netted cost savings and certainty over the next three years.  Extensions have become the Phillies Way in recent years, with few missteps.

Despite my complaints about their offseason, the Phillies are 2010 contenders.  They've got two aces even without Lee and an offense that should be among the NL's best.

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