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Rockies Will Talk To Street About Multi-Year Deal

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Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post reports that the Rockies have told closer Huston Street that they will discuss a multi-year deal with him after their final game.  Renck estimates that it will require a three-year deal in the range of $25MM to "get discussions going."

Last year, the Rockies avoided going to arbitration with Street by signing him to a one-year deal worth $4.5MM.  This time around, the 26-year-old is entering his final year of arbitration and is in line to make something in the neighborhood of $7MM for 2010.  

Over the last three seasons, Street has registered an ERA of 3.27 with 10.0 K/9.  The young fireman could improve his bargaining position even more with a strong postseason.

Heyman On Padres, Rockies, Abreu

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman talked to Padres CEO Jeff Moorad, who is looking for a disciplined and strategic general manager rather than an intuitive exec like Kevin Towers.  Heyman says the new GM will be hired within weeks.  Boston's Jed Hoyer is in the mix, and Oakland's David Forst fits the profile.
  • The Rockies will offer new contracts to GM Dan O'Dowd and manager Jim Tracy.
  • The Angels made an offer to Bobby Abreu, who is finishing up a one-year deal that will pay him at least $6MM.  Heyman says "no progress has been reported thus far."  Abreu said in September that he wants to return.

Atkins Doesn’t Expect To Return To Rockies

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Garrett Atkins tells Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post that he's enjoying his time in Colorado immensely – he just doesn't expect it to last beyond this year. Atkins knows that his offensive struggles likely mean his tenure with the Rockies will come to an end soon.

"Obviously, I don't think I've got too many more games in a Rockies uniform," Atkins said. "I'm just trying to enjoy it with these guys."

Ian Stewart has emerged as a cheaper alternative at third base, and there's no room for Atkins at first  because of Todd Helton. Atkins hit .226/.304/.341 this year with nine homers, while Stewart hit 25 homers and posted a .790 OPS.

Atkins made $7.05MM this year and the Rockies couldn't offer him less than $5.6MM in arbitration, so they'll presumably non-tender or trade him.

Discussion: Huston Street

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This winter marks the last time that Colorado closer Huston Street will be eligible for arbitration.  In today's Denver Post, Troy E. Renck implores the Rockies to skip the arbitration session and lock the 26-year-old up in a multi-year agreement.  Back in January, the Rockies avoided going to arbitration with Street by inking him to a one-year deal worth $4.5MM.

Renck feels that Street is in line to make at least $7MM in 2010.  Using the negotiations that Colorado had with closer Brian Fuentes nearly a year ago as a reference point, he sees Dan O'Dowd offering a deal which pays approximately $8MM a year.  Renck then wonders aloud if $25MM over three seasons will be enough to avoid arbitration this time around.

If $25MM over three years turns out to be the absolute best offer Street can pull out of the Rockies, one has to think that he will likely go to arbitration in order to test the waters of free agency after the season.  In 2009, Street posted an ERA of 2.73, his best since his rookie campaign in Oakland.  Paired with a career-best 5.67 K/BB ratio and 10.3 K/9, Street is erasing memories of his slightly underwhelming 2008. 

Using Fuentes as a reference point makes perfect sense, especially when considering that he too had a gaudy ERA and strikeout rate in 2008 (2.73, 11.8 K/9).  However, it is obviously important to note the gap in age between the two: Fuentes was 32, Street just turned 26. 

How high would you go to keep Huston Street for multiple seasons?  30MM over three?  Higher?  Let's hear your thoughts.

Odds & Ends: Harden, Pirates, Corpas, Astros

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Some links for Friday morning…

  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn't think the Mets should pursue Rich Harden when the righty becomes a free agent this winter. Instead, Sherman would like to see the Mets sign someone with a more consistent history.
  • The Pirates want manager John Russell and his coaching staff to lead the club again next year, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Team president Frank Coonelly and GM Neal Huntington both sound confident in the skipper despite the club's 95-loss season.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post expects the Rockies to shop Manny Corpas aggressively this offseason.
  • The Astros are just beginning to search for a permanent manager, but Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle says we shouldn't rule out current third base coach Al Pedrique.
  • It's possible that Roy Halladay will make his final home start for the Blue Jays tonight. As MLB.com's Jordan Bastian points out, Halladay is an offseason trade candidate.
  • Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the Rangers weren't impressed to hear that Milton Bradley sat out to make sure his stats looked good before signing with the Cubs as a free agent.

Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Dodgers, DeRosa, Cubs, Managers, General Managers

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Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive right on in…

  • Southpaws Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw are likely to start the first two games of the playoffs for the Dodgers, but Kershaw must recover from his dislocated non-throwing shoulder first. The back-to-back lefties would be a big advantage if LA played the lefthanded hitter heavy Phillies. Rosenthal also mentions that the Cardinals, despite being so righty heavy, have the second lowest team OPS (.675) against lefthanded pitchers in the National League.
  • Hiroki Kuroda would likely start game three for the Dodgers, followed by either Vicente Padilla or Jon Garland. Chad Billinglsey will likely be left out of the rotation.
  • The Cards have put their contract extension talks with Mark DeRosa on hold until the offseason, making it more likely that he'll become a free agent. The deal St. Louis originally proposed was less than the three-year, $17.5MM contract Casey Blake received as a free agent last offseason. DeRosa is a year younger now than Blake was then, but the offseason wrist surgery he is scheduled to have makes the situation cloudy.
  • The Cubs will be open to "anything and everything" this offseason, including trading Milton Bradley and/or Carlos Zambrano. Anything to improve the club, basically. However, perhaps the only way the Cubs could unload Bradley would be to take on another underachieving, overpaid player in return.
  • Zambrano has a full no-trade clause and is owed $54MM over the next three years, but he's still only 28-years-old and still incredibly talented. The free agent market for starting pitching is thin, which may work in Chicago's favor. Big Z might be appealing at the right price.
  • Ken Macha will likely remain with the Brewers, but at least four other managers are in danger of being fired. The list starts with Cecil Cooper of the Astros, and also includes Jim Riggleman of the Nationals, Dave Trembley of the Orioles, and Eric Wedge of the Indians.
  • Among general managers, Ned Colletti of the Dodgers, Brian Sabean of the Giants, and Dan O'Dowd of the Rockies are all without contracts for next year, and two of them are going to the postseason. The only GM that appears to be in jeopardy of losing his job is J.P. Ricciardi of the Blue Jays.

Odds & Ends: Granderson, Magglio, Hampton

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Another round of links…

  • Lynn Henning of the Detroit News wonders if the Tigers will consider offers for Curtis Granderson after the season. Though he has 27 homers and 20 steals, Granderson has struggled at the plate this year, particularly against lefties. He has a batting average on balls in play below .300 for the first time in his career, and it has factored in to a .248/.331/.457 line that's solid, but below Granderson's standard. (He's hitting more fly balls than usual, which could explain the BABIP dip and rise in homers.)
  • After months of anticipation, it looks like Magglio Ordonez will see his 2010 option kick in tonight. With three more trips to the plate, he can guarantee himself an $18MM salary next year. 
  • Mike Hampton had surgery on his left rotator cuff and will miss the 2010 season, according to MLB.com's Alyson Footer.
  • If Josh Johnson makes all of his scheduled starts, he'll earn $50K in incentives before the season ends, as MLB.com's Joe Frisaro points out.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post says there's a reasonable chance Jason Giambi returns to the Rockies next season.

Rockies DFA Adam Eaton

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According to MLB.com, the Rockies designated right-hander Adam Eaton for assignment in order to clear 40-man roster space for infielder Mike McCoy.

Eaton, 31, posted a 5.63 ERA in eight innings of relief for the Rockies back in August shortly after inking a minor league deal.  He was also released by the Orioles earlier this season and will finish the 2009 campaign with an 8.08 ERA in 49 innings (eight starts).

Odds And Ends: Mets, Padilla, Cardinals

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Derek Jeter could become the all-time Yankees hit leader today, but in the meantime, here are some links:

  • Jim Bastian of The Journal reports that the Dodgers re-signed Jamie Hoffman just two days after designating him for assignment in a procedural move.
  • As Ben Shpigel of the New York Times notes, Daniel Murphy could start at first base for the Mets next year. This could allow the team to spend on an outfielder, perhaps even Jason Bay or Matt Holliday.
  • MLB.com's David Ely says Vicente Padilla has been more than serviceable since the Dodgers picked him up to bolster their rotation in late August.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan says the Cardinals are the champions of the trade deadline. Matt Holliday, Mark DeRosa, Julio Lugo and John Smoltz have turned the Cards into a force. 
  • ESPN.com's Rob Neyer expects Jose Tabata to spend the next six years making the Yankees look foolish. The Pirates acquired Tabata in the Xavier Nady trade last summer.
  • Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post gives Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd credit for the team's strong play. 

Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox Shortstop Options, Griffey, Suppan, Mulder, Glavine

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The Red Sox have been trying to find a long term solution at shortstop ever since the Nomar Garciaparra trade back in 2004, and while the recent pickup of Alex Gonzalez has provided some stability, the team still needs to find a solution for next year and beyond. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says that first, the Sox have to decide if "they can afford to carry a light-hitting, great-fielding shortstop or sacrifice a bit of defense to aim for a more balanced lineup."

He presents some possible solutions to their seemingly perpetual shortstop issues, so let's round 'em up…

  • Marco Scutaro: The 33-yr old has enjoyed a tremendous season for Toronto (.282/.380/.411), and projects to be a Type-A free agent. He made just $1.1MM this season, and it seems likely that the Blue Jays would offer him arbitration.
  • Hanley Ramirez: Cafardo mentions that it still remains to be seen if Hanley can stick at short long term, but there is no question that he's one of the five best players in the game today. Given his team friendly contract that will pay him $64.5MM between now and 2014, the Sox would have to offer a bounty of young talent just to get their foot in the door.
  • Miguel Tejada: A projected Type-B free agent this offseason, it seems unlikely that the Astros would offer him arbitration. He could be a one year stopgap at shortstop, and perhaps enjoy an offensive resurgence similar to Mike Lowell thanks to Fenway Park and the Green Monster.
  • J.J. Hardy: As Cafardo notes, it "would take a leap of faith to think that his horrid season is an aberration." However, he did hit .280/.333/.470 from 2007-2008, and they'd definitely be buying low.
  • Jose Reyes: We've seen plenty of talk that the Mets should trade Reyes, but it remains to be seen if they actually will. Can you imagine Reyes and Jacoby Ellsbury on the bases?
  • Troy Tulowitzki: Cafardo admits it's a long shot, but everybody has a price. Considering that Tulo is guaranteed just $29.25MM between now and 2014 and is hitting .283/.363/.526 this year, doesn't it seem like it might be easier to acquire Hanley?
  • Cafardo also throws out the names of several other possible options, including Adam Everett, John McDonald, Omar Vizquel, Stephen Drew, and Brandon Wood.

The Red Sox still have Jed Lowrie in-house, but he's missed considerable time this year with wrist problems. It would be a stretch to think that 19-yr old Cuban signee Jose Iglesias could fill in next year, but stranger things have happened. I'll throw the name of one more impending free agent out there: Felipe Lopez. He last played shortstop regularly in 2007, but it's at least worth considering.

Here's the rest of Cafardo's non-Red Sox rumors…

  • Ken Griffey Jr. would like to return to Seattle for another year, and "probably can if his price is right." Junior is hitting .218/.325/.393 in 382 plate appearances this year, almost exclusively as a DH.
  • The Brewers placed Jeff Suppan on trade waivers last week, and Cafardo says it'll be interesting to see "if any contending team still looking for an experienced starter puts in a claim or tries to make a deal for him." Considering there's still $14.5MM in guaranteed money left on his contract, I'd guess no one puts a claim in.
  • Hardy was also placed on trade waivers.
  • Free agent pitcher Mark Mulder has decided not to make a comeback this year even though he made progress with his throwing program. He's likely to play winterball though.
  • Agent Gregg Clifton says client Tom Glavine is unlikely to attempt a comeback next year, and has started to field calls about broadcasting opportunities.
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