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Odds & Ends: Mariners, Beltre, Ramirez

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Happy birthday to Hall-of-Famer Whitey Ford and (future Hall-of-Famer?) Zack Greinke.  MLBTR's gift to these two star pitchers is this batch of news items…

  • John Hickey of the Seattle PostGlobe outlines some of the holes that the Mariners have to fill for 2010, and speculates that free agent and Los Angeles resident Adrian Beltre might be targeted by the Angels and Dodgers.
  • Peter Gammons thinks that if it weren't for Manny Ramirez's player option, the Dodgers would part ways with the controversial left fielder, reports WEEI's Alex Speier.
  • MLB.com's Steve Gilbert writes that if Conor Jackson can stay healthy in the Dominican Winter League, he can avoid being non-tendered by the Diamondbacks.
  • Joe Mauer's big brother Jake has been named the new manager of the Twins' Class A-Advanced affiliate in Fort Myers, reports Benjamin Hill of MLB.com.
  • Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner discussed Jim Riggleman's chances of being named manager, some recent front office hires and his club's overall plans for the future in a chat with Bill Ladson of MLB.com.

Abreu Rejects Angels’ Extension Offer

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FRIDAY, 2:25pm: Heyman says Abreu turned the Angels' offer down. 

THURSDAY, 8:34pm: The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim offered Bobby Abreu a two-year extension worth about $16MM, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Heyman indicates that Abreu is looking for a better offer, coming off an extremely productive season for the Angels.

Abreu, who turns 36 in March, hit .293/.390/.435 with 15 homers and 30 stolen bases in 2009. Last winter, the right fielder signed a one-year deal worth $5MM (plus incentives, which have earned him another $1MM so far), making the Angels' offer of about $8MM per year a moderate pay raise. However, given the lack of elite hitters on the free agent market this offseason, besides Matt Holliday and Jason Bay, Abreu is clearly banking on receiving more alluring offers.

Do you expect the Angels to pony up the money it'll take to retain Abreu, or will he be wearing a different uniform in 2010?

Discussion: The Angels And Bobby Abreu

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Last offseason was hard on aging, positionless players. Just ask Jason Giambi, Luis Gonzalez or Richie Sexson. Even though he was coming off a solid season, Bobby Abreu signed a deal that guaranteed him just $5MM.

He turned out to be a real bargain for the Angels, posting an .825 OPS and stealing 30 bases. Abreu drove in 100 runs for the seventh straight year, played almost every day and drew 94 walks. The Angels had the game's second-best offense, partly because of their right fielder.

Abreu's offensive skills are still there, but he'll be 36 when next season starts and his strong arm doesn't make up for his lack of range in the outfield. He's consistently been a defensive liability in recent years, according to UZR. As a result, Dave Cameron of FanGraphs says Abreu straddles the border between outfielder and DH. Cameron and Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors agree: the Angels shouldn't offer much more than the two year $16MM deal Abreu reportedly rejected.

If the Angels offer Abreu arbitration only to see him sign elsewhere, they'd receive a first or second rounder, since Abreu's a Type A free agent. If you're Angels GM Tony Reagins, how much do you offer?

Odds & Ends: Webb, Abreu, Indians

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Here are some afternoon tidbits:

  • The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro, in his latest piece, reiterates that Brandon Webb only wants to discuss his 2010 option. The Diamondbacks are hoping to add a 2011 option to the deal. Webb, however, hopes a healthy 2010 will increase his 2011 value.
  • Dave Cameron at Fangraphs breaks down Bobby Abreu's value, and concludes that a two-year, $16MM offer from the Angels is a fair one.
  • Both Bobby Valentine and Clint Hurdle refused to comment on Cleveland's managerial search, adding to speculation that both are being considered for the job.
  • The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck thinks that Bob Melvin should be Baltimore's next bench coach.

Heyman On Abreu, Fielder, Hoyer

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman says the Angels and Bobby Abreu are still far apart on a new contract.  Abreu earned $6MM this year.
  • The Brewers will attempt to sign Prince Fielder to a long-term deal this winter.  Fielder, a Scott Boras client, is signed through 2010 and under team control through 2011.  Given the way teams pay for power, Fielder might expect $20MM+ to buy out free agent years.
  • Heyman sees Red Sox senior VP/assistant GM Jed Hoyer as the favorite for the Padres GM job.   

Abreu Wants To Remain With Angels

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Perhaps the biggest benficiary of last year's depressed free agent market was the Angels, who received a .293/.390/.435 batting line and $11.8MM of production (according to FanGraphs) out of outfielder Bobby Abreu. It's a marriage made in halo heaven, and Abreu wants it to be a marriage that lasts beyond this season, according to Jill Painter of The LA Daily News.  

"Of course I want to be back," [Abreu] said. "I have a good time over here. This organization, the team, the manager and the fans, too, they've treated me very well here. I think they really appreciate the job that I've been doing all year round.

"Of course I want to come back. I don't want to go nowhere else. I want to stay with the Angels."

Abreu earned just a $5MM base salary in 2009, although bonuses tied to plate appearances put another $1MM in his pockets. Despite his production, Abreu's .825 OPS was the second lowest full season mark of his career, and his defense was as bad as ever, checking in at –4.6 UZR/150 between left and right fields.

What kind of contract do you think Abreu, 36-years-old on Opening Day 2010, has coming to him this offseason? Would two-years and $18MM be too much, not enough, just right?

Heyman On Holliday, Giambi, Lackey

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The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman says the Braves "may consider going after Matt Holliday."  So maybe I shouldn't rule out Holliday and Jason Bay for the Braves' right-handed power bat options.
  • Jason Giambi hopes to play another year as a DH.  There will be fewer than 11 open DH spots this winter.
  • John Lackey wants A.J. Burnett money ($82.5MM over five years) and the Angels aren't confident about re-signing him.

Odds & Ends: Blue Jays, Braves, Indians, Jenks

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Some more links for the afternoon…

  • You heard all about one big trade that the Blue Jays didn't make, but Rob Bradford of WEEI.com hears the Jays were talking about another blockbuster. The Blue Jays made a play for Victor Martinez before the trade deadline this year, with an eye to contention in 2010.
  • Rival GMs expect the Braves to pursue a right-handed hitter to play a corner infield or outfield position, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.
  • The Indians are considering "eight to 10" possible managers, according to the AP (via ESPN). GM Mark Shapiro says he hasn't asked permission to speak with candidates in other organizations. He says MLB experience is "helpful, but not a necessity."
  • ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says Bobby Jenks will be tough to trade this offseason. In fact, Jenks is as much a non-tender candidate as he is a trade candidate.
  • The Boston Globe reports that the Padres will consider Red Sox execs Jed Hoyer and Ben Cherington "very seriously" for the team's GM vacancy.
  • Bill Shaikin of the LA Times wonders if John Lackey might see offers worth $100MM if he pitches well in October.
  • Lynn Henning of the Detroit News wonders if the Tigers will consider moving Curtis Granderson this offseason.

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.

Discussion: What Late Additions Could Have Big Playoff Impact?

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With the 2009 postseason picture nearly in place, it's time to identify some of the late-season pickups that can make a huge splash in this year's playoffs. 

In 2002, the Angels may not have won the championship without the help of a young pitcher by the name of Francisco Rodriguez.  Because of multiple injuries to their bullpen, the Angels called up the 22-year-old in mid-September.  Rodriguez was able to pitch in just five regular season games for the club before being thrown into the postseason fire.  The hard-throwing righty responded to the pressure beautifully, posting an ERA of 1.93 and fanning 28 batters in just 18.2 innings. 

Here are some of the key late-season additions by playoff-bound squads:

What other playoff-bound players added to the big league roster after the trade deadline could be poised to have a memorable postseason?

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