Video Mailbag: Capuano, Sabathia, Pierre
Time for another video mailbag. All sorts of topics are covered, including the Brewers’ pitching surplus, C.C. Sabathia, and Juan Pierre. I’m looking into getting a wireless mic for these, in case you were wondering.
Red Sox Not Interested In Chris Capuano
Tom Haudricourt and Anthony Witrado of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel asked Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin about an Internet rumor: possible interest from Boston in Chris Capuano. Melvin shot it down, saying he hadn’t talked to the Red Sox. I think I’m slipping – I’ve been chronicling rumors all week and hadn’t heard a whisper of this one. And I’m on the Internet!
Anyway, Melvin admitted that he might trade some of his pitching surplus before the season begins. I agree with MLBTR readers that Capuano is the most likely to go. Just seems like he needs a change of scenery. Salary comparison: Capuano makes $3.75MM, Claudio Vargas makes $3.6MM, and Dave Bush makes $2.55MM. Bush has a year less service time than the other two. The Cardinals would be a great match for any of these guys if they weren’t in the Brewers’ division. One fit could be the Rangers, who have an ailing rotation right now.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Crisp, Capuano, Lohse
Does anybody else think that Brian Roberts‘ agent fuels 90% of these rumors just so his client’s name is kept in the news? Me neither…Now that we have gotten the obligatory Roberts reference out of the way, let’s move on to some trades/signings that might actually happen in the near future. The biggest of course is the recent news that talks may be heating up with the Red Sox to move Coco Crisp. So far we know that the Sox are not interested in Jason Marquis or Sam Fuld and the Padres may only be having internal discussions at this point (although one writer does not see the Padres as serious suitors). Let’s take a look at what is being written about Crisp and a few others in the Blogosphere…
If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.
- Red Sox News doesn’t like the rumored offer of Jason Marquis and Sam Fuld for Crisp. More likely they believe a package of Josh Donaldson and either Bobby Howry or Carmen Pignatiello could be accepted by the Sox.
- Boston Sports Buzz sees Crisp as a nice solution for the Padres, since they currently employ one utility player and two injuries-waiting-to-happen in the outfield while lacking a legitimate leadoff hitter.
- El Guapo’s Ghost also sees the Padres as the logical destination for Crisp, noting that prospect Kyle Blanks may be expendable for the Pads and fill the vacancy of power-hitting prospects in the Red Sox organization.
- Hire Jim Essian is not too keen on Crisp, so they are rooting hard for Felix Pie to play well and keep "punching the baseball in its stupid face."
- Goat Riders is not crazy about Crisp playing center for the Cubbies, but prefer him to the alternatives.
- Right Field Bleachers notes that the Brewers may trade Chris Capuano before Opening Day as he needs a change of scenery and he still has some value on the market. They do not see the Red Sox as a good match since the Brew Crew does not need a center fielder (i.e. Crisp).
- Rockin’ the Red laments the loss of another starting pitcher and acknowledges that it is time to look outside the organization for help. They would rather the Cardinals sign Kyle Lohse as opposed to Jeff Weaver.
- Viva El Birdos would also prefer Lohse to any other outside options, and would opt for in-house options if Lohse is not signed.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Attanasio Wants To Keep Core Together
Brewers’ owner Mark Attanasio promises that Milwaukee will do its best to sign its core of young talent to long-term deals. At the same time, he washes his hands of any blame if Prince Fielder is feeling slighted by the $255,000 raise he got in a contract renewal earlier this year.
Fielder, second baseman Rickie Weeks, left fielder Ryan Braun, and outfielder Corey Hart form the core of Milwaukee’s young team that’s expected to contend in the NL Central for years. "[W]e’re interested in signing all of our younger players to longer-term deals," Attanasio told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel yesterday.
Attanasio blames "the system," which gives pre-arb players no leverage, for Fielder’s relatively modest $670,000 salary this year. The hefty Brewers first baseman became the youngest player in MLB history to clout 50 home runs in a season in 2007.
Cameron, Padres Fan The Fire In Arizona
As early as April 2007 the Padres and Mike Cameron had seemed destined to go their separate ways, but the flames were rekindled down the stretch and the flirtation continued well into December to the point that a re-signing seemed likely.
Of course Cameron ran off to Milwaukee, but the two parties remain embroiled in a he said/they said with little reconciliation in sight. Tom Krasovic has the latest chapter in which Cameron shoots down the rumor he took a discount in signing with the Brewers, saying "I’m not stupid," and claiming the Padres punched his ticket when Jim Edmonds was brought to town via trade.
General Manager Kevin Towers claims Cameron’s side was looking for 2-years/$10MM, so the Padres never even made an offer. “Why make an offer if they said they’re not going to take less than $10 million?" Towers said.
Aaron Shinsano writes for East Windup Chronicle and can be contacted at eastwindupchronicle@gmail.com.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Papelbon, Fielder, Hamels
Last year, in his final year prior to arbitration eligibility, Ryan Howard was renewed for $900K. This was about twice what the Phillies were required to pay Howard, but significantly less than the reigning MVP thought he deserved. Of course, this year that number has been used as a measuring stick by several young stars that have yet to reach arbitration and are subject to automatic renewals from their clubs. It seems that this year, more than years past, players are voicing their displeasure about the automatic renewals. Prince Fielder is displeased at being renewed for $670K, or about 50% more than what the Brewers were required to pay. Jonathan Papelbon has stated that he wants the same $900K that the Phillies gave Howard, and said he would not agree to anything less. Cole Hamels called the $500K that the Phillies gave him a "low blow" compared to the $750K he was asking for. At the other end of the spectrum is B.J. Upton, who was automatically renewed at $10K less than what he made in 2007, despite hitting .300-24-82 with 22 steals last year. Upton made it clear that it was a "non-issue" and it will not impact future negotiations. The stances made by these players has many fans up in arms on both sides of the issue. Lets take a look at what is being written in the blogospere.
If there is a topic you would like to see covered in "Baseball Blogs Weigh In" please let me know HERE.
- Red Sox News understands why Papelbon is frustrated but notes there is no real incentive for the Red Sox to give him a long-term deal at this point noting that Papelbon is only one year removed from a season-ending shoulder ailment.
- Sox and Pinstripes urges the Red Sox to follow the lead of the Rockies and sign Papelbon to a long-term contract.
- Matt Watson of AOL Fanhouse notes that Papelbon may actually be costing himself money down the road if the Red Sox, one of the richest teams in baseball, decide not to give him a long-term deal and let him bolt when he becomes a free agent.
- Beer Leaguer is irked by the recent comments of Hamels, but is not surprised as this seems to be par for the course with the young pitcher. They wonder if being a member of the Phillies is important to Hamels.
- The 700 Level notes in the case of Hamels that it is easy for the fans to side with the players in these situations when it is not their money and they are worried about losing talent down the road, but feels this is the status quo in baseball.
- Bugs & Cranks feels the extra $250K for Hamels would have been a small price to pay just to keep this story out of the papers.
- Brewers Bar is worried that Fielder is just the latest puppet for Scott Boras but also thinks the Brewers could have avoided future headaches by giving Fielder the same deal ($900K) that Howard received last year.
- The Brewer Nation wonders if Fielder should really be upset over being renewed automoatically.
- Baseball Musings warns the Brewers that upsetting Fielder could end up the same way Barry Bonds did in Pittsburgh.
- Swing And A Miss feels that this increase in recent bitterness towards automatic renewals is less about money and more about players feeling they deserve "respect."
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Fielder Not Happy With Renewal
3:28pm: Fielder gets $670K, to be exact. Doug Melvin was surprised at Prince’s public displeasure.
1:46pm: Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Prince Fielder is not pleased with his contract renewal, executed this morning.
Rumored to be in the $650,000 range, Fielder’s agent, Scott Boras, indicated his client’s displeasure. Ryan Howard’s $900,000 contract for 2007 was cited as the figure the first baseman hoped to fetch for the season. Fielder made $415,000 last season.
According to Haudricourt, the Brewers used a formula they go by for players with zero to three years experience, a formula which they also used to renew the 2008 contracts for Ryan Braun and Corey Hart. While the amount of Hart’s renewal is unknown, Braun’s contract was renewed at $455,000. Haudricourt goes on to conjecture that this morning’s renewal has hurt the Brewers’ chance of negotiating a multi-year deal with Fielder before he is arbitration-eligible next winter.
Haudricourt has predicted that Fielder will pull roughly $10MM if his case goes to arbitration, in light of Howard’s recent arbitration victory.
Upsetting the youngest player to reach 50 HRs seems like an unwise decision on the Brewers’ part. It would be nice to lock up a player of Fielder’s talent long-term, but it seems the Brewers have made that prospect less likely.
Ben Sheets’ Last Year in Milwaukee?
We’re well-overdue for a Ben Sheets rumor. I like Michael Hunt’s point on what could be the inevitable departure of Sheets:
"Chances are this is Big Ben’s last season with the Brewers, unless another medical anomaly throws a fat one over the heart of the team’s checkbook. But that’s the catch: The Brewers need him to be so good and healthy that he’ll be out of their economic grasp. Such is their balancing act… Absent the miraculous – the union agreeing to a salary drag – the Brewers can’t keep everyone. Maybe there’s your Sheets decision."
If Hunt is right and Sheets has to leave, with Yovani Gallardo in the wings and a youthful studly lineup locked up the Brewers should be just fine. Sheets is due $11MM this year, the final year of his contract, with a limited no-trade clause (can be dealt to only 8 teams). There’s a long list of starting pitching in the 2009 MLB free agent pool and if Sheets can remain healthy then he could even be up for a pay raise.
Managers On The Hot Seat
It is a slow news day, so we are going to venture a bit off the beaten path…As spring training is now in full swing, a number of managers may have their jobs on the line during the ’08 season. Three managers are in the final year of their deals and another 12 managers have two years left on their contracts. This second group will be due either an extension or a pink slip next winter as few teams are willing to play out a season with a lame-duck manager. Therefore, any manager with two years remaining on their contracts (including options) will likely have their fate determined prior to the ’09 season.
Ignoring managers that may be on the hot seat for other reasons (i.e. Willie Randolph), here is a list of managers that could potentially have their jobs on the line in ’08 based on their current contract situations. (Numbers in parentheses represent the number of years remaining on current contract)
- Cecil Cooper, HOU (2)
- Bob Geren, OAK (1+1 team option)
- John Gibbons, TOR (1)
- Bobby Cox, ATL (1)
- Ned Yost, MIL (1+1 team option)
- Tony LaRussa (2)
- Bruce Bochy (2)
- John McLaren, SEA (1)
- Fredi Gonzalez, FLA (2)
- Dave Trembley, BAL (1+1 team option)
- Bud Black, SD (1+1 team option)
- Joe Maddon, TB (2)
- Clint Hurdle, COL (2)
- Jim Leyland, DET (2)
- Ron Gardenhire, MIN (2)
Taking a closer look at the list…Of the managers in the final year of their deal, Cox will be back if he chooses. LaRussa and Leyland may very well enter ’09 without new deals considering their ages. Yost, Gardenhire, Hurdle and Black look like locks for extensions prior to ’09. However, the remaining eight names on the list (Cooper, Geren, Bochy, Gonzalez, Trembley, Maddon, Gibbons, McLaren) may very well be managing for their jobs in ’08.
By Cork Gaines
Hairston Key To Pads’ OF Dealings
The Padres still may need more outfield help. Centerfielder Jim Edmonds and rightfielder Brian Giles both are well into the brittle phases of their careers.
Sean Devaney of the Sporting News has Kevin Towers casting his left field lot with Scott Hairston – for the time being. Look for more chatter about Jason Bay, Matt Murton and any other available outfielder if Hairston fails to lock the job down within three weeks. It’s unclear whether Gabe Gross (who is out of options) is currently of interest. Kenny Lofton could be a free agent possibility.
Would Towers be willing to part with relievers Wilfredo Ledezma (LH) or Clay Hensley (RH) alone or part of a package to fill an outfield hole?
Hairston put in a nice month’s-worth of games with the Pads last year, slugging .644. That spurt was uncharacteristic of the 27-year-old’s major league career, though.