By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
Who thought Jayson Werth would sign for $126MM? Did anyone expect the Red Sox to acquire Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez? And who had Shaun Marcum going to the Brewers? We've seen our share of surprising transactions in the past week or so, so let's vote on which one was the least expected move of all.
Which of the many recent deals surprised you the most?
By Tim Dierkes | at
The Red Sox have long admired Dodgers catcher Russell Martin, notes Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. With tonight's non-tender deadline less than eleven hours away, there appear to be three possibilities for Martin:
Technically the Dodgers could tender Martin a contract and trade him later, but they might seek a quicker resolution and more certainty. Sometimes the non-tender threat can kill a player's trade market, but in other cases it compels a suitor to make a move before the player hits the open market. If the Red Sox would be willing to meet Martin's salary demands and the Dodgers aren't, a deal would be mutually beneficial. Other clubs may have interest too. What's your take?
By Zachary Links | at
Dodgers reliever George Sherrill, who earned $4.5MM in 2010, might not be offered arbitration this winter. In other news, I might not receive consideration for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize.
With all due respect to Sherrill and his past accomplishments, which include a fantastic second half of 2009 in Los Angeles, his 2010 numbers indicate that he's not worth another year at a similar rate. However, Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times offered up a defense of the left-hander earlier this week in which he pointed out that Joe Torre often used him in the wrong situations. Sherrill, who shines against lefties, faced 85 left-handed batters and 95 right-handed batters. His stat line for the year was a 6.69 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 5.9 BB/9, though lefties batted just .192/.286/.288 against him.
Sherrill won't be offered arbitration but he could certainly be a solid value for the Dodgers or another club looking to take a small gamble on a strong left-handed specialist. Dilbeck predicts a "serious pay cut" and perhaps even a minor league deal in the 33-year-old's near future. When utilized properly, however, one has to think that Sherrill can deliver results worthy of a guaranteed deal. The only question is, will the market force a team to offer one?
By Mike Axisa | at
Assuming you consider Victor Martinez a part-time catcher, part-time first baseman, and part-time designated hitter, John Buck was the best free agent catcher available this offseason. He hit .281/.314/.489 with 20 homers for the Blue Jays last year, but he's since signed a hefty three-year deal with the Marlins. As always, the number of teams looking for a quality backstop far exceed the number that are actually available, but there's still a few out there.
Miguel Olivo is a lock for double-digit homers year in and year out, and the same can be said for Rod Barajas. Both have thrown out a high percentage of would-be base stealers historically. Yorvit Torrealba has a .346 OBP over the last two years, a mark just eight other catchers can top. Jason Varitek hit for a ton of power (.473 SLG) in limited action this year. Then there's A.J. Pierzynski. He's started no fewer than 124 games behind the plate in five of the last six years, and his .284 AVG since 2008 can be topped by only three other catchers.
The Dodgers, Rangers, and Padres are known to be seeking help behind the plate, and it's safe to assume that the Mariners and Red Sox will hunt for upgrades as well. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees, Rockies, Mets, or Orioles tried to improve their backup catcher situation either.
Who is the best catcher still available on the free agent market?
Click here to vote, and here to see the results. Thanks in advance.
By Mike Axisa | at
You know a player has set lofty standards when everyone considers a .298/.409/.460 season to be a disappointment, but that's exactly what Manny Ramirez did in 2010. He hit just .261/.420/.319 in 88 plate appearances following his mid-season trade to the White Sox, and they unsurprisingly declined to offer the Type-A free agent earlier this week. MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez now wonders if this is it for one of the greatest hitters we'll ever see.
When he ranked Manny the 19th best free agent on the market (insider req'd), ESPN's Keith Law said he's "lost enough bat speed that when he squares a ball up it doesn't take off the way that it did for him before the 2009 season … The explosiveness he had at the plate well into his 30s is all but gone." Ramirez has hit 20 or fewer homers in three of the last four seasons, and his bat is no longer justifying his atrocious defense or various other antics. He also hit the disabled list three times with leg-related ailments this season.
Scott Boras recently said he's seeking a one-year, incentive-laden contract that will allow Ramirez to serve as a full-time designated hitter, but Gonzalez mentions all of the other cheap DH options on the market (Hideki Matsui, Jim Thome, Lance Berkman, Vladimir Guerrero among others) that could reasonably approximate his production. The Blue Jays seem like a logical fit, and although Manny has interest, we don't know if it's mutual.
Two or three years ago a poll question like this would have been unthinkable, but with Ramirez in obvious decline at age 38, it would not be a surprise if teams looking for a DH went in another direction. On to the poll…
Will anyone sign Manny Ramirez this offseason?
Click here to vote, and here to see the results. Thanks in advance.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
A total of 21 Type B free agents received offers of arbitration earlier in the week. They now have a few days remaining to decide whether to accept. Javier Vazquez and Trevor Hoffman have reportedly agreed to reject their teams' offers and John Buck and Joaquin Benoit have already signed deals with new teams, but that still leaves 17 players.
When voting on today's poll, keep in mind that teams won't have to forfeit draft picks to sign these Type B free agents, even though they were offered arbitration.
Which Type B free agents will accept arbitration?
Click here to vote and here to view the results.
By Tim Dierkes | at
You've seen my predictions – I think 15 of the 36 Type B free agents will be offered arbitration at tomorrow night's deadline, aside from locks Joaquin Benoit and John Buck. Now it's your turn.
By Tim Dierkes | at
You've seen my predictions – I think 17 of the 27 Type A free agents will be offered arbitration at tomorrow night's deadline. Now it's your turn.
By Tim Dierkes | at
The free agent market for relievers started with a bang when the Tigers officially signed Joaquin Benoit to a three-year, $16.5MM deal on Thursday. Benoit's deal could be attributed to the Tigers' aggression and the Levinson brothers' success with their mid-tier free agent clients. Or, the contract could be a sign that we're back to the crazy free agent days.
In each of the past four offseasons, about ten free agent relievers signed multiyear deals. This year we've already had two in Benoit and Jose Contreras. I've got 27 additional candidates; for this poll just select everyone who you think will sign for two or more years.
By Mike Axisa | at
Earlier this evening I took a look at the free agent stock of reliever Scott Downs, arguably the best non-closer still available on the open market. Joaquin Benoit broke the ice this past week when he accepted the Tigers' contract offer of three years and $16.5MM, presumably giving Downs and his camp a comparable they can use as a basis for their demands.
There are obvious differences between the two relievers, of course. Downs is just about a year older than Benoit but his health history is considerably better. He also has a much longer track record when it comes to being a top shelf reliever, and being left-handed certainly doesn't hurt. It's reasonable to think that Downs could command a larger contract than Benoit, but it's been quite some time since a reliever landed a deal that big. Time for the poll…
Will Downs land a contract larger than Benoit's?
Click here to vote and here to see the results. Thanks in advance.
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