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Poll: Best Minor League Deal

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Every year, teams supplement their rosters by signing players to minor league deals. It's a way for teams to make low-risk investments in players who generally don't have much leverage. But finding a Joaquin Benoit, Livan Hernandez, or R.A. Dickey in the bargain bin can make a massive difference. Some players, like Austin Kearns, Jim Edmonds and D.J. Carrasco, get flipped in mid-summer trades. Others, like Pat Burrell and Chris Denorfia contribute on playoff contenders. But those aren't the only players who signed memorable minor league deals since last season ended…

Who was the best minor league signing of the year? 

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Poll: Manny Ramirez’s Next Contract

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Last week, ESPN's Buster Olney opined that a team interested in Manny Ramirez this offseason should present him with an incentive-laden contract to ensure that he will maintain his focus.  Olney suggests a base salary of $800K to $1MM with incentives based on plate appearances.

While major league GMs likely wouldn't object to such a deal, one has to imagine that Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, would.  As Tim Dierkes pointed out, last winter Boras was able to land $3.3MM and $2MM guarantees for Xavier Nady and Alex Cora, respectively.  After coming off of a two-year, $45MM deal, it's probable that Ramirez can fetch a higher guaranteed salary on the open market.

However, Ramirez has now left two baseball towns on a sour note twice in recent years.  Ramirez's struggles in the outfield and advanced age also mean that he's likely to remain in the American League as a designated hitter.  Ramirez, who has a career UZR/150 of -20.0 in the outfield, told Dodgers skipper Joe Torre that he feels that he belongs in the AL before his departure to Chicago.  In essence, this probably cuts the slugger's list of prospective suitors in half; minus one if you want to nix Boston from the group.  

While Olney's idea was a suggestion and not necessarily a prediction, it does raise the question of whether Ramirez might be forced to take on that type of deal.  Rather than $1MM, we'll set the over/under a little bit higher.

Will Ramirez end up taking a one-year deal with a base of less than $3MM?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Poll: Derek Jeter’s Next Contract

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Derek Jeter will presumably re-sign with the Yankees this winter and even though he's having a down-year by his lofty standards, the Yankees don't intend to "play hardball" when their shortstop hits free agency this winter, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Understandably, they'd prefer not to bicker with their captain and are prepared to pay him.

Jeter has a .264/.331/.372 line in 2010. It's acceptable for a durable shortstop, but he has never posted lower batting, on base, or slugging averages in a full season. The stats aren't there this year, but Jeter did have an excellent season at the plate in 2009. The 36-year-old is 103 hits away from reaching 3,000 for his career and provides the Yankees with value as an iconic, marketable player. Let's make some predictions:

How much guaranteed money will Derek Jeter sign for?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Poll: Colby Rasmus

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Earlier today, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa confirmed that Colby Rasmus requested a trade earlier this season.  While La Russa seems confident that Rasmus' desire to be relocated has since cooled off, the 24-year-old was reluctant to address the story and would not say whether he wanted to return to St. Louis in 2011.  This also isn't the first time that the talented center fielder has asked for a one-way ticket out of town: La Russa acknowledged that Rasmus requested a trade in his rookie year last season.

With what appears to be a serious rift, one would imagine that the Cards would look to deal their unhappy outfielder.  However, GM John Mozeliak is obviously less-than-thrilled about the prospect of parting with a 24-year-old star in the making.  Rasmus has followed up a strong 2009 debut with an even better 2010.  In 117 games, the left-handed hitter has a slash line of .264/.349/.495 with 19 homers.  While his -7.0 UZR/150 this season doesn't impress, his 13.5 UZR/150 from his rookie campaign shows that he is capable of playing better in the field.

There's no question that Rasmus would yield a strong return for the Cardinals, but St. Louis would obviously prefer to keep the burgeoning hitter.  With his dissatisfaction now public, it may not be advantageous for the Cardinals to move him this offseason.  Albert Pujols says he should go, Tony La Russa won't say much, but we want to know what you have to say.

If you were in the position of GM John Mozeliak, would you trade Rasmus this offseason?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Poll: Berkman or Hawpe?

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Owners of the two best records in baseball, both the Yankees and Rays aimed to acquire a bat for the season's stretch run as they battle for the AL East crown. The Yanks got their man at the trade deadline, acquiring Lance Berkman from the Astros for a pair of minor leaguers and cash. The Rays waited a little longer, grabbing Brad Hawpe off the scrap heap after the Rockies released him. Both players have slotted in as their team's primary designated hitter against righthanded pitching.

Since the trade, Berkman has hit .239/.314/.348 in 51 plate appearances while spending some time on the disabled list with an ankle injury. Hawpe has come to the plate just four times with Tampa since being recalled on September 1st, and has struck out all four times. Clearly, both players are capable of much better than what they've shown with their new teams so far, which brings us to today's poll question.

Who will perform better down the stretch: Berkman or Hawpe?

Click here to participate in the poll, and here to see the results.

Discussion: Adrian Beltre

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Last month, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith examined some potential suitors for Adrian Beltre's services this offseason.  The 31-year-old should have no shortage of opportunities coming his way this winter after his resurgent 2010 campaign in Boston.  It seemed unlikely before this season that the former Dodger and Mariner would reach the necessary 640 plate appearances to activate a $10MM player option for 2011, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal, but with a month to go and just over 100 plate appearances needed, it now seems probable.

Many people in the baseball world, including Buster Olney of ESPN (via Twitter), believe that the Scott Boras client will decline the player option without much thought.   After all, Beltre could land a three- or four-year deal on the open market this winter.  Our own Tim Dierkes writes that the veteran may start the bidding at about $50MM over four years.

Will the third baseman rake in more than $10MM per season on a multi-year deal?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

Poll: Strasburg Or Chapman

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Aroldis Chapman threw 104 mph tonight in his second – and second dominant – big league appearance. The Cuban lefty struck out 12 batters per nine at Triple A in his pro debut this year and when the Reds promoted him, Chapmania ensued.

It wasn't long ago that Stephen Strasburg was the hard-throwing prospect making headlines and overpowering big leaguers. The Nationals right-hander famously struck out 14 in his major league debut en route to a 2.91 ERA with 12.2 K/9 as a rookie. But Strasburg's season ended early; he'll undergo Tommy John surgery this week and will likely miss the entire 2011 season. 

Like Chapman, Strasburg is under control through 2016, but neither pitcher will come cheap. Taking into account Strasburg's injury and Chapman's control issues, let's ask a difficult question:

Would you rather have Stephen Strasburg or Aroldis Chapman going forward?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Manny Ramirez Claim Reactions

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The move that sent Manny Ramirez to Chicago wasn't as dramatic as the one that sent him to L.A., but it's still one of the biggest transactions of the summer. Two years ago, we had many teams bidding on Manny and Jason Bay heading to Boston. This year, the Dodgers could only negotiate with the White Sox and no players headed back to L.A., but Manny can still hit at an elite level, so baseball players and writers are buzzing about him:

  • ESPN.com's Keith Law says Ramirez is a definite upgrade for the White Sox, even though his stat line may be inflated since "he's done a lot of his damage this year against pitchers with fringe-average fastballs."
  • Multiple White Sox told MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince that they were pleased to see that Manny will be joining the team.
  • ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says Ramirez's difficult personality is "a gift he just keeps on giving."
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports points out that Ramirez had no choice but to waive his no-trade clause. The 38-year-old has a much better chance of restoring his free agent value in Chicago.
  • Dave Cameron of FanGraphs believes the White Sox made a "bold, intelligent" decision.
  • Click here to read Kenny Williams' thoughts on the claim.
  • It's time to hear your reaction: did the White Sox make the right decision? Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Poll: The Blue Jays’ Bullpen

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The Blue Jays made most of their relief pitchers available before the trade deadline, but no team stepped forward to meet their asking price for Scott Downs, Kevin Gregg, Jason Frasor, and/or Shawn Camp. There was plenty of interest in each, but nothing came of it. 

Yesterday we learned that all four were claimed off trade waivers by unknown teams (or perhaps it was just one team), but we don't know how sincere GM Alex Anthopoulos is about moving his top late game relievers. With Frasor and Downs scheduled to become a free agents after the season, it's possible he'll look to move them for prospects now rather than gamble on compensation draft picks later (both project to be Type-A free agents).

Which relievers will the Blue Jays trade?

Click here to take the poll, and here to see the results.

The Dodgers’ Decision

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The Dodgers have a choice to make: trade Manny Ramirez to Chicago, hand him over to the White Sox, or keep him. GM Ned Colletti's decision will impact the pennant race in both leagues, so let's break it down:

The Dodgers' Future

Long-term, the Dodgers would be better off trading Ramirez or handing him over. They could obtain prospects for him or, at the very least, save themselves a significant amount of money. Ramirez hits free agency after the season and he won't see an offer of arbitration, so his time is nearly up in L.A. If the Dodgers don't think they can contend in 2010, there are better ways to spend $4MM.

The Dodgers' Present

The Dodgers are fringe contenders, but aren't in the thick of a pennant race. Baseball Prospectus gives them a 3.5% chance of making the playoffs. The Giants lead the Dodgers by 5.0 games in the Wild Card race, but the Dodgers do have many intra-divisional games coming up. Starting tonight, they'll play nine games against the Rockies, six against the Giants and six against the division-leading Padres. It's not an easy schedule, but the Dodgers could make up ground, in theory.

A hot-hitting Manny Ramirez would give the Dodgers a much better chance of reaching the postseason. When healthy, Manny can hit, as his .313/.407/.513 season line shows, so the Dodgers improve their chances of winning in 2010 if they hold onto Ramirez.

The Decision

By Tuesday afternoon, the Dodgers have to decide whether to trade Ramirez, hand him over or keep him. What would you do? Click here to take the survey and here to see the results, but keep in mind that they might not matter. Manny has a no-trade clause and would have to approve any deal.

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