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Poll: Mike Napoli’s Next Contract

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The catching market has changed substantially over the last several months. Yadier Molina paved the way with his five-year, $75MM contract, and yesterday Miguel Montero reaped the rewards. He agreed to a five-year, $60MM extension with the Diamondbacks, leaving Mike Napoli as the top catcher on the free agent market after the season.

Napoli, 30, is said to be seeking a deal somewhere between Victor Martinez’s (four years, $52MM) and Molina’s. He’s hitting just .233/.325/.436 in 154 plate appearances this season following last year’s breakout .320/.414/.631 campaign. Furthermore, Napoli has only started behind the plate in 25 of his team’s first 46 games.

Quality catching is very hard to find, which is why Molina and now Montero have cashed in so handsomely. Napoli is next in line for a huge contract despite his slow start to the season.

Poll: Replacing Mariano Rivera

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The Yankees lost Mariano Rivera for the season when he tore his ACL shagging fly balls during batting practice two days ago. He says he will return to pitch next season, though the team still needs to replace him for the remainder of 2012.

Rivera, 42, is the greatest reliever in baseball history and even at his advanced age, the Yankees will be unable to find someone who can match his brilliance. Setup man David Robertson has emerged as one of the game’s best non-closing relievers over the last year, pitching to a 0.92 ERA with 121 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings since the start of last season. He seems like the obvious choice to replace Rivera, at least initially, but he’s not the only option.

Ownership overruled GM Brian Cashman two offseasons ago to sign Rafael Soriano, the former All-Star closer with the Rays who became a setup man in New York. He missed time with an elbow issue last year and has pitched to a 3.72 ERA with 8.2 K/9 in 48 1/3 innings since signing with the Yankees. Although he’s been outpitched by Robertson, the team could prefer his ninth inning experience in Rivera’s stead. His salary ($11MM in 2012) could also be a factor.

Yesterday we heard that the Yankees will not aggressively pursue a reliever, but a trade can never really be ruled out. Closers like Huston Street, Brandon League, Brett Myers, and Jonathan Broxton could be available at the trade deadline, though that is just my speculation.

Poll: The Best Minor League DH Deal

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At least three teams are looking forward to a midseason infusion of offense from a veteran designated hitter. If all goes according to plan this summer, the Indians, Rays and Athletics will each add a DH nearing the end of his career. Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Manny Ramirez agreed to play on minor league deals and Vladimir Guerrero is in line for a similar contract if his workouts impress interested teams.

Teams take on minimal risk with these contracts, but there’s no guarantee that the players can hit enough to earn a 25-man roster spot. Damon, Matsui, Ramirez and Guerrero were once Hall of Fame caliber contributors, but they’re all at least 37 years old now, well into their decline. Which minor league deal will turn out best?

Poll: What’s Next For Bobby Abreu?

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Having lost five in a row and eight of their last ten games, the Angels remade their roster a bit last night by releasing Bobby Abreu and calling up top prospect Mike Trout. Trout will play everyday as the team hopes he injects some life into their season, but Abreu’s situation is a little less rosy.

The 38-year-old outfielder/DH was hitting just .208/.259/.333 in 27 plate appearances before being cut loose. Although his power output has steadily declined with age, Abreu still offers one of the game’s best batting eyes and has stolen at least 20 bases every year since 1998. Abreu also has a track record of durability, having played in no fewer than 140 games every season since breaking into the league full-time. His ability to hit left-handed pitching has disappeared later in his career, and defense was never his strong suit.

The Halos are on the hook for Abreu’s $9MM salary, less the pro-rated portion of the league minimum if another team signs him to a Major League contract. He was vocal about his dislike for his reduced role, and the Angels were “trying feverishly” to trade him at the outset of the season. They appeared to have a taker in the Indians before the deal fell apart. Now that he’s available on the open market for the most minimal of costs, what does the future hold for Abreu?

Poll: Will The Giants Extend Tim Lincecum?

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Last week the Giants announced a five-year extension for Madison Bumgarner that will keep the left-hander in the fold through 2017 and could keep him in place through 2019 with a pair of options.  The deal guarantees the hurler $35MM over five years and sets a record for pitchers with one-plus years of MLB service.  The 22-year-old is now locked up for years to come alongside Matt Cain, but there's still the matter of addressing Tim Lincecum's future.

The two-time Cy Young winner is under team control through 2013 and the two sides haven't made a great deal of progress towards a new deal in recent months.  Some see the long-term contracts for Bumgarner and Cain as preparation for Lincecum's eventual departure.  Others contend that while San Francisco has committed a great deal of money to the two pitchers, it has little bearing on whether the club will iron out a deal with The Freak.  As it stands today, do you see the Giants extending Lincecum?

Poll: Erick Aybar’s Extension

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Yesterday we learned that the Angels reached agreement with shortstop Erick Aybar on a four-year, $35MM deal.  Today, the particulars of the deal went public: Aybar will earn $8.5MM per year with a $1MM signing bonus and won't have a no-trade clause.  The deal, which is similar to Howie Kendrick's extension, marks a significant pay bump for the 28-year-old who avoided arbitration this winter by agreeing to a one-year, $5.075MM deal.

The dollar figure may strike some as high, particularly with prospect Jean Segura waiting in the wings.  However, the 22-year-old shortstop remains in Double-A Arkansas and missed significant time with hamstring issues throughout 2011.  The lack of a no-trade clause for Aybar also gives the Halos flexibility down the line.  If Segura shows that he is ready to take over the starting job, Aybar should attract a fair amount of interest if he can produce at the plate like he did in 2011.  If Segura doesn't progress as expected, then the Angels will have their shortstop situation covered for the next five seasons.

The Angels certainly aren't afraid to spend and have doled out $68.5MM in new deals to lock up their double play combination in 2012.  All things considered, do you like the extension from the Halos' perspective?

Poll: Josh Hamilton’s Next Contract

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The Rangers have signed Ian Kinsler, Derek Holland, Nelson Cruz and Elvis Andrus to multiyear contracts in recent months, but Josh Hamilton — possibly the Rangers’ best player — is still on track to hit free agency after the regular season. The Rangers recently met with Hamilton’s agent, so there’s a chance they’ll keep him off of the open market.

Even if Hamilton does reach free agency, the Rangers could re-sign him. They know he’s one of the best players in the game when he’s healthy. But they also know he’s had trouble staying on the field and that he’s dealing with serious off-field issues. And Hamilton has suggested he won’t be offering any hometown discounts.

“I’m not going to sit here and say I owe the Rangers,” he said in February. “I don’t feel I owe the Rangers.”

Hamilton’s chance for a massive free agent contract is approaching. Now the Rangers have to decide whether to commit to the 30-year-old long-term or let him leave as a free agent.

Poll: The Phillies And Cole Hamels

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The Phillies and Cole Hamels haven’t made any progress in contract extension talks for more than a month now, leaving roughly eight months for the two sides to work out a potential deal. Hamels will be the best free agent starter on the market next winter now that Matt Cain has re-signed, and there will be plenty of suitors for the left-handed, in his prime ace.

A problem on the team’s end could be the other pitchers on the payroll. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee will make $40MM+ combined for the next few years, and there simply might not be room for another $20MM-a-year hurler in the budget. Shane Victorino will be a free agent after the season as well, plus Jonathan Papelbon, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard will remain on the books. It’s not a question of if the Phillies want the Hamels back, but whether or not they can make it happen.

Poll: When Will The Dodgers Contend?

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After the much maligned Frank McCourt sold the team to a group headed by Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson, it's once again a good time to be a Dodgers fan.  In the short-term, the news is likely to spark attendance at Dodger Stadium.  In the long-term, patrons are hopeful that they will see the club spend the money necessary to win.  Despite being in the nation's No. 2 media market, the Dodgers have just the 12th highest payroll in baseball this season after spending about $50K more than the Twins and about $50MM less than the Phillies. 

While they didn't make a Prince Fielder-sized splash this winter, they did manage to lock up Matt Kemp to an eight-year, $160MM deal that will keep him in L.A. through his age-34 season.  They also signed Clayton Kershaw to a two-year, $19MM deal, but they'll really have to break out their checkbooks to sign the left-hander into his free agent years.  They'll also have to dole out major money to keep Andre Ethier next winter if the outfielder stays healthy and plays up to his ability in 2012.

The Dodgers might not be ready to play with the big boys just yet, but they do have pieces in place and it appears that they'll have the money needed to build on that.  However, it's not yet clear when they'll start spending and how soon those dollars can translate to wins.  Some have speculated that the Dodgers could add to their payroll prior to the deadline if they appear to be in the mix for the playoffs.  Others think that the club will hold off on their spending splurge until the offseason.  All things considered, when do you think the Dodgers will find themselves back in contention?

Poll: Baseball’s Most Improved Team

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This past offseason was a historic one, at least in terms of the contracts signed. We saw two players change teams thanks to $200MM+ contracts and a total of eight deals worth $100MM+ handed out. A number of young pitchers changed addresses in blockbuster trades, and the new collective bargaining agreement drastically changed free agent compensation and the amateur talent markets.

Now that all 30 clubs have officially opened their season, let’s take a second to look back at the offseason to see which teams helped themselves the most. Our various trackers – Transactions, Free Agents, Extensions, Arbitration — are at your disposable with all sorts of filters to help narrow your search.

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