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Poll: Where Will Jeff Francis Sign?

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Earlier this week, we learned that several teams are in on former Rockies pitcher Jeff Francis.  The Mets, Nationals, Pirates, Rangers, and Yankees are all said to have varying degrees of interest in the left-hander.  A return to Colorado can’t be ruled out either as Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd says that the club will keep tabs on him. 

Francis, of course, missed all of 2009 after undergoing shoulder surgery.  In 2010 he turned in a 5.00 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 20 games as he was limited by his injury.  However, his 3.94 xFIP indicates that he was better in that short span than the conventional stats indicate.  The Rockies understandably declined their $7MM option for him this winter, but the budding market for Francis could bring the soon-to-be 30-year-old a solid payday.

Poll: Will Balfour Get A Multiyear Deal?

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Rays reliever Grant Balfour opted to roll the dice this winter when he declined the club's offer for arbitration.  Roughly one month later, Balfour remains on the open market.  Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that the right-hander isn't being shut out because of his Type A status because 21 of the 30 teams could not do worse than have to give up a second-rounder.  Rather, it seems that the Australian-born hurler is still available because he is after a multi-year contract.

Chances are, he will get job security that he is after, says Rosenthal.  Teams that finished in the bottom half of the standings cannot lose their first-round picks for a Type A free agent.  Teams that have already lost their top selection for a Type A like the Red Sox, Angels, Tigers, Nationals, White Sox, and Phillies, would only lose a second-rounder.  The price for Balfour could even be as low as a third-rounder if any of those clubs opt to sign one of the other available Type As. 

Even though several attractive relief options are now off of the board, there are still plenty of interesting names available.  Did Balfour misjudge the market, or will he land the multi-year pact that he's after?

Poll: Where Will Joe Blanton End Up?

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After signing free agent Cliff Lee to a five-year, $120MM pact, it's no secret that the Phillies need to trim payroll.  In fact, if they don't move well-compensated pitcher Joe Blanton, they'll have no room to make any acquisitions at the trade deadline, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The right-hander is due $8.5MM over each of the next two seasons.

The market for Blanton should become more clear once Carl Pavano, now the market's top free agent starter, signs with a club.  Blanton is five years Pavano's junior and wouldn't be a bad consolation prize for any team.  It's also possible that the Phillies could hang on to the 30-year-old, but as Rosenthal pointed out, it would handcuff the club.  With the teams that have been linked to Pavano as a guide, where do you envision Blanton winding up?

 

Poll: Trevor Hoffman’s Future

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When you look through our list of available free agents, two players stand out as surefire future Hall of Famers: Manny Ramirez and Trevor Hoffman. Manny has been involved in his fair share of rumors this offseason, but all has been quite on the Hoffman front. The 43-year-old told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy that he still wants to pitch, but “the offers are sparse.” There was some thought that he could return to the Padres if they trade Heath Bell, but that obviously hasn’t happened yet. 

Hoffman, baseball’s all-time saves leader, lost his job as Milwaukee’s closer during the 2010 season, though he finished the year with a 2.67 ERA in his final 30.1 innings. His fastball velocity, never anything special to begin with, has been trending downward the last few years. If Hoffman can’t find a job to his liking before Spring Training, he could opt to retire with 601 career saves to his credit and over $80MM in career earnings (according to Baseball-Reference.com). 

Considering the multiyear, big dollar deals handed out to relievers this offseason, it’s not crazy to think that Hoffman could end up being a bargain on a low-salary, one-year contract. But will anyone give it to him?

Poll: The Next $100MM Contract

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We've already seen four nine-figure deals this offseason and Troy Tulowitzki, Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth and Cliff Lee may have company in the $100MM club before long.

MVP winners Albert Pujols, Joey Votto and Josh Hamilton are extension candidates. Scott Boras could surprise us all by finding $100MM out there for Adrian Beltre or negotiating a nine-figure extension for Carlos Gonzalez or even Jered Weaver. Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes are going to hit free agency after the 2011 season and C.C. Sabathia has an opt-out clause looming, so they may be seeking massive contracts within the year.

Let's vote on the next nine-figure deal (ignoring Adrian Gonzalez, since there seems to be a good chance that the Red Sox extend him once the season begins). Players are listed alphabetically.

Poll: Which Team Will Sign Brandon Webb

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Brandon Webb is drawing serious interest from the Rangers and Nationals and the Cubs are in the mix, too. Best of all, there's a mystery team involved. Either the Cardinals, Reds, Brewers, Pirates or Astros also entered the bidding for Webb, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick.

The right-hander made just one start in the past two seasons because of shoulder troubles, but he was one of the league's top pitchers from 2006-08, when he posted a 3.13 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 while averaging 233 innings per season. Some team is going to get a high-risk, high-reward starter – which one will it be?

Poll: Joakim Soria’s Future

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The Royals completed a franchise altering trade today, sending Zack Greinke to the Brewers for a package of four young players. Earlier this offseason they shipped David DeJesus to Oakland, the team’s longest-tenured player at the time. As much as Kansas City would love to unload the $12MM left on Gil Meche’s contract, it simply won’t happen. If GM Dayton Moore wants to continue purging his roster of veterans, could closer Joakim Soria be the next to go?

The old axiom says that bad teams don’t need a good closer, and the Royals are expected to be among the league’s worst clubs in 2011 while Soria is once again one of the game’s top closers. Compared to the multiyear contracts handed out to non-elite relievers this offseason, Soria’s $4MM salary for 2011 with club options for 2012 ($6MM), 2013 ($8MM), and 2014 ($8.75MM) is a bargain. Trade interest would be plentiful, and the Royals could expect several young players in return.

Because his contract is so team friendly, Moore could also hold on to Soria and see how the trade market develops before the deadline. We can’t forget the fans in KC either, Moore might not want to alienate them anymore by dealing his All Star closer so soon after trading away Greinke. The Padres reportedly kept Heath Bell for similar reasons. 

A radical, albeit unlikely, third option would be to convert Soria into a starter. He started in the Mexican League for quite some time, throwing a perfect game in his first start after the Royals selected him in the 2006 Rule 5 Draft. PitchFX data available at FanGraphs tells us that he still throws four pitches regularly (cutter, curveball, changeup, slider), so the repertoire is certainly there. It’s just a matter of health and getting stretched out. Like I said, it’s an unlikely move, but it wouldn’t be unprecedented. Just look at C.J. Wilson. What do you think the Royals should do with Soria?

Poll: Where Will Carl Pavano Sign?

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Cliff Lee is off the free agent market. The trade market's best and most available starter, Zack Greinke, has found a new home in Milwaukee. As unlikely as it would've seemed two years ago, Carl Pavano finds himself in a position to be the best option left for many teams looking to upgrade their rotation.

After a disastrous four-year stint with the Yankees that saw Pavano pitch only 145 2/3 innings combined, the right-hander has revitalized his career in the AL Central with the Indians and Twins. From 2009-2010, Pavano totaled 420 1/3 innings and posted a respectable 4.39 ERA in the process. His 2009 season was marred by some bad luck, but his FIP and xFIP over the past two seasons have both settled in right around the 4.00 mark, and he's totaled 6.9 WAR in that timeframe.

Pavano's 2010 saw him become a slightly different pitcher, as he traded in some strikeouts for groundballs. While he's never been one to miss too many bats, his K/9 was a full-season career low 4.76. However, he posted full-season career bests in both BB/9 (1.51) and GB% (51.2%).

Pavano, 35 next month, has told Minnesota teammates and club officials that he'd like to return. As the best free agent option though, he could also be in line for a three-year deal from another suitor. We've heard that the Twins may not need to match the best offer to retain Pavano, who has also been linked to the Brewers (though their acquistion of Greinke may remove them from the running), Nationals, and Rangers. The Tigers, who are looking at starters, say they aren't in on Pavano for now, but they've certainly got the money to spend. So where does Pavano end up? Let's take a vote:

Poll: The Padres’ Opening Day First Baseman

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The Padres lost their best player when they traded Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox for three prospects earlier this month, and GM Jed Hoyer is still trying to find someone to replace him at first base. Hoyer recently told XX1090 sports radio that the team’s next first baseman will come via free agency (as opposed to trade), and it would also be a one-year solution only.

Derrek Lee, who was originally drafted by the Padres back in 1993, seemed like a logical fit, but yesterday we heard they were unlikely to pursue him after signing Orlando Hudson. Jorge Cantu, Brad Hawpe, and Adam LaRoche are on the team’s list of options instead. Another solution could be free agent Troy Glaus, who Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse reminds us was a client of Padres CEO Jeff Moorad’s back in his agent days (Twitter link). The free agent pool also offers guys like Russell Branyan and Casey Kotchman.

Kyle Blanks would have been an ideal candidate if he wasn’t out until midseason after having Tommy John surgery. Who do you think will be manning first base for the Padres when the season starts?

Poll: Which Team Will Trade For Zack Greinke?

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Former AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke has been mentioned as a trade candidate all offseason, but yesterday we learned that the right-hander unequivocally asked the team for a trade. He can block a trade to 15 teams, including the Yankees, Red Sox, and Nationals, but not the Tigers, Angels, or Rangers. The Blue Jays have been perhaps the most aggressive team in pursuit of the right-hander.

There are 30 teams out there that would love to have Greinke to their rotation, but it will take a substantial prospect package to land him. Kansas City owns the game’s best farm system, loaded with pitchers (especially left-handed) and players at the corner positions, so they could seek help up-the-middle in a trade. Earlier today we learned that they wanted second baseman/shortstop Danny Espinosa from the Nationals in a package, supporting that theory.

The Yankees are reluctant about pursuing Greinke, but if the price drops far enough they’ll almost surely entertain the idea after losing out on Cliff Lee. The Rangers have already made at least one offer. Greinke has said he’s willing to go anywhere, but the Royals say they won’t trade him within the division. Where do you think he’ll end up?

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