Six Years For Manny?
5:45pm: SI.com’s Jon Heyman also talked to Boras, and the word "iconic" was used. Uh-oh. Six years, $150MM? Heyman sees the Yankees, Mets, and Blue Jays as suitors aside from the Dodgers.
4:36pm: When the idea of a six-year contract for slugger Manny Ramirez first surfaced (from Manny himself), it was not considered a serious possibility. However, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman had a long conversation with Scott Boras, who strongly hinted that Manny legitimately deserves six years.
Boras points to Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, two iconic players paid to age 42. Boras brushed off the messy Boston exit, referring only to "internal issues that were a concern."
Here’s the thing about Boras: he says or strongly implies a lot of questionable things. Recent examples: 12 years for A-Rod, the Cardinals failing to win the division in ’07 because they didn’t sign Jeff Weaver, and Oliver Perez not being erratic. It’ll be a winter full of amusing Boras rhetoric, with Perez, Joe Crede, Eric Gagne, Felipe Lopez, Derek Lowe, Ivan Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Jason Varitek also eligible for free agency.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Manny, Mussina, Cano, Lowe
Ken Rosenthal’s latest column at FOX Sports is jam-packed with rumors.
- Manny Ramirez will generate plenty of interest on the free agent market; he wants at least four years. There was a report earlier this month that Scott Boras expected to get five years. The term will be a crucial factor. Rosenthal names the Phillies, Mets, and Yankees as three teams that may pursue Manny.
- The Mariners’ rebuilding effort will likely be spearheaded by a first-time GM, not an ideal scenario in the opinion of some baseball people.
- The Dodgers lost Shane Victorino twice in the Rule 5 draft. Tony Jackson had more details on that history a few days ago.
- Rosenthal talked to friends of Mike Mussina who remain convinced he will retire. Buster Olney got a different vibe recently.
- Rosenthal notes that the Dodgers’ interest in Robinson Cano is "sincere," but it’s unknown what they’d give up for him.
- Derek Lowe‘s teammates say he has little interest in playing for the Mets or Yankees.
- Back in ’07, Blake DeWitt was considered a possible throw-in in a proposed Joe Blanton to the Dodgers deal. Rumor was the A’s wanted three frontline prospects from the Dodgers, DeWitt not among them.
Odds and Ends: Castillo, Avila, Young
Links for Wednesday…
- Chat today, 2pm CST.
- Mets GM Omar Minaya regrets the Luis Castillo contract. In another post, Minaya admits that in an ideal world he wouldn’t have to give multiyear deals to relievers, but that’s the way it is.
- The Tigers decided not to allow the Mariners to interview assistant GM Al Avila.
- Outfielder Luis Gonzalez would be open to re-signing with the Marlins, but it doesn’t seem likely. Gonzo hopes to play in 2009, as he’d like to reach certain statistical milestones.
- Viva El Birdos examines the Cardinals’ trade chips.
- Charley Walters wouldn’t be surprised if the Twins have trade talks with the Giants regarding Delmon Young. The Giants seem more likely to pursue a slugging infielder, however.
Offseason Outlook: New York Mets
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Mets. Their likely 2009 commitments:
C – Brian Schneider – $4.9MM
C – Ramon Castro – $2.5MM
1B – Carlos Delgado – $12MM
2B – Luis Castillo – $6MM
SS – Jose Reyes – $5.75MM
3B – David Wright – $7.5MM
IF –
IF – Argenis Reyes – $400K
LF – Dan Murphy – $400K
CF – Carlos Beltran – $18.5MM
RF – Ryan Church – $2MM+
OF – Endy Chavez – $2.05MM
OF – Marlon Anderson – $1.15MM
SP – Johan Santana – $20MM
SP – Mike Pelfrey – $1.3125MM
SP – John Maine – $450K+
SP – Jon Niese – $400K
SP – Bobby Parnell – $400K
RP – Scott Schoeneweis – $3.6MM
RP – Aaron Heilman – $1.2MM+
RP – Pedro Feliciano – $1.025MM+
RP – Duaner Sanchez – $850K+
RP – Brian Stokes – $402K
RP – Joe Smith – $400K
RP – Eddie Kunz – $400K
Other commitments: Billy Wagner – $10.5MM
That’s around $104MM committed before arbitration raises to Church, Maine, Heilman, Feliciano, and Sanchez. Some of those relievers may be gone, but we’ll put the Mets around $110MM after the raises. They entered 2008 near $138MM, so Omar Minaya could have almost $30MM to spend.
Revamping the bullpen is top priority; we discussed some options here. A commenter on that post made a good point – maybe the Mets can’t afford to take the ideal approach to building a bullpen. Overpaying for the sure thing would be justifiable. I’d still sign Brian Fuentes over Francisco Rodriguez though. Fuentes may cost half as much overall while providing a similar performance.
The Mets also need to acquire one starting pitcher. A Randy Wolf type could work, or they could spend additional money for Derek Lowe or A.J. Burnett. Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia could also be appealing. With one reliable addition, it’ll be a solid rotation.
Murphy provides flexibility – he could be the starting left fielder, he could play first in the event of a Delgado exercise n’ trade, or he could replace Castillo at second. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mets go after Raul Ibanez or Juan Rivera, the somewhat reasonable free agent options at left field. I don’t see them getting into the Dunn/Burrell/Manny price range, but you never know.
Castillo is a problem, though I don’t think it’s imperative the Mets get rid of him. It was a bad signing from Day 1, and Castillo pretty much performed as expected in 2008 (decent OBP, no power, questionable defense, injury issues). That is Luis Castillo and it was a year ago. I suppose you could say his defense was even worse than expected and he missed more time than usual. Maybe he can bounce back next year. I wouldn’t assume most of his remaining $18MM just to get Castillo off the roster, but I would entertain swapping him for another bad contract. Heilman is another player who might be trade bait, and he probably has some positive value.
The Mets have an excellent core for ’09 – three good starting pitchers plus Wright, Reyes, Beltran, and Delgado all signed at arguably below-market rates. Minaya just needs to figure out how to allocate his money between a closer (and maybe a second reliever), a starter, and a left fielder.
Mets Closer Situation
It’s well-known the Mets plan to add a closer this winter. Joel Sherman notes that Omar Minaya does not necessarily have to sign Francisco Rodriguez or Brian Fuentes – there are many ways to handle the ninth inning beyond signing one of the two proven closers on the market.
Signing K-Rod or Fuentes is the easy route. Overpay for an established closer who is likely to have a solid 2009, helping fans and media members forget the bullpen woes of 2008.
It’d be bolder to add Kevin Gregg or Huston Street via trade. Both have had ninth-inning success in the past, but were dethroned this year. Street is preferable, as he allows fewer walks. Hopefully Minaya will bring in several arms beyond the veteran closer, and find the next Grant Balfour, Brad Ziegler or Joakim Soria. Easier said than done, I know. But how many times have we seen GMs throw money away assembling free agent bullpens?
Manny Ramirez Notes
A few Manny Ramirez-related links for you today…
- Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News says Ramirez "not-too-seriously" pondered whether he could get a six-year deal. We have seen legitimate reports that Scott Boras wants five years for him.
- Ben Shpigel talked with Manny about the Mets, hinting that they could use a slugger like him next year. Manny kept talking about the ball not carrying well at Shea, even though the Mets won’t be playing there next year.
- Mike Lupica on why the Mets and Yankees should avoid Manny.
Odds and Ends: Beltran, Brewers, Padres
Links for Friday…
- The Padres claimed second baseman Travis Denker off waivers from the Giants. Surprising to see the Giants let him go.
- Ted Berg at MetsBlog explains how a Carlos Beltran rumbling spun out of control.
- I recently did a Brewers Q&A with Bernie’s Crew.
- The Padres called yesterday’s report about John Moores selling his share of the team "highly speculative." Tim Sullivan considers the statement revealing, and notes that this is a bad time to sell.
- Michael S. Schmidt of the New York Times chatted with Scott Boras.
- Mark Cuban mentions that the struggling economy is slowing down the sale of the Cubs.
- Terry Pluto believes the Indians should pursue Brian Roberts.
- David Brown at Yahoo profiles Theo Epstein and Andrew Friedman.
- Freddy Garcia is headed to winter ball. The Tigers will have the first crack at signing him. Andruw Jones will also play winter ball; he seems to want a trade if he’s not a starter next year.
- Elbow surgery for Tom Gordon, which probably means the Phillies will buy out his ’09 option for $1MM.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Greinke, Manny, Burnett
A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…
- Royals Authority feels it will take a Johan Santana-type deal to trade Zack Greinke this offseason.
- Goat Riders Of The Apocalypse takes an in depth look at the Cubs ’09 roster and what changes could be made.
- Mets Geek (or is it Rays Geek?) thinks the most important move for the Mets this winter is to sign Manny Ramirez, but only for three-years and an option.
- River Ave. Blues agree that Manny should only be signed by the Yankees if it can be done for less than five years.
- MetsBlog calls Orlando Hudson a "must sign" this off-season.
- The Chuck Knoblog doesn’t see how the Yankees can sign two big free agent pitchers and a first baseman and still get the payroll down to $180-185MM.
- Drunk Jays Fans does not see any way A.J. Burnett will return to the Jays next season.
- First And Goal From Second Base wants to see the Twins trade Jason Kubel for a reliever.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Hudson, Cano, Mariners GM
Links for Wednesday…
- ESPN’s Jayson Stark reminds us that Manny Ramirez could’ve been traded to the Phillies in July. But the Phils wouldn’t offer Lou Marson, didn’t like the idea of Manny in right field, and were concerned about Ramirez’s hustle.
- Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog gives his early sense of the team’s offseason approach. He doesn’t seem them splurging on one of the big free agent names.
- MLB.com’s Marty Noble heard Orlando Hudson "yearns to play for the Mets" (hat tip to MetsBlog).
- Jamey Newberg believes in the Rangers’ plan.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post doesn’t believe Robinson Cano will be traded, because the Yankees are valuing him as if 2008 did not occur. He names Fausto Carmona as an example of a pitcher the Yanks would not accept for Cano.
- Sherman also notes that Bobby Abreu and the ivy-covered brick wall at Wrigley might not be the best match.
- The Mariners will interview five people for their GM vacancy this week: Peter Woodfork (D’Backs), Jerry DiPoto (D’Backs), Tony Bernazard (Mets), Kim Ng (Dodgers), and Tony LaCava (Blue Jays).
- The Angels signed Korean pitcher Jang Pil-Joong, who just finished serving in the army.
- I did a couple of interviews recently: over the phone with MLB Interviews and over email with Pinstripes Published.
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Hardy, Manny
Let’s take a look at Jon Heyman’s column from yesterday.
- The Yankees will go "all in" for C.C. Sabathia. Heyman sees the Dodgers, Mets, and Giants as other possible suitors.
- Heyman dismisses a rumor of J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, and another player for Matt Cain.
- He predicts a "feeding frenzy" for Hardy. I’m with Heyman though, I wouldn’t be quick to trade him this winter.
- Heyman talked to a GM who feels the Mets will go after Boras client Manny Ramirez. If the five-year demand is accurate, the list of suitors will probably shrink significantly.
- Manny quote: "I gotta thank Scott for bringing me to L.A." Hmmm.