Abreu Wants At Least Three Years
According to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, right fielder Bobby Abreu wants at least a three-year contract as he heads toward free agency for the first time in his career.
Abreu prefers to remain with the Yankees, but he does not want a one-year deal. He certainly wouldn’t have to settle for that on the open market. The general consensus is that the Yanks will offer Abreu arbitration and be content with compensatory draft picks if and when he turns it down.
Abreu, 34, hit .296/.371/.471 in 684 plate appearances this year. The average AL right fielder hit .282/.351/.459. Abreu’s defense rates poorly; he cost the Yankees 24 bases (16 plays) compared to the average right fielder this year. Franklin Gutierrez led right fielders by saving 29 bases above average.
Speculative possible suitors for Abreu this winter: the Rays, Royals, Braves, Mets, Cubs, and Reds.
Speculating On The Yankees: McLouth and Lowe
The New York Post and Daily News are providing us with some ideas on what’s being considered by the front office in the Bronx this off-season.
George A. King III of the Post writes that the Yankees and Pirates have not yet discussed the possibility of Nate McLouth roaming center field when the new Stadium opens in 2009.
Pirates GM Neal Huntington has declared nobody is untouchable, and the Pirates are looking to upgrade a poor minor league system and major league talent base, so McLouth’s name has been tossed around. The Yankees are in the market for a center fielder.
Thanks to increased playing time, McLouth easily surpassed his previous career highs in HR, RBI, R, and doubles this year, but it also doesn’t appear to have been a fluke. He’s always been able to take a walk and his increased power (career high .497 SLG%) seems sustainable considering his age (will be 27 on Opening Day ’09). Although I don’t think that he’s as strong defensively as Melky Cabrera has been, he’s definitely an offensive upgrade.
Next, the Daily News’ Anthony McCarron wonders if Derek Lowe might be in pinstripes next year. Yankees manager Joe Girardi has stated that the team needs some pitchers capable of throwing 200-plus innings, and McCarron thinks that the 35-year old righty fits the bill.
Lowe is just the kind of pitcher the Yankees want to insert into their rotation – a durable winner with a playoff pedigree.
I suppose a lot of this will depend on what Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte decide to do. If those two retire or leave via free agency, the Yankees will have a very young rotation as of right now. Do the Yankees need a guy like Lowe, an aging Boras client coming off one of the best seasons of his twelve-year career?
Paul Moro writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: Paul {at} umpbump {dot} com.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Holliday, Teixeira, Mussina
A look at what is being written around the Blogosphere…
- MetsBlog recognizes that Francisco Rodriguez will improve the team and appease fans, but is not sure he is worth a four or five-year deal.
- Mets Geek projects the Mets ’09 roster and looks at some options from outside the organization with Pat Burrell and Derek Lowe being the biggest offseason targets.
- Was Watching says bringing back Brian Cashman was a mistake.
- River Ave. Blues assesses the Matt Holliday market and feels that Phil Hughes and Robinson Cano for Holliday "doesn’t make much sense."
- Sox and Pinstripes provides an in-depth preview of the upcoming offseasons for the Yankees and Red Sox and wonders if Theo Epstein can convince the Rockies to take J.D. Drew and a top prospect for Matt Holliday.
- iYankees notes that Brian Cashman wants to make the Yankees’ OBP a priority this winter and feels Mark Teixeira fits the bill.
- Oriole Post does not want to see Mike Mussina return to the O’s and would prefer they "stay the course" with young players.
- C70 At The Bat takes a look at the Cardinals’ decision to sign Kyle Lohse and what it could mean for the offseason ahead.
- Viva el Birdos projects the Cardinals ’09 roster and payroll.
- McCovey Chronicles reacts to some quotes from Brian Sabean and what they mean for the Giants’ offseason.
- Newberg Report thinks the price for the Rangers to acquire Jake Peavy would be too high, even if he’d waive his no-trade clause to go there.
- Athletics Nation sees no point in signing Jason Giambi.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Lowe, Redmond, Timlin
Linkage for Friday…
- River Ave. Blues discovered that Mike Mussina‘s wife may be a bigger factor than we thought in regard to his retirement decision.
- David O’Brien tosses out some names for the Braves to consider: Derek Lowe, Matt Cain, Roy Oswalt, and Josh Willingham. Everyone likes Lowe…Anthony McCarron says the Yankees and Mets should consider him. Those clubs could also enter a bidding war for C.C. Sabathia, says Bob Klapisch. Will C.C.’s postseason record diminish his contract? I don’t think so.
- Greg Couch doesn’t want Javier Vazquez pitching for the White Sox again. Maybe Ozzie is right, Vazquez is not a big-game pitcher. But why say that publicly?
- Joe Christensen seems certain the Twins will exercise Mike Redmond‘s $950K option.
- Chris Carpenter‘s shoulder injury is unprecedented among pitchers. Do the Cardinals need to add veteran rotation insurance? Speaking of unprecedented procedures…Takashi Saito had platelet-rich plasma injected into his elbow in July.
- Joe Starkey thinks the Pirates should…non-tender Adam LaRoche?
- Mike Timlin could retire.
- Huge E-Ticket Manny Ramirez feature from Bill Simmons, wherein Scott Boras is blamed for his Boston exit. Good read.
Possible Cano Suitors
Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano‘s name comes up often in MLBTR chats and comment threads. Ken Rosenthal confirmed multiple clubs have expressed interest in Cano, and the Yankees will probably seek starting pitching in return (though a center fielder could also make sense). Cano won’t necessarily be traded, but let’s discuss some possible suitors.
- Orioles: If they move Brian Roberts, whether to the Yankees or another team. But the Orioles don’t have starting pitching to trade for Cano.
- White Sox: Cano is signed through 2011, and top ’08 draft pick Gordon Beckham should be ready before then (with Alexei Ramirez perhaps moving to short). Still, GM Kenny Williams is unpredictable.
- Indians: They have a vacancy at second, but wouldn’t trade Fausto Carmona or Cliff Lee for Cano.
- Tigers: With Placido Polanco signed through ’09, Cano could be a longer-term solution. Like most teams, the Tigers do not have good starting pitching to spare.
- Mets: Many believe the Mets intend to replace Luis Castillo this winter. But they can’t give up Mike Pelfrey for Cano.
- Brewers: If Rickie Weeks doesn’t get another shot, the Brewers might have the need. But again, what starter would they move?
- Pirates: They might move Freddy Sanchez this winter. I could almost see Ian Snell being floated for Cano, but not Paul Maholm or Nate McLouth.
- Cardinals: Adam Kennedy wants out, though Felipe Lopez may be re-signed. I don’t really see a match with Cano.
- Dodgers: The Cano for Matt Kemp rumor is popular, mostly with Yankees fans. But who would replace Kemp? Why would Ned Colletti trade his center fielder for a second baseman? Blake DeWitt seems capable.
- Giants: They have viable second base candidates in-house. I suppose it’s possible Jonathan Sanchez could be pried loose.
- Rockies: The Rockies seem likely to go with Clint Barmes at second, and are in the market for starting pitching. Cano wouldn’t be the right return in a Matt Holliday deal.
- Diamondbacks: Second base is a question mark with Hudson eligible for free agency. The D’Backs could spare Eric Byrnes, but Cano is obviously more valuable.
- Twins: Aaron Gleeman mentioned to me that the Twins could move Alexi Casilla to short and pursue Cano. He added that Cano’s name came up in the Johan Santana talks. Good points, and the Twins do have a wealth of young starting pitching.
Rosenthal’s Latest: Vlad, Cano, Peavy, Hardy
Today we have a fresh column from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- Vladimir Guerrero‘s $15MM option for ’09 is a lock, but perhaps the Angels will reconsider extending him beyond that. Some of the money could be used to make Mark Teixeira the next franchise player.
- Rosenthal says "virtually every club with a need at the position" has shown interest in second baseman Robinson Cano. If you give Cano a mulligan for April, he hit .297/.326/.448 in 2008. That seems like a reasonable American League projection going forward. Cano, 26 in a few weeks, is signed through 2011 with two club options beyond that. The Yankees would look for a starting pitcher in return.
- Rosenthal agrees the Padres will explore the trade market for ace Jake Peavy. He expects Kevin Towers to wait until the big-name free agent starters sign, which will accentuate the relative affordability of Peavy’s contract (basically four years, $63MM).
- Rosenthal says Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy knows he is likely to be traded to make room for prospect Alcides Escobar. It’d be a reasonable move, but only if Escobar proves he is a capable replacement.
- Pat Gillick told Rosenthal he will not be returning as Phillies GM next year, despite recent speculation.
Olney’s Latest: Yankees, Cashman, Giambi
A few hot stove notes from ESPN’s Buster Olney…
- Olney heard the Yankees’ 2009 payroll will be in the $180MM range, down $29MM or so from this year.
- The Yankees didn’t need to negotiate dollars with Brian Cashman…it was just a matter of whether he wanted to come back.
- Olney can see Jason Giambi returning to the A’s "if the money can be worked out." Does two years, $20MM sound right? A Giambi signing would either push Daric Barton to the bench or Jack Cust to left field.
Odds and Ends: Cabrera, Sabathia, Gillick
Your hot stove links for Thursday…
- Ken Fidlin of the Toronto Sun thinks the Blue Jays should consider Rafael Furcal. I concur. But even after missing most of ’08, Furcal probably won’t have to take a one-year deal unless he wants to.
- Phillies GM Pat Gillick didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to Toronto as the team president.
- River Ave. Blues doesn’t see the Yankees or Red Sox acquiring Matt Holliday.
- The Mariners are down to 10-12 names in their GM seach, before conducting a single interview.
- David Steele of the Baltimore Sun wants the Orioles to give Daniel Cabrera one more chance. Cabrera is arbitration-eligible and should earn at least $3MM in 2009.
- Jim Baumbach of Newsday looks at free agent considerations for the Yankees and Mets.
- Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says there are indications the Giants will gauge C.C. Sabathia‘s interest in signing with them. I would be surprised to see the Giants win the bidding.
- Angels owner Arte Moreno seems willing to stretch payroll past $124MM for the right players. The Angels’ postseason performance will be a big factor.
- Central Maine Sports Blog talked to Gary Carter, Buster Olney, Brad Wilkerson, and others about the Montreal Expos.
Cashman Comments
Peter Abraham has interesting quotes from Yankees GM Brian Cashman:
- The Yankees are trying to improve their process for scouting Japan. Thinking back to Kei Igawa in ’06…that seemed like a direct response to the Red Sox getting Daisuke Matsuzaka.
- Cashman thinks Mike Mussina is leaning toward retirement. That would complicate Cashman’s situation.
- It seems that Hal Steinbrenner has gotten Hank under control, which would make Cashman’s job easier. There will be no advisory board, by the way.
- Joel Sherman says Cashman is now fighting for his reputation.
- Cashman cautioned fans against getting too attached to any one free agent. He may have been implying C.C. Sabathia.
Odds and Ends: LaCava, Colletti, Andruw
Links for Wednesday…
- I did a Q&A with the Roselle Press. The article includes a sweet picture of me hacking the Internet.
- Greg Cote of the Miami Herald speculates on the new-look 2009 Marlins. If defense is a goal, they could look to acquire Adrian Beltre and try Jorge Cantu at first base. Randy Winn could improve the defense in right.
- John Fay runs through the Reds’ nine free agents. He believes Jerry Hairston Jr. wants to return.
- Brian Cashman wants to acquire a real first baseman, rather than have Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui spend time there.
- The Mariners received permission to interview Blue Jays assistant GM Tony LaCava, according to Geoff Baker.
- It’s still not known whether the Dodgers will bring GM Ned Colletti back for the final year of his contract. Interesting note from ESPN’s Buster Olney – the Andruw Jones signing was engineered by owner Frank McCourt rather than Colletti.
- Olney feels Brian Cashman is more likely to pursue Derek Lowe than Mark Teixeira.
- Will Joe Girardi’s presence discourage free agents from signing with the Yankees?
- McCovey Chronicles sees the Giants trading for a second or third baseman this winter. I tossed out a bunch of names in my Offseason Outlook.
- Pedro Alvarez clammed up when asked precisely what time he accepted the original deal from the Pirates.
- MetsBlog tries to figure out whether Ryan Church loves or hates New York.
- Oliver Perez predicts a tough offseason following the Mets’ final-day elimination. On the bright side, he stands to earn a ridiculous amount of money as a free agent.