Odds and Ends: Bonds, Crow, Odalis Perez
Links for Tuesday…
- Barry Bonds is enjoying his freedom.
- MLB.com has a list of all the potential free agents. The Dodgers lead with 14, while the Royals and Giants have only two.
- Brewers GM Doug Melvin may get an extension soon.
- Rich Harden will have a shoulder exam soon, which will inform the Cubs’ decision on his $7MM option.
- MLB.com’s Matthew Leach sees the Cardinals letting starter Braden Looper leave, but attempting to re-sign infielder Felipe Lopez.
- The Kansas City Star’s Bill Reiter catches up with Aaron Crow, who is basically just chillin’ right now. MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel says the Royals like Crow, but he may not be around when they draft 12th in 2009.
- Ken Rosenthal agrees that the Rays owe their success to much more than just top draft picks.
- Pete McElroy notes that Odalis Perez would love to re-sign with the Nationals. Perez pitched 159.2 respectable innings but earned less than a million bucks.
- Eddie Bajek has his final Elias rankings for NL relievers. Type As: Ryan Dempster, Russ Springer, Juan Cruz, Doug Brocail, Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood, and Jason Isringhausen. Type Bs: Joe Beimel, Jeremy Affeldt, Brian Shouse, Bob Howry, David Weathers, Trevor Hoffman, Eric Gagne, and Brandon Lyon. If one of these players is offered arbitration, turns it down, and signs elsewhere, his old team gets one or two draft picks.
- MLB.com’s Spencer Fordin doesn’t see the need for the Orioles to sign Jeremy Guthrie to a long-term deal this winter.
Drama Over Pedro Alvarez Contract
4:51pm: Jim Callis’ analysis is a must-read at Baseball America. There is a legitimate chance Alvarez is treated as if he didn’t sign, and will become eligible for the ’09 draft.
2:08pm: Jonathan Mayo, Jenifer Langosch, and Kevin Goldstein dig up more details. Turns out Hosmer turned down $5.5MM prior to the deadline, but agreed to $6MM during an MLB-approved extension. The Nats may have had an extension for Aaron Crow as well.
THURSDAY, 8:19am: MLB and the Pirates say the grievance is without merit, while Boras says the Bucs violated MLB’s rules and need to "come clean." Dejan Kovacevic says the sides have not yet discussed the idea of more money, dismissing the idea that Boras demanded another $200K. An arbitrator will make a binding decision on this case on September 10th. Most believe Alvarez will remain a Pirate with a $6MM bonus.
By the way, Royals GM Dayton Moore is not concerned about Hosmer’s contract.
WEDNESDAY, 5:07pm: MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo has been digging all day on this topic. Many questions remain, but it’s a good read.
2:27pm: Baseball America’s Jim Callis offered thoughts on the situation in a chat today. He heard Hosmer was granted an extension by MLB, and signed a bit after the deadline. Alvarez may have been granted one as well. Alvarez apparently took control of the negotiations toward the end, which may be the cause for Boras’ complaint. A similar situation happened in ’93 with A-Rod, and the grievance didn’t go anywhere.
Also, it should be noted that the Players Association filed the grievance, not Scott Boras.
2:07pm: MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch talked to a source who said Boras wants another $200K, so that Alvarez’s bonus matches Buster Posey‘s.
12:57pm: Turns out Pedro Alvarez has not reported to the Pirates yet for a reason – the Players Association filed a grievance on his behalf today. They’re saying Alvarez verbally agreed to his $6MM bonus after the midnight deadline on August 15th. Scott Boras informed the Pirates that Alvarez will not sign the contract unless it is renegotiated at a higher number. Royals top pick Eric Hosmer may also become tangled up in this mess, since his contract was submitted after Alvarez.
The Pirates issued a statement, showing their displeasure with Boras’ tactics but expressing confidence the grievance will be dropped. The team also indicates disappointment with Alvarez himself, as he ultimately approved this grievance. In a way, it seems like Boras is taking a stand in general against the idea of the midnight deadline.
Aaron Crow’s Perspective
Jim Bowden and the Nationals failed to sign first round draft pick Aaron Crow over a mere $900K. The process was a sticky one, to say the least.
Eric SanInocencio, host of Baseball Digest Daily Live, sat down with Crow yesterday for an intriguing podcast and got his perspective in the failed negotiations. The interview is about 15 minutes into the show:
- Crow said the process was an emotional roller coaster, but was content with the resolution. In dealing with Washington and the way they handled the process and communicated with him and his family, he began to realize he’d be better off next year dealing with any of the other 29 clubs. According to Crow, after speaking with Jim Bowden and being congratulated for being picked, he "didn’t hear back from him for… the whole rest of that month."
- Crow didn’t seek advice with former Missouri teammate Max Scherzer, or Luke Hochevar, figuring it worked out for them so it’d work out for him. He said he put himself up against those guys, believing in himself, "believing in a similar outcome as well."
- He admitted to seeking a major league deal that would put immediately on the 40-man roster. According to Jim Bowden, when he asked the rationale was behind such a deal, Crow’s agents, the Hendricks, failed to respond. In the end, their insistence on a major league deal was dropped but Bowden would not meet the $4.4MM asking price.
- When asked if he would accept a situation in which the Nationals drafted him again next year, Crow said he "would prefer if they stayed away from me and drafted somebody else. I’d be a lot more comfortable and would work out better for both of us if they just decided to go with other players."
Draft Reactions: Nationals
The dust has settled on the 2008 amateur draft. The Nationals, Pirates, and Royals had storylines worthy of a closer look.
The Nationals failed to sign their first round pick, college righty Aaron Crow. Crow might’ve completely skipped the minors had he signed. ESPN’s Keith Law considers the Crow situation a major blunder for the organization. The Washington Post learned the details via a lengthy Q&A with GM Jim Bowden. Here are some highlights:
- Crow is represented by Randy and Alan Hendricks, and much of the discussion occurred over email. Last Tuesday the Nats were told it’d take a $9MM big league deal. Bowden wanted the Hendricks brothers to explain the rationale behind that figure, but the Hendricks brothers did not provide it.
- Law blames the Nationals for not properly gauging Crow’s signability before the draft. That point comes up in the Q&A but Bowden does not provide a clear answer on how he gauges signability. He mentions that they knew they couldn’t afford Rick Porcello last year, but doesn’t explain why they thought they could afford Crow.
- The Nats were offering $2.25MM on a minor league deal until Brian Matusz signed Friday, six hours before the deadline. Matusz got a $3.5MM Major League deal. Bowden called and said he’d do a deal within that framework, but the Hendricks were not interested.
- At one point Bowden gave in and offered a Major League deal, but this offer was by the boards at 6:30pm on deadline day. That’s because the Nats would not have had enough time to give Crow a physical, and a big league contract can’t be voided. Both sides seemed to understand this.
- 15 minutes before the deadline, Crow’s agents dropped their demand to $4.4MM on a minor league deal. In the last few minutes the Nats offered $3.3MM, and then went to $3.5MM over the phone at the buzzer. Needless to say the offer was not accepted, and the Nats lost Crow over $900K.
- I agree with Bowden’s implication that the Hendricks brothers didn’t do a great job here – their client now has to play for the Fort Worth Cats for a year when he could’ve been in the Major Leagues. This looks ugly for both sides, and neither agents nor teams seem happy with the idea of a midnight deadline.
- It’s fair to consider Bowden on thin ice. The FBI investigation, public mention of his plan to non-tender Chad Cordero, and many of his contract extensions form a poor resume coupled with the Crow situation.
Nationals Fail To Sign Aaron Crow
FRIDAY: Baseball America’s Jim Callis says the Nationals failed to sign Crow. The Nats were at $3.3MM and Crow’s agents at $4MM. So, the Nats missed out on a quality pitching prospect over a matter of $700K.
The Nationals signed 15th rounder J.P. Ramirez to an above-slot deal as a consolation prize.
THURSDAY: According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Nationals top draft pick Aaron Crow signed a contract with the Fort Worth Cats yesterday. Crow’s agent says he and Jim Bowden don’t have anything more to discuss.
As Ricky Treon points out, this could still go either way. As of right now it seems like Crow still wants a Major League contract and the Nats won’t do it.
Draft Roundup: Crow, Matusz, Alvarez
The deadline to sign ’08 draft picks is 11pm CST on Friday. Here are the latest rumors.
- MLB.com’s Kevin Czerwinski has a new summary of the unsigned first rounders.
- The Nationals and Aaron Crow are not close. It’s been said Crow wants a Major League deal in the $8-10MM range.
- The Orioles are reluctant to give a big league deal to Brian Matusz.
- John Perrotto expects Pedro Alvarez to sign at the last minute. Dejan Kovacevic dismisses the notion that it would be OK for the Pirates to shrug off signing Alvarez and take next year’s #3 pick.
- The August 15th deadline doesn’t apply to Mariners top pick Joshua Fields, since he was a college senior.
Odds and Ends: Delgado, Heilman, Teixeira, Alvarez
Time for today’s linkage.
- Geoff Baker tries to determine who "won" the Jose Vidro trade.
- Ken Davidoff doesn’t expect anyone of value to clear waivers. We didn’t have much August trade action last year either. Some decent names were dealt in August of ’06 though – David Wells, Shawn Green, Jamie Moyer, Livan Hernandez, Ryan Franklin, Eric Hinske, and Scott Schoeweneis.
- The Mets can retain Carlos Delgado for ’09 at essentially $8MM, since there’s a hefty $4MM buyout on his $12MM option. Back in May Delgado’s agent said it was a $16MM option. However, MetsBlog‘s Matthew Cerrone told me that is only the case with a top five MVP finish.
- Joel Sherman wonders whether Aaron Heilman will be a non-tender candidate this winter. Seems unlikely; he won’t be that expensive.
- Mark Teixeira‘s three favorite places to play are New York, Seattle, and Anaheim, for what it’s worth.
- Yahoo’s Kevin Kaduk considers "Dr. James Andrews" the worst three words in baseball. He also lists some other three-word contenders.
- The Pirates will not "grossly exceed" the market to sign Pedro Alvarez. They seem to be hoping Scott Boras will come down to the $4-6MM net present value range on August 15th.
- The Nationals are thinking around $2.15MM for Aaron Crow.
- RotoAuthority discusses trading injured players in fantasy leagues.
Draft Update: Crow, Alvarez, Matusz
MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo reminds us of baseball’s next deadline: this year’s draft picks must be signed by end of day August 15th. Mayo provides links updating progress on unsigned top ten picks Pedro Alvarez, Eric Hosmer, Yonder Alonso, and Aaron Crow. No news on Gordon Beckham.
- Roch Kubatko says both the Orioles and Brian Matusz remain confident a deal will be done. No hard feelings on either side regarding the delay.
- Based on this Q&A with Nationals GM Jim Bowden, talks with Crow apparently haven’t gotten too far.
- As for Alvarez, the Pirates have a dollar figure they’d prefer not to exceed.
Draft Roundup: Skipworth, Crow, Hosmer
Got a few draft items today, so let’s put them into one post.
- According to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, the Marlins have signed top draft pick Kyle Skipworth to a $2.3MM bonus. There was never any doubt. Skipworth, a high school catcher, was chosen sixth overall. This video gives a brief look at the kid.
- Negotiations are dragging between the Nationals and Aaron Crow, disappointing GM Jim Bowden.
- No deal is imminent for the Royals and top pick Eric Hosmer.
Draft Day Roundup
The draft is just four hours away. We’ll be live-blogging it here at MLBTR. Here are today’s draft links.
- Baseball America’s brand new top 30 projections.
- According to Keith Law, Mariners doctors gave the thumbs up on Tanner Scheppers and the team could take him at #20.
- Law says the Nationals seem to be debating between Kyle Skipworth and Aaron Crow at #9.
- Law adds that first baseman Yonder Alonso has an $8MM rumored asking price, which could cause him to drop. Alonso is roughly the 11th-best player in the draft, combining various expert rankings.
- Speaking of huge demands, Buster Posey‘s people are floating $12MM. Perhaps for that reason, the Rays will go with Tim Beckham.
- The Pirates seem a near-lock to take Pedro Alvarez at #2.
- Jonathan Mayo is "fairly certain" the Reds will take Gordon Beckham at #7.
- Nick Piecoro tosses out some possibilities for the D’Backs at #26.
- Tom Haudricourt has three names for the Brewers at #16.