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Albert Pujols

Cafardo On Fielder, Wood, DeJesus

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Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe would like to see the Red Sox acquire a marquee player in his prime.  Let's dive in and check out the tidbits that he has for us today..

  • The Red Sox will shed a great deal of payroll this offseason thanks in large part to David Ortiz and Mike Lowell coming off of the books.  MLBTR's Tim Dierkes examined the team's 2011 contract issues recently, suggesting $40MM could be freed up.  With that newfound breathing room, Cafardo writes that the BoSox would like to zero in on one of three elite first basemen this winter.  While he anticipates Albert Pujols remaining in St. Louis, he says that Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez could be acquired via in-season trades.
  • If Kerry Wood can show that he's healthy, he should be able to attract a contending team as we approach the trade deadline.  Wood was recalled from his rehab assignment in Akron on Friday.  The 32-year-old is set to make $10.5MM this season but if a team were to trade for him they would only have to assume the prorated portion of that.
  • David DeJesus is "more than available" for teams seeking a lefty outfield bat.  In return, the Royals would seek bullpen help and a positional prospect.  Kansas City was said to be expecting serious interest in DeJesus this winter.  The 31-year-old earns $4.5MM this season with a $6MM option for next season.
  • While there's still some skepticism in Houston that Lance Berkman would really leave the organization, one Astros organizational person opined that the 34-year-old would "fit Boston like a fiddle".  However, considering his advanced age and his offensive struggles this season, he's an unlikely fit for the club at present.  Meanwhile, Cafardo mentions the Mariners and White Sox as teams that could really use a bat like Berkman's.
  • Meanwhile, Jeremy Hermida is an outfielder that would seem to fit Seattle, though it doesn't appear that the Red Sox would entertain offers for him right now.

Agent: Pujols “On An Island By Himself”

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Albert Pujols' representation hinted on Friday what their expectations might be for a long-term contract, writes Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Asked about how Ryan Howard's extension would impact Pujols' negotiations, agent Dan Lozano of Beverly Hills Sports Council indicated that Howard's deal wouldn't necessarily be used as a baseline:

"We have to pay attention to any significant multi-year deal, especially one signed by a big first baseman. But the reality is that there are no comparables for Albert. He is on an island by himself."

The 30-year-old slugger said over the winter that he might be willing to give the Cardinals a discount if it helped the team improve, but the Howard deal calls into question what would qualify as a "discount." According to Strauss, rival executives believe the annual value of Pujols' next contract will top Alex Rodriguez's $27.5MM average yearly salary and could approach or exceed $30MM.

Although the Cardinals say they've budgeted a hypothetical Pujols extension into their payroll projections for the next five years, it's unclear exactly what figures they're using. If Pujols receives close to $30MM annually, St. Louis would be paying over $45MM per season to their two stars, Pujols and Matt Holliday. For an organization whose opening day payroll has never exceeded $100MM, that would represent an enormous commitment.

Heyman On Fielder, Pujols, Adrian

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Some tidbits from Jon Heyman on the early edition of MLB Tonight on the MLB Network,..

  • Heyman doesn't envision the Brewers getting a deal done with Prince Fielder.  While he was complimentary towards club owner Mark Attanasio, he doesn't see Milwaukee ponying up the $25MM a year that it will likely take to hang on to him.  This means that they'll have to trade him at the end of next year or let walk as a free agent.
  • Meanwhile, he believes that Albert Pujols is now in line to receive a contract worth $30MM per season, perhaps up to eight years.  The two sides tabled negotiations in March but will resume after the season.
  • Even though the Padres are currently in first place in the NL West, Heyman believes that the club will deal Adrian Gonzalez.  Heyman says it's unlikely that San Diego will allow their payroll to balloon in great excess of $50MM and therefore a re-up of Gonzalez won't fit in the budget.

Heyman On Howard, Pujols, Adrian, Werth

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The latest hot stove thoughts from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • The people Heyman talked to feel that with Ryan Howard averaging $25MM a year starting in 2012, a contract discussion for Albert Pujols has to start at $30MM a year.
  • Heyman says that "the belief among skeptics of the deal that [the Howard extension] was an obvious overpay isn't reflected one bit among baseball people."  Of course, there are hundreds of baseball people, and the ones I've spoken to agree with the skeptics.
  • Adrian Gonzalez's agent John Boggs said, "We're just kind of innocent bystanders," noting that the Padres have not made contact about an extension.
  • Jayson Werth's agent Jeff Borris believes his client will be "the premier free agent outfielder" if he doesn't sign an extension.  Looking at the list, only Carl Crawford would have an argument.  Heyman says there's a "belief around baseball" that Werth will be seeking $100MM.  Previously we've heard suggestions of the four-year, $66MM Jason Bay range.
  • Heyman says Stephen Strasburg has a contract clause that "permits 100 innings at the major-league level this year."  I haven't heard of any clauses of that nature before, but Strasburg and Scott Boras is a powerful pairing.

What Does The Howard Extension Mean For Other Players?

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The early verdict on Ryan Howard's five-year, $125MM contract extension isn't pretty from the point of view of several pundits, but the deal has to be great news for other slugging first basemen who may soon be hitting the free agent market.  Here are some opinions on how Howard's contract will impact other major players…

  • Fanhouse's Tom Krasovic spoke to John Boggs, who represents Adrian Gonzalez.  Boggs feels that "[Howard's deal] bodes well for Adrian Gonzalez, because it validates the fact that he's worth that kind of money or more."  Boggs noted that there have been no talks of an extension with the Padres, who have a $5.5MM club option on Gonzalez for the 2011 season that they're sure to exercise.  Given Gonzalez's youth (he will be 29 when he hits free agency), great away splits (his lifetime line of .264/.365/.443 at PETCO Park is well below his .282/.364/.510 career line) and steadily improving glove (he has posted positive UZR/150 numbers over the last two years), he looks to be a strong bet to get a contract larger than Howard's from a team other than San Diego.
  • Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch looks at Howard's place in largest-contract history, and notes that Albert Pujols "figures to zoom by" the Phillies' slugger.  Indeed, if the Cardinals had signed Pujols to a five-year, $125MM extension, they would be doing jumping jacks in St. Louis right now.  The Cardinals have a no-brainer $16MM option on Pujols for 2011, and no matter if Pujols re-signs in St. Louis or goes elsewhere, he'll be looking at a contract with an average annual value of over $30MM.  Braves manager Bobby Cox told Goold Pujols is worth $50MM a year in light of Howard's deal. 
  • Prince Fielder is eliglble for arbitration this winter and can also be a free agent after the 2011 season.  We've already heard whispers about the size of the deal that Fielder is looking for, and he will be just 27 when he hits the free agent market.  Fielder, however, has to deal with question marks about his long-term fitness and his fielding ability (a -6.2 career UZR/150), but agent Scott Boras will no doubt have his best counter-argument prepared to rebut those concerns.  With Boras at the negotiating table, it's very unlikely the Brewers will get a hometown discount.
  • Pablo Sandoval is under San Francisco's control through 2014, but Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News points out that Howard's extension is a "great lesson" to Sandoval that getting in better shape can lead to bigger money in the future.

Largest Contracts By Service Time

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When Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo signed his five year, $30.1MM extension earlier today, it marked the largest contract ever signed by a pitcher with less than three years of service time.

Let's look at the richest contracts by service time, in terms of guaranteed money…

Less Than One Year
Position Player: Ryan Braun. Eight years, $45MM
Pitcher: C.C. Sabathia. Four years, $9.5MM.

One To Two Years
Position Player: Chris Young. Five years, $28MM.
Pitcher: Fausto Carmona. Four years, $15MM.

Two To Three Years
Position Player: Hanley Ramirez. Six years, $70MM.
Pitcher: Yovani Gallardo.  Five years, $30.1MM.

Three To Four Years
Position Player: Albert Pujols. Seven years, $100MM. 
Pitcher: Scott Kazmir. Three years, $28.5MM.

Four To Five Years
Position Player: Miguel Cabrera. Eight years, $152.3MM.
Pitcher: Justin Verlander. Five years, $80MM.

Five To Six Years
Position Player: Derek Jeter. Ten years, $189MM.
Pitcher: Jake Peavy. Three years, $52MM. 

Six-plus Years
Position Player: Alex Rodriguez. Ten years, $275MM.
Pitcher: C.C. Sabathia. Seven years, $171MM.

Some thoughts…

  • The most regrettable deals were signed very early in the player's career, Young and Carmona. Might be a lesson in using up those pre-arbitration years before taking the plunge.
  • The largest contract signed by a position player with less than one year of service time after Braun's deal is Evan Longoria's, which will pay him just $17.5MM over six years. Is Braun overpaid, or is Longoria underpaid? I think the answer is clear.
  • Sabathia's four year, $9.5MM deal nearly tripled Roy Halladay's three year, $3.7MM deal with Toronto, which was the previous record for a pitcher with less an a year of service time.
  • One only of the above contracts has expired.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

Stark On Free Agent Starters, Harper, Calero

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ESPN's Jayson Stark leads his latest column by explaining why realignment doesn't make sense, and how it'd be shortsighted to make changes based on the Yankees and Red Sox.  On to his hot stove rumblings…

  • One GM's rankings of the five 2011 free agent starters likely to sign multiyear deals: Cliff Lee, Javier Vazquez, Jorge de la Rosa, Aaron Harang, and Ted Lilly.  Health risks and one-year deal types were considered separately.  De La Rosa, who recently turned 29, will be an interesting contract year pitcher to follow.  He makes his season debut Friday afternoon against the Padres.
  • One exec explained that Bryce Harper is not in the same class as guys like Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. were when they were drafted.
  • Why did Kiko Calero find little interest on the free agent market after a strong 2009?  Said one exec: "The medicals are so bad that everybody's wary."
  • An official of a big market club feels that Albert Pujols will ask for Alex Rodriguez money, rather than Joe Mauer/Mark Teixeira dollars.  That exec feels it's obvious the Cardinals will find a way to sign Pujols, even at that price.

Pujols Extension Talks Tabled Until Winter

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Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting (via Twitter) that discussions between Albert Pujols and the Cardinals about a contract extension have "evaporated" for the time being.  Further negotiation will have to wait until after the 2010 season.

Nothing weighs heavier on the minds of Cards fans than the idea that the team might not be able to lock up their franchise player beyond his current deal, but this latest news shouldn't be too much of a cause for concern.  Pujols has already stated that he didn't want negotiations to reach into the season, lest they become a distraction.  The slugger is under team control through 2011 (the Cardinals will obviously pick up Pujols' $16MM option for 2011) so there is still plenty of time for the two sides to reach an agreement. 

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Jays, Bell, Davis, Dunn

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On this date in 2002, the Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network launched. Although the regional network barely broke even that year, YES has gone on to generate millions in revenue, much of which goes right into the Yankees' pockets. As recently as 2008, there was talk that the network was worth more than the team itself.

After you wrap your head around that, here are some links to check out from around the baseball blogosphere…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

Odds & Ends: Lo Duca, Pujols, Strasburg, Guzman

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Links for Thursday…

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