Poll: The Padres And Heath Bell
It came as something of a surprise when the Padres retained closer Heath Bell at Sunday's non-waiver trade deadline. A pending free agent on a small-market club, Bell was considered the favorite among relievers on this July's trade market to find a new home.
However, no suitor could meet the Padres' asking price, apparently, which is reported to have been some player (or players) the Friars deemed to be of equal value to the two compensatory draft picks they'd receive in the offseason if Bell were to sign elsewhere after turning down arbitration.
The situation has grown complicated for the Padres, however, as Buster Olney of ESPN.com and Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com explained in separate pieces today. After the deadline, Bell said he'd accept arbitration if the Padres offered it to him, which would not be cost effective for a team on a tight budget. After all, Bell, 34 in September, could earn as much as $12-13MM in 2012 after another trip through arbitration.
The Padres also don't seem especially inclined to offer him a long-term deal — even at a discount — because he's said since Spring Training that he'd take one, and yet none has come to fruition. The others options are to trade him this month after putting him on waivers, which is not easy and compromises bargaining leverage, or to perhaps release Bell after going through arbitration if the price is exorbitant, a scenario put forth by Tom Krasovic of Inside The Padres.
If you're wondering about the fantasy ramifications of this situation, check out the post I wrote up today over at CloserNews.com.
Anyway, what would you do if you were the Padres?
How would you handle Heath Bell?
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Sign him to an extension - he's worth it for two or three years at below-market value 44% (2,897)
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Trade him in August - dump the rest of his salary and hopefully recoup a decent player 28% (1,869)
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Offer him arbitration - stomach the big salary for one year 23% (1,488)
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Let him walk without offering arbitration 5% (330)
Total votes: 6,584
Quick Hits: Indians, Bedard, Braves, Phillies
Links for Thursday, before the Pirates try to reach the .500 mark and the Indians try to climb above it…
- One GM told Tim Kurkjian of ESPN The Magazine that the Indians gave up an awful lot to get Ubaldo Jimenez, "a guy you're just not sure about." However, reliever Frank Herrmann told Kurkjian that he believes in Cleveland's GM. "We're not going to meddle in the way the front office works," Hermann said. "I would be upset if Chris Antonetti came down to the clubhouse and told me how to hold my curveball."
- Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports that the Red Sox never stopped pursuing Erik Bedard throughout their negotiations for Jimenez, Hiroki Kuroda and Rich Harden.
- Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton told Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com that the Rangers want to prove that last year's World Series run was just the beginning. "We want to show we belong there, that it wasn't a fluke," Hamilton said.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Padres should have traded Heath Bell by now or signed him to an extension. Their best remaining option is to trade him this August, even though they have significantly less leverage than they did a month ago, Rosenthal says.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle can envision the Astros winning as many as 90 games in 2013 – but he can also envision three consecutive 100-loss seasons.
- The Braves and Phillies will likely reinforce their bullpens internally, as Rosenthal explains. The Braves would like to add a right-hander and Peter Moylan, who is returning from back surgery, and minor leaguers Arodys Vizcaino and Julio Teheran are options. The Phillies, meanwhile, are looking forward to the return of Jose Contreras.
Olney On Bell, Goldschmidt, Cuddyer
The latest MLB news and rumors from ESPN.com’s Buster Olney…
- Rival evaluators believe the Padres made a major mistake in not trading Heath Bell at the deadline, according to Olney. If the closer accepts arbitration, as he says he would, the small market Padres will be burdened with a big contract. And if they don’t offer arbitration, the Padres won’t get anything for losing Bell.
- The Twins want to keep hot-hitting Michael Cuddyer after the season, according to Olney (on Twitter). The versatile Cuddyer hits free agency this winter.
- Arizona GM Kevin Towers told Olney that he was impressed by Paul Goldschmidt's power and work ethic in Spring Training. The rookie first baseman homered against Tim Lincecum Tuesday and Towers says he'll be able to cope when things aren't going so well. "He's not a kid who's going to start hanging his head if he gets a couple of oh-fers," Towers said.
Padres Notes: Bell, Erlin, Wieland, Draft Picks
It was on this day in 1995 when the Padres exploded for 11 runs in the eighth inning to notch an 11-3 win over the Giants. Today, the offensively-challenged Friars would be happy if they scored 11 runs over a three-game series. Here's the latest news from sunny San Diego….
- The Padres have offered Heath Bell a two-year contract worth around $14MM, reports Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link). We've heard that the Padres were willing to offer Bell two years with a third option year, while Bell is looking for three guaranteed years in the neighborhood of $27-30MM. Given that Bell would probably earn as much as $10MM in arbitration next year, San Diego's offer of two years/$14MM doesn't seem like it would be enough, unless it included some easily-reachable incentive clauses and possibly a bonus payment if Bell is traded.
- It will be a while before we can judge if the Padres or the Rangers "won" the Mike Adams trade, though Tom Krasovic of Inside The Padres notes that Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland will benefit the most should they get the chance to pitch at Petco Park. "If there's a better way for a pitcher to get a toehold on a major league career than to go to the Padres, one doesn't come to mind," Krasovic writes.
- A pair of draft signings: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweets that the Padres signed seventh-rounder Matt Wisler to a contract with a $500K bonus. Wisler, a right-handed pitcher, was committed to Ohio State. San Diego also signed eleventh-rounder Casey McElroy, reports MLB.com's Corey Brock (via Twitter).
Olney On Bell, Yankees, Pirates
As ESPN.com's Buster Olney points out, the American League Cy Young race is shaping up to be a compelling three-way contest. Justin Verlander, C.C. Sabathia and Jered Weaver rank first, second and third, respectively, in MLB in innings pitched and are among the leaders in just about every other category. Here are Olney's latest notes from around the league…
- The Padres kicked around the idea of signing Heath Bell to a multiyear deal as they got closer to the trade deadline without seeing offers they liked for their closer. Bell says he would accept an offer of arbitration from San Diego, so Olney outlines the Padres' options. They could work out a trade involving Bell this month (with less leverage than before), they could sign him to a multiyear deal or, they could offer arbitration in the offseason and be prepared for Bell to accept if another club doesn't dangle a major deal.
- The Yankees are well-positioned to pursue the next starting pitcher who becomes available on the trade market, since they kept their top prospects this July. They also figure to pursue Weaver when he hits free agency after the 2012 season.
- The Pirates made modest upgrades (Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick) instead of paying more for better players and Olney says the approach makes sense given their modest chances of winning the NL Central.
Bell Will Accept Arbitration Offer If No Extension
8:38pm: Padres owner Jeff Moorad told XX1090 sports radio that they don't mind if Bell accepts arbitration after the season. "In some ways [it's] even preferable from our point of view … We certainly don’t mind going to year-to-year, though we are willing to guarantee a couple of years with him."
Dan Hayes of The North County Times passed along Moorad's quotes (Twitter links).
7:49pm: The Padres did not move closer Heath Bell prior to yesterday's trade deadline, instead keeping the right-hander with hopes of signing him to an extension or getting two draft picks after the season. The latter will not be possible though, Bell told Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Tribune that he intends to accept arbitration after the season if the two sides have not worked out a contract extension…
"If I don't have a multi-year deal and they offer me arbitration, I will accept arbitration," said Bell. "My wife and I talked about all the scenarios last night … There is no downside to me accepting arbitration and the family staying in San Diego for at least another year. My kids love it here. My family is happy here. And I'm in a position where I can make some decisions right now … The ball is in my court. I want to stay in San Diego. And I want to win here."
Bell, 34 in September, has indicated a willingness to take a discount to stay in San Diego long-term. He comfortably projects to be a Type-A free agent, but with a $7.5MM salary this season, an arbitration award could push his 2012 earnings north of $10MM. Here's what the right-hander said about terms of a potential contract extension…
"I'd like to get a three-year contract with the Padres," said Bell. "But I think I'm in position to come back no matter what … If they offered me three years at $27 million, we'd talk. If they offered me three years at $30 million, I would really have to consider it. Maybe I could get an All-Star bonus. I'd like that."
Center says the team is willing to discuss a two-year contract with an option for a third year. Bell is still highly effective, pitching to a 2.28 ERA and 30 saves in 32 chances, but it's worth nothing that his strikeout rate has plunged more than four full strikeouts per nine innings this season (from 11.1 to 6.9), and left-handed batters have handled him well. A three-year contract would take him through age 37.
Heath Bell Rumors: Sunday
The latest on Padres closer Heath Bell, who is owed $2.47MM on the season and projects as a Type A free agent in either league…
- There has been some discussion between the Padres and Bell's agents within the last 24 hours, tweets MLB.com's Corey Brock. The Padres will not trade Bell unless the Yankees or Phillies offer an astronomical package, tweets Scott Miller.
- The Phillies still seem to be in on Bell, tweets Heyman. The Padres just traded setup man Mike Adams to the Rangers.
- The Angels have minimal interest in Bell, tweets Jon Paul Morosi.
- The Cardinals are sensing no traction for Bell, GM John Mozeliak tells Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
- The Rangers appear to be losing momentum on Bell with the Cardinals still possible, tweets Rosenthal.
- The Rangers are still in on Bell, but don't want to pay big now that they've gotten Koji Uehara, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. The Yankees are in the mix, the Cardinals are on the fringes, and the Phillies have slight interest. The Yankees are still viewed as a long shot, tweets Buster Olney. The Rangers are also still in on Oakland closer Andrew Bailey, tweets Bob Nightengale.
- The Yankees are in on Bell, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. However, Joel Sherman tweets that as of this morning the two teams are not optimistic there is a common ground for a deal. Last night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that the Yankees were showing late interest in Bell, but the Rangers were the frontrunner and the Cardinals were still involved.
Rangers Acquire Heath Bell Or Mike Adams?
The Rangers acquired reliever Heath Bell from the Padres, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. However, T.R. Sullivan confirmed with a club official that they actually acquired Mike Adams.
Padres Likely To Make Multiple Trades
The Padres will make two and possibly three trades on Sunday, a source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Reliever Heath Bell, outfielder Ryan Ludwick, and right-hander Chad Qualls are the most likely to move.
The source said that the Rangers remain the front-runner for Bell, but the Cardinals are still in the mix with the Phillies and Yankees showing late interest.
Two men expected to remain in San Diego are starter Aaron Harang and setup man Mike Adams. The Tigers and Indians were pursuing Harang but both teams acquired better starting pitchers on Saturday. Adams, meanwhile, would takeover for Bell as closer.
Padres Reliever Rumors: Saturday
The Padres have right-handed relievers Heath Bell, Mike Adams, and Chad Qualls on the trading block. Here are yesterday's rumors, and below is the latest.
- The Rangers continue talking to the Padres about Bell, even after acquiring Koji Uehara, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports (on Twitter).
- The Padres have always said they'd be fine with two compensatory draft picks for Bell if the trade offers aren't compelling, Yahoo's Jeff Passan reports (on Twitter).
- The Cardinals and Rangers remain the most persistent on Bell, tweets Joel Sherman, while the Yankees haven't called the Padres in days about Bell or Adams.
- The Tigers have talked to the Padres about their group of relievers, tweets Ken Rosenthal, including Qualls.
- The Rangers, Cardinals, and Blue Jays are the clear leaders for Bell, tweets ESPN's Jim Bowden, with the Angels, Yankees, and Phillies still kicking the tires. Ken Rosenthal has the Rangers as the frontrunner with the Cardinals hanging on.
- Interest in Adams continues to rise, tweets Rosenthal, but the Padres would still need to be compelled to move him. Meanwhile, trusted Yankees scout Bill Livesey is watching the Padres' relievers, tweets Joel Sherman.
- The Cardinals are still alive for Bell, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
- The Rangers "have gone deep into negotiations with the Padres about Bell, and both sides are optimistic they can strike a deal," reports Yahoo's Jeff Passan. Yesterday, word from Scott Miller of CBS Sports was that Friday's talks between the two clubs did not advance much. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan feels that logically, the two teams should strike a deal.