Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Rasmus, Manny, Phillies
On this date in 1969, the Mets moved into sole possession of first place for the first time in franchise history. They swept the Expos in a doubleheader to move ahead of the Cubs by a full game in the NL East. The Miracle Mets went on to defeat the Orioles in the Fall Classic for the first World Championship in their history, more than eight years after they played their first ever game.
Let's take a look at some links from around the baseball netweb…
- Yankeeist chatted with Alex Langsam, a Baseball Operations Assistant in the Pirates' front office who reports directly to GM Neal Huntington.
- The Sports Virus interviewed Huston Street about the topic of pitching injuries, an unavoidable evil.
- 1 Blue Jays Way spoke with Luis Rivera, manager of the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats, a Blue Jays minor league affiliate.
- Play A Hard Nine examines Colby Rasmus' trade value following his fall-out with the Cardinals.
- Meanwhile, Capitol Avenue Club tries to figure out what it would take for the Braves to acquire Rasmus.
- The Hardball Times projects Manny Ramirez's performance for the White Sox.
- Crashburn Alley wonders if the Phillies' offense is just inconsistent, or if their core players are in decline.
- River Ave. Blues says that after searching all winter, the Yankees found their left fielder in Brett Gardner.
- Cubs Pack looks at Chicago's 2011 rotation, which MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith did just yesterday.
- DRays Bay muses about the responsibility of the baseball media.
If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.
Odds & Ends: Marlins, Pena, Jeter, Angels, Prior
Links for Thursday..
- The Marlins will likely need bullpen help before the trade deadline, writes Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
- Until closer Huston Street returns, the Rockies' late-inning relievers need improvement, writes Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post.
- After Carl Crawford was quoted as saying that he and Carlos Pena would not be returning to the Rays, Pena reiterated his desire to remain in Tampa Bay, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders how long of a contract the Yankees should offer Derek Jeter this offseason. Mr. November will celebrate his 36th birthday in June.
- The Angels will try to turn things around with the pieces that they have, writes Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
- Chris Jenkins of the Union Tribune spoke to Mark Prior, who sees similarities between himself and Stephen Strasburg,
- Baseball's highest-ranking executives are absurdly underpaid, says Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Most general managers earn between $500K and $2MM annually.
- Cardinals manager Tony La Russa called the late Robin Roberts a "real gentleman" and a "great man", writes MLB.com's Zach Schonbrun. The legendary Phillies pitcher passed away at the age of 83.
Odds & Ends: Street, Nelson, Prospects, Mets
Links for Wednesday…
- Check out Huston Street's contract extension details, courtesy of Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post.
- Free agent reliever Joe Nelson has expressed an interest in pitching for the Cubs, reports Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. Nelson seemed like a bargain signing by the Rays at $1.3MM, but his control and flyball rates took a turn for the worse and he was designated for assignment in September.
- ESPN's Keith Law ranks the farm systems, from the Rangers at #1 to the White Sox at #30. Law's Top 100 Prospects list comes out tomorrow.
- Baseball America is also kicking into gear, with their Prospect Handbook coming out soon. They're holding an all-day chat Friday, with BA editors as well as prospects Tim Alderson, Ryan Westmoreland, Logan Morrison, and Casey Crosby available for your questions.
- ESPN's Tim Kurkjian has a must-read article on Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos and his plan to bring the team back to prominence.
- Scott Lauber of The News Journal tweets that while the Phillies like Chien-Ming Wang, but he might not be a fit because he won't be ready for the start of the season.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets are on a "Pollyanna streak," currently regarding their rotation. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports seems to believe the Mets are a total mess, and suggests they start over.
- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News that he wouldn't have made the Billy Wagner deal last August without the shot at two draft picks.
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says that the A's agreed not to offer arbitration to Ben Sheets if he's a Type A free agent after the season. Achieving that status seems impossible anyway after he missed all of '09 and did not receive DL days. Slusser also notes that Coco Crisp received a $250K signing bonus, bringing his deal to $5.5MM guaranteed.
Rockies Agree To Multi-Year Contracts With Street, Betancourt
MONDAY, 6:40pm: Troy Renck of the Denver Post has some updated incentive details on the Betancourt deal. He receives $50K for 40 games finished, another $50K at 45 and $100K at 50, 55 and 60 games finished.
TUESDAY, 12:50pm: The Rockies have agreed to multi-year contracts with righty relievers Huston Street and Rafael Betancourt, reports FoxSports.com's Tracy Ringolsby.
Street, who was arbitration eligible for the third and final time, agreed to a three year deal worth $22.5MM with an option for a fourth year. The deal is still pending a physical, which Street will take this coming weekend. The former AL Rookie of the Year came over in the Matt Holliday deal last offseason, then saved 35 games and posted a 3.06 ERA in 61.2 innings while making $4.5MM during his first season in Colorado.
Betancourt agreed to a two year deal worth $3.775M per season. He accepted the team's offer of arbitration earlier this offseason after being designated as a Type-A free agent, though the Rockies first declined his $5.4MM option for 2010. The Rockies acquired him at mid-season from the Indians, and watched as he put up a 1.78 ERA with a 29-5 K/BB ratio in 25.1 innings down the stretch. He earned $3.35MM in 2009.
Odds & Ends: Draft, Kouzmanoff, Lincecum, Street
A few Saturday links…
- Via Twitter, Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun spoke to a scouting director who indicated that a committee was forming to work on instituting a world-wide draft and slotting system. "This time it has a chance," said the scouting director.
- Athletics Nation gives A's fans four reasons why they should approve of the Kevin Kouzmanoff–Scott Hairston swap.
- MLB.com's Doug Miller says that whispers of a $20MM arbitration award for Tim Lincecum have "echoed loudly throughout baseball." Obviously, that would be an unprecedented award and break every arbitration record known to man, but it would also make Lincecum the third highest paid pitcher in baseball next season, behind C.C. Sabathia and Johan Santana.
- In a mailbag piece at MLB.com, Thomas Harding says that Huston Street could be a trade candidate if the Rockies drop out of the race and are unable to sign him to an extension. Colorado offered Street a three-year deal earlier this offseason.
- The 30-day exclusive negotiating window between the Hicks Sports Group and the Chuck Greenberg/Nolan Ryan group expired yesterday without the Rangers being sold. Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball has the joint statement released by the two parties, which indicates that they are on the verge of an agreement.
- Tommy Rancel at DRays Bay estimates some arbitration values for Tampa's four remaining arb-eligible players.
Rockies Make Multiyear Offers To Street, Barmes Iannetta
The Rockies have made multiyear offers to arbitration-eligible players Huston Street, Clint Barmes, and Chris Iannetta, according to Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. The details:
- The Street negotiations are early, but the Rockies made a three-year offer. That'd buy out one arbitration year and two free agent years.
- Renck believes Barmes was offered "two years, with a club option for free agency." That is, Barmes is already under team control for 2010 and 2011.
- Iannetta's offer would "carry him to at least free agency." Iannetta has three years of team control left. That the Rockies are entertaining a multiyear deal is a vote of confidence despite their pursuit of various veteran free agent backstops. The agents for Iannetta and Barmes have made counteroffers.
- Renck says the Rockies will turn to LaTroy Hawkins (again) if Rafael Betancourt turns down their offer of arbitration tonight. They're backing off on Justin Duchscherer.
- Utility man targets include Fernando Tatis, Bobby Crosby, Jamey Carroll, and Nick Green.
Rockies Rumors: Crosby, Betancourt, Street
The Rockies' interest in Bobby Crosby might not amount to anything if there are teams interested in him a starter, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The Rockies would like to sign Crosby as a utilityman, but the Red Sox and other clubs that have been linked to the shortstop might be willing to give him a chance to start, which Crosby would prefer. Here are a few of Harding's other Rockies-related rumors….
- The team will likely have "internal discussions" about signing Chad Tracy as a bench player.
- The Rockies won't pursue any free-agent relievers until they see what happens with Rafael Betancourt, who has been offered arbitration and is their top bullpen priority.
- If they can't retain Betancourt, LaTroy Hawkins could be a target.
- The club would like to re-sign Yorvit Torrealba, but will have to wait for him to test the market.
- Long-term contracts for Huston Street and Clint Barmes are another priority. One Rockies official says that it's too early in talks with Street to see how far apart the two sides might be.
Rockies, Street Far Apart In Extension Discussions
The Rockies and closer Huston Street are far apart in discussions for a contract extension, according to ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney says the Rockies will consider trading Street at the July deadline if an agreement can't be reached beforehand. Street is eligible for free agency after the 2010 season; he'll be just 27 in August.
Back in early October, Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post speculated "it would take a three-year deal in the range of $25 million to get discussions going" with Street. In a September article, Renck suggested Street is in line for "at least $7MM in 2010," as he's arbitration-eligible for the last time. If that's accurate, the Rockies would be paying $9MM per free agent year if they sign him at 3/25. Would Street be in line for a two-year, $18MM deal if he was a free agent this winter?
Rockies Rumors: Hawpe, Atkins, Barmes, Street
Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post has the Rockies hot stove chatter; let's take a look.
- GM Dan O'Dowd explained that, "There is a difference between listening and attempting to move a player." Brad Hawpe falls squarely into the "listening" category. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say the Rockies would probably seek a right-handed hitting outfielder and a reliever for Hawpe.
- New contracts for O'Dowd and manager Jim Tracy are still pending a few small details.
- The Rockies are trying to trade Garrett Atkins. If and when they fail, they'll release him. So rather than wait until the December 12th non-tender deadline, Atkins should join the free agent ranks by November 20th at the latest. The Rangers have "moderate interest" in Atkins, according to Jeff Wilson of the Dallas Morning News.
- The Rockies will attempt to sign arbitration-eligible players Clint Barmes and Huston Street to multiyear deals, but if that doesn't work they'll simply get one-year contracts.
- Catcher Paul Phillips who had 54 plate appearances with the big club this year, is expected to be designated for assignment re-signed to a minor league deal to create 40-man roster space.
- Click here to read Monday's Rockies rumors.
Odds & Ends: Mariners, Orioles, Indians
If you're up reading, we're up writing!
- MLB.com's Jim Street takes questions about the Mariners. Among other things, he believes the Mariners will find a veteran catcher to at least split time with prospect Adam Moore.
- Street's Baltimore counterpart, MLB.com's Spencer Fordin, believes the Orioles will move Koji Uehara to short relief and look to acquire another veteran starter.
- The Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Paul Hoynes has very positive things to say about Manny Acta, the new Indians' manager.
- Manny Corpas looks strong in Instructional League play, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com, and Corpas will play winter ball as well. A Corpas revival gives the Rockies some alternatives if they don't want to face a big arbitration number from Huston Street, or pick up the $5.4MM option of Rafael Betancourt.