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Ichiro Suzuki

Quick Hits: Nationals, Ichiro, Astros, Starling

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On this date ten years ago, John Smoltz struck out four batters and picked up his first regular season save. Then, on this date in 2009, the Red Sox released Smoltz, who had an 8.33 ERA at the time. The potential Hall of Famer went on to provide seven solid starts for the Cardinals later that season and hasn't pitched in the Majors since. Here are today's links…

  • Nationals principal owner Mark Lerner told Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that GM Mike Rizzo did a "fantastic job" to sign Anthony Rendon, Alex Meyer, Brian Goodwin, Matt Purke and others on Monday night. Lerner believes the Nats now have one of the best farm systems in the game.
  • Just because the Yankees signed Derek Jeter to a $51MM deal last winter doesn’t mean the Mariners should extend Ichiro Suzuki, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes. Arguing that Ichiro deserves Jeter-like treatment doesn’t make sense to Baker “for reasons that start on the field and end off of it.” The Mariners outfielder is under contract for $17MM in 2012.
  • Jim Bowden of ESPN.com identifies five players we shouldn't give up on, including Pedro Alvarez and Ian Stewart.
  • No one at the MLB owners meetings is questioning whether Jim Crane, the incoming Astros owner, is a viable candidate to take over the team, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
  • Top Royals pick Bubba Starling said at a press conference today that his offense could still improve because he played three sports in high school and hasn't had the chance to devote himself to hitting (Associated Press link via ESPN.com).

Contract Notes: Ortiz, Reyes, Ichiro, Ethier

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Trade candidate Jose Reyes, 2012 free agent David Ortiz and 2013 free agents Ichiro Suzuki and Andre Ethier are earning a combined $50MM this year, but it's never too early to look ahead at a player's next contract, so here's an update on the outlook for each player's future earnings…

  • Ortiz is going to be well-paid in 2012 if he keeps this up, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Red Sox DH has 14 homers and a .324/.390/.602 line this year. I looked at the market for Ortiz last week.
  • ESPN.com’s Buster Olney suggests Reyes could be in position to sign for more than the $142MM Carl Crawford obtained this offseason. Reyes leads the National League with a .339 batting average, 84 hits and 11 triples. His .387 OBP and .512 slugging percentage would be career bests.
  • Ichiro's agent, Tony Attanasio, told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that “nothing has been done on Ichiro’s contract beyond 2012,” when it expires. Unlike Ortiz and Reyes, Ichiro is in the midst of a disappointing season. The 37-year-old has a .260/.313/.303 line with 14 stolen bases.
  • Ethier has left something to be desired as the three-hole hitter in the Dodgers' lineup this year, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. Dilbeck wonders how much a team might pay Ethier considering his relative power outage — the 29-year-old has five homers on the season.

Ichiro Hints At Prolonged Career With Mariners

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Ichiro Suzuki hinted to John Hickey of Sportspress Northwest that he wants to re-sign with the Mariners after his current contract expires. Ichiro, whose contract expires after the 2012 season, is now 37, but he says age is more of a distraction than a limitation. 

“Take the talk of age. It’s something that I will have to battle," Ichiro said. “When you have to think about something like that, it’s not a positive for you. I mean, it’s something you don’t have to think about, but when you have people around you talking about it, you don’t want the negatives to get in.”

There were lots of positives for Ichiro in 2010. He led the league in hits, reached the 200 hit plateau for the tenth consecutive season and stole 42 bases, hitting .315/.359/.394. As Ichiro points out he can still play though, “there are players who are 25 who play already like they’re 40.”

He has 2,244 hits as a Major Leaguer, so the 3,000 hit plateau is within reach, even though he didn’t make his MLB debut until he was 27. Ichiro admits that his goals were once personal, but says they have become more team-oriented as he has become a fixture in the game and, especially, in Seattle.

“For me, it’s about going to the playoffs with the Mariners,” Ichiro said. “It’s all the time you’ve spent getting there."

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Ichiro, Garza, Greinke, Bell

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On this date two years ago, the Mariners named former Brewers vice president Jack Zduriencik as their new general manager. His defense-heavy approach resulted in a 24 win increase in his first season at the helm, though team scoring dropped by 31 runs. The Mariners won just 61 games and scored a mere 513 runs in 2010, the fewest by any team in the DH era. Unsurprisingly, there's already talk that Jack Z. is on the hot seat.

These links don't have to worry about being on the hot seat, they've made this week's edition of BBWI…

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

Odds & Ends: Iwakuma, Ichiro, Red Sox, Barmes

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Links for Sunday evening, with the regular season behind us and the playoff picture defined…

  • Angels GM Tony Reagins tells Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times he's "confident we'll be able to add an important piece."
  • As passed along by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman on Twitter, Sanspo reports that a posting announcement will come soon regarding Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma.  The righty, 30 in April, posted a 2.82 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, and 0.49 HR/9 in 201 innings this year for Rakuten. 
  • Ichiro Suzuki's 10-and-5 rights kicked in today after the Mariners' game, tweets Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.
  • In his end-of-the-season press conference, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein indicated fixing the bullpen and retaining important free agents are his offseason priorities (WEEI's Alex Speier reporting).  Epstein fielded all kinds of questions and was noncommittal in most cases, but the transcript is still worth a read.
  • Clint Barmes would like to return to the Rockies if he can't find an everyday role elsewhere, he explained to Jim Armstrong of the Denver Post.  We discussed Barmes' non-tender candidacy in August, and 79% of MLBTR readers predicted he'll be cut loose.
  • The Dodgers officially announced Brad Ausmus' retirement with a press release.  Ausmus revealed his decision to reporters in July.

Odds & Ends: Scott, Valentine, Manny

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Four years ago today, the Yankees released first baseman Carlos Pena.  He signed a minor league deal with the Rays in January of '07 and went on to have a monster season.  On to today's non-draft links…

Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox, Brewers, Mariners, Oswalt

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In today's notes column, Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe wonders if the Red Sox would move closer Jonathan Papelbon after the season to open up the closer's role for Daniel Bard. He speculates that the Brewers, Twins, Rays, Braves, and Phillies could be in the market for a closer this winter. Papelbon is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2011 season. 

Let's round up the rest of Cafardo's rumors…

  • Scott Boras said he undervalued Stephen Strasburg last year, even though he eventually signed the largest contract in draft history. Boras added that being around San Diego State coach Tony Gwynn helped Strasburg become prepared for what lied ahead.
  • Cafardo says that New England isn't a high priority area for scouts before the draft because by time they can get out to see the players in the region, it's too late in the game for a cross-checker to confirm anything.
  • Cafardo predicts that Jacoby Ellsbury will be traded this offseason. He'll arbitration eligible for the first time after 2010, though he's been battling rib issues basically all season.
  • He also remarks that the Red Sox would have to play Mike Lowell if they want to showcase him for a trade. Lowell has received just 50 plate appearances since the end of April.
  • Kevin Millwood should become major trade bait as the deadline approaches because he's pitched well and is in the final year of his contract.
  • The Brewers would love to make Randy Wolf available, but no one would take him on with more than two years and $24MM left on his deal. Meanwhile, Milwaukee still isn't sure if they'll try to improve their catching situation or become sellers and look towards next season.
  • The feeling is that once Seattle trades Cliff Lee, pretty much everyone on their roster not named Ichiro and Felix Hernandez will be available as well. 
  • Diamondbacks' CEO Derrick Hall isn't happy with his team's performance and has talked about re-evaluating his management staff. They could be major players at the deadline, with Justin Upton representing the only untouchable.
  • Cafardo says that the feeling among big league executives is that the Dodgers will not give up the prospects necessary to acquire Roy Oswalt, but they would be okay taking on the money.
  • Adam Dunn would be a perfect fit for the Red Sox if they let David Ortiz go after the season, assuming the Nationals don't re-sign him.  

Upcoming Ten And Five Rights

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Players who have accumulated ten years of major league service time can't be traded without their permission if they have spent the last five years with their current club. Ten and five rights can make it much more difficult for a GM to pull off a deal. Here's a list of players whose five and ten rights kick in in the near future:

  • A.J. Pierzynski – June 14th
  • Mark Buehrle – July 6th
  • Jimmy Rollins – Rollins' rights kick in September 7th, long after the trade deadline. The Phillies have not shown any interest in dealing Rollins, but it's worth noting that they won't be able to trade their star shortstop next winter or next season without his permission.
  • Mike Lowell – Lowell would have ten and five rights after the season, but only if he stays in Boston. If Lowell, a free agent after 2010, signs elsewhere, he will have no such rights.
  • Ichiro – Ichiro will gain ten and five rights after the season. He has a limited no-trade clause now, and isn't going anywhere regardless of his contract status.
  • Albert Pujols – Pujols isn't going anywhere either, and his limited no-trade clause becomes a full no-trade clause after the season.
  • Rafael Furcal – Like Ichiro and Pujols, Furcal will see his limited no-trade clause become complete after the season. Furcal is under contract through 2011 and the Dodgers have an option for 2012.

Largest Contracts In Team History

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We've already looked at the largest contracts by service time and position, so let's now dig up the largest contracts ever given out by each of the 30 teams. These are in terms of guaranteed money only, but some could end up being even larger because of incentives and option years.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

Mariners Unlikely To Pursue Bay?

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12:02pm: ESPN's Buster Olney says the Mariners are "unlikely to get involved" on Bay.  He never did seem to fit with Jack Zduriencik's style.

5:12am: Geoff Baker tweeted that the he's heard Jason Bay told his former Pittsburgh teammates he'd "stand on his head and sing" to play for the Mariners.

It makes sense geographically that Bay would like to play in Seattle, as his home province of British Columbia is north of the Emerald City. Additionally, his wife is from Kirkland, just 30 minutes outside of Seattle, and Bay and his family live there in the offseason (Hat tip: Ryan Divish). We've heard several reports that the Mariners are interested in Bay already, which stands to reason as they could use some added punch to the middle of their lineup.

While Bay's defense has been called into question time and time again this offseason, the team that general manager Jack Zduriencik has put together thus far in Seattle figures to be one of the best defensive clubs in baseball in 2010, so sacrificing some glovework to add a legitimate power threat in the middle of the lineup might make sense. A lineup that features Chone Figgins, Ichiro Suzuki, and Bay toward the top is certainly one that should generate some runs.

With their agreement with Figgins in place, talks of extending Felix Hernandez, and interest in Jason Bay, the Mariners are definitely not shy when it comes to spending this offseason. Adding Bay would go a long ways toward making them favorites in the AL West. What type of offer should the Mariners make to land Bay?

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