Odds and Ends: Iguchi, Varitek, Bonds
Linkage for Thursday…
- Tadahito Iguchi will consider playing in the U.S. or Japan, but he wants a starting job. He hit just .232/.292/.306 in 337 plate appearances, hobbled by a shoulder injury.
- Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he does not have any side agreements with any of their free agents to decline arbitration if offered. That would’ve been nice for Ivan Rodriguez. River Ave. Blues thinks the Yanks should offer arb to Rodriguez, Bobby Abreu, Mike Mussina, and Damaso Marte.
- Sox Machine would like to see the White Sox add a defensive player like Mark Ellis.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post wonders if Larry Bowa would campaign for the Yankees to sign Manny Ramirez, if Bowa joins the Yankees first.
- Tonight could be Jason Varitek‘s last game as a member of the Red Sox.
- What might’ve been: the Rockies seriously considered drafting Evan Longoria.
- Murray Chass talked to Barry Bonds‘ agent, Jeff Borris.
Olney On The Free Agent Market
ESPN’s Buster Olney has a great blog post up today with his musings about this winter’s free agent market. Let’s take a look.
- Industry people believe the current state of the economy might temper offseason spending. We’ve already heard the rumblings that typically high-spending teams like the Angels, Tigers and Mariners backing off or holding the line on payroll.
- Olney feels C.C. Sabathia could draw a $140MM offer from the Yankees, but something more in the $90-100MM range from the Angels or Dodgers. So he may have to decide whether playing close to home is worth $30-50MM.
- Olney extols the virtues of Derek Lowe, who could get a deal comparable to Jason Schmidt‘s three years/$47MM. That was two years, ago though…I think Scott Boras gets Lowe $18MM a year.
- Olney considers this a strong market for starting pitching. Maybe so, but we might see a lot of multiyear deals for injury-risk hurlers after Sabathia and Lowe sign.
- Olney likes the match between the Cardinals and Brian Fuentes. Other teams that could consider Fuentes: the Rays, Indians, and Brewers.
- Olney is convinced the Yankees will offer Bobby Abreu arbitration but nothing more. Abreu is comfortably set to earn Type A status. If the Yanks offer arbitration, they’ll either get Abreu for one year and $16MM or so or they’ll get two draft picks. In contrast, Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman have said they expect the Yankees to let Abreu leave.
- Olney guesses the Red Sox will offer Jason Varitek two guaranteed years with a vesting option for 2011. The Boston Globe’s Amalie Benjamin wrote in August that she expects Varitek to re-sign.
Odds and Ends: Aurilia, Vazquez, Al Reyes, Varitek
Some random links for today…
- McCovey Chronicles thinks Rich Aurilia would be a nice fit for the ’09 Giants.
- Tyler Kepner of the New York Times says the Yankees never really had to give up on Javier Vazquez.
- The Mets released Al Reyes; he never pitched for them. Reyes had nine saves for the Rays in April of last year, but it’s mostly been downhill since then.
- Jason Varitek does not want to talk about 2009. It’s hard to see the Red Sox offering him more than one year.
- RotoAuthority discusses the fantasy baseball code of honor.
Gammons’ Latest: Martin, Dunn, Quentin
Here’s the latest blog post from ESPN’s Peter Gammons…
- Takashi Saito is mentioned as a free agent this winter, but I believe it’s a situation where he can only re-sign, return to Japan, or retire.
- Gammons heard talk that Russell Martin could be switched permanently to third base. In that scenario, the Dodgers would sign a pitching-oriented catcher such as Jason Varitek. Would that be a good move?
- Adam Dunn knows it’s cliche, but he intends to prioritize winning over money when he hits free agency.
- The D’Backs were asking a lot for Carlos Quentin last winter, with the White Sox, Red Sox, and Indians interested. Josh Byrnes was not able to get Michael Bowden, Jed Lowrie, or Cliff Lee. Arizona ended up getting Chris Carter from Chicago and flipping him to Oakland in the Dan Haren deal. Carter mashed 39 home runs in A ball this year. You can’t say the Diamondbacks gave Quentin away for nothing, since they acquired a crucial component for the Haren trade.
- A year ago, Yankees GM Brian Cashman asked Joe Torre and his coaches their opinion on a Robinson Cano for Orlando Hudson swap. Don Mattingly and Larry Bowa were heavily in favor of keeping Cano.
Odds and Ends: Hart, Ellis, Mientkiewicz, Varitek
Today’s random links…
- Ken Rosenthal discusses possible changes at various GM positions. Jon Heyman says Pat Gillick could take a high-ranking role with the Blue Jays if not the Mariners.
- Former Indians and Rangers GM John Hart is interested in the Mariners job. The Mariners hope to have their permanent GM hired by the end of October.
- A Japanese pitcher invented a new pitch called the shake.
- Eddie Bajek wonders if Mark Ellis could handle shortstop. It’s good to think out of the box given the free agent market at the position.
- Doug Mientkiewicz would like to spend another season as a Pirates clubhouse leader, but he’d also like more playing time.
- The trio of Blue Jays middle infielders react to the Angels rumor.
- DraftInfo chatted with MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo.
- Amalie Benjamin believes there’s a good chance the Red Sox re-sign Jason Varitek.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Millar, Sheffield, Dunn, Rangers, Salty
A few random notes from around the baseball Blogosphere…
- Beerleaguer feels that Kevin Millar would make a nice addition to the Phillies’ bench.
- MetsBlog says Gary Sheffield is the right-handed outfield bat the Mets need and this is the best time to add a player with something to prove.
- True Blue LA is angered that the Dodgers did not block the D’Backs’ claim of Adam Dunn.
- Newberg Report discusses which players the Rangers must be willing to part with if they are to land an "All-Star level, legitimate number one" pitcher or even a pitcher from the next level of starters.
- Over The Monster wonders if the Red Sox will replace Jason Varitek with Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Bedard, Hudson, Inoa, Varitek
Let’s dig through today’s links.
- Cork Gaines takes a look at the Rays most likely to be traded.
- According to Ken Davidoff, the Rockies have been scouting Yankees pitching prospect Humberto Sanchez. He’d be a more reasonable return for Brian Fuentes.
- Erik Bedard‘s MRI came out clean, but it’s still hard to see him in a big league game before August.
- Dan Haren used to follow every trade rumor on the Internet, but Justin Duchscherer doesn’t monitor the hot stove buzz.
- Shane Victorino is aware of the rumors, but wants to stay in Philly.
- With Emilio Bonifacio gone, Scott Bordow thinks the D’Backs should try to sign Orlando Hudson. Bordow would only offer $8MM a year though.
- Paul Hoynes looks at the Indians’ areas of need for the offseason.
- Peter Abraham doesn’t expect the Yankees to pursue a catcher.
- Melissa Segura of SI.com writes about Michael Inoa‘s buscon.
- Patrick Newman profiles Kenshin Kawakami, who should be quite popular this winter.
- Buster Olney expects Jason Varitek to feel a ripple effect from Jorge Posada‘s injury. His sources expect the Red Sox to offer Varitek one or two years at $6-8MM per.
- MLB.com is looking for a fan to guest host their show The Dish.
Red Sox Trade Wish List
Tony Massarotti of the Boston Herald takes a look at Boston’s wish list, some of which could be fulfilled via trade this month.
- The Red Sox are still looking for an heir to Jason Varitek‘s throne. Apparently the Sox have inquired about catching prospects. The Rangers are considered to have the game’s largest surplus at the position.
- Julio Lugo is signed through 2010, but the Red Sox are looking for a better long-term option at short. Massarotti doesn’t mention how Jed Lowrie fits into the plan.
- Massarotti says the Red Sox are "closely monitoring" Braves first baseman Mark Teixeira. Their interest will be linked to David Ortiz‘s health.
- The Sox are also in the market for a left-handed setup man. Names to consider: George Sherrill, Brian Fuentes, Damaso Marte, Ron Mahay, and Jeremy Affeldt.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Jason Varitek
Oh no! It’s a Yankees blogger talking about the Red Sox! He’s gonna be all biased and junk! While I’m sure I’ll get some of that in the comments, I think talking about Jason Varitek‘s impending free agency is a worthy topic for this slow Saturday. So, what are we looking at for the 36-year-old backstop?
You know where I’m going with this. After the 2007 season, a 36-year-old Jorge Posada signed a four-year, $52.4MM contract. This was on the heels of Posada’s best season, .338/.426/.543. Can we expect something similar for Varitek, who will turn 37 at the beginning of the 2009 season?
The short answer: no. I understand that Varitek means a lot to the Red Sox as a team. But does that really justify giving him a four-year deal? In my opinion, no. Then again, Varitek is the same season-age as Jorge, so maybe he’ll be looking for a three-year deal. But even then, do the Red Sox want to match Jorge’s yearly salary of $13.1MM?
Red Sox fans might kill me, but once again I have to say no. If I showed you Player 1 and Player 2, without identifying them, and asked you to tell me who has had the better career, you’d pick Player 1 without question. I’d even factor in that Player 2 plays demonstrably better defense. It’s still a landslide.
Varitek is off to a quiet start this year, hitting .256/.301/.449. I expect he’ll bring those numbers up, as he had a similarly slow start last year, yet finished at .255/.367/.421. But you have to wonder how much longer he’s going to hold up. Tek was great from 2003 through 2005, but hasn’t been able to reach the same levels over the past two years. And while he’ll rebound this year, it’s doubtful his OPS+ will be much more than 100.
So what would you pay for a league average hitting catcher for his age 37 through, say, 39 seasons? I figure the Red Sox will end up matching his previous deal, only three years this time around. So three years, $30MM. But it’s not like the Red Sox don’t have the resources to add a fourth year.
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski.
Stark’s Latest: Zito, Anthony Reyes, Varitek, Inoa
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has been working the phones, and the result is his latest Rumblings and Grumblings column.
- Stark talked to an official from a "pitching-starved" team. This person said the Giants would have to eat at least $80MM of Barry Zito‘s remaining $112.5MM if they want to trade him. One scout suggested Zito’s only chance at revival is a reunion with Rick Peterson.
- The Cards’ Anthony Reyes is "eminently available." Problem is, John Mozeliak has a high asking price for the 26 year-old hurler.
- Edwin Jackson remains a hot commodity, but there’s no reason for the Rays to move him.
- How much will Scott Boras want from the Red Sox for a Jason Varitek extension? If it’s in the Jorge Posada four-year, $52MM neighborhood, there’s no chance.
- Stark informs us of a highly sought-after 16 year-old Dominican pitcher named Michel Inoa. The kid could get a signing bonus north of $1.5MM. The Astros are one club interested in Inoa.