Odds & Ends: Cubs, Varitek, Wakefield, Hoffman
Links for Wednesday, 50 years after the Milwaukee Braves signed Joe Torre as an amateur free agent…
- The Cubs intend to interview Ryne Sandberg and others for their managerial opening within ten days, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says baseball's revenue sharing system is not broken, but he would like to see MLB adopt a "laser-like focus" on developing a fairer system.
- Jason Varitek told reporters, including Alex Speier of WEEI that he intends to keep playing after next season.
- Tim Wakefield's base salary for 2011 rises from $1.5MM to $2MM if he finishes 3.1 innings tonight, as Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald points out on Twitter.
- Trevor Hoffman told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he'll wait until after the season to decide whether to retire (Twitter link).
- Hisanori Takahashi told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that he likes New York and wants to continue playing major league baseball. He just doesn't know if he’ll re-sign with the Mets this winter.
Varitek Intends To Play In 2011
Jason Varitek told Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal that he intends to play in 2011. The catcher, who hits free agency after the season, missed July and August with a broken foot, but he says he wants to continue his career, partly because he feels fresher than usual.
The Marlins, Tigers and Dodgers are among the teams that could have interest in adding a free agent catcher this offseason, so Varitek should draw interest, even if the Red Sox don’t re-sign him. Varitek started the 2010 season on an offensive tear, so it seemed that agent Scott Boras could demand a two-year deal for the 38-year-old. But the .342/.419/.868 line Varitek had on May 13th soon faded; he has batted just .211/.258/.333 since. The sample size is tiny, because of Varitek’s injury and status as a bench player, but a two-year deal seems less likely now than it did after Varitek's hot start and before his injury.
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Salty, Braves, Cards
Ken Rosenthal has a new Full Count video up, so let's dive in…
- The Red Sox scouted Jarrod Saltalamacchia hard before acquiring him this afternoon, and they feel that he is throwing better and will benefit from a change of scenery. 18 months ago the cost for Salty was Clay Buchholz, so they feel he's worth the gamble considering the uncertain futures of Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek.
- The Braves didn't need either Kyle Farnsworth or Rick Ankiel, but picking up both improves their depth considerably. Ankiel will be the regular center fielder against righties, platooning with Melky Cabrera, while Farnsworth will help lessen the burden on Takashi Saito and Jonny Venters. The Braves are clearly going for it in Bobby Cox's final season.
- It seems odd that the Cardinals would trade Ryan Ludwick given their offensive inconsistency this year, but the team likes what Jon Jay has done and they'll save big when Ludwick goes to arbitration for the final time next season.
- Relative to its competition, no team did as poorly as the Mets at the deadline. They were outbid for Ramon Ramirez, and the Cubs wanted no part of a Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez for Carlos Zambrano swap. The Cubbies are hopeful that Big Z will come back and rebuild his value down the stretch.
Odds & Ends: Cordero, Murphy, Red Sox, Griffey
Links for Thursday, as Armando Galarraga receives a new Corvette (but no perfect game)…
- Reliever Chad Cordero has been called up to the Mariners roster, according to a team news release. Cordero hasn't pitched in the majors since undergoing labrum surgery in July 2008. He signed a minor league deal with Seattle last winter and has a 4.12 ERA and 5.50 K-BB ratio in 17 appearances for Triple-A Tacoma this season. In six seasons with the Expos/Nationals organization, Cordero posted a 2.78 ERA and racked up 128 saves, including a league-best 47 in 2005.
- 2009 first rounder Jared Mitchell told reporters that he is recovering well from his ankle injury. The White Sox prospect, who will represent the team at this year's draft, does underwater drills and is progressing towards baseball activities.
- Daniel Murphy will miss four to six months with an MCL tear, so the Mets have reduced infield depth, according to Newsday's David Lennon (via Twitter). Murphy, who has not played in the majors this year, has missed significant time because of his right knee.
- MLB.com's Ian Browne wonders if the Red Sox will have to trade Boof Bonser.
- The A's claimed Triple A infielder Adam Heether off of waivers from the Brewers, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (via Twitter). Heether, 28, was hitting .245/.343/.440 in Nashville.
- J.D. Drew and Jason Varitek told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that agent Scott Boras does not pressure them to return from injuries any earlier or later than they want to. Boras says he does not draw medical conclusions for any of his clients, including Jacoby Ellsbury.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wonders if Ken Griffey Jr. felt pressure from Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu to retire. Wakamatsu says it was "Ken's decision."
- Stephen Strasburg, who debuts against the Pirates next week, pitched five shutout innings at Triple A and even got a hit, writes MASN.com's Ben Goessling.
- Strasburg's a star now, but college coach Tony Gwynn says the phenom was "sweating like a hostage" before his San Diego State debut, according to Tom Krasovic of AOL FanHouse. The entire piece is worth reading.
Gammons On Ellsbury, Varitek, Beltre
Peter Gammons made his regular appearance on WEEI's The Big Show on Friday afternoon to chat about the Red Sox. Nick Bove has the full transcript, but here are the highlights…
- Gammons notes that Jacoby Ellsbury's rib injuries are coming at a bad time, because he's in line for his first arbitration payday after the season. "He’s got Scott Boras in his ear, telling him what he’s going to make. If he were jaking it, that makes no sense. It’s just the opposite, in fact. This is really important for him to play." Ellsbury has played in just three of the team's last 44 games, and there's no timetable for his return.
- Boras was on board with Ellsbury's move to left field because he wouldn't have to run as much, which would help boost his offensive production and improve his arbitration case. He cited Barry Bonds and Rickey Henderson as examples.
- Gammons believes Jason Varitek figured out that he could extend his career by three or four years by accepting a part-time role and playing two or three times a week.
- Adrian Beltre is hitting .342/.371/.511, and Gammons says that Boras played the market perfectly by getting him a one year deal that will allow him to go back out on the market with improved stock after the season.
Free Agent Stock Watch: Jason Varitek
Jason Varitek won't sign another $40MM deal, but his chances in free agency are looking much better than they were a couple months ago. Let's face it: few of us imagined that Varitek's slugging percentage would exceed Victor Martinez's on base plus slugging this far into the season. Varitek's six homers give him a .342/.419/.868 line, but be warned: Varitek has only batted 43 times.
Martinez and Varitek share more than Boston's catching duties. Both are headed for free agency and both stand to gain or lose a considerable amount depending on their play in the next four and a half months. Varitek's fly ball percentage (66%) and home run to fly ball ratio (33%) are not at all sustainable, so that .868 slugging percentage will probably be halved by the end of the season. Still – no one can take Varitek's hot start away from him, even if no one expects him to sustain it.
Given the two-year deals Jason Kendall, Ivan Rodriguez and Brian Schneider signed last offseason, it appears that teams are willing to pay a premium for veteran catchers. With Scott Boras by his side and Joe Mauer off of the market, Varitek could ask for a multi-year deal if he keeps his walk rate around his career average, maintains some power and throws out more than the occasional baserunner. That's a challenge for any catcher, let alone a 38-year-old, but let's not count Varitek out.
Odds & Ends: Jeter, Marlins, Fielder, Aurilia, Boras
If you're in the Northeast, here are some links to check out while you take a break from shoveling…
- ESPN's Jayson Stark ranked baseball's ten-year contracts, with Derek Jeter's soon to be completed ten-year, $189MM deal coming in as the best.
- The Marlins agreed to one-year contracts with 12 of their pre-arbitration eligible players according to MLB.com's Joe Frisaro, including Sean West, Chris Volstad, Emilio Bonifacio, and Dan Meyer.
- Brewers owner Mark Attanasio confirmed that he will be involved in long-term contract discussions with Prince Fielder, according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter). Haudricourt also tweets that Attanasio and GM Doug Melvin met today to discuss the situation and there will be no deadlines imposed on the 25-year-old.
- Rich Aurilia, who stopped by the Giants' camp today, says that while he's still looking for a job, he will retire if he doesn't have one by the end of spring, tweets Jeff Fletcher of AOL Fanhouse. The 38-year-old has a broadcasting deal in place if he is unable to find a job on the field.
- Shin-Soo Choo says that he would like to stay in Cleveland long-term, writes MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince. Choo, like Morales, cut ties with his former agent (Alan Nero) in favor of Scott Boras.
- Michael Weiner, the executive director of the players' union, confirmed that the union is participating in an investigation into alleged unauthorized withdrawals from Kendry Morales' bank account by a former employee of his former agents, Hendricks Sports Management (Bill Plunkett of the OC Register reporting). Morales recently dropped HSM and hired Scott Boras.
- Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch provides a few quotes from Albert Pujols about his contract situation. "Do I want to do this right now and take care of this so we don't need to worry about it? Of course," said Pujols. "If it happens, it happens. But there are some things I am able to control and there are other things that are out of my hands that I can't control. And that's the truth."
- The Mariners signed righty Tom Wilhelmsen to a minor league contract, according to Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. The 27-year-old had been out of baseball since 2005 because of substance abuse issues, though he resurfaced with an independent league team last season.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report indicating the the Orix Buffaloes are moving towards a deal with Freddie Bynum. The White Sox released Bynum last week so he could pursue opportunities in Japan.
- Meanwhile, Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says that Felipe Lopez will provide the Cardinals with a great amount of flexibility.
- Joel Sherman of The New York Post calls the contracts of Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and other Yankee players "time-bomb contracts."
- John Tomase of The Boston Herald says the Red Sox have a deep bench with Mike Lowell, Bill Hall, Jeremy Hermida, and Jason Varitek.
Varitek Exercises Player Option
3:47pm: Varitek exercised his option to return to the Red Sox, writes Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe.
9:36am: Jason Varitek must decide on his $3MM option by midnight tonight, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Varitek must choose between his Red Sox ties and more playing time (and perhaps less money) elsewhere. We'll keep you updated.
Mets Notes: Holliday, Barajas, Pineiro
Lots of newsbits swirling about the Big Apple's non-World Series winners…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the Mets will meet with Scott Boras tonight to at least get an idea of what it will take to sign Matt Holliday.
- As reported earlier today, the Mets weren't interested in Jason Varitek but were considering Bengie Molina at catcher. Sherman (also via Twitter) added Rod Barajas and Chris Snyder to the New York catching "wish list."
- SI's Jon Heyman (via Twitter) reports the Mets are interested in Joel Pineiro, but not at his reported demand of a three-year/$30MM contract.
- MLB.com's Barry Bloom figures that Gary Sheffield and Carlos Delgado are both done in New York after Mets GM Omar Minaya was very non-committal about the possibility of re-signing either of the two veteran sluggers.
- The Toronto Sun's Bob Elliott, however, thinks the Mets will at least "keep an eye" on Delgado's progress in winter ball (via Twitter).
Mets Won’t Pursue Varitek
The Mets won't pursue Jason Varitek if he turns down his player option and becomes a free agent, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Two Mets officials tell Sherman that the club wants a catcher who can catch more than 100 games.
They had interest in the veteran catcher last offseason, but now the Mets covet more durable catchers - Bengie Molina may be a consideration. Molina has caught more games than Varitek over the course of the last three seasons, but Varitek hasn't caught fewer than 100 games since 2001, so it's surprising to see a club question his durability.
As Sherman points out, the Mariners and Nationals could have interest in Varitek if he opts to explore free agency.