Odds & Ends: Bay, Damon, Josh Johnson
More links for Thursday…
- Jon Heyman of SI.com suggests (via Twitter) that the Red Sox might be willing to offer Jason Bay $60MM over four years. Heyman can see the Giants and, possibly, the Mets bidding more than that for the Canadian left fielder.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law can imagine some team signing Johnny Damon to a three-year deal this offseason, but cautions that it's riskly to sign a player in decline to a long-term pact.
- Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald had an interesting line at the end of his article yesterday - the Marlins are "preparing a multi-year offer for Josh Johnson." Earlier in the month, Ken Rosenthal said signing Johnson was the team's top offseason priority.
- MLB.com's Joe Frisaro presents some of the options the Marlins are considering for their coaching vacancies. The team may hire longtime big leaguer Jamie Quirk.
- Tyler Hissey of Around the Majors is unimpressed with this year's class of free agent first basemen. Adam LaRoche should be productive next year and the Mariners will likely want to bring Russell Branyan back if he's not too pricey, but there's no Mark Teixeira around this year.
- Hissey responds to the Josh Johnson chatter, arguing that he's an elite pitcher worth investing in. He suggests a four-year $48MM deal would be fair for both sides. What kind of contract would you offer Johnson?
Boras Discusses Johnny Damon
We discussed Scott Boras' Matt Holliday–Mark Teixeira comparison yesterday. Today let's check out Boras' take on another of his high-profile free agent clients – Johnny Damon. Peter Botte of the New York Daily News has the quotes:
"Not that I've been thinking about this, but players who can get on the field every day and score 100 runs, how many guys do that? Johnny just plays, and he's got the body type that allows him to do that. If stem-cell research were around, you'd want to tap into that gene pool. He's (35), but has a 30-year-old's body. He plays much younger."
The best part is definitely, "not that I've been thinking about this." Also…is stem-cell research not around? Boras may also use a possible run at 3,000 hits as a selling point, but even he can't pitch a four-year deal for Damon.
Damon, 36 in November, hit .282/.365/.489 in 626 plate appearances this year. He played over 1,100 innings in left field, and UZR/150 found him below-average. There's speculation the Yankees will re-sign Damon or Hideki Matsui on a one-year deal and use that player partially at DH. Realistically, Damon's $13MM salary should be halved for 2010.
Odds & Ends: Mets, Yankees, Brewers
A few links to browse while you recover from last night's 13-inning marathon in the Bronx….
- The New York Post's Joel Sherman has a plan for the Mets' rotation: take advantage of spacious Citi Field by pursuing fly ball pitchers instead of the ground ball pitchers that everyone else will covet. Sherman's ideas include Jeremy Guthrie, Gil Meche, and Ervin Santana.
- Adam Rubin at the New York Daily News hears that the Mets want to acquire a right-handed first baseman to complement Daniel Murphy in 2010. Rubin anticipates that the team's bigger move will be adding a power-hitting outfielder though.
- Bill Madden of the New York Daily News expects the Yankees to re-sign either Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui as the team's regular DH, letting the other player go. Brian Cashman could then use that money to sign a left fielder who wouldn't be a defensive liability.
- After the Cincinnati Reds hired Bryan Price as their pitching coach, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel becomes more confident than ever that Rick Peterson is headed for the Brewers' open pitching coach position.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Varitek, Sheffield
A few links to browse while we watch to see if the Phillies can finish off the last of the Division Series….
- Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues wonders how Johnny Damon's recent slide and Hideki Matsui's hot streak will affect the New York Yankees' decisions this winter.
- Josh Beckett wants Jason Varitek back in Boston in 2010, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com.
- MLB.com's Kelly Thesier writes that Joe Mauer has spoken to agent Ron Shapiro about his contract status, but that there haven't been any "serious discussions" yet.
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports that Gary Sheffield wants to return to Florida. "It would be nice to finish my career with the Marlins," Sheffield said. "This is where I made a name for myself.''
- The Houston Astros aren't handling the managerial interview process well, according to Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle. Justice's pick for the opening, Jim Fregosi, wasn't one of the ten candidates announced by the Astros.
- Chris Ruddick of the Sports Network, via the Miami Herald, speculates on the next moves for St. Louis and Boston. He isn't opposed to letting Tony LaRussa and Matt Holliday walk, and suggests that Jonathan Papelbon could be shopped for a "young bat" this winter.
- The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay writes that former Diamondbacks pitching coach Bryan Pryce is on the Reds' list of candidates for their pitching coach. The Brewers have also expressed interest in Pryce.
- Within a mailbag on MLB.com, Chris Haft writes that players like Matt Holliday and Jason Bay will be out of the San Francisco Giants' price range, and that the team is more likely to acquire a "hard-hitting utilityman."
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Varitek, Sheffield
A few links to browse while we watch to see if the Phillies can finish off the last of the Division Series….
- Benjamin Kabak of River Ave. Blues wonders how Johnny Damon's recent slide and Hideki Matsui's hot streak will affect the New York Yankees' decisions this winter.
- Josh Beckett wants Jason Varitek back in Boston in 2010, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com.
- MLB.com's Kelly Thesier writes that Joe Mauer has spoken to agent Ron Shapiro about his contract status, but that there haven't been any "serious discussions" yet.
- Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports that Gary Sheffield wants to return to Florida. "It would be nice to finish my career with the Marlins," Sheffield said. "This is where I made a name for myself.''
- The Houston Astros aren't handling the managerial interview process well, according to Richard Justice of The Houston Chronicle. Justice's pick for the opening, Jim Fregosi, wasn't one of the ten candidates announced by the Astros.
- Chris Ruddick of the Sports Network, via the Miami Herald, speculates on the next moves for St. Louis and Boston. He isn't opposed to letting Tony LaRussa and Matt Holliday walk, and suggests that Jonathan Papelbon could be shopped for a "young bat" this winter.
- The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Fay writes that former Diamondbacks pitching coach Bryan Pryce is on the Reds' list of candidates for their pitching coach. The Brewers have also expressed interest in Pryce.
- Within a mailbag on MLB.com, Chris Haft writes that players like Matt Holliday and Jason Bay will be out of the San Francisco Giants' price range, and that the team is more likely to acquire a "hard-hitting utilityman."
Rosenthal’s Full Count Video: Figgins, Hanley, Kershaw, Drew
Let's see what FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal has for us in his latest Full Count video…
- Chone Figgins could be one of the most popular free agents this winter. The White Sox have long had interest in him, and his skills as a leadoff hitter will make him attractive to many teams, perhaps even the Yankees.
- Figgins will come cheaper than Matt Holliday or Jason Bay, and the Yanks could easily withstand his lack of power if they put him in left field. Four years younger than Johnny Damon, Figgins and Derek Jeter would make a dynamic 1-2 punch atop the Yankees' lineup.
- Apparently, Hanley Ramirez isn't very popular in the Marlins' clubhouse. The complaints should only go so far though, because he's played hurt this seasons and is on target to play in 150 or more games for the fourth straight year. Hanley's also batting .385 with runners in scoring position this year after hitting just .239 in those spots last year. He's also worked very hard to improve his defense as well.
- The Dodgers did well by adding Jon Garland and Vicente Padilla to their rotation, but one National League GM is worried about Clayton Kershaw because he's approaching 3,000 pitches thrown on the season, which is when you start to worry.
- Maybe it's time to cut J.D. Drew some slack. Sure, he's missed 92 games in three seasons with Boston, but one team official told Rosenthal he'd sign Drew to the same contract (five years, $70MM) again in a second. The Red Sox consider Drew one of the five best right fielders in baseball when you consider on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and defense.
Odds & Ends: Astros, Royals, Abreu
Let's kick off the day with links…
- Yahoo's David Brown caught up with Pedro Martinez as part of his Answer Man series.
- Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle writes about the Astros' mistake of ignoring pitching.
- Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Chronicle notes that the Michael Bourn–Brad Lidge swap no longer looks lopsided. The Astros sent Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to Philly for Bourn, Geoff Geary, and Mike Costanzo in November of 2007.
- Rany Jazayerli has an open letter to Royals owner David Glass regarding the Dayton Moore extension.
- Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times writes about Bobby Abreu's influence on the Angels' other hitters. In the article, Abreu says, "I definitely want to come back."
- Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discusses the legend of Garrett Jones. The 28 year-old Rookie of the Year contender has crushed 18 home runs in 237 plate appearances. What kind of numbers do you see him putting up next year?
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post feels that Johnny Damon makes more sense for the Yankees next year than Hideki Matsui.
Olney On White Sox, Rangers, Yankees
ESPN.com's Buster Olney says Giants catching prospect Buster Posey is probably more likely to be on the team's Opening Day roster, now that they club started his service time clock. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:
- Olney says Kenny Williams has a responsibility to publicly discuss the moves that sent Jim Thome and Jose Contreras elsewhere.
- Olney hears that the Rangers will likely consider various infielders now that Michael Young is hurt. A player like Jamey Carroll could help the Rangers, but Olney doubts they'll make a move.
- Here's a suggestion for the Yankees from Olney: offer both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui one-year deals after the season, but say "we'll keep whoever takes our offer first."
Odds And Ends: Yankees, Wagner, Byrd
Some links to start the week off…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post argues that the Yankees were smart to spend on elite free agents last offseason. Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia have contributed to the Yankees' dominance this year.
- Johnny Damon repeated to Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News that he wants to return to the Yankees next season.
- The Toronto Sun notes that Mike Hampton won't pitch again this year.
- Billy Wagner didn't expect his Red Sox debut to go as smoothly as it did, according to Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe.
- As Alex Speier of WEEI.com notes, Paul Byrd earns incentives for every start he makes with the Red Sox.
- Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News says Barry Zito and Edgar Renteria, whose contracts have often been criticized, have helped keep the Giants in the race.
Perrotto’s Latest: Twins, Damon, Franklin, Penny, Dye
John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus brings us his latest from around the leagues:
- When they come off the DL, Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins will be used in relief. So, the Twins are hoping to add a starter who can pitch in the playoffs. This means they have until tomorrow at midnight to do so.
- The Yankees would like to re-sign Johnny Damon to a one year deal and give Austin Jackson a second year to develop at Triple-A, while pursuing Matt Holliday and Jason Bay in the offseason.
- The Marlins and Giants are frontrunners to land Brad Penny.
- The Cardinals expect to exercise Ryan Franklin‘s $2.75MM club option and then sign an extension with their closer for 2011.
- The Royals want to extend G.M. Dayton Moore who is signed through 2010.
- Perrotto says the Cubs are likely to deal Milton Bradley this winter, even if it means eating a large portion of the $21MM owed to him through 2011.
- Jermaine Dye will more than likely not see his $12MM option exercised by the White Sox after a dip in production in tandem with the salary demands of Alex Rios and Jake Peavy.
- For the postseason, the Dodgers are seeking “a left-handed bat with power” for their bench.
- The Nats are auditioning Livan Hernandez as a veteran innings eater for 2010.
- The Diamondbacks may non-tender Conor Jackson.
- Brewers manager Ken Macha said G.M. Doug Melvin “scoured the area for pitching” before the deadline but was unable to add a starter because he refused to trade Mat Gamel or Alcides Escobar.
- After making seven trades this year, the Pirates are the youngest team in the MLB.