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Manny Ramirez

Productive Free Agent Pickups

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Manny Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira have all produced since headlining last offseason's free agent class, but they're far from the only free agents to make meaningful contributions this season. Here are the five free agents who have been worth most this year according to FanGraphs. I've included the player's worth, as calculated by FanGraphs, his contract info and some more traditional stats:

  • Raul Ibanez, Phillies – He's been worth $16.1MM this year, but the Phillies are paying him just $6.5MM (plus incentives) in the first year of a deal worth $31.5MM. Ibanez has 26 homers, 75 RBI and an OPS just shy of 1.000.
  • C.C. Sabathia, Yankees -  Sabathia has been worth $15.6MM this year, making a $14MM salary in the first year of a deal that could pay him $161MM. Despite a drop in his K-rate, Sabathia has an ERA below 4.00 in the AL East and leads the league in starts.
  • Mark Teixeira, Yankees – He's been worth $15.1MM so far, so he's on pace to earn the first $20MM of his $180MM deal. He's added 26 homers, 80 RBI and 56 walks to the Yankees' offense.
  • Bobby Abreu, Angels – He's been worth $13.8MM this year and he's making a base salary of just $5MM. What a deal for the Angels, who get an .869 OPS, nearly as many walks as strikeouts and 22 steals.
  • Juan Rivera, Angels -  Another unheralded signing by the Angels. Rivera and Abreu have both approached Teixeira's production this year and the Yanks pay Tex more in one season than the Angels will pay Abreu and Rivera in total over the course of their current deals. Rivera makes a base salary of $3.25MM this year and will make at least $12.75MM on his new deal. He's batting .311 with 18 homers.

Olney On Pedro, Holliday, Hairston, Manny

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The Phillies are going to watch Pedro Martinez throw today, but he'll need more than an impressive workout to latch on with the NL East leaders, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney.

  • Pedro will have to accept that teams are going to want to pay him "like a 37-year-old pitcher who had a 5.61 ERA last season," not a future Hall of Famer.
  • Olney wonders whether Pedro's low ground ball rate might prevent him from succeeding at Citizens Bank Park.  
  • The A's aren't currently involved in trade talks regarding Matt Holliday or the recently-acquired Scott Hairston. 
  • One scout who watched Manny Ramirez this week said he looked "heavy-legged" and out of shape.   

Odds and Ends: Duran, Ichiro, Wright, Manny, Wilson

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The Pirates are dominating the rumors lately, but there have been a few other noteworthy items:

  • The Astros claimed infielder German Duran off unconditional waivers from the Rangers. Ken Rosenthal writes that Duran will be put on the DL and will end up in the minors. 
  • Though money is tight for many American franchises, SI reports that the earnings for the world's twenty richest non-American athletes are at an all-time high. Ichiro, with $22.5MM, is the only ballplayer on the list. 
  • David Wright shook off criticism from former Met John Franco, telling reporters that Franco "doesn't know what's going on" in the Mets clubhouse.
  • Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports that the Dodgers prepared for the return of Manny Ramirez with a series of roster moves.
  • And Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson apologized for remarks made yesterday that criticized the team's trading strategy.

Odds & Ends: O’s, Josh Johnson, Yankees, Red Sox

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A busy Sunday morning has made for some some discussable items from around the league:

  • Rick Dempsey of MASN is excited by the Orioles future and says it is undoubtedly time for the team to trade, highlighting George Sherrill, Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Roberts, Aubrey Huff, and Melvin Mora.
  • Carlos Frias of the Palm Beach Post notes A.J. Burnett has regrets over leaving the Marlins and burning his bridges in the process.
  • After Josh Johnson beat the Yankees yesterday, Mike Feinsand of the New York Daily News says, "Hope you got a good look, Yankees fans. You may have been watching your future ace."
  • River Ave. Blues thinks trading Xavier Nady makes sense despite Buster Olney having said, "The Yankees are unlikely to trade Nick Swisher of Xavier Nady after Nady returns."
  • Not a trade rumor, but Manny Ramirez is set to begin a minor-league stint on Tuesday in Albuquerque, says The Tribune-Review.
  • Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe says (via Twitter, of course) "Daisuke [Matsuzaka] to DL. [Catching prospect] Dusty Brown up with the team for the first time." She continues, "About to talk to Daisuke. Will get quotes to you shortly. [Sox manager Terry Francona] said he doesn't think this will be a two-week DL." While the Sox still have rotation depth, this surely effects any perceived sense of urgency to deal.

Odds & Ends: Bray, Fox, Manny, Crow

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Links for Wednesday…

Manny Suspension Only Frees Up $2.7MM For L.A.

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According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports the Manny Ramirez suspension frees up just $2.7MM in payroll this year for the Dodgers- or about $5MM less than originally expected. Because Manny's contract is deferred over the course of many years, he'll lose the money gradually, instead of all at once. Though Manny was originally expected to lose close to $8MM in total, he'll only lose $6.8MM. The Dodgers save $2.7MM this year and $1.37MM in each of the next three seasons.

Rosenthal adds that the Dodgers are expected to spend on pitching if they decide to make any additions.

Odds And Ends: Manny, Rangers, Pie

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Links for Saturday morning…

  • On ESPN Radio, Keith Law says no team would pass on Manny Ramirez if he's available for $5MM in the near future, regardless of his suspension. He won't be available at that rate this offseason, as he has a $20MM player option for 2010.
  • Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News passes on a quote from Dodgers GM Ned Colletti: "My concern is still with the pitching."
  • Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune believes the Dodgers' pitching will carry them while Manny serves his suspension.
  • Jamey Newberg suggests on the Newberg Report  that the Braves would deal the haul they received for Mark Teixeira– Casey Kotchman and Stephen Marek– for any one of four players they gave up to get Tex- Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, Neftali Feliz or Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
  • The Chicago Tribune suggests the Orioles may try to sneak Felix Pie to Triple-A through waivers.

Odds And Ends: Bay, Boras, Danks

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Links for Friday afternoon…

Odds And Ends: Hinch, Manny, Longoria

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Links for Friday…

What Manny’s Suspension Means For The Dodgers

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We know that Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games after failing a drug test, but what does it mean for the Dodgers? ESPN.com's Buster Olney breaks down the consequences for baseball's winningest team so far.

  • Ramirez loses between $7-8MM in salary this year.
  • He'll miss 50 games and return in early July. 
  • Olney says "no team with any sanity is going to match the money that Ramirez stands to make in the second year of his deal" (he makes $20MM next season). 
  • So Manny will not opt out of the contract.  
  • The Dodgers, like the Yankees with Alex Rodriguez, have been "duped," but there's nothing they can do about it.

 Some other consequences for the team:

  • Juan Pierre will presumably play every day in left field and bat eighth.
  • Could the $7-8MM be used to acquire a free agent like Pedro Martinez or Ben Sheets?
  • Could it give the team the flexibility to make a deal for a premier player?   

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