Crasnick On Retirement Candidates
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick looks at nine veteran players and estimates their chances of retiring. He assesses the situations of Jim Edmonds, Garret Anderson, Ken Griffey Jr., Cliff Floyd, Jeff Kent, Nomar Garciaparra, Luis Gonzalez, Frank Thomas, and Moises Alou.
Crasnick feels Edmonds, Anderson, Griffey, and Floyd are likely to play, while the rest are not. Of the long shots, Thomas seems most intent on playing in ’09.
Heyman’s Latest: Gillick, Pedro, Dempster, McLouth
Here’s a look at the latest column from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
- Heyman is hearing "scuttlebutt" that GM Pat Gillick may not leave the Phillies after all.
- Theo Epstein’s new deal is worth about $7MM over three years, which might be highest among GMs.
- Pedro Martinez‘s agent insists Pedro will pitch next year. In May, Martinez said he wanted to pitch two or three more years a couple days after suggesting retirement was an option.
- Moises Alou is undecided on 2009.
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry expects to re-sign Ryan Dempster after the season.
- Heyman says the Yankees "will likely make a big play" for Nate McLouth. The Pirates center fielder is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter, meaning he’s under team control for three more seasons. McLouth’s defense does not rate well (-21) under the previously discussed plus/minus system. Carlos Gomez is tops among CFs at +16. Rumored Yankees target Matt Kemp is a +1.
Week in Review
Here’s a look back at the biggest stories MLBTR covered for the week of July 6 – 13:
- The Brewers completed a deal for C.C. Sabathia, sending Matt LaPorta and other prospects to Cleveland in return. Sabathia’s looked great so far, and LaPorta’s already making an impact in the Indians minor league system. Looks good for both teams right now if you ask this guy.
- The Cubs answered their division rival quickly, landing Oakland ace Rich Harden along with Chad Gaudin in exchange for Matt Murton, Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson, and Josh Donaldson. Harden was brilliant in his debut. I think this could be another win-win trade, if Harden stays healthy.
- It was once again made clear that no one has interest in Barry Bonds, even at this juncture of the season. Seems like we’ve heard this once or twice before…
- It was a long time coming: The Mariners released Richie Sexson. Could the Yankees be interested?
- With likely season-ending injuries to both Eric Byrnes and Moises Alou (possibly career-ending in Alou’s case), both the D’Backs and Mets are in the market for corner outfielders. Raul Ibanez should be appealing to both clubs, though the Mariners may not be interested in trading him, Jim Riggleman says. Carlos Beltran voiced his support of acquiring Ibanez. I personally don’t see why Seattle wouldn’t pull the trigger, but I’m not a Major League GM, I suppose.
- Tim updated both the first base and catcher markets in the Trade Market Series.
- The Twins had internal discussions on Adrian Beltre. A third base upgrade would certainly be nice, but they’re not known for making big moves at the deadline. Could Bill Smith change that reputation in his first year as GM?
Alou Out For Season, Could Retire
Not that the Mets were counting on him, but it looks like Moises Alou‘s body has broken down beyond repair. He’s torn a hamstring, and doctors are recommending surgery. It might be time to hang ’em up. Alou’s had a fine career, banging out 332 home runs. He topped a .900 OPS in many seasons.
Taking Alou of the picture entirely might cause Omar Minaya to hasten his search for a corner outfielder. The market offers names like Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, Adam Dunn, Raul Ibanez, Frank Catalanotto, Kenny Lofton, Xavier Nady, Randy Winn, and Ken Griffey Jr.
Mets top prospect Fernando Martinez, 19, is hitting .298/.336/.428 in 50 games at Double A (he missed some time with a strained hamstring).
Is Moises Alou Finished?
Mets outfielder Moises Alou is on his third DL stint, and it’s only June. No one expected much more than 100 games from him, but this is getting silly.
Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post talked to Mets manager Jerry Manuel, who hinted that Alou could consider retirement. But, as Hubbuch notes, players don’t typically abandon millions of dollars. So look for Alou to consider retirement in the offseason. It’s a shame his body has broken down; the man can still hit.
Mets Dangle Relievers For OF Help
Scott Schoeneweis is miffed that the Mets may be considering using him as bait to snag an outfield replacement for Moises Alou.
The Mets have hinted they’d like to remove Schoeneweis and Jorge Sosa from their payroll, but the Alou injury situation makes the departure of the two relievers even more likely. Schoeneweis will make $7.2MM in 2008 and ’09 to complete his current three-year deal. Sosa makes an even $2MM in a one-year pact. Schoeneweis disappointed Omar Minaya last year with a 5.03 ERA in 70 games.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Mets called the Pirates to chat about Xavier Nady. New York may not have the pitching prospects the Pirates would want in return. Pittsburgh also may figure Nady’s value will increase toward the trade deadline.
Alou Out 4-6 Weeks
TODAY: Omar Minaya said that if he makes a deal, it will probably be toward the end of spring. And it would be for more of a fourth outfielder type (my words, not his).
YESTERDAY: In general, the Mets weren’t counting on 150 games from Moises Alou this year. But the news that a hernia will knock him out for four to six weeks could press Omar Minaya into action. Even before the injury they had been reportedly searching for a right-handed hitting outfielder. And ailments for various other Mets seem to be piling up.
Recently we’ve read about Marcus Thames and perhaps Brandon Inge as possible Mets targets. Yesterday we speculated that Reed Johnson, Kevin Millar, Jason Michaels, Matt Murton, and Jay Payton seemed like possibilities. Commenters added names like Juan Rivera, Xavier Nady, Randy Winn, Jonny Gomes, Aubrey Huff, and even Sammy Sosa. Plenty of options out there for Minaya.
Mets Exercise Alou’s Option, Re-sign Easley
According to RotoWorld, the Mets have exercised Moises Alou‘s $7.5MM option for 2008. With a $1MM buyout, this was effectively a $6.5MM decision. Even with time lost to injury Alou should be worth 3-4 wins, so the price is right.
They also re-upped Damion Easley, not sure the amount quite yet. Maybe $1.5MM or so. He had a nice 76 games this year and it wouldn’t be the end of the world to give him the regular 2B job.
Now the Mets can move onto more important issues, like filling second base and catcher and driving up the price for A-Rod.
Dunn, Hatteberg Option Decisions Due Sunday
According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds have to make decisions on the options for Adam Dunn, Scott Hatteberg, Eddie Guardado, and Javier Valentin by November 4th.
- Dunn is the big one; his is for $13MM with a $0.5MM buyout. This is an easy decision to exercise, though it will cause full no-trade protection to kick in until June 15th. After that he gets to choose 10 clubs to which he would accept a trade. But I think that if the Reds want him out of town the two parties will find a way to make it work (ie, they’ll give him a million or two extra).
- Hatteberg’s option is for $1.85MM with a $0.15MM buyout. This is so cheap it’s hard to decline, even if Joey Votto is ready. The Reds could definitely exercise it and trade Hatteberg at their discretion. The market for first basemen is weak.
- Everyday Eddie has a $3MM club option with no apparent buyout. He didn’t show anything, so I’m guessing the Reds will pass.
- Valentin’s option is for $1.35MM with a $75K buyout. I imagine they’ll exercise it.
- Since we are talking about options, I should add that Moises Alou‘s is due on November 15th. His is for $7.5MM vs. a $1MM buyout.
- Additionally in that same Fay article, Baker denies any tampering with Kerry Wood or Mark Prior. They didn’t talk about coming to the Reds, and Baker has spoken to over 40 players since he was hired.
Alou Hopes To Return To Mets In ’08
The Mets have an interesting decision on their hands with Moises Alou, though it’s not exactly the team’s primary concern right now. That won’t stop us from talking about it!
Alou has a franchise-record 30 game hitting streak going as a 41 year-old. Since the start of 2006, he’s hit a monstrous .322/.373/.551 in 655 ABs. The problem is that he’s shown he’s only good for 90-100 games per year due to injuries.
In this day and age one can place a dollar value on such production. The numbers say Alou is roughly a 3.5 win player in the time he’s active. Last I heard a win was worth around $2.1MM – maybe a little extra to the Mets as a perennial contender. So let’s say Alou is worth $7.5MM even given a chunk of missed time. That makes the 2008 decision fairly easy – his option is for exactly that amount. The $1MM buyout pushes the decision even closer to exercising it.
Earlier in September, Alou said he’d retire if the Mets didn’t pick up the option. Alou’s tune hasn’t completely changed – he said "I don’t think so" when asked today if he’d continue playing if the Mets declined his option. However, he seems undecided and may try another club closer to his home in the Dominican Republic.
I don’t see the Marlins bringing him back, but the Braves could make sense. DHing for the Rangers could work as well. Still, the most likely outcome is the Mets exercising the option.