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Tim Lincecum

Odds & Ends: Havlicek, Lincecum, Kennedy

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Links for Wednesday…

  • The Rays signed 16-year-old lefty Stepan Havlicek out of the Czech Republic, according to a press release.  He is "believed to be the first ever signed by the Rays out of Europe."
  • Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports takes a look at the significance of Tim Lincecum's arbitration case.  SI's Jon Heyman believes a two-year, $24MM deal would work for both sides.
  • Heyman also notes that the Rays, Marlins, and Nationals have a policy not to compromise after figures are filed.
  • In another article, Morosi says Adam Kennedy is down to three teams, two of which would use him as an everyday second baseman.
  • Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram informs us about Colby Lewis, the newest member of the Rangers' rotation.
  • WEEI's Alex Speier tells you everything you ever wanted to know (and then some) about the Red Sox and their efforts to minimize their competitive balance tax.
  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker says 34-year-old screwballing lefty Hisanori Takahashi may have a big league offer.  The Orioles are one interested party, according to MASN's Roch Kubatko. 
  • Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times says the Mariners appear to have about $10MM left to spend.

Lincecum Files For $13MM In Arbitration

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Tim Lincecum filed for $13MM in arbitration today, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman. The Giants submitted $8MM. It appears the two sides will try to work a deal out with Ryan Howard's record $10MM award as a comparison. The question is, do you prefer a Rookie of the Year and an MVP, or two Cy Youngs?

Jonathan Papelbon's $6.25MM salary in 2009 is the record for a first year arbitration eligible pitcher, and that'll be smashed by Lincecum this year even if he loses an arbitration hearing.

Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Reds, Red Sox, Uggla, Molina

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Some Tuesday links…

  • After talking to someone familiar with the process, FoxSports.com's Jon Paul Morosi guesses (via Twitter) that Tim Lincecum will file for somewhere between $12-13MM in arbitration.
  • John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer has the Reds' 2010 payroll at just about $70MM at the moment.
  • In a mailbag, Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe says that the Red Sox aren't likely to go out and spend on a high-risk, high-reward pitcher like Ben Sheets after signing John Lackey. 
  • Joe Frisaro of MLB.com doesn't think the Marlins will look to trade Dan Uggla, even after he agreed to a deal yesterday that makes him the team's highest paid player in 2010.
  • Meanwhile, Frisaro says that Cody Ross is likely headed to an arbitration hearing after negotiations hit an impasse.
  • Tony Massarotti of The Boston Globe wonders if the Red Sox are doing the right thing by going year-to-year with Jonathan Papelbon through his arbitration years.
  • After turning down the Mets' latest offer, ESPN's Buster Olney thinks (via Twitter) that the Mariners might be a good fit for Bengie Molina.
  • MLB.com's Adam McCalvy tweets that the Brewers will continue negotiating with their six remaining arbitration eligible players today, though GM Doug Melvin said that no multi-year deals are in the mix.
  • John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press says it wouldn't be a shock if Justin Verlander sought at least $6MM through arbitration this year after seeking $4.15MM last year. Joe Blanton received just under $5.5MM in his second year of arbitration, so I wouldn't be surprised if Verlander submitted a figure closer to $8-9MM.
  • Meanwhile, Lynn Henning of The Detroit News spoke to some scouts who think Austin Jackson might not be ready for the big leagues, at least at the plate. Jackson is slated to start the year as the Tigers' everyday center fielder.
  • MLB.com's Jason Beck tweets that the Jose Valverde deal is official.
  • The Rays aren't close to deals with any of their four arbitration eligible players, reports Marc Topkin of The St. Petersburg Times. Tampa has a self-imposed deadline of noon ET today to get deals done, which is when the two sides must submit their salary figures.
  • In a chat with readers, Tom Boswell of The Washington Post said he heard the Nationals were close to a "trade for a major-league ready pitcher of Jordan Zimmermann quality but it fell through when the other team backed out." He thinks Josh Willingham may have been involved.
  • The Giants haven't confirmed if they're still interested in Miguel Tejada according to Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com, however he spoke to someone who says Tejada remains on the Twins' radar.

Odds & Ends: Draft, Kouzmanoff, Lincecum, Street

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A few Saturday links…

  • Via Twitter, Bob Elliott of The Toronto Sun spoke to a scouting director who indicated that a committee was forming to work on instituting a world-wide draft and slotting system. "This time it has a chance," said the scouting director.
  • Athletics Nation gives A's fans four reasons why they should approve of the Kevin Kouzmanoff–Scott Hairston swap.
  • MLB.com's Doug Miller says that whispers of a $20MM arbitration award for Tim Lincecum have "echoed loudly throughout baseball." Obviously, that would be an unprecedented award and break every arbitration record known to man, but it would also make Lincecum the third highest paid pitcher in baseball next season, behind C.C. Sabathia and Johan Santana.
  • In a mailbag piece at MLB.com, Thomas Harding says that Huston Street could be a trade candidate if the Rockies drop out of the race and are unable to sign him to an extension. Colorado offered Street a three-year deal earlier this offseason.
  • The 30-day exclusive negotiating window between the Hicks Sports Group and the Chuck Greenberg/Nolan Ryan group expired yesterday without the Rangers being sold. Maury Brown at The Biz of Baseball has the joint statement released by the two parties, which indicates that they are on the verge of an agreement.
  • Tommy Rancel at DRays Bay estimates some arbitration values for Tampa's four remaining arb-eligible players.

Discussion: Next Young Pitcher To Be Extended

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One of the game's best young pitchers signed a contract extension yesterday that will take him to his 30th birthday, as the Marlins finally locked up Josh Johnson to a four-year deal worth $39MM. The extension mirrors the deal Kansas City gave Zack Greinke before last season, and is just the latest example of a club willing to assume the risk of a breakdown in exchange for cost certainty.

Paul Maholm, Scott Baker, Ubaldo Jimenez, Adam Wainwright, Matt Cain, Jon Lester, and James Shields are other young arms who have sacrificed the superior earning power of the arbitration process for financial security in recent years. Who do the readers of MLBTR think the next young pitcher to agree to an extension could be?

Leaving aside the big names like Tim Lincecum, Justin Verlander, and Felix Hernandez, here's a few pitchers who already have, or will soon enter into their arbitration years…

  • Yovani Gallardo – the Brewers' young ace struck out 204 batters and allowed just 150 hits in 185.2 innings last season, and will be arb eligible following the 2010 season.
  • Matt Garza – one of Tampa's many young power arms, Garza has struck out 7.3 batters per nine innings in his career, and has made 62 starts over the last two years. He's arb eligible as a Super Two this offseason.
  • Jair Jurrjens – perhaps the best pitcher no one talks about, Jurrjens led the NL in starts last year and owns a 3.21 career ERA. He'll be up for arbitration after the 2010 season.
  • Wandy Rodriguez – his breakthrough season last year included a 3.06 K/BB ratio and 193 strikeouts in 205.2 innings. Wandy is arb eligible for the second time this offseason after earning $2.6MM in 2009.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Beltre, Morrow

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Some Saturday afternoon links..

  • The Dodgers should have offered salary arbitration to Randy Wolf and Orlando Hudsonto allow themselves the opportunity to receive draft picks, writes Jon Weisman of the Los Angeles Times.  Weisman argues that the worst case scenario of being stuck with one or both players at a slightly inflated price for one season wouldn't have been so bad.  It's hard to dispute this point as we have yet to see the Dodgers do much of anything this winter.
  • Not only are the Athletics talking to free agent Adrian Beltre, they may be the only serious bidder at the moment, according to an item on ESPN's MLB rumor page.  The piece also notes that if Beltre's asking price - believed to be north of $10MM per season – drops into Oakland's price range, the Giants, Cardinals, and Tigers could get in the mix.
  • Seattle's poor decisions stunted the development of Brandon Morrow, writes Ryan Divish of The News Tribune.  While he never had the same ceiling as Tim Lincecum, who was drafted five spots later in the 2006 draft, things could have worked out differently for Morrow if he were given adequate time to develop in the minors. 
  • Shi Davidi of the Associated Presspraises new Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos and his plan to rebuild the franchise.  Davidi writes that Anthopoulos has the support of ownership in a way that J.P. Ricciardi never did.
  • A few free agents left on the market might want to consider lowering their asking price, writes Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.  Adam LaRoche seeking $30MM over three years might be the most wishful of the bunch.

Giants Notes: Leadoff, Payroll, Catcher, Rivera

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Some Giants updates to ponder as we march on through the night, courtesy of MLB.com's Christ Haft:

  • Brian Sabean said Monday that the Giants plan to use Eugenio Velez or Andres Torres in the leadoff spot for 2010. Yikes, neither is exactly a prime option for that role.
  • Sabean says the payroll will be in the same range as 2009 — the low $90MMs. Haft says the Giants will need every penny due to the massive raise Tim Lincecum is about to receive as part of the aftermath of winning his second consecutive Cy Young Award.
  • The Giants will not use Pablo Sandoval or Ryan Garko at catcher even on a part-time basis in 2010. Sandoval caught 11 games for the Giants in 2008, but Sabean and Co. would prefer not to expose their best hitter to the rigors of catching. Garko won the 2003 Johnny Bench Award at Stanford, but hasn't caught a game in his Major League career.
  • Should the Angels land Jason Bay, the Giants might suddenly perk up and pursue an acquisition of Juan Rivera. Haft points out, though, that given Rivera's big-time production in 2009 and modest contract for 2010 and 2011, the asking price might be tough to swallow for the Giants. 

Odds & Ends: Matsui, Cardinals, Arb Offers

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Links for Monday…

Lincecum Seeking A One-Year Deal

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With the mother of all arbitration cases set to go down this winter, Tim Lincecum and his agent Rick Thurman will pursue just a one-year deal according to John Shea of The SF Chronicle. Going year-to-year in arbitration would allow the righty to maximize his earning potential, though he'd be forgoing the security that comes along with signing a long-term deal.

Shea mentions that the 25-year-old two-time defending Cy Young Award winner could ask for C.C. Sabathia money thanks to a "special accomplishment" provision in Article VI Rule F (12) of CBA. While filing for salary arbitration, a player's compensation is based on what other players with similar service time are paid, however this provision would allow arbitration panel to "give whatever weight to such argument as is deemed appropriate." That essentially means they could disregard Lincecum's service time, if they choose.

Odds & Ends: Lincecum, Gonzalez, Damon

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Let's check out some Wednesday morning links….

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