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Torii Hunter

Hunter Interested In Nationals, Braves

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MLB.com’s Bill Ladson had an exclusive conversation with Torii Hunter tonight.  Nicely done Bill!

Ladson learned that Hunter is interested in playing for the Nationals or Braves because of the large African American populations in D.C. and Atlanta.  Hunter would like to be a leader in the community.  This is an interesting factor to consider when trying to guess Hunter’s next destination.  Detroit, Baltimore, St. Louis, and Cleveland have large African American populations as well.  However, the Tigers and Indians don’t need a center fielder.

Another reason Hunter likes the Nats is the presence of his buddy Dmitri Young.  Dmitri is the gift that just keeps on giving.

Also consider that Hunter said he’s thought about playing for his hometown Rangers "a lot a bit."  And the Twins might still make a reasonable four-year offer.  But remember that Hunter has expressed a "burning curiosity" to explore the open market.  He’s certainly keeping his options open – it’s definitely too early to call this one.  A wrinkle for the Braves besides the money would be losing the 18th overall pick next June to the Twins.

Hunter Would Take 5/75 From Twins

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Out on the open market, center fielder Torii Hunter might fish for more than a five-year, $75MM contract.  He could probably get six years, or $16-17MM annually.  However, 5/75 would be sufficient from the Twins, as Hunter hopes to remain in Minnesota.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Sid Hartman (linked above) says re-signing Hunter at that price and trading Johan Santana would probably leave the Twins with the payroll flexibility to acquire a third baseman and a DH.  Hunter’s departure could seemingly impact ticket sales in Minnesota more than Santana’s.

Santana is on the hook for $13.25MM in 2008.  Swapping him for two 0-3 players while backloading Hunter’s deal and letting Carlos Silva walk could free up $15MM net this winter.  That could mean Barry Bonds and Mike Lamb, Cliff Floyd and Mike Lowell, or a million other combinations.

Heyman’s Latest

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new column up, with some minor info.

  • Heyman’s sources describe a Jose Reyes for Johan Santana rumor as "pure fantasy."  Well…who said it was ever anything more?  Buster Olney was clearly just playing Let’s Make A Deal when he devised it.  Things get twisted around easily.
  • Most of us already figured this, but Heyman says the White Sox will go after either Aaron Rowand or Torii Hunter this winter. 
  • Heyman puts the Angels, Dodgers, Red Sox, Giants, Cubs, Mets, and Phillies into the A-Rod derby if the Yanks don’t keep him.
  • No offense to Jon but this column really lacked any kind of new info.

Rumors and Questions

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If Cubs make the playoffs, they will be glad not to see the Marlins in the postseason.  After last night’s defeat, the Cubs haven’t beaten the Fish since April… of 2006.

Lots of buzz today, so here are some Rumors and Questions on the day:

  • Florida Marlins Fans, it may be disheartening for you, both of you, to know that David Hyde (with some help from Bill Murray) believes as though either Miguel Cabrera or Dontrelle Willis will indeed be dealt this offseason.  Tim crunched the numbers and thinks they should shed Willis’ contract.  If I had to choose, I’d agree with Mr. Hyde (not Dr. Jekyll) and wave goodbye to Miggy before the D-Train rolls out.  Cabrera is indisputably elite and could net a Hanley Ramirez or two.  Meanwhile, Dontrelle’s value is at an all time low.  Who would you deal?
  • Speaking of former Marlins, Buster Olney thinks the Tigers will re-sign Todd Jones.  When asked who will close for the Tigers next year, Manager Jim Leyland responded with a definitive "don’t know".  Well, maybe he’s getting forgetful in his old age, but we all know who: Joel Zumaya.  But is he ready?  Chris McKosky of the Detroit News isn’t sure.  What do you think?  If only he could lay off that Guitar Hero…
  • The Rangers and the Twins have each expressed interest in both Torii Hunter and, who else, Barry Bonds.  Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire weighs in positively on Bonds, while Joe Christensen says chances are slim but don’t rule it out.  Shooter Charley Walters says the Twins will try to re-sign Hunter.  But Hunter is from outside Arlington, Texas and when asked if he’s thought a little about going home, he told reporters "I haven’t thought about it a little bit.  I’ve thought about it a lot a bit."  Meanwhile, the Rangers players say "Thumbs up!" to Bonds.  I think the Rangers are a natural fit for both of these vets.
  • Also, Ken Rosenthal’s latest video on Foxsports.com breaks down the fates of Managers-Across-The-League.  Interestingly, he begins by praising Joe Torre for doing maybe his best job ever, and then notes how if the Yankees stumble in the postseason he might not be back…

 

Posted by: Nat Boyle

Twins Might Offer Torii A Fourth Year

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Was Torii Hunter’s farewell premature?  La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that while the center fielder rejected the Twins’ modest 3/45 offer a few weeks back, the team might be willing to tack on a fourth year. 

For a while now we’ve been hearing that Hunter’s bare minimum is a five-year, $75MM contract.  To jump from three years to five might be impossible for the Twins.  And how sure are we that Hunter would even take that offer?

I agree with Aaron Gleeman on this one: while I might do the same in his shoes, it remains true that Hunter will probably leave the Twins over money.  I’m not one to declare that Hunter should leave $30MM on the table.  But if he really loves the organization and fans, 4/60 would still set up several generations of Hunters for life.

Torii Hunter To Texas Musings

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The Rangers are the early favorite to sign 32 year-old center fielder Torii Hunter for several reasons. 

First off, Hunter and his family live just 47 miles away from The Ballpark In Arlington.  Sometimes the whole hometown team thing is overrated when predicting where free agents will land, but Hunter has basically said that the Rangers have an advantage and it’s what his family wants.

Second, the Rangers have vacancy.  Brad Wilkerson will be gone and Kenny Lofton already is.  Sammy Sosa could assume a lesser role or none at all.  The Rangers do have some interesting internal candidates for center field in Marlon Byrd and David Murphy, but they might be better suited as fourth outfielders.

Third, the Rangers can probably afford Hunter even with his bare minimum 5/75 demand.  My back of the napkin math has the net change to payroll as about $13MM off the books.  There are small gains for Millwood, Padilla, Blalock, Catalanotto, and arbitration-eligible guys, but good money off the books for Teixeira, Gagne, Wilkerson, Lofton, and Sosa.  The Rangers have held at a $68MM Opening Day payroll for the last two seasons but Tom Hicks has had it up past $100MM before. 

So with Hunter the Rangers could have a $70MM payroll (or less if they backload his contract).  But it gets better: if Alex Rodriguez opts out of his contract, the Rangers gain $8.1MM in ’08, $7.1MM in ’09, and $6.1MM in ’10.  It’s certainly easier to envision Hunter in a Rangers uniform if A-Rod opts out.

Could White Sox Sign Torii Hunter?

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The Twins came to Chicago on Friday, sparking another round of Torii Hunter speculation for the White Sox.  Hunter, of course, played it cool. He basically said he’d be honored if the Sox wanted him, and wouldn’t have a problem playing for one of the Twins’ biggest rivals.

Remember, though, that Hunter’s bare minimum contract is 5/75 and the White Sox are currently looking at $92MM+ committed for 2008.  Even a backloaded deal would take the Sox close to their payroll limit.  While moving Jon Garland for cheap young players is a distinct possibility, I’m not sure if the rotation can take the hit.  And no one’s taking on Jose Contreras’s contract.  Kenny Williams is in a bit of a pickle as his farm system could use a reload but the team has too many veterans to rebuild.  He could trade them all off but Sox fans would revolt.

Despite the salary concern, Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press names the Sox as Hunter’s leading suitor and crosses the Cardinals off the list.

Torii Hunter Turned Down 3/45 Offer

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According to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Twins offered Torii Hunter a contract a few weeks ago for three years and $45MM. Ken Rosenthal had reported it as a four-year, $56MM offer, which Hunter denied.  One source of Rosenthal’s had indicated that the bare minimum hunter might accept is 5/75.  Christensen, however, says Hunter is after a deal like the 5/70 J.D. Drew ended up with.  If so, Hunter is being plenty fair with his demand.

Indeed, Hunter’s main concern is the length of the contract.  If he’s coming in at five years and the Twins at three, maybe they can arrive at four.  I could actually see a 4/56 contract as the Twins’ last and best offer.  But Hunter has talked about not wanting to take a discount and a "burning curiosity" to see what’s on the open market.  He seems likely to leave the Twins.

As far as Hunter’s next team, Ken Rosenthal has speculated on the Yankees, Phillies, Braves, Padres, Rockies, Giants, White Sox, and Rangers.

White Sox Targeting Eckstein

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According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, shortstop David Eckstein is the #1 target of the White Sox this offseason.  An Eckstein signing would then result in the team paying $300K to buy out Juan Uribe’s $5MM option for ’08. 

Eckstein signed a three-year, $10.25MM deal with the Cardinals after being non-tendered by the Angels in December of 2004.  He’ll be 33 heading into the ’08 season, and injuries have been increasing over the years.  Another three-year pact for $15-18MM would be fairly risky for the White Sox.  Especially for a player whose value is tied so closely to his batting average.

A coworker of mine, Mike, mentioned that the Sox might be trying to assemble an all-grinder type team.  They could conceivably have Eckstein, Darin Erstad, Jerry Owens, and Aaron Rowand in the lineup next year.

However, they won’t be signing Rowand if, as Cowley claims, he demands a contract similar to Torii Hunter’s.  Ken Rosenthal recently talked to an exec who set the floor for Hunter at 5/75, with 6/102 certainly within reach.  I imagine the White Sox will top out with an offer around 3/33, a little more than Eric Byrnes received.  I could be wrong though.   

Rosenthal’s Latest Videos: Hunter, Piazza

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A couple of Ken Rosenthal new videos – Inside Pitch and Full Count – are up at FOXSports.com.  Here’s a summary of the rumor-related stuff.

  • Rosenthal says Torii Hunter rejected a four-year, $56MM offer from the Twins.  However, Hunter said today that he received no such offer.  The Twins approached him about a contract extension, but he’ll wait until the winter to negotiate.  At any rate, Rosenthal believes Hunter will end up in the $18MM per year territory occupied by comparables Ichiro Suzuki and Vernon Wells.
  • Mike Piazza could be an option for the Tigers if Gary Sheffield’s shoulder problems linger.  Currently Sheff is looking to return in early September.  Piazza has cleared waivers, so he can be traded to any team.  He hasn’t been hitting this month (.654 OPS).
  • The Orioles have a couple of valuable trading chips in Kevin Millar and Steve Trachsel.  Trax has cleared waivers; Millar is an unknown.  Trachsel is back on the radar with a 2.53 August ERA (though he’s whiffed only five in 32 innings).
  • Rosenthal says the Marlins will almost certainly explore Dontrelle Willis trades this winter.
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