Heyman On Matsui, Bradley, Dye, Chapman
Hideki Matsui is in the final year of a four-year, $52MM extension he signed with the Yankees following the 2005 campaign. At the age of 35, Matsui turned in one of his best seasons in the majors, posting .280/.373/.521 and 28 HRs. However, it doesn't appear that Hideki Matsui is a capable fielder at this stage of his career after all the injuries he has been through. Having not taken the field once all season, Matsui is strictly an American League player. As Tim Dierkes pointed out last week, if Matsui looks to sign elsewhere, he will find himself vying for 8 or less DH openings with 11 or so others.
SI.com's Jon Heyman touches on that situation and much more in today's offering. Here's a look at some of his rumors:
- Those close to Matsui say his first choice is to stay with the Yanks. However, the Yankees may have to let him walk as the DH spot will be needed for Jorge Posada and others.
- Heyman mentions Ken Rosenthal's report that John Farrell will not be able to take a managerial job in 2010 because of a clause in his contract with the BoSox. Heyman then adds, "Sometimes those clauses can be negotiated away."
- The Padres are one of the "rare" teams that have a level of interest in Milton Bradley. Sources indicate that it is a "long shot" that he will wind up in Texas.
- Heyman addresses some of the lesser-heralded free agents in the upcoming class and estimates how much they will receive in their new deals. Here are his guesses: Mark DeRosa, $24MM over three years; Nick Johnson, $16MM over two years; Adam LaRoche, $25MM over three years; Joel Pineiro, $15MM over two years.
- The White Sox will not pick up Jermaine Dye's $12MM option in all likelihood. This should come as no surprise considering the 35-year-old's dismal second half. Since August 1st, Dye has registered an OPS of .576.
- One GM told Heyman that he holds Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish in higher regard than highly-touted Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman.
Chapman, Darvish And Strasburg
Aroldis Chapman, Yu Darvish and Stephen Strasburg "represent the best pitching talent in the world that is not yet in the major leagues," so ESPN.com's Keith Law grades the trio of pitchers. Here's his take on each one:
- Aroldis Chapman is a 21-year-old lefty who just defected from Cuba. He relies on a fastball that touches 100 mph and has the makings of a good slider. That combination could make him a top reliever and better secondary stuff could help him realize his ceiling and become a top starter.
- Yu Darvish is a 22-year-old righty who pitches in the NPB and has said he doesn't think about pitching in the States. He relies mostly on a low-90s fastball and a slider, but has other pitches. Right now, Law says Darvish could do better in the majors than the other two pitchers because of his deeper repertoire and experience against top competition.
- When the Nats selected Stephen Strasburg first overall in last month's draft, they got a pitcher who can touch 100 mph and throws a power curve. Law suspects that minor leaguers won't hit the 20-year-old righty, so he may have to learn in the majors. Of the three pitchers, Law says Strasburg is the best long-term choice to become an elite starter.
Odds And Ends: Red Sox, Strasburg, Halladay
Links for Wednesday afternoon…
- WEEI.com's Alex Speier reports that the Red Sox signed two international players named Alcantara to six-figure bonuses, but they are unrelated and neither one is related to former Red Sox player Izzy Alcantara. Mario Alcantara and Raul Alcantara are both right-handed pitchers.
- The Baltimore Sun reports that the Red Sox signed Johns Hopkins graduate Chez Angeloni as a free agent.
- Keith Law tells Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker that Stephen Strasburg has more upside than Yu Darvish, though Darvish has faced better competition.
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe asks Red Sox fans to slow down on the Roy Halladay talk, because Theo Epstein has given no indication that the Red Sox are interested.
- Jorge Says No! suggests the Jays should ask teams to take on a bad contract in any Halladay deal. They have a few overpaid players to choose from, especially Vernon Wells and B.J. Ryan.
- I'll be on ESPN Radio in Madison at 3:40 CST talking trades on The Big 1070. Also, check out my chat with the Benchwarmers on 590 KFNS from last night.
Odds And Ends: Gonzalez, Pirates, Batista
More links for the afternoon…
- Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times says the Mariners face some tough long-term decisions about Adrian Beltre and his future as a Mariner.
- Pirates president Frank Coonelly believes his team will be able to match or surpass the Brewers' payroll once attendance picks up, according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball reports that Ken Rosenthal will join the MLB Network and keep reporting for FOX Sports.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times can see the Mariners trading Miguel Batista whether they're buyers or sellers.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker shows that Yu Darvish relied on fastballs and sliders to take a no hitter into the 8th inning in Japan recently.
Yankees Scouting Yu Darvish
According to Japan's Sports Hochi, via Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker, the Yankees had three scouts on hand to watch Yu Darvish pitch Friday night. Darvish didn't dominate, but he held the opposition to one earned run on four hits and fanned four batters.
Odds & Ends: Bonifacio, Jimenez, Darvish
Links for Friday…
- Royals third baseman Alex Gordon is out 10-12 weeks due to hip surgery. Mark Teahen will slide over to take his place.
- Ken Rosenthal examines the Indians.
- I did a Q&A with But The Game Is On.
- Chico Harlan of the Washington Post gets into the Emilio Bonifacio trade.
- ESPN's Jorge Arangure Jr. writes about how the Yankees' signing of D'Angelo Jimenez changed everything.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker has a Yu Darvish velocity chart.
- The Big Lead talked to Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Paul DePodesta explains the Padres' decision to expose Travis Denker to waivers.
Yu Darvish Reactions
Over at NPB Tracker Patrick Newman passes on some reactions to Yu Darvish, who pitched in Japan’s exhibition game against the Cubs yesterday. Twenty scouts from at least 10 teams were there to watch Darvish throw as hard as 96. He won’t be a free agent until 2014 at the earliest.
John Cox, who scouts the Far East for the Giants likes what he’s seen from the 22-year-old, saying "if he’s interested in the majors we’ll think about aquiring him." Alfonso Soriano was also impressed by Darvish’s stuff and Carlos Zambrano thinks he has "an aura on the mound."
Odds & Ends: Darvish, Rockies, Angels, Nats
More links for Friday…
- RotoAuthority has a list of undervalued pitchers for 2009.
- ESPN’s Keith Law raves about Yu Darvish, saying he’d be a #1 starter in the U.S. Should be wild if he’s ever posted.
- Salon.com’s King Kaufman spoke to Tracy Ringolsby about his move from the Rocky Mountain News to Inside The Rockies.
- Sam Miller of the OC Register comes up wih some options for the backend of the Angels’ rotation.
- MLB.com’s Bill Ladson has his own blog: All Nats All The Time.
- Ladson says the Nationals’ GM position will remain open for the forseeable future, with the team maintaining its current Stan Kasten/Mike Rizzo arrangement. Pete McElroy of MASN has a Q&A with Rizzo.
WBC May Be Showcase For Future Major Leaguers
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune notes that the ’06 World Baseball Classic was the coming out party for Kosuke Fukudome and Alexei Ramirez, and gives us a list of players that could be playing for big league contracts in this year’s WBC.
Rogers lists Yu Darvish (Japan), Hyun-jin Ryu and Suk Min Yoon (Korea) along with Albertin Chapman, Yuniesky Maya and Yuliesky Gourriel (Cuba) as the players that could be playing for future millions.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Gammons, Kawakami, Buck
Links for Monday…
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik admitted to have a conversation with Ken Griffey Jr.‘s agent, but wouldn’t reveal anything else.
- One of Matthew Cerrone’s readers dug up a Primera Hora article saying the Mets have been scouting free agent reliever Fernando Cabrera.
- Bob Klapisch looks at Pedro Martinez‘s four-year, $53MM deal and asks: was it worth it?
- Rays Index notes that Grant Balfour will use WBC participation as a bargaining chip in contract negotiations (he’s eligible for arbitration).
- Marc Hulet of Baseball Analysts looks at top hitters for the Rule 5 draft.
- Fire Brand of the American League did a Q&A with ESPN’s Peter Gammons. Some good stuff in there.
- A few notes from Patrick Newman at NPB Tracker. The Hanshin Tigers are reportedly considering offering $20MM over four years to Kenshin Kawakami, while Yu Darvish had his contract renewed at $2.7MM for next year.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post says the Mets want to add one starter and push Jonathan Niese to the #5 spot.
- Rany Jazayerli notes that a John Buck trade would make sense for the Royals.
- I mentioned the Royals’ signing of J.R. House earlier, but should add that they also signed Franquelis Osoria and Matt Tupman to minor league deals.