Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Papelbon, Jeter, Jurrjens, Braves, Nats
On this date 11 years ago, the Dodgers hired Kevin Malone to be their General Manager, replacing Tommy Lasorda. Three months later, the "new sheriff in town" signed Kevin Brown to a 7-year/$105MM contract, making Brown the first $100MM player in baseball history. The deal would cover Brown's age 34-40 seasons. Malone also avoided salary arbitration with Carlos Perez that off-season, giving him a 3-year/$15.5MM deal. Perez would spend the final year of the deal in Triple-A and never signed another big league contract. As most teams start looking to the off-season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere…
- Jorge Says No! revisits the worst contract extensions from the past off-season.
- Fire Brand of the American League takes a look at what it would mean to the Red Sox if they traded Jonathan Papelbon.
- River Ave. Blues takes a look at what it will take to re-sign Derek Jeter.
- MLB Notebook can see Jason Bay signing with the Mariners this off-season, but suggests it is not a good fit.
- Talking Chop argues that trading Jair Jurrjens this off-season would be more beneficial for the Braves than trading Javier Vazquez or Tim Hudson.
- Capitol Ave. Club previews the Braves' free agent class.
- DC Sports Plus projects the Nationals' roster for next season, including the addition of Aki Iwamura.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here, and followed on Twitter here.
Odds And Ends: Sweeney, Padres, Saito
Some links for the morning…
- We already knew Mike Sweeney would consider signing with the Mariners and Angels after the season. Now MLB.com's Jim Street adds the Padres to Sweeney's list of preferred clubs.
- Like GM Kevin Towers, Padres CEO Jeff Moorad expects the team to be "competitive" next year, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
- Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports that Takashi Saito will make $500k when he appears in his next game. Even more incentives kick in if he continues picking up appearances throughout the season's final month.
- Pirates GM Neal Huntington tells Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that Joel Hanrahan has seemed like a different pitcher in Pittsburgh because he was unlucky as a member of the Nationals.
- ESPN.com's Rob Neyer doesn't expect the confusion surrounding Jose Valverde's age to have much of an effect on the contract he signs in the winter.
Odds & Ends: M’s, Peavy, Metropolitans
A handful of links for your Wednesday evening viewing pleasure…
- Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports has concluded his "Restoring the Rosters" series. Pouliot's No. 1 organization, "if given only the players it originally signed," is the Seattle Mariners. All 30 squads are now available for review.
- According to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Jake Peavy's debut with the White Sox is still "up in the air." Here's Peavy's take: "I can promise you this. On Feb. 15 or whatever day it is I report [for spring training], I'll be in as good of shape as anybody and be ready to pitch and expect nothing less than what I've done in years."
- R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs doesn't believe "blowing up the Mets" is the answer. In fact, he likes their current nucleus. "Heading into next season," Anderson writes, "the Mets will have David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran. Depending on Johan Santana’s health, they could legitimately post four four/five win players without spending a dime on free agency."
Mike Sweeney Hopes To Play In 2010
Designated hitter Mike Sweeney hopes to play again in 2010, according to Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times. He'll have to postpone microfracture knee surgery to do so. The 36 year-old is hitting .277/.335/.441 in 236 plate appearances, his best power display since '05. He's on a $500K minor league deal signed in January.
Sweeney told Baker he decided to play next year after receiving support from his wife. His two choices are the Mariners and the Angels.
Dayton Moore Chats With Fans
Royals GM Dayton Moore was not terribly revealing in his MLB.com chat with fans today, but let's take a look anyway. He deserves props for answering a few tough questions, though it would've been nice to have one about Alex Gordon's service time manipulation (Gordon and his agent didn't consider the demotion devious, though).
- There are "no immediate plans" to try Joakim Soria as a starter, though Moore did not dismiss the idea outright.
- Yuniesky Betancourt and Mike Aviles will compete for the shortstop job in 2010.
- Moore wouldn't reveal much regarding his team's catching situation, though he expressed a desire to improve blocking and receiving skills behind the plate.
- He was also vague about the idea of signing a power hitter in the offseason.
- Moore expects to sign Aaron Crow, but has nothing new to report.
- When Moore was asked, "Mr. Moore, why is this team so bad? Plz answer. Thx," he went with injuries as the explanation.
- Another funny exchange – Moore was asked why he gave up Dan Cortes for Betancourt, when Betancourt probably would've been designated for assignment. Moore believes it was "highly doubtful" the shortstop would've been DFA'd.
- Moore spoke in generalities when asked if he'd try to lock up Billy Butler.
- Moore says he's focused on pitching, speed, and defense, much like the Angels.
Odds And Ends: Jeter, Pettitte, Griffey
All three of these potential Hall of Famers were on their current teams ten years ago…
- Bob Klapisch of FOX Sports says the Yankees are bracing themselves for the possibility that Derek Jeter will ask for a massive contract after next season. Klapisch wonders if Jeter could ask for $100MM over four years when negotiations begin.
- Andy Pettitte tells Jon Heyman of SI.com that he hasn't decided whether to return for another season after this one. The 37-year-old has a 4.10 ERA in 28 starts for the Yanks this year.
- MLB.com's Jim Street says Ken Griffey Jr.'s return to Seattle has been a complete success. We heard last week that Griffey would consider returning to the team next year.
Cafardo’s Latest: Red Sox Shortstop Options, Griffey, Suppan, Mulder, Glavine
The Red Sox have been trying to find a long term solution at shortstop ever since the Nomar Garciaparra trade back in 2004, and while the recent pickup of Alex Gonzalez has provided some stability, the team still needs to find a solution for next year and beyond. Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe says that first, the Sox have to decide if "they can afford to carry a light-hitting, great-fielding shortstop or sacrifice a bit of defense to aim for a more balanced lineup."
He presents some possible solutions to their seemingly perpetual shortstop issues, so let's round 'em up…
- Marco Scutaro: The 33-yr old has enjoyed a tremendous season for Toronto (.282/.380/.411), and projects to be a Type-A free agent. He made just $1.1MM this season, and it seems likely that the Blue Jays would offer him arbitration.
- Hanley Ramirez: Cafardo mentions that it still remains to be seen if Hanley can stick at short long term, but there is no question that he's one of the five best players in the game today. Given his team friendly contract that will pay him $64.5MM between now and 2014, the Sox would have to offer a bounty of young talent just to get their foot in the door.
- Miguel Tejada: A projected Type-B free agent this offseason, it seems unlikely that the Astros would offer him arbitration. He could be a one year stopgap at shortstop, and perhaps enjoy an offensive resurgence similar to Mike Lowell thanks to Fenway Park and the Green Monster.
- J.J. Hardy: As Cafardo notes, it "would take a leap of faith to think that his horrid season is an aberration." However, he did hit .280/.333/.470 from 2007-2008, and they'd definitely be buying low.
- Jose Reyes: We've seen plenty of talk that the Mets should trade Reyes, but it remains to be seen if they actually will. Can you imagine Reyes and Jacoby Ellsbury on the bases?
- Troy Tulowitzki: Cafardo admits it's a long shot, but everybody has a price. Considering that Tulo is guaranteed just $29.25MM between now and 2014 and is hitting .283/.363/.526 this year, doesn't it seem like it might be easier to acquire Hanley?
- Cafardo also throws out the names of several other possible options, including Adam Everett, John McDonald, Omar Vizquel, Stephen Drew, and Brandon Wood.
The Red Sox still have Jed Lowrie in-house, but he's missed considerable time this year with wrist problems. It would be a stretch to think that 19-yr old Cuban signee Jose Iglesias could fill in next year, but stranger things have happened. I'll throw the name of one more impending free agent out there: Felipe Lopez. He last played shortstop regularly in 2007, but it's at least worth considering.
Here's the rest of Cafardo's non-Red Sox rumors…
- Ken Griffey Jr. would like to return to Seattle for another year, and "probably can if his price is right." Junior is hitting .218/.325/.393 in 382 plate appearances this year, almost exclusively as a DH.
- The Brewers placed Jeff Suppan on trade waivers last week, and Cafardo says it'll be interesting to see "if any contending team still looking for an experienced starter puts in a claim or tries to make a deal for him." Considering there's still $14.5MM in guaranteed money left on his contract, I'd guess no one puts a claim in.
- Hardy was also placed on trade waivers.
- Free agent pitcher Mark Mulder has decided not to make a comeback this year even though he made progress with his throwing program. He's likely to play winterball though.
- Agent Gregg Clifton says client Tom Glavine is unlikely to attempt a comeback next year, and has started to field calls about broadcasting opportunities.
Griffey Open To Return To Mariners In 2010
Ken Griffey Jr. told The Associated Press that he would be open to playing another year in Seattle "if the situation is right for both himself and the club." The future Hall-of-Famer would not admit to leaning toward a return, but he seems to be keeping the option open.
In his first year back with Seattle, Griffey has a .221/.329/.399 line with 14 home runs and 43 RBI in 377 plate appearances. He has been the DH for 74 games and played 11 games in the outfield.
Heyman On Dye, Felix, Cameron
The latest from SI's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman's sources say the Giants "made no overtures" to acquire Chicago outfielder Jermaine Dye, who Sox GM Ken Williams made available a few days ago. Dye is hitting .260/.339/.474 in 495 plate appearances on the season after a terrible August.
- Heyman talked to "competing execs" who believe the Mariners will try hard to sign young ace Felix Hernandez to an extension during the offseason. If that completely fails then we might hear trade rumors. Hernandez, 24 in April, has a 2.77 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 185.3 innings this year. He's under team control through 2011. Six teams made offers for Felix at the trade deadline this year, including the Tigers, Red Sox, and Rays.
- Three teams expressed interest in Brewers center fielder Mike Cameron, and Heyman isn't sure why Doug Melvin held onto him. The Brewers could've potentially saved $2MM.
- Heyman's heard the initial bids to buy the Rangers have been weak.
Odds & Ends: Posey, Maybin, Penny
Links for Wednesday…
- Due to Bengie Molina's injury, the Giants have changed their mind and called up top prospect Buster Posey according to Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. So Posey's clock starts earlier than planned.
- Speaking of service time, MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith tells me Cameron Maybin's call-up gives him 129 days of service time after this year. That puts him on the fringe of Super Two status after the 2011 season.
- ESPN's Jerry Crasnick ranks the impact of trades made by contenders in July. He talked to an exec who thinks Matt Holliday "could make an extra $3MM a year as a free agent this winter because of his strong finish."
- Yahoo's Gordon Edes has his trade deadline winners and losers.
- Ryan Doumit's agent Matt Sosnick shot down recent negativity surrounding his client, while Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gets to the bottom of the catcher's recent benching.
- Brad Penny still hates the Dodgers, a team he'll face twice this month according to Baggarly. Baggarly also has a quote from Penny ripping on the Marlins.
- Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has more from Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy, who knows he gained trade value when the team delayed his free agency.
- J.C. Bradbury of Sabernomics wonders whether the Braves should pick up Tim Hudson's $12MM option for 2010. Hudson has the right to void that option, not that he would. Back in January Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the Braves "fully intend to exercise it, barring some unexpected turn of events."
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs notes that Kendry Morales has matched the production of the Angels' former first baseman, $180MM man Mark Teixeira.
- Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic has comments from Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes on the team's Jon Rauch–Kevin Mulvey swap. Piecoro says the D'Backs have about $23MM to work with this winter as they presumably look to add pitching.
- Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times guesses Ken Griffey Jr. will retire after this season.