Odds and Ends: Klesko, Street, Davis
I’ve got a slew of links for you.
- Saberscouting has a mock June draft up.
- Ryan Klesko officially retired. Chipper Jones let the cat out of the bag in February.
- Voros McCracken sees the Evan Longoria contract as a low-risk proposition for the Rays.
- The A’s are still discussing an extension with Huston Street, though nothing appears imminent.
- The Giants DFA’d Rajai Davis. Anyone need an outfield burner?
- Sam Mellinger explains how the Hideo Nomo signing was the type of move the Royals need to make.
- Our Brian Bannister Q&A continues to get mileage, this time snagging a mention in the Seattle Times. I’m trying to line up some more player Q&As, by the way.
Frank Thomas Suitors
The Blue Jays are on the hook for the rest of Frank Thomas‘ salary this year, making him a fine bargain for a team looking for a DH. It seems that the signing team will not be liable for his 2009 vesting option. As an injury-prone DH with clubhouse concerns, Thomas has similarities to Barry Bonds. The Big Hurt will come more cheaply, offering less production but no steroid baggage. As far as suitors:
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi will talk to his scouts about Thomas. Question for Mariners fans: does Thomas offer more at DH than Jeff Clement, who is raking at Triple A?
- Rangers GM Jon Daniels didn’t rule Thomas out but seems to be leaning away from it. The Rangers have plenty of DHs on hand already.
- The A’s will at least have an internal discussion about Thomas, but they aren’t tipping their hand.
- Rays manager Joe Maddon was noncommital when asked about Thomas. They did just add Dan Johnson.
- Could the Mets follow suit and release Carlos Delgado?
Odds and Ends: Hatteberg, Colon, Longoria
And now for more Odds and Ends around the league:
- In his latest "Full Count" audio piece at Fox Sports, Ken Rosenthal expects the Reds to do some roster shuffling that could come down to trades. Scott Hatteberg has become "expendable" with the recent emergence of Joey Votto and by the fact that the Reds have too many lefty hitters.
- Cork Gaines latest Baseball Blogs Weigh In delved into the Evan Longoria signing. To add to that, Ken Rosenthal, also in his Full Count piece, notes favorably that Longoria has set himself for life without having to establish himself and that his payday will come at age 31, still in time for a 4-5 year deal.
- The Boston Herald’s reporting Bartolo Colon could opt to leave the Red Sox if he’s not in the bigs by May 1st. Manager Terry Francona hopes he will "forego the decision for a while (most likely until May 15)." With a recent setback being the reason he’s not in the majors, I don’t see him going anywhere just yet.
- An amusing quote from columnist John Mehno of the Beaver County Times on whether the Pirates can be expected to lock up any of its young talent: "Given the lack of can’t-miss prospects in the system, Pirates rookies intent on becoming instant millionaires should probably keep buying lottery tickets."
By Nat Boyle
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: The Longoria Deal
Yesterday, the Tampa Bay Rays announced a historic long-term deal with their rookie-of-the-year candidate, Evan Longoria. If all the options are picked up and bonuses earned, the Dirtbag from Long Beach State will earn $44.5MM over the next 9 years.
Some have noted that the Rays are following the blueprint of the Indians from the 90s, by locking up their young talent long-term. However, this move is unprecedented for a player so early in his career, as last night marked only his 7th game as a major leaguer.
Buster Olney notes that this deal is not surprising as teams are even starting to consider giving star college players 10-year deals when they are drafted. While there is certainly risk with the deal, historically the risk is minimal for top position prospects. Fred Claire notes that long-term deals are now the norm, but that these deals are being reserved for players with impeccable character traits.
Lets take a look at what is being written about this contract in the Blogosphere…
- skyking162 looks at the math behind the Longoria deal in a two part series. In Part 1, they calculate how much money the Rays are saving. They note that the Rays are paying Longoria during his arbitration years as if he would be worth $9MM on the free agent market. In Part 2, they calculate the addition of the option years and note that the upside far outweighs any downside.
- Outs Per Swing notes that signing Longoria before he becomes a star will help the Rays avoid making the same mistake the Marlins made with Miguel Cabrera.
- DRG of Rays Index takes exception to writers that now say sending Longoria to the minors had nothing to do with delaying his free agency clock. DRG notes that keeping Longoria in the minors for two weeks meant the Rays only had to buy out two free agency years instead of three, thus saving the team money. He also refers to reports of players being upset about the deal. He says they should talk to Rocco Baldelli and ask him if he thinks it is a good idea to leave money on the table for a little security up front.
- Her Rays needs help deciding on the white Longoria jersey or the grey.
- Baseball Musings is surprised by the move but notes that this is just another reason to like the future of the Rays.
- Babes Love Baseball thinks the Rays bought the car without so much as a test drive.
- Fanhouse notes that the Rays are doing a great job of locking up their young talent and while Longoria may be underpaid the first six years of the deal, he will make up for it in the option years and beyond.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Cubs May Have Use For Murton After All
One of the players most-rumored to be traded in the past month is Matt Murton after he failed to make the Cubs opening day roster and was sent to AAA. Now it appears the Cubs may have a use for Murton after all, recalling him from the minors today.
Jon Greenberg notes that Murton is still not an everyday player but could get an occasional spot-start in the outfield as well as regular pinch-hit at bats.
Earlier this week, Ken Rosenthal noted that the Rays were still interested and earlier this month wrote of the Padres also pursuing the outfielder. The sticking point appeared to be the Cubs demand for a top pitching prospect.
This could just be a ploy by the Cubs to try and up the offer from other clubs, showing that he is still of value to the Cubs or the Cubs are just now realizing that he is just more useful in the majors than he is in the minors.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here.
Odds and Ends: Tejada, Howard, Johnson
Couple more odds and ends this evening…
- Orioles executive VP Mike Flanagan admitted he wouldn’t have signed Miguel Tejada to a six-year deal if he knew the shortstop’s proper age. But he still would’ve signed him (if possible). People are debating whether ESPN ambushed Tejada with his birth certificate…of course they did.
- Ken Rosenthal believes the optimal course of action for the Phillies is to just let Ryan Howard play out the string and then let him walk as a free agent after the 2011 season.
- Rays Index says the Dan Johnson acquisition signals a "win-now" attitude for the Rays.
Stark’s Latest: Stanton, Hamels
ESPN’s Jayson Stark has a new Rumblings and Grumblings column up.
- The Rays may have a pitching surplus when Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza return in May. Teams will probably be eyeing Edwin Jackson, Jason Hammel, and Andy Sonnanstine – not that the Rays are anxious to give them up. Jackson seems least likely to go. If I had to pick a team deficiency perhaps it would be their middle infielders.
- The Phillies have "mild interest" in Mike Stanton, who would like to play for them. The Phils already inked Steve Kline to a minor league deal though.
- The Braves are looking for relief help, as you might expect. Here’s my available relievers list from April 7th; one addition might be Derrick Turnbow.
- Stark sees little chance of the Phillies signing Cole Hamels to an extension. He notes that Hamels’ agent has demonstrated an aversion to club options for free agent years. If the Phils just want to buy out the three arbitration years, the going rate is $13.75MM for young starters.
- For the first time this year, top-rated amateur players will be tested for drugs prior to the draft. It will be nice to nip the problem in the bud with some guys.
Rays Claim Dan Johnson
According to Susan Slusser, the Rays have claimed first baseman Dan Johnson off waivers. She expects him to put in time at DH while Cliff Floyd is out for the next month or so. Johnson moves from McAfee Coliseum (deflates LH HRs by 10%) to Tropicana Field (inflates LH HR by 4%).
You can read Johnson’s story here. He should be a decent stopgap for Tampa Bay.
Rays To Sign Longoria Long-Term
12:23pm: MLB.com has the particulars: $17.5MM guaranteed over six years, with the potential for $44MM over nine years. I like this unprecedented move by the Rays.
11:25am: Rosenthal says it will be something like $17MM over six seasons plus options for two free agent years. There will also be incentives along the way.
10:45am: Ken Rosenthal has the scoop. It’s a long-term deal for Evan Longoria. I definitely didn’t see this coming – he only has six games in the bigs! Interesting move. I’m curious to see if the Rays snagged options for any free agent years.
10:12am: Baseball Digest Daily reports that the Rays have a press conference and major announcement planned a couple hours from now. No one has any idea what it’s about.
Barry Bonds signing? B.J. Upton extension? Something about the new stadium? Let’s hear your guesses.
Bonds Continues To Wait
What’s up with Barry Bonds? Not a whole lot. The New York Times’ Jack Curry dug up what he could by talking to a few associates of Bonds. Curry found that Bonds is working out at home and staying in shape, but not hitting. Curry is on board with the speculation that an opportunity for Bonds might open up if a DH on a contender goes down.
This morning, David Chalk made a case for the Rays to sign Bonds. He can’t find a reason why they shouldn’t.