Discussion: Fernando Tatis
In 2008, after disappearing from the Major Leagues for some time, Fernando Tatis hooked on with the Mets. Tatis was a pleasant surprise for the orange and blue, posting .297/.369/.484 in 92 games. After the season, the Metropolitans rewarded Tatis with a one-year, $1.7MM deal.
The Dominican utilityman did not perform at quite the same level in '09. In 379 plate appearances, Tatis recorded a less impressive slash line of .282/.339/.438. Defensively, he showed that he is still sharp – whether it be in left field, first base or third base.
Tatis, who turns 35 on New Year's Day, will most likely be taking a pay cut on his next deal. Tatis could be a good fit for the Rangers, who are in need of a right-handed bat. The Mets may also be interested in retaining him for the right price, as he looked strong down the final stretch of the season (.854 OPS in August-October).
How much would you pay for the versatile veteran? Should the Mets make a push for him or look elsewhere? Let's hear your thoughts in the comments section.
Olney On Lackey, Astros, Rangers, Doumit, Carroll
In today's blog post at ESPN.com, Buster Olney writes about Michael Bourn, and how he went from hitting .218 with a .273 OBP in the first half of 2008 to hitting .285 with a .354 OBP in 2009 thanks to a suggestion from Astros' coach Dave Clark.
Here's a roundup of Olney's rumors…
- The Angels last offer to John Lackey was a $72MM package, made earlier this year.
- Olney's educated guess is that the Mariners are the best bet to sign Lackey, followed in order by the Angels, Brewers, Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees.
- Olney hears that the Astros "are cutting payroll, and will have the flexibility to make only minor moves, such as getting a right-handed hitting third baseman, to platoon with Geoff Blum."
- Tom Hicks is still trying to find a way to hold onto the Rangers, but bids from prospective buyers are due next week.
- The Pirates "first made it clear" they were willing to deal Ryan Doumit before the trade deadline, while the Dodgers have been having "internal conversations" about bringing Jamey Carroll aboard as a utility infielder.
Odds & Ends: Lackey, Upton, De La Rosa, Wood
Some more links to check out as you celebrate the end of the work week…
- MLB.com's Alden Gonzalez confirms that the Red Sox did indeed meet with John Lackey's agent. This morning we learned that Boston expressed preliminary interest in the free agent hurler.
- ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Rangers asked the Rays about outfielder B.J. Upton as part of their offseason routine, but no talks are ongoing.
- Rockies' GM Dan O'Dowd said that they will only look at a one year deal for the arbitration eligible Jorge De La Rosa, according to Troy Renck of The Denver Post.
- ESPN's Keith Law writes that Indians' closer Kerry Wood could be a "nice pickup on the cheap for a team unwilling to go multiple years" on some of the free agent closers. Wood is owed $10.5MM in 2010, with an $11MM club option for 2011 that could vest based on games finished.
- The Pirates intend to be more aggressive in Japan, says MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. Picking up Akinori Iwamura will help put the team on the radar of Japanese players looking to come to the U.S.
- ESPN's Peter Gammons writes about the impact of the economy on the free agent market, among other things.
- Giants' prospect Angel Villalona had his visa revoked by the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. Villalona was charged with killing a man in the Dominican back in September.
- Ben Kabak at River Ave. Blues takes a look at each of the Yankees' five arbitration eligible players.
Rangers Interested In Guerrero
The Texas Rangers' search for a right-handed bat has them looking at Vladimir Guerrero, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
A source "with knowledge of [Guerrero's] thinking" says that the two-year, $19MM contract that Bobby Abreu signed with the Angels might raise Guerrero's expectations for a deal this winter. The FOX report, however, speculates that Vladdy may ultimately just earn a one-year deal, perhaps for $3-5MM plus incentives, which Texas should be able to afford.
The 34-year-old and the Rangers appear to be a good match, considering Texas' need for right-handed power and Vlad's career numbers at Rangers Ballpark (.394/.471/.705). In our Rangers offseason outlook earlier today, Guerrero's name came up as a potential target for the team.
Offseason Outlook: Texas Rangers
Next up in our Offseason Outlook series, the Rangers. Their likely commitments for 2010:
C – Jarrod Saltalamacchia – $411K
C – Taylor Teagarden – $401K
1B – Chris Davis – $407K
2B – Ian Kinsler – $4MM
SS – Elvis Andrus – $400K
3B – Michael Young – $16MM (partially deferred)
IF – Joaquin Arias – $402K
LF – David Murphy – $415K
CF – Josh Hamilton – $555K+
RF – Nelson Cruz – $408K
OF – Brandon Boggs – $409K
OF – Craig Gentry – $400K
DH – Julio Borbon – $400K
SP – Kevin Millwood – $12MM
SP – Scott Feldman – $435K+
SP – Derrek Holland – $400K
SP – Tommy Hunter – $401K
SP – Brandon McCarthy – $650K+
Other rotation candidates: Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, C.J. Wilson, Dustin Nippert, Guillermo Moscoso, Eric Hurley
RP – Frank Francisco – $1.615MM+
RP – C.J. Wilson – $1.85MM+
RP – Darren O'Day – $406K
RP – Dustin Nippert – $412K+
RP – Neftali Feliz – $400K
RP – Doug Mathis – $400K
RP – Willie Eyre – $410K
Other bullpen candidates: Guillermo Moscoso, Warner Madrigal, Pedro Strop
Other commitments: Frank Catalanotto – $2MM, Vicente Padilla – $1.75MM
That's roughly $44MM committed before arbitration raises to Hamilton, Feldman, McCarthy, Francisco, Wilson, and Nippert. I have German as a non-tender, but you never know. The raises plus money owed to Catalanotto and Padilla should put the Rangers in the low-$60MM range. They entered 2009 with a $68.2MM payroll according to Cot's Baseball Contracts, and MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan says it will be around $68-70MM again despite the team's unsettled ownership. I'd say the Rangers have $10MM to spend at most, but a year ago we learned that Young is really getting about $12MM per year. Factoring that in would give the Rangers another $4MM to work with.
Sullivan wrote a week ago that a right-handed bat is a high priority for Rangers GM Jon Daniels. Re-signing Marlon Byrd would be one solution, while Sullivan suggested Jermaine Dye, Marcus Thames, Vladimir Guerrero, Gary Sheffield, Troy Glaus, and Fernando Tatis could also fit. We listed a bunch of right-handed power options a month ago. We know that Cruz and Hamilton will take two of the Rangers' outfield spots; Daniels could look to improve upon Borbon at DH and/or Murphy at left field.
Cubs switch-hitter Milton Bradley could be the answer, if the Rangers can whittle the $21MM commitment down to $5-6MM. The idea of involving Millwood's contract has already been shot down. The Rangers also may look to acquire a backup catcher, with re-signing Ivan Rodriguez a possibility.
As for the pitching staff, Sullivan considers it the Rangers' "strongest area of depth." As you can see, their rotation is overflowing with candidates, though many are unproven. Sullivan feels that shopping the arbitration-eligible McCarthy would be wise. Should Feliz or Wilson be given the team's fifth starter job, the Rangers would probably look to augment their bullpen with a free agent or two.
Ben Sheets would be a rotation wild card. There's little harm in rekindling discussions with him, since it'd likely be an affordable one-year deal. But we could easily see talents like Feliz and Holland erase rotation concerns in 2010.
The Rangers were not an offensive powerhouse in 2009 – their .320 team OBP ranked 12th in the AL. Subtracting Hank Blalock and giving Davis a shorter leash should help there, as would getting more out of Kinsler, Hamilton, and Saltalamacchia. If a couple young arms break through in 2010, the Rangers should compete. Daniels doesn't have a ton of free cash, but he only needs to make minor additions.
Heyman On Damon, Lackey, Crede
After working the lobby all week at the Chicago GM Meetings, SI's Jon Heyman has the latest hot stove chatter…
- The Giants "appear to have emerged as one potential competitor" for the services of Johnny Damon.
- The Rangers met with John Lackey's agent yesterday, though they're not expected to have that kind of money available. Heyman adds that the Brewers and Mariners haven't ruled out signing the righty.
- Joe Crede is among the third base candidates the Orioles will consider. We heard about Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, and Pedro Feliz earlier today.
- Lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez "appears very popular in the free agent market." If that's true, then the Braves figure to offer arbitration to Gonzalez, a Type A.
- Mets GM Omar Minaya said some teams have shown interest in second baseman Luis Castillo, and Heyman says the Dodgers have spoken to the Mets. Castillo has $12MM coming over the next two years and it might be time to sell relatively high.
Eight Teams Inquire On Mark DeRosa
Jon Heyman must have bumped into Mark DeRosa's agent today, because the SI reporter lists eight clubs that have already called on the player. Heyman's tweet indicates the Yankees, Mariners, Nationals, Dodgers, Phillies, Rangers, Orioles, and Giants have inquired.
That seems to be an indication that DeRosa's November wrist surgery will not limit his market.
Rockies Rumors: Hawpe, Atkins, Barmes, Street
Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post has the Rockies hot stove chatter; let's take a look.
- GM Dan O'Dowd explained that, "There is a difference between listening and attempting to move a player." Brad Hawpe falls squarely into the "listening" category. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports say the Rockies would probably seek a right-handed hitting outfielder and a reliever for Hawpe.
- New contracts for O'Dowd and manager Jim Tracy are still pending a few small details.
- The Rockies are trying to trade Garrett Atkins. If and when they fail, they'll release him. So rather than wait until the December 12th non-tender deadline, Atkins should join the free agent ranks by November 20th at the latest. The Rangers have "moderate interest" in Atkins, according to Jeff Wilson of the Dallas Morning News.
- The Rockies will attempt to sign arbitration-eligible players Clint Barmes and Huston Street to multiyear deals, but if that doesn't work they'll simply get one-year contracts.
- Catcher Paul Phillips who had 54 plate appearances with the big club this year, is expected to be designated for assignment re-signed to a minor league deal to create 40-man roster space.
- Click here to read Monday's Rockies rumors.
Milton Bradley Suitors
Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune takes a look at the Milton Bradley situation in an article this morning.
Sullivan, like many, sees the Rangers as the favorite. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News looks at all the factors there.
Giants GM Brian Sabean was quizzed about a possible bad contract swap for Bradley, and shot down the idea. The Mets and Rays appear in the mix to a certain extent, with Omar Minaya even admitting he'll talk to Jim Hendry about it. Luis Castillo figures to be in that discussion, but Sullivan says reports suggest Mets ownership may be anti-Bradley.
ESPN's Bruce Levine adds more detail. He says Hendry spent over an hour Monday with the Rays discussing a Bradley-Pat Burrell swap, with the $12MM salary difference a key. A similar gap exists with Kevin Millwood, who Levine believes the Rangers would "gladly" swap for Bradley. However, Levine says the Rangers will only take about $4MM of Bradley's contract at this point.
A few other notes from Sullivan: the Cubs remain fans of Marlon Byrd, who is now a free agent. That interest suggests that the Cubs' "left-handed bat" obsession from a year ago has gone by the boards. Sullivan also mentions that the Cubs "are in no hurry to open up talks with Derrek Lee on a contract extension." Lee will earn $13MM in 2010 in the last year of his contract.
Heyman On Bradley, Gonzalez, Halladay
Jon Heyman has the latest on Milton Bradley, Roy Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez, and plenty of other big names in his new column. Let's check out some of the highlights….
- Although Texas and Tampa Bay seem like the most likely destinations for Bradley, one GM says the outfielder needs to play in a small market like Kansas City or San Diego.
- If the Rangers were to acquire Bradley, they would probably want the Cubs to pick up about $16MM of the remaining $21MM on his contract.
- People around baseball figure that Halladay is more likely than Gonzalez to be traded this winter. But a rival GM wouldn't be surprised to see both players get traded, since "sometimes new GMs like to put their stamp on a team."
- If the Boston Red Sox are in the Halladay hunt again, don't expect them to give up as much as they would have this summer. One executive believes they offered too much.
- Should the New York Yankees offer John Lackey a deal similar to the one they gave A.J. Burnett last winter, a competing GM thinks it would be enough to land Lackey, given teams' increasing reluctance to hand out long-term contracts.
- The New York Mets are a little wary of Lackey's "alleged arm issues" but could be interested in second-tier free agent starters like Joel Pineiro and Randy Wolf.
- Chone Figgins is a top priority for the Angels early in the offseason. They could attempt to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero later in the winter, but he's not a priority for now.
- The Philadelphia Phillies would like to lock up Cliff Lee to a long-term extension that costs them less than $100MM.