Rangers Bid $30MM For Matsuzaka?
Here we finally have a decent source giving us some Daisuke Matsuzaka info. Jan Hubbard of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a baseball official indicating something close to a $30MM bid. Of the course, the language in the article uses plenty of qualifiers like "may" and "have a chance." Can’t blame ’em for hedging their bets a little.
We’ve also got a video in which Boston Globe sportswriter Jackie MacMullan says that Matsuzaka is "going to go out west to the Angels by all accounts." Not to question her info, but in watching the video is appeared that she did not know Matsuzaka’s name. I ran this one by my Angels source and even he could not confirm whether the Halos made a bid. It was a stealth process.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has a source putting two different teams over a $20MM bid.
Mike Plugh is all over the developing story at the Matsuzaka Watch.
Zito Interested In Rangers?
Add the Rangers to the list of possible destinations for Barry Zito, if Jon Daniels is interested in bidding. We should know whether he won the Matsuzaka bid soon enough.
Zito is fond of new Rangers skipper Ron Washington, and officially added the club to his list this afternoon. The Rangers are nearly a lock to add a top tier starter this offseason, and Zito is as good of a five or six-year bet as they’ll find.
While I have you, let me recommend Ken Rosenthal’s latest. His most intriguing tidbit to me is the possibility of J.D. Drew opting out of his contract (he’s slated to make $33MM over the next three seasons). I’m pretty confident Drew could beat that, but not by a huge amount.
2007 Texas Rangers
Had some requests for a 2007 team outlook on the Rangers.
Jon Daniels’s contract obligations:
C – Gerald Laird – $0.332MM
C –
1B – Mark Teixeira – $9MM
2B – Ian Kinsler – $0.327MM
SS – Michael Young – $3.5MM
3B – Hank Blalock – $4.75MM
IF – Joaquin Arias – $0.327MM
IF – Drew Meyer – $0.33MM
LF – Brad Wilkerson – $3.9MM
CF –
RF – Nelson Cruz – $0.33MM
OF – Victor Diaz – $0.335MM
OF – Freddy Guzman – $0.33MM
DH – Jason Botts – $0.328MM
SP – Kevin Millwood – $7.5MM
SP – Robinson Tejeda – $0.33MM
SP – Kameron Loe – $0.34877MM
SP – John Koronka – $0.329MM
SP – Edinson Volquez – $0.329MM
SP – John Rheinecker – $0.33MM
SP – John Danks – $0.33MM
SP – Thomas Diamond – $0.33MM
SP – Daniel Haigwood – $0.33MM
SP – Eric Hurley – $0.33MM
RP – Akinori Otsuka – $1.75MM
RP – Ron Mahay – $1MM
RP – Joaquin Benoit – $0.775MM
RP – Frank Francisco – $0.3315MM
RP – C.J. Wilson – $0.331MM
RP – Scott Feldman – $0.329MM
RP – Rick Bauer – $0.33MM
RP – Wes Littleton – $0.33MM
RP – Josh Rupe – $0.328MM
Buyouts and departed players
C – Miguel Ojeda – $0.025MM
3B – Alex Rodriguez – $7MM
If the 2007 payroll is to include the money for A-Rod and raises for Otsuka and others, the team has between $40MM and $45MM committed. They entered 2006 with a $68MM payroll. This is a team with tons of free agents; the Rangers will look very different in 2007. Forget all this manager talk though: let’s get down to the important stuff.
At catcher: do you bring Rod Barajas back, or just let Laird start and find a backup for him? Laird looked lost at the plate as a full-timer in September, but otherwise hit quite well for his position. I think you let Barajas go and use Laird as the starter. This team has needs, and the need for a catcher isn’t at the top of the list. That said, perhaps a flexible solution like Mike Piazza would help. Piazza could catch 70 or 80 games and spend the rest of the time at DH.
The Rangers are set with Mark Teixeira, who proved his first half an anomaly with a .291/.394/.604 line after the break. The second half surge means Tex’s trade value should remain huge. As a Scott Boras client, he makes quite a bit of money for someone with his service time. Here’s an idea: trade Teixeira to the Pirates for pitching. The Paul Maholm/Mike Gonzalez proposal seems a little weak; substitute Ian Snell for Maholm and you might have something.
The Pirates wouldn’t be the only team coveting Teixeira entering his age 27 season. How about the Orioles, Tigers, Astros, Dodgers, or Giants? If Tex really does hit the market, you have to figure some top shelf young talent would be offered from some of these clubs.
The middle infield seems locked in, though Young could be the trade bait instead of Teixeira. More likely, the team tries to find something decent for Hank Blalock and re-signs Mark DeRosa to hold down 3B. Blalock slugged just .401 this season, a career worst. That included an awful second half, but his shoulder was bothering him and he had surgery this earlier this month. Blalock will be 26 next year and has two years before free agency; he’s marketable. He might have to finish his rehab first though.
If you think the infield is interesting, consider the outfield. It’s just a mess. The team wants to retain Gary Matthews Jr. as the center fielder, but this could be the 32 year-old’s last chance to test the market. Brad Wilkerson bombed during his first year as a Ranger, but had shoulder surgery in August. He could be cut loose, or he could come back and get $4MM+ in arbitration. I assume he’d play left field in that case. Wilkerson is a passable CF as well. The Rangers may want to see what happens with him in ’07 as an attempt to redeem the Soriano trade a bit.
Nelson Cruz may be too old for prospect status, but he’s a fair gamble in right field. He didn’t hit much with the Rangers but posted a .906 OPS in Triple A this year. He probably deserves a shot, especially if Wilkerson and Matthews are retained.
The DH spot is wide open, with Botts the frontrunner if no one is acquired. Botts broke a bone in his hand in August. Before that, he wasn’t hitting enough to maintain a role as the regular DH. He’s similar to Cruz in that he’s figured out Triple A and has a good chance to become a useful regular for a few years.
Otherwise, Daniels could go a million ways with this vacancy. He could go after the best free agent hitter, Barry Bonds. He could offer Carlos Lee a fat five-year deal to make him a Ranger fixture (he’d play left in ’07, but DH soon enough). He could chase Frank Thomas, Nomar Garciaparra, Dmitri Young, Moises Alou, David Dellucci, Cliff Floyd, or Gary Sheffield. Many of those options could bolster an already strong offense.
The area that needs the most work, of course, is the pitching rotation. Millwood and Tejeda are locked in, leaving three vacancies. One of those three spots could go to young talent like Danks, Hurley, Diamond, or Volquez. Even so, Daniels needs to get two starters to have a real rotation.
One of the Big Three – Zito, Schmidt, or Matsuzaka – has to end up a Ranger. The team has scouted Matsuzaka, and he’s by far the best choice. The local options both have their flaws; Matsuzaka’s only downside is that he’s a Major League rookie. I’d take that risk compared to Zito’s mediocrity or Schmidt’s age. If Daniels can get Matsuzaka signed, he can throw down some additional cash for the likes of Randy Wolf, Gil Meche, Mark Mulder, or Ted Lilly. Or he could hold on to Adam Eaton or Vicente Padilla. Padilla had a solid if not spectacular year, and his acquisition stands in great contrast to Eaton’s (Chris Young would look awfully nice slotted as the #2 starter).
The bullpen actually did OK this year, so those guys will get their raises and the group should remain mostly intact. There’s been some Kerry Wood chatter, but Wood has said he wants to remain a Cub.
After big seasons by Alfonso Soriano and Chris Young, some of the shine came off kid GM Jon Daniels. To be fair, the Soriano deal only looks bad in hindsight. On the positive side, he did acquire Tejeda, Padilla, Cruz, and Otsuka in 2006. This offseason, Daniels will have his own manager, free cash, and the chance to create the Texas Rangers squad he wants.
2007 MLB Free Agents: Gary Matthews Jr.
The Rangers would like to retain free agent center fielder Gary Matthews Jr., but competition could be fierce if he hits the market. It’s important to remember that Sarge Jr. will be entering his age 32 season in 2007. Perhaps his athleticism will help him age better.
While Matthews’s .372 OBP is a career high, you’ll notice that it’s entirely batting average driven. He hasn’t improved his walk rate at all this season. The improvement in batting average is tied to more frequent contact – he’s up to 84% in that department. He’s also got a career high SLG. The increase can be attributed to doubles and triples, as Matthews’s flyball percentage and home runs per flyball have not changed. It stands to reason that he’ll regress to something near .270/.330/.440 in 2007.
Matthews has been abandoned by the Padres (twice), Cubs, Pirates, Orioles (twice), Braves, and Mets. He’s dealt with all kinds of injuries in the past few years: ribcage strain, hamstring strain, calf strain, sliced thumb from slicing a bagel, and wrist tendinitis.
Despite all this, I’m not down on Matthews as a free agent signing. The average center fielder hits about .270/.335/.425 and plays, well, average defense. Matthews should be able to hit a little better than that and play plus defense. Sure, he’ll decline from his career season. But CFs like Matthews don’t grow on trees. Would you rather have the defense of Dave Roberts out there?
Lately the possibility has been raised of the Mariners signing Matthews. This would be an odd signing, given the Mariners’ decent outfield arrangement and dire need for starting pitching.
Should the Rangers fail to retain Matthews, both Chicago teams, the Astros, Cardinals, and Rockies could all be interested. I’d be impressed if any team could get him for fewer than three years. He made $2.4MM this year, but could command $7-8MM annually on the open market.
2007 MLB Free Agents: Luis Gonzalez
When we last checked in with future free agent left fielder Luis Gonzalez, he’d been informed by the D’Backs that they didn’t want him back.
Now, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe has a few interested teams for us:
"Don’t feel bad about Luis Gonzalez‘s Diamondbacks career being over. The Orioles, Tigers, Rangers, and Cubs are already considering him as a DH and/or left fielder for next year."
Word was that Gonzo wanted to stay in the NL, meaning a return to the Cubs might be at the top of the list. The problem? The Cubs already have a left fielder, and he’s having a fine age 24 season.
Matt Murton: .294/.359/.438
Luis Gonzalez: .274/.356/.453
Given that Murton is improving and Gonzalez is on the decline, and that Gonzalez will make significantly more money, the signing wouldn’t make much sense.
If the Cubs really are interested, that should mean one of two things.
1. They plan on using Murton in center field and letting Juan Pierre go (unlikely but not the worst idea in the world if Murton could somehow pull it off on defense).
2. They are considering trading Murton (possible).
If the Cubs want to make a major trade, say involving Miguel Tejada, Murton could be a coveted player.
Daisuke Matsuzaka Video
A little more on Japanese hurler Daisuke Matsuzaka. Check out this video of him throwing his various pitches. It’s the best look I’ve had at his breaking ball. It might be a screwball or something weird, but let’s remember that Jeff Passan has established that it’s not a gyroball.
When we last checked in, there was a 50/50 chance of Matsuzaka being posted by the Lions. Here’s a rundown on the suitors:
This Boston Herald article informed us that the Red Sox, Yankees, and Mets are currently scouting Matsuzaka in Japan. As of September 11th, his numbers looked like this. Newsday tells us the Mets will be aggressive in their pursuit. The Rangers are scouting Matsuzaka as well. The Orioles expressed interest in August.
The Dodgers and Mariners are often linked to Matsuzaka, but I haven’t seen anything lately on those clubs.
Minor Moves: Diaz, Ardoin
A couple of small deals came over the wires recently.
The Rangers acquired outfielder Victor Diaz for catcher Mike Nickeas. Diaz, 24, is having big-time problems with Triple A this season (.606 OPS). It’s surprising because he hit Triple A pitching pretty well as a 22 year-old. He earned 280 ABs with the big club last year and managed to slug .468.
Back in the summer of ’03, Diaz was sent from the Dodgers to the Mets in the Jeromy Burnitz deal. He’s not known for his defense, and has been tried at 1B, 2B, 3B, C, LF, and RF in his career. Perhaps a steady position and a change of scenery will get this once top-prospect back on track.
Nickeas is a 23 year-old catcher from Georgia Tech. He has never done much offensively at Double A and will report to the Class A St. Lucie Mets. He could be a Major League backup a few years down the road.
Speaking of backup backstops, the Orioles claimed Danny Ardoin off waivers from the Rockies. He’s a 32 year-old minor league lifer. It’s hard to make this move sound interesting. He played with Miguel Tejada in the minors, does that help?
Minor Trades and Rumors
The Cubs unloaded Neifi Perez on the Tigers today, and it was no surprise Neifi got through waivers. What team would want to be on the hook for $2.5MM for him next year? Ditching Neifi at this point at least partially rights the wrong of signing him to an extension in the first place for Jim Hendry. The Cubs’ "everything man" will be making outs atop of Detroit’s lineup now. Even more impressive is that Hendry snagged a 22 year-old catching prospect, Chris Robinson, in the deal.
The Mets added righty reliever Guillermo Mota today. Along with Oliver Perez, this is another project with plenty of upside. Mota was one of the game’s top setup men a few years ago.
Tom Glavine‘s got a possible blood clot, which could mean season or career-ending surgery. At least his life is not in danger. The news first appeared on an ESPN message board from a man said to be Glavine’s brother-in-law. Back when Glavine appeared healthy, the same source indicated that the southpaw would finish his career with the Braves, at any salary.
Reggie Sanders may have cleared waivers. Who wants a 38 year-old right fielder with a .248/.304/.424 line? Don’t forget the $5MM he’s owed next year.
From Yankees announcer Jim Kaat: the Rangers may be talking to the Orioles about Mark Teixeira. Tex is from Maryland, for what it’s worth.
Plenty of buzz going around in various forms of media that the Red Sox may acquire reliever LaTroy Hawkins. We’ll know soon enough. The 33 year-old has, at least, kept the ball in the yard and exhibited good control with the Orioles this year.
Braves Scouts Attended Rangers Game Thursday
According to the Dallas Morning News Seamheads blog, two Braves scouts attended Thursday’s Rangers-Angels game.
Evan Grant theorizes that the Rangers may have claimed Andruw Jones to block the Angels. He also described the scouts’ attendance as "unusual."
Said Buster Olney today on Jones:
"If they don’t trade him today without getting his approval then they never will be able to. If Jones is in the lineup against the Reds this afternoon, we’ll know he’s staying, at least until the offseason."
Andruw deemed it "rude" that the Braves are keeping him in the dark about this waiver business. But John Schuerholz did say "He should know that we would talk if a trade was imminent."
I would’ve suggested that the Braves and Rangers were discussing Chris Reitsma or John Thomson, but both look to be out for the season. Still, waiver trades are almost never as interesting as Andruw Jones.
Rosenthal: Kip Wells To Texas
Though the Red Sox seemed close, Ken Rosenthal now reports that the Rangers have acquired righty Kip Wells from the Pirates. Guess Jon Daniels stepped in with something better than Abe Alvarez.
UPDATE: The Pirates snagged 22 year-old reliever Jesse Chavez in the deal. Chavez just got promoted to Triple A.