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Rosenthal’s Latest: Gross, Weaver, Encarnacion

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Ken Rosenthal is on the scene with some new rumors.

  • Astros president Tal Smith arguing other teams’ arbitration cases.   Rosenthal finds it a bit awkward, while Keith Law finds it to be a hilarious conflict of interest.
  • Possible trades of Matt Murton to the Padres or Rangers seem to have fizzled.  The Padres may turn to the Brewers’ Gabe Gross, a player who previously caught the eye of the A’s, Indians, and Braves.  Our good friend PECOTA sees a .267/.366/.467 line from Gross this year.  With Gross and various veteran starters, the Brewers have some surpluses to work with.
  • Rosenthal believes the Cardinals’ interest in Jeff Weaver to be not especially serious.  They’ve got in-house candidates to start, and Matt Clement needing some time is not a revelation.
  • We’ve read about extension possibilities for Matt Capps and Alex Rios.  To that mix, Rosenthal adds Edwin Encarnacion.  The Reds might want to do it now; he seems primed for a big year.

Odds and Ends: Crisp, Stewart, Meyer

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Let’s round ’em up!

Four Teams Considering Trot Nixon

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MONDAY: The Jays will pass on Nixon.  The D’Backs liked what they saw.

SUNDAY: According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, four teams watched 33 year-old outfielder Trot Nixon audition in Tucson today: the D’Backs, Blue Jays, Mariners, and Dodgers.  Nixon earned $4MM in ’07 while hitting .251/.342/.336 for the Tribe in 354 plate appearances.  He was pretty much injury-free.

Nixon’s calling card had typically been his ability to rake right-handed pitching.  He hit .256/.352/.345 against righties in ’07, drawing plenty of walks but displaying no power.  Rather than a platoon he seems in line for a bench job this year.

Jays To Talk Long-Term Deal With Rios

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Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail spoke to Alex Rios’ agent Paul Kinzer today.  Blair learned that Kinzer will meet with Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi early this week to talk about a long-term contract extension.  Rios recently agreed to a $4.835MM contract for ’08.  Rios, eligible for free agency after 2010, seeks at least a three-year extension (buying out one or more years of free agency).

Rios, 27, hit .297/.354/.498 for the Jays in ’07.  The average AL right fielder hit .288/.359/.465 by comparison.  Additionally, the Fielding Bible’s panel of experts ranked Rios as the best defensive right fielder in all of baseball, ahead of Austin Kearns.  Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA system projects a decline to .280/.339/.468 for Rios in ’08.

I was thinking Michael Cuddyer’s extension could serve as a framework, but Rios’ status as a SuperTwo player throws off the comparison.  Jeremy Sandler of the National Post wrote on January 15th that Rios might command a four-year, $40MM deal to buy out his arb-eligible years and first of free agency.  So maybe now a three-year, $35MM extension would do the trick.

Four Teams Considering Trot Nixon

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According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, four teams watched 33 year-old outfielder Trot Nixon audition in Tucson today: the D’Backs, Blue Jays, Mariners, and Dodgers.  Nixon earned $4MM in ’07 while hitting .251/.342/.336 for the Tribe in 354 plate appearances.  He was pretty much injury-free.

Nixon’s calling card had typically been his ability to rake right-handed pitching.  He hit .256/.352/.345 against righties in ’07, drawing plenty of walks but displaying no power.  Rather than a platoon he seems in line for a bench job this year.

Odds and Ends: Perez, Jones, Howard, Burnett

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Let’s round up today’s linkage.

  • No more long-term discussions with Oliver Perez and the Mets.
  • Andruw Jones already wants to talk extension with the Dodgers.
  • The Cardinals are not likely to make anymore acquisitions.  In my view the team has question marks in right field, the middle infield, and the rotation.  Here’s a look at their MLB.com depth chart.  By the way, could Ryan Franklin be a league average starter?  They could try it if the current options don’t pan out.
  • Jim Salisbury thinks the Ryan Howard contract situation is a nonstory.  I think this is partially because (and I hope this doesn’t sound condescending) most fans do not understand the arbitration process.  Anyway Salisbury’s source says the Phillies would match Chase Utley’s seven-year, $85MM deal and might approach $100MM.  He says Howard may want "significantly more."
  • Ivan Rodriguez would like to play beyond the 2008 season and retire a Tiger.  If the Tigers can’t find a taker for Brandon Inge this year, he could be their starting catcher in ’09.
  • Carl Pavano doesn’t seem too popular in the Yankees’ clubhouse.
  • J.P. Ricciardi does not plan to do an extension during the season with A.J. Burnett.  I think Burnett will stay healthy enough to top the two years, $24MM he could get if he does not opt out.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Johan Santana’s Contract

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The biggest move of this year’s Hot Stove League was clearly the trade of Johan Santana. The subsequent contract given to Santana by the Mets set a new benchmark for pitchers and could have a lasting trickle-down effect on other pitchers in baseball. The players most likely to cash in on the Santana deal are other young lefties with strong track records. The first fallout appears to be in Cleveland, with the recent news that C.C. Sabathia has broken off contract talks. With pitchers and catchers conducting their first workouts in many camps today, let’s take a look at how Santana’s deal is affecting other pitchers in the blogosphere.

  • Let’s Go Tribe feels that Sabathia could command $150MM on the open market and breaking off contract talks means Sabathia will not be a member of the Indians in 2009.
  • Indians Confidential agrees that Sabathia is "as good as gone."
  • Tribe Report does not think the Indians should give Sabathia a seven-year deal as it is a stretch to think he will be worth $20MM at age 35.
  • MLB Fleece Factor calls it "The Santana Effect" and believes that Santana’s new deal means that A.J. Burnett will likely opt out of his contract in Toronto following the 2008 season. In addition, they believe that there is a possibility that the Jays will look to trade Roy Halladay prior to his 2010 free agency.
  • Rays Index believes there is a good chance the Rays will look to trade Scott Kazmir following the 2008 season. They feel that Santana’s deal will make it nearly impossible for the Rays to sign Kazmir to an extension prior to his 2010 free agency. In addition, the recent bounty obtained by the Orioles for Erik Bedard and the pipeline of top pitching prospects in the Rays’ system, suggest that it is in the best interest of the franchise to move their young ace.

by Cork Gaines

Odds and Ends: Closers, Benson, Reed Johnson

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Some random links for the day…

  • I have created a Fantasy Baseball Closers page at RotoAuthority.  With the help of readers it will be constantly updated with current closers and the pecking order of each team.
  • Kris Benson will throw for teams again, probably a week from now.  The Phillies will again be in attendance.  Benson may only get a minor league deal this time around.  I remember when he set the standard with his three-year, $21MM deal.  Also, the Phils could look to move Wes Helms or Greg Dobbs now that they’ve signed Pedro Feliz.
  • The Red Sox had their eye on Reed Johnson, perhaps thinking he would be non-tendered.  He wasn’t, and Joe McDonald says Bobby Kielty and Eric Hinske will probably sign elsewhere as well.  That leaves Brandon Moss for the bench job, unless the Sox sign Tony Clark, Sean Casey, or Brad Wilkerson.

Blue Jays Sign Rod Barajas

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The Blue Jays have signed catcher Rod Barajas to a one year deal worth $1.2MM.  There is also a club option for 2009.  Gregg Zaun did not fade in the second half, so it doesn’t seem like a tandem thing is necessary.  Maybe they just wanted a more solid backup than they had.

Barajas was all set to become Toronto’s starting catcher for the ’07 season, but he changed agents and pulled out at the last moment (cancelling his flight).  It would’ve been a two-year deal worth $5.25MM – and J.P. Ricciardi had more than a handshake. Did the MLBPA pressure Barajas to back out?  Read more about the situation on this blog (funny quote from the blog’s author: "One thing is clear from all of this: Rod Barajas will never play for the Blue Jays after this fiasco.")

Barajas ended up signing a lesser deal with the Phillies that winter.

Rolen, Glaus Can Opt Out After ’08

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As a player traded in the middle of a multiyear deal, new Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen has the right to opt for free agency or demand a trade after one year with Toronto.  This right has since been eliminated but players who signed their deals before October ’06 are grandfathered in.  Troy Glaus has the same right.

The stipulations make it less likely for players to opt for free agency or demand a trade.  If the player chooses free agency he has to wait until mid-March to leave and also give up three years of free agent eligibility.  If he chooses a trade he can only block six teams.  That said, we have seen this happen before when a guy just wants out.  The most recent example I can think of is Javier Vazquez in November of ’05.

It seems the Jays still expect to have Rolen through 2010, and he’d have to really hate it there to back out of his deal.

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