Uncategorized News & Rumors

In early January, lefty reliever Scott Eyre told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki he was retiring.  Eyre, 38 in May, turned down a minor league offer from the Phillies and suggested he still would've retired with a bigger offer.

However, Eyre left the door open when talking to Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Inquirer recently.  He said his surgically-repaired elbow feels good, and he could be game-ready in about three weeks.  Eyre noted that it'd have to be a good situation to compel him to put his family's planned RV trip on hold.

When the offseason began, Eyre was saying he'd choose the Phillies or retirement.  Due to J.C. Romero's October surgery to repair a torn tendon in his elbow, the Phils are currently light on lefties to start the season according to Hagen.  Eyre merits consideration, as he handled southpaws well the last few years.  The Phillies could also go after free agents such as Joe Beimel, Alan Embree, and Ron Mahay with minor league offers.

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The Diamondbacks released Eric Byrnes, owed $11MM, in January of this year.  In March of 2009, the Giants released outfielder Dave Roberts and ate $6.5MM in salary.  Soon after, the Tigers cut Gary Sheffield despite $14MM left on his contract.  In '08, the Orioles cut Jay Gibbons and assumed his remaining $11.9MM.  That same month, the Astros released pitcher Woody Williams despite his $6.5MM commitment.  Which well-paid veterans might be on the chopping block for 2010?  My entirely speculative list follows.

• Eric Chavez, Athletics: one year, $15MM.  Even as a utility man, Chavez is a tough fit on an A's roster that includes an out of options Jake Fox.  Chavez retiring might make this situation easier on everyone. 
• Jeff Suppan, Brewers: one year, $14.5MM.  For the first time in his Brewers career, Suppan is battling for a rotation spot.
• Carlos Silva, Cubs: two years, $25MM.  Though the Cubs are only on the hook for $16MM of Silva's contract, it still may make sense to cut him if he shows nothing in Spring Training. 
• Jose Guillen, Royals: one year, $12MM.  Coming off ankle and back surgery, Guillen is slated to be the Royals' full-time DH.  CHONE projects him to hit just .254/.309/.398 in 2010.
• Dontrelle Willis, Tigers: one year, $12MM.  Willis is in good spirits as he tries to return from anxiety and command issues and earn a rotation spot.

A look back at the notable moves from March of 2009 gives us an idea of what we can expect here in 2010.

• March 4th: Dodgers re-signed Manny Ramirez to a two-year, $45MM deal.  Manny was the last big name to sign in '09.  This year we don't have anyone comparable, with Jermaine Dye, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Jarrod Washburn, and Braden Looper available.
• March 5th: Cardinals signed Dennys Reyes to a two-year, $3MM deal.  Last year certain lefty relievers signed late despite coming off strong seasons.  This year, a few useful right-handed relievers are floating around.
• March 5th: Giants released Dave Roberts.  The Giants ate $6.5MM when they released Roberts.  Which well-paid veterans might be released this spring?
• March 6th: A's signed Orlando Cabrera to a one-year, $4MM deal.  Hindered by the draft pick cost last winter, O-Cab signed a contract with Oakland that ensured he would not be offered arbitration after the season.  While he was a Type A again this winter, the Twins probably wouldn't have offered arbitration anyway.
• March 8th: Brewers released Eric Gagne.
• March 14th: Mets claimed Fernando Nieve off waivers from Astros.  Nieve was out of options, so the Mets snagged him.  Check out MLBTR's list of out of options players here.
• March 18th: Nationals signed Joe Beimel to a one-year, $2MM deal.  Once again, Beimel is "waiting for the right deal" in March.
• March 20th: Astros signed Ivan Rodriguez to a one-year, $1.5MM deal.  It was unexpected when the Astros reached an agreement with Boras client Pudge, but not as surprising as the two-year, $6MM deal the catcher snagged with the Nationals this time around.
• March 26th: Rangers released Brendan Donnelly.  Donnelly went on to have a pretty good year in the minors and in 25 innings for the Marlins, and he parlayed that into $1.35MM guaranteed from the Pirates.
• March 27th: Giants acquired Ronny Paulino from Phillies; sent him to Marlins.  Paulino looks like a respectable backup in Florida.  Had the Giants retained him a year ago, would they have re-signed Bengie Molina for $4.5MM this winter?  Likewise, could the Phillies have kept Paulino and saved the $2.75MM later committed to Brian Schneider? 
• March 30th: Dodgers signed Will Ohman to a one-year, $1.55MM minor league deal.  The completion of the Ohman saga marked the end of the offseason, but he was a non-factor in 2009 and inked a minor league deal with Baltimore this winter.
• March 31st: Astros acquired Jeff Keppinger from Reds.  It was a minor spring move at the time, but the Astros are happy to have Keppinger.
• One thing you can always expect in March is the return of many Rule 5 picks to their former teams.  Click here for a reminder on the 17 players taken this offseason.

Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects list is out, and it's free to all.  For comparison, check out MLB.com's Top 50 and Keith Law's Top 100 for ESPN.

Here on February 8th, over 90 free agents remain unsigned.  It's time to determine the best available at each position.

Starting lineup:

• Catcher: Rod Barajas
• First base: Russell Branyan
• Second base: Felipe Lopez
• Shortstop: Nomar Garciaparra
• Third base: Joe Crede
• Left field: Johnny Damon
• Center field: Endy Chavez
• Right field: Jermaine Dye
• Designated hitter: Carlos Delgado

Rotation:

• Pedro Martinez
• Chien-Ming Wang
• Jarrod Washburn
• John Smoltz
• Braden Looper

Bullpen:

• Closer: Kiko Calero
• Right-handed relief: Chan Ho Park
• Left-handed relief:  Will Ohman 

Honorable mentions: Jose Molina, Hank Blalock, Mike Jacobs, Jonny Gomes, Gary Sheffield, Rocco Baldelli, Todd Wellemeyer, Mike MacDougal, Russ Springer, Joe Beimel

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Matt Holliday and Jason Bay have signed, but the free agent market is still littered with former All-Stars. Most of these players won't make another All-Star team, but lots of them can still be useful contributors. Take John Smoltz, for example. He lost his first All-Star Game to Nolan Ryan two decades ago, in 1989. Like many players below, Smoltz is past his prime but could help teams win. 

They're not the best players around, or even the best free agents, but here's the complete list of free agents who have been selected to at least one All-Star Game. These 37 players have been chosen for the Midsummer Classic 92 times in total:

A couple of well-regarded prospect lists came out today: Keith Law's Top 100 for ESPN and Jonathan Mayo's Top 50 for MLB.com.  Atlanta's Jason Heyward and Washington's Stephen Strasburg rank #1-2 on both lists.  Full access to Law's list requires an ESPN Insider subscription, which is well worth the annual fee.

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