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Checking In On The Newest $100MM Players

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Every year a few select players join baseball’s exclusive $100MM club with free agent deals and mega-extensions. Last offseason was no different – we saw six players sign nine figure deals. The contracts were all for five years or more, so it’s far too early to call them successes or failures. But as the season approaches its halfway point, let’s check in on baseball’s newest $100MM players:

  • Troy Tulowitzki, ten-year, $157.75MM extension – Tulo has slowed down after a scorching start, but he's still having an excellent season. His .274/.339/.491 line and 13 homers look especially good when you consider that he's a good defensive shortstop.
  • Adrian Gonzalez, seven-year, $154MM extension – Red Sox fans dreamed of a season like this when Theo Epstein acquired Gonzalez from the Padres in December. The first baseman is a leading MVP candidate with a .350/.403/.603 line and 15 home runs. 
  • Carl Crawford, seven-year, $142MM contract – Crawford was heating up before he hit the disabled list, but his numbers are poor overall. He has a .243/.275/.384 batting line, just 8 stolen bases and his lowest walk rate (3.2%) since 2002, his rookie season.
  • Jayson Werth, seven-year, $126MM contract – Werth is hitting just .233/.334/.409, though he has 10 home runs. Nationals fans may be consoled by the fact that Werth erupted in the second half last year and has traditionally produced better after the All-Star break.
  • Cliff Lee, five-year, $120MM contract – The prize of the offseason free agent market, Lee has a 3.12 ERA with 9.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 in 104 innings. The lefty is in the midst of another fantastic season and this time he doesn't have to worry about being traded.
  • Ryan Braun, five-year, $105MM extension – Braun is having a monster year. He has a .310/.397/.555 line with 15 homers and a career-best 12.1% walk rate for the first-place Brewers.  

It's fair to expect Werth and Crawford to turn their seasons around and produce as they did before signing nine figure free agent contracts. The other four additions to the $100MM club are justifying the deals, at least to the extent that it's possible in less than three months.

Stark On B.J. Upton, Boras, Dodgers

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The latest from ESPN's Jayson Stark…

  • The Rays are not likely to trade B.J. Upton this summer, though the Nationals have been monitoring the center fielder just in case.  Though the Rays feel they have a long-term need for catching, they're not enticed by the Nats' dangling of Jesus Flores and Ivan Rodriguez.
  • Scott Boras is the biggest culprit in trying to steal clients, says one agent.  However, the practice is legal if Boras reports all contact made with others' clients to the Players Association.  Last year Boras' free agent group looked weak before he snagged Jayson Werth and Rafael Soriano a few months before the offseason began.  This time, Boras won't be swiping Jose Reyes from Peter Greenberg, but he does have Prince Fielder, Carlos Beltran, Ryan Madson, and anyone else he manages to bring aboard.
  • Realignment is unlikely to happen for 2012, since the schedule needs to be finalized by September.  Stark also explains that realignment may depend on the decision to expand the postseason.
  • The Dodgers are telling teams they're weeks away from deciding whether to be deadline sellers.  If they do sell, it won't be because of money issues.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports agrees, saying MLB-appointed monitor Tom Schieffer would intercede if the team tries to make a move that's not in its best long-term interests.

NL East Notes: Chipper, Escobar, Werth, McKeon

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Tim Hudson pitched eight shutout innings and hit a two-run homer to beat the Blue Jays in Yunel Escobar's return to Atlanta tonight. Here's the latest on the Braves and their NL East rivals… 

  • Chipper Jones told Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he never wanted Escobar to leave, "because the guy’s a good player." Jones suggests last summer's trade worked out well for both sides, since Escobar has matured into a better player and the Braves have the steady Alex Gonzalez. I examined Escobar's recent contract extension earlier today.
  • Bill Ladson of MLB.com says free agent signing Jayson Werth has "brought a spark" to Washington and helped the Nationals to a respectable record. Werth has a .232/.332/.409 line with ten home runs in his first season in D.C. – not what the Nats were hoping for when they made a $126MM commitment to the outfielder last offseason. 
  • New Marlins manager Jack McKeon explained to Dave George of the Palm Beach Post why he returned to the bench as an 80-year-old skipper. "I don't need this job, but I love it, and I love the people I'm working for."
  • Hanley Ramirez might not love the person he's working for quite yet; McKeon benched Ramirez tonight after the shortstop showed up late to the ballpark.

Cafardo On Kazmir, Upton, Broxton, Ramirez

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wonders if roster manipulation is rampant in baseball.  Cafardo points to the pulled quad muscle injury of Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald as a possible example.  McDonald wasn't showing any signs of injury and when asked about it, he gave a "no comment".  It's possible that Boston simply wanted to get McDonald more playing time with Mike Cameron eating up the lion's share of the reps.  Things such as this, Cafardo writes, are happening all around baseball.  Let's see what else is happening around the majors:

  • As poorly as left-hander Scott Kazmir has pitched in the last two seasons, there are at least five teams looking at him in the Rockies, Marlins, Padres, Rangers, and Diamondbacks.  It also wouldn't be a surprise if the Yankees jump into the mix considering their pitching needs.
  • There always seems to be a should-we-or-shouldn’t-we-trade B.J. Upton dilemma for the Rays. The Nationals could be a fit as they'd like a young center fielder they can grow with.  The question is: is he available?  All signs point to yes.
  • Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton has been on the shelf since May with an elbow injury, but the club could move him if they're lagging in the standings.
  • The Marlins' recent slide has skipper Edwin Rodriguez on the hot seat and it's no secret that the club has been keeping an eye on Ozzie Guillen for quite some time.  Guillen has one year remaining on his deal with the White Sox.
  • The Dodgers owe Manny Ramirez more than $8MM in deferred payments but the charismatic twelve-time All-Star is collecting a lot more than that.  The BoSox owe him quite a bit of money too, roughly $32MM over 16 years.  Boston will pay Ramirez through 2026, when he’ll be 54-years-old.

NL East Notes: Edwin Rodriguez, Uggla, Riggleman

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Here are a couple items of note out of the NL East, where the Phillies sit atop the division with a five-game lead over the Braves entering Saturday's games:

  • Marlins manager Edwin Rodriguez is probably not in danger of losing his job, according to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com (via Twitter). Marlins brass relieved hitting coach John Mallee of his duties earlier this month in an effort to shake things up, leading to speculation that Rodriguez could be next if the Fish don't pick things up. Rodriguez was hired on a full-time basis in November; he finished 2010 as their interim skipper in the wake of Fredi Gonzalez's dismissal.
  • Braves second baseman Dan Uggla is unlikely to be demoted despite his offensive struggles, writes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Uggla, who signed a five-year, $62MM extension after being acquired by Atlanta in a trade this offseason, can refuse a minor league assignment since he has five years' service time, according to O'Brien.
  • Nationals manager Jim Riggleman deserves to have his 2012 option picked up and an extension on top of that, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (via Twitter). The Nats sit at one game under .500 after Saturday's win over the O's, particularly impressive considering they've been without Stephen Strasburg and Ryan Zimmerman for much of the season, as Heyman notes.

Rosenthal’s Full Count: Marlins, Wandy, Phillies, Rockies

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Ken Rosenthal has his lastest Full Count video up over at FOXSports.com. Let's go over the highlights:

  • If the Marlins make a managerial change, the most likely candidate would be Nationals' third base coach Bo Porter. Porter spent five years with the Marlins, and three as a Major League coach. Rosenthal wonders if the Nats would let him go to a division rival midseason, and if Porter would accept the job on an interim basis, knowing the Marlins ultimately want Ozzie Guillen. Porter turned down a similar offer last season.
  • Rosenthal asked Yankees GM Brian Cashman if he would consider trading for an ace, and Cashman replied, "I'm not Ruben Amaro," referring to the Phillies GM and his affinity for blockbuster trades. Rosenthal names Wandy Rodriguez as a potential target for New York, but says there could be a hangup since the Astros value Rodriguez as an ace, while the Yanks would view him as a back-of-the-rotation addition.
  • The Phillies are doing their due dilligence in looking for right-handed hitters and left-handed relievers, but are limited by payroll issues. They also don't currently have regular at-bats for any hitter they'd acquire. Rosenthal says someone like Ryan Spilborghs, making $2MM with the Rockies, is the type of hitter that would be appealing to Philadelphia.
  • The Rockies could be buyers or sellers, depending on their play over the next month. If they're buyers, they'll seek innings-eating pitchers (Rosenthal names Hiroki Kuroda of the Dodgers and the Twins' Kevin Slowey as possible targets), while if they sell they could look to move Huston Street, Ty Wigginton, and Aaron Cook.

Rizzo On Trades, Leadoff Hitter, Draft, Harper

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Nationals GM Mike Rizzo sat down for a Q&A with MLB.com's Bill Ladson, so let's round things up…

  • Rizzo didn't rush out to make a trade following Ryan Zimmerman's injury because "panic shows a lack of confidence in the rest of the players." He believes they have a strong bench with Laynce Nix, Jerry Hairston Jr., and Alex Cora, but unfortunately those players were pressed into everyday duty.
  • The Nationals are "always looking" for ways to improve their starting pitching and want front-line starters. They're also looking for "two-way players," guys that can contribute on offense and defense.
  • They want someone within the organization to step up and be the leadoff hitter, a role that Jayson Werth has filled recently. "If we can’t find that guy within the organization, we will look elsewhere."
  • "We are both buyers and sellers," said Rizzo. "We always have been, always will be. If we have a chance to acquire a player that is going to help us in 2011 and beyond, we are not going to shy away from that. If there is a trade to be made that will help us down the road, we will trade a player away to get a piece for the future. But we are not in sell mode. There are a lot of games to play, a lot of games to win. We are here to win games."
  • Rizzo says the Nationals are doing well when it comes to signing their draft picks. They have about 15 players with pending contracts, and they are in communication with their top picks.
  • As you'd expect, the Nationals are very happy with Bryce Harper's development, and Rizzo emphasized that he "will be developed at a rate that allows him to be an impactful guy."
  • Manager Jim Riggleman's option for 2012 will be addressed "when it needs to be addressed."

Rangers Hope To Improve Bullpen Soon

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Rangers GM Jon Daniels is having "active discussions with other teams" with the aim of improving his bullpen via trade, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Said Daniels:

"It's something that we're open to, but it's easier said than done.  There are not a lot of clubs eager to move quality arms right now. We've got to be able to address it right now."

Sullivan names Koji Uehara, Jim Johnson, Kevin Gregg, Joakim Soria, Kerry Wood, and Heath Bell as several relievers who could become available.  He also notes that the Rangers have discussed Todd Coffey and Tyler Clippard with the Nationals.  And the Giants are scouting Rangers catcher Taylor Teagarden, so there could be a match.

If The Nationals Become Sellers

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Nationals GM Mike Rizzo made one significant trade last July, sending closer Matt Capps to the Twins for catcher Wilson Ramos.  After a hot start the 23-year-old Ramos is hitting an acceptable .248/.320/.410 on the season, and he belongs in the NL Rookie of the Year discussion with Danny Espinosa, Darwin Barney, Josh Collmenter, Brandon Beachy, Fernando Salas, Craig Kimbrel, Dillon Gee, and Mark Melancon.  Let's see who Rizzo might part with this year, with his team ten games out in the NL East and 6.5 out in the wild card.

Marquis

  • Trading Jason Marquis (pictured) at the deadline would enable the Nationals to save about $2.4MM in salary.  Marquis is showing career-best control, and an ERA under 4.50 from here on out would be a reasonable expectation.  Though Marquis would probably be willing to turn down an arbitration offer again to help the team, he's nowhere near Type B status.  Livan Hernandez is a free agent after the season as well, but given his ties to the organization he is more likely to stay put.
  • Ivan Rodriguez's value can't be quantified by his .200/.273/.322 batting line, or at least that's probably what Rizzo is telling teams about the catcher.  Rizzo said last month he'd want some kind of long-term piece for Pudge.  Rodriguez is earning $3MM this year.
  • Reliever Todd Coffey, non-tendered by the Brewers last offseason, has a 2.13 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 0.4 HR/9, and 44.1% groundball rate in 25 1/3 innings this year.  The Rangers appear interested, and Coffey should be popular at the deadline.  He's a free agent after the season and looks like a Type B in the National League.  Coffey is earning $1.35MM this year plus incentives.
  • Laynce Nix is an intriguing platoon bat, as he's hitting .275/.324/.506 with 28 home runs in 613 plate appearances against right-handed pitching since the beginning of the 2009 season. Type B status is a possibility once he reaches free agency after the season.
  • Jerry Hairston Jr., Rick Ankiel, Alex Cora, Matt Stairs are veterans on one-year deals who could be shipped to contenders for bench roles.
  • Click here to read articles about other potential sellers.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Jason Marquis Wants To Stay With Nats

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Nats right-hander Jason Marquis is in the final year of a two-year, $15MM deal and he says that he wants to continue his career with the club beyond this season, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.  The two sides have not talked about a contract extension, but Marquis is looking for a multiyear deal.

"Anybody would want a multiyear deal. That's how the game works," the veteran said. "I don't think anyone would turn down a four for a one."

Marquis has long been looked at as a trade candidate due to the expected lack of top-notch arms to be available at the trade deadline.  Last week, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote that Marquis could be had in a deal if Washington received enough young talent in return.

In 13 starts this season, Marquis has a 3.67 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.

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