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Aaron Crow’s Perspective

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Jim Bowden and the Nationals failed to sign first round draft pick Aaron Crow over a mere $900K.  The process was a sticky one, to say the least.

Eric SanInocencio, host of Baseball Digest Daily Live, sat down with Crow yesterday for an intriguing podcast and got his perspective in the failed negotiations.  The interview is about 15 minutes into the show:

  • Crow said the process was an emotional roller coaster, but was content with the resolution.  In dealing with Washington and the way they handled the process and communicated with him and his family, he began to realize he’d be better off next year dealing with any of the other 29 clubs.  According to Crow, after speaking with Jim Bowden and being congratulated for being picked, he "didn’t hear back from him for… the whole rest of that month."
  • Crow didn’t seek advice with former Missouri teammate Max Scherzer, or Luke Hochevar, figuring it worked out for them so it’d work out for him.  He said he put himself up against those guys, believing in himself, "believing in a similar outcome as well."
  • He admitted to seeking a major league deal that would put immediately on the 40-man roster. According to Jim Bowden, when he asked the rationale was behind such a deal, Crow’s agents, the Hendricks, failed to respond.  In the end, their insistence on a major league deal was dropped but Bowden would not meet the $4.4MM asking price.
  • When asked if he would accept a situation in which the Nationals drafted him again next year, Crow said he "would prefer if they stayed away from me and drafted somebody else. I’d be a lot more comfortable and would work out better for both of us if they just decided to go with other players."

A Closer Look at Strasburg

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A spot on the US Olympic team has thrown some extra attention on 20-year old San Diego State hurler Stephen Strasburg, likely to be the top pick in next year’s draft. As Thomas Boswell wrote today in the Washington Post, Strasburg’s fastball has been clocked at 101 mph and it’s not even his best pitch (that would be his curveball).

Boswell excited because his hometown Nats are so terrible, they just might be getting the No. 1 draft pick that would let them snag the 220 lb, 6’4" Strasburg. But Buster Olney rains on his parade:

Strasburg’s advisor is Scott Boras, and if the Nationals thought the asking price of Aaron Crow was high, well, they ain’t seen nothing yet.

Nonetheless, DC scribes are following the scouts’ lead and positively drooling over the big righty. In addition to his high-90s heater and his 70s curve, Strasburg has a slider in the 80s and struck out 23 batters in one game in April.

Washington has a .354 winning percentage as of right now. The only other teams under .400 are San Diego (.375) and Seattle (.367).

Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro. She can be reached here.

Odds and Ends: Manny, Pavano, Gonzalez

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Some Saturday mid-day linkage:

Sarah Green writes for UmpBump and the Boston Metro and can be reached here.

Rosenthal’s Latest: Howard, Burrell, Burnett

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Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column up today.

  • With Ryan Howard looking at maybe a $14MM salary in his second year of arbitration, the Phillies could shop him this winter.  Rosenthal lays out a scenario where they trade Howard and use some of those young players to acquire Matt Holliday.  In this scenario Pat Burrell could be re-signed to play first base.  I was surprised to see that a club official sees the chances of retaining Burrell as better than 50-50.
  • If A.J. Burnett opts out, he will again favor teams such as the Nationals, Orioles, and Cardinals.  Rosenthal thinks the Yankees and Mets are possible as well.  And it’s still possible the Jays convince Burnett to stay by adding to his ’09 and ’10 salaries.
  • Rosenthal frowns upon the Mariners’ double-failure to unload Jarrod Washburn’s contract.

Heyman’s Latest: Bowden, Helton, Maddux, K-Rod

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Let’s take a look at the latest from SI.com’s Jon Heyman.

  • Despite the headline "Nats GM in trouble," Heyman says Jim Bowden has the support of his bosses.  They do not blame him for Aaron Crow and are not concerned with his possible connection to the scout skimming scandal.
  • Heyman suggests the Rockies could shop first baseman Todd Helton this winter if he demonstrates a healthy back in September.  Here’s the thing – if Helton was a free agent and you had to give him a three-year deal, what would you pay?  $5MM a year maybe?  Are the Rockies going to eat $40MM?  Helton might have to be swapped for another bad contract.
  • Heyman sees Ryan Dempster getting four years and $48MM, and Oliver Perez snagging $60MM over five.  Are they worth that?
  • People close to Greg Maddux are saying he wants to pitch next year.  Heyman also sees John Smoltz and Tom Glavine back in ’09.
  • "Some are expecting" the Reds to be big players in free agency this year.  The Reds figure to be in the market for catching and outfield help.  Manny Ramirez would be interesting.
  • Heyman wonders if the Mets will be players for Francisco Rodriguez this winter.

Odds And Ends: Lane, Taveras, Cubs, Reyes

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Round three from the MLBiverse…

  • The Red Sox have signed former Astros outfielder Jason Lane to a minor league deal.
  • Troy E. Renck says that Willy Taveras could be moved this winter and speculates that the Nationals might be a good fit if Lastings Milledge is moved from center field.
  • Paul Sullivan says the Cubs are not likely to make many changes this winter with only four key free agents. One of those free agents, Ryan Dempster, said that he would prefer to stay with the Cubs.
  • Omar Minaya says Al Reyes turned down a major league job with another organization to take the minor league deal with the Mets.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

Post-Draft Roundup: Hosmer, Smoak, Strasburg

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Below I’ve collected more interesting remaining links regarding the amateur draft.

  • The Royals bumped their offer from $5MM to $6MM and signed top pick Eric Hosmer. Rany Jazayerli was surprised to see Hosmer effectively get more than #1 pick Tim Beckham.  The Royals joined the Red Sox and Pirates as teams spending around $10MM on draft picks this year.
  • The Rangers resisted a Major League deal for Justin Smoak, and ultimately signed him to a $3.5MM minor league deal.  Owner Tom Hicks pined for a hard slot system.
  • The story of pitcher Chris Gruler, picked third overall by the Reds in ’02, reminds us to temper our enthusiasm for these kids.  Many will bust.
  • Tim Lincecum says Buster Posey can expect other minor leaguers to treat him differently because of the bonus he received.
  • The race is on for Stephen Strasburg, who is separating himself from the pack as the top talent in the ’09 draft.  The Mariners, Padres, and Nationals all have a shot at him, with the Nats in the "lead."  Would the Nats avoid Strasburg due to signability concerns?

Rosenthal’s Latest: Holliday, Fuentes, Kotsay

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Ken Rosenthal posted a new Full Count video this weekend.

  • Rosenthal believes the Rockies are "almost certain to trade Matt Holliday this offseason."  Should be a hot topic at the Winter Meetings in December.  Rosenthal says to watch out for smaller-revenue sleepers on Holliday like the Nationals, Royals, and Blue Jays.  Holliday, a Boras client, is set to earn $13.5MM in ’09 before he hits free agency.
  • Rockies closer Brian Fuentes has yet to hit the waiver wire, but he will soon.  Rosenthal wonders if the Dodgers would win the claim if their record is worse than Arizona’s when Fuentes hits the wire.  The Marlins, Astros, and the NL non-contenders would have to pass first.  I could see the salary-shy Dodgers passing on Fuentes, but the Phillies probably wouldn’t let him get to the Mets.  At any rate, a team would have to beat two draft picks to pry Fuentes loose in a trade.
  • Somewhat surprising new addition to our cleared waivers list – Braves center fielder Mark Kotsay.  Apparently a number of teams are interested in the resurgent Kotsay, though not enough to take on his remaining salary.
  • The Braves nearly acquired Jason Bay in July, and will be in the market for a slugging outfielder this winter.  They’ll also be looking for a quality starter, likely in the Ryan Dempster/A.J. Burnett/Jon Garland range.  Click here to browse the free agent market.

Draft Reactions: Nationals

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The dust has settled on the 2008 amateur draft.  The Nationals, Pirates, and Royals had storylines worthy of a closer look. 

The Nationals failed to sign their first round pick, college righty Aaron Crow.  Crow might’ve completely skipped the minors had he signed.  ESPN’s Keith Law considers the Crow situation a major blunder for the organization.  The Washington Post learned the details via a lengthy Q&A with GM Jim Bowden.  Here are some highlights:

  • Crow is represented by Randy and Alan Hendricks, and much of the discussion occurred over email.  Last Tuesday the Nats were told it’d take a $9MM big league deal.  Bowden wanted the Hendricks brothers to explain the rationale behind that figure, but the Hendricks brothers did not provide it. 
  • Law blames the Nationals for not properly gauging Crow’s signability before the draft.  That point comes up in the Q&A but Bowden does not provide a clear answer on how he gauges signability.  He mentions that they knew they couldn’t afford Rick Porcello last year, but doesn’t explain why they thought they could afford Crow.
  • The Nats were offering $2.25MM on a minor league deal until Brian Matusz signed Friday, six hours before the deadline.  Matusz got a $3.5MM Major League deal.  Bowden called and said he’d do a deal within that framework, but the Hendricks were not interested. 
  • At one point Bowden gave in and offered a Major League deal, but this offer was by the boards at 6:30pm on deadline day.  That’s because the Nats would not have had enough time to give Crow a physical, and a big league contract can’t be voided.  Both sides seemed to understand this.
  • 15 minutes before the deadline, Crow’s agents dropped their demand to $4.4MM on a minor league deal.  In the last few minutes the Nats offered $3.3MM, and then went to $3.5MM over the phone at the buzzer.  Needless to say the offer was not accepted, and the Nats lost Crow over $900K.
  • I agree with Bowden’s implication that the Hendricks brothers didn’t do a great job here – their client now has to play for the Fort Worth Cats for a year when he could’ve been in the Major Leagues.  This looks ugly for both sides, and neither agents nor teams seem happy with the idea of a midnight deadline. 
  • It’s fair to consider Bowden on thin ice.  The FBI investigation, public mention of his plan to non-tender Chad Cordero, and many of his contract extensions form a poor resume coupled with the Crow situation.

Mets Acquire Luis Ayala

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The Washington Times is reporting that the Nationals have traded relief pitcher Luis Ayala to the Mets for Anderson Hernandez.

Ayala, who will be a eligible for free agency for the first time this offseason, has a 5.77 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 22 walks in 57.2 innings this season. He is making $1.7MM.  The Mets will have to try to fix him quickly; his control worsened this year.  The Phillies and Marlins chose not to make a claim on Ayala, apparently.  The reliever had been requesting a trade throughout the year.

Hernandez, a middle infielder, is hitting .203/.262/.307 in Triple A.  He has limited big league experience, having appeared in 35 games for the Mets.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here .

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