MLB News & Notes (other than Cubs or Sox)

[Ace]

<!--quoteo(post=71648:date=Dec 14 2009, 07:15 PM:name=Butcher)-->QUOTE (Butcher @ Dec 14 2009, 07:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71647:date=Dec 14 2009, 06:09 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Dec 14 2009, 06:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71645:date=Dec 14 2009, 04:59 PM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Dec 14 2009, 04:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71643:date=Dec 14 2009, 05:58 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Dec 14 2009, 05:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I'd like to have Capps... if it's a reasonable price. The 07-08 Capps with Grabow, Guzman, and Marmol would make for a pretty solid 7-9 inning group. Plus he has a good name.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The last thing I want to see is another FA bullpen acquisition.

OK, maybe not the last thing...but do we really need to spend more money on middle relievers?
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Well he could turn into the best reliever we have outside of Marmol.
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He could also have another 2009 and be a total bust. I don't see why we don't give the 50 bajillion arms we have in our farm system a shot to land the last spot in the bullpen instead of throwing money away on guys like Grabow or Capps. Yes -- all of our minor league pitchers could bust, too. But we don't have to pay them anything and there are enough arms in our system with potential that the odds are that one of them would stick and pitch at least as well as Capps.
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At what point does it become a parody of itself? This lust for flash-in-the-pan middle reliever/late-inning reliever types? We've all said it a million times, and yet, Jim Hendry keeps doing it. He must be making a cosmic joke. You know - like Cubs fandom.

[Coldneck]

<!--quoteo(post=71632:date=Dec 14 2009, 05:45 PM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ Dec 14 2009, 05:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Rosenthal saying the Red Sox will look to deal Clay Buttholes to the Padres for Adrian Gonzalez after the Lackey signing. They've also made an offer to Aroldis Chapman. That organization knows what they're doing... and of course have the money to do such things.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

You do realize that the Cubs outspent the Red Sox last year don't you?

[Clapp]

<!--quoteo(post=71649:date=Dec 14 2009, 05:19 PM:name=1060Ivy)-->QUOTE (1060Ivy @ Dec 14 2009, 05:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71647:date=Dec 14 2009, 06:09 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Dec 14 2009, 06:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71645:date=Dec 14 2009, 04:59 PM:name=Butcher)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Butcher @ Dec 14 2009, 04:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71643:date=Dec 14 2009, 05:58 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Dec 14 2009, 05:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->I'd like to have Capps... if it's a reasonable price. The 07-08 Capps with Grabow, Guzman, and Marmol would make for a pretty solid 7-9 inning group. Plus he has a good name.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The last thing I want to see is another FA bullpen acquisition.

OK, maybe not the last thing...but do we really need to spend more money on middle relievers?
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Well he could turn into the best reliever we have outside of Marmol. I just think he's a good buy-low guy and honestly the only name I've seen mentioned with our team this offseason that I have any interest in. It's better than throwing a ton of money at Joel Pineiro who multiple sources today have said we're very interested in. Dude's been rumored to want 3/30.
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With multiple teams looking at Capp what's the chance he turns out to be cheap?

Granted our starting piching will not be as strong as last year so it maybe cheaper to have a strong bullpen but either way Capp won't come cheap as you think
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Did I say he'd come cheap? I said if he did, I'd be interested. If he's healthy, I'd rather have him than Grabow. I was very "meh" on that signing, especially because Lou won't use him correctly. It would be nice to have a late-inning reliever other than Guzman that doesn't walk guys as well.

Speaking of Guzman, would everybody here sign him to a $2-$4 million deal? Because he's basically the same thing as Capps, but older, and with a much less dependable history. And no, I wouldn't want to go over $3 million or so with Capps anyway, and if he really wants a multi-year deal at around that price per, definitely not.

[Clapp]

<!--quoteo(post=71660:date=Dec 14 2009, 06:20 PM:name=Coldneck)-->QUOTE (Coldneck @ Dec 14 2009, 06:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71632:date=Dec 14 2009, 05:45 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Dec 14 2009, 05:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Rosenthal saying the Red Sox will look to deal Clay Buttholes to the Padres for Adrian Gonzalez after the Lackey signing. They've also made an offer to Aroldis Chapman. That organization knows what they're doing... and of course <b>have the money </b>to do such things.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

You do realize that the Cubs outspent the Red Sox last year don't you?
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Yep, but the payroll total and what's actually available to spend at the moment are two very different things.

[Coldneck]

<!--quoteo(post=71665:date=Dec 14 2009, 08:32 PM:name=Clapp)-->QUOTE (Clapp @ Dec 14 2009, 08:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71660:date=Dec 14 2009, 06:20 PM:name=Coldneck)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coldneck @ Dec 14 2009, 06:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71632:date=Dec 14 2009, 05:45 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Dec 14 2009, 05:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Rosenthal saying the Red Sox will look to deal Clay Buttholes to the Padres for Adrian Gonzalez after the Lackey signing. They've also made an offer to Aroldis Chapman. That organization knows what they're doing... and of course <b>have the money </b>to do such things.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

You do realize that the Cubs outspent the Red Sox last year don't you?
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Yep, but the payroll total and what's actually available to spend at the moment are two very different things.
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I just take advantage of every possible chance to voice my disgust for how the Cubs payroll is managed. Sorry about that.

[Clapp]

<!--quoteo(post=71672:date=Dec 14 2009, 06:52 PM:name=Coldneck)-->QUOTE (Coldneck @ Dec 14 2009, 06:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71665:date=Dec 14 2009, 08:32 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Dec 14 2009, 08:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71660:date=Dec 14 2009, 06:20 PM:name=Coldneck)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coldneck @ Dec 14 2009, 06:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71632:date=Dec 14 2009, 05:45 PM:name=Clapp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Clapp @ Dec 14 2009, 05:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->Rosenthal saying the Red Sox will look to deal Clay Buttholes to the Padres for Adrian Gonzalez after the Lackey signing. They've also made an offer to Aroldis Chapman. That organization knows what they're doing... and of course <b>have the money </b>to do such things.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

You do realize that the Cubs outspent the Red Sox last year don't you?
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Yep, but the payroll total and what's actually available to spend at the moment are two very different things.
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I just take advantage of every possible chance to voice my disgust for how the Cubs payroll is managed. Sorry about that.
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Believe me, I feel the same way. I about puke every time I think of the Soriano and Fukudome contracts.

[Ace]

The Red Sox payroll was under $145 mill last year?

[Coldneck]

<!--quoteo(post=71679:date=Dec 14 2009, 09:16 PM:name=Ace)-->QUOTE (Ace @ Dec 14 2009, 09:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->The Red Sox payroll was under $145 mill last year?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

$122.6M last year. The only two teams with a higher payroll than us reside in New York.

[jeffy]

Red Sox get Cameron....not sure if it's posted in another thread yet or not.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...aE65rAD9CJGL700

EDIT: yep, good ol' clapp posted it in the Bradley thread [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img]

[Ace]

<!--quoteo(post=71688:date=Dec 14 2009, 09:56 PM:name=Coldneck)-->QUOTE (Coldneck @ Dec 14 2009, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71679:date=Dec 14 2009, 09:16 PM:name=Ace)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ace @ Dec 14 2009, 09:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->The Red Sox payroll was under $145 mill last year?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

$122.6M last year. The only two teams with a higher payroll than us reside in New York.
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How was it so low? That just seems crazy low to me. I guess they have a lot of young, still cheap starters.

[Coldneck]

<!--quoteo(post=71721:date=Dec 15 2009, 08:04 AM:name=Ace)-->QUOTE (Ace @ Dec 15 2009, 08:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71688:date=Dec 14 2009, 09:56 PM:name=Coldneck)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coldneck @ Dec 14 2009, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71679:date=Dec 14 2009, 09:16 PM:name=Ace)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ace @ Dec 14 2009, 09:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->The Red Sox payroll was under $145 mill last year?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

$122.6M last year. The only two teams with a higher payroll than us reside in New York.
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How was it so low? That just seems crazy low to me. I guess they have a lot of young, still cheap starters.
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Their highest paid player is JD Drew. Beckett and Youkilis only earn about $10M. They are good at developing their own talent. Lester, Buchholz, Papelbon, Ellsbury, and Pedroia are all reasonably cheap because thay came from within and are still not eligible for Free Agency.

[1060Ivy]

<!--quoteo(post=71721:date=Dec 15 2009, 07:04 AM:name=Ace)-->QUOTE (Ace @ Dec 15 2009, 07:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71688:date=Dec 14 2009, 09:56 PM:name=Coldneck)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Coldneck @ Dec 14 2009, 09:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec--><!--quoteo(post=71679:date=Dec 14 2009, 09:16 PM:name=Ace)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Ace @ Dec 14 2009, 09:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}><!--quotec-->The Red Sox payroll was under $145 mill last year?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

$122.6M last year. The only two teams with a higher payroll than us reside in New York.
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

How was it so low? That just seems crazy low to me. I guess they have a lot of young, still cheap starters.
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Remember the Red Sox rid themselves of Manny's $24 MM contract for 2009. They still had JD Drew at $14 MM but that move saved them $10 MM. Plus, you might want to add part of the transfer fee that they had to pay for Dice K from 2007 to that 2009 team salary figure.

[Coldneck]

Next year's FA class has a lot of bling in it. Perhaps we should be preparing our payroll for a run in 2011.

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Next Year's Free Agent Class
By Tim Dierkes [December 16 at 10:05am CST]
We're hearing a lot of talk about how next year's free agent class (the 2010-11 group) is much better than this year's class. Is that true? Taking our always-updated 2011 free agents list, let's look position-by-position.

Two big names jump out at catcher: Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez. As you know, the Twins are aiming to take Mauer off the market with an extension.

First base is potentially deep - Derrek Lee, Carlos Pena, Adam Dunn, and Paul Konerko are eligible for free agency, and Lance Berkman could join them if his $15MM option is declined. Albert Pujols makes an appearance, but his option will be exercised at the least.

No one particularly interesting at second base.

Derek Jeter is the name to watch among shortstops, but most expect he'll re-sign before reaching free agency. Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins are technically on the list, but both have very team-friendly club options.

Aramis Ramirez could head the third base group if he declines a $14.6MM player option. Ramirez did take less to re-sign with the Cubs last time around though.

The outfield corners are interesting, with Carl Crawford, Manny Ramirez, and Jayson Werth.

Very little going on in center field.

Heading up the starting pitchers: Josh Beckett, Cliff Lee, Ted Lilly, Javier Vazquez, and Brandon Webb. This group definitely looks more promising than the current one.

Always plenty of closers listed, with Mariano Rivera at the top of the class. Huston Street will also be among those eligible.

As always, the following year's free agent class looks strong until players start getting extensions. Roy Halladay just left the 2011 list. Still, next year's group does look better, led possibly by Mauer, Crawford, Aramis, and a quality crop of frontline starters.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[rok]

Dodgers pursuing Harang, though Tim Brown at Yahoo shoots down the rumor. Getting him out of Dusty's clutches would definitely be a good thing for his career.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/12/dodg...Trade+Rumors%29

[Coldneck]

An excerpt from Buster's column today

<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->It wasn't until February 12th that Bobby Abreu signed last winter, after waiting and waiting and waiting. The music had stopped, the big dollars were gone and Abreu took his best available offer with the Angels, for $5 million -- a cut of about $11 million in salary. Abreu went on to have a fantastic season, becoming one of the best per-dollar values in baseball.

Like Abreu last year, Dye figures to be a decent value. The question will be just how much he has left.

Considering how this offseason is playing out, there are going to be good players still looking for jobs late into the winter, as Abreu was last year. There was a flurry of deals this week, with the three-team trade and the agreements for Garrett Atkins, Mike Gonzalez, Nick Johnson and others; the best of the second tier of free agents are coming off the board. Jason Bay is deep in negotiations with the Mets, Matt Holliday is talking with the Cardinals, the Seattle Mariners definitely have more money to spend, and the Braves might have some available cash to spend on a hitter if and when they move a pitcher.

But there are signs that the winter market is slowing, the flow of cash is dissipating, and there are still dozens and dozens of unsigned free agents, such as:

Jermaine Dye, 35, who has 139 homers in the last four seasons.

Johnny Damon, 36, who had 63 extra-base hits, 107 runs scored and 82 RBI in 2009.

Vladimir Guerrero, 34. He has lost bat speed and isn't regarded as someone who can play the outfield regularly, but he could become a bargain addition for somebody.

Hank Blalock, 29, who mashed 25 homers in 2009.

Adam LaRoche, 30, who hit 25 homers in 2009. He could be a fit for the Giants, Mariners or Braves, but teams have balked at his asking price.

Orlando Hudson, 32. He had 50 extra-base hits and won a Gold Glove for the Dodgers in 2009, and would be a natural fit for the Mets if they were to move Luis Castillo.

Felipe Lopez, 29, who is coming off an excellent statistical season in which he hit .310 with a .383 on-base percentage and 50 extra-base hits.

Jose Valverde, 30, who had a strong season as the Astros' closer, posting a 2.33 ERA with just 40 hits and five homers allowed in 54 innings. But there are very few closer positions open now -- in Detroit, Florida and perhaps Washington, all teams that are not necessarily inclined to spend big dollars on a closer -- and there may be no opportunities for him to make in salary what he might've made had he accepted arbitration from Houston last week.

Fernando Rodney, 32. He had 37 saves for the Tigers last season.

Adrian Beltre, 30. Evaluators love his defense and greatly respect his work ethic, and at the same time, teams are greatly concerned about his diminishing on-base percentage, which slipped to .304 in 2009. His asking price of an eight-figure salary is seen as way, way too high by some of the teams that have shown interest.

Miguel Tejada, 35. He hit .313 with 61 extra-base hits while playing in Houston last season (and yes, his home-road splits are acute, and he has indicated a willingness to play some other position besides shortstop. Scouts love his energy, but he made almost $15 million in salary last year, and like Bobby Abreu, he might be facing a major adjustment in salary.

Because of the way this market is playing out, you get the feeling that a lot of teams are like the Orioles now -- they intend to sit tight for awhile and see what bargains spin out of the market.

Elsewhere, Mark DeRosa is probably not going to be someone sitting and waiting in late January because he has options now, and he wants a decision from the Cardinals, writes Joe Strauss. Within this piece, there is more word that while St. Louis has discussed various contract structures of up to eight years, the Cardinals do not intend to guarantee any offer to Matt Holliday beyond a five-year deal. A team that has a clear need for someone like Holliday would be the Braves. Whether or not they have the available cash for a player that expensive is an entirely different question.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->