I love the updates the team did to the stadium. I always felt it was kind of plain looking in the OF minus the waterfalls it just looks so much better now. I admit I was rooting hard for them when they somewhat made a run in 2003 I believe. It is too bad that ownership never moved them to the NL in the late 90s, I think they would have faired a bit better than they have in the AL. Again though Moore is doing nothing to help the franchise and it also hurts that their drafts have been extremely weak considering the draft positions they've been in for the past 20 years or so.
Everyone was reporting yesterday that the Reds got Chapman for $30 million, but it's apparently a bit more nuanced than that. According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, it's a $25 million deal that locks him up for over five years with a player option for a sixth, which would bump the total to $30 million. But here's the kicker: the payments are spread out over ten years, with his salary for 2010 being a mere $1 million. Fay says that "the first year it will be a major burden on the big league budget is 2014." I suppose there are two ways to look at this. Given their presumed financial constraints, it's probably a good thing that they're delaying the pain of this contract, such as it is, until guys like Aaaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo are off the payroll. On the other hand, if Chapman does turn out to be a bust, it will be a total bummer when he exercises that option and the team still has to write checks to his ineffective butt circa 2014.
That 2003 run is what got me rooting for the Royals again. Rookie of the Year Angel Berroa, All Stars in Carlos Beltran and Mike Sweeney. I loved Beltran - really the first Royal since Bo Jackson that I came out and just loved as a player. If Grienke had been around back then the Royals probably would have been a legit playoff contender. It was starting pitching and the bullpen that did them in. Thanks for bringing up the sour memories, lol.
The Pirates have agreed to terms on a contract with outfielder Ryan Church, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Church hit .273/.338/.384 with four home runs and 40 RBI last year. If he plays well enough in the early going he may be able to snag playing time from Garrett Jones and Brandon Moss in right field. The 31-year-old is a .272/.345/.441 career hitter and hit 15 home runs back in 2007 with the Nats.
Ramon Castro, who first was a Blue Jay and then wasn't a Blue Jayis now a White Sox. It's a one year, $1 million deal. He hit .219/.292/.406 in 171 plate appearances on the season, catching about 400 innings. That means that he is yet another catcher who is demonstrably superior to Jason Kendall, yet who signed for fewer years and lower dollars than what the Royals gave Kendall.
FOX's Jon Paul Morosi reports that Bengie Molina as lowered his asking price and that, as a result, he may be a step closer to joining the Mets. The holdup all along has been years, not money, so it's unclear whether the Molina is now willing to deal with a single year and an option or if he's offering a cheaper two or three years. If he ends up signing a one year deal, though, we should give Omar Minaya props for holding the line here. Because if they were taking bets on it, "Omar gives Molina too much money over too many years" would have been taken off the board back in December.
The Royals have agreed to a $7 million, five-year contract with Cuban left-hander Noel Arguelles. Arguelles, who turns 20 Jan. 20, defected with Boston Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias at the 2008 World Junior Championships in Edmonton, Alberta. He likely will start in the lower minors to work on command of his fastball, which is in the low-90 mph range. A solid 6-foot-4, Arguelles pitched for the La Habana Vaqueros in the Cuban National Series and was the winning pitcher in the gold medal game of the Pan American Junior Championships in 2007.
The Marlins were taken to the woodshed yesterday over pocketing revenue sharing money instead of using it for its intended purpose. The upshot: the Union had the Marlins dead to rights on violating Article XXIV(B)(5)(a)of the Basic Agreement, which commits teams to spending revenue sharing money "to improve its performance on the field." The Marlins quite obviously don't do that, the union quite obviously threatened to file a grievance and MLB and the Marlins quite obviously realized they'd lose, so the Marlins agreed to raise payroll going forward. Today Maury Brown has a great post up talking about the implications of the deal. Definitely give Maury a read, but in the meantime, here are what I think are the biggest takeaways: Given that the Marlins now have a gun to their head to increase payroll, Dan Uggla and Josh Johnson were just handed the greatest possible leverage in their contract negotiations with the team. More so Johnson, who is currently haggling with the team over the length of a possible long term deal. The Marlins are now committed to raise payroll as they enter their new park in two years. The easiest way to get the heat off of them right now would be to give Johnson a deal that stretches into that time frame. The easiest way to take more immediate heat off would be to stop trying to trade Dan Uggla and give the man his $7 million or whatever he's expected to get in arbitration. This was a masterful, under-the-radar play by new union head Mike Weiner, accompanied by none of the sort of drama that has surrounded union-league dustups in the past. While there have been dissatisfied rumbles regarding how certain teams spend their revenue sharing money, no one, not even the sports business junkies, was really reporting this beforehand and no one had leaked anything substantive about threats of grievances. Such a thing would have been unthinkable when Don Fehr was in charge. We're really in a new era of union-league relations. Baseball has had unprecedented labor peace since the 2002 negotiations, but I sort of figured that was more a function of there not really being anything to fight about as opposed to something changing in the overall dynamic. Now, granted, what the Marlins do with their revenue sharing money is not the biggest issue in the world, but it strikes me that this would have played out very differently even a few short years ago. The league would have dug in its heels more. Ideology would have taken over, at least for a while. That didn't happen here. As we sit here today, there's no real reason to think that the 2011 CBA negotiations will be particularly contentious. But even so, it's nice to see that an issue that could have gotten ugly was resolved with a minimum amount of fuss. Now let's sit back and see how the NFL handles its labor business . . .
Good for the MLB to finally get on the Marlins for the payroll. They could have one of the better teams in the league during the last decade if their owner decided to put some funds into the team instead of his own pocket. Hopefully this will signal a contract extension for Josh Johnson and maybe them keeping Uggla too. And also not having to trade Hanley in a few years.
And this is also where Wayne H. was a good guy. Wayne could've done virtually the same thing when he owned the Marlins. However, he wanted to win. Instead of being a frugal bastard, he SOLD the team when he wasn't making money, instead of slashing payroll to the lowest in the league. People gave Wayne alot of **** for blowing that team up, but I don't blame the guy a bit.
Mets supposedly inching closer to agreement with bengie Molina - metsblog The nats have offers Orlando Hudson a one year deal worth 3.2 million. The dodgers are in on the bidding for joel pineiro.
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Cardinals have made an offer for free agent reliever Jose Valverde. Well that didn't take long. It's not clear how this would affect incumbent closer Ryan Franklin, but Valverde is the best reliever remaining on the free agent. Valverde, 31, posted a 2.33 ERA and 1.13 WHIP last season while converting 25 of 29 save opportunities. Because Valverde is a Type A free agent, it would cost the Cardinals their first-round pick.
The Mets are maintaining that Carlos Beltran's right knee surgery was done without their blessing and may pursue some form of action. It's possible (but unlikely) the Mets could move to void Beltran's entire contract. More than likely, they'll try to recoup partial monetary loss, perhaps in returned salary for the time he will be out. However, these types of suits against a player rarely succeed, never mind win. Beltran is expected to be out no less than 12 weeks with the injury. Carlos Beltran underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee Wednesday afternoon and is expected to be idle for the next 12 weeks. The Mets released a statement on the matter just moments ago stating that Beltran began experiencing "osteoarthritis of the right knee" several weeks ago "to the point where pre-spring training conditioning became too painful." He opted to undergo the procedure through his own personal doctor and will almost certainly miss the first month of the season, if not more. The Mets may rush to sign another outfielder before spring training begins.
Carlos Beltran's agent Scott Boras told the Associated Press that his client was within his rights to undergo surgery on his right knee without the Mets' approval. According to Boras, the language in the Beltran's contract requires advance written permission only for elective operations. "This was necessary surgery, necessary surgery to work," Boras said. The Mets may have a claim that this was elective. Oddly, Beltran did actually receive consent from team physician Dr. David Altcheck on the surgery, but according to a source, Altcheck was not authorized to give consent because he is not a team official. Either way, the Mets are expected to hold a conference call on Thursday to discuss the situation.
??? really....the last I had on him was this Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Adam LaRoche rejected a two-year, $17.5 million offer from the Giants. It is probably the most lucrative offer he has seen all offseason and it's doubtful he can do much better. LaRoche, 30, hit an impressive .325/.401/.557 with 12 home runs and a .957 OPS in 212 at-bats for the Braves last season (.277/.355/.488 overall) but he has to realize what kind of market he's swimming in. He's reportedly seeking a three-year contract.
Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic hears that Adam LaRoche could make $5.5 million guaranteed in his new contract with the Diamondbacks. His base salary would probably sit in the $4-5 million range as reported earlier, but the contract also includes an option for 2011 with a buyout that would push this guaranteed value higher. According to Piecoro, final details still are being negotiated, but the contract could be finalized as soon as Friday. Stay tuned. Within the course of a couple weeks, the Diamondbacks have revamped the right side of their infield. Arizona is certainly a surprise destination, but this may be more of a reflection of how LaRoche's market collapsed after Aubrey Huff signed with the Giants. This also signals that prospect Brandon Allen will have to wait for a chance at regular playing time.
this just keeps getting better and better... Mets assistant general manager John Ricco announced that the team wanted Carlos Beltran to have a third opinion on his right knee before deciding upon surgery. "The surgery was performed before we had an opportunity to do that," said Ricco. The issue at hand is whether the surgery was "elective" or necessary. Beltran and his agent Scott Boras believe it was a necessary procedure, while the Mets clearly believe otherwise. The Mets could still file a grievance, but that could have some long-lasting effects on the future of the franchise. Strictly from a baseball perspective, Beltran is expected to be sidelined for at least 12 weeks before resuming baseball activities.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that Brad Lidge had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, leaving his status for Opening Day in doubt. "We’re not sure if he’ll be ready by Opening Day, but we don’t expect that he’ll be too far behind," said team trainer Scott Sheridan. Lidge was sidelined with a sprained right knee in June, but the injury has persisted. He already underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow in November, clouding his status for the start of Spring Training, but he'll almost certainly miss the beginning of the season, making Ryan Madson a valuable commodity, at least in the short-term.
Boras is awesome for getting ahead of the news. The Mets are holding a conference call to address the Carlos Beltran situation. Presumably they're still upset and will explain why. Boras preempts them with this: I suppose there could be some other level of consent that is technically required here, but if what Boras said is true, the Mets can't honestly claim that they didn't know what was going on, can they?
Either way it's a disaster for the Mets. Either Beltran went behind their backs to get the surgery which shows he doesn't (for good reason) have any faith in what the Mets and their doctors have to say or simply the Mets are lying about it. That franchise just needs a total make over from the owners right down to the bat boys and guys selling hot dogs in section 14.
Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reports that reliever Jose Valverde has signed a two-year, $14 million contract with the Tigers. The new contract reportedly includes an option for a third year at $9 million. The Tigers considered going with some combination of Joel Zumaya, Ryan Perry and Daniel Schlereth in the closer role, but they actually upgrade from Fernando Rodney here. Likewise, Valverde actually managed to do quite well for himself, given that the Tigers were the only realistic possibility for him to close. Because Valverde was a Type A free agent, the Tigers will surrender their first-round pick (19th).
Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports that the Pirates are nearing a deal with reliever Octavio Dotel. The Tigers, Blue Jays, Marlins and A's all expressed varied degrees of interest in the 36-year-old right-hander, but the Pirates have surfaced as the most likely destination. Dotel posted a 3.55 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 11.6 K/9 in 134 appearances over the last two seasons with the White Sox.
Tribe ink Redmond to one-year deal, Veteran backstop adds needed experience behind plate The Indians signed the 38-year-old Mike Redmond to a one-year contract Friday. It is their first Major League free agent signing this offseason, and it brings their 40-man roster total to 39. The financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available. Redmond is a veteran of 12 Major League seasons with the Marlins and Twins. He debuted with the Marlins in 1998 and has compiled a career average of .289 with 113 doubles, 13 homers and 238 RBIs in 741 games. He was a member of the Marlins' 2003 World Series championship club, and he was a part of the Twins' '06 and '09 AL Central Division crowns. The Tribe is well-acquainted with Redmond, as he spent the past five years with the Twins, serving as a backup to Joe Mauer and hitting a combined .297 in 257 games with them. Last year, he batted .237 (32-for-135) in 45 games. Redmond comes to Cleveland with a reputation as a superb, if a bit bizarre, clubhouse presence. If nothing else, Redmond brings a little flair to the mix. It's been reported that he's occasionally taken private batting practice in the nude in order to get out of hitting slumps.
http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news...ent_id=7925900&vkey=news_sd&fext=.jsp&c_id=sd Padres deal Kouz to A's for outfielders San Diego reportedly set to receive Hairston, Cunningham
They will bring Headly from left who is a third baseman, and Scott Hariston will go to left again. Cunningham will probably be at spring training and see how he does. Headly wasn't doing the best in left. He at times looked awfully lost out there.
I hated to see Scott get traded to the A's. My brother in law, and grandmother and I are all excited he is back. He has great spark, and always gives a 110%. The fans here really liked him. I love this comment by him: "I hope I'm coming there for sure -- I was hearing rumors today," Hairston said. "I talked to my agent, and he said it's still not finalized yet. If this is true, it would be a dream come true. It was so hard for me to leave San Diego. For me to come back, is just unbelievable."
HOT STOVE just got HOTTER.... http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100115&content_id=7926006&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb Lincecum leads list of 128 arbitration filings Papelbon, Verlander will also exchange figures with teams The following 128 players filed for salary arbitration on Friday: (FYI...some have since signed deals to avoid arbitration) PLAYER TEAM POS Moylan, Peter ATL RP Drew, Stephen ARI SS Heilman, Aaron ARI RP Jackson, Edwin ARI SP Qualls, Chad ARI RP Guthrie, Jeremy BAL SP Scott, Luke BAL DH Delcarmen, Manny BOS RP Hermida, Jeremy BOS OF Papelbon, Jon BOS RP Ramirez, Ramon BOS RP Baker, Jeff CHC 2B Fontenot, Mike CHC 3B Gorzelanny, Tom CHC RP Guzman, Angel CHC RP Hill, Koyie CHC C Marmol, Carlos CHC RP Marshall, Sean CHC RP Theriot, Ryan CHC SS Burton, Jared CIN RP Masset, Nick CIN RP Perez, Rafael CLE RP Betancourt, Rafael COL RP Hammel, Jason COL SP Spilborghs, Ryan COL OF Street, Huston COL RP Danks, John CWS SP Jenks, Bobby CWS RP Pena, Tony CWS RP Quentin, Carlos CWS OF Laird, Gerald DET C Miner, Zach DET RP Seay, Bobby DET RP Verlander, Justin DET SP Cantu, Jorge FLA 1B Johnson, Josh FLA SP Nunez, Leo FLA RP Pinto, Renyel FLA RP Ross, Cody FLA OF Sanchez, Anibal FLA SP Uggla, Dan FLA 2B Bourn, Michael HOU OF Byrdak, Tim HOU RP Keppinger, Jeff HOU 3B Lindstrom, Matthew HOU RP Pence, Hunter HOU OF Quintero, Humberto HOU C Rodriguez, Wandy HOU SP Gordon, Alex KC 3B Tejeda, Robinson KC RP Aybar, Erick LAA SS Izturis, Maicer LAA 2B Kendrick, Howard LAA 2B Mathis, Jeff LAA C Napoli, Mike LAA C Saunders, Joe LAA SP Weaver, Jered LAA SP Willits, Reggie LAA OF Broxton, Jonathan LAD RP Ethier, Andre LAD OF Kemp, Matt LAD OF Kuo, Hong-Chih LAD RP Loney, James LAD 1B Martin, Russell LAD C Sherrill, George LAD RP Bush, David MIL SP Coffey, Todd MIL RP Gerut, Jody MIL OF Gomez, Carlos MIL OF Hart, Corey MIL OF Villanueva, Carlos MIL RP Weeks, Rickie MIL 2B Crain, Jesse MIN RP Guerrier, Matt MIN RP Hardy, J.J. MIN SS Harris, Brendan MIN SS Liriano, Francisco MIN SP Neshek, Pat MIN RP Pavano, Carl MIN SP Young, Delmon MIN OF Feliciano, Pedro NYM RP Francoeur, Jeff NYM OF Green, Sean NYM RP Maine, John NYM SP Pagan, Angel NYM OF Gaudin, Chad NYY SP Logan, Boone NYY RP Davis, Rajai OAK OF Hairston, Scott OAK OF Wuertz, Michael OAK RP Blanton, Joe PHI SP Durbin, Chad PHI RP Ruiz, Carlos PHI C Victorino, Shane PHI OF Duke, Zach PIT SP Adams, Mike SD RP Kouzmanoff, Kevin SD 3B Aardsma, David SEA RP Hernandez, Felix SEA SP Kotchman, Casey SEA 1B League, Brandon SEA RP Lowe, Mark SEA RP Lincecum, Tim SF SP Sanchez, Jonathan SF SP Wilson, Brian SF RP Ludwick, Ryan STL OF Schumaker, Skip STL 2B Bartlett, Jason TB SS Garza, Matt TB SP Howell, J.P. TB RP Upton, B.J. TB OF Feldman, Scott TEX SP Francisco, Frank TEX RP Hamilton, Josh TEX OF Ray, Chris TEX RP Wilson, C.J. TEX RP Accardo, Jeremy TOR RP Camp, Shawn TOR RP Frasor, Jason TOR RP Janssen, Casey TOR RP Marcum, Shaun TOR SP Tallet, Brian TOR SP Bergmann, Jay WAS RP Bruney, Brian WAS RP Burnett, Sean WAS RP Flores, Jesus WAS C Nieves, Wil WAS C Willingham, Josh WAS OF
The Pirates have officially signed right-hander D.J. Carrasco to a minor league contract. They are also close to an agreement with Octavio Dotel, but Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that they are about to add another: "Hearing that Brendan Donnelly is Pirates mystery reliever. Trying to confirm." Last night Kovacevic narrowed down the list to Donnelly, Jamey Wright, Seth McClung, Kiko Calero, Russ Springer, Chan Ho Park. Donnelly, 38, posted a 1.78 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 25/9 K/BB ratio in 25 1/3 innings with the Marlins last season after signing a minor league deal in July.
Donnelly signed for $1.5 million guaranteed, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com. He could make $3 million with incentives.
UPDATE: Jerry Hairston is officially a Padre, agreeing to a one-year, $2.125 million deal. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reports that free agent utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. is "closing in" on a contract to join his younger brother Scott in San Diego. Hairston would make more than $2 million with the Padres, according to Rosenthal, and is expected to play a super-utility role with the club. Last weekend, Hairston was linked to joining his brother Scott in Oakland. Of course, this was before Scott was re-acquired by the Padres this weekend as part of the Kevin Kouzmanoff deal. Hairston, who turns 34 in May, batted .251/.315/.394 with 10 home runs, 34 RBI and seven stolen bases in 383 at-bats between the Reds and World Champion Yankees last season, appearing at all three outfield positions, second base, shortstop and third base.
Actually what they need are owners who dont meddle and make better decisions. The Wilpons arent cheap but they are cheap when they shouldnt be at times and too liberal with spending when they shouldnt be. Its always been this way with them, its not an omar minaya thing. Also: Bengie Molina back to the Giants (thank goodness) 1yr/4.5M And Ben Sheets threw in front of scouts today. It seems like he seeking a multi year deal in the range of 9-10M per season. The Mets were among the teams attending the throwing session and IMO should absolutely go for it. 2-3 years at 10M per maybe. http://stlcardinals.scout.com/2/939265.html
Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports that the Brewers have signed left-hander Doug Davis to a one-year, $4.25 million contract with a $6.5 million mutual option for 2011. The agreement is pending a physical. With a $1 million buyout on the mutual option, Davis is set to receive $5.25 million guaranteed as part of the contract. He could earn an additional $1 million in incentives for each season. The 34-year-old southpaw was 9-14 with a 4.12 ERA and 1.50 in 34 starts with the Diamondbacks last season and previously pitched with the Brewers from 2003-06.
