- 10,371
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And Logan Morrison's Twitter.
2016 MLB thread. THE CUBS HAVE BROKEN THE CURSE! Chicago Cubs are your 2016 World Series champions
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
- Start date
- Status
- 10,371
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And Logan Morrison's Twitter.
- 9,622
- 783
I know teams like the Royals & Rangers scoff at this new CBA deal.
- 9,622
- 783
I know teams like the Royals & Rangers scoff at this new CBA deal.
- 28,102
- 9,241
Considering the Giants flat our rejected Jesus Montero, Nick Swisher AND two higher level prospects for Matt Cain, yes, instant decline of Montero and prospects for Timmy. Instant.
- 28,102
- 9,241
Considering the Giants flat our rejected Jesus Montero, Nick Swisher AND two higher level prospects for Matt Cain, yes, instant decline of Montero and prospects for Timmy. Instant.
Free-agent bear market.
Phillies, Rollins at an impasse.
Biggest position/lineup holes to fill.
Road to relevance begins in Houston.
Rumors.
http://[h3]GM candidates in Houston[/h3]
7:53AM ET
[h5]Houston Astros [/h5]
When the long-awaited sale of the Houston Astros was completed, incoming owner Jim Crane vowed to meet with all his executives and "make some very, very quick adjustments."
Crane didn't let the Thanksgiving weekend run its course before making a move, announcing Sunday night that general manager Ed Wade and team president Tal Smith have been fired. Assistant general manager Dave Gottfried will serve as interim GM, but will not be considered for the permanent job.
Over the weekend, ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden wrote that the Rays' Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker, and the Rangers' Thad Levine would be considered as possible GM targets if Crane decided to make a change at the top.
Friedman is a Houston native, but so far has expressed no real desire to leave Tampa Bay. Hunsicker, currently a senior VP in Tampa, served as the Astros' GM in 1995-2004, leading the Astros to four NL Central titles.
Jon Heyman of SI.com tweeted Sunday night that outgoing owner Drayton McLane took care of Smith financially upon turning over the team to Crane.
The changes in the front office immediately calls into question the future of manager Brad Mills, who lost 106 games this season. Mills is under contract through next season with a club option for 2013, so the Astros will be eating some salary if a change is made. If Mills does manage to keep his job, he will have a short margin for error.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Methodical pace with Pujols[/h3]
7:13AM ET
[h5]Albert Pujols | Cardinals [/h5]
The St. Louis Cardinals have hardly been practicing the full-court press when it comes to the pursuit of Albert Pujols. In fact, ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden wrote over the weekend that there is no reason for the club to alter its offer from last spring since no other club has trumped it.
The club reportedly offered Pujols a nine-year deal worth about $200 million.
Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and general manager John Mozeliak met with Pujols' longtime agent, Dan Lozano, at the general managers' meetings earlier this month, reported Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch, but things have been quiet since. Strauss says the Cardinals would apparently wait before modifying the club's 10-month-old offer that was rejected before spring training.
The process could accelerate as soon as team begin to put out feelers on Prince Fielder, the other top free agent first baseman on the market.
So far, the only team other than the Cardinals to publicly step forward in the pursuit of Pujols is the Miami Marlins, and the seriousness of their interest as been called into question.
With the threshold rumored to be in the nine-year and $200 million range, just a handful of teams are expected to be in the bidding. In last week's Miami Herald, Dan Le Batard wrote that a nine-year offer to Pujols is "insanity," since "like a lot of teams, the Marlins believe Pujols to be older than the 31 he claims to be."
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Right field in Boston[/h3]
6:57AM ET
[h5]Boston Red Sox [/h5]
Michael Cuddyer was a hot commodity in Philadelphia earlier this month, but the Phillies' interest may have subsided once they struck a deal with Colorado for Ty Wigginton. Cuddyer, however, still appears to be a target of the Colorado Rockies and perhaps the Boston Red Sox. Nick Cafardo writes this weekend that the Sox could prefer Cuddyer to Carlos Beltran for a number of reasons, and that the club may have a taste for Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier.
Ethier and second baseman Dustin Pedroia are close friends and the former MVP has long been a proponent of the Red Sox going after his buddy. The Dodgers may choose to trade Ethier after inking Matt Kemp to a $160 million deal.
One executive told me Sunday morning, however, that a healthy Ryan Kalish is a much better idea than Ethier. "He's a better fielder and his bat is headed in the right direction. Ethier is a nice player but for that kind of money and a trade cost, too, it's not a value, in my mind."
Ethier made $9.25 million last season and will be a free agent this time next winter. He could earn as much as $15 million via arbitration this offseason.
Spoiler [+]
Major League Baseball’s winter meetings begin next Sunday at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, and there will be fireworks.
Make no mistake, general managers are savvy enough to take advantage of being in a spotlight under which they can get their clubs national attention and maximize their teams' ability to sell tickets, luxury boxes, promotions and advertising. I predict there will be a flurry of movement this year because the free-agent market has remained somewhat inert thus far.
[h3]Players: Free agents and possible trades[/h3]
• Indeed, the three best position players available have had very little play thus far despite being clear impact players. Albert Pujols (No. 1 on my free-agent value rankings) has had two offers -- his standing offer from the St. Louis Cardinals since last winter and the Miami Marlins’ offer, which didn’t even match the Cardinals’. Frankly, the Cardinals have found no need to increase their offer.
• Prince Fielder has seen so little action that there is a growing sentiment that a return to the Milwaukee Brewers is not out of the realm of possibility. That which seemed so unlikely at season’s end is now seemingly a bona fide consideration. There has been some outside interest, including from the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs.
• Many thought that Jose Reyes, by improving his on-base percentage and becoming one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball, would have suitors lining up. Indeed, considering Reyes is a 27-year-old shortstop entering his prime who sports above-average defense and a strong arm, teams like the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers should be in an all-out bidding war for Reyes’ services, but that simply has not been the case.
• However, the top free-agent pitchers in this market, left-handers C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle, are enjoying at least 10 teams vying for them. The Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees are the early favorites on Wilson, while the Washington Nationals and Cubs are making loud noise on Buehrle. Wilson continues to meet with the Angels and although they haven’t made the offer he’s looking for, it seems like it would be the perfect fit for both him and the Angels. A rotation of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Wilson and Ervin Santana certainly would improve the Angels' postseason chances, especially if first baseman Kendrys Morales can come back healthy in the middle of their lineup.
• The Cubs have been fascinating to watch this offseason. They have been very aggressive with a wide range of free agents and have been in on trade talks with at least a dozen clubs. What’s been interesting is for a club that struggled so much in 2011, the conversations have not been limited to long-term solutions, but rather, they’ve included everyone from prospects to one-year stop-gap players.
• The drama surrounding whether Japan League star pitcher Yu Darvish will be posted or not by his team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, took an unfortunate twist this week with the announcement that Darvish’s pending divorce could delay his posting until the proceedings are final. The attorney for his wife wants to make sure that any new contract with a major league club is included in the settlement. Get ready for the soap opera, as Darvish is clearly the best free-agent right-handed starter, if he’s available.
• The Cincinnati Reds are getting serious inquiries on Yonder Alonso from teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics. However, with Joey Votto eligible for free agency after the 2013 season, there are several Reds executives that would prefer to hold on to him as protection and let him continue to develop in left field, just in case he can become adequate out there. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t make a deal for Wade Davis, Gio Gonzalez or Justin Masterson in a package deal, but that type of trade likely will not be presented to them.
• Jerry Hairston’s postseason with the Brewers has really increased his value as a utility player, as several contending teams are playing for his services, including the front-running Giants.
[h3]Managers and front office personnel[/h3]
• The Red Sox are expected to name their manager this week to have him in place by the time they land in Dallas. Here are my odds: Bobby Valentine remains the favorite at 2-1; Gene Lamont at 5-1 and Torey Lovullo at 25-1.
• New Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has yet to give public endorsements to Tal Smith or GM Ed Wade, which is normally not a good sign during an ownership transfer. The Rays' Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker, and the Rangers' Thad Levine are considered as possible GM targets if Crane decides to make a change, according to people in the know. Hunsicker served as the Astros' GM in 1995-2004, leading the Astros to four NL Central titles and reaching the NLCS four times.
Make no mistake, general managers are savvy enough to take advantage of being in a spotlight under which they can get their clubs national attention and maximize their teams' ability to sell tickets, luxury boxes, promotions and advertising. I predict there will be a flurry of movement this year because the free-agent market has remained somewhat inert thus far.
[h3]Players: Free agents and possible trades[/h3]
• Indeed, the three best position players available have had very little play thus far despite being clear impact players. Albert Pujols (No. 1 on my free-agent value rankings) has had two offers -- his standing offer from the St. Louis Cardinals since last winter and the Miami Marlins’ offer, which didn’t even match the Cardinals’. Frankly, the Cardinals have found no need to increase their offer.
• Prince Fielder has seen so little action that there is a growing sentiment that a return to the Milwaukee Brewers is not out of the realm of possibility. That which seemed so unlikely at season’s end is now seemingly a bona fide consideration. There has been some outside interest, including from the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs.
• Many thought that Jose Reyes, by improving his on-base percentage and becoming one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball, would have suitors lining up. Indeed, considering Reyes is a 27-year-old shortstop entering his prime who sports above-average defense and a strong arm, teams like the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers should be in an all-out bidding war for Reyes’ services, but that simply has not been the case.
• However, the top free-agent pitchers in this market, left-handers C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle, are enjoying at least 10 teams vying for them. The Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees are the early favorites on Wilson, while the Washington Nationals and Cubs are making loud noise on Buehrle. Wilson continues to meet with the Angels and although they haven’t made the offer he’s looking for, it seems like it would be the perfect fit for both him and the Angels. A rotation of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Wilson and Ervin Santana certainly would improve the Angels' postseason chances, especially if first baseman Kendrys Morales can come back healthy in the middle of their lineup.
• The Cubs have been fascinating to watch this offseason. They have been very aggressive with a wide range of free agents and have been in on trade talks with at least a dozen clubs. What’s been interesting is for a club that struggled so much in 2011, the conversations have not been limited to long-term solutions, but rather, they’ve included everyone from prospects to one-year stop-gap players.
• The drama surrounding whether Japan League star pitcher Yu Darvish will be posted or not by his team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, took an unfortunate twist this week with the announcement that Darvish’s pending divorce could delay his posting until the proceedings are final. The attorney for his wife wants to make sure that any new contract with a major league club is included in the settlement. Get ready for the soap opera, as Darvish is clearly the best free-agent right-handed starter, if he’s available.
• The Cincinnati Reds are getting serious inquiries on Yonder Alonso from teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics. However, with Joey Votto eligible for free agency after the 2013 season, there are several Reds executives that would prefer to hold on to him as protection and let him continue to develop in left field, just in case he can become adequate out there. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t make a deal for Wade Davis, Gio Gonzalez or Justin Masterson in a package deal, but that type of trade likely will not be presented to them.
• Jerry Hairston’s postseason with the Brewers has really increased his value as a utility player, as several contending teams are playing for his services, including the front-running Giants.
[h3]Managers and front office personnel[/h3]
• The Red Sox are expected to name their manager this week to have him in place by the time they land in Dallas. Here are my odds: Bobby Valentine remains the favorite at 2-1; Gene Lamont at 5-1 and Torey Lovullo at 25-1.
• New Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has yet to give public endorsements to Tal Smith or GM Ed Wade, which is normally not a good sign during an ownership transfer. The Rays' Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker, and the Rangers' Thad Levine are considered as possible GM targets if Crane decides to make a change, according to people in the know. Hunsicker served as the Astros' GM in 1995-2004, leading the Astros to four NL Central titles and reaching the NLCS four times.
Phillies, Rollins at an impasse.
Spoiler [+]
Jimmy Rollins turns 33 years old today, and even if he doesn't play another game in his career, he'll have had a pretty good run. He's won three Gold Gloves and an MVP award and served as a centerpiece on a championship team. Sometime in 2012 he may collect his 2,000th career hit and his 400th career stolen base, and it's possible that in 2013 he will hit his 200th homer.
Within the echelon of shortstops, in which a 93 OPS+ can get you into the Hall of Fame, Rollins is among the best players of his generation at his position, and yes, he is building a case as a borderline candidate for induction at Cooperstown. Remember, most of his at-bats have come since baseball implemented serious testing for performance-enhancing drugs in 2006.
So Rollins is in a unique position as a free agent this fall. He is a legacy player for the Philadelphia Phillies, as some in their organization believe, and if he re-signs he'll probably become their all-time hit leader sometime in 2014. Outside of Jose Reyes, Rollins is easily the best available shortstop on the free-agent market, as many teams are scrambling for shortstops -- the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, New York Mets and, yes, the Phillies.
Rollins has said he wants a five-year deal, something the Phillies don't want to give him. His numbers declined every season from 2007 to 2010, but he put the brakes on that in 2011, posting a .736 OPS. The backbone of his value can be found in his defense: At one of the game's most crucial positions, he is regarded as one of the best.
What is he now, at this stage of his career? I emailed some talent evaluators for an assessment, and these are two of the responses:
From an NL evaluator: "I'm not sure if Rollins will get five years, but he's a safer bet for me than any starting pitcher on the free agent market -- and some of those (or at least C.J. Wilson) will get five years.
"Rollins shows you five average or better-than-average tools on any given day. There's some concern about whether or not Rollins comes to play every day, but he's at his best when it matters most. He still plays shortstop well, relying more on instincts than pure range, but is still above average for me. He was a 15-30 guy this year [home runs-stolen bases] and isn't a beneficiary of Citizens Bank Park. He's arguably one of the five best shortstops in baseball and can hit anywhere from leadoff to second to fifth to sixth in a lineup. A former MVP who plays with high energy, and he's a winner; he will get paid. The only question is whether it will be four years or five years."
From an AL evaluator: "I think that Rollins is one of the more underrated defenders in the game at shortstop. Across the board his game remains solid, because of his ability to do many things well on each side of the ball, but he's no longer the guy that is a truly outstanding threat at the plate in particular.
"Defensively, he's so fundamentally sound at shortstop, with his footwork and hands. He is so good at reading and anticipating hops that he'll often be in much better position to make a tough play on the move, enough to make the plays look routine. His instincts at shortstop are tremendous, and when combined with his solid anticipation and decent range that is still plenty capable, I think he has another couple of seasons in him as a solid-plus defender at shortstop. Basically, his defensive tools and instincts should keep your club feeling good about his glove anchoring your infield. He still moves around well, has a plus arm and is consistently one of the more accurate throwing shortstops across the diamond.
"While he's not the force at the plate that he used to be, if he's getting on base enough and is enough of a threat to swipe a bag, then he's certainly worth considering placing near or at the top of your lineup. The injury issues have obviously held him back over the past couple of seasons, and clearly any nagging or new physical issues with his lower half are going to be particularly detrimental to his game on both sides of the ball. I'd be concerned about his ability to remain healthy, but if he's staying within himself at the plate, letting the ball travel deep into the zone and working from gap to gap, he should continue to be plenty valuable on offense as well. His ability to drive the ball consistently, to make pitchers truly pay for their mistakes isn't what it used to be, and if he's able to focus more on finding the gaps and controlling the zone he could certainly provide adequate value for what will likely be a fairly expensive deal."
In the end, the Phillies may not be convinced they are going to get full value for a long-term investment in Rollins. But this appears to be a situation for which they may have to go beyond their comfort level to make something happen.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Teams will spend the winter learning all the practical impact of the new labor agreement, writes Paul Hoynes.
2. The Texas Rangers have been extremely aggressive in the international market, but now they must adjust, writes Jeff Wilson.
3. The new CBA has transformed the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager from an artist to a house painter, writes Richard Griffin.
4. The Cleveland Indians traded Luis Valbuena to the Jays.
5. The Boston Red Sox will celebrate Valentine's Day soon, writes Troy Renck. The Red Sox will soon name their new manager, and Nick Cafardo has some suggestions for the work that will follow. The Red Sox have business to address other than picking a new manager, writes Michael Silverman.
One of the questions being asked by some of Ben Cherington's peers with other teams: If he prefers Gene Lamont as manager and knows that his bosses prefer Bobby Valentine, is it worth it for him to step in now and fight for his choice? Or would it be better, this early in his tenure as general manager, to defer to their wishes? If he wants Lamont and fights to get him the job and it goes badly for the Red Sox in 2012, he could immediately lose some ground with the Boston ownership.
6. The Oakland Athletics have hired Chili Davis as their hitting coach.
7. Josh Byrnes is setting a fresh course, writes Don Norcross.
8. The Phillies' rotation is likely to change, writes Bob Brookover.
[h3]From the mailbag[/h3]
Q: A couple of years ago, MLB collected all of the game busted bats for a study. What ever became of that? Will it all become moot with the new collective bargaining agreement?
John Moosey
Palmer, Ark.
A: John, the union and management agreed to ban all low-density maple bats for incoming major leaguers, so over time, those bats will go away. It's a welcome change, because in recent seasons, the situation has felt a little like Russian roulette -- bats have exploded in all directions, including the stands, and it seems it's only a matter of time before a fan or player is injured or worse.
The Associated Press tracked down a spokesperson for a maple bat company to get a reaction.
[h3]Stat of the day[/h3]
Ted Lilly allowed the most stolen-base attempts in 2011, with baserunners swiping 35 bags in 37 chances off the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander. The remaining top five: John Lackey (33-for-36), Josh Beckett (31-for-35), Felix Hernandez (31-for-39) and Tommy Hanson (30-for-33).
Within the echelon of shortstops, in which a 93 OPS+ can get you into the Hall of Fame, Rollins is among the best players of his generation at his position, and yes, he is building a case as a borderline candidate for induction at Cooperstown. Remember, most of his at-bats have come since baseball implemented serious testing for performance-enhancing drugs in 2006.
So Rollins is in a unique position as a free agent this fall. He is a legacy player for the Philadelphia Phillies, as some in their organization believe, and if he re-signs he'll probably become their all-time hit leader sometime in 2014. Outside of Jose Reyes, Rollins is easily the best available shortstop on the free-agent market, as many teams are scrambling for shortstops -- the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, New York Mets and, yes, the Phillies.
Rollins has said he wants a five-year deal, something the Phillies don't want to give him. His numbers declined every season from 2007 to 2010, but he put the brakes on that in 2011, posting a .736 OPS. The backbone of his value can be found in his defense: At one of the game's most crucial positions, he is regarded as one of the best.
What is he now, at this stage of his career? I emailed some talent evaluators for an assessment, and these are two of the responses:
From an NL evaluator: "I'm not sure if Rollins will get five years, but he's a safer bet for me than any starting pitcher on the free agent market -- and some of those (or at least C.J. Wilson) will get five years.
"Rollins shows you five average or better-than-average tools on any given day. There's some concern about whether or not Rollins comes to play every day, but he's at his best when it matters most. He still plays shortstop well, relying more on instincts than pure range, but is still above average for me. He was a 15-30 guy this year [home runs-stolen bases] and isn't a beneficiary of Citizens Bank Park. He's arguably one of the five best shortstops in baseball and can hit anywhere from leadoff to second to fifth to sixth in a lineup. A former MVP who plays with high energy, and he's a winner; he will get paid. The only question is whether it will be four years or five years."
From an AL evaluator: "I think that Rollins is one of the more underrated defenders in the game at shortstop. Across the board his game remains solid, because of his ability to do many things well on each side of the ball, but he's no longer the guy that is a truly outstanding threat at the plate in particular.
"Defensively, he's so fundamentally sound at shortstop, with his footwork and hands. He is so good at reading and anticipating hops that he'll often be in much better position to make a tough play on the move, enough to make the plays look routine. His instincts at shortstop are tremendous, and when combined with his solid anticipation and decent range that is still plenty capable, I think he has another couple of seasons in him as a solid-plus defender at shortstop. Basically, his defensive tools and instincts should keep your club feeling good about his glove anchoring your infield. He still moves around well, has a plus arm and is consistently one of the more accurate throwing shortstops across the diamond.
"While he's not the force at the plate that he used to be, if he's getting on base enough and is enough of a threat to swipe a bag, then he's certainly worth considering placing near or at the top of your lineup. The injury issues have obviously held him back over the past couple of seasons, and clearly any nagging or new physical issues with his lower half are going to be particularly detrimental to his game on both sides of the ball. I'd be concerned about his ability to remain healthy, but if he's staying within himself at the plate, letting the ball travel deep into the zone and working from gap to gap, he should continue to be plenty valuable on offense as well. His ability to drive the ball consistently, to make pitchers truly pay for their mistakes isn't what it used to be, and if he's able to focus more on finding the gaps and controlling the zone he could certainly provide adequate value for what will likely be a fairly expensive deal."
In the end, the Phillies may not be convinced they are going to get full value for a long-term investment in Rollins. But this appears to be a situation for which they may have to go beyond their comfort level to make something happen.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Teams will spend the winter learning all the practical impact of the new labor agreement, writes Paul Hoynes.
2. The Texas Rangers have been extremely aggressive in the international market, but now they must adjust, writes Jeff Wilson.
3. The new CBA has transformed the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager from an artist to a house painter, writes Richard Griffin.
4. The Cleveland Indians traded Luis Valbuena to the Jays.
5. The Boston Red Sox will celebrate Valentine's Day soon, writes Troy Renck. The Red Sox will soon name their new manager, and Nick Cafardo has some suggestions for the work that will follow. The Red Sox have business to address other than picking a new manager, writes Michael Silverman.
One of the questions being asked by some of Ben Cherington's peers with other teams: If he prefers Gene Lamont as manager and knows that his bosses prefer Bobby Valentine, is it worth it for him to step in now and fight for his choice? Or would it be better, this early in his tenure as general manager, to defer to their wishes? If he wants Lamont and fights to get him the job and it goes badly for the Red Sox in 2012, he could immediately lose some ground with the Boston ownership.
6. The Oakland Athletics have hired Chili Davis as their hitting coach.
7. Josh Byrnes is setting a fresh course, writes Don Norcross.
8. The Phillies' rotation is likely to change, writes Bob Brookover.
[h3]From the mailbag[/h3]
Q: A couple of years ago, MLB collected all of the game busted bats for a study. What ever became of that? Will it all become moot with the new collective bargaining agreement?
John Moosey
Palmer, Ark.
A: John, the union and management agreed to ban all low-density maple bats for incoming major leaguers, so over time, those bats will go away. It's a welcome change, because in recent seasons, the situation has felt a little like Russian roulette -- bats have exploded in all directions, including the stands, and it seems it's only a matter of time before a fan or player is injured or worse.
The Associated Press tracked down a spokesperson for a maple bat company to get a reaction.
[h3]Stat of the day[/h3]
Ted Lilly allowed the most stolen-base attempts in 2011, with baserunners swiping 35 bags in 37 chances off the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander. The remaining top five: John Lackey (33-for-36), Josh Beckett (31-for-35), Felix Hernandez (31-for-39) and Tommy Hanson (30-for-33).
Biggest position/lineup holes to fill.
Spoiler [+]
With the new labor agreement freshly minted and all of the compensation and arbitration issues settled, a lot of executives and agents stated their intention to ignore their cell phones this holiday weekend. Or, at the very least, not check them every 36 seconds, glancing away while a great aunt tells a story about how the weather affects her arthritis.
But throughout the sport, there is still lots of work to be done, weaknesses to be addressed, and a lot of that figures to be taken care of in the next four weeks. There are the big-picture problems that need fixing -- for example, the Houston Astros simply need a lot more good players -- and then there are the specific holes for contenders to fill.
Here are some (and to be clear, this is not meant to be a comprehensive list for all 30 teams):
1. Cardinals, first base. St. Louis has its safety net in place in the event that Albert Pujols walks away: Lance Berkman will move to first and World Series hero Allen Craig will take over in right field. But the Cardinals' preference, of course, is to re-sign Pujols, and very soon we'll know exactly which teams are willing to compete with St. Louis for the services of one of the greatest players of all time. The Cardinals' offer last winter was thought to be in the range of $200 million over nine years. Friends say Pujols is prepared to leave if other teams create the opportunity for him to go.
Pujols is not changing agents, he tells Derrick Goold.
2. Red Sox, manager. The biggest question around the Red Sox as the Theo Epstein era came to a close was how the role of Boston president Larry Lucchino would change. Epstein had won a power struggle with Lucchino and had an autonomy that was fostered by owner John Henry, who tends to be a reluctant player in the chain of command.
It's apparent in the first days of Ben Cherington's tenure as general manager that Lucchino has more elbow room; Bobby Valentine's patron saint in the Boston organization, as a managerial candidate, is Lucchino. Cherington had forwarded Dale Sveum to the Red Sox leadership as his candidate, but Henry never made a formal offer. As one agent noted, it's as if Lucchino immediately took the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip.
It was widely reported that Valentine's first challenge, in his interview, was to win over Cherington, but ultimately, the hire may belong to Lucchino, in terms of practical power.
3. Brewers, one big bat. If Prince Fielder leaves -- and that's an if, because we still don't know which other team will covet Fielder enough to sign him away from Milwaukee -- the Brewers will need some kind of help with their offense. GM Doug Melvin has mentioned that right now, Mat Gamel would be the first guy penciled in to take over at first base, but it's unlikely he would be the only part of the solution for the Brewers' lineup.
4. Angels, catcher. Of all the positions in the majors -- including the DH work of 14 AL teams and excluding the pitchers -- the Angels' catchers ranked 249th of 254 in OPS, at .555, and last in runs scored (37). Little wonder, then, that the Angels are said to be aggressively seeking some help at catcher. The best free agent at the position is Ramon Hernandez, who hit .282 with 12 homers for the Reds last year; under the terms of the new labor agreement, no team would have to surrender a pick to sign Hernandez.
5. Braves, a solid right-handed hitter, either at shortstop or corner outfield. Atlanta is knee-deep into the transition from the Chipper Jones era, because the future Hall of Famer can no longer be counted on for 140 games and 100 RBIs every season. Jones played in 126 games last season and drove in 70 runs, with 18 homers, and by the end of the season he was hitting as low as the sixth spot.
The Braves' challenge is to find some hitter who can make up for Jones' production. Brian McCann is an All-Star and the team's best hitter, but the Braves got a taste of what the Mets learned in the Mike Piazza era -- it can be problematic to have a lineup built around a catcher, because of the nagging injuries inherent to the position. McCann is a left-handed hitter, and so are Freddie Freeman, Michael Bourn and Jason Heyward, who will go into next spring training needing to show improvement.
Right-handed balance is needed, and maybe the best way for the Braves to get that is to land a corner outfielder. The Braves will go into next season probably feeling confident that Dan Uggla will hit along the lines of his .296/.379/.569 production he generated in the second half of the 2011 season, rather than the .185/.287/.365 of his first half.
6. Phillies, shortstop. Jimmy Rollins has indicated he wants a five-year contract -- and while the Phillies want him, they might not want to give that kind of deal. But Rollins is in an excellent negotiating position as one of the few front-line shortstops available; for him, it's a seller's market, because the Braves need a shortstop, and the Giants need a shortstop, and the Cardinals, and a handful of other teams. The Phillies are either going to have to get used to the idea that they'll pay more than they want to pay to keep Rollins, or they'll have to find an alternative, such as the Padres' Jason Bartlett, who is available for trade.
7. Giants, outfielder. They've already added Melky Cabrera through a trade this offseason, but they are focused on adding one more bat; re-signing Carlos Beltran would be a natural fit.
8. Tampa Bay, first base and DH. Casey Kotchman did a nice job at first base in 2011, but it's unclear whether his production has priced him out of the Rays' budget; it's a situation that will have to play itself out. The Rays' preference would be to find solutions at the two positions that complement each other.
9. Red Sox, closer. Boston seems to be in a good position to get somebody good, because there are a number of excellent free agents available, from Heath Bell to Ryan Madson, as well as possible trade targets, such as Andrew Bailey.
10. Toronto, closer. The Blue Jays are combing the ranks of free agents and trade possibilities, in an effort to plug a hole that was a major problem for them last year; only two teams blew more saves.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Tigers could make a move for Yeonis Cespedes, writes John Lowe.
2. The odds of the White Sox retaining Mark Buehrle aren't good, writes Joe Cowley.
But throughout the sport, there is still lots of work to be done, weaknesses to be addressed, and a lot of that figures to be taken care of in the next four weeks. There are the big-picture problems that need fixing -- for example, the Houston Astros simply need a lot more good players -- and then there are the specific holes for contenders to fill.
Here are some (and to be clear, this is not meant to be a comprehensive list for all 30 teams):
1. Cardinals, first base. St. Louis has its safety net in place in the event that Albert Pujols walks away: Lance Berkman will move to first and World Series hero Allen Craig will take over in right field. But the Cardinals' preference, of course, is to re-sign Pujols, and very soon we'll know exactly which teams are willing to compete with St. Louis for the services of one of the greatest players of all time. The Cardinals' offer last winter was thought to be in the range of $200 million over nine years. Friends say Pujols is prepared to leave if other teams create the opportunity for him to go.
Pujols is not changing agents, he tells Derrick Goold.
2. Red Sox, manager. The biggest question around the Red Sox as the Theo Epstein era came to a close was how the role of Boston president Larry Lucchino would change. Epstein had won a power struggle with Lucchino and had an autonomy that was fostered by owner John Henry, who tends to be a reluctant player in the chain of command.
It's apparent in the first days of Ben Cherington's tenure as general manager that Lucchino has more elbow room; Bobby Valentine's patron saint in the Boston organization, as a managerial candidate, is Lucchino. Cherington had forwarded Dale Sveum to the Red Sox leadership as his candidate, but Henry never made a formal offer. As one agent noted, it's as if Lucchino immediately took the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip.
It was widely reported that Valentine's first challenge, in his interview, was to win over Cherington, but ultimately, the hire may belong to Lucchino, in terms of practical power.
3. Brewers, one big bat. If Prince Fielder leaves -- and that's an if, because we still don't know which other team will covet Fielder enough to sign him away from Milwaukee -- the Brewers will need some kind of help with their offense. GM Doug Melvin has mentioned that right now, Mat Gamel would be the first guy penciled in to take over at first base, but it's unlikely he would be the only part of the solution for the Brewers' lineup.
4. Angels, catcher. Of all the positions in the majors -- including the DH work of 14 AL teams and excluding the pitchers -- the Angels' catchers ranked 249th of 254 in OPS, at .555, and last in runs scored (37). Little wonder, then, that the Angels are said to be aggressively seeking some help at catcher. The best free agent at the position is Ramon Hernandez, who hit .282 with 12 homers for the Reds last year; under the terms of the new labor agreement, no team would have to surrender a pick to sign Hernandez.
5. Braves, a solid right-handed hitter, either at shortstop or corner outfield. Atlanta is knee-deep into the transition from the Chipper Jones era, because the future Hall of Famer can no longer be counted on for 140 games and 100 RBIs every season. Jones played in 126 games last season and drove in 70 runs, with 18 homers, and by the end of the season he was hitting as low as the sixth spot.
The Braves' challenge is to find some hitter who can make up for Jones' production. Brian McCann is an All-Star and the team's best hitter, but the Braves got a taste of what the Mets learned in the Mike Piazza era -- it can be problematic to have a lineup built around a catcher, because of the nagging injuries inherent to the position. McCann is a left-handed hitter, and so are Freddie Freeman, Michael Bourn and Jason Heyward, who will go into next spring training needing to show improvement.
Right-handed balance is needed, and maybe the best way for the Braves to get that is to land a corner outfielder. The Braves will go into next season probably feeling confident that Dan Uggla will hit along the lines of his .296/.379/.569 production he generated in the second half of the 2011 season, rather than the .185/.287/.365 of his first half.
6. Phillies, shortstop. Jimmy Rollins has indicated he wants a five-year contract -- and while the Phillies want him, they might not want to give that kind of deal. But Rollins is in an excellent negotiating position as one of the few front-line shortstops available; for him, it's a seller's market, because the Braves need a shortstop, and the Giants need a shortstop, and the Cardinals, and a handful of other teams. The Phillies are either going to have to get used to the idea that they'll pay more than they want to pay to keep Rollins, or they'll have to find an alternative, such as the Padres' Jason Bartlett, who is available for trade.
7. Giants, outfielder. They've already added Melky Cabrera through a trade this offseason, but they are focused on adding one more bat; re-signing Carlos Beltran would be a natural fit.
8. Tampa Bay, first base and DH. Casey Kotchman did a nice job at first base in 2011, but it's unclear whether his production has priced him out of the Rays' budget; it's a situation that will have to play itself out. The Rays' preference would be to find solutions at the two positions that complement each other.
9. Red Sox, closer. Boston seems to be in a good position to get somebody good, because there are a number of excellent free agents available, from Heath Bell to Ryan Madson, as well as possible trade targets, such as Andrew Bailey.
10. Toronto, closer. The Blue Jays are combing the ranks of free agents and trade possibilities, in an effort to plug a hole that was a major problem for them last year; only two teams blew more saves.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Tigers could make a move for Yeonis Cespedes, writes John Lowe.
2. The odds of the White Sox retaining Mark Buehrle aren't good, writes Joe Cowley.
Road to relevance begins in Houston.
Spoiler [+]
You have to wonder if Thanksgiving bought Ed Wade and Tal Smith a few extra days with their respective titles. Jim Crane took over ownership of the Houston Astros last Monday, and it would've seemed ugly if he had executed his first firings right before a family holiday.
Either way, the deed is now done. The timing doesn't really fit what's happening with the baseball calendar, but hey, Crane wants to put his own hires in place, and that's his prerogative. Andrew Friedman is from Houston, but he is not expected to be a candidate for the Houston job, and generally, it wouldn't be surprising if some would-be candidates turn down the Astros.
There are a lot of industry-wide questions about the direction of the organization, about what kind of owner Crane will be, and until that becomes clearer, some folks who have alternatives may choose to wait rather than join the Astros. Here are some other options for the job, from Steve Campbell.
Whoever takes over the organization, however, will inherit a challenging but workable situation. The bottom line is that Houston doesn't have a lot of talent, certainly not at the major-league level. The Astros lost 106 games last year and they earned that; only four teams scored fewer runs, only two teams allowed more runs, and just three teams made more errors. And just before the July 31 trade deadline, the Astros swapped their two best position players, in Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn.
But while Theo Epstein will spend his first couple of seasons in Chicago fighting his way through the last flames of bad contracts, with Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano, Wade's replacement will come in with a relatively clean slate. Carlos Lee is about to enter the final year of his six-year, $100 million deal, at $18.5 million. Wandy Rodriguez has two guaranteed years left on his deal, for $25.5 million (including a buyout of a 2014 option) -- and beyond that, there are no players under contract for 2013.
The Astros were already facing a rebuilding situation no matter who the general manager was, so Wade did the dirty work of swapping Pence and Bourn before their market value completely disintegrated. And while Wade was criticized for not getting enough in return, Houston does have a core of pretty good talent at the lower levels, with Jared Cosart, Jonathan Singleton and others.
As Smith and Wade depart, it's not as if the Astros are teeming with talent. But remember, for many years, Houston was among the small handful of teams that honored the slot recommendations from the Commissioner's office, and in recent years, owner Drayton McLane drastically cut the Astros' budget. Wade wasn't given a lot to work with and has had some dead money to work through, and the sudden shift to austerity is the root cause for the disintegration of the franchise.
If the Astros were a construction site, what you'd see now is a plot completely cleaned out, the sledgehammers and the wrecking ball gone and the ugliest work completed. The next foreman -- working under the limits and ambitions set forth by Crane -- will be in position to do a lot of building, rather than tearing down. The construction may take years, especially given the draft-and-signing shackles imposed by the new labor agreement. One really smart executive estimated that the Astros will take four-to-seven years to make respectable again, which means that a lot of the images you will see coming out of Houston in the next few years could be those of empty seats.
But there is growth potential with the Astros, in the NL Central, and the raising can start immediately.
Ed Wade's legacy with the Astros is complicated, writes Richard Justice.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• The Seattle Mariners traded for catcher John Jaso. This is another case of the Tampa Bay Rays always having to stay ahead and proactively bailing financial waters rather than waiting. Jaso was a productive player in 2010, posting a .372 on-base percentage and establishing himself as one of their more efficient base-runners. But Jaso, 28, had a down year in 2011, with an OPS of .651, and the fact is that a year from now he would've been arbitration-eligible.
So the Rays had a choice: Should they wait and gamble that Jaso would rebound, or should they move him now before he became too expensive for them. They have bet that they would be better off reallocating the dollars that would have been needed to keep Jaso. Tampa Bay is expected to announce the signing of Jose Molina any day.
The pitcher the Rays got in the deal has a checkered past, as Marc Topkin writes.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Detroit Tigers have their sights set on Mark Buehrle, writes Lynn Henning.
2. The Chicago White Sox are evaluating Yonder Alonso.
3. In Major League Baseball, experience is wanted, writes John Tomase.
4. The Miami Marlins will host C.J. Wilson today but have no plans to host Prince Fielder, writes Juan Rodriguez.
Either way, the deed is now done. The timing doesn't really fit what's happening with the baseball calendar, but hey, Crane wants to put his own hires in place, and that's his prerogative. Andrew Friedman is from Houston, but he is not expected to be a candidate for the Houston job, and generally, it wouldn't be surprising if some would-be candidates turn down the Astros.
There are a lot of industry-wide questions about the direction of the organization, about what kind of owner Crane will be, and until that becomes clearer, some folks who have alternatives may choose to wait rather than join the Astros. Here are some other options for the job, from Steve Campbell.
Whoever takes over the organization, however, will inherit a challenging but workable situation. The bottom line is that Houston doesn't have a lot of talent, certainly not at the major-league level. The Astros lost 106 games last year and they earned that; only four teams scored fewer runs, only two teams allowed more runs, and just three teams made more errors. And just before the July 31 trade deadline, the Astros swapped their two best position players, in Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn.
But while Theo Epstein will spend his first couple of seasons in Chicago fighting his way through the last flames of bad contracts, with Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano, Wade's replacement will come in with a relatively clean slate. Carlos Lee is about to enter the final year of his six-year, $100 million deal, at $18.5 million. Wandy Rodriguez has two guaranteed years left on his deal, for $25.5 million (including a buyout of a 2014 option) -- and beyond that, there are no players under contract for 2013.
The Astros were already facing a rebuilding situation no matter who the general manager was, so Wade did the dirty work of swapping Pence and Bourn before their market value completely disintegrated. And while Wade was criticized for not getting enough in return, Houston does have a core of pretty good talent at the lower levels, with Jared Cosart, Jonathan Singleton and others.
As Smith and Wade depart, it's not as if the Astros are teeming with talent. But remember, for many years, Houston was among the small handful of teams that honored the slot recommendations from the Commissioner's office, and in recent years, owner Drayton McLane drastically cut the Astros' budget. Wade wasn't given a lot to work with and has had some dead money to work through, and the sudden shift to austerity is the root cause for the disintegration of the franchise.
If the Astros were a construction site, what you'd see now is a plot completely cleaned out, the sledgehammers and the wrecking ball gone and the ugliest work completed. The next foreman -- working under the limits and ambitions set forth by Crane -- will be in position to do a lot of building, rather than tearing down. The construction may take years, especially given the draft-and-signing shackles imposed by the new labor agreement. One really smart executive estimated that the Astros will take four-to-seven years to make respectable again, which means that a lot of the images you will see coming out of Houston in the next few years could be those of empty seats.
But there is growth potential with the Astros, in the NL Central, and the raising can start immediately.
Ed Wade's legacy with the Astros is complicated, writes Richard Justice.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• The Seattle Mariners traded for catcher John Jaso. This is another case of the Tampa Bay Rays always having to stay ahead and proactively bailing financial waters rather than waiting. Jaso was a productive player in 2010, posting a .372 on-base percentage and establishing himself as one of their more efficient base-runners. But Jaso, 28, had a down year in 2011, with an OPS of .651, and the fact is that a year from now he would've been arbitration-eligible.
So the Rays had a choice: Should they wait and gamble that Jaso would rebound, or should they move him now before he became too expensive for them. They have bet that they would be better off reallocating the dollars that would have been needed to keep Jaso. Tampa Bay is expected to announce the signing of Jose Molina any day.
The pitcher the Rays got in the deal has a checkered past, as Marc Topkin writes.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Detroit Tigers have their sights set on Mark Buehrle, writes Lynn Henning.
2. The Chicago White Sox are evaluating Yonder Alonso.
3. In Major League Baseball, experience is wanted, writes John Tomase.
4. The Miami Marlins will host C.J. Wilson today but have no plans to host Prince Fielder, writes Juan Rodriguez.
Rumors.
Spoiler [+]
http://[h3]Eye of the Tigers on Ramirez?[/h3]
8:23AM ET
[h5]Aramis Ramirez | Cubs [/h5]
The Detroit Tigers, who are looking for an upgrade at third base, have inquired about free agent Aramis Ramirez, reports SI.com's Jon Heyman.
The Tigers have Brandon Inge under contract for one more year and $5.5 million. Inge hit just .197 last season and was even demoted to Triple-A at one point, but did bounce back to hit .318 in two postseason rounds.
Paul Kinzer, the agent for Ramirez, insists that his client is drawing plenty of interest. The Milwaukee Brewers have been mentioned as a logical fit to replace the struggling Casey McGehee. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, however, recently told ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden on SiriusXM Radio that his team has no interest in Ramirez.
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Keith Law[/h5]
Ramirez a risk
8:23AM ET
[h5]Aramis Ramirez | Cubs [/h5]
The Detroit Tigers, who are looking for an upgrade at third base, have inquired about free agent Aramis Ramirez, reports SI.com's Jon Heyman.
The Tigers have Brandon Inge under contract for one more year and $5.5 million. Inge hit just .197 last season and was even demoted to Triple-A at one point, but did bounce back to hit .318 in two postseason rounds.
Paul Kinzer, the agent for Ramirez, insists that his client is drawing plenty of interest. The Milwaukee Brewers have been mentioned as a logical fit to replace the struggling Casey McGehee. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, however, recently told ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden on SiriusXM Radio that his team has no interest in Ramirez.
- Doug Mittler
Ramirez a risk
7:53AM ET
[h5]Houston Astros [/h5]
When the long-awaited sale of the Houston Astros was completed, incoming owner Jim Crane vowed to meet with all his executives and "make some very, very quick adjustments."
Crane didn't let the Thanksgiving weekend run its course before making a move, announcing Sunday night that general manager Ed Wade and team president Tal Smith have been fired. Assistant general manager Dave Gottfried will serve as interim GM, but will not be considered for the permanent job.
Over the weekend, ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden wrote that the Rays' Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker, and the Rangers' Thad Levine would be considered as possible GM targets if Crane decided to make a change at the top.
Friedman is a Houston native, but so far has expressed no real desire to leave Tampa Bay. Hunsicker, currently a senior VP in Tampa, served as the Astros' GM in 1995-2004, leading the Astros to four NL Central titles.
Jon Heyman of SI.com tweeted Sunday night that outgoing owner Drayton McLane took care of Smith financially upon turning over the team to Crane.
The changes in the front office immediately calls into question the future of manager Brad Mills, who lost 106 games this season. Mills is under contract through next season with a club option for 2013, so the Astros will be eating some salary if a change is made. If Mills does manage to keep his job, he will have a short margin for error.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Methodical pace with Pujols[/h3]
7:13AM ET
[h5]Albert Pujols | Cardinals [/h5]
The St. Louis Cardinals have hardly been practicing the full-court press when it comes to the pursuit of Albert Pujols. In fact, ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden wrote over the weekend that there is no reason for the club to alter its offer from last spring since no other club has trumped it.
The club reportedly offered Pujols a nine-year deal worth about $200 million.
Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and general manager John Mozeliak met with Pujols' longtime agent, Dan Lozano, at the general managers' meetings earlier this month, reported Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch, but things have been quiet since. Strauss says the Cardinals would apparently wait before modifying the club's 10-month-old offer that was rejected before spring training.
The process could accelerate as soon as team begin to put out feelers on Prince Fielder, the other top free agent first baseman on the market.
So far, the only team other than the Cardinals to publicly step forward in the pursuit of Pujols is the Miami Marlins, and the seriousness of their interest as been called into question.
With the threshold rumored to be in the nine-year and $200 million range, just a handful of teams are expected to be in the bidding. In last week's Miami Herald, Dan Le Batard wrote that a nine-year offer to Pujols is "insanity," since "like a lot of teams, the Marlins believe Pujols to be older than the 31 he claims to be."
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Right field in Boston[/h3]
6:57AM ET
[h5]Boston Red Sox [/h5]
Michael Cuddyer was a hot commodity in Philadelphia earlier this month, but the Phillies' interest may have subsided once they struck a deal with Colorado for Ty Wigginton. Cuddyer, however, still appears to be a target of the Colorado Rockies and perhaps the Boston Red Sox. Nick Cafardo writes this weekend that the Sox could prefer Cuddyer to Carlos Beltran for a number of reasons, and that the club may have a taste for Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier.
Ethier and second baseman Dustin Pedroia are close friends and the former MVP has long been a proponent of the Red Sox going after his buddy. The Dodgers may choose to trade Ethier after inking Matt Kemp to a $160 million deal.
One executive told me Sunday morning, however, that a healthy Ryan Kalish is a much better idea than Ethier. "He's a better fielder and his bat is headed in the right direction. Ethier is a nice player but for that kind of money and a trade cost, too, it's not a value, in my mind."
Ethier made $9.25 million last season and will be a free agent this time next winter. He could earn as much as $15 million via arbitration this offseason.
Free-agent bear market.
Phillies, Rollins at an impasse.
Biggest position/lineup holes to fill.
Road to relevance begins in Houston.
Rumors.
http://[h3]GM candidates in Houston[/h3]
7:53AM ET
[h5]Houston Astros [/h5]
When the long-awaited sale of the Houston Astros was completed, incoming owner Jim Crane vowed to meet with all his executives and "make some very, very quick adjustments."
Crane didn't let the Thanksgiving weekend run its course before making a move, announcing Sunday night that general manager Ed Wade and team president Tal Smith have been fired. Assistant general manager Dave Gottfried will serve as interim GM, but will not be considered for the permanent job.
Over the weekend, ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden wrote that the Rays' Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker, and the Rangers' Thad Levine would be considered as possible GM targets if Crane decided to make a change at the top.
Friedman is a Houston native, but so far has expressed no real desire to leave Tampa Bay. Hunsicker, currently a senior VP in Tampa, served as the Astros' GM in 1995-2004, leading the Astros to four NL Central titles.
Jon Heyman of SI.com tweeted Sunday night that outgoing owner Drayton McLane took care of Smith financially upon turning over the team to Crane.
The changes in the front office immediately calls into question the future of manager Brad Mills, who lost 106 games this season. Mills is under contract through next season with a club option for 2013, so the Astros will be eating some salary if a change is made. If Mills does manage to keep his job, he will have a short margin for error.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Methodical pace with Pujols[/h3]
7:13AM ET
[h5]Albert Pujols | Cardinals [/h5]
The St. Louis Cardinals have hardly been practicing the full-court press when it comes to the pursuit of Albert Pujols. In fact, ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden wrote over the weekend that there is no reason for the club to alter its offer from last spring since no other club has trumped it.
The club reportedly offered Pujols a nine-year deal worth about $200 million.
Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and general manager John Mozeliak met with Pujols' longtime agent, Dan Lozano, at the general managers' meetings earlier this month, reported Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch, but things have been quiet since. Strauss says the Cardinals would apparently wait before modifying the club's 10-month-old offer that was rejected before spring training.
The process could accelerate as soon as team begin to put out feelers on Prince Fielder, the other top free agent first baseman on the market.
So far, the only team other than the Cardinals to publicly step forward in the pursuit of Pujols is the Miami Marlins, and the seriousness of their interest as been called into question.
With the threshold rumored to be in the nine-year and $200 million range, just a handful of teams are expected to be in the bidding. In last week's Miami Herald, Dan Le Batard wrote that a nine-year offer to Pujols is "insanity," since "like a lot of teams, the Marlins believe Pujols to be older than the 31 he claims to be."
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Right field in Boston[/h3]
6:57AM ET
[h5]Boston Red Sox [/h5]
Michael Cuddyer was a hot commodity in Philadelphia earlier this month, but the Phillies' interest may have subsided once they struck a deal with Colorado for Ty Wigginton. Cuddyer, however, still appears to be a target of the Colorado Rockies and perhaps the Boston Red Sox. Nick Cafardo writes this weekend that the Sox could prefer Cuddyer to Carlos Beltran for a number of reasons, and that the club may have a taste for Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier.
Ethier and second baseman Dustin Pedroia are close friends and the former MVP has long been a proponent of the Red Sox going after his buddy. The Dodgers may choose to trade Ethier after inking Matt Kemp to a $160 million deal.
One executive told me Sunday morning, however, that a healthy Ryan Kalish is a much better idea than Ethier. "He's a better fielder and his bat is headed in the right direction. Ethier is a nice player but for that kind of money and a trade cost, too, it's not a value, in my mind."
Ethier made $9.25 million last season and will be a free agent this time next winter. He could earn as much as $15 million via arbitration this offseason.
Spoiler [+]
Major League Baseball’s winter meetings begin next Sunday at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, and there will be fireworks.
Make no mistake, general managers are savvy enough to take advantage of being in a spotlight under which they can get their clubs national attention and maximize their teams' ability to sell tickets, luxury boxes, promotions and advertising. I predict there will be a flurry of movement this year because the free-agent market has remained somewhat inert thus far.
[h3]Players: Free agents and possible trades[/h3]
• Indeed, the three best position players available have had very little play thus far despite being clear impact players. Albert Pujols (No. 1 on my free-agent value rankings) has had two offers -- his standing offer from the St. Louis Cardinals since last winter and the Miami Marlins’ offer, which didn’t even match the Cardinals’. Frankly, the Cardinals have found no need to increase their offer.
• Prince Fielder has seen so little action that there is a growing sentiment that a return to the Milwaukee Brewers is not out of the realm of possibility. That which seemed so unlikely at season’s end is now seemingly a bona fide consideration. There has been some outside interest, including from the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs.
• Many thought that Jose Reyes, by improving his on-base percentage and becoming one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball, would have suitors lining up. Indeed, considering Reyes is a 27-year-old shortstop entering his prime who sports above-average defense and a strong arm, teams like the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers should be in an all-out bidding war for Reyes’ services, but that simply has not been the case.
• However, the top free-agent pitchers in this market, left-handers C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle, are enjoying at least 10 teams vying for them. The Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees are the early favorites on Wilson, while the Washington Nationals and Cubs are making loud noise on Buehrle. Wilson continues to meet with the Angels and although they haven’t made the offer he’s looking for, it seems like it would be the perfect fit for both him and the Angels. A rotation of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Wilson and Ervin Santana certainly would improve the Angels' postseason chances, especially if first baseman Kendrys Morales can come back healthy in the middle of their lineup.
• The Cubs have been fascinating to watch this offseason. They have been very aggressive with a wide range of free agents and have been in on trade talks with at least a dozen clubs. What’s been interesting is for a club that struggled so much in 2011, the conversations have not been limited to long-term solutions, but rather, they’ve included everyone from prospects to one-year stop-gap players.
• The drama surrounding whether Japan League star pitcher Yu Darvish will be posted or not by his team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, took an unfortunate twist this week with the announcement that Darvish’s pending divorce could delay his posting until the proceedings are final. The attorney for his wife wants to make sure that any new contract with a major league club is included in the settlement. Get ready for the soap opera, as Darvish is clearly the best free-agent right-handed starter, if he’s available.
• The Cincinnati Reds are getting serious inquiries on Yonder Alonso from teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics. However, with Joey Votto eligible for free agency after the 2013 season, there are several Reds executives that would prefer to hold on to him as protection and let him continue to develop in left field, just in case he can become adequate out there. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t make a deal for Wade Davis, Gio Gonzalez or Justin Masterson in a package deal, but that type of trade likely will not be presented to them.
• Jerry Hairston’s postseason with the Brewers has really increased his value as a utility player, as several contending teams are playing for his services, including the front-running Giants.
[h3]Managers and front office personnel[/h3]
• The Red Sox are expected to name their manager this week to have him in place by the time they land in Dallas. Here are my odds: Bobby Valentine remains the favorite at 2-1; Gene Lamont at 5-1 and Torey Lovullo at 25-1.
• New Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has yet to give public endorsements to Tal Smith or GM Ed Wade, which is normally not a good sign during an ownership transfer. The Rays' Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker, and the Rangers' Thad Levine are considered as possible GM targets if Crane decides to make a change, according to people in the know. Hunsicker served as the Astros' GM in 1995-2004, leading the Astros to four NL Central titles and reaching the NLCS four times.
Make no mistake, general managers are savvy enough to take advantage of being in a spotlight under which they can get their clubs national attention and maximize their teams' ability to sell tickets, luxury boxes, promotions and advertising. I predict there will be a flurry of movement this year because the free-agent market has remained somewhat inert thus far.
[h3]Players: Free agents and possible trades[/h3]
• Indeed, the three best position players available have had very little play thus far despite being clear impact players. Albert Pujols (No. 1 on my free-agent value rankings) has had two offers -- his standing offer from the St. Louis Cardinals since last winter and the Miami Marlins’ offer, which didn’t even match the Cardinals’. Frankly, the Cardinals have found no need to increase their offer.
• Prince Fielder has seen so little action that there is a growing sentiment that a return to the Milwaukee Brewers is not out of the realm of possibility. That which seemed so unlikely at season’s end is now seemingly a bona fide consideration. There has been some outside interest, including from the Seattle Mariners and Chicago Cubs.
• Many thought that Jose Reyes, by improving his on-base percentage and becoming one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball, would have suitors lining up. Indeed, considering Reyes is a 27-year-old shortstop entering his prime who sports above-average defense and a strong arm, teams like the San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers should be in an all-out bidding war for Reyes’ services, but that simply has not been the case.
• However, the top free-agent pitchers in this market, left-handers C.J. Wilson and Mark Buehrle, are enjoying at least 10 teams vying for them. The Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees are the early favorites on Wilson, while the Washington Nationals and Cubs are making loud noise on Buehrle. Wilson continues to meet with the Angels and although they haven’t made the offer he’s looking for, it seems like it would be the perfect fit for both him and the Angels. A rotation of Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, Wilson and Ervin Santana certainly would improve the Angels' postseason chances, especially if first baseman Kendrys Morales can come back healthy in the middle of their lineup.
• The Cubs have been fascinating to watch this offseason. They have been very aggressive with a wide range of free agents and have been in on trade talks with at least a dozen clubs. What’s been interesting is for a club that struggled so much in 2011, the conversations have not been limited to long-term solutions, but rather, they’ve included everyone from prospects to one-year stop-gap players.
• The drama surrounding whether Japan League star pitcher Yu Darvish will be posted or not by his team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, took an unfortunate twist this week with the announcement that Darvish’s pending divorce could delay his posting until the proceedings are final. The attorney for his wife wants to make sure that any new contract with a major league club is included in the settlement. Get ready for the soap opera, as Darvish is clearly the best free-agent right-handed starter, if he’s available.
• The Cincinnati Reds are getting serious inquiries on Yonder Alonso from teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians and Oakland Athletics. However, with Joey Votto eligible for free agency after the 2013 season, there are several Reds executives that would prefer to hold on to him as protection and let him continue to develop in left field, just in case he can become adequate out there. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t make a deal for Wade Davis, Gio Gonzalez or Justin Masterson in a package deal, but that type of trade likely will not be presented to them.
• Jerry Hairston’s postseason with the Brewers has really increased his value as a utility player, as several contending teams are playing for his services, including the front-running Giants.
[h3]Managers and front office personnel[/h3]
• The Red Sox are expected to name their manager this week to have him in place by the time they land in Dallas. Here are my odds: Bobby Valentine remains the favorite at 2-1; Gene Lamont at 5-1 and Torey Lovullo at 25-1.
• New Houston Astros owner Jim Crane has yet to give public endorsements to Tal Smith or GM Ed Wade, which is normally not a good sign during an ownership transfer. The Rays' Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker, and the Rangers' Thad Levine are considered as possible GM targets if Crane decides to make a change, according to people in the know. Hunsicker served as the Astros' GM in 1995-2004, leading the Astros to four NL Central titles and reaching the NLCS four times.
Phillies, Rollins at an impasse.
Spoiler [+]
Jimmy Rollins turns 33 years old today, and even if he doesn't play another game in his career, he'll have had a pretty good run. He's won three Gold Gloves and an MVP award and served as a centerpiece on a championship team. Sometime in 2012 he may collect his 2,000th career hit and his 400th career stolen base, and it's possible that in 2013 he will hit his 200th homer.
Within the echelon of shortstops, in which a 93 OPS+ can get you into the Hall of Fame, Rollins is among the best players of his generation at his position, and yes, he is building a case as a borderline candidate for induction at Cooperstown. Remember, most of his at-bats have come since baseball implemented serious testing for performance-enhancing drugs in 2006.
So Rollins is in a unique position as a free agent this fall. He is a legacy player for the Philadelphia Phillies, as some in their organization believe, and if he re-signs he'll probably become their all-time hit leader sometime in 2014. Outside of Jose Reyes, Rollins is easily the best available shortstop on the free-agent market, as many teams are scrambling for shortstops -- the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, New York Mets and, yes, the Phillies.
Rollins has said he wants a five-year deal, something the Phillies don't want to give him. His numbers declined every season from 2007 to 2010, but he put the brakes on that in 2011, posting a .736 OPS. The backbone of his value can be found in his defense: At one of the game's most crucial positions, he is regarded as one of the best.
What is he now, at this stage of his career? I emailed some talent evaluators for an assessment, and these are two of the responses:
From an NL evaluator: "I'm not sure if Rollins will get five years, but he's a safer bet for me than any starting pitcher on the free agent market -- and some of those (or at least C.J. Wilson) will get five years.
"Rollins shows you five average or better-than-average tools on any given day. There's some concern about whether or not Rollins comes to play every day, but he's at his best when it matters most. He still plays shortstop well, relying more on instincts than pure range, but is still above average for me. He was a 15-30 guy this year [home runs-stolen bases] and isn't a beneficiary of Citizens Bank Park. He's arguably one of the five best shortstops in baseball and can hit anywhere from leadoff to second to fifth to sixth in a lineup. A former MVP who plays with high energy, and he's a winner; he will get paid. The only question is whether it will be four years or five years."
From an AL evaluator: "I think that Rollins is one of the more underrated defenders in the game at shortstop. Across the board his game remains solid, because of his ability to do many things well on each side of the ball, but he's no longer the guy that is a truly outstanding threat at the plate in particular.
"Defensively, he's so fundamentally sound at shortstop, with his footwork and hands. He is so good at reading and anticipating hops that he'll often be in much better position to make a tough play on the move, enough to make the plays look routine. His instincts at shortstop are tremendous, and when combined with his solid anticipation and decent range that is still plenty capable, I think he has another couple of seasons in him as a solid-plus defender at shortstop. Basically, his defensive tools and instincts should keep your club feeling good about his glove anchoring your infield. He still moves around well, has a plus arm and is consistently one of the more accurate throwing shortstops across the diamond.
"While he's not the force at the plate that he used to be, if he's getting on base enough and is enough of a threat to swipe a bag, then he's certainly worth considering placing near or at the top of your lineup. The injury issues have obviously held him back over the past couple of seasons, and clearly any nagging or new physical issues with his lower half are going to be particularly detrimental to his game on both sides of the ball. I'd be concerned about his ability to remain healthy, but if he's staying within himself at the plate, letting the ball travel deep into the zone and working from gap to gap, he should continue to be plenty valuable on offense as well. His ability to drive the ball consistently, to make pitchers truly pay for their mistakes isn't what it used to be, and if he's able to focus more on finding the gaps and controlling the zone he could certainly provide adequate value for what will likely be a fairly expensive deal."
In the end, the Phillies may not be convinced they are going to get full value for a long-term investment in Rollins. But this appears to be a situation for which they may have to go beyond their comfort level to make something happen.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Teams will spend the winter learning all the practical impact of the new labor agreement, writes Paul Hoynes.
2. The Texas Rangers have been extremely aggressive in the international market, but now they must adjust, writes Jeff Wilson.
3. The new CBA has transformed the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager from an artist to a house painter, writes Richard Griffin.
4. The Cleveland Indians traded Luis Valbuena to the Jays.
5. The Boston Red Sox will celebrate Valentine's Day soon, writes Troy Renck. The Red Sox will soon name their new manager, and Nick Cafardo has some suggestions for the work that will follow. The Red Sox have business to address other than picking a new manager, writes Michael Silverman.
One of the questions being asked by some of Ben Cherington's peers with other teams: If he prefers Gene Lamont as manager and knows that his bosses prefer Bobby Valentine, is it worth it for him to step in now and fight for his choice? Or would it be better, this early in his tenure as general manager, to defer to their wishes? If he wants Lamont and fights to get him the job and it goes badly for the Red Sox in 2012, he could immediately lose some ground with the Boston ownership.
6. The Oakland Athletics have hired Chili Davis as their hitting coach.
7. Josh Byrnes is setting a fresh course, writes Don Norcross.
8. The Phillies' rotation is likely to change, writes Bob Brookover.
[h3]From the mailbag[/h3]
Q: A couple of years ago, MLB collected all of the game busted bats for a study. What ever became of that? Will it all become moot with the new collective bargaining agreement?
John Moosey
Palmer, Ark.
A: John, the union and management agreed to ban all low-density maple bats for incoming major leaguers, so over time, those bats will go away. It's a welcome change, because in recent seasons, the situation has felt a little like Russian roulette -- bats have exploded in all directions, including the stands, and it seems it's only a matter of time before a fan or player is injured or worse.
The Associated Press tracked down a spokesperson for a maple bat company to get a reaction.
[h3]Stat of the day[/h3]
Ted Lilly allowed the most stolen-base attempts in 2011, with baserunners swiping 35 bags in 37 chances off the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander. The remaining top five: John Lackey (33-for-36), Josh Beckett (31-for-35), Felix Hernandez (31-for-39) and Tommy Hanson (30-for-33).
Within the echelon of shortstops, in which a 93 OPS+ can get you into the Hall of Fame, Rollins is among the best players of his generation at his position, and yes, he is building a case as a borderline candidate for induction at Cooperstown. Remember, most of his at-bats have come since baseball implemented serious testing for performance-enhancing drugs in 2006.
So Rollins is in a unique position as a free agent this fall. He is a legacy player for the Philadelphia Phillies, as some in their organization believe, and if he re-signs he'll probably become their all-time hit leader sometime in 2014. Outside of Jose Reyes, Rollins is easily the best available shortstop on the free-agent market, as many teams are scrambling for shortstops -- the St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, New York Mets and, yes, the Phillies.
Rollins has said he wants a five-year deal, something the Phillies don't want to give him. His numbers declined every season from 2007 to 2010, but he put the brakes on that in 2011, posting a .736 OPS. The backbone of his value can be found in his defense: At one of the game's most crucial positions, he is regarded as one of the best.
What is he now, at this stage of his career? I emailed some talent evaluators for an assessment, and these are two of the responses:
From an NL evaluator: "I'm not sure if Rollins will get five years, but he's a safer bet for me than any starting pitcher on the free agent market -- and some of those (or at least C.J. Wilson) will get five years.
"Rollins shows you five average or better-than-average tools on any given day. There's some concern about whether or not Rollins comes to play every day, but he's at his best when it matters most. He still plays shortstop well, relying more on instincts than pure range, but is still above average for me. He was a 15-30 guy this year [home runs-stolen bases] and isn't a beneficiary of Citizens Bank Park. He's arguably one of the five best shortstops in baseball and can hit anywhere from leadoff to second to fifth to sixth in a lineup. A former MVP who plays with high energy, and he's a winner; he will get paid. The only question is whether it will be four years or five years."
From an AL evaluator: "I think that Rollins is one of the more underrated defenders in the game at shortstop. Across the board his game remains solid, because of his ability to do many things well on each side of the ball, but he's no longer the guy that is a truly outstanding threat at the plate in particular.
"Defensively, he's so fundamentally sound at shortstop, with his footwork and hands. He is so good at reading and anticipating hops that he'll often be in much better position to make a tough play on the move, enough to make the plays look routine. His instincts at shortstop are tremendous, and when combined with his solid anticipation and decent range that is still plenty capable, I think he has another couple of seasons in him as a solid-plus defender at shortstop. Basically, his defensive tools and instincts should keep your club feeling good about his glove anchoring your infield. He still moves around well, has a plus arm and is consistently one of the more accurate throwing shortstops across the diamond.
"While he's not the force at the plate that he used to be, if he's getting on base enough and is enough of a threat to swipe a bag, then he's certainly worth considering placing near or at the top of your lineup. The injury issues have obviously held him back over the past couple of seasons, and clearly any nagging or new physical issues with his lower half are going to be particularly detrimental to his game on both sides of the ball. I'd be concerned about his ability to remain healthy, but if he's staying within himself at the plate, letting the ball travel deep into the zone and working from gap to gap, he should continue to be plenty valuable on offense as well. His ability to drive the ball consistently, to make pitchers truly pay for their mistakes isn't what it used to be, and if he's able to focus more on finding the gaps and controlling the zone he could certainly provide adequate value for what will likely be a fairly expensive deal."
In the end, the Phillies may not be convinced they are going to get full value for a long-term investment in Rollins. But this appears to be a situation for which they may have to go beyond their comfort level to make something happen.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Teams will spend the winter learning all the practical impact of the new labor agreement, writes Paul Hoynes.
2. The Texas Rangers have been extremely aggressive in the international market, but now they must adjust, writes Jeff Wilson.
3. The new CBA has transformed the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager from an artist to a house painter, writes Richard Griffin.
4. The Cleveland Indians traded Luis Valbuena to the Jays.
5. The Boston Red Sox will celebrate Valentine's Day soon, writes Troy Renck. The Red Sox will soon name their new manager, and Nick Cafardo has some suggestions for the work that will follow. The Red Sox have business to address other than picking a new manager, writes Michael Silverman.
One of the questions being asked by some of Ben Cherington's peers with other teams: If he prefers Gene Lamont as manager and knows that his bosses prefer Bobby Valentine, is it worth it for him to step in now and fight for his choice? Or would it be better, this early in his tenure as general manager, to defer to their wishes? If he wants Lamont and fights to get him the job and it goes badly for the Red Sox in 2012, he could immediately lose some ground with the Boston ownership.
6. The Oakland Athletics have hired Chili Davis as their hitting coach.
7. Josh Byrnes is setting a fresh course, writes Don Norcross.
8. The Phillies' rotation is likely to change, writes Bob Brookover.
[h3]From the mailbag[/h3]
Q: A couple of years ago, MLB collected all of the game busted bats for a study. What ever became of that? Will it all become moot with the new collective bargaining agreement?
John Moosey
Palmer, Ark.
A: John, the union and management agreed to ban all low-density maple bats for incoming major leaguers, so over time, those bats will go away. It's a welcome change, because in recent seasons, the situation has felt a little like Russian roulette -- bats have exploded in all directions, including the stands, and it seems it's only a matter of time before a fan or player is injured or worse.
The Associated Press tracked down a spokesperson for a maple bat company to get a reaction.
[h3]Stat of the day[/h3]
Ted Lilly allowed the most stolen-base attempts in 2011, with baserunners swiping 35 bags in 37 chances off the Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander. The remaining top five: John Lackey (33-for-36), Josh Beckett (31-for-35), Felix Hernandez (31-for-39) and Tommy Hanson (30-for-33).
Biggest position/lineup holes to fill.
Spoiler [+]
With the new labor agreement freshly minted and all of the compensation and arbitration issues settled, a lot of executives and agents stated their intention to ignore their cell phones this holiday weekend. Or, at the very least, not check them every 36 seconds, glancing away while a great aunt tells a story about how the weather affects her arthritis.
But throughout the sport, there is still lots of work to be done, weaknesses to be addressed, and a lot of that figures to be taken care of in the next four weeks. There are the big-picture problems that need fixing -- for example, the Houston Astros simply need a lot more good players -- and then there are the specific holes for contenders to fill.
Here are some (and to be clear, this is not meant to be a comprehensive list for all 30 teams):
1. Cardinals, first base. St. Louis has its safety net in place in the event that Albert Pujols walks away: Lance Berkman will move to first and World Series hero Allen Craig will take over in right field. But the Cardinals' preference, of course, is to re-sign Pujols, and very soon we'll know exactly which teams are willing to compete with St. Louis for the services of one of the greatest players of all time. The Cardinals' offer last winter was thought to be in the range of $200 million over nine years. Friends say Pujols is prepared to leave if other teams create the opportunity for him to go.
Pujols is not changing agents, he tells Derrick Goold.
2. Red Sox, manager. The biggest question around the Red Sox as the Theo Epstein era came to a close was how the role of Boston president Larry Lucchino would change. Epstein had won a power struggle with Lucchino and had an autonomy that was fostered by owner John Henry, who tends to be a reluctant player in the chain of command.
It's apparent in the first days of Ben Cherington's tenure as general manager that Lucchino has more elbow room; Bobby Valentine's patron saint in the Boston organization, as a managerial candidate, is Lucchino. Cherington had forwarded Dale Sveum to the Red Sox leadership as his candidate, but Henry never made a formal offer. As one agent noted, it's as if Lucchino immediately took the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip.
It was widely reported that Valentine's first challenge, in his interview, was to win over Cherington, but ultimately, the hire may belong to Lucchino, in terms of practical power.
3. Brewers, one big bat. If Prince Fielder leaves -- and that's an if, because we still don't know which other team will covet Fielder enough to sign him away from Milwaukee -- the Brewers will need some kind of help with their offense. GM Doug Melvin has mentioned that right now, Mat Gamel would be the first guy penciled in to take over at first base, but it's unlikely he would be the only part of the solution for the Brewers' lineup.
4. Angels, catcher. Of all the positions in the majors -- including the DH work of 14 AL teams and excluding the pitchers -- the Angels' catchers ranked 249th of 254 in OPS, at .555, and last in runs scored (37). Little wonder, then, that the Angels are said to be aggressively seeking some help at catcher. The best free agent at the position is Ramon Hernandez, who hit .282 with 12 homers for the Reds last year; under the terms of the new labor agreement, no team would have to surrender a pick to sign Hernandez.
5. Braves, a solid right-handed hitter, either at shortstop or corner outfield. Atlanta is knee-deep into the transition from the Chipper Jones era, because the future Hall of Famer can no longer be counted on for 140 games and 100 RBIs every season. Jones played in 126 games last season and drove in 70 runs, with 18 homers, and by the end of the season he was hitting as low as the sixth spot.
The Braves' challenge is to find some hitter who can make up for Jones' production. Brian McCann is an All-Star and the team's best hitter, but the Braves got a taste of what the Mets learned in the Mike Piazza era -- it can be problematic to have a lineup built around a catcher, because of the nagging injuries inherent to the position. McCann is a left-handed hitter, and so are Freddie Freeman, Michael Bourn and Jason Heyward, who will go into next spring training needing to show improvement.
Right-handed balance is needed, and maybe the best way for the Braves to get that is to land a corner outfielder. The Braves will go into next season probably feeling confident that Dan Uggla will hit along the lines of his .296/.379/.569 production he generated in the second half of the 2011 season, rather than the .185/.287/.365 of his first half.
6. Phillies, shortstop. Jimmy Rollins has indicated he wants a five-year contract -- and while the Phillies want him, they might not want to give that kind of deal. But Rollins is in an excellent negotiating position as one of the few front-line shortstops available; for him, it's a seller's market, because the Braves need a shortstop, and the Giants need a shortstop, and the Cardinals, and a handful of other teams. The Phillies are either going to have to get used to the idea that they'll pay more than they want to pay to keep Rollins, or they'll have to find an alternative, such as the Padres' Jason Bartlett, who is available for trade.
7. Giants, outfielder. They've already added Melky Cabrera through a trade this offseason, but they are focused on adding one more bat; re-signing Carlos Beltran would be a natural fit.
8. Tampa Bay, first base and DH. Casey Kotchman did a nice job at first base in 2011, but it's unclear whether his production has priced him out of the Rays' budget; it's a situation that will have to play itself out. The Rays' preference would be to find solutions at the two positions that complement each other.
9. Red Sox, closer. Boston seems to be in a good position to get somebody good, because there are a number of excellent free agents available, from Heath Bell to Ryan Madson, as well as possible trade targets, such as Andrew Bailey.
10. Toronto, closer. The Blue Jays are combing the ranks of free agents and trade possibilities, in an effort to plug a hole that was a major problem for them last year; only two teams blew more saves.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Tigers could make a move for Yeonis Cespedes, writes John Lowe.
2. The odds of the White Sox retaining Mark Buehrle aren't good, writes Joe Cowley.
But throughout the sport, there is still lots of work to be done, weaknesses to be addressed, and a lot of that figures to be taken care of in the next four weeks. There are the big-picture problems that need fixing -- for example, the Houston Astros simply need a lot more good players -- and then there are the specific holes for contenders to fill.
Here are some (and to be clear, this is not meant to be a comprehensive list for all 30 teams):
1. Cardinals, first base. St. Louis has its safety net in place in the event that Albert Pujols walks away: Lance Berkman will move to first and World Series hero Allen Craig will take over in right field. But the Cardinals' preference, of course, is to re-sign Pujols, and very soon we'll know exactly which teams are willing to compete with St. Louis for the services of one of the greatest players of all time. The Cardinals' offer last winter was thought to be in the range of $200 million over nine years. Friends say Pujols is prepared to leave if other teams create the opportunity for him to go.
Pujols is not changing agents, he tells Derrick Goold.
2. Red Sox, manager. The biggest question around the Red Sox as the Theo Epstein era came to a close was how the role of Boston president Larry Lucchino would change. Epstein had won a power struggle with Lucchino and had an autonomy that was fostered by owner John Henry, who tends to be a reluctant player in the chain of command.
It's apparent in the first days of Ben Cherington's tenure as general manager that Lucchino has more elbow room; Bobby Valentine's patron saint in the Boston organization, as a managerial candidate, is Lucchino. Cherington had forwarded Dale Sveum to the Red Sox leadership as his candidate, but Henry never made a formal offer. As one agent noted, it's as if Lucchino immediately took the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip.
It was widely reported that Valentine's first challenge, in his interview, was to win over Cherington, but ultimately, the hire may belong to Lucchino, in terms of practical power.
3. Brewers, one big bat. If Prince Fielder leaves -- and that's an if, because we still don't know which other team will covet Fielder enough to sign him away from Milwaukee -- the Brewers will need some kind of help with their offense. GM Doug Melvin has mentioned that right now, Mat Gamel would be the first guy penciled in to take over at first base, but it's unlikely he would be the only part of the solution for the Brewers' lineup.
4. Angels, catcher. Of all the positions in the majors -- including the DH work of 14 AL teams and excluding the pitchers -- the Angels' catchers ranked 249th of 254 in OPS, at .555, and last in runs scored (37). Little wonder, then, that the Angels are said to be aggressively seeking some help at catcher. The best free agent at the position is Ramon Hernandez, who hit .282 with 12 homers for the Reds last year; under the terms of the new labor agreement, no team would have to surrender a pick to sign Hernandez.
5. Braves, a solid right-handed hitter, either at shortstop or corner outfield. Atlanta is knee-deep into the transition from the Chipper Jones era, because the future Hall of Famer can no longer be counted on for 140 games and 100 RBIs every season. Jones played in 126 games last season and drove in 70 runs, with 18 homers, and by the end of the season he was hitting as low as the sixth spot.
The Braves' challenge is to find some hitter who can make up for Jones' production. Brian McCann is an All-Star and the team's best hitter, but the Braves got a taste of what the Mets learned in the Mike Piazza era -- it can be problematic to have a lineup built around a catcher, because of the nagging injuries inherent to the position. McCann is a left-handed hitter, and so are Freddie Freeman, Michael Bourn and Jason Heyward, who will go into next spring training needing to show improvement.
Right-handed balance is needed, and maybe the best way for the Braves to get that is to land a corner outfielder. The Braves will go into next season probably feeling confident that Dan Uggla will hit along the lines of his .296/.379/.569 production he generated in the second half of the 2011 season, rather than the .185/.287/.365 of his first half.
6. Phillies, shortstop. Jimmy Rollins has indicated he wants a five-year contract -- and while the Phillies want him, they might not want to give that kind of deal. But Rollins is in an excellent negotiating position as one of the few front-line shortstops available; for him, it's a seller's market, because the Braves need a shortstop, and the Giants need a shortstop, and the Cardinals, and a handful of other teams. The Phillies are either going to have to get used to the idea that they'll pay more than they want to pay to keep Rollins, or they'll have to find an alternative, such as the Padres' Jason Bartlett, who is available for trade.
7. Giants, outfielder. They've already added Melky Cabrera through a trade this offseason, but they are focused on adding one more bat; re-signing Carlos Beltran would be a natural fit.
8. Tampa Bay, first base and DH. Casey Kotchman did a nice job at first base in 2011, but it's unclear whether his production has priced him out of the Rays' budget; it's a situation that will have to play itself out. The Rays' preference would be to find solutions at the two positions that complement each other.
9. Red Sox, closer. Boston seems to be in a good position to get somebody good, because there are a number of excellent free agents available, from Heath Bell to Ryan Madson, as well as possible trade targets, such as Andrew Bailey.
10. Toronto, closer. The Blue Jays are combing the ranks of free agents and trade possibilities, in an effort to plug a hole that was a major problem for them last year; only two teams blew more saves.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Tigers could make a move for Yeonis Cespedes, writes John Lowe.
2. The odds of the White Sox retaining Mark Buehrle aren't good, writes Joe Cowley.
Road to relevance begins in Houston.
Spoiler [+]
You have to wonder if Thanksgiving bought Ed Wade and Tal Smith a few extra days with their respective titles. Jim Crane took over ownership of the Houston Astros last Monday, and it would've seemed ugly if he had executed his first firings right before a family holiday.
Either way, the deed is now done. The timing doesn't really fit what's happening with the baseball calendar, but hey, Crane wants to put his own hires in place, and that's his prerogative. Andrew Friedman is from Houston, but he is not expected to be a candidate for the Houston job, and generally, it wouldn't be surprising if some would-be candidates turn down the Astros.
There are a lot of industry-wide questions about the direction of the organization, about what kind of owner Crane will be, and until that becomes clearer, some folks who have alternatives may choose to wait rather than join the Astros. Here are some other options for the job, from Steve Campbell.
Whoever takes over the organization, however, will inherit a challenging but workable situation. The bottom line is that Houston doesn't have a lot of talent, certainly not at the major-league level. The Astros lost 106 games last year and they earned that; only four teams scored fewer runs, only two teams allowed more runs, and just three teams made more errors. And just before the July 31 trade deadline, the Astros swapped their two best position players, in Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn.
But while Theo Epstein will spend his first couple of seasons in Chicago fighting his way through the last flames of bad contracts, with Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano, Wade's replacement will come in with a relatively clean slate. Carlos Lee is about to enter the final year of his six-year, $100 million deal, at $18.5 million. Wandy Rodriguez has two guaranteed years left on his deal, for $25.5 million (including a buyout of a 2014 option) -- and beyond that, there are no players under contract for 2013.
The Astros were already facing a rebuilding situation no matter who the general manager was, so Wade did the dirty work of swapping Pence and Bourn before their market value completely disintegrated. And while Wade was criticized for not getting enough in return, Houston does have a core of pretty good talent at the lower levels, with Jared Cosart, Jonathan Singleton and others.
As Smith and Wade depart, it's not as if the Astros are teeming with talent. But remember, for many years, Houston was among the small handful of teams that honored the slot recommendations from the Commissioner's office, and in recent years, owner Drayton McLane drastically cut the Astros' budget. Wade wasn't given a lot to work with and has had some dead money to work through, and the sudden shift to austerity is the root cause for the disintegration of the franchise.
If the Astros were a construction site, what you'd see now is a plot completely cleaned out, the sledgehammers and the wrecking ball gone and the ugliest work completed. The next foreman -- working under the limits and ambitions set forth by Crane -- will be in position to do a lot of building, rather than tearing down. The construction may take years, especially given the draft-and-signing shackles imposed by the new labor agreement. One really smart executive estimated that the Astros will take four-to-seven years to make respectable again, which means that a lot of the images you will see coming out of Houston in the next few years could be those of empty seats.
But there is growth potential with the Astros, in the NL Central, and the raising can start immediately.
Ed Wade's legacy with the Astros is complicated, writes Richard Justice.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• The Seattle Mariners traded for catcher John Jaso. This is another case of the Tampa Bay Rays always having to stay ahead and proactively bailing financial waters rather than waiting. Jaso was a productive player in 2010, posting a .372 on-base percentage and establishing himself as one of their more efficient base-runners. But Jaso, 28, had a down year in 2011, with an OPS of .651, and the fact is that a year from now he would've been arbitration-eligible.
So the Rays had a choice: Should they wait and gamble that Jaso would rebound, or should they move him now before he became too expensive for them. They have bet that they would be better off reallocating the dollars that would have been needed to keep Jaso. Tampa Bay is expected to announce the signing of Jose Molina any day.
The pitcher the Rays got in the deal has a checkered past, as Marc Topkin writes.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Detroit Tigers have their sights set on Mark Buehrle, writes Lynn Henning.
2. The Chicago White Sox are evaluating Yonder Alonso.
3. In Major League Baseball, experience is wanted, writes John Tomase.
4. The Miami Marlins will host C.J. Wilson today but have no plans to host Prince Fielder, writes Juan Rodriguez.
Either way, the deed is now done. The timing doesn't really fit what's happening with the baseball calendar, but hey, Crane wants to put his own hires in place, and that's his prerogative. Andrew Friedman is from Houston, but he is not expected to be a candidate for the Houston job, and generally, it wouldn't be surprising if some would-be candidates turn down the Astros.
There are a lot of industry-wide questions about the direction of the organization, about what kind of owner Crane will be, and until that becomes clearer, some folks who have alternatives may choose to wait rather than join the Astros. Here are some other options for the job, from Steve Campbell.
Whoever takes over the organization, however, will inherit a challenging but workable situation. The bottom line is that Houston doesn't have a lot of talent, certainly not at the major-league level. The Astros lost 106 games last year and they earned that; only four teams scored fewer runs, only two teams allowed more runs, and just three teams made more errors. And just before the July 31 trade deadline, the Astros swapped their two best position players, in Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn.
But while Theo Epstein will spend his first couple of seasons in Chicago fighting his way through the last flames of bad contracts, with Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Zambrano, Wade's replacement will come in with a relatively clean slate. Carlos Lee is about to enter the final year of his six-year, $100 million deal, at $18.5 million. Wandy Rodriguez has two guaranteed years left on his deal, for $25.5 million (including a buyout of a 2014 option) -- and beyond that, there are no players under contract for 2013.
The Astros were already facing a rebuilding situation no matter who the general manager was, so Wade did the dirty work of swapping Pence and Bourn before their market value completely disintegrated. And while Wade was criticized for not getting enough in return, Houston does have a core of pretty good talent at the lower levels, with Jared Cosart, Jonathan Singleton and others.
As Smith and Wade depart, it's not as if the Astros are teeming with talent. But remember, for many years, Houston was among the small handful of teams that honored the slot recommendations from the Commissioner's office, and in recent years, owner Drayton McLane drastically cut the Astros' budget. Wade wasn't given a lot to work with and has had some dead money to work through, and the sudden shift to austerity is the root cause for the disintegration of the franchise.
If the Astros were a construction site, what you'd see now is a plot completely cleaned out, the sledgehammers and the wrecking ball gone and the ugliest work completed. The next foreman -- working under the limits and ambitions set forth by Crane -- will be in position to do a lot of building, rather than tearing down. The construction may take years, especially given the draft-and-signing shackles imposed by the new labor agreement. One really smart executive estimated that the Astros will take four-to-seven years to make respectable again, which means that a lot of the images you will see coming out of Houston in the next few years could be those of empty seats.
But there is growth potential with the Astros, in the NL Central, and the raising can start immediately.
Ed Wade's legacy with the Astros is complicated, writes Richard Justice.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• The Seattle Mariners traded for catcher John Jaso. This is another case of the Tampa Bay Rays always having to stay ahead and proactively bailing financial waters rather than waiting. Jaso was a productive player in 2010, posting a .372 on-base percentage and establishing himself as one of their more efficient base-runners. But Jaso, 28, had a down year in 2011, with an OPS of .651, and the fact is that a year from now he would've been arbitration-eligible.
So the Rays had a choice: Should they wait and gamble that Jaso would rebound, or should they move him now before he became too expensive for them. They have bet that they would be better off reallocating the dollars that would have been needed to keep Jaso. Tampa Bay is expected to announce the signing of Jose Molina any day.
The pitcher the Rays got in the deal has a checkered past, as Marc Topkin writes.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Detroit Tigers have their sights set on Mark Buehrle, writes Lynn Henning.
2. The Chicago White Sox are evaluating Yonder Alonso.
3. In Major League Baseball, experience is wanted, writes John Tomase.
4. The Miami Marlins will host C.J. Wilson today but have no plans to host Prince Fielder, writes Juan Rodriguez.
Rumors.
Spoiler [+]
http://[h3]Eye of the Tigers on Ramirez?[/h3]
8:23AM ET
[h5]Aramis Ramirez | Cubs [/h5]
The Detroit Tigers, who are looking for an upgrade at third base, have inquired about free agent Aramis Ramirez, reports SI.com's Jon Heyman.
The Tigers have Brandon Inge under contract for one more year and $5.5 million. Inge hit just .197 last season and was even demoted to Triple-A at one point, but did bounce back to hit .318 in two postseason rounds.
Paul Kinzer, the agent for Ramirez, insists that his client is drawing plenty of interest. The Milwaukee Brewers have been mentioned as a logical fit to replace the struggling Casey McGehee. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, however, recently told ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden on SiriusXM Radio that his team has no interest in Ramirez.
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Keith Law[/h5]
Ramirez a risk
8:23AM ET
[h5]Aramis Ramirez | Cubs [/h5]
The Detroit Tigers, who are looking for an upgrade at third base, have inquired about free agent Aramis Ramirez, reports SI.com's Jon Heyman.
The Tigers have Brandon Inge under contract for one more year and $5.5 million. Inge hit just .197 last season and was even demoted to Triple-A at one point, but did bounce back to hit .318 in two postseason rounds.
Paul Kinzer, the agent for Ramirez, insists that his client is drawing plenty of interest. The Milwaukee Brewers have been mentioned as a logical fit to replace the struggling Casey McGehee. Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, however, recently told ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden on SiriusXM Radio that his team has no interest in Ramirez.
- Doug Mittler
Ramirez a risk
7:53AM ET
[h5]Houston Astros [/h5]
When the long-awaited sale of the Houston Astros was completed, incoming owner Jim Crane vowed to meet with all his executives and "make some very, very quick adjustments."
Crane didn't let the Thanksgiving weekend run its course before making a move, announcing Sunday night that general manager Ed Wade and team president Tal Smith have been fired. Assistant general manager Dave Gottfried will serve as interim GM, but will not be considered for the permanent job.
Over the weekend, ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden wrote that the Rays' Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker, and the Rangers' Thad Levine would be considered as possible GM targets if Crane decided to make a change at the top.
Friedman is a Houston native, but so far has expressed no real desire to leave Tampa Bay. Hunsicker, currently a senior VP in Tampa, served as the Astros' GM in 1995-2004, leading the Astros to four NL Central titles.
Jon Heyman of SI.com tweeted Sunday night that outgoing owner Drayton McLane took care of Smith financially upon turning over the team to Crane.
The changes in the front office immediately calls into question the future of manager Brad Mills, who lost 106 games this season. Mills is under contract through next season with a club option for 2013, so the Astros will be eating some salary if a change is made. If Mills does manage to keep his job, he will have a short margin for error.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Methodical pace with Pujols[/h3]
7:13AM ET
[h5]Albert Pujols | Cardinals [/h5]
The St. Louis Cardinals have hardly been practicing the full-court press when it comes to the pursuit of Albert Pujols. In fact, ESPN Insider's Jim Bowden wrote over the weekend that there is no reason for the club to alter its offer from last spring since no other club has trumped it.
The club reportedly offered Pujols a nine-year deal worth about $200 million.
Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and general manager John Mozeliak met with Pujols' longtime agent, Dan Lozano, at the general managers' meetings earlier this month, reported Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch, but things have been quiet since. Strauss says the Cardinals would apparently wait before modifying the club's 10-month-old offer that was rejected before spring training.
The process could accelerate as soon as team begin to put out feelers on Prince Fielder, the other top free agent first baseman on the market.
So far, the only team other than the Cardinals to publicly step forward in the pursuit of Pujols is the Miami Marlins, and the seriousness of their interest as been called into question.
With the threshold rumored to be in the nine-year and $200 million range, just a handful of teams are expected to be in the bidding. In last week's Miami Herald, Dan Le Batard wrote that a nine-year offer to Pujols is "insanity," since "like a lot of teams, the Marlins believe Pujols to be older than the 31 he claims to be."
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Right field in Boston[/h3]
6:57AM ET
[h5]Boston Red Sox [/h5]
Michael Cuddyer was a hot commodity in Philadelphia earlier this month, but the Phillies' interest may have subsided once they struck a deal with Colorado for Ty Wigginton. Cuddyer, however, still appears to be a target of the Colorado Rockies and perhaps the Boston Red Sox. Nick Cafardo writes this weekend that the Sox could prefer Cuddyer to Carlos Beltran for a number of reasons, and that the club may have a taste for Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier.
Ethier and second baseman Dustin Pedroia are close friends and the former MVP has long been a proponent of the Red Sox going after his buddy. The Dodgers may choose to trade Ethier after inking Matt Kemp to a $160 million deal.
One executive told me Sunday morning, however, that a healthy Ryan Kalish is a much better idea than Ethier. "He's a better fielder and his bat is headed in the right direction. Ethier is a nice player but for that kind of money and a trade cost, too, it's not a value, in my mind."
Ethier made $9.25 million last season and will be a free agent this time next winter. He could earn as much as $15 million via arbitration this offseason.
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Why is this stickied and NFL thread is not?
- 29,014
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Why is this stickied and NFL thread is not?
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Not trying to get this unstuck... Just figured NFL talk thread is on par with this one and should be stuck too!
*@@@ baseball though still.
*@@@ baseball though still.
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Not trying to get this unstuck... Just figured NFL talk thread is on par with this one and should be stuck too!
*@@@ baseball though still.
*@@@ baseball though still.
You want to sticky a thread that 8 Marley's post in regularly? That sounds wise to you?
MLB and NBA are the only ones that should stay at the top of page 1 imo. NFL has enough talk between the main thread, the WIR threads each week, and individual game threads. NBA and MLB can be mostly put into season threads, plus team threads thru the season.
MLB and NBA are the only ones that should stay at the top of page 1 imo. NFL has enough talk between the main thread, the WIR threads each week, and individual game threads. NBA and MLB can be mostly put into season threads, plus team threads thru the season.
You want to sticky a thread that 8 Marley's post in regularly? That sounds wise to you?
MLB and NBA are the only ones that should stay at the top of page 1 imo. NFL has enough talk between the main thread, the WIR threads each week, and individual game threads. NBA and MLB can be mostly put into season threads, plus team threads thru the season.
MLB and NBA are the only ones that should stay at the top of page 1 imo. NFL has enough talk between the main thread, the WIR threads each week, and individual game threads. NBA and MLB can be mostly put into season threads, plus team threads thru the season.
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Valentine in BOS
- 2,817
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Valentine in BOS
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Greg Maddox hired by Rangers as an advisor to Jon Daniels and will serve as an extra instructor during ST and tour the minor throughout the year to check up on pitching prospects and lend a helping hand...
Love it.
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Greg Maddox hired by Rangers as an advisor to Jon Daniels and will serve as an extra instructor during ST and tour the minor throughout the year to check up on pitching prospects and lend a helping hand...
Love it.
DeadsetAce
Supporter
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not sure about bobby v in boston...but im not sure how much a choice we really have. lamont definitely isn't the guy.
DeadsetAce
Supporter
- 107,188
- 53,383
not sure about bobby v in boston...but im not sure how much a choice we really have. lamont definitely isn't the guy.
- Status
