GreenNGold89
formerly bbllplaya23
- Apr 5, 2005
- 6,621
- 2,174
Man please do not sign Berkman as our "power" hitter. I don't have a problem with bringing him in, but he better not be "the guy." Go get Manny instead.
Official MLB Offseason Post: Michael Young asks for a trade.
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by proshares,
- Start date
GreenNGold89
formerly bbllplaya23
- Apr 5, 2005
- 6,621
- 2,174
Man please do not sign Berkman as our "power" hitter. I don't have a problem with bringing him in, but he better not be "the guy." Go get Manny instead.
- Aug 27, 2004
- 1,768
- 11
I actually don't mind it. Berk is due for a comeback. Plus I can see a Right Field/3b/1b/DH platoon between Berk, Encarnacion, Barton, Sweeney, Kouz/Beltre. Obviously, Barton and Beltrenoff would play 1b and 3b for 140 games. Encarnacion and Berk can spell them for the 23 remaining games. Then right field can be Sweeney for about 100 games, with Berkman and Encarnacion covering the rest. The majority of games can feature Encarnacion as a DH against lefties and Berk as DH against righties.Originally Posted by bbllplaya23
Man please do not sign Berkman as our "power" hitter. I don't have a problem with bringing him in, but he better not be "the guy." Go get Manny instead.
- Aug 27, 2004
- 1,768
- 11
I actually don't mind it. Berk is due for a comeback. Plus I can see a Right Field/3b/1b/DH platoon between Berk, Encarnacion, Barton, Sweeney, Kouz/Beltre. Obviously, Barton and Beltrenoff would play 1b and 3b for 140 games. Encarnacion and Berk can spell them for the 23 remaining games. Then right field can be Sweeney for about 100 games, with Berkman and Encarnacion covering the rest. The majority of games can feature Encarnacion as a DH against lefties and Berk as DH against righties.Originally Posted by bbllplaya23
Man please do not sign Berkman as our "power" hitter. I don't have a problem with bringing him in, but he better not be "the guy." Go get Manny instead.
- Apr 1, 2008
- 20,584
- 15,183
Jose Reyes is available, but the Mets ask for too high price.
- Apr 1, 2008
- 20,584
- 15,183
Jose Reyes is available, but the Mets ask for too high price.
When word broke last week that Joaquin Benoit had a new three-year agreement with the Detroit Tigers, without the salary numbers initially attached, a rival executive tried to guess what the contract figures would be.
Ten million dollars over three years would be at the high end, the executive presumed, for a 33-year-old reliever who generated spectacular work in 2010 -- but whose extensive injury history prevented him from pitching at all in 2009 and probably contributed to him posting a 5.00 ERA in 2008. Ten million dollars, max, the executive thought.
But Benoit's deal was actually for a whopping $16.5 million, and with just that one contract, the entire relief market was reset, like a beach house knocked off its pins by the tide.
It may be that most other relievers won't find deals like Benoit got, but that won't prevent their agents from seeking them, which will likely slow down the process. That's not good news for the Tampa Bay Rays.
I wrote here recently that the greatest offseason challenge facing any team is the total reconstruction that Rays must attempt with their bullpen. Benoit is now gone, officially, and Rafael Soriano will soon follow -- as the most coveted reliever, among free agents -- and Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler are all looking for jobs.
So right now, the depth chart for the Rays' bullpen is stunningly thin, at a time when the Rays are slashing payroll.
Tampa Bay might not be able to offer big contracts to free agents, but the Rays can dangle the kind of opportunity they've given for Balfour and Benoit and Soriano. They should be very competitive in 2011, with a strong rotation, and some relievers could step into that situation on short-term deals and build their market value.
Christmas Story was willing to dig for any morsel of meat on the turkey.
Some relievers who could emerge as the target of some tug-of-wars in the bargain corner of the market:
Jesse Crain: The longtime Twin is coming off a good season in which he posted a 1.18 WHIP. His age, of 29, will help him get a multi-year deal.
Frank Francisco: He is a Type A free agent and may well wind up accepting the Rangers' offer of arbitration. But before he was shut down at season's end with a back injury, he had struck out 60 in 52.2 innings. Francisco, 31, was the Texas closer in 2009. Perhaps a team would be willing to sacrifice a draft pick in order to sign him -- especially if the interested team was signing another Type A free agent (so signing Francisco would only cost a team a second- or third-round pick, in effect) or gaining other compensatory draft picks because of departing free agents.
Chad Durbin: He's a proven veteran right out of the Dan Wheeler mold, with a lot of experience pitching in big games.
Matt Guerrier: At 32, he's coming off a season in which he worked 71 innings in 74 games for the Twins.
Aaron Heilman: He had a poor year in 2010, but he was bounced around into different roles because of Arizona's brutal bullpen situation, and he fared well against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .647 OPS.
Jon Rauch: He's got experience closing games, and he could serve as a set-up man, too.
Arthur Rhodes: He's coming off a solid season, and given his age of 41, he probably isn't going to command many -- if any -- multi-year offers. But he probably will have a lot of options on one-year deals.
Kerry Wood: He pitched effectively for the Yankees in the last two months, generally -- although he issued 18 walks in 26 innings -- and posted an 0.69 ERA. He can close, he can work as a set-up man, and other Yankees thought he had a presence as a mentor.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• I know some purists may not like it, but I think this is a great idea, and could be implemented at all ballparks: The Indians are turning Progressive Field into a winter wonderland.
Tell me there wouldn't be hundreds and thousands of kids who wouldn't love the idea of going down a toboggan run at Target Field, or Fenway Park, or Citi Field.
• I've gotten some e-mail from some Yankees fans who believe that in light of the contracts doled out to Alex Rodriguez (who still is owed a staggering $210 million over the next seven years) and A.J. Burnett (who has three years remaining on his contract), the team should give Derek Jeter what he seeks.
Fans are entitled to their perspective, of course, but rest assured, this is not how the Yankees view this situation. Within the organization, the A-Rod contract is viewed as a colossal mistake because it didn't reflect the market for him at the time, and the Yankees don't feel obligated to repeat that error because a star player wants more than they're offering. They are willing to pay Jeter more money than he can get from any team on the open market, and they believe their reported offer of three years and $45 million reflects this.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Twins may or may not have won the bidding for a middle infielder from Japan, writes Joe Christensen. The Giants -- who must find infielders with versatility before next season -- would be a good fit, as well, depending on the price.
2. Clint Hurdle finished his staffing.
3. The Mariners doled out some more spring training invites.
4. The Dodgers are still interested in a couple of players they did not offer arbitration to, as Todd Boldizsar writes.
5. Alex Anthopoulos won't be scared off by Manny Ramirez's reputation, writes Ken Fidlin. Look, it comes down to risk/reward, relative to his asking price. I can't see the Jays (or any other team) offering Ramirez $5 million in base salary. But if he is willing to accept an $800,000 base salary with a lot of incentive clauses that will nudge him back on the field and make him earn his money? Then yes, there will be some teams which start to think about it.
The Jays have many needs, writes Shi Davidi. Within this piece, there is word that Jays no longer have Justin Upton on their radar.
[h3]From The Mailbag[/h3]
Happy Thanksgiving. My father believes that right now Alex Rodriguez could be the shortstop of the Yankees, and that along with that he would also produce 50-60 home runs a year. He moved from shortstop to third base years ago, and given that something like this can psychologically destroy a player of his caliber, my father thinks that to this day, the move is hindering is hitting. Thank you for your time in solving this dispute. - Allen Gonzalez, Brooklyn, N.Y.
A: Allen: Rodriguez was an excellent shortstop years ago, but he's 35 now and scouts believe his defensive range has diminished dramatically since his hip injury. Some rival officials think he'd be best served by dropping 20-30 pounds. I think there's no chance the Yankees would consider shifting him to shortstop -- and remember, he was an MVP as a third baseman in 2007, so the change didn't affect him too much.
What will take to get real players to sign with Orioles? Also, a real salary cap where it will be even playing field? The chances for small-market teams to win are very small. It takes away the fun watching baseball. - Daniel Barham, Conway, Ark.
A:Daniel: There is no chance we will see a salary cap any time in the foreseeable future, and given the success of the Rangers, Rays and other teams with a small or moderate sized payroll, I don't think baseball views this is as a serious problem right now.
As for the Orioles, I hear your frustration; when I worked at the Baltimore Sun in 1995 and 1996, Camden Yards was packed for every game, which is almost hard to imagine now, when there's so many empty seats. Until the Orioles return to respectability in the standings, the primary free agents will probably use Baltimore for leverage (see Victor Martinez) rather than sign there, because most players really care about having a chance to win. So the Orioles will either have to dramatically overpay to lure top free agents, or they'll have to just wait until the time when they're winning again to be taken seriously by the elite free agents.
I tell friends this all the time: there is a huge army of Orioles fans just waiting to be inspired, and when the team wins consistently again, the fans will again fill the seats at Camden Yards.
Other stuff
• There is sad news about a former Phillies pitcher.
• The Yankees shouldn't budge off their offer to Derek Jeter, writes Bill Madden. Mike Vaccaro has been taking a poll of folks he knows and thinks the Jeter meter is split right down the middle.
• The Mariners have some players set to graduate from the minors, and Larry LaRue looks at the field.
• Dan Connolly thinks the best buy of the offseason could turn out to be Miguel Tejada.
• Bill Conlin has 50 years in the business, and he's thankful for that.
• Vanderbilt should find a new football coach, writes David Climer.
And today will be better than yesterday.
The Rangers won Game 3 of the World Series, and afterward manager Ron Washington talked about how Texas had finally played its brand of baseball: mashing. Josh Hamilton and Mitch Moreland had slammed homers, and despite all of the aggressiveness that Texas showed on the bases, and all the subtle skills that the likes of Elvis Andrus had demonstrated in the postseason, Washington thought the power was the foundation for the Rangers' offense.
And more power is needed. Texas has its ownership settled and is riding a lot of momentum in interest and revenues after its first World Series appearance. This will all factor in, as the Rangers -- who finished 10th in the majors in homers in 2010, and eighth in OPS -- decide how to add one more slugger.
The Rangers may or may not decide to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero, but another option is to bring on board the best pure power hitter available, a Texan who has hit 38 or more homers in seven consecutive seasons: Adam Dunn.
The market price for Dunn was probably set the other day when Victor Martinez agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal. Like Martinez, Dunn is regarded as defensively challenged, and if an AL team like the Rangers were to sign him, it would envision his primary responsibility to be that of a DH, which appears to be the Tigers' plan for Martinez.
This is what the Rangers' lineup would look like with Dunn, who might not be thrilled about being a DH but might have a whole lot of fun playing in his home state, in a hitter's park:
SS Andrus
3B Michael Young
CF Hamilton
RF Nelson Cruz
DH Dunn
2B Ian Kinsler
LF David Murphy
C TBD
1B Moreland
The Rangers' priority this offseason is working to re-sign Cliff Lee. If the left-hander leaves Texas and takes the Yankees' dollars, then the Rangers will have some payroll flexibility. It remains to be seen whether their focus then would become someone like Carl Crawford, or an impact left-handed hitter who would cost less -- like Dunn.
The Rangers could also opt for financial flexibility at the DH position and re-sign Guerrero or some other slugger on a short-term deal, to keep money available for locking up Hamilton or others to long-term contracts.
The Rangers' hands are tied until Lee picks a team, as Jeff Wilson writes. The Rangers are regarded by rival executives as the most likely team to land Zack Greinke.
Guerrero just won the Edgar Martinez Award, by the way.
• Some Giants fans told their personal stories of fulfillment in the aftermath of the team's first championship in 56 years. Pretty cool.
• The challenge for Derek Jeter now is to get an offer from another team, and there are, of course, only a few teams that would be willing to make a major investment in a shortstop coming off the worst season in his career -- let alone a shortstop who is 36. And not only will Jeter need a competitive offer to create leverage from the Yankees, but he needs an offer significantly better than the three years and $45 million the Yankees are dangling.
For argument's sake, imagine if the Giants offered three years and $48 million. In light of the brand that Jeter has created with the Yankees and will continue to market for the rest of his career, it would be difficult for him to walk away from New York for a few million dollars. He probably needs an offer of at least four years and $20 million a year to really make it worth his while.
If he can't get that kind of offer, what Jeter probably would be best served in doing (and I'm stealing this idea from ESPN 1050 colleague Michael Kay) would be to be very proactive and positive in announcing his return -- along these lines: I'm excited to announce that I have a new three-year deal with the Yankees, and I can continue to do the only thing I've wanted to do since I was a child: play shortstop for the Yankees. Things have been said in negotiations, but hey, that's just the way negotiations go. The Steinbrenners and I and everybody else in the organization are ready to go for that 28th championship.
It would be the best thing politically and it would be the best thing for his brand. He doesn't want to become Joe Namath leaving the Jets.
There doesn't appear to be a lot of interest in Jeter, writes George King.
Jeter can be stubborn, writes John Harper. This spat is all about money, writes Anthony Rieber (http://www.newsday.com/sp...ut-the-money-1.2492952).
Jeter's agent has a low profile, writes Richard Sandomir. The Giants talked to a free agent shortstop the other day, and as Andrew Baggarly notes here, Brian Sabean was with the Yankees when Jeter was drafted .
• A former Brooklyn Dodger has passed away.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Mariano Rivera wants a two-year deal. The Yankees remain confident that this will get worked out, and Rivera has a factor working for him that Jeter does not -- he is still regarded as an elite performer at his position.
2. No matter what choices the Red Sox make for 2011, writes John Tomase, they will probably score a bunch of runs next year.
3. Heard this: Some team officials that have talked about Carlos Pena view the Washington Nationals as being the club most enthusiastic about acquiring the first baseman.
4. Buck Showalter likes his coaching staff, writes Dan Connolly.
5. If Pedro Feliciano walks out, the Mets have few options to plug the hole, writes Andy Martino.
6. The Pirates are interested in Scott Olsen, writes Dejan Kovacevic.
7. Other teams are bummed they lost out on Martinez, writes John Lowe. The addition of Martinez won't be the last for the Tigers, writes Lynn Henning.
8. The Twins are interested in an infielder from Japan.
9. The Reds hope to bring back Arthur Rhodes after not offering him arbitration.
10. The Brewers signed an outfielder.
11. Some White Sox players will have to make decisions next week.
12. The Cardinals signed a lefty.
13. The D-Backs made a deal for Zach Duke. Duke is excited by the prospect of pitching for the D-Backs, writes Nick Piecoro. It's clear the D-Backs want Duke, so it probably would behoove him to work out a pre-arbitration deal, rather than risking being non-tendered.
[h3]From The Mailbag[/h3]
I wanted to drop a note to tell you how much I enjoyed "How Lucky You Can Be." I have a young family, with three kids and a job that I love; these occupy most of my waking life. Hearing what matters most from someone so accomplished, moral and good as Don Meyer, toward the end of his life and staring right at the end of it, gives me perspective and hope. Thank you for sharing this story. Matthew Mark
New York, N.Y.
Matthew: thanks for that. Coach Meyer's story, after his horrific accident in 2008, has so many layers, and he is someone of such depth, that I felt like, as a writer, I just needed to make sure I didn't botch it. I covered him in my first job out of college in 1988-90, and when I heard about his accident I intended to write a book about him -- if he survived -- because he's touched so many lives.
When we went on a book tour throughout the Dakotas and in Tennessee the last couple of weeks, it was neat to see the reaction to him. There was a young man who lost a lot of his right leg in a combine accident just three weeks ago, and Coach Meyer and he were talking about the different challenges he would face, about an ointment that would help, about the importance of the infection. And then the two of them both stood for a picture, the young man grinning from one end of Fargo to the other.
Check out Coach Meyer's speech at the ESPYs.
http://[h3][/h3][h3]Could Manny land north of the border?[/h3]
9:41AM ET
[h5]Manny Ramirez | White Sox [/h5]
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=2974Manny Ramirez burned another bridge in 2010, this time in Los Angeles, and he didn't exactly start another Chicago Fire either, driving in just two runs in 24 games with the White Sox.
Ramirez is a relative afterthought in the current free agent sweepstakes, and agent Scott Boras told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he is seeking a one-year deal for his client. The goal will be to re-establish his credentials in the same fashion that Vladimir Guerrero did with the Rangers this season.
Manny needs a new home, recently telling Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com last month that he wouldn't mind a stop in Toronto, where John Farrell was named manager of the Blue Jays. Farrell was the pitching coach in Boston since 2007, when Ramirez was a central cog on Boston's World Series championship team.
Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos wouldn't discuss Ramirez as a potential Jay, but told Ken Fidlin in Friday's Toronto Sun he would not necessarily shy away from a player with a questionable reputation.
http://[h3]Benoit deal could help Wood[/h3]
9:26AM ET
[h5]Kerry Wood | Yankees [/h5]
Kerry Wood could have plenty of suitors this winter after pitching well for the New York Yankees down the stretch. Wood?s price tag, as well as those for other relievers, may have moved up due to the stunning three-year, $16.5 million given by the Detroit Tigers to Joaquin Benoit, our Buster Olney reports in Friday's blog.
The Chicago Cubs may be able to offer him a setup gig, and the Yankees haven't closed the door on bringing him back, though they expect the right-hander to test open market and seek a closer job, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
Wood could be a fit in Arizona as a closer, however, as new GM Kevin Towers is seeking major upgrades in the bullpen and probably prefers to stay out of the market for Rafael Soriano, who could command as many as four years guaranteed.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Twins must decide on Hardy[/h3]
9:02AM ET
[h5]J.J. Hardy | Twins [/h5]
Even if the http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/min/minnesota-twinsMinnesota Twins decide to tender a contract offer to http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5908J.J. Hardy next week, there is no guarantee he will be in the Twin Cities by Opening Day.
Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune reports the Twins likely will offer a contract to Hardy regardless of what happens in the pursuit of Japanese Tsuyoshi Nishioka. They believe Alexi Casilla is ready for a starting spot in the middle infield and even if they add Nishioka to the mix, they could trade Hardy to a team looking for a shortstop.
Hardy made $5.1 million this past season and could earn more than $7 million in 2011, which makes the choice a difficult one, especially since Hardy didn't exactly light the world on fire at the plate in 2010 and missed a third of the year to injury.
There have been reports that the Twins will increase payroll for next season, but GM Bill Smith may have plans for a good portion of that since the club lacks starting pitching and would like to bring back veteran http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3784Carl Pavano. Hardy could end up as the ideal trade bait for a starting pitcher.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Twins the favorite for Nishioka?[/h3]
8:44AM ET
[h5]Tsuyoshi Nishioka [/h5]
[img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/leagues/lrg/trans/mlb.gif[/img]
Could the Minnesota Twins end up as the winner of the Tsuyoshi Nishioka sweepstakes?
Chiba Lotte Marines president Ryuzo Setoyama announced that his team accepted the high bid for Nishioka's negotiating rights, but the MLB team that submitted that bid won't be revealed until Friday.
Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune writes the 26-year-old infielder might end up in Minnesota. Twins officials have not confirmed that they placed a bid, but they like Nishioka, and some in the Japanese media have speculated that he'll wind up in Minnesota.
The Mariners, Padres and Red Sox have also been connected to the infielder. Nishioka's ultimate destination is likely to have a major impact on the market for other middle infielders such as Jason Bartlett, Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy.
SI.com's Jon Heyman tweeted that the Twins are "very much in on" Nishioka.
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported last week that Nishioka wants to play on the West Coast and his preferred landing spot is with the Dodgers. Some of those West Coast teams, however, have passed on the infielder.
Nishioka won the Pacific League batting title this year with a .346 average. He scored 121 runs, stole 22 bases and had 206 hits, the most by a player in that league since http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4570http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4570http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4570Ichiro Suzuki in 1994.
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Keith Law[/h5]
Nishioka's market
http://[h3]Chris Young a fit in Queens?[/h3]
8:24AM ET
[h5]Chris Young | Padres [/h5]
The http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/sd/san-diego-padresSan Diego Padres are open to bringing back right-hander http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=6073Chris Young, but not at the cost of an $8.5 million option that was declined earlier this month.
The 31-year-old Young missed most of the last two seasons while battling shoulder issues that required surgery. He did enhance his market value with a solid performance in three starts down the stretch (1.29 ERA).
Young's best offer could come from outside San Diego and Andy Martino of the Daily News suggests that the Mets, who are looking for a lower-tier starter, are a possibility. Young, an All-Star in 2007, played under new Mets GM Sandy Alderson and top assistant Paul DePodesta in San Diego.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Rangers in on Dunn?[/h3]
8:13AM ET
[h5]Adam Dunn | Nationals [/h5]
With the addition of part-time DH Victor Martinez, Adam Dunn no longer appears to fit in Detroit, shrinking his market down to even fewer clubs, and may not include the Washington Nationals anymore, writes FoxSports.com's Jon Morosi.
Dunn has been connected to both Chicago clubs and the White Sox's interest could be pinned to their pursuit of their own free agent, Paul Konerko. The Sox could conceivably retain Konerko and still add Dunn, but salary cost is likely to be an issue with such a scenario.
The Sox could instead look to Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui or Lance Berkman as a backup plan.
The Cubs, without a first baseman, may be the club most motivated to pay Dunn, who was seeking a four-year contract from the Nationals this past summer.
Buster Olney suggests Thursday that the Rangers might find interest in Dunn at some point, especially if they lose Cliff Lee, which would leave them with tons of payroll flexibility.
- Jason A. Churchill
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
Rangers could target Dunn
http://[h3]Jeter wants six years, $150 million[/h3]
8:09AM ET
[h5]Derek Jeter | Yankees [/h5]
Turkey Day has come and gone and the New York and the http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/nyy/new-york-yankeesNew York Yankees and http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3246Derek Jeter continue to play a game of chicken.
The two sides remain far apart this holiday weekend and Bill Madden of the Daily News reports the divide can be pegged to the inflated deal of teammate Alex Rodriguez.
Sources close to the Jeter camp tell Madden that their starting point was six years, $150 million and that they aren't budging on $25 million per year. That would effectively get Jeter about even in annual average salary to A-Rod, who is in the middle of a 10-year deal worth $27.5 million.
GM Brian Cashman clearly has grown frustrated with the process, suggesting that if the 36-year-old shortstop thinks otherwise, he should shop himself around to find out.
"We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account," Cashman told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. "We've encouraged him to test the market and see if there's something he would prefer other than this. If he can, fine. That's the way it works."
The Yankees have reportedly offered Jeter a three-year deal for $45 million.
The Yankees are essentially telling Jeter, who is coming off the worst season of his career, that he will get nothing close to what the Yankees are offering should he test the open market. As Matthews points out, the Yankees allowed Babe Ruth to go elsewhere, so why not Jeter?
George King of the New York Post writes Jeter has a steep mountain to climb if he wants to better the Yankees' offer of three years for $45 million.
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
The Jeter negotiations
http://[h3]Sherrill staying in L.A.?[/h3]
7:41AM ET
[h5]George Sherrill | Dodgers [/h5]
The Los Angeles Dodgers just watched George Sherrill struggle throughout most of the 2010 season and create doubt about his future -- an ERA over six and allowing a .427 batting average to right-handed batters will do that to a pitcher -- but Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times opines that the club could find a way to bring Sherrill back.
Sherrill, who made $4.5 million this past season, was again effective versus lefties, as usual, so there is certainly some value to his abilities, and he could bounce back to form. The rest of the league could be eyeing the situation and hoping Sherrill is non-tendered and becomes a free agent next week.
The Dodgers do have Hong-Chi Kuo, another left-hander, to match up with tough lefty bats late in close games, so there may not be an urgency to retain Sherrill.
The Dodgers may decide to non-tender Sherrill and look to work out a contract that pleases their payroll situation, but they will have competition for the southpaw's services at that point.
When word broke last week that Joaquin Benoit had a new three-year agreement with the Detroit Tigers, without the salary numbers initially attached, a rival executive tried to guess what the contract figures would be.
Ten million dollars over three years would be at the high end, the executive presumed, for a 33-year-old reliever who generated spectacular work in 2010 -- but whose extensive injury history prevented him from pitching at all in 2009 and probably contributed to him posting a 5.00 ERA in 2008. Ten million dollars, max, the executive thought.
But Benoit's deal was actually for a whopping $16.5 million, and with just that one contract, the entire relief market was reset, like a beach house knocked off its pins by the tide.
It may be that most other relievers won't find deals like Benoit got, but that won't prevent their agents from seeking them, which will likely slow down the process. That's not good news for the Tampa Bay Rays.
I wrote here recently that the greatest offseason challenge facing any team is the total reconstruction that Rays must attempt with their bullpen. Benoit is now gone, officially, and Rafael Soriano will soon follow -- as the most coveted reliever, among free agents -- and Grant Balfour and Dan Wheeler are all looking for jobs.
So right now, the depth chart for the Rays' bullpen is stunningly thin, at a time when the Rays are slashing payroll.
Tampa Bay might not be able to offer big contracts to free agents, but the Rays can dangle the kind of opportunity they've given for Balfour and Benoit and Soriano. They should be very competitive in 2011, with a strong rotation, and some relievers could step into that situation on short-term deals and build their market value.
Christmas Story was willing to dig for any morsel of meat on the turkey.
Some relievers who could emerge as the target of some tug-of-wars in the bargain corner of the market:
Jesse Crain: The longtime Twin is coming off a good season in which he posted a 1.18 WHIP. His age, of 29, will help him get a multi-year deal.
Frank Francisco: He is a Type A free agent and may well wind up accepting the Rangers' offer of arbitration. But before he was shut down at season's end with a back injury, he had struck out 60 in 52.2 innings. Francisco, 31, was the Texas closer in 2009. Perhaps a team would be willing to sacrifice a draft pick in order to sign him -- especially if the interested team was signing another Type A free agent (so signing Francisco would only cost a team a second- or third-round pick, in effect) or gaining other compensatory draft picks because of departing free agents.
Chad Durbin: He's a proven veteran right out of the Dan Wheeler mold, with a lot of experience pitching in big games.
Matt Guerrier: At 32, he's coming off a season in which he worked 71 innings in 74 games for the Twins.
Aaron Heilman: He had a poor year in 2010, but he was bounced around into different roles because of Arizona's brutal bullpen situation, and he fared well against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .647 OPS.
Jon Rauch: He's got experience closing games, and he could serve as a set-up man, too.
Arthur Rhodes: He's coming off a solid season, and given his age of 41, he probably isn't going to command many -- if any -- multi-year offers. But he probably will have a lot of options on one-year deals.
Kerry Wood: He pitched effectively for the Yankees in the last two months, generally -- although he issued 18 walks in 26 innings -- and posted an 0.69 ERA. He can close, he can work as a set-up man, and other Yankees thought he had a presence as a mentor.
[h3]Notables[/h3]
• I know some purists may not like it, but I think this is a great idea, and could be implemented at all ballparks: The Indians are turning Progressive Field into a winter wonderland.
Tell me there wouldn't be hundreds and thousands of kids who wouldn't love the idea of going down a toboggan run at Target Field, or Fenway Park, or Citi Field.
• I've gotten some e-mail from some Yankees fans who believe that in light of the contracts doled out to Alex Rodriguez (who still is owed a staggering $210 million over the next seven years) and A.J. Burnett (who has three years remaining on his contract), the team should give Derek Jeter what he seeks.
Fans are entitled to their perspective, of course, but rest assured, this is not how the Yankees view this situation. Within the organization, the A-Rod contract is viewed as a colossal mistake because it didn't reflect the market for him at the time, and the Yankees don't feel obligated to repeat that error because a star player wants more than they're offering. They are willing to pay Jeter more money than he can get from any team on the open market, and they believe their reported offer of three years and $45 million reflects this.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. The Twins may or may not have won the bidding for a middle infielder from Japan, writes Joe Christensen. The Giants -- who must find infielders with versatility before next season -- would be a good fit, as well, depending on the price.
2. Clint Hurdle finished his staffing.
3. The Mariners doled out some more spring training invites.
4. The Dodgers are still interested in a couple of players they did not offer arbitration to, as Todd Boldizsar writes.
5. Alex Anthopoulos won't be scared off by Manny Ramirez's reputation, writes Ken Fidlin. Look, it comes down to risk/reward, relative to his asking price. I can't see the Jays (or any other team) offering Ramirez $5 million in base salary. But if he is willing to accept an $800,000 base salary with a lot of incentive clauses that will nudge him back on the field and make him earn his money? Then yes, there will be some teams which start to think about it.
The Jays have many needs, writes Shi Davidi. Within this piece, there is word that Jays no longer have Justin Upton on their radar.
[h3]From The Mailbag[/h3]
Happy Thanksgiving. My father believes that right now Alex Rodriguez could be the shortstop of the Yankees, and that along with that he would also produce 50-60 home runs a year. He moved from shortstop to third base years ago, and given that something like this can psychologically destroy a player of his caliber, my father thinks that to this day, the move is hindering is hitting. Thank you for your time in solving this dispute. - Allen Gonzalez, Brooklyn, N.Y.
A: Allen: Rodriguez was an excellent shortstop years ago, but he's 35 now and scouts believe his defensive range has diminished dramatically since his hip injury. Some rival officials think he'd be best served by dropping 20-30 pounds. I think there's no chance the Yankees would consider shifting him to shortstop -- and remember, he was an MVP as a third baseman in 2007, so the change didn't affect him too much.
What will take to get real players to sign with Orioles? Also, a real salary cap where it will be even playing field? The chances for small-market teams to win are very small. It takes away the fun watching baseball. - Daniel Barham, Conway, Ark.
A:Daniel: There is no chance we will see a salary cap any time in the foreseeable future, and given the success of the Rangers, Rays and other teams with a small or moderate sized payroll, I don't think baseball views this is as a serious problem right now.
As for the Orioles, I hear your frustration; when I worked at the Baltimore Sun in 1995 and 1996, Camden Yards was packed for every game, which is almost hard to imagine now, when there's so many empty seats. Until the Orioles return to respectability in the standings, the primary free agents will probably use Baltimore for leverage (see Victor Martinez) rather than sign there, because most players really care about having a chance to win. So the Orioles will either have to dramatically overpay to lure top free agents, or they'll have to just wait until the time when they're winning again to be taken seriously by the elite free agents.
I tell friends this all the time: there is a huge army of Orioles fans just waiting to be inspired, and when the team wins consistently again, the fans will again fill the seats at Camden Yards.
Other stuff
• There is sad news about a former Phillies pitcher.
• The Yankees shouldn't budge off their offer to Derek Jeter, writes Bill Madden. Mike Vaccaro has been taking a poll of folks he knows and thinks the Jeter meter is split right down the middle.
• The Mariners have some players set to graduate from the minors, and Larry LaRue looks at the field.
• Dan Connolly thinks the best buy of the offseason could turn out to be Miguel Tejada.
• Bill Conlin has 50 years in the business, and he's thankful for that.
• Vanderbilt should find a new football coach, writes David Climer.
And today will be better than yesterday.
The Rangers won Game 3 of the World Series, and afterward manager Ron Washington talked about how Texas had finally played its brand of baseball: mashing. Josh Hamilton and Mitch Moreland had slammed homers, and despite all of the aggressiveness that Texas showed on the bases, and all the subtle skills that the likes of Elvis Andrus had demonstrated in the postseason, Washington thought the power was the foundation for the Rangers' offense.
And more power is needed. Texas has its ownership settled and is riding a lot of momentum in interest and revenues after its first World Series appearance. This will all factor in, as the Rangers -- who finished 10th in the majors in homers in 2010, and eighth in OPS -- decide how to add one more slugger.
The Rangers may or may not decide to re-sign Vladimir Guerrero, but another option is to bring on board the best pure power hitter available, a Texan who has hit 38 or more homers in seven consecutive seasons: Adam Dunn.
The market price for Dunn was probably set the other day when Victor Martinez agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal. Like Martinez, Dunn is regarded as defensively challenged, and if an AL team like the Rangers were to sign him, it would envision his primary responsibility to be that of a DH, which appears to be the Tigers' plan for Martinez.
This is what the Rangers' lineup would look like with Dunn, who might not be thrilled about being a DH but might have a whole lot of fun playing in his home state, in a hitter's park:
SS Andrus
3B Michael Young
CF Hamilton
RF Nelson Cruz
DH Dunn
2B Ian Kinsler
LF David Murphy
C TBD
1B Moreland
The Rangers' priority this offseason is working to re-sign Cliff Lee. If the left-hander leaves Texas and takes the Yankees' dollars, then the Rangers will have some payroll flexibility. It remains to be seen whether their focus then would become someone like Carl Crawford, or an impact left-handed hitter who would cost less -- like Dunn.
The Rangers could also opt for financial flexibility at the DH position and re-sign Guerrero or some other slugger on a short-term deal, to keep money available for locking up Hamilton or others to long-term contracts.
The Rangers' hands are tied until Lee picks a team, as Jeff Wilson writes. The Rangers are regarded by rival executives as the most likely team to land Zack Greinke.
Guerrero just won the Edgar Martinez Award, by the way.
• Some Giants fans told their personal stories of fulfillment in the aftermath of the team's first championship in 56 years. Pretty cool.
• The challenge for Derek Jeter now is to get an offer from another team, and there are, of course, only a few teams that would be willing to make a major investment in a shortstop coming off the worst season in his career -- let alone a shortstop who is 36. And not only will Jeter need a competitive offer to create leverage from the Yankees, but he needs an offer significantly better than the three years and $45 million the Yankees are dangling.
For argument's sake, imagine if the Giants offered three years and $48 million. In light of the brand that Jeter has created with the Yankees and will continue to market for the rest of his career, it would be difficult for him to walk away from New York for a few million dollars. He probably needs an offer of at least four years and $20 million a year to really make it worth his while.
If he can't get that kind of offer, what Jeter probably would be best served in doing (and I'm stealing this idea from ESPN 1050 colleague Michael Kay) would be to be very proactive and positive in announcing his return -- along these lines: I'm excited to announce that I have a new three-year deal with the Yankees, and I can continue to do the only thing I've wanted to do since I was a child: play shortstop for the Yankees. Things have been said in negotiations, but hey, that's just the way negotiations go. The Steinbrenners and I and everybody else in the organization are ready to go for that 28th championship.
It would be the best thing politically and it would be the best thing for his brand. He doesn't want to become Joe Namath leaving the Jets.
There doesn't appear to be a lot of interest in Jeter, writes George King.
Jeter can be stubborn, writes John Harper. This spat is all about money, writes Anthony Rieber (http://www.newsday.com/sp...ut-the-money-1.2492952).
Jeter's agent has a low profile, writes Richard Sandomir. The Giants talked to a free agent shortstop the other day, and as Andrew Baggarly notes here, Brian Sabean was with the Yankees when Jeter was drafted .
• A former Brooklyn Dodger has passed away.
[h3]Moves, deals and decisions[/h3]
1. Mariano Rivera wants a two-year deal. The Yankees remain confident that this will get worked out, and Rivera has a factor working for him that Jeter does not -- he is still regarded as an elite performer at his position.
2. No matter what choices the Red Sox make for 2011, writes John Tomase, they will probably score a bunch of runs next year.
3. Heard this: Some team officials that have talked about Carlos Pena view the Washington Nationals as being the club most enthusiastic about acquiring the first baseman.
4. Buck Showalter likes his coaching staff, writes Dan Connolly.
5. If Pedro Feliciano walks out, the Mets have few options to plug the hole, writes Andy Martino.
6. The Pirates are interested in Scott Olsen, writes Dejan Kovacevic.
7. Other teams are bummed they lost out on Martinez, writes John Lowe. The addition of Martinez won't be the last for the Tigers, writes Lynn Henning.
8. The Twins are interested in an infielder from Japan.
9. The Reds hope to bring back Arthur Rhodes after not offering him arbitration.
10. The Brewers signed an outfielder.
11. Some White Sox players will have to make decisions next week.
12. The Cardinals signed a lefty.
13. The D-Backs made a deal for Zach Duke. Duke is excited by the prospect of pitching for the D-Backs, writes Nick Piecoro. It's clear the D-Backs want Duke, so it probably would behoove him to work out a pre-arbitration deal, rather than risking being non-tendered.
[h3]From The Mailbag[/h3]
I wanted to drop a note to tell you how much I enjoyed "How Lucky You Can Be." I have a young family, with three kids and a job that I love; these occupy most of my waking life. Hearing what matters most from someone so accomplished, moral and good as Don Meyer, toward the end of his life and staring right at the end of it, gives me perspective and hope. Thank you for sharing this story. Matthew Mark
New York, N.Y.
Matthew: thanks for that. Coach Meyer's story, after his horrific accident in 2008, has so many layers, and he is someone of such depth, that I felt like, as a writer, I just needed to make sure I didn't botch it. I covered him in my first job out of college in 1988-90, and when I heard about his accident I intended to write a book about him -- if he survived -- because he's touched so many lives.
When we went on a book tour throughout the Dakotas and in Tennessee the last couple of weeks, it was neat to see the reaction to him. There was a young man who lost a lot of his right leg in a combine accident just three weeks ago, and Coach Meyer and he were talking about the different challenges he would face, about an ointment that would help, about the importance of the infection. And then the two of them both stood for a picture, the young man grinning from one end of Fargo to the other.
Check out Coach Meyer's speech at the ESPYs.
http://[h3][/h3][h3]Could Manny land north of the border?[/h3]
9:41AM ET
[h5]Manny Ramirez | White Sox [/h5]
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=2974Manny Ramirez burned another bridge in 2010, this time in Los Angeles, and he didn't exactly start another Chicago Fire either, driving in just two runs in 24 games with the White Sox.
Ramirez is a relative afterthought in the current free agent sweepstakes, and agent Scott Boras told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that he is seeking a one-year deal for his client. The goal will be to re-establish his credentials in the same fashion that Vladimir Guerrero did with the Rangers this season.
Manny needs a new home, recently telling Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com last month that he wouldn't mind a stop in Toronto, where John Farrell was named manager of the Blue Jays. Farrell was the pitching coach in Boston since 2007, when Ramirez was a central cog on Boston's World Series championship team.
Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos wouldn't discuss Ramirez as a potential Jay, but told Ken Fidlin in Friday's Toronto Sun he would not necessarily shy away from a player with a questionable reputation.
http://[h3]Benoit deal could help Wood[/h3]
9:26AM ET
[h5]Kerry Wood | Yankees [/h5]
Kerry Wood could have plenty of suitors this winter after pitching well for the New York Yankees down the stretch. Wood?s price tag, as well as those for other relievers, may have moved up due to the stunning three-year, $16.5 million given by the Detroit Tigers to Joaquin Benoit, our Buster Olney reports in Friday's blog.
The Chicago Cubs may be able to offer him a setup gig, and the Yankees haven't closed the door on bringing him back, though they expect the right-hander to test open market and seek a closer job, tweets Ken Rosenthal.
Wood could be a fit in Arizona as a closer, however, as new GM Kevin Towers is seeking major upgrades in the bullpen and probably prefers to stay out of the market for Rafael Soriano, who could command as many as four years guaranteed.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Twins must decide on Hardy[/h3]
9:02AM ET
[h5]J.J. Hardy | Twins [/h5]
Even if the http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/min/minnesota-twinsMinnesota Twins decide to tender a contract offer to http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=5908J.J. Hardy next week, there is no guarantee he will be in the Twin Cities by Opening Day.
Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune reports the Twins likely will offer a contract to Hardy regardless of what happens in the pursuit of Japanese Tsuyoshi Nishioka. They believe Alexi Casilla is ready for a starting spot in the middle infield and even if they add Nishioka to the mix, they could trade Hardy to a team looking for a shortstop.
Hardy made $5.1 million this past season and could earn more than $7 million in 2011, which makes the choice a difficult one, especially since Hardy didn't exactly light the world on fire at the plate in 2010 and missed a third of the year to injury.
There have been reports that the Twins will increase payroll for next season, but GM Bill Smith may have plans for a good portion of that since the club lacks starting pitching and would like to bring back veteran http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3784Carl Pavano. Hardy could end up as the ideal trade bait for a starting pitcher.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Twins the favorite for Nishioka?[/h3]
8:44AM ET
[h5]Tsuyoshi Nishioka [/h5]
[img]http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/leagues/lrg/trans/mlb.gif[/img]
Could the Minnesota Twins end up as the winner of the Tsuyoshi Nishioka sweepstakes?
Chiba Lotte Marines president Ryuzo Setoyama announced that his team accepted the high bid for Nishioka's negotiating rights, but the MLB team that submitted that bid won't be revealed until Friday.
Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune writes the 26-year-old infielder might end up in Minnesota. Twins officials have not confirmed that they placed a bid, but they like Nishioka, and some in the Japanese media have speculated that he'll wind up in Minnesota.
The Mariners, Padres and Red Sox have also been connected to the infielder. Nishioka's ultimate destination is likely to have a major impact on the market for other middle infielders such as Jason Bartlett, Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy.
SI.com's Jon Heyman tweeted that the Twins are "very much in on" Nishioka.
Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times reported last week that Nishioka wants to play on the West Coast and his preferred landing spot is with the Dodgers. Some of those West Coast teams, however, have passed on the infielder.
Nishioka won the Pacific League batting title this year with a .346 average. He scored 121 runs, stole 22 bases and had 206 hits, the most by a player in that league since http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4570http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4570http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4570Ichiro Suzuki in 1994.
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Keith Law[/h5]
Nishioka's market
http://[h3]Chris Young a fit in Queens?[/h3]
8:24AM ET
[h5]Chris Young | Padres [/h5]
The http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/sd/san-diego-padresSan Diego Padres are open to bringing back right-hander http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=6073Chris Young, but not at the cost of an $8.5 million option that was declined earlier this month.
The 31-year-old Young missed most of the last two seasons while battling shoulder issues that required surgery. He did enhance his market value with a solid performance in three starts down the stretch (1.29 ERA).
Young's best offer could come from outside San Diego and Andy Martino of the Daily News suggests that the Mets, who are looking for a lower-tier starter, are a possibility. Young, an All-Star in 2007, played under new Mets GM Sandy Alderson and top assistant Paul DePodesta in San Diego.
- Doug Mittler
http://[h3]Rangers in on Dunn?[/h3]
8:13AM ET
[h5]Adam Dunn | Nationals [/h5]
With the addition of part-time DH Victor Martinez, Adam Dunn no longer appears to fit in Detroit, shrinking his market down to even fewer clubs, and may not include the Washington Nationals anymore, writes FoxSports.com's Jon Morosi.
Dunn has been connected to both Chicago clubs and the White Sox's interest could be pinned to their pursuit of their own free agent, Paul Konerko. The Sox could conceivably retain Konerko and still add Dunn, but salary cost is likely to be an issue with such a scenario.
The Sox could instead look to Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui or Lance Berkman as a backup plan.
The Cubs, without a first baseman, may be the club most motivated to pay Dunn, who was seeking a four-year contract from the Nationals this past summer.
Buster Olney suggests Thursday that the Rangers might find interest in Dunn at some point, especially if they lose Cliff Lee, which would leave them with tons of payroll flexibility.
- Jason A. Churchill
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
Rangers could target Dunn
http://[h3]Jeter wants six years, $150 million[/h3]
8:09AM ET
[h5]Derek Jeter | Yankees [/h5]
Turkey Day has come and gone and the New York and the http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/_/name/nyy/new-york-yankeesNew York Yankees and http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3246Derek Jeter continue to play a game of chicken.
The two sides remain far apart this holiday weekend and Bill Madden of the Daily News reports the divide can be pegged to the inflated deal of teammate Alex Rodriguez.
Sources close to the Jeter camp tell Madden that their starting point was six years, $150 million and that they aren't budging on $25 million per year. That would effectively get Jeter about even in annual average salary to A-Rod, who is in the middle of a 10-year deal worth $27.5 million.
GM Brian Cashman clearly has grown frustrated with the process, suggesting that if the 36-year-old shortstop thinks otherwise, he should shop himself around to find out.
"We understand his contributions to the franchise and our offer has taken them into account," Cashman told Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com. "We've encouraged him to test the market and see if there's something he would prefer other than this. If he can, fine. That's the way it works."
The Yankees have reportedly offered Jeter a three-year deal for $45 million.
The Yankees are essentially telling Jeter, who is coming off the worst season of his career, that he will get nothing close to what the Yankees are offering should he test the open market. As Matthews points out, the Yankees allowed Babe Ruth to go elsewhere, so why not Jeter?
George King of the New York Post writes Jeter has a steep mountain to climb if he wants to better the Yankees' offer of three years for $45 million.
- Doug Mittler
[h5]Buster Olney[/h5]
The Jeter negotiations
http://[h3]Sherrill staying in L.A.?[/h3]
7:41AM ET
[h5]George Sherrill | Dodgers [/h5]
The Los Angeles Dodgers just watched George Sherrill struggle throughout most of the 2010 season and create doubt about his future -- an ERA over six and allowing a .427 batting average to right-handed batters will do that to a pitcher -- but Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times opines that the club could find a way to bring Sherrill back.
Sherrill, who made $4.5 million this past season, was again effective versus lefties, as usual, so there is certainly some value to his abilities, and he could bounce back to form. The rest of the league could be eyeing the situation and hoping Sherrill is non-tendered and becomes a free agent next week.
The Dodgers do have Hong-Chi Kuo, another left-hander, to match up with tough lefty bats late in close games, so there may not be an urgency to retain Sherrill.
The Dodgers may decide to non-tender Sherrill and look to work out a contract that pleases their payroll situation, but they will have competition for the southpaw's services at that point.
GreenNGold89
formerly bbllplaya23
- Apr 5, 2005
- 6,621
- 2,174
Jeter wants six years, $150 million
GreenNGold89
formerly bbllplaya23
- Apr 5, 2005
- 6,621
- 2,174
Jeter wants six years, $150 million
jpzx
Supporter
- Feb 7, 2008
- 59,480
- 28,565
Twins win rights to negotiate a contract with Nishioka
I guess he's got Ichiro like numbers when Ichiro left Japan for the Mariners
I guess he's got Ichiro like numbers when Ichiro left Japan for the Mariners
jpzx
Supporter
- Feb 7, 2008
- 59,480
- 28,565
Twins win rights to negotiate a contract with Nishioka
I guess he's got Ichiro like numbers when Ichiro left Japan for the Mariners
I guess he's got Ichiro like numbers when Ichiro left Japan for the Mariners
- Apr 15, 2007
- 6,131
- 14
Jon Garland back to the Dodgers
- Apr 15, 2007
- 6,131
- 14
Jon Garland back to the Dodgers
- Nov 18, 2007
- 28,132
- 9,289
Nishioka looks good man. Im not a Twins fan, but I hope you guys sign him so he plays over here this coming year. Could have been a nice addition for the Giants at SS. Apparently the bid was only around 5 Mil too. Oh well.
- Nov 18, 2007
- 28,132
- 9,289
Nishioka looks good man. Im not a Twins fan, but I hope you guys sign him so he plays over here this coming year. Could have been a nice addition for the Giants at SS. Apparently the bid was only around 5 Mil too. Oh well.
jpzx
Supporter
- Feb 7, 2008
- 59,480
- 28,565
Yeah if we sign him he'll immediately be one of our middle infielders. Already 26 years old. For comparison, I think Ichiro was 27 when he came over in 2001.
jpzx
Supporter
- Feb 7, 2008
- 59,480
- 28,565
Yeah if we sign him he'll immediately be one of our middle infielders. Already 26 years old. For comparison, I think Ichiro was 27 when he came over in 2001.
DeadsetAce
Supporter
- May 31, 2004
- 107,550
- 53,723
Originally Posted by bbllplaya23
Jeter wants six years, $150 million
thought jeter was smarter than this
DeadsetAce
Supporter
- May 31, 2004
- 107,550
- 53,723
Originally Posted by bbllplaya23
Jeter wants six years, $150 million
thought jeter was smarter than this
- Dec 27, 2002
- 16,335
- 13
That's not even funny, really. More disgraceful and insulting.
