The Major League Baseball Offseason Post

[carlos tevez]

Yankee fans always speak so highly of their prospects who rarely ever amount to anything. Two most recent over-hyped prospects are Phil Hughes and JobaChamberlain (as a starter).

If I'm the NYY, I give up the entire farm for Halladay. If you guys land him then you have a dynasty on your hands.

 

[kiddin like jason]

Billy Wagner to the Braves. One year, $7 million; $6.5 million option for 2011.

Arbitration:

Type A

Chone Figgins
John Lackey
Jose Valverde
Marco Scutaro
Mike Gonzalez
Rafael Soriano
Matt Holliday
Billy Wagner
Jason Bay
Rafael Betancourt

Type B


Justin Duchscherer
Rod Barajas
Joel Pineiro
Mark DeRosa
Adrian Beltre
Ivan Rodriguez
Marlon Byrd
Brian Shouse
Gregg Zaun
Jason Marquis
Brandon Lyon
Fernando Rodney
Carl Pavano

 

[stringer bell 32]

Kind of lackluster free agent class

 

[N41D]

Former agent Dennis Gilbert has jumped to the front of the line in the Rangers ownership situation...

Not sure how I feel about it...

Kind of lackluster free agent class
Yep... Next year's looks better, though obviously some might never see the open market...

Joe Mauer
Josh Becket
Derek Lee
Roy Halladay
Victor Martinez
Brandon Webb
Carl Crawford
Matt Cain
Jayson Werth
Cliff Lee
Ted Lilly

 

[stringer bell 32]

Jermaine Dye is getting alot of consideration from teams

 

[proshares]

I think about half of that list would be resigned...

And Met fans I've talked to today are LIVID that Wagner is on the Braves

 

[pacmagic2002]

if the yankees get halladay....They will win the next 3 world series` guaranteed.

that would just be down right ridiculous tho........that should be against the law for them to even CONSIDER getting him

 

[philballa09]

Talks have become serious as the Phillies have narrowed their focus to Placido Polanco to replace Pedro Feliz at third base.
Multiple sources told MLB.com today that the Phillies have been very aggressive in their pursuit of Polanco, a free agent who played for the Phillies from2002-05. The Phillies also had targeted Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre, but Polanco has separated himself from the pack. It isunclear how close the sides are to a deal.

Polanco could receive a two-year deal for between $10 million and $12 million, according to one source with knowledge of the Phillies' intentions.

polanco at 3rd?

 

[N41D]

Polanco signed with the Phillies... 3 years, $18M...


It's a pretty good deal IMO...

 

[proshares]

How much is Beltre looking for on the FA market?

Think he would have a been a good fit behind Howard and Werth.

 

[mez 0ne]

Originally Posted by Mez 0ne

All these teams not offering their Type A & B players arbitration is proof positive of free agents being even cheaper this time around. I'm shocked the Braves spent as much as they did on Wagner (7M 1 year).

But there's risk here, and this might have been as much an economic decision as a baseball one. The Braves have offered arbitration to both Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. But they have a thing about giving fat, multi-year contracts to relievers, and there's a good chance both will get more money and more years elsewhere.

If the Braves lose both Soriano and Gonzalez, it means the 38-year-old Wagner is the man at the back of the bullpen. For Wren, this could wind up being a smart decision, both for the team and the payroll. It also could backfire. But maybe the Braves are due to have one of these risks work out.

 

[philballa09]

eh. how good is his defense? i know he'll hit 300.

 

[philballa09]

si best farm system....phils at 4

[h3]The five best systems[/h3]
1. Rangers: Feliz has a special arm and could still be an impact starting pitcher, but if he's not, he has alreadyshown the ability to be a shutdown reliever. The Rangers' pitching depth remains impressive, as lefty Martin Perez earned top prospecthonors in the low Class A South Atlantic League in his first full season. Texas' top signed draft pick, right-hander Tanner Scheppers,showed premium stuff in the Arizona Fall League, and the system has power lefties in Kasey ****r and Robbie Ross. Texas lacksdepth in terms of hitters, but switch-hitting first baseman Justin Smoak isn't far away from being able to help a lineup that needsit.

2. Rays: Talk about top-heavy. Every system would love to have two big league-ready right-handers like Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson, who both have stuff, command andsuccess at the upper levels. And neither of them is even the Rays' top prospect -- that honor goes to five-tool center fielder DesmondJennings, whose only issue is durability. In between Triple-A and low Class A, the Rays are a bit thin, but they have a bevy of power arms at thelower levels, led by left-hander Matt Moore.

3. Giants: San Francisco has two elite talents in catcher Buster Posey and left-hander Madison Bumgarner, both of whom should contribute to the major league club in 2010.The Giants also have depth, despite the uncertain status of slugger Angel Villalona, who was stripped of his U.S. visaafter an off-season murder charge in his native Dominican Republic. San Francisco has shortstop options, some solid bats (such asoutfielder Thomas Neal) and solid depth, but it's really about the stars.

4. Phillies: Philadelphia had the depth to trade for Cliff Lee and still have a top-flight farm system. Outfielder MichaelTaylor has hit .333 over the last two seasons, rocketing to Triple-A, and fellow outfielder Dominic Brown has better tools, thoughhe's still a bit raw. Righty Kyle Drabek, son of the former Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek, has three above-averagepitches to go with excellent athletic ability. Beyond their Big Three -- all of whom have performed at Double-A or above -- the Phillies are bursting withyoung power arms, toolsy Latin American infielders and athletic outfielders, such as Anthony Gose.

5. Indians: Cleveland has traded many of the key players from its 2007 playoff team. That's cold comfort to Tribefans, but many of the prospects acquired in those trades now give the Indians one of the game's top farm systems. The organization's top arms,right-hander Jason Knapp and left-hander Nick Hagadone, both were trade pickups, with Knapp coming from the Phillies in theCliff Lee deal and Hagadone from Boston as the key piece in the VictorMartinez trade. Catcher Carlos Santana, acquired from the Dodgers for Casey Blake, is a switch-hitting offensive force who was the MVP of the EasternLeague in 2009, and 2008 first-round pick Lonnie Chisenhall reached Double-A in his first full pro season.
[h3]The five worst systems[/h3]
26. Nationals: They have the best prospect in the game in No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg, plus solid talents in catcher Derek Norris,right-hander Drew Storen and shortstop Danny Espinosa. Beyond that, though, the Nats have very little help, especially at theupper levels, which is a pity considering the state of the big-league roster.

27. Diamondbacks: Years of conservative drafts have left Arizona painfully short on athletes, especially up the middleof the diamond. Plus top prospect Jarrod Parker, a right-hander drafted third overall in 2007, will miss next season after having Tommy Johnsurgery.

28. BlueJays Toronto would be No. 30 if not for last summer's Scott Rolen trade, which brought needed pitching talent from the Reds. Toronto'stop hitters, such as infielders Justin Jackson and Kevin Ahrens and catcher J.P. Arencibia, had poor seasonsin 2009, and the Jays also failed to sign three of their first four draft picks this year.

29. Cardinals: Ranked eighth last spring, St. Louis traded away both star power and depth in 2009 in acquiringMatt Holliday and Mark DeRosa. What's left is a bunch of role players and 2009 first-rounder ShelbyMiller, a promising right-hander but a prep pitcher who has yet to play a full season.

30. Astros: Houston has added solid talent in its last two first-rounders, catcher Jason Castro (200and Jiovanni Mier (2009), as well as '08 supplemental pick Jordan Lyles, a promising right-hander. But the Astros'system is full of holes -- it hasn't produced a team with a winning record since 2007.

 

[N41D]

Originally Posted by PhilBalla09

eh. how good is his defense? i know he'll hit 300.

He's been a good/very-good defender at second... He should be at least average over at third...

1. Rangers: Feliz has a special arm and could still be an impact starting pitcher, but if he's not, he has already shown the ability to be a shutdown reliever. The Rangers' pitching depth remains impressive, as lefty Martin Perez earned top prospect honors in the low Class A South Atlantic League in his first full season. Texas' top signed draft pick, right-hander Tanner Scheppers, showed premium stuff in the Arizona Fall League, and the system has power lefties in Kasey ****r and Robbie Ross. Texas lacks depth in terms of hitters, but switch-hitting first baseman Justin Smoak isn't far away from being able to help a lineup that needs it.

Again...

 

[proshares]

Hopefully Parker can recover from TJ Surgert, I really like his stuff.

Rangers at #1 again...playoffs this year Dirk?

 

[N41D]

It'll be an interesting season for sure, 2010 was the target year all along. A lot of it will depend on Josh Hamilton's rebound and Ian Kinsler gettingback to 2008 form rather than the upper-cutting hacker he was in 2009. They need significantly better production from first base, too. There were times lastyear they'd have been better off sending a ****** swinging a tree trunk to the plate than Davis, Blalock, or Andruw...

But who knows, given their inability to add anything to the current base right now with the ownership situation in flux. Bids were due twos week ago tomorrow,and a winning bid could be named as early as next week, and can't be picked any later than December 15. Even still, the thing won't be done earlyenough to have any real impact on this offseason because since Hicks Sports Group also owns the Dallas Stars, this sale has to be approved through the NHL andGod knows how long the approval will take. But with the inactivity we've seen thus far on the open market, maybe there are some bargains out there asSpring Training nears. It'd be nice to be able to take a shot at someone like Rich Harden or Ben Sheets, and add another right-handed DH option whetherit's through FA (Miguel Tejada, Jermaine Dye, Vlad Guerrero) or trade (Mike Lowell, Milton Bradley), but the resources just isn't there right now...

Just gotta hope 2010 isn't 2005 all over again, when the Rangers posted 89 wins in 2004 and had expectations soaring, then finished with 79 wins...

 

[dland24]

I really hope Feliz doesnt turn out to be Joba v.2......

He is just too fun to watch and such a dominant relief pitcher. I hope a move to the rotation doesnt turn him ordinary.

 

[kiddin like jason]

Feliz is so much better than Joba.

 

[CP1708]

You don't want to put money out there for Harden or Sheets though because those are moves that could blow up in your face soon as their arm goes.

If you get em for cheap, and as a # 4-5, then sure, but if you pay em well and need them to be a 2-3 type guy, they could end your season real fast.

I like Harden, but trust him for @#$%

 

[proshares]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

Feliz is so much better than Joba.

Your hatred for the Yankees aside, I agree w/you there

.

I think the Rangers might give the Angels a push next season. I'd have more faith in Hamilton to bounce back. Kinsler just looked god awful at theplate. Is Millwood a FA? Sheets and Harden...I don't know about them. At least the plus side w/Harden is that he is familiar w/the West.

 

[stringer bell 32]

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

Feliz is so much better than Joba.

There is an understatement if I ever seen one

Feliz literally has me going

green face and everything

 

[N41D]

Originally Posted by CP1708


You don't want to put money out there for Harden or Sheets though because those are moves that could blow up in your face soon as their arm goes.

If you get em for cheap, and as a # 4-5, then sure, but if you pay em well and need them to be a 2-3 type guy, they could end your season real fast.

I like Harden, but trust him for @#$%

My thing with Harden or Sheets is... The Rangers have depth guys... They'll probably go into the season with Millwood, Holland, Feldman, andHunter locked into the rotation with Feliz, McCarthy, Harrison, Hurley, CJ Wilson and Nippert vying for that 5th spot...

They've got decent starters... They don't have an ace... Neither one of those guys is getting a contract with a ton of guaranteed money... They'llboth probably sign one-year incentive laden contracts, and that might be perfect for the Rangers right now... If whichever they sign is healthy, they'vegot a guy with legitimate ace potential and they buy more time to stretch Feliz out in AAA or put him back in the bullpen for awhile... It keeps Harrison andHurley rehabbing in AAA, and they can push Nippert and Wilson back to the bullpen...

When, not if, one of them gets hurt, the Rangers have depth guys to make a handful of starts and be alright...

Oh, andask and I shall receive?

Proshares wrote:

---

I think the Rangers might give the Angels a push next season. I'd have more faith in Hamilton to bounce back. Kinsler just looked god awful at the plate.
I think they'll both be fine. Kinsler may not hit .320 again, but he's not a .260 hitter...

I honestly think Rudy Jaramillo had just outlived his usefulness. After you've been in one place and working with the same guys for so long, you start tofall on deaf ears. And he was preached an attacking, power approach, never patience and working pitchers which is more what Ron Washington wants to do. I thinka new eye and a new voice will be good for this offense...

Originally Posted by Kiddin Like Jason

Feliz is so much better than Joba.

I'm a huge Joba fan, but yeah...

 

[dland24]

For the record, I was not comparing Joba and Feliz as far as stuff or potential. I was merely speaking on their potential paths to the rotation, which appearto be similar. That is all.

 

[N41D]

ESPN Deportes reporting Marco Scutaro signed with Boston...


Fort Worth Star Telegram reporting Tom Hicks has aligned himself with Dennis Gilbert's ownership group and would remain very much involved...

Plus,Nolan Ryan will resign immediately if Gilbert is awarded the team, as Gilbert wants to take on control of both business and baseball operations, which would beJon Daniels would likely be out of a job as well...

You would think MLB would squash anything that involved Hicks in a major role, but Gilbert ispart of the Bud Selig/Jerry Reinsdorf good ol' boy network and seems to be the guy they want...

Please, Chuck Greenburg, do something.

 

[stringer bell 32]

Harden will probably go to Boston, they got enough money where even if it blows up in there face they can afford to eat it


Cubs screwed the pooch not offering him arb