Mueller to LA, Transaction news
No word still on who gets cleared off the 40-man roster to make room for Mr. Everett. They’re at 41 now. Likely suspects now that Harris is off: RHP Baek, RHP Franklin (pleeeassee), OF-R Strong. There are a couple guys you could see them trying to sneak through (Rivera, for instance, or Choo) but as long as Baek’s on the 40-man, he’s likely to be the next one off.
From the comments: Harris made it through to Tacoma, and yup, it’s Baek that gets designated for assignment.
Bill Mueller (who was mentioned in the “Everett alternatives” post) signed a two-year deal to play for the Dodgers. Looks like two years at $9.5m, which (assuming the easily-vestable Everett 2nd year kicks in) would be a little more expensive than Everett’s deal.
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33 Responses to “Mueller to LA, Transaction news”
From today’s Seattle Times:
Hargrove added that Everett “knows how to win.”
I feel much better now.
The Jeremy Reed rumors persist. There are indeed several teams looking for a CF, but I agree that the M’s should keep him.
Next on the personnel docket – please, Bill, don’t give a 5-year deal to a 30-something year old pitcher
For some odd reason I still don’t feel any better about our current situation. PLEASE LET FRANKLIN GO!!!!
Harris outrighted to Tacoma, Baek DFA’ed.
Ok, so who makes room for Gonzalez now?
Re. #4:
It should be Matt Thornton.
Ha! Steve Philips at ESPN thinks that Texas should pursue Jarrod Washburn because his road splits are good. HA HA HA HA HA
How do these people get jobs?
To keep in line with Derek’s previous post, I have two new kittens in my house. That makes me happy…
Wait a minute! I didn’t really want the kittens! My wife brought them home and my kids fell in love with them. Dangit. Kittens don’t even make me happy. This off-season sucks.
Oh by the way, if the M’s offense improves next year as the authors here have suggested, the credit will go to the left handed-sockness of Everett and they will sign him to a 7 year deal.
I think the signing of Everett essentially means Reed wont be traded. I dont see how they could replace him in the outfield.
I know roster projections are usually deleted when they are posted on here; yet, at this point in time, I would like to do one for the lineup and bench, so as to show everyone how abysmal the Seattle Mariners offense might, perhaps, be next season:
LINEUP
Right Fielder: Ichiro Suzuki
Center Fielder: Jeremy Reed
First Baseman: Richie Sexson
Left Fielder: Raul Ibanez
Third Baseman: Adrian Beltre
Designated Hitter: Carl Everett
Catcher: Kenji Johjima
Second Baseman: Jose Lopez
Shortstop: Yuniesky Betancourt
BENCH
Catcher: Rene Rivera
Corner Infielder: Greg Dobbs
Middle Infielder: Willie Bloomquist
Outfielder: T.J. Bohn or Shin-Soo Choo
Designated Hitter: Mike Morse
Sorry if this was answered in some of the previous 500 or so comments, but that is a lot to look through – do we have details yet on the vesting clause in the contract?
I’ve been looking for that and the actual value of the option for a while, haven’t come up with anything, #10.
Mueller would have been more $$ assuming he would have signed with the M’s but he can actually play in the field and pretty well at that. I think the sticking point with him if Bavasi had pursued him might have been a desire to keep playing 3rd base. But if he was amiable to DH’ing and getting a little time as a utility guy then he would have been a much better pick up then the SoDo MoFo.
Today’s email from BP just hit my inbox. By total VORP by position players, the Mariners were worst in the AL. We just barely beat out the Royals and the Twins.
Ms numbers by EqR, EqA, and VORP: 639.2, .249, 72.2, respectively. The Royals had a VORP of 72.7. For context, the As were the 5th worst, but their VORP was 124.5.
I think we’ll be better next year. We no longer have a black hole at catcher, Reed and Beltre should be better. But being “better” than dead last sets the bar a tad low.
#6 One of my favorite things about Steve Phillips was the mock press conferences he did on ESPN. Those things were so silly, anyone know if he ever did a mariner’s one?
But with Gonzalez being a Rule 5 pick doesn’t he take Baek’s place, which still leaves us with 41? I don’t really know how Rule 5 combined with trading works…
9. you konw, that lineup isn’t really that horrible. In fact, if they all play to their average potential or higher it looks pretty good.
Pretty hard not to field a good lineup when everyone plays up to their average potential or higher.
I’m writing at my average potential right now.
How many plate appearances are expected for Morse in 2006?
well, Ichiro! may have been forgotten by Chuck Armstrong, but the TWIB folks remembered him…. he just won the TYIB defensive player of the year” fan vote
#9 – wow, I didn’t realize that our bench was that atrocious now. It makes last year’s bench look like Murderer’s Row by comparison. Hopefully the M’s get wise this year and will allocate at least a little money to some decent bench guys. I know Wes Helms was one name being kicked around as a solid bench guy, is he still out there? If so, what’s his asking price? 1-1.5 million/per?
Well, let me clarify to say that if they all average out to play at about average then I think they would be pretty good. If they pull a 2005 and all underachieve we’re screwed again and if they pull a 2001 and overachieve maybe we contend for a playoff spot.
The thing is, look at that lineup. The only real ‘cringers’ in there are Jurrassic Carl and…maybe YuBet. If you want to get really picky maybe Reed and Lopez too, but it is really starting to look more like a MLB club and less like a bunch of rejects.
I’m confused by the Luis Gonzalez/Rule 5 draft story in the Times (see link in 3), which says the M’s picked Gonzalez in the Rule 5 draft. I don’t think this is right.
The Rockies picked Gonzalez in the Rule 5 draft last week. Does this mean he’s the second PTBNL in the Torrealba trade? Does acquiring him mean he has to make the team or he goes back to the Dodgers? Do the M’s get somebody else from Colorado in that case?
I bench of one armed penguins does not make last year’s bench look like murderer’s row. Need I remind you of Scott Spiezio, Miguel Ojeda, and Jaime Bubela?
The Rocky Mountain News reported that Gonzalez would eventually be added to the Torrealba trade. Most other sources didn’t mention it that I saw. Rule 5 draft picks, no matter who they end up with, have to be offered back to the original team if they don’t make the 25-man roster.
If Gonzalez doesn’t make the roster, I’m pretty sure we don’t get anything more out of it. Rule 5 picks are sometimes traded but, for these reasons, often for cash or as throw-ins rather than straight up for other players (except each other).
that was the impression in Colorado at the time they got JoeJessica: “He is expected to be sent to Seattle as the second player to be named in Wednesday’s trade of Mariners catcher Yorvit Torrealba to Colorado.”
More transactions news: the Twins just signed Tony Batista. The official press release is at the team’s website.
9. Need to count Betancourt, Lopez, and Johjima as upgrades over Valdez/Reese, Boone/Bloomquist, and Olivo/cast of thousands from first-half 2005.
After that it is Everett for Winn, and it probably won’t be that much of a difference. Winn didn’t light it up last year until after the trade. And if Snelling indeed comes back and contributes, things will look pretty good.
The overall hitting should improve. The starting pitching is much more worrisome.
wouldn’t it be Everett for Ibanez, and Ibanzez for Winn?
I guess I’m a glass half full kind of guy but I think our starting rotation looks much better then the winter of last year. Add one ace in King Felix. Remove Sele, Meche and Franklin (hopefully). I don’t care what replacement level pitchers we add we’re probably going to be better.
28. Yeah, I was just doing it shorthand. In terms of the batting lineup, Ibanez is the constant, and the change from early last year is Everett for Winn. Both switch-hitters, too. My hope is that Snelling does indeed come back and render Carl’s 2007 option irrelevant, but I’m not counting on it. If that happens, the plan of replacing Winn with Snelling would come to pass. If only he could have stayed healthy.
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don’t know if this was mentioned but the buyout on Everett for next year is $600,000. So that means this is really a 4 million dollar deal…for a guy who can’t play in the field.
i would much rather have them pitch that 4 mill towards millwood and run with the same offense they have, see what happens.
Oh, and to further clarify or confuse the situation on what happened with Gonzalez, the article on the official site says he was “purchased” from the Rockies. I don’t know if it’s technically separate from the Torrealba deal, or if that just means we paid Colorado’s fee for drafting him as part of the trade (which of course we would need to do), or it might indicate we paid more than the drafting fee for the Rockies to send him our way, as sometimes happens.