News of the day
DMZ · October 31, 2007 at 8:00 am · Filed Under Mariners
The Angels may be in or out of the A-Rod bidding, depending on who you read and when. Mostly in. Also, the Dodgers.
Former M’s centerfielder Mike Cameron got popped for a 25-game suspension under the stimulant policy, which’ll probably put a dent on his search for a new multi-year deal.
Curt Schilling posted a list of teams he’d be willing to sign with if he didn’t return to Boston. Seattle’s not one.
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I would have to say I am hoping for A-Rod not to go to the Angels, just as everyone else here is, but it seems like that is the only team that has a big budget, a team built to last, and interest in A-rod. I know this may be a silly theory, but would Mariners FO possibly, just possibly, try to sign A-rod just so that the Angels don’t have him. You know what I mean? You can tell me if that is a dumb idea, but as Dave said before, if A-rod goes to the Angels, the Mariners have little to no shot at the AL West.
As for Mike Cameron, I am sure he will still find a home somewhere. Center fielders are in pretty high demand around the league, I am assuming he will probably have to take a discount though.
Well, when ARod went to the Yankees a lot of people thought that meant the Red Sox had no shot in the AL East (and it’s true, they only won the division outright this year for the first time). Of course, the Angels are better constructed than the Yankees were, and Seattle doesn’t have the FO or budget the Red Sox had. But still — he may be the best player in baseball, but he doesn’t come to bat every inning.
As for Cameron, he’s still first prize in the “everybody who didn’t get Hunter” race, whatever that is.
Cameron’s a bigger prize than Andruw Jones?
We can only hope it’s the Dodgers. If you think the M’s are going to get into any kind of bidding for A-Rod, you should probably disavow yourself of that quaint notion before you set yourself up at all for disappointment. It’s not that it’s a dumb idea, it’s that it flies in the face of their apparent M.O.
It may be a trivial observation, but my first reaction to the ARod drama is, he better head to the NL. So far on his list of towns he is booed relentlesly are; Seattle, Arlington, Boston, Toronto, now New York (AL).
If he signs with the Angels, I couldn’t imagine him getting any joy in traveling the AL West circuit and not just getting booed but having the Barry Bonds welcome mat rolled out EVERY game. And ARod is going to be signing a long term contract…I couldn’t imagine him wanting that treatment for the rest of his career. Athough i’m sure the ‘Booing ARod’ fad will fade with time as he approaches the end of his career….maybe.
You know what Safeco Hobo, you might just be coming onto something. If you think about it, Angels will not only visit Seattle and Arlington several times, considering the small size of the division, but also be visiting Boston, New York, and Toronto once or twice in a year. He might be able to get over it, but he seems like the type of guy that takes it personally. All the more reasons he chooses to go to the NL.
Plus the latest there are rumors he will possibly sign with the Mets. Hope that turns out to be more than just talk.
And on the Andruw Jones thing, he is still pretty young, but considering last year was his contract year and he put up near-Sexson numbers, then I think most teams would rather opt to Cameron.
I think Cameron is a probably gonna turn out to be a better value than Jones, but obviously not a bigger prize. Jones is at least capable of 40+ HRs. I have a feeling Jones’ next contract will turn out to be a real albatross after a few years.
Hey, maybe we’ll make a run at him. We love expensive veterans who take until halfway through August to get their bat going.
Additionally with Andruw Jones his agent (the Scott Boras) is still pushing him as one of the elite players in baseball, and is looking to get him a contract of that market value.. This despite, the fact, that Jones had a very off year and even before that his numbers had been in a bit of decline. I think those things will work to scare off some teams.
That being said Jones could still be a good rebound candidate. But if I were a GM, I wouldn’t want to pay him based on the chance he might rebound.
Does anyone mind telling me what stimulants are banned under the rules these days? What kind of guess can we hazard about the likelihood of Cameron having an actual drug problem? Nothing to do with the Mariners, of course, but I hope it’s not a big deal. His tainted supplement excuse is lame, if par for the course in sports. I still love him, but that’s a little disappointing. I hope he’s got a handle on whatever it is he’s been taking. There are few athletes I’d be sadder about entering a really damaging relationship with some substance or another.
Curt Schilling is a pretentious, [no], holier than thou jerk. Seattle doesn’t want him either.
Is baseball counting allergy medications as stimulants, like track and field does?
Maybe it’s just because he’s my favorite player, but it’s hard for me to imagine Cameron as a cheater or a guy with a drug problem, since he’s always seemed like the poster boy for great character. (Of course, having a drug problem doesn’t necessarily say anything about your character.)
Curt Schilling is awesome. There is no reason to take it personally if he doesn’t want to move here. There are lots of places I never wish to move, but that isn’t because I think I’m too good for dem locals. It’s because all things considered, I’d just rather live somewhere else.
What’s the chances on the Cub’s being willing to spend that much for A-rod? He seems to have a good relationship with Lou, and a move to the NL might be good for getting him away from the AL fans.
I like Schilling. I like him having a blog as a way of communicating with fans. I like that he’s a computer gamer. I like his spirit when he plays; the presence he has on the mound that none of our current pitchers have. It’s interesting looking at the cities that he lists too, they all look like they are either established, and have good management/FO’s. “Cleveland, Detroit, Anaheim, New York Mets, Philadelphia, Atlanta, L.A., S.D., Arizona, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis, Milwaukee” ~ Schilling
the assumption is ephedra in a supplement.
drug policy, per the MLBPA
Plus the Cards remove the “Interim” off of Interim GM Mozeliak. Antonetti is still available (speculation that maybe the Tribe gave him GM money or assured him that he’ll succeed Shapiro).
You missed the best news of the day. Antonetti NOT Cards next GM!
The dream lives on for at least one more year…
So according to the substance abuse policy this was Cammy’s 2nd indescretion with amphetimines?? thats a bit concerning to say the least. I am as big a fan of cammy as anyone but have we got a real problem or is this a “i took cold medicine” problem??
Antonetti in ‘09
Also this from an opinion piece over at MSNBC.com, about teams in the A-Rod hunt.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21553408/page/3/
Seattle Mariners
This is the only city where Rodriguez was truly comfortable and happy. The Mariners have a great stadium and a loyal fan base who wouldn’t mind paying higher prices for tickets if Alex came back.
I wonder how many of the “loyal fan base” the writer interviewed. Man do I love speculative journalism. It’s about as productive as reading posts from “cebo04.”
they aren’t the only ones:
Daily News:
“The M’s have deep-pocketed stealth owners in Nintendo, which would like to bring A-Rod back to where he started. However, Seattle sources say they’re not prepared to go all-in with a big deal like this. Attendance at Safeco Field has not been over 3million in the last four seasons, and the return of Rodriguez surely would put some more fannies in the seats. In order to fit him in, they would have to move third baseman Adrian Beltre, but that probably wouldn’t be an issue since he is also a Boras client.”
Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY:
“Mariners: Club has rarely hesitated to empty its deep pockets, and franchise player Ichiro Suzuki is signed for a reasonable five years and $90 million. It’s possible 50-plus home runs a year won’t be enough for city, franchise to forgive and forget A-Rod’s defection to Texas in 2000.”
and Jon Heyman weighed in the other day with … “There were rumors that the Mariners might try to bring A-Rod back but I never got the feeling that A-Rod liked it all that much there the first time.”
#17: Too bad changing general managers is “so disruptive” to this organization. . .
Fixed MSNBC’s article:
I wonder if Antonetti’s gonna roost for another season or if there are any other GM spots he may interview for this year. Speaking of which, have the Angels formally set about replacing Bill Stoneman?
oh, and various NY papers are mentioning Beltre in the pool of 3B replacements for the Yanks…
“Media Lead today announced that it has concluded a partnership with Edgar Martinez, former designated hitter for the Seattle Mariners. The mobile game content company hopes to produce at least two games branded with the popular retired player. This includes Edgar Martinez Home Run Derby, and a Edgar’s Backyard Baseball.
“It is a privilege for Media Lead to have the opportunity to partner with such a distinguished professional as Edgar Martinez,” says Chris Beer, Media Lead’s Managing Director. “As much has he has accomplished in professional baseball, Edgar’s professionalism extends well beyond baseball, and the creation of Edgar Martinez Home Run Derby and other mobile content will introduce fans new and old to Edgar’s accomplishments while having a little fun.”"
Re Antonetti from the ESPN article on the St. Louis situation:
“It appeared Antonetti was leaning toward moving to St. Louis until Indians owner Paul Dolan stepped up, defined the succession process under which Mark Shapiro will eventually be the club president and Antonetti the GM and made other promises.”
That does not bode well, on the surface at least, for other teams who might have interest in him.
Do you guys really think the vast majority of fans wouldn’t cheer Rodriguez if he came back to Seattle?
Personally, I think if ARod turned around and signed for Seattle he’d be king of the city. Seattle always loves to welcome back the lovers that scorned them…
#27: He’d be king of the city if he won a World Series. But besides that, he’d merely be just a hired gun.
It’s a chame about Schill. I’d have loved to have him here.
Tom, call him what you want. Do you think the fans would be cool to him? That’s the question.
(By cool, I mean unfriendly.)
#26-27: see Arod, Johan and perception
#30: Not right away, no.
Gomez – The Angels promoted from within to replace Stoneman. I forget his name though.
Tony Reagins.
MC’s always been one of my faves, too…so I’ll second those are a bit surprised by this news.
I’m sure he’ll land on his feet somewhere, still…say it ain’t so, Cammie, say it ain’t so.
I imagine it could be very easy to test for ephedra
I think a lot of you are forgetting who the source for these Seattle/A-Rod stories probably is… Scott Boras. He is notorious for using the media to generate fake competition between teams.
Just a thought… before you get worked into a frenzy.
30 (scraps) – Are these the same fans that need a scoreboard to tell them when to get loud?
If so, then when he hits 45+ homers and the scoreboard says get loud, they would.
Those who question the fanbase’s love or hatred for Alex are forgetting the 2001 All Star Game. Even without the prompts from the Mariner representatives of the AL Team, the fanbase was wildly cheering Alex again.
The Mariners fans WANT to cheer A-Rod. The only reason they don’t is because they believe he went somewhere else for the money and lied to them. If he came back to the Mariners, regardless of the contract, and produced again as our “favorite troubled son”, AND said something along the lines of “Im sorry Seattle” (which would be great PR; “humility” can be a selling point), the fanbase would respond in kind and love the dude again like 2000.
I have no doubts in my mind about this. The fanbase loves it’s former stars. They want Griffey back to cheer him. They want Randy back to cheer him. And they would want Alex back to cheer him.
We’ve discussed on here that you don’t avoid trying to get those unique Hall of Fame talents; those difference makers; those (in football terms) playmakers. The “deep pockets” story is one that’s hashed out every year and is probably bunk again, but if we can do it, I say friggin do it.
#40- “The fanbase loves it’s former stars. They want Griffey back to cheer him. They want Randy back to cheer him. And they would want Alex back to cheer him.”
Not sure that’s true for everyone. Speaking for myself — Griffey, yes. Randy, yes…
A-Rod, no. Seriously, I didn’t even like him when he was with the team. I’m 28 years old, and he’s the only Seattle superstar I didn’t idolize growing up here. My brother and I had a couple of choice nicknames for A-Rod.
Never liked him. When he left, my initial feelings about him were only confirmed, and have stayed the same since.
But that’s just me.
41: Probably because he so gives off the vibe about never really wanting to have been here in the first place.
#19, that’s cold. i’m just getting my feet wet with ussmariner. i’m just putting things out there. maybe it was a bit far fetched but it’s def something we should look into. i’m not looking for a 1 year fix like everyone else is.
Let’s not get personal, guys, on either end.
Play nice.
I think a lot of you are forgetting who the source for these Seattle/A-Rod stories probably is… Scott Boras. He is notorious for using the media to generate fake competition between teams.
Case in point. How did this thread devolve into being entirely about ARod? We already have one of those, just down the page, and everything everybody’s said here was said there, more or less, mostly more. I realize it’s hot stove season and he’s one of the hottest pots, but can we broaden the conversation just a bit?
(If stadium and parking pass requests are giving teams two days’ notice of drug tester’s arrival, I wonder how Cameron got caught? But maybe they’re testing the away team, in which case the home team might not pass along that little bit of information…)
I wonder if anybody will sign Andruw Jones … if Scott Boras has set the bar so artificially high for Jones’ services that anybody will pay Boras’ idea of market value. Besides that, Boras seems blind to the fact that Jones is on the wrong side of 30, had a crappy 2007 and isn’t as all-world defensively as he used to be. What team is going to pay over $100 million for six or more years of that?
I think there’s a fair chance that Jones gets the cold shoulder all winter and winds up signing a one-year, $10 million deal packed with incentive and playing-time clauses with some team a week before spring training.
Has anyone ever said ‘Yup, I did take those steriods. I’m a bad man’? Besides in “confidential” hearings….
Boy would that be refreshing. Tainted supplements? Really?
I had lots of respect for Cammy too. Shame.
Matt Lawton. Mike Morse too, with a caveat (his objection was that he was being suspended for the same steroids he’d already been suspended for in the minors).
#47: Has anyone ever said ‘Yup, I did take those steriods. I’m a bad man’?
Mike Morse.
Heh. Matt Lawton and the horse steroids… now that was fun.
Andruw Jones is going to get paid this winter.
Has anyone ever said ‘Yup, I did take those steriods. I’m a bad man’? Besides in “confidential” hearings….
Boy would that be refreshing. Tainted supplements? Really?
I had lots of respect for Cammy too. Shame.
Steroids != Stimulants
True, my bad. Performance enhancing perhaps?
I wonder if anybody will sign Andruw Jones … if Scott Boras has set the bar so artificially high for Jones’ services that anybody will pay Boras’ idea of market value. Besides that, Boras seems blind to the fact that Jones is on the wrong side of 30, had a crappy 2007 and isn’t as all-world defensively as he used to be.
I was surprised that Jones’ career park-adjusted numbers aren’t all that different from Mike Cameron’s career numbers. (Which, for that matter, aren’t that all that different from Torii Hunter or Aaron Rowand’s career numbers.) Defensively, Hunter and Jones are both probably not as good as the media would have you believe. There are differences amongst those four guys, but those differences probably aren’t nearly as large as the differences in what they get paid this offseason. It’ll be really interesting to see what happens.
True, my bad. Performance enhancing perhaps?
Banned stimulants probably help out some, but how much they help out over and above, say, caffeine, seems like a rather murky area to me. Certainly their usage is against the rules, and as such, Cameron’s suspension is valid, but just how much their use helped him seems difficult to address, especially considering that we don’t know which stimulants exactly he’s been accused of using.
I’m thinking more like drugs to help ‘em on night/day games and hard road trips. Performance enhancing, for sure, but that might be more to get them back to their normal level of production as opposed to getting an edge…
41
Out of the three, you’d take back the two that aren’t worth near what they’re being paid, are at the tail ends of their careers, and represent huge injury risks, but wouldn’t take back the one who may be the best player ever to play the game and is still in the midst of his prime?
Surely you’ll admit that your dislike of Alex is entirely personal and only minimally, if at all, based in fact.
“I wonder if anybody will sign Andruw Jones … if Scott Boras has set the bar so artificially high for Jones’ services that anybody will pay Boras’ idea of market value. Besides that, Boras seems blind to the fact that Jones is on the wrong side of 30, had a crappy 2007 and isn’t as all-world defensively as he used to be.”
i def think someone will sign him and though the numbers may not reach 100mill, i’m sure boras will do a 5 year deal at the lower end with both a clause that allows jones to opt out after 3 (i.e. jd drew/ arod) and/or more expensive options at the end that jones can take advantage of
56, I agree but that’s a difficult line to draw as well. A big part of why players have taken steroids is to get over injuries faster, which could be interpreted in the same way. And I think it’s hard to judge how much either helps, exactly.
I thought it was interesting that apparently the MLBPA worked with Cam with analysis and testing to figure out where the positive test came from.
and, though it wasn’t steroidal, sheesh, if there ever was someone who could have been tempted to look for help in healing after they literally screwed his face back together two years ago…
#58: I disagree. What team right now needs a centerfielder so badly in today’s market — one that could afford Jones — that they would pay, say, 5/90 with incentive clauses? I can’t think of one.
61. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Yankees make that move. Damon and his noodle arm/broken down body doesn’t have very many miles left on those tires.
I agree with Jeff Nye about personal attacks, but cebo04, you may notice that most posters here use punctuation and proper grammar/spelling. Just a suggestion for creating a better impression.
60: Amen, bro — partly why I’m willing to give him at least a little benefit of the doubt on this.
47 & 49: I actually remember McGwire some years back admitting somewhere in the press that he’d done so as well “while rehabbing a knee injury.”
That was, however, before the doo REALLY hit the fan on this issue.
My apologies, I didn’t think punctuation created an impression. I do realize now that people point out when others have made a spelling mistake or hit a key they shouldn’t have. I have always written in lowercase. I’ll be sure to clean that up. I guess I didn’t think that was a main concern here. I don’t think my spelling was that bad but…never mind. I’m here to talk about baseball and the well being of the Mariners.
juneau_fan I agree with you. Also, if the Dodgers don’t get A-Rod, they could be in the bidding and the Rangers have $21 million new dollars since A-Rod opted out. A dark hourse could be the White Sox if they strike out with the other guys they are interested in.
What type of hit financially do you think Cam will have to take with his 25 game suspension?
cebo04, Thank you for cleaning up you lower case habit. I like your input, I really found it hard to read when it was in all lower case. Keep on reading and writing and I think you will find this blog VERY informative. Welcome aboard!
No schilling? Pack ‘08 up. It’s over.
I personally would love to see Mike Cameron back in Safeco for another year or two. We’d get a discount from the suspension’s bad pub, and a guy who we’d know what we’re getting from. He’s a fantastic CF, a veteran for Mac and Bavasi, and a hitter with some power to counteract his affinity for K’s.
Jones in left, Ichiro in right and Cameron in Center would improve our defense (and our pitching by extension) immensely. Any problems with this logic?
It could be argued that Ichiro would be the better overall defender in CF. However, a defensive OF tandem of Ichiro-Cameron-Jones (regardless of their positioning) might cause me to drool with delight.
If the price were right and we could get a healthy couple of seasons out of him, I wouldn’t mind having Cammie back, either…that defensive alignment of he, Ichi (R) and AJ (L) is certainly intriguing.
As far as the potential “bad pub” from the suspension is concerned, I remember a time when Chuckie once thought Vince Coleman was worth taking a flyer on. And he’d gotten in REAL trouble for a run-in with a fan earlier in his career.
Something far more serious than popping a few allergy pills, I’d think.
I’m not sure there would be that much, here — it is not steroids, and it is Cammie. I think there is an enormous reservoir of good will for him, locally.
Ichiro is not going to want to keep swapping back and forth between CF and RF. I think he’s fine in center field for now.
I liked Mike Cameron but I’d prefer to see a younger solution to our outfield defense woes.
I see Uncle Lee is going to be hanging around again…
the Elias rankings are out, with JJ coming in as the #1 AL relief pitcher…
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/other/iba2006/
IBA are out. I’m not sure if everyone can see the results, though.
and Niehaus is (yet again) a nominee for the Frick award
The Elias Report is.. bizarre. I’m really not sure how they come to their determination of rank. It seems to be based almost entirely off offense, but even then it doesn’t seem accurate. I know it’s over 2 years, but how they can say, that Jeter over 2 years has been better than A-Rod I don’t know. Or Raul Ibanez over Ichiro for that matter.
Though it IS nice to see Putz ranked at the top of Relievers, as well as Sherrill being listed.
Any reason to think the local media will have come around and stop banging the “his strike out rate is too high in Safeco” drum if Cammie were to come back?
71: Totally agree.
[dupe, read the thread first]
Gammons reports that Miggy Cabrera will be available this off season. I know it’s wishful thinking and Gammons said that it would take a top pitching prospect, (i.e. Hughes or Bucholz,) but would it be worth it to at least inquire? I’m guessing it would also start with AJ and many others.
Should make the winter even more interesting!
It seems clear Boras is playing the media for a bigger A-Rod payout. Consequently, consider every “unnamed sources” report in the media on this topic to be a Boras plant. I would sooner believe that the Space Needle is being towed to Moses Lake by a lottery winner.
It is interesting that Schilling’s list is heavy on NL teams. It has been argued on this site that the NL talent level is somewhat lower than that in the AL. Perhaps Schilling sees that as well and would like to play in a venue more conducive to improving his career stats.
On that same point, A-Rod may also do well to take a long look at the NL. Imagine him playing for the Mets and hitting 60+ home runs in an era of steroid testing (although Shea Stadium is traditionally a pitcher’s park as I recall).
I would give up pretty much anyone in the organization but Jones, Felix, or Triunfel in order to get Cabrera.
The Mariners should definitely be talking to the Fish about it, if that Gammons report is accurate.
Wow, the Elias Rankings are terrible. Just look at “2b-3b-ss”… as if you could group those three together successfully ANYWAYS. Then look at starting pitching. wow.
Wrigley’s the best hitter’s park of the NL bunch, right? Shea and Dodger Stadium are both pitcher parks I think. And the Cubs are the only one of the likely teams that would let him play SS probably — he may not be too good at that anymore, but I doubt he recognizes that. If the Cubs have they money, I hope they pony it up, though as long as he doesn’t end up on the Angels or Red Sox, I’m happy.
Schilling being more interested in the NL might be about weaker league (though if it’s his stats he’s worried about, getting to face the pitcher more often is probably what would help most), but it might just be that there’s more teams with a legit shot of making noise in the playoffs in the NL, because there’s more parity there. It could also be about an easier path to the World Series; signing with a team that has to get through the Red Sox and Yankees is a scary proposition, though one you’d have to feel all right about if you were joining the Indians.
Noticing that Jeff Weaver was left off the list gives this ranking all the credibility it needs.
Would they be willing to part with Morrow if the Florida wanted him. I’m sure with what we have it would take four prospects.
Well unfortunately, the way the Mariners have used and abused Morrow probably has diminished his value as a prospect. Most teams probably consider him Just Another Reliever now, but I could be wrong about that.
But Gammons might also be filling column space. Hard to say.
82: If Loria is indeed a creature of habit and follows the same retarded path of franchise destruction that he did in Montreal, it may not require parting with very much at all to get Cabrera.
What happens to the “more, better defense” plan if you add Cabrera to the mix?
Derek, Dave and others with knowledge / credible insight about the M’s FO and Bavasi….I have a question that I know has multiple partial answers, but I’m not sure which ones.
The question is: Why did the M’s NOT trade for Geoff Jenkins – especially considering he is a veteran with NW roots, left handed power hitter?
The partial answers that I have come up with are:
1. No interest. M’s have enough OF’s.
2. Not first choice of Bavasi / FO, so pass for now, BUT may re-visit in future
3. The budget has not been finalized, so no money available now.
4. Budget is finalized, but M’s won’t go $9 million over budget
5. Worried about fan backlash, since that would mean we have given up on signing Guillen.
6. Worried about pissing off the vocal team leader – Raul and what he might say to media, since such a move would require Ibanez to play 1B and or DH
7. Would not make such a move without team leaders’ approval, and either Raul or Ichiro or other veteran vetoed move
8. Bavasi and FO not allowed to do anything to team, until Ichiro has his sit-down meeting in Japan with owner.
9. No interest, because the M’s evaluation of Jenkins has him worth a lot less than $9 million next year, so there are better options.
10. The M’s have no plan, and or the M’s had not scouted Jenkins…and without proper information, they just said no.
I am sure there are other answers, but I am curious as to which of these are the more correct ones…..
I would guess 2: The M’s would like to re-sign Guillen, just not for his current asking price. Guillen and the M’s will both know in the next couple of weeks whether Guillen will get the offer he wants, and then each will decide accordingly. As for Jenkins, a team should get Jenkins for a 2008 salary of less than $9 million, even if it takes more than one year. In the M’s case, the 2008 payroll is somewhat tight, but the M’s have a lot of flexibility in 2009 when some of the big contracts start coming off the books. If the M’s think they can sign Jenkins for, say, 2 years/$12 million, the $3 million difference in 2008 salary may be more important than guaranteeing him more money overall.
Torre and the LAD’s agree to three years:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AgFM4cS72apiaAaENEkF5DA5nYcB?slug=ap-dodgers-torre&prov=ap&type=lgns
Here’s hoping for a Torre and A-Rod Reunion.
82: If Loria is indeed a creature of habit and follows the same retarded path of franchise destruction that he did in Montreal, it may not require parting with very much at all to get Cabrera.
Even if we assume he is that dumb, which as Dave pointed out on the previous thread isn’t the way to plan an offseason, he’ll have 29 Major League teams making offers for Cabrera. It will be hard to screw that up too terribly.
I don’t think Seattle would even be in the running there without including Jones with the package.
Well, as much as I like Adam Jones, Cabrera > Jones in my opinion.
It’d depend on what else they wanted along with him.
93-
29 teams may not be after him. I’m guessing the same teams that are looking into A-Rod are probably going to be the teams able to afford Cabrera. He will be looking for a large contract from whatever team trades for him. Plus it would make sense for that team, with the fact they will be losing multiple prospects. I think we could probably put something together without losing Jones but the farm system would be hurting after it. But I agree that it would be extremely difficult.
#92 Here’s hoping for a Torre and A-Rod Reunion.
Yeah, me too, but the big question is, how long is Boras going to drag out the signing of Rodriguez with the Dodgers and his “mystery teams”? I can just see him squeezing and massaging the solitary offer from the Dodgers over the next 2 months until their front office is not just Dodger blue, but blue in the face from apoplexy.
On that same point, A-Rod may also do well to take a long look at the NL. Imagine him playing for the Mets and hitting 60+ home runs in an era of steroid testing (although Shea Stadium is traditionally a pitcher’s park as I recall).
Well, the Mets aren’t going to be in Shea after next year. (They’re going to be in, uh, “CitiField”? Really? And the “curse” of the stadium naming rights continues…) The Mets’ new park is supposed to have “pitcher’s park” dimensions but it’s only slightly larger than Shea is now, and the orientation should mean more right-to-left winds and less wind directly out of left field towards the plate. In any case, the left field fences are going to be much closer than Yankee Stadium (like, 20 – 50 feet). Pretty much anywhere away from the Bronx will be a boost for his HR chase, and by all accounts he (or at least his wife) likes living in NY (and on the east coast in general). But the real question for the Mets is: if you pick up ARod, what do you do with Wright or Reyes? Do they kick Wright over to 1st and try to find someone to take Delgado?
It seems like LA (either team) is a better match if Boras&Co are looking beyond raw contract to endorsements. LaLa land looooves their celebrities. I can see the “Cynthia Rodriguez Show” getting pitched even now.
so, who becomes the 3rd base coach, now that Larry “Expected to follow Torre to Los Angeles” Bowa is prob. out?
Some veteran with a proven history of blowing out ACLs on runners by stopping them late, no doubt…
Yeah, I’m sure there’s another Dave Myers clone out there somewhere…
So, using a fairly arbitrary scoring system, Bill James rates young players and declares Felix the 5th best player under 30. Cleveland (Carmona and Sizemore) and the Mets (Wright and Reyes) are the only teams with two in the top 10.
More interesting than the rankings (at least to me) is his declaration
James also delivers this gem
I realize it is a slow news period for baseball, but did Geoff Baker actually need to write an article about whether or not the M’s would accept the one year option on Guillen? Guillen has no intention of signing it, Guillen is now officially a type B free agent, and some even might want to keep him if it were only for one year…
From Buster Olney and ESPN, updated at 10:40 AM PDT this morning: “Before Alex Rodriguez opted out of his contract with the Yankees earlier this week, the team was told that it would not be able to meet with the third baseman unless it presented an offer of at least $350 million, sources say.”
This is awfully reminiscent of the Boras/ARod negotiations with the Mets’ then-GM Steve Phillips, who told them “thanks but no thanks” after receiving the demands for those outlandish perks and requirements from Boras/ARod, then later denied vehemently by Boras/ARod.
When outlandish claims and proposed crazy money are brought up over and over again, and the connection is the same MLB player and the same agent, do you finally conclude that the allegations and the rumors and the leaks are based in fact?
Later in the ESPN story there’s also this: “In an interview with ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick on Thursday, Boras said, We have had no economic discussions regarding Alex Rodriguez with any major-league team.’ “ I’d have to guess that the adjective “economic” is the difference-maker in this comment that makes it “true”. Leave “economic” out, and Boras undoubtedly HAS had discussions regarding Alex Rodriguez with (any/some) major league team, and undoubtedly had them before Alex Rodriguez opted out.
Baker needs to write an article every day. The Media Beast must be fed. He may have written that a couple of weeks ago and then, hung over from Halloween and desperate for content, tossed it in the general direction of his editor while he scrambled to find something worth writing about.
Sorry, left out the link to the Buster Olney story…
Fox should be relatively happy with the World Series ratings. Game 4 was the number 2 watched show of the week (#1 being, oddly, Dancing with the Stars, probably from all the people who got hooked tuning in to see Dave’s cousin…)
All four games were in the top 20, along with a show that I’m assuming was mislabeled, the pregame show for Game 5.
I wonder how different those World Series ratings would have been if the Indians were able to win the last game against the red sox.
Re: Arod – I remember a debate a couple years back on what cap Clemens would wear when he entered the Hall of Fame & someone quipped that the cap on his bust should just have a ‘$’ on the front. In Arod’s case, I really can’t imagine what cap they could possibly include on his bust given how unpopular he is with the fan base in every city he’s played in.
Maybe it’ll work out for him this time but color me ultra-skeptical. In his case the ‘$’ might actually be the least controversial.
M’s decline Guillen’s option.
http://tinyurl.com/22z5a4
Also on #111’s link, Reitsma was cut loose. Both addition by subtraction situations?
Okay, maybe not “cut loose,” but not intentionally retained.
#99– thinking about it some more, if Bowa goes to LA to coach 3B, then everybody’s buddy Rich Donnelly is out of a job …
What the…
Why decline the option on Guillen when you know darn well he has no intention on signing a one-year agreement? Isn’t that just wasting 1/2 Million? I don’t get it. Can somebody explain what I’m missing here?
better the $500,000 you know than the $9M you might get stuck with if he gets no other offers?
Dan Evans has left the Mariners FO
Jose Guillen on a 1Y/9M contract is good value. They shouldn’t have been upset if that came to pass and there’s no chance it would have anyways.
That that pretty bad when even Guillen is laughing about it. I could think of alot better ways to waste a half million dollars.
Keeping Guillen coupled with the stated desire to keep and play Jones would make the logjam at 1B/DH even more of an issue than it is already. Also no one has to “risk” hurting Raul’s feelings or upsetting the team’s chemistry by telling him he can’t play OF anymore.
Jose Guillen on a 1Y/9M contract is good value. They shouldn’t have been upset if that came to pass and there’s no chance it would have anyways.
Agreed. Worst case, that’s a very tradable contract.
“There had been conflicting reports of this, but Cot’s Baseball Contracts had it right. Guillen’s player option is for $5MM, and he’s already said he’s declining it. The Mariners pretty much wasted $500K in declining the club option.”
Is this true?
Any to close the loop, can anyone more mathematically inclined than myself give a good estimate for what percentage of the net profit for next season resulting from the “premium game” ticket price bump the FO just pissed away by declining that option? Just curious…you know, because I’m not cynical at all.
ESPN is stating this on Guillen:
“If Guillen decides not to exercise his part of the option, he won’t get a $500,000 buyout. He must decide within five days.”
The AP story (which is probably what ESPN is running) quotes Bavasi:
I suppose the M’s figure with Jones in hand they’ve got the advantage (because they can’t see what a liability Raul is in the field). Meanwhile, Guillen has to decide how much he values serenity vs money
Let’s assume for five seconds that Ibanez doesn’t somehow end up at first base next season, if they keep Jones in left (which seems to be a good idea), is Ibanez as big a black hole defensively in the not so spacious right field of SafeCo?
I’d say no…but the fact that his throws rainbow worse than my sister’s doesn’t bode well for throwing anyone out, either.
[Sexson]
SexSon. What is the issue with people having a problem remembering / typing that?
the TNT catches up with … Greg Dobbs.
Anybody else a Jon Stewart fan? He had David Wright on the show last week. Stewart (a Met, not a Yankee fan), was saying that ARod brings bad vibes to every team he’s on, etc., and asked Wright how he would react if ARod came to the Mets. Wright said even though they both play third, he’d like to win a Series and would welcome the help. Stewart made a comment about how it would screw up team chemistry. Wright said 54 home runs can produce a lot of chemistry.
Team chemistry, IMO, isn’t the issue. Arods the best player, I doubt he screws up chemistry and even if he does, he’s the best player and he’s worth it. The problem is payroll. Even out of the few teams that can afford and are willing to sign him, he eats up to much payroll for other players. I think the with the dollar figures he’s likely to command only the Yankees (and believe me, despite what you hear I bet they are in the bidding) and Red Sox can afford to sign him and field a championship team around him. So if he wants a ring, he’ll end up at one of the two, unless some team changes their payroll dramatically to include him AND others around him.
I don’t see any reason for the Red Sox to be in the bidding. He’ll eat a huge chunk of their payroll (remember there’s the luxury tax too), limit their flexibility, and they already won the World Series without him. In fact, the only good reason for the Red Sox to get ARod would be to prevent the Yankees from getting him and thereby ensuring an automatic championship.
Oh, wait.
Personally, I think ARod is headed to LA. The LA teams have money, the media environment is better, the town loves big-ticket celebrities whether they deliver or not (see Beckham, David), and there’s plenty of opportunities for endorsements. I just hope he ends up on the Dodgers (where he could take back the home run record from a certain Giant by the end of his contract), but I fear he’ll be batting behind Vlad.
But the Mets have that new ballpark money coming in ‘09, and there are some other dark horses — Heyman at SI did a decent rundown</a of the possibilities.
would that be the same Heyman believed to have broken the “Arod opting out” story for Boras last week?
Well, if the odds he supplies come straight from Boras, wouldn’t that be… interesting.