Winter Meetings, Day One
So, the winter meetings kick off today. Generally, this three day period is the busiest of baseball’s offseason, and it would be odd if we didn’t see at least a couple of trades and some big free agent signings. With all 30 teams hanging out in one hotel in Nashville, stuff will get done, and the rumors will be flying fast and furious.
The M’s have made no secret out of the fact that their offseason plan is basically to just add two starting pitchers, with one of those targets being Hideki Kuroda. So, expect them to kick the tires on a few other options while they wait for his decision, and talk to a bunch of teams about available starting pitchers in trade. I’m sure there will also be some talks about moving Richie Sexson (seriously, Sexson to SF for Durham makes so much sense – just call Sabean and get it done), and the team will talk to some veteran relievers. The M’s won’t be the busiest team at the meetings, but they’ll be involved in a lot of different things.
One of those things probably won’t be Johan Santana, however – reports today have him telling the Twins that he’s only waiving his no-trade clause to go to Boston or New York. That’s probably for the best, honestly – trying to compete with those two teams in terms of giving up talent for Johan is a bad idea.
Anyway, we’ll keep you up to date with news and rumors of substance the next few days, and we’ll provide analysis of any moves the M’s make as quickly as we can.
The one thing we’re going to ask, however, is please don’t sit there and constantly refresh the front page waiting for news to break – our server can’t handle it, and it’s not going to do you any good if you just knock us offline.
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Well the long wait is just about over, We will soon see what sick armed pitcher Bavasi trades for. At least Bavasi is consistant. We can only speculate on just how bad it will truely end up. /HoRam… Atleast Soriano has a bright future with a coaching staff and team that will max out his potential without tearing his arm off…
I think given what is out there, I would be surprised to see the Mariners do something of major impact. If they could dump Sexson then I would be impressed. I am more interested in the moves the AL West teams may make (ie. Haren, Blanton, anything the Angels do)
[deleted, still unintelligble, make your comments easier for people to read - punctuation, capital letters, spelling. It's not that hard]
I can I refreash now?
How about now?
Now?
How about now?
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing Santana go to the Yankees. Only because in doing so might strip mine the young guys on the Yankees.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind seeing Santana go to the Yankees. Only because in doing so might strip mine the young guys on the Yankees.
Yes, that would be nice. The thing is, they’ll always be able to afford that draft pick that no one wants to sign because of contract demands (Unless Detroit picks them first).
It’s pretty crazy that after all is said and done, Minnesota will still have a healthy Liriano, who might end up being just as good as Santana anyway.
on KOMO earlier in the week, Bavasi (commenting on the very shallow pitching pool) said if it pitched and was breathing, they were in on it…
and from mlb.com this morning:
“The dearth of high-ceiling pitchers on the free-agent market has teams taking a hard look at several veterans coming off injuries such as Matt Clement, Bartolo Colon, Kris Benson, Jason Jennings and Jon Lieber. Benson’s agent Gregg Clifton confirmed that no fewer than nine teams had inquired about his client, who is tentatively scheduled to throw in front of scouts on Dec. 18.”
What is the reason to constantly refresh? I can’t think of many scenarios coming out these meetings that would actually excite me. Piss me off, yes, but actually feel like good news?
I noticed we did not offer arbitration to Guillen. Is it just my perception or do the Mariners seem to never take the risk involved in offering arbitration to our free agents? It sure would be nice to get a sandwich pick.
From the Tampa Tribune…
ST. PETERSBURG – Measuring leadership in a baseball clubhouse is a tricky endeavor.
Aside from being an intangible quality, the moments that build a player’s reputation as a leader tend to unfold behind closed doors or are otherwise hidden from the prying eyes and ears of the media.
Still, there was no question the Rays had a gaping leadership void in 2007. A roster brimming with young talent lacked the kind of magnetic personalities that can shape a group of 25 players and keep everything in line over a long season without involving the coaching staff.
…
“I think we’re always looking to further that, and it’s certainly an area we’d like to address,” [Andrew]Friedman said at the general managers’ meetings last month. “That being said, they’d have to be a valuable, contributing member of our team for that to make sense.”
Man, if you just ignore the second half of that quote, Seattle has a lot of guys the Rays might be interested in!
The article also says that the four in-house candidates to fill out the 4-5 starter role are Sonnanstine, Jackson, Hammel and Niemann. Were I Bavasi, I’d be taking the Rays management out to a three-martini lunch before the rest of the vultures swooped in to talk about their young pitching depth.
I’m pissed the M’s didn’t offer Guillen arbitration. Safe to say the week’s already off to a bad start.
Any word on how much the Padres got Randy Wolf for?
if he passes the physical, it’s “a 1-year deal that would pay the left-hander about $9 million if he bounces back from shoulder surgery and meets all his performance bonuses.”
If Wolf stays healthy and puts up similar numbers as last year I would say its a good deal. 3.96 FIP with the Dodgers but I am not sure where the jump in K rate came from.
After Kuroda, I guess the second biggest anticipated story involving the Mariners is whether Ben Broussard is traded for a reliever in AA or A.
Rotoworld: “According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Twins are upset about Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner’s public comments regarding Johan Santana and could potentially pursue tampering charges. The newspaper also reports that Santana has not said that the Yankees and Red Sox are the only teams that he’d accept a trade to, contrary to previous speculation. Given the Yankees’ supposed Monday deadline, expect plenty of news about a potential Santana deal over the next 12 hours.”
hey! mlb.com is showing the AFL Championship Game right now: “Watch as the title is decided in the desert as the Phoenix Desert Dogs battle the Surprise Rafters.”
We didn’t offer Guillen arbitration? That’s idiotic. The worst possible outcome involved having extra incentive to move Sexson.
It was classic win-win. There must have been some sort of agreement not to offer him arbitration.
To anyone that does constantly refresh:
RSS people. That way, you get pinged when a new story is posted.
Meh, I think the Mariners saw the steroids thing coming down the pipe for Guillen and didn’t want a part of it. I can’t exactly blame them for that. I heard a report that the Mariners are interested in Matt Clement. Is potentially a low risk (1-2 year contract w/ incentives) with a chance of medium reward or is he an albotross waiting to happen (like a lesser version of Pavano)?
Any good website that updates the ongoing winter meetings? Or will a rotoworld-type site be the best bet for updating news?
While it is great that Santana may vacuum a lot of young talent out of one of the AL East teams (while simultaneously making life more difficult for the Indians — Santana may have more effect on next year’s AL wild card than any other player even if he goes to a team that ends up winning its division), the downside is that now the Angels don’t have to dither and can go full bore for Cabrera and whatever else.
What is the reason to constantly refresh? I can’t think of many scenarios coming out these meetings that would actually excite me. Piss me off, yes, but actually feel like good news?
Ever picked at a scab? Worried a loose tooth? Looked at a car wreck? Ever seen a dog scratch or gnaw all the fur off part of its body? It’s not about doing what you want. It’s about doing what you can’t help. You’re not doing this to get good news; you’re doing it to get the bad news, and get over it, as soon as possible…at least, getting over it in theory. In practice, if you’re a dog like most of us, it’s all about getting an early start on gnawing that leg off.
Please don’t constantly refresh; it makes the server very very unhappy.
The RSS feed suggestion was a good one.
mlb.com has a live show on right now.
Mestblog.com reporting:
“According to MLB Radio, the D’Backs will soon announce that they have traded OF Carlos Quentin to the White Sox for 20–year-old 1B Chris Carter.”
Not the M’s, but an interesting move nonetheless.
Metsblog.com
as well as not refreshing constantly, reading earlier posts/threads is also good.
This from Rotoworld:
“Raul Ibanez “is high on the Cubs’ list” of trade targets, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.”
What say you, Mariners faithful?
26- he’s not getting traded…
26-yeah, he isn’t going anywhere. I’d like to see us grab Jenkins, and then see Ibanez shipped out for something of value.
And there are some rumblings about us looking at Edwin Jackson from Tbay
27 — unless someone blows Bavasi away with an offer, which I don’t think the Cubs have the talent to do. If they did, I’d be happy; but I’m happy enough having him here, too.
I can see a Prior for Ibanez trade, and then Seattle stepping up and going after Fukudome for RF with Jones manning LF!
I can handle that! I just can’t handle watching Ibanez in LF one more year!!!
Rumor has it that the Cubs & Indians have strong interest in Ibanez 1yr cheap contract, and that the Indians have offered Laffey for Ibanez straight up.
The trick is getting Fukudome signed, then we can use Ibanez as trade bait.
Re Raul…
Not only is he NOT going to be traded, but Bavasi is probably working a 2 or 3 year EXTENSION for $10 mil a year for Ibanez.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com – The guy who runs it posts about every rumor that comes skating across. You have to sift through them all and figure out which ones you believe. But if you are a rumor junkie it’s probably the best way to get your fix without crashing USS Mariner’s servers.
Ibanez is going nowhere. On a team lacking lefthanded power, you’d be a fool to send him packing without a replacement, first.
“Raul Ibanez “is high on the Cubs’ list” of trade targets, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.”
What say you, Mariners faithful?
Raul for Mark Prior, straight up.
I wouldn’t trade for Prior in my fantasy pool, so there is no way I would do it in real life. It’s time to see that the potential that he once had has deminished. Ibanez is worth more than Prior at this point in his career.
MLB.TV is reporting that the Mariners have expressed interest in Bedard. What type of package would we have to put together to get him in an M’s uniform? The have alot of holes to fill on that team.
As a Cubs fan by birth and Mariner fan by geography I would be happy to see raul leave and unhappy to see him butchering RF up in Chi-town. I would much rather see some other team pick him up. However, I just do not see us trading him.
I do not like Ibanez for Prior. Cubs would not be giving him up if he were a useful pitcher. Ibanez is a valuable lefty bat as a DH
Trade Rob Johnson for Edwin Jackson? I would try and pry one of Rays pitchers away from them with a catcher who will probably never get to majors.
Sign Jenkins, yes
34 – Fantasty and real baseball are two very different things. Of course you wouldn’t trade for Prior in fantasy baseball since you only have all-star and borderline all-star players on your roster. If MLB teams only traded for players it would trade for in fantasy baseball, there would be very few trades.
a package for bedard would be almost as expensive as santana…probably best not to talk about it…jones would probably be a must…
38
*Fantasy – apologies.
#39
I believe the Mariners are NOT going to trade Jones, and especially not for Bedard or Santana. That would wipe out top farm hands.
#38, I fully understand that….my point was that Ibanez is someone that can produce vs. Prior who you keep hoping will turn things around. #37 is right: The Cubs know he is done as a special player, so why not throw a line out and see what you can catch.
Mariners headline on MLB.com “hot stove”…M’s officially out of Santana sweapstakes…Watiting for Kuroda to make a decision, which will be after meetings…and the rumor of a Rob Johnson for Edwin Jackson trade possibility…
“The Rays’ Edwin Jackson is available, and the Rays are seeking a veteran first baseman or a young catcher. The Mariners have both, and Ben Broussard seems like a starting point.”
Prior is still very young (just 27), and arguably has the best pitching mechanics in baseball. He is younger than Bedard. He has had a year off since surgery. Ibanez is way on down the diminishing returns end of the aging graphs. Mariners don’t need his value as a lefty DH — they have great alternatives there (e.g., Clement). Prior is a great possibility of a comeback — successful surgery, rest, and good mechanics, off a base of awesome missing bats (K/9 over 10). Bedard will cost a ton more than Prior, and may not have a dramatically higher probability of being better.
Raul is useful as a willing platoon player. If he would DH and play 1B when the situation called for it, he’s a great roster addition.
As a player who insists on playing LF, everyday, in Safeco…he is a liability.
All that being said, with the manager we have and his ability to understand all this, it matter not. Mac will bungle the roster and the line-up for all of 2008 while we pull our collective hair out. Meanwhile, brilliant rookie talent will mold on the bench.
OK…..you don’t trade PROVEN production, in Ibanez, for a “Comeback of the Year” candidate.
Ibanez IS NOT way down the chart….he battled injuries in the first half. And, produced a solid August and September, which declining players don’t do toward the end of the season.
People love to make up stats.
Jesse Foppert was a perfect example of a highly regarded prospect with the potential to be a comeback player……who didn’t work out. Pryor is no better.
So, in the end, you create an offensive hole to fill, remove a lefthanded power bat, which you can’t replace…..and you think we’re better?
What math courses have you taken?
Chris d:
1) Teams trade useful players. just about every trade ever made involved useful players on both sides.
2) If you are sure Rob Johnson will never succeed at the MLB level, I’m pretty sure othar major league front offices are smart enough to figure that out too.
3) Username links should be to personal pages; why does your name link to ussmariner?
Re 45: “Prior is still very young (just 27), and arguably has the best pitching mechanics in baseball.”
Yes, he’s young. No, his mechanics aren’t great anymore. Since his wicked 2003 season, his arm has been dropping and his stride has shortened. He doesn’t have the same picture-perfect mechanics he had when he came out of USC anymore.
Not saying I wouldn’t trade for him, though.
Drayer in the lobby blogs about Fukudome & Kuroda
“The Mariners desperately want to trade Richie Sexson. Meanwhile they also may non-tender Ben Broussard when decision time comes.”
50: wha? I guess the good news is that they definitely plan to move Ibanez from the outfield. But why non-tender? On a cheapish arbitration contract he has to still be worth trading for a low-level prospect.
The Mariners are intent on trading Richie Sexson at the winter meeting, says FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal.
The Orioles, Giants, Rays or maybe even the Yankees could try Sexson if the Mariners throw in at least half of the $14 million he’s due in 2008. Seattle might then play Ben Broussard at first base. It’s assumed Broussard would be non-tendered if there are no takers for Sexson.
Rotoworld has Elijah Dukes getting traded to the Nats. I hope Washington has an excellent therapist on staff. That fella could really use it.
SOLD!
(And as far as non-tendering Broussard? Stupid, again. I don’t think he’d make enough money for them to be worrying about….).
just letting guillen and broussard walk would be terrible…teams want them…we should at least be able to get something for them…i’m already hating this off-season…
Oh lordy.
Rotoworld reports “Free agent Darin Erstad has received interest from the Padres, Mariners, Astros and Rays.”
I can’t imagine what interest the M’s would have in Darin. Thoughts anyone?
Not to intentionally put a damper on things, but according to Tim Brown, the Mariners have contacted Darin Erstad.
Erstad? I sure hope not. I would like to see us actually use the young outfielders we have in the system – Jones & Balentien.
#58- Dave has talked about Balentien not being ready yet, and I think a lot of us agree. Safeco would probably tear him a new one right now. That however is NOT an endorsement of Erstad.
um, Bavasi drafted him in ‘95?
Elijha Dukes just was sent to Washington for a unnamed minor leaguer. Looks like Detroit will get a run for its money as the most dangerous city with more the 500k population. DC ranks 2nd on the list by Morgan Quitno Awards.
erstad really wouldn’t be a bad bench player…he can play all three outfield spots and first base…only if he was NOT a starter, a one-year deal, and cheap…
Aaaaand Hiram Bocachica is going to the Seibu Lions. There goes Plan Z.
bocachica is one of my all-time favorite mariner names…
As per Steve Philips: The Pirates are talking about trading Jason Bay to the Indians for Kelly Shopach and Cliff Lee. Surely the Mariners could provide at least this in a trade and be willing to take on his contract. There is your bonofide starting LF. Now taking whatever Steve Philips says with a grain of salt is another thing.
#57……name all the teams that want Guillen and Broussard. You’re assuming what you don’t know.
Chuck James anyone? Or are we scared to do another deal with Atlanta?
68- you’re the best…
Aaaaand Hiram Bocachica is going to the Seibu Lions. There goes Plan Z
The Japanese fans should be able to make up some great chants to go with his name. I hope he does well.
Re Erstad. Right now the Mariners have two major league outfielders on the roster — Ichiro and Jones. They should be talking to any major league OF who isn’t signed. Even if they sign OF of choice and move Ibanez to DH/1B, they need a 4th/backup OF.
Whether you think Balentin is major league ready or not, you can’t believe sitting him on the bench in the majors is the best thing for him.