So where's Pujols gonna be next year? Will Theo Epstein turn the Cubs around in the same way he did the Red Sox? Anyone remember that the Pirates still exist?
My guess is Pujols will take less money to stay with the Cards, but the Cards still need to make him a huge offer. His wife is on record as saying she doesn't want to leave St. Louis.
I have no idea about the Cubs. Is Epstein going to get to spend as much as he did with the Red Sox? I see the Red Sox have $161M in salaries and the Cubs have $125M.
Man, when the Cubs had Prior, Wood, and Zambrano I figured they were set to finally get a championship.
After last night, I think that Albert might really be gone. In order I'd rank the Nationals, Marlins, Angels, Cubs, White Sox, and Yankees as his most likely destination.
I'm coming to terms with that, and I'm becoming OK with it. Kinda think Albert is done hitting .330, and that whatever contract he signs is going to be an albatross in 4 or 5 years for someone. Perhaps I'm wrong about that, too. In any event, 11 years, 7 postseasons, 3 trips to the World Series, 2 championships....that's pretty awesome.
So what does STL do if they lose him? Well....I think they kick the tires on Raffy Furcal to see if he'll come back for $4-6m/year for 2 years. If not, they need a shortstop badly. They go into spring training with a solid bullpen--Sanchez, Lynn, Salas, Scrabble, Motte--and hey, guess who rejoins the starting rotation? Yep, Adam Wainwright will be back. That's a nice upgrade over Edwin Jackson, who's gone.
I hope either Pujols or Fielder go to Miami, so I can see this thing in center field go off as many times as possible:
If the Cubs spend big money on 1B, I'd really prefer them go with Fielder. Given the age difference, I feel that Prince will perform at a high level over more of the deal length than Albert will. Fielder has played a lot of baseball for someone his age, but I'd still be more comfortable with him long term. We'll have to see what happens.
Why does this thread title only get one exclamation mark? Last season had three of them.
Ryan Dempster excercised his option, so Theo and the Cubs have that to deal with.
It's going to be very interesting to see what happens with Fielder and Pujols. With various issues affecting some of the traditional big spenders (Dodgers, Mets, etc.), having two giant money guys at the same position could actually be bad for them. And then there are guys like Sabbathia out there looking for more big money, plus a bunch of teams that seem to be willing to trade from areas of strength.
The Cardinals and Cubs will be in the mix for Fielder and Pujols, but I don't know who else can really be considered a lock to be interested in making those kind of committments.
The big question facing the Cleveland front office right now is whether to pick up Grady Sizemore's option. He was once an elite center fielder (8.0 WAR in 2006), and he has a very large (female) fan following in Cleveland. However, the last couple of years he has been plague by injuries. He played 106 games in 2009, than a mere 33 games in 2010, and rebounded to a "healthy" 71 games this year. However, even when he played he wasn't as productive as he was in the past. Age and wear means he is no longer an elite defensive outfielder, and his on base percent in 2011 .285. The option for 2013 is for 9 million, with a 500,000 dollar buy out. Keep in mind the Indians are a small market team and can't afford big contracts on maybes. However, "Grady's Ladies" are an important group who put buts in seats. On one hand, I can't see how the Indians would exercise an option on such an under performing player. However, apparently there are not a lot of talented outfielders floating around in free agency.
The Indians have all but officially declined his option, and the rumor is they're trying to work out a one year incentive-laden deal. Fausto's option is still on the table and will probably be picked up. Probably the right decision on both counts -- Grady's been on the decline and injured the past few seasons, while Carmona is a bit of a gamble, but at a bargain price for a starting pitcher who just a couple years ago could have been considered an ace.
Yeah, I'm somewhat resigned to him leaving also, but I still think he will take a little less to stay in St. Louis. I'm just not sure what a little less might mean.Originally Posted by triggercut
And I agree that an eight year contract at this point will saddle a team with a Pujols for the last 2-4 years who might be good but won't be the elite player he once was.
The thing that would worry me about Fielder is his weight. I think he's more likely to be injured carrying all that extra weight around.
Maybe, but he's been injury free thus far and is surprisingly quick on his feet. Plus he's that much younger the Pujols. I wouldn't say the risk is any greater, anyway.
Other news today:
- the Yankees picked up the options on Cano (no surprise) and Swisher (a bit of surprise considering they will pay him $10m next year).
- the Angels apparently won't have a lot of payroll to play with so they are probably not in any big time free agency sweepstakes.
- reports say Sizemore's option will be declined.
-
Huh, Carmona always struck me as a worse deal than Sizemore. People gave Josh Tomlin alot of grief for being a low strikeout pitcher, but Carmona actually had a worse strike out rate (13.1% to 13.4%), but had a much worse walk rate (7.2% to 3.2%). Carmon's only saving grace is his ability to induce groundballs. In the "year of the pitcher," he posted an ERA over 5. Admittedly, stats like FIP suggest he got unlucky, but I have to think for the 7 million on his option the Indians can find a better pitching option.
Still, if they do pick up the option the Indians will have most of their rotation figured out:
1) Justin Masterson
2) Ubaldo Jimenez
3) Josh Tomlin
4) Fausto Carmona
5) A contest between about 3 minor league players.
Now, they just need to figure out the outfield and first base.
Well, the Indians are getting Derek Lowe from Atlanta.
That's one more piece for the above rotation question.
There are some interesting names going into free agency due to options not being picked up. Probably the most notable is Aramis Ramirez of the Cubs declining his side of a mutual option. That's a 306/26/93 guy at a position - 3B - that is very shallow throughout the league.
Yeah, 3B is rough all over. Especially if you look at 2011 stats, where guys who traditionally rake (Longo, Wright, even Rodriguez) had down years.
Cleveland would've been insane to pick up Sizemore's option for $9m, IMO. The guy has played a little more than half of a season's worth of games at a mediocre level over the last two years. I know he had elite talent before his knee exploded in '09, but $9m for a ticket to that injury lottery is a terrible deal.
Now, if anyone wants any busted former Japanese MVPs or soft-tossing no-walk pitchers, I know just who to call.
Sadly the Dodgers can't do shit until McCourt is forced to sell the team.
OK...
) Justin Masterson
2) Ubaldo Jimenez
3) Josh Tomlin
4) Derek Low
5) Fausto Carmona
I'm not a fan of Carmona, does it show? At this point, the Indians seem to be following the mantra of "get more pitching." Actually, I suspect Tomlin or Masterson may in danger of needing Tommy John surgery, and they are preparing to not have to rely on calling up less than impressive minor league pitchers. They already lost the mercurial Carrasco to it. If playoffs don't emerge as a possiblity this year, then have some nice trade chips to use.
The Indians are actually recognized as the best wheelers and dealers in baseball: http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/.../let-make-deal
I highly suspect they were asking around if anyone else wanted Grady Sizemore at 9 million in exchange for cash and prospects. The fact no one said yes probably means they know about how much anyone will offer Sizemore.
So, does La Russa's retirement affect the chances of Pujols re-signing with the Cards?
Last edited by Cubit; 10-31-2011 at 06:07 PM.
Probably, but no one seems sure how.
Honestly, the big question re: Pujols and whomever manages the Cardinals is interesting....but in the final analysis the only way they really impact things is if they absolutely fuck things up by hiring someone like Bobby Valentine. If they do the smart thing and promote Jose Oquendo (whom Albert lurves), you could see STL getting a small hometown discount from The Mang.
BTW, Cardinal pitching coach Dave Duncan said on STL radio this afternoon that he fully expects to be with the Cardinals in 2012 (he's under contract already). What's funny is that most prospective managers would balk at having to take a coach from a previous regime, but in Dunc's case, that's just another selling point for the job. "How would you like to manage a baseball team where the only thing you ever had to do with your pitching staff was to ask the dude sitting next to you in the dugout?"
Last edited by triggercut; 10-31-2011 at 07:51 PM.
Tonight on Leno, Jay asked David Freese about his dad being his coach growing up.
"Yeah, it's great to have that father figure, but you have to listen to your coaches, too. There comes a time when dads should be dads and let the coaches be the coach."
Colby Rasmus, you just got your pants pulled down on national TV.
Shaikin of the LA Times reported today that a deal between MLB and McCourt that would invovle him selling the team is "close." A new owner obviously would not be in place in time to have a big impact on free agent spending, but everything I've read says MLB is going to make sure they have the ability to spend a reasonable amount on salary next season, so no firesale or anything like that.
The other big news is that Sabathia won't be opting out, having just signed a contract extension that gives him another guaranteed year and a vesting option year after that. It raises his per season average to just under $25m, ahead of Cliff Lee.
As his weight goes up, so does CC's contract. Enjoy the buffets this off season, CC!
Mets moving the fences in at Citi Field. The data says that the changes would have resulted in +11 home runs to the Mets since 2009 (81 for Mets, 70 for opponents). More importantly is the psychological issue hitters (and possibly free agents) have with playing in such a big park may be put to rest.
MLB Trade Rumors has a list of their top 50 free agents and predictions of where they will end up here. The predictions seem somewhat dubious to me, though.
The Mets also added Tommy Goodwin as their first base coach. He was never a great hitter but he was one hell of a base runner and stealer. Maybe they will move in the fences and try to steal a few more bases.
I don't care how much they move the fences, it still won't make Jason Bay worth what he's owed.
;-)
And how bad have things gotten in Baltimore that the Blue Jays assistant GM reportedly turned down an offer to become the new Orioles GM?
Indeed. Arguably the last of Minaya's albatrosses on the club.
It's official: McCourt selling the Dodgers. Glad to see some sanity with this finally.
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