2006-2007 Baseball Offseason Thread....

[JS19]

Gagne has got to be one of the luckiest SOBs in the world for being a FA this yr.

How in the hell does a guy who has thrown i think 15 innings over the past 2 YEARS get 6M???

[Crapshoot]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Braves have non-tendered Brian Giles & Chris Reitsma.

That's impressive, since I was under the impression his little brother Marcus was the one playing 2b.

I don't get this move - Giles is a 28 year old 2b in a market that exploded - he has his worst year offensively, and was still probably about average for a 2b. I find it hard to believe they couldn't get anything for him, especially in a world where they'll pay Bob Wickman $6 million to help them into 4th place.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Crapshoot

That's impressive, since I was under the impression his little brother Marcus was the one playing 2b.

Oopsie. Thanks, fixed it.

I don't get this move - Giles is a 28 year old 2b in a market that exploded - he has his worst year offensively, and was still probably about average for a 2b. I find it hard to believe they couldn't get anything for him, especially in a world where they'll pay Bob Wickman $6 million to help them into 4th place.

I think the problem was that teams knew he would be, essentially, released if nobody dealt for him. Seems they couldn't get anything of value for him solo, and didn't want to throw any of their prospects in a deal just to unload him.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by TRO

So "ponying" up for Zito would have been OK? Considering he would have cost twice as much and NOT have been twice the pitcher, I don't see it.

Reading the recently bump Brees thread makes me hope that I can bump this thread in a year as well. Shurg.

I'm not really advocating paying Zito what Boras is asking for him either, but he would provide better return than Meche. Over the last 3 years, Zito has accounted for 44 win shares; Meche has accounted for 19.

The Royals would've been better off IMO putting most of that money towards domestic and international scouting and earmarking some of it for future contract extensions for some of their young stars in the making. There are guys like John Thomson that are available for much less money and years than most of the "marquee" guys on the free agent wire that would provide 90% of the production for 50% or less of the price and contract years.

[dervack]

And this is what makes me mad as a Cubs fan. Sure Zito is one pitcher. But I would rather have Zito at say 17 million a year and Marshall at 300k, than Lilly at 10 mill and Marquis at 7. Of course, that's just me.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

The Royals would've been better off IMO putting most of that money towards domestic and international scouting

They're not ignoring those. They're opening an academy in the Dominican, and they have some other things going on. There's only so much money you can throw at the problem in a short period of time and expect serious results - particularly if you're Kansas City, and not New York - but they do seem committed to the long term.

As I said earlier, I think the Meche signing has less to do with "now" and more to do with making KC an attractive place for future free agents - some of which very well may BE those young stars in the making you referenced.

If you can convince them that you're willing to spend the money to improve the team, that's a significant psychological hurdle you can overcome. How many young stars are going to stay in KC for the money if they can get similar dollars in places that have demonstrated a willingness to spend on other parts to win?

KC isn't doing anything in the Central this year, and everybody knows it, but they also can't unilaterally keep their stars after 6 years in the majors. The most important message they send is to those guys. The same message is aimed at free agents for other teams - "Take us seriously as a bidder for your services" - but if retention fails, acquisition can never succeed.

[dawgfan]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

KC isn't doing anything in the Central this year, and everybody knows it, but they also can't unilaterally keep their stars after 6 years in the majors. The most important message they send is to those guys. The same message is aimed at free agents for other teams - "Take us seriously as a bidder for your services" - but if retention fails, acquisition can never succeed.

There may be some psychological value to such a signing, but if that's their intent, better to throw big money at a guy more likely to pay off. They're spending a ton of money over a long period of time for a guy that's been slightly below league-average for the last 4 years, since he returned from labrum surgery, all in the hopes that (against odds) he'll turn into a very good pitcher.

[SackAttack]

I think they're hoping more to show that they can "win" when going after free agents pursued by other - larger market - teams. I think they have to believe that Meche can be a quality signing for them, but the most valuable short term impact is "here's a guy who was pursued by two potential playoff teams. We've convinced him to be a part of what we're doing in Kansas City. Shouldn't you consider staying here/coming here, too?"

What the long-term impact is depends not just on how Meche performs but on how they play the rest of their hand. Are their fledgling international/Dominican scouting efforts fruitful, or do they end up spending all this money to find a couple of Delino DeShields?

[Galaril]

Dice-K Matsuzaka has been flown out in the Red Sox owners private jet it landed and he is now being taken to Boston General Hospital for an apparent physical. Espn, SI and Boston's WEEI have reported that the Sox and Dice-K's agent the infamous Scott Boras have agreed to a 6 year at 8.5 million dollar deal with incentives that could push it to 60 million over the life of the contract. Considering this guy is suppose to be incredible and Boras was asking for 14-16 million8.5 mill. isn't bad, though the Red Sox already have spent 51 million on the guy based on the posting fee paid to his Japanese team.

[miami_fan]

The Blue Jays apparently are serious about keeping budding superstar Vernon Wells in the fold.

Wells, who can become a free agent after next season, was offered a seven-year, $126 million extension by Toronto. No deal has been agreed to, however.

Wells, who will make $5.6 million next season, confirmed the offer in an interview with The Globe and Mail, but wouldn't confirm the amount.

"It's somewhere in there," Wells told the Globe on Tuesday. "But to be honest, other than that, I don't feel under any obligation to make any more comments about it."

General manager J.P. Ricciardi also confirmed to the newspaper that a contract had been offered.

Ricciardi told ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick on Monday that the team was leaning toward keeping Wells, even if it can't reach agreement on an extension.

Wells, a two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner, hit .303 with 32 homers and 106 RBI last season. Even though next winter's free agent crop is exceedingly deep (Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter, Mike Cameron, Mark Kotsay and Aaron Rowand will also be on the market), Wells looks like a strong candidate to receive a nine-figure deal.


Ricciardi recently told USA Today that the Blue Jays will have to "explore" the possibility of trading Wells if they can't sign him to a long-term contract. He told the newspaper that he should have a better idea where things stand with Wells in early January.

"We're going to exhaust every possible way to sign the player," Ricciardi said Monday. "Ownership has been great to us, and if it gets to a point where we can't sign him, then we can't sign him. That's the reality of it. It's not that we don't want to."

When asked to give odds on the likelihood of Wells wearing a Toronto uniform in 2007, Ricciardi declined to make a prediction.

"I don't want to predict numbers," he said. "If you've been to the race track with me, you'd know I'm not too good."

Information from ESPN's Steve Phillips and ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick was used in this report.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by Galaril

Dice-K Matsuzaka has been flown out in the Red Sox owners private jet it landed and he is now being taken to Boston General Hospital for an apparent physical. Espn, SI and Boston's WEEI have reported that the Sox and Dice-K's agent the infamous Scott Boras have agreed to a 6 year at 8.5 million dollar deal with incentives that could push it to 60 million over the life of the contract. Considering this guy is suppose to be incredible and Boras was asking for 14-16 million8.5 mill. isn't bad, though the Red Sox already have spent 51 million on the guy based on the posting fee paid to his Japanese team.

There is also alot of discussion that the sox wil pick up Roger Clemens for one year.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

The Blue Jays apparently are serious about keeping budding superstar Vernon Wells in the fold.

Wells, who can become a free agent after next season, was offered a seven-year, $126 million extension by Toronto. No deal has been agreed to, however.

I'm going to have to check out his stats again because he never struck me as a $18M-build-your-franchise-around guy.

SI

[stevew]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

I'm going to have to check out his stats again because he never struck me as a $18M-build-your-franchise-around guy.

SI

I didn't really think that either.

[MikeVic]

Compared to what other players have gotten this year? He's worth 18M.

[Ksyrup]

I'd take him over Soriano in a heartbeat.

[dawgfan]

Bill Bavasi isn't content to stop at moronic trades like Rafael Soriano for Horacio Ramirez - no, he's apparently bent on severely crippling the M's future chances under the GM that will replace him when he's fired this year by trading away Chris Snelling and Emiliano Fruto for Jose Vidro.

[Travis]

Vernon Wells is a guy you can use as a center piece. Gold glover in center field, natural #3 hitter in the lineup, he has all the tools. More importantly is the message it sends to the team and fans by keeping him rather than losing him the way they did Delgado, then the search to replace him (which is kind of working with Glaus). Wells is one of the most popular Jays (guessing he and Halladay would be the top 2 by quite a stretch) and I know personally, as a fan of the team, if we lose him to FA or trade him, it's just another step away from winning.

[Young Drachma]

Agreed, that if you're going to contend that keeping him is better than losing him. The Jays used to be really good about keeping centerpiece players and building around him. For a guy that's only played in Toronto (like Delgado) letting him go, would be a mistake. But I don't want them to do the Nats did with Soriano. If he won't sign, I want him gone by mid-season for players that can help us.

[Travis]

I hope that's not necessary, not only because I really like Wells (Johnson/Wells/Rios has the potential to be one of the top OF's in the league defensively, at the plate and on the base paths), but because I don't think I could even imagine just how badly J.P. would likely screw up this deal.

But hey, they did bring back another Canadian (Matt Stairs). Wonder if he'll be treated a little better than Koskie was.

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Agreed, that if you're going to contend that keeping him is better than losing him. The Jays used to be really good about keeping centerpiece players and building around him. For a guy that's only played in Toronto (like Delgado) letting him go, would be a mistake. But I don't want them to do the Nats did with Soriano. If he won't sign, I want him gone by mid-season for players that can help us.

[miami_fan]

It is really good to see Bags leave the game on good terms with the Astros.

HOUSTON -- Jeff Bagwell, the face of Houston baseball for a generation with teammate Craig Biggio, will retire Friday after 15 years with the team.

The four-time All Star will remain with the Astros as part of a personal-services agreement reached with the team earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the team's plan who requested anonymity because an official announcement had not been made.

Bagwell, the greatest power hitter in Houston Astros history, is expected to work with young Astros hitters, assisting in the front office and making appearances for the team.

The Astros have scheduled a Friday morning news conference to announce the retirement.

Bagwell, 38, leaves the Astros as the team's all-time leader in home runs (449), RBI (1,529), walks (1,401) and extra-base hits (969). He had a lifetime batting average of .297.

Despite his unique and highly unorthodox batting stance, Bagwell displayed remarkable power at the plate, ranking among the top 15 players in home runs and RBI throughout the 1990s. His 449 home runs leaves him three behind his childhood idol, Carl Yastrzemski.

A Boston native, Bagwell's minor-league contract was owned by the Boston Red Sox until August 1990, when the Red Sox traded him to the Astros for pitcher Larry Andersen. Astros manager Art Howe switched Bagwell from third base to first base to accommodate Astros third baseman Ken Caminiti, soon to become one of Bagwell's close friends.

Bagwell's impact was immediate, and he was named the National League rookie of the year in 1991, hitting .294 with 15 homers and a club rookie record of 82 RBI.

He went on to win three Silver Slugger awards and one Gold Glove.

It was in the strike-shortened season of 1994 that Bagwell had perhaps his best season, hitting .368 over 110 games, slamming 39 home runs and knocking in 116 runs to lead the Astros within a half-game of Cincinnati before a players strike ended the season Aug. 12. As a result, Bagwell was unanimously selected the National League's most valuable player.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

Oh yeah, you may begin the "Is he a HOFer or not" talk now.

[sterlingice]

Royals trade Andy Sisco for Ross Gload. Real head scratcher there tho there was a lot of news about him having bad work ethic like the recently traded Burgos and recently cut Runelvys.

SI

[Logan]

SI, mind giving a quick rundown on what a Met fan could expect out of Burgos? I read from a few places that there seemed to be a consensus among scouts/executives that the Royals rushed him up. Think that's accurate?

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Logan

SI, mind giving a quick rundown on what a Met fan could expect out of Burgos? I read from a few places that there seemed to be a consensus among scouts/executives that the Royals rushed him up. Think that's accurate?

Definitely was rushed. Basically only has one pitch, a nice splitter, but if he's not locating, the ball goes a long way. He's not Rivera, who as far as I can tell is the only guy who really gets by with just one pitch- he needs to have time to get a second pitch in the minors. Throws hard but throws a little straight. Like in the previous post, not really known for his work ethic.

He's got an iffy closer makeup mentally but I think he could do it with some more seasoning. His biggest problem is that he really needs to develop that second pitch and then learn how to pitch rather than throw. Still, he's only 22 and has a nice arm so it's possible.

SI

[Logan]

Good to know. If the Mets are thinking of him as a closer, it's still a long way from happening. From what I've heard, they have no problem keeping him in the minors this season. If he makes the club, at best he'll be #4 on the depth chart in the pen, as Heilman-Sanchez-Wagner will be penciled into 7-8-9 like they were before Sanchez got hurt last season.

[sterlingice]

He's got potential, but he needs to have a year or two in low stress situations to develop it like AAA.

SI

[miami_fan]

ESPN.com news services


Brad Radke reportedly will officially retire at a news conference in Minneapolis on Tuesday, ending his 12-year career with the Twins.

According to the Star Tribune, the 34-year-old Radke will offically end his major league career at a news conference at the Metrodome on Tuesday.

"It'll be a sad day because he's not going to be pitching for us anymore," manager Ron Gardenhire told The Tribune. "And it's also going to be a great day because he's done so much for our organization. He started with us, and he never left us. That's something our organization is very, very proud of."

A Twins spokesman declined to say to The Associated Press what Radke would announce at the news conference. Radke was to be joined by general manager Terry Ryan, manager Ron Gardenhire and team President Dave St. Peter.

Radke went 12-9 with a 4.32 ERA in 28 starts this past year. He suffered a stress fracture of the glenoid in his throwing shoulder in late August but returned to the AL Central champions in the final weeks of the regular season.

The Twins were holding out hope they could convince Radke to delay his retirement for one more season.

"I gave him one last pitch a couple days after the season," Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson told The Tribune. "My last thing was, 'Hey, Rad, don't announce anything. Why don't you see how you feel? And come January or February, if you get the urge to do it again, maybe come on down [to spring training] and see what you've got.'

"He said, 'You know, I've made up my mind.'"

A 20-game winner in 1997 and an All-Star the following year, the right-hander owns a career record of 148-139 with a 4.22 ERA in 378 games, all but one as a starter. He has pitched at least 200 innings in nine of his 12 seasons with the Twins.

Information from SportsTicker and The Associated Press was used in this report.

[DeToxRox]

Tigers extend Jeremy Bonderman for 4 years at $38 mil. That's less then Meche and Lilly. Unreal.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

Tigers extend Jeremy Bonderman for 4 years at $38 mil. That's less then Meche and Lilly. Unreal.

Bonderman wasn't set to be a free agent until after '08. He had no bargaining power in this case. He gets more than he normally would have the next 2 years and gets $12.5 million in both '09 and '10. After that he becomes at free agent at 28 (maybe 29). Not a bad deal for either side.

[Ksyrup]

Nope, not at all. After Inge signed, the early talk was that Bonderman would be a tougher sign and that he was looking for something huge, notwithstanding the fact that he had a couple of years to go before free agency. Glad to see this got done.

[Brillig]

The Giants continue their youth movement by signing Ryan Klesko.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...PGPHN2FNQ4.DTL

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Brillig

The Giants continue their youth movement by signing Ryan Klesko.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cg...PGPHN2FNQ4.DTL

Is Julio Franco signed yet?

SI

[dawgfan]

I haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere yet, but Dontrelle Willis was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving a couple nights ago:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2705991

Too bad - thus far he's been a great ambassador for the sport, especially in trying to reverse the declining trend of African-Americans playing baseball.

[Atocep]

I know its a year early, but does anyone want to begin to guess what Carlos Zambrano is going to get next offseason? If Zito gets close to $100 million we could be looking at the biggest contract for a pitcher in MLB history. If he can get through this season healthy he'll be a rare 26 year old proven #1 starter on the free agent market. However, he's a guy that's been rode hard by Dusty and has also been one of the leaders in Pitcher Abuse Points the past couple years.

[Atocep]

Interesting trade. I wonder if this pulls the Rangers out of the Zito sweepstakes.

Texas acquired right-hander Brandon McCarthy from the Chicago White Sox in a five-player deal Saturday in which the Rangers gave up their 2003 first-round pick. John Danks, the ninth overall pick three years ago, and fellow right-handers Nick Masset and Jacob Rasner were sent to Chicago for McCarthy and outfielder David Paisano.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

I haven't seen it mentioned elsewhere yet, but Dontrelle Willis was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving a couple nights ago:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2705991

Too bad - thus far he's been a great ambassador for the sport, especially in trying to reverse the declining trend of African-Americans playing baseball.

I think this will just be a blip. Not to say that I condone it, but...it's the holidays and he was probably out being silly. Thank goodness no one got hurt, he should pay his fines and then go back to winning ball games and being a postchild. It'd be better if he were on a different team, of course.

[Ramzavail]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Interesting trade. I wonder if this pulls the Rangers out of the Zito sweepstakes.

I cannot understand the McCarthy trade for the life of me.

They trade Garcia so McCarthy gets a spot in the rotation and then they trade McCarthy - I don't get it. Any W-Sox fans?

[Young Drachma]

Jeff Suppan signs with the Brewers. 4 years/$42 million.

[miami_fan]

From Rotoworld
ESPN.com is reporting that the Diamondbacks have offered a package of at least three players for Randy Johnson and that the Padres also have interest in the left-hander.

The D-Backs can't be serious right?

[Young Drachma]

Maybe their logic is that a return to the desert would be good for him. But...I agree, that's a bad move.

[oykib]

The Yanks have to accept that deal.

[oykib]

The Yanks have to accept that deal. I don't care if the three players are Larry, Moe, and Curly.

[pennywisesb]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Jeff Suppan signs with the Brewers. 4 years/$42 million.

I bet he'll have a losing record and an ERA above 5. Good luck Brewers.

[pennywisesb]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

The D-Backs can't be serious right?

The D-backs seem to be on the up and up, and getting rid of three young players for one old has-been will be a terrible move in my opinion.

[Logan]

If Arizona or San Diego gives up anything of value for Johnson, without NY paying his entire salary, I'll finally be ready to admit that MLB is secretly controlling all of the other teams for the benefit of the Yankees.

[dawgfan]

Johnson's problem last year was his back injury which affected his delivery. If his surgery was successful (and he has a history of coming back from back injuries) it's not at all inconceivable that he could again be one of the top starters in the NL. Arizona was a good fit for him, and Johnson thrives on proving people wrong.

Now, that doesn't mean I'd want to give up top prospects for him, especially if New York is balking at picking up any part of his salary - but Arizona isn't that far away from being in the NL West hunt. A healthy Johnson would be a big part of a playoff push.

[lungs]

Originally Posted by pennywisesb

I bet he'll have a losing record and an ERA above 5. Good luck Brewers.

I'll take that bet.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Logan

If Arizona or San Diego gives up anything of value for Johnson, without NY paying his entire salary, I'll finally be ready to admit that MLB is secretly controlling all of the other teams for the benefit of the Yankees.

You guys seem to be forgetting that the Yankees do not need to dump salary. For any other team, this would be a salary dump and they'd be happy to get a bag of balls in return for a team taking a $16M 83-year old pitcher off of their hands. But this is the Yankees. They don't need to deal Johnson unless they get a steal - and they've got 3 teams interested in him (SD, AZ, and SF). So they'll either get something of value by playing the teams' offers against each other, or if they don't feel like they'll get enough by dealing him, they'll just hold on to him - because they can afford to.

[k0ruptr]

Originally Posted by lungs

I'll take that bet.

ill take that bet too

[rewissick]

Originally Posted by Ramzavail

I cannot understand the McCarthy trade for the life of me.

They trade Garcia so McCarthy gets a spot in the rotation and then they trade McCarthy - I don't get it. Any W-Sox fans?

*raises hand*

I've read, post-trade mind you, that McCarthy wasn't the most coachable of pitchers. That plus his fly-ball tendencies helped push him out the door. I think they could have done a lot better in both this deal and the Garcia trade, but what do I know. I REALLY hope that there are things about Brandon McCarthy that we don't know that led to this. Maybe he kicks puppies in the clubhouse?

What I really don't like about this is that Garland is going to be around for the life of his contract. I hated that extension when he signed it, and I still dislike it, even with all the salary inflation we are seeing this off-season.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

You guys seem to be forgetting that the Yankees do not need to dump salary. For any other team, this would be a salary dump and they'd be happy to get a bag of balls in return for a team taking a $16M 83-year old pitcher off of their hands. But this is the Yankees. They don't need to deal Johnson unless they get a steal - and they've got 3 teams interested in him (SD, AZ, and SF). So they'll either get something of value by playing the teams' offers against each other, or if they don't feel like they'll get enough by dealing him, they'll just hold on to him - because they can afford to.

You missed my point. For any of these teams to give up value and pay Johnson's salary as well is insane.