(Hot Stove League) Done Deals for A-Rod, Nomar, Manny?

[SirFozzie]

Red Sox, Rangers, Angels Set to Swap America’s Jewels

Raymond Smalley, Fanstop News Director
12/12/2003


While Americans value them as dreaming material, their owners eye them as monopoly pieces. While they are the fabric of our time and the idols of our youth, their overlords spy them as brooding tenantable serfs. To us, they are society’s untouchable elements. Yet, unto their owners, they are merely expendable commodities.


According to sources close to the negotiations, the Boston Red Sox have agreed to trade outfielder Manny Ramirez to the Texas Rangers in exchange for shortstop Alex Rodriguez. In addition to that transaction, the Red Sox have also agreed to trade shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the Anaheim Angels for starting pitcher Jarrod Washburn and a minor league prospect. According to sources, both of these aforementioned trades will be announced at the conclusion baseball’s winter meetings.


While contractual conundrums were previously at issue, the four participants have successfully resolved them. According to sources, Boston has agreed to fulfill the remaining balance of Rodriguez’s 10-year, $252 million contract, which he signed on December 21, 2000. Meanwhile, Washburn has begun negotiations with the Red Sox upon his own contractual extension.


Following seven successful seasons in Seattle, Rodriguez signed with Texas during 2000’s lucrative winter. Since that inking, Rodriguez has hit .305 with 156 home runs and 395 runs batted in. For his career, the 28-year old shortstop has batted .308 with 345 homers and 990 runs batted in.


Akin to his opposite, Ramirez also transferred from Cleveland to Boston during the 2000 winter. From that penning, Ramirez has recorded a .325 batting average with 111 home runs and 336 runs batted in. Over the balance of his eleven-year career, Ramirez has clubbed 347 home runs and 1,140 runs batted in, while batting .317.


In contrast to both Rodriguez and Ramirez, Garciaparra and Washburn have spent their entire careers in Boston and Anaheim. During his eight campaigns, Garciaparra has recorded a .323 batting average with 173 home runs and 663 runs batted in. Meanwhile, Washburn has logged a 56-41 ledger with a 3.96 earned run average over six seasons.


During the 2003 season, Rodriguez scored a .298 average with 47 homers and 118 runs batted in, while Ramirez tallied 37 home runs and 104 runs batted in with a .325 average. Meanwhile, Garciaparra marked up a .301 average with 28 homers and 105 runs batted in, while Washburn posted a 10-15 record.


While the aforementioned player swaps are a sound in the night, they are merely the first correcting stride. For on December 21, 2000, the sport of baseball was shaken to its core. Only now has it begun to wake up.

Research provided by baseball-reference.com
Contributing Writers: Nick Athan (Editor in Chief)

[RedKingGold]

Not sure how valid this is,....no sources (not even local newspapers) are reporting

Still,....I hope it happens

[Swaggs]

I cannot believe that the best that Nomar can fetch on the trade market is Jarrod Washburn.

[dolfin]

Here in Dallas, the local sports talk radio quoted Tom Hicks (Ranger's owner) as saying the trade didn't look likely to happen. (Of course I don't remember the quote exactly)

[The_herd]

A-Rod was on ESPNews last night and said he isn't optimistic that a deal will get done.

[McSweeny]

that source is bogus, this was posted over at SOSH late last night and was found to be false.

Look at who broke the news. Fanstop? i mean come on. What they managed to scoop ESPN, AP, and everyone else?

No deal yet. The two sides will talk over the weekend. But things seem to have stalled for now.

[MrBug708]

Originally posted by Swaggs
I cannot believe that the best that Nomar can fetch on the trade market is Jarrod Washburn.

If the Sox's get him, they'd have more WS rings then the Baseball Gods would want and be cursed to be the Yankee's bitches

[The_herd]

The thing right now about Nomar is he will be a free agent after this year and is looking for a contract in the $15 million a year range, a contract comparable to the one Jeter signed a couple years ago. Unfortunately for him, baseball's economics have changed some since then and there aren't a lot of teams willing to shell out $15 million a year long term. Everyone knows that if the Red Sox do trade Nomar, its because they are in a position where they have no choice, so the market isn't really favorable for the Red Sox right now. Any team that gets him now has to assume for now that its a 1 year rental, nothing more. Jarrod Washburn for Nomar for 1 season isn't as onesided as Washburn for Nomar with a long term contract.

[rkmsuf]

Originally posted by The_herd
The thing right now about Nomar is he will be a free agent after this year and is looking for a contract in the $15 million a year range, a contract comparable to the one Jeter signed a couple years ago. Unfortunately for him, baseball's economics have changed some since then and there aren't a lot of teams willing to shell out $15 million a year long term. Everyone knows that if the Red Sox do trade Nomar, its because they are in a position where they have no choice, so the market isn't really favorable for the Red Sox right now. Any team that gets him now has to assume for now that its a 1 year rental, nothing more. Jarrod Washburn for Nomar for 1 season isn't as onesided as Washburn for Nomar with a long term contract.

Interestingly enough the Red Sox had already offered Nomar 15 per for 4 years and he (and his agent) turned them down last season. Now that deal is off the table...

[The_herd]

Was just about to add that he was actually looking for $17 million a year when the Red Sox made that offer. However, I'm willing to bet he would take the contract for 4 years $60 million in a heartbeat right now.

Nomar backed himself into a corner by rejecting the contract offer last year. He has no right to complain about being traded, its his own fault.