Welcome to the second edition of “Riding the Pine.” Signings, trades, and Winter Meetings made up a busy week in the world of baseball. Many rumors are still circulating. Monday, December 20 is the deadline for teams to offer non-free agent arbitration eligible players a contract. If they are not tendered a contract, they become free agents.
Angels – The Halos short lived run at Carlos Beltran are done; Steve Finley agreed to a deal. They are still chasing a starting pitcher. Their top priority is Matt Clement, but he is attracting a lot of attention from Boston and Cleveland. Eric Milton is their backup plan. They also haven’t rule out a trade for Randy Johnson. They could make a run at Orlando Cabrera, if they don’t give David Eckstein a new contract.
Astros – No real news on Beltran yet, but the Yankees are just now getting involved. Roger Clemens announced he will accept arbitration, but has not said whether he will stay another year or retire.
Athletics – Oakland is talking to many teams regarding Tim Hudson. Hudson’s March 3rd deadline is still in place. Over the weekend, rumors of Hudson to the Dodgers ran rampant. Los Angeles apparently offered Edwin Jackson and another top pitching prospect. There was no truth to the rumor; the 2 teams GMs, both good friends, wanted to get the market for Hudson going. The front runners right now are the Cardinals and the Braves, with the Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles interested. The Orioles would also be interested in Barry Zito.
Blue Jays – Former Rookie of the Year Eric Hinske is available in trade. He has not lived up to his potential for the last 2 years. With the recent signing of Corey Koskie, Hinske is expendable. If they can’t trade him, he may be moved to 1st base.
Braves – Atlanta’s outfield is a big question mark. With Drew gone, they have right field open. Left field platoon of Charlie Thomas and Eli Marrero will stay in place. They are looking one of three ways. First, they will move Chipper Jones back to the outfield; Jones has stated that he wants to stay at 3rd base. Secondly, they could fill it in house. With Jones blocking third again, prospect Andy Marte will get outfield work in spring training. They also have 3 other prospects that could be ready in the next year. Lastly, they could bring someone in. Free agents Danny Bautista or Magglio Ordonez would fit nicely; Bautista is in there price range, while Ordonez’s price will drop due to health problems. They are also looking at potential trades; Austin Kearnes is available, as is Brian Giles, but both may be too costly.
Brewers – With the new hole in center field, Milwaukee could look to Philadelphia to fill that void. Marlon Byrd, displaced by Kenny Lofton, is available for the right price. If they don’t pursue a player, Brady Clark, at best a defensive replacement, will be starting everyday.
Cardinals – With Edgar Renteria going to Boston, the Redbird’s middle infield is empty. They will look to Orlando Cabrera and Placido Polanco for those spots. Also, depending on if they are given contracts, Jerry Hairston of Baltimore, Ronnie Belliard of Cleveland, and David Eckstein of Anaheim may be options. They also have available money to go after a pitcher. Look for possible deals for Tim Hudson, Randy Johnson, and A.J. Burnett.
Cubs – The Cubbies are still looking to unload Sammy Sosa. The Nationals have called recently, but still no takers. If and when he is moved, they should join the Beltran Sweepstakes. If they were unable to land him, they may fall back on J.D. Drew.
Diamondbacks – Arizona has decided to renew talks with the Yankees about Randy Johnson. They would have to significantly lower their demands to move him. With the new players, Johnson could want to stay. They are also looking for an outfielder. Jeromy Burnitz and David Dellucci are current candidates. Also, they have talked to Boston about trading for Dave Roberts.
Indians – The tribe is talking to Belliard to work out a 1 year contract, rather than going to arbitration. They may non-tender him, making him a free agent if nothing is accomplished. They are still in the hunt for Matt Clement, but will also persue Derek Lowe if need be.
Mariners – Seattle, having recently signed Richie Sexson, is still waiting for Carlos Delgado to respond to their offer. If he accepts the offer, Sexson will move to the outfield. If Delgado passes, which many expect he will, they may talk to Atlanta about Andrew Jones. They are also going after one of Scott Boras’ pitching clients (Kevin Millwood, Eric Milton, or Lowe) since they missed out on Jaret Wright.
Marlins – A.J. Burnett, upset about how his rehab was handled, has been put on the trading block. Many teams, including St. Louis, New York (AL), Boston, Arizona, and Detroit are interested.
Orioles – Baltimore is currently the front-runners for Carlos Delgado, but they want him to lower his price tag. He wants $15-17 million, about $3-4 million more than they are looking to spend. They also are looking for a good starter. Free agent Derek Lowe in on their list, as is Hudson and Zito from Oakland.
Red Sox – Boston had a blockbuster deal in the works with the Mets. They were going to send Manny Ramirez and Doug Mientkiewicz for Cliff Floyd and Kaz Matsui, but the deal fell apart due to money. The Mets wanted money to cover part of Manny’s monster contract.
Rockies – Preston Wilson has requested to leave Colorado. The Padres (Jay Payton) and Indians (Coco Crisp) both express interest, as have 2 other unnamed teams. Any hope of trading Charles Johnson has died, due to his large contract. Pittsburgh was interested, but have instead focused on the Royal’s Benito Santiago.
Twins – The Twins are looking to fill third base, now that Corey Koskie has gone north of the border. Joe Randa would fit the tight budgeted team. They also have a few options on their current roster. Catcher Joe Mauer, recovering from knee surgery may be moved to extend his career.
Yankees – The Yankees pitching staff continues to improve. Carl Pavano is expected to sign next week. They would also like to announce a trade with Arizona for Randy Johnson, but there is still more work to be done. They will most likely have to deal for some other players to send to the D’backs. Their potential deal with Eric Milton may have died. The Yanks have offered 3 years between $21 and $24 million, about $2 million less than he wants.
I have a few gripes:
1. Troy Glaus, a good player, got way too much money for a player recovering from an injury. Glaus, Richie Sexson, and Troy Percival all got inflated contracts, even though they all have injury histories. I think if they want the big payoff, they need to go the route of Nomar Garciaparra and Matt Morris. Sign a one year, incentive laden deal to prove they are healthy and worth the money.
2. Teams are throwing money away on starting pitching. I would never give a pitcher like Russ Ortiz, who is a good pitcher, a contract like he got from Arizona. If I were a GM, I would only give a starter a contract of over 3 years to young, proven arms. Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, and Ben Sheets are examples. All other starter would be offered 2 year deals. There is less of a chance of wasting money on an injured pitcher and those contracts are easier to move. Which brings me to”¦
3. Pedro Martinez got the most ridiculous contract so far this off-season. 4 years at $53 million is too much for a pitcher on the decline. Pedro is still a good pitcher, but Boston had the right idea. 2 years with the option for a third is the best idea. Instead New York gave a contract that will be uninsurable. At least they didn’t cave on the MRI (although, Baseball Prospectus said that an MRI may not pick up a torn Labrum, let alone who badly it is torn). This will be Mo Vaughn all over again. After 2 seasons, Pedro could be on the shelf collecting a nice paycheck for doing nothing.
That’s all for this week. Next week I’ll tackle more rumors, and evaluate some of the off-season trades. Feel free to send questions and comments to me also.
Eugene Tierney
