The saga continues”¦
Thanks again to everyone for their emails and IMs”¦this has been a fun little feature for me. As I type this, I’m sitting in a hotel room in LA with a crappy internet connection, so we’ll keep the intros short n’ sweet from here on out.
Just to fill some space, here’s a picture of The Bootleg Family’s Halloween from last night:
On to Part Three”¦!
Daisuke Matsuzaka – RHP: Here’s your guaranteed prediction”¦no matter where Matsuzaka signs, some hack writer will open his story with the following lead: “He’s easily the hottest Japanese product since the release of the Playstation 3!” Punctuation may vary, but the hyperbole remains the same. Any team that wants to negotiate with him will have to pony up a “posting fee”, which does not count towards his eventual salary. That fee could be in the neighborhood of $20-30M, by itself. The Yankees are too easy a call here. (Prediction: Signs with Seattle Mariners, 4 years/$48M, $20M posting fee)
Carlos Lee – LF: Here’s is living proof that free agency is all about being in the right place at the right time. For all intents and purposes, Lee is a solid major league player who will likely get pizz-ayed like a borderline superstar this winter. El Caballo lit it up in Arlington after being traded from the Brewers and when Texas rightly lets Gary Matthews, Jr. walk (and they’d better) it’s conceivable that Lee could be brought back. Just not at the price tag that Lee will command. (Prediction: Signs with Houston Astros, 3 year/$33M)
Tom Glavine – LHP: He needs just 10 more wins to reach 300 for his career. This could be one of the more interesting signings this offseason as Glavine could be available to the right contender. It’s hard to imagine any scenario where he’s not back in Shea Stadium next year, though. He’s smart enough not to go “home” to Boston and throw in the adult league, so the smart money says he stays in the NL where Lilliputian infielders can become World Series MVP. (Prediction: Re-signs with New York Mets, 2 years/$20M)
Luis Gonzalez – LF: Gonzo didn’t exactly go quietly. He feuded with management over unfounded (cough) steroid allegations, then chafed when his playing time was supposed to be reduced down the stretch in favor of a D’Backs youth movement that will likely take the franchise into the next decade. He’s barely a league average player and 38 years old, so the bottom can fall out at any minute. (Prediction: Signs with Texas Rangers, 1 year/$5M)
Jason Schmidt – RHP: On Opening Day 2007, Schmidt will be 34 years old with a career ERA just under 4.00 and he’ll likely have a fat new contract for his troubles. I think the Giants will make a strong push to bring him back, but there are just too many teams out there who need him more and can pay him more. Kevin Millwood and Bartolo Colon are two of his strongest comps according to the Baseball Reference site. Draw your own damn conclusions. (Prediction: Signs with Texas Rangers, 3 years/$39M)
Kerry Wood – RHP: Dusty Baker’s managerial legacy won’t be those ridiculous wristbands he wears in the dugout or that goofy toothpick he chews like a Blacker, more sober Razor Ramon. Simply put, Dusty kills young pitchers. In 2003, his first year in Chicago, Baker pitched Kerry Wood and Mark Prior until their arms fell off and neither has been the same since. Wood once struck out 20 in a game, but in 2006, he didn’t even pitch 20 innings. Not sure there’s anything left, but there’s a team out there who might be looking for a new “hometown hero” or two. (Prediction: Signs with Houston Astros, 1 year/$1M)
Miguel Batista – RHP: Hard to believe, but Batista was actually a pretty hot commodity at the trading deadline. Both the Mets and Yankees had visions of him pitching out of the bullpen down the stretch and it’s not inconceivable to see him ending up a reliever next year. Unfortunately, he doesn’t miss too many bats and walks a few too many hitters, so his options will be limited. The fact that he’s closer to 40 than 30 doesn’t help. (Prediction: Signs with Milwaukee Brewers, 1 year/$3M)
Kevin Millar – 1B: Credit the Red Sox for doing the right thing by not bringing back the serviceable, but replaceable Millar after the ’05 season. Millar cried in the press about it, then went to Baltimore and had a decent little season with a good OBP, if not enough SLG. The rumor mill has him interested in returning to Boston, which is as much a “story” as “sun rises in the east”. Hey, it took me 20 years to move out of my parents’ house, too. They didn’t want me back, either. Sadly, for Mr. Millar, he’s entering the “only sh*tty teams want me” phase of his career. Doug Mientkiewicz and Mark Grudzielanek want to say “welcome”! (Prediction: Signs with Pittsburgh Pirates, 1 year/$2M)
Jeff Suppan – SP: A quick look at his mediocre strikeout rate left me wondering how in the hell this guy wins so many games. My first hunch was the right one: In the past two seasons, Suppan has finished 9th and 6th, respectively, in run support for National League pitchers. For his career, he’s just five games over .500, but in a world where Esteban DUI-aza scored a $21M contract from the A’s last year, anything’s possible. On XM Radio, I heard the Cubs were going to go hard after him. Right city, wrong team, sez I. (Prediction: Signs with Chicago White Sox, 3 years/$22M)
Tim Wakefield – SP: He’s still only 39 years old, which is, like, 25 in “Hough Years”. He’ll be a Red Sock for as long as he wants to be and with that offense behind him, he could win 60 games in the next five years. Yep, that’s a 12 win per year average. I’m really going out on that limb, guys. (Prediction: Re-signs with Boston Red Sox, 2 years/$8M)
