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Start The Year Off Right: A new years resolution for each MLB team
New Year’s resolutions always sound good and start with ambition.
Unfortunately for most, that ambition eventually fades and the dedication wanes.
Arizona will be hoping for another stellar season from Ian Kennedy. (AP Photo)
However, failure to execute in Major League Baseball MLB can lead to a loss of money, jobs and fans. Teams, players, managers and executives who want to succeed next MLB season might want to follow these suggested resolutions (teams listed in order of 2011 finish):
AL EAST
New York Yankees: Stop waiting for A.J. Burnett to live up to his $82.5 million contract. He clearly isn’t the answer to the pitching problems, so find someone else.
Tampa Bay Rays: Trade B.J. Upton as soon as he has a hot streak. The longer they wait to deal him, the less he will be worth to another team.
Boston Red Sox: Serve more grilled chicken and root beer in the clubhouse. The fried stuff and the alcohol didn’t work so well in 2011.
Toronto Blue Jays: Find another starting pitcher to complement Ricky Romero. Also, write Bud Selig a thank-you note for creating the second wild-card berth.
Baltimore Orioles: Stop taking so much pleasure in beating the Red Sox and focus on getting those suddenly not-so-inexperienced pitchers to take the next step in their development.
NL EAST
Philadelphia Phillies: Keep pitching and keep reminding people that the playoffs can sometimes be a crap shoot where a hot hand can prevail.
Same Old Story
For the Oakland A’s, Wednesday’s trade was just more of what we have seen from them over the past 2 1/2 weeks.
For the Boston Red Sox, they replaced closer Jonathan Papelbon with another of the MLB game’s elite stoppers in Andrew Bailey.
Oakland continued its roster churn by trading Andrew Bailey to the Red Sox in a five-player swap. (AP Photo)
A’s general manager Billy Beane, who recently traded a pair of promising starters in Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez, had been expected to deal the 27-year-old Bailey for some time. The Bailey tradee stayed true to Beane’s new philosophy: Get young prospects in return for young major leaguers, with the expectation that the prospects will be major league-ready by the time the A’s move south to San Jose. That is the hope, anyway, as MLB has yet to approve a move.
The immediate impact is for the Red Sox, who likely would have used Mark Melancon as their closer after losing Papelbon to the Philadelphia Phillies in free agency. Melancon now can serve as the setup man and the team can move Daniel Bard into the rotation, which will be without John Lackey for the entire 2012 season and without Daisuke Matsuzaka for at least half the season. The move also should allow Alfredo Aceves to stay in the long-relief role in which he excelled this past season.
The Time Is Now
While it is true that the Nationals will have a full MLB season from Stephen Strasburg and possibly an extra wild card berth to shoot for, they also play in the loaded NL East, which houses the Philadelphia Phillies’ dominant starting rotation, the Atlanta Braves’ strong pitching staff and the Miami Marlins’ revamped roster.
That clearly didn’t scare away Washington general manager Mike Rizzo, who sent three of the organization’s top nine prospects (per Baseball America’s rankings) and another minor league pitcher to the Oakland A’s for lefthander Gio Gonzalez, a frontline starter who won 16 games, had a 3.12 ERA and averaged 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings in an All-Star season in 2011.
Gonzalez, 26, adds another strong starter to a rotation that already had plenty of promise with Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann at the top.
Those three will have to carry the team to that MLB wild card spot, because the offense is still lacking—the Nationals were 13th out of 16 NL teams in on-base percentage (.309), 11th in slugging (.383) and 12th in OPS (.691). The lineup has a young core with Ryan Zimmerman, Danny Espinosa, Mike Morse and Wilson Ramos, but there doesn’t seem to be a Batman to the super-expensive Robin that is Jayson Werth and his 97 OPS+, although Zimmerman and Morse could develop their utility belts soon.
There is also the question of when the team will call up the game’s top prospect, Bryce Harper. It probably won’t be until June because of new Super Two arbitration rules, but it’s likely Harper won’t be that game-changing slugger immediately.
The lack of an imposing middle-of-the-order presence and the fact that Rizzo has money to spend has led to plenty of speculation that the Nationals could be in on the Prince Fielder bidding. Putting a bat like his with some of those others could make that lineup much more forceful, and because Washington’s strong pitching is coming relatively cheap, signing Fielder is not out of the question.
Yu Got Your Chance, Texas
After a lot of waiting and speculating, we now know that if Yu Darvish is going to pitch in the MLB next season, he’ll do so wearing a Texas Rangers MLB uniform.
The Rangers won the blind auction for the right to negotiate a contract with the Japanese righthander with a record $51.7 million bid, which Darvish’s team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, will accept. The Rangers have 30 days to work out a deal with Darvish. If one is not reached, the Rangers will be refunded the fee for Hokkaido “posting” Darvish.
The Rangers’ bid surpassed the Boston Red Sox’s bid of $51.1 million for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2006. After losing ace C.J. Wilson to the Los Angeles Angels, the Rangers figured they had to make a bold move. This constitutes one, since it will likely cost the Rangers more than $100 million total to get Darvish to the United States.
Darvish has ace-quality stuff and wants to be paid as such. He should get more than Matsuzaka’s six-year, $52 million deal from the Red sox; there are rumors Darvish wants something in the ballpark of $75 million for six years.
Once that minor detail is out of the way, Darvish will give the Rangers a front-line starter to go with Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Alexi Ogando, Matt Harrison and Neftali Feliz, who is expected to move from the bullpen to the rotation next season.
The Good-Bye Guys
J.D. Drew has arrived at the crossroads. He is 36, coming off a disappointing MLB season and doesn’t have a contract. If he wants to continue playing, he faces a huge pay cut and the possibility of having to accept a minor league contract.
For Drew—and so many others on the wrong side of 35—it is time to decide just how much he wants to play. (Observation: Careers sure seem to winding down at a younger age since drug testing was implemented). 
After 21 MLB seasons, 14 MLB All-Star selections and 13 Gold Gloves, Ivan Rodriguez’s career may be at an end.
(AP Photo) “He may play for the right MLB team,” his agent, Scott Boras, said at the winter meetings. “He may not play.” Translation: Don’t bother calling unless you’re a contending team seeking a lefthanded-hitting part-time outfielder and you’re a short flight from Drew’s South Georgia home.
The obvious candidates are the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins. The Braves would be a match except they need a righthanded bat. The Rays are a possibility, but they could re-sign another Boras client, Johnny Damon. The Marlins, perhaps? Based on his wish list, Drew’s chances of returning are less than 50-50. No fewer than 13 other one-time All-Stars enter the holidays in somewhat similar situations. Sizing up the chances of their returns: SP Tim Wakefield, 45. In 17 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, he never has had to wait this long to find out if the team wants him back. That cannot be a good sign, especially with the Red Sox moving into the post-Theo and post-Tito era.
Because a return to the New York Yankees is out, Posada’s market is limited. Being a defensive liability restricts his options to teams willing to take on a .235-hitting DH. In other words, he likely is done. C Pudge Rodriguez, 40. The Washington Nationals aren’t interested in re-signing him, his agent admitted. But Rodriguez isn’t expected to end his pursuit of 3,000 career hits—he is 156 hits short—without hanging on for another year. “In a backup role, a number of teams are evaluating him and his situation,” Boras said. “We should know something in the next few weeks.” C Jason Varitek, 39. Signing Kelly Shoppach sealed Varitek’s Read More >>
The Good-Bye Guys
J.D. Drew has arrived at the crossroads. He is 36, coming off a disappointing MLB season and doesn’t have a contract. If he wants to continue playing, he faces a huge pay cut and the possibility of having to accept a minor league contract.
For Drew—and so many others on the wrong side of 35—it is time to decide just how much he wants to play. (Observation: Careers sure seem to winding down at a younger age since drug testing was implemented).
After 21 MLB seasons, 14 MLB All-Star selections and 13 Gold Gloves, Ivan Rodriguez’s career may be at an end. (AP Photo)
“He may play for the right MLB team,” his agent, Scott Boras, said at the winter meetings. “He may not play.”
Translation: Don’t bother calling unless you’re a contending team seeking a lefthanded-hitting part-time outfielder and you’re a short flight from Drew’s South Georgia home.
The obvious candidates are the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays and Miami Marlins. The Braves would be a match except they need a righthanded bat. The Rays are a possibility, but they could re-sign another Boras client, Johnny Damon. The Marlins, perhaps?
Based on his wish list, Drew’s chances of returning are less than 50-50. No fewer than 13 other one-time All-Stars enter the holidays in somewhat similar situations. Sizing up the chances of their returns:
SP Tim Wakefield, 45. In 17 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, he never has had to wait this long to find out if the team wants him back. That cannot be a good sign, especially with the Red Sox moving into the post-Theo and post-Tito era.
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DH/C Jorge Posada, 40. Because a return to the New York Yankees is out, Posada’s market is limited. Being a defensive liability restricts his options to teams willing to take on a .235-hitting DH. In other words, he likely is done.
C Pudge Rodriguez, 40. The Washington Nationals aren’t interested in re-signing him, his agent admitted. But Rodriguez isn’t expected to end his pursuit of 3,000 career hits—he is 156 hits short—without hanging on for another year. “In a backup role, a number of teams are evaluating him and his situation,” Boras said. “We should know something in the next few weeks.”
C Jason Varitek, 39. Signing Kelly Shoppach sealed Varitek’s finish with the Red Sox. And it is unlikely anyone will inherit his captain’s “C.” New manager Bobby Valentine would rather divvy up such duties. “I believe in a lot of liaisons, and to try to designate one person to do something that is really everyone’s job to do is sometimes unfair to that person,” Valentine said. “Sometimes there’s that guy who earned a stripe, who happened to be in that group so long that they kept pushing him forward, that he was the one that would be volunteered for that ugly duty, because there’s really no benefit to it. You know, there’s a reputation and extra work with the same pay. I don’t think it’s necessary.”
RP Jason Isringhausen, 39. He made a notable comeback—highlighted by his 300th career save—last season with the New York Mets. Isringhausen still is eager to pitch, and his passion never should be underestimated. This is a guy who plays beer-league softball in the offseason.
OF Mike Cameron, 38. The Marlins released him in September after a reported incident with a flight attendant, and that was after the Red Sox gave up on him for hitting .149. And to think he was the reason Boston moved Jacoby Ellsbury out of center field just two years ago.
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RF Magglio Ordonez, 37. He says he isn’t giving up, but how many teams will look at a declining right fielder whose past two seasons have ended with surgery on a broken right ankle? Not the Detroit Tigers, who have no plans of bringing him back.
SS/3B Miguel Tejada, 37. He was dumped by the San Francisco Giants in September after hitting .239/.270/.326 in 91 games. But because he likes the baseball life so much, expect Tejada to find his way to some team’s spring training camp.
C Jason Kendall, 37. He made a lot of noise last spring about returning from serious shoulder surgery months ahead of schedule. He never made it back at all, which doesn’t bode well for a return in 2012.
IF/OF/DH Carlos Guillen, 36. He played in only 28 games after returning from microfracture surgery on his left knee, but he entered the offseason feeling healthier than he has in years. Guillen’s leadership skills and ability to play all over the infield should be enough to land him a backup job.
SP Livan Hernandez, 36. The Nationals have moved on but if Hernandez is willing to move to the bullpen after making his past 474 appearances as a starter, there is a team near his home in South Florida that might give him a chance. Finishing his career with the Marlins would seem fitting as they move into a new home 15 years after he pitched them to their first World Series championship.
DH Vladimir Guerrero, 36. As more clubs use the DH as a spot to rotate some of their regulars, Guerrero’s inability to play the outfield will limit his opportunities. But he is a .318 career hitter with 449 home runs. He will find another one-year deal somewhere, and the team that signs him will get a different Guerrero than we’ve seen. Because he is so talented, Guerrero never has had to work all that hard. But his agent told me last week that Guerrero is beginning to understand that he will have to rely on more than just his ability if he wants to reach 500 homers.
SS Edgar Renteria, 35. If he seems like one of those guys who has been around forever, it is because he debuted as a 19-year-old. With his range diminished at shortstop, Renteria will have to move into a utility role to continue his career.
Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2011-12-14/twilight-nears-mlbs-over-35-stars-who-might-have-to-call-it-quits#ixzz1ge6aBB9U
The Market is Still Open: Should the Mariners snag some from the talent pool?
This has to be exactly how Prince Fielder and Scott Boras wanted things to play out.
When the news broke about Albert Pujols’ 10-year, $254 million MLB contract with the Los Angeles Angels, Fielder his agent probably had big toothy grins. The market for Fielder had been set and was bigger than anyone, except maybe Boras, expected.
For the past year and a half, projections for Fielder’s next MLB contract were in the neighborhood of the deal given to another Boras client, Mark Teixeira. Prior to the 2008 season, Teixeira signed an eight-year, $180 million contract with the New York Yankees. Some in the industry were unsure about Fielder getting that many years or that much money, but the free-agent market shifts every year based on need and availability.
And right now, teams in need of a major offensive upgrade have only one available option: Fielder.
With at least five teams considered real candidates—the Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers and Washington Nationals—the market could develop how Fielder and Boras want, netting them a 10-year deal in excess of $200 million.
For a team to spend that much money on one player and still have enough flexibility to field a competitive roster, its payroll has to be one of the highest in baseball. Using those criteria, it appears the only team with a vacancy at first base and the necessary payroll punch is Chicago. And it is a legitimate possibility because Fielder knows the division and because the Cubs’ new front-office regime wouldn’t mind making a splash, albeit a wise one.
Where will Pujols land? Most likely back in St. Louis
The St. Louis Cardinals apparently are in the driver’s seat in their bid to re-sign MLB superstar first baseman Albert Pujols.
The Miami Marlins, who offered Pujols a 10-year contract earlier this week, have agreed to a contract with free-agent pitcher Mark Buehrle, manager Ozzie Guillen confirmed to reporters Wednesday. According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the four-year deal is worth $58 million, making it highly unlikely the Marlins can afford Pujols.
Earlier Wednesday, the New York Daily News reported Miami had dropped out of the race for Pujols. Sources told the newspaper that the Cardinals and Pujols are “a few million dollars apart” on a 10-year contract.
Prior to the reported Buehrle deal, Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted that Miami hadn’t pulled its offer, but had “moved on emotionally” from Pujols.
For a time Tuesday, it appeared Pujols would be the latest high-profile free agent to sign with the Marlins—joining shortstop Jose Reyes and closer Heath Bell. The team reportedly offered the three-time NL MVP and nine-time NL All-Star a 10-year contract worth $220 million. However, the Cardinals then upped their offer to an identical 10-year, $220 million deal, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
What to believe?
On Day 1 of the winter meetings, there was actual news. The late Ron Santo earned election to the MLB Hall of Fame, the Los Angeles Dodgers came to terms with Jerry Hairston Jr. and the Minnesota Twins agreed on a one-year deal with closer Matt Capps, among other developments.
As usual, though, rumors outnumbered news developments by a considerable amount. But that’s OK. We are here to try to separate fact from fiction on the opening day scuttlebutt:
Item: The Philadelphia Phillies are shopping Placido Polanco to open up third base for free agent Aramis Ramirez.
Fact or fiction? Fiction, according to a Phillies’ official. Moving Polanco doesn’t make sense for the Phillies for at least two reasons.
One, he’s cheaper. Ramirez is seeking a three-year deal worth $50 million or so. Polanco is due $6.25 million in 2012. That’s a huge disparity. Instead of shelling out megabucks on a third baseman when they already have one, the Phillies need to take care of a Cole Hamels extension.
Two, Polanco is not done. Yes, he’s 36 and endured his share of struggles but he played much of the season at considerably less than 100 percent (back and sports hernia). He played well enough early to win the fans’ vote as the All-Star starter at third base, and on a team that needed to reduce its strikeouts a healthy Polanco proved to be an ideal two-hole hitter.
Mariners Can’t Catch A Break: Young rising star-Greg Halman-stabbed to death in the Netherlands
Seattle Mariners MLB outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death early Monday and his brother was arrested as a suspect, Dutch police said.
Rotterdam Police spokeswoman Patricia Wessels said police were called to a home in the port city in the early hours of the morning and found the 24-year-old Dutch player bleeding from a stab wound.
Greg Halman played a total of 44 MLB games. (AP Photo)
The officers and ambulance paramedics were unable to resuscitate Halman.
Wessels said the officers arrested Halman’s 22-year-old brother. She declined to give his name, in line with Dutch privacy rules.
“He is under arrest and right now he is being questioned,” Wessels told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “It will take some time to figure out what exactly happened.”
No charges have been filed in the case.
Halman hit .230 in 35 games and made starts at all three outfield positions for the Mariners in 2011 before being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma.
Because he played professionally in the United States, Halman was not part of the Netherlands team that won the Baseball World Cup in Panama last month. The Dutch beat Cuba 2-1 in the final to become the first European team to win the title.
Born in the city of Haarlem, Halman played in the Dutch Pro League and was part of the gold-medal winning Dutch squad at the 2007 European Championship.
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