Freel had mixed emotions about the trade.Freel's role as a heavily-used part-time player probably won't change much, and Hernandez should continue to be an above-average offensive catcher, even if he hit just .257 in 2008.
"It's hard to say right now," he said on a conference call. "A piece of me feels excitement and a piece of me is upset about the relationship I've had with Cincinnati. It's tough. One thing in life is you can't look in the past. You have to look in the future. I'm torn."
Freel said he had already spoken with MacPhail, but they didn't go into specifics about what Freel's role would be next season. MacPhail said Freel would play some in center field.
"They're excited to have me," Freel said. "I'm looking forward to a healthy upcoming season."
"This trade was more about Matt Wieters, frankly," MacPhail said. "It had been our goal to make sure we could introduce Matt into the major league scene somewhere over the course of the '09 season, not necessarily to start right away, but we thought he could handle it eventually after a little time in Triple-A possibly under his belt. We knew that would create a situation where we were going to have to split some playing time with him and Ramon, and we knew Ramon wouldn't be happy about that."Wieters looks like the real deal. He's 6'5, 230, bats both, and hit .355 with 27 homers between Class A and Double-A. He's going to be coveted on fantasy draftboards as a potential breakthrough player in 2009.
If Cashman believes that Sabathia simply doesn't want to play for the Yankees, he could shift his attention swiftly to first baseman Mark Teixeira, whom Cashman met last Thursday in the Washington, D.C. area.I think Sabathia is going to end up in Southern California. Just a hunch. The Dodgers will probably have to get creative to get it done.
Although Cashman has emphasized the team's need for pitching this offseason, it seems the Yankees are going to let themselves get outbid by Atlanta for A.J. Burnett. And Derek Lowe is not close to signing with anyone.
A California native and resident, Sabathia would prefer playing in his home state, as well as the National League; he enjoyed hitting during his brief time with the Brewers. But neither the Dodgers nor the Giants appear to have the payroll space, and the Angels are prioritizing Teixeira.
The revamped system -- which this time narrowed the field to a finalist list before a final vote -- along with pressure on the committee to elect somebody may at last open the door for Santo to join teammates Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins in the Hall. He must be named on at least 75 percent of ballots submitted by up to 64 eligible voters.Santo's a nice man, whom I've met, but in my estimation he's not hall of fame material. He was a good player, and a fine third baseman, but that's not enough to get you into the hall. A look at his career statistics shows he was a tough out for a handful of seasons, but not necessarily an elite player for his career. Here's wishing Santo luck, but not expecting his induction.
Detroit parted with two pitching prospects in the deal, right-handers Guillermo Moscoso and Carlos Melo.Laird is a defensive catcher who hit .276 last year. His career average is down around .255, and he doesn't have a lot of pop. The Tigers obviously wanted someone to manage their pitching staff. You'll want to stay away from him in fantasy play, especially now that he's leaving on offensive park for a less offensive one.
Moscoso, 25, made a splash in the Detroit farm system this year by going 5-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 21 games (12 starts) between Class A Lakeland and Double-A Erie. His moxie and swing-and-miss fastball have earned him some comparisons to former Tigers prospect Jair Jurrjens.
Melo, 17, pitched for the Tigers’ Dominican Summer League affiliate this year. He’s known for an explosive fastball that ranges from 92 to 96 miles per hour and has also shown a promising curveball and changeup.
But Bailey remains an intriguing prospect because of his 95-m.p.h. fastball and Sox general manager Ken Williams' penchant for acquiring top prospects who could benefit from a change of scenery.That much may be true, but Williams just dealt Javier Vazquez to Atlanta for prospects, and he acquired Ken Griffey from the Reds last season, then let him go in the offseason. That means it is unlikely that he trades Dye, arguably his most productive right-handed bat over multiple seasons, for another underachieving pitcher with pedigree.
That was the case in previous years with Gavin Floyd and Carlos Quentin.
The Reds' decision to start selling their own advertising for their radio game broadcasts is contributing to an increase in revenue that could translate into a player payroll of around $80 million for the coming season, up from $74.1 million in 2008.How many teams are taking this approach? It's no YES Network, but when you can spread around some extra cash, good things can happen.
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Reds chief operating officer Phil Castellini said radio revenue is up 30 percent over the previous three years and total corporate sales revenue is up 140 percent over the same period.
"We put 100 percent of that into the team," Castellini said. "So you look at the payroll, which is published every year, and figure it out."
The winter meetings begin anew tomorrow in Las Vegas, and many in the industry — Dombrowski included — believe this will be a very active week. The Tigers have a limited budget, and they need a catcher, shortstop and closer.But, then again, why not? Why wouldn't a contending team take Willis on as a 5th starter? As Detroit to pay a percentage of the bill, and if he rebounds anywhere near his former self, you get a steal. If he doesn't work out, he's just a 5th starter. A midseason trade can bring you another arm, or a minor league call-up might pan out. Willis could become an attractive name to many at this week's winter meetings.
They could trade an expensive veteran to clear payroll, but how realistic would that be? Willis, for example, is due to earn $10 million next year and $12 million in 2010. Is any general manager going to look at Willis’ performance this year — 0-2, 9.38 ERA, too many outings were he could not throw strikes — and ask Dombrowski to send him the bill?
Well, not the entire bill. That’s an important distinction.
The odds do not favor a Willis trade this off-season, but the possibility will linger for a simple reason: Every team in baseball needs pitching.
"Pitching markets are always tough because the supply never comes close to meeting demand," Orioles president Andy MacPhail said. "It seems like it gets to be more and more that way. Starting pitching is probably the hardest commodity to have."Doesn't sound too likely that the Orioles will become an instant challenger in the AL East this year. That said, get your fantasy roster ready almost every turn they take against Baltimore.
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Fearful of Burnett's injury history, the Orioles are even hesitant to offer him a guaranteed four years, likely leaving them to pore through other options. They have expressed interest in Paul Byrd, Jon Garland, Mark Hendrickson, Braden Looper and Randy Wolf. They have meetings scheduled with the agents for Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara, and appear to be in decent position to land at least one of the Japanese starters.
And the Orioles, who traditionally have avoided taking chances on pitchers who are health risks, are even considering players such as Bartolo Colon and Matt Clement.
"We're looking at everything," MacPhail said. "We're going to do everything we can to augment our pitching. There's no question it will be difficult. It always is."
"I just want to keep my options open," Lyon said. "After making it six years in this game, it's maybe time to explore these options and see what's out there."Lyon makes for a pretty good setup option for an MLB club, and he's a decent backup closer heading into next season. He holds fantasy value for that reason, but a contending team is unlikely to give him a shot unless it's desperate.
Lyon said he has yet to receive a concrete offer from a team but has received interest from "a lot of teams."
The Diamondbacks will receive one compensatory draft pick should Lyon, a Type B free agent, sign elsewhere.
As for the Diamondbacks, Lyon doesn't sound confident about working out a deal.
"I wish we could have worked something out," Lyon said. "It's not looking like anything is going to get done, with the amount they have to spend and the way the economy is."
I remember watching Evans play, but somehow I thought he had a brief stint with the Red Sox. My mistake.
Evans retired with 414 career major-league home runs and as the first player to hit more than 40 homers in both the American and National leagues and one of only two players, along with Reggie Jackson, to hit more than 100 homers for three different teams.
Oh, and that World Series ring on his finger from the 1984 Detroit Tigers is pretty darn impressive, too.
Evans chuckled that is ancient history to the batch of pro prospects he will be guiding in Victoria.
"I've seen pretty much everything . . . but the only way some of these guys would recognize me is from a Nintendo '87 video game," he quipped.
Boston already has veteran Japanese pitchers Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima on its roster, and Tazawa reportedly has expressed a desire to be a teammate of Matsuzaka. The two attended different high schools in Yokohama.Boston's staff will be very interesting to follow this spring. They have a number of talented arms either fighting for the starting staff or looking for setup role jobs in the bullpen.
"I would be very doubtful that it is completely clean in the sense nobody is using," he said. "You don't know whether this is a temporary response because of the attention it's gotten and whether over time it will begin to resume an increase. I think that's unlikely given the aggressive nature of the response, but it's something you have to be continuously concerned about."Mitchell's report, while fairly detailed, left a lot to be desired. He is correct not to assume anything. Drugs may be down for a period of time, but the next designer steroids are out or will be out, and if players tried them in the past with general success, they'll be looking to them again in the future.
"The whole thing is wrong," sports agent Paul Kinzer said of El Caribe's claim that the A's have offered Furcal a four-year, $48 million deal. A well-placed A's source called the report "untrue" without elaborating further.Sounds like Furcal's options are limited, and the Giants are the best possibilit at this time. Then again, this comes from a Bay Area newspaper, so the questions my be stilted.
El Caribe also reported that the Mets have made Furcal an offer to play second base, and Kinzer said, "We haven't even had any discussions with the Mets, if that gives you an idea how inaccurate this is."
Kinzer said Furcal hopes to narrow his choice of clubs down to two in the next few days. Furcal is talking with the Giants and his former club, the Dodgers. Both the A's and Giants have seen Furcal's medical reports; the 31-year-old missed much of last season following back surgery. Considering this is a holiday week, there's a good chance that negotiations would continue into December.
"The Pirates are committed to creatively adding talent to our organization," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Monday. "By adding these two young men, the Pirates are pleased to not only add two prospects to our system but also hope to open a pathway to an untapped market. We are intrigued by Patel's arm strength and Singh's frame and potential."Talk about thinking outside the box. If you want to call this outsourcing, however, it's not. It's technically in-sourcing, which Major League Baseball's already been doing for years.
"Think of them as two Dominican kids," House told the scouts. "They're very raw. But I think this has a huge upside."Sounds like the Pirates have their work cut out in bringing along these two.
When they first came to the United States and began playing catch, the pitchers were mystified by the concept of gloves and had to taught not to try to catch the ball with their bare hands.
It is unclear whether federal authorities have a sample of DNA from Clemens, according to the Times. Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, would not divulge that information.Somehow, I have the feeling that the burden of proof may be too much to actually nail Clemens on perjury. McNamee held the DNA evidence for a long time, and there's quite the possibility that Clemens' lawyers would play the tampering card in defense.
"As I have said from the beginning, we are willing to cooperate with any aspect of the government's investigation," Hardin told the Times.
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