Thread: 2008-09 MLB Hot Stove

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Bill,
OF COURSE Boras is going to say his clients would look good in NY or Boston, ALL of his clients would look good there, just ask him....

Jimbo,
I think Boras was referring to Lowe being capable of handling the media pressure in those two venues.

People interested in Coco Crisp, gee, he's been available for over 2 years now and no one picked him up, why now ?
Jimbo

Coco will be a very valuable commodity no matter where he ends up.

I love Coco's attitude.

The [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=lad"]Moved Permanently[/ame] want a full-length feature of the [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=2974"]Manny Ramirez Stats, News, Photos - Los Angeles Dodgers - ESPN[/ame] show after last season's short.

General manager Ned Colletti said Wednesday that the Dodgers made an offer to the free-agent slugger, and their pitch would give him the second-highest average salary in the sport behind Yankees third baseman [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3115"]Alex Rodriguez Stats, News, Photos - New York Yankees - ESPN[/ame].

"If you saw the bid, it's nothing that we're embarrassed by," Colletti said at the GM meetings. "Manny was close to that number, anyway -- closer to that area than the last place he's been."

The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that the Dodgers' offer is believed to be for either two years at $50 million or three years for $75 million.

Rodriguez currently has the top average at $27.5 million under the 10-year deal he agreed to before last season. Mets pitcher [ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=4280"]Johan Santana Stats, News, Photos - New York Mets - ESPN[/ame] is second at $22.9 million under the six-season deal he agreed to before the '08 season.

Ramirez, acquired from Boston on July 31, is coming off a $160 million, eight-year contract he signed with the Red Sox before the 2001 season.

"We said, 'Think about it for a while. It's not going to be there forever,'" Colletti said. "Things are always subject to change, and it depends on what else we do, to some extent. I've been asked a few times here if we're going to wait to see what happens with this before we do anything else. But I'm not sure we're going to have the luxury to do that. If there's something else that comes about that we feel we need to do, and the timeliness is there to do it, we'll have to do it."

When the Dodgers were eliminated from the playoffs last month, Ramirez expressed a desire to test the market.

"I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I," he said then.

[ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3685272"]Los Angeles Dodgers make very rich offer to Manny Ramirez - ESPN[/ame]

I read this morning that the Phillies new GM was interested in Jake Peavy. Any chance it could happen? Is Reuben Amaro Jr. really a GM now. Man am I old or what? I remember when his dad played for the Phillies. He and Bobby Wine shared shortstop. Neither hit much but both were outstanding with the glove.

Originally Posted by geonaz

I read this morning that the Phillies new GM was interested in Jake Peavy. Any chance it could happen? Is Reuben Amaro Jr. really a GM now. Man am I old or what? I remember when his dad played for the Phillies. He and Bobby Wine shared shortstop. Neither hit much but both were outstanding with the glove.

geonaz,
What a 1-2 punch Hamels and Peavy would make!!!


Here's the latest Peavy rumors I've seen:


Jake Peavy Rumors: Wednesday

By Tim Dierkes

11:00pm: Meanwhile,
Yahoo's Tim Brown


says the Braves, Cubs, and Cardinals are all working out contigency plans to replace the players they'd use in a Peavy deal.
10:53pm:
Ken Rosenthal says


the Cubs are the frontrunner for Peavy, "perhaps even ahead of the Braves." He says the Cubs also want to re-sign Ryan Dempster. The Cubs' dream rotation would be Peavy, Carlos Zambrano, Dempster, Ted Lilly, and Rich Harden.
The Braves had a window of exclusivity to hammer out a Peavy trade, but that has apparently passed. The Padres like the Cubs' young pitching, even if it doesn't match Atlanta's.
If the Cubs pull this off, they'd have to cut costs by perhaps letting Kerry Wood go and going cheaper in right field.

Jason Varitek wants $52.4 mil from Red Sox

If the Red Sox were entertaining thoughts that their efforts to re-sign free agent catcher Jason Varitek were going to be easy, they learned otherwise yesterday. Agent Scott Boras told reporters that New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada's four-year, $52.4 million deal, which was agreed to last offseason, will serve as a benchmark for any team looking to land Varitek. "It's probably representative, age-wise," Boras said, "and it's also representative of what a player on a winning team (is worth). You're not going to have many catchers who have the performance levels and a 60 percent winning percentage on a franchise and have won two world championships and caught four no-hitters. The idea of it is that there just aren't many in the marketplace that can lead a club like Jason Varitek and that's going to be his value." -- Boston Herald

FOX Sports on MSN - - Ben Maller's MLB rumors

Sorry....but Jorge Posada is a much better catcher than Varitek. Boras is on crack to think Varitek is....

Originally Posted by salsadancer7

Jason Varitek wants $52.4 mil from Red Sox




FOX Sports on MSN - - Ben Maller's MLB rumors

Sorry....but Jorge Posada is a much better catcher than Varitek. Boras is on crack to think Varitek is....

Aren't both of these guys in their mid-thirties? Just about the time when the physical toll of catching, catch's up with the body? (No pun intended). The only buyers I would see for Varitek would be contenders misiing the "final piece". I for one would not be dangling any long-term contracts at him.

If the Red Sox were entertaining thoughts that their efforts to re-sign free agent catcher Jason Varitek were going to be easy, they learned otherwise yesterday. Agent Scott Boras told reporters that New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada's four-year, $52.4 million deal, which was agreed to last offseason, will serve as a benchmark for any team looking to land Varitek. "It's probably representative, age-wise," Boras said, "and it's also representative of what a player on a winning team (is worth). You're not going to have many catchers who have the performance levels and a 60 percent winning percentage on a franchise and have won two world championships and caught four no-hitters. The idea of it is that there just aren't many in the marketplace that can lead a club like Jason Varitek and that's going to be his value." --

Thanks for your service and the memories Jason!

Time to be moving on now.

Mark Teixeira Rumors: Thursday

By Tim Dierkes [November 6 at 10:12am CST]
[ame]http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3685673&name=olney_buster[/ame], the Nationals are preparing to make a significant offer to Mark Teixeira. Olney believes the Angels will make an offer in the $100-120MM range, but that offer will expire soon. If and when Scott Boras passes on that proposal, it might be the Yankees, Red Sox, Nationals, and Orioles competing for Tex.


The Nationals???!!!

Signing Tex would give the Nats instant credibility!

Hideki Matsui-Mariners Rumor

By Tim Dierkes


From
Yahoo's Tim Brown


:
One source mentioned a potential three-way deal that would send outfielder Hideki Matsui from the New York Yankees to the Seattle Mariners for a pitching prospect, perhaps Ryan Rowland-Smith. The Yankees would package the prospect with second baseman Robinson Cano and another young player to the Rockies for Matt Holliday.
Matsui has a full no-trade clause. He's owed $13MM next year, the last of his deal. He hit .294/.370/.424 this year in 378 plate appearances, missing much of the season with knee problems. He
now has two surgically repaired knees


, so he's questionable to play the outfield.
At any rate, it doesn't seem like the Yankees would seriously explore a Holliday trade unless Mark Teixeira signs elsewhere first. And does it make sense for the Mariners to give up a young pitcher and take on a risky DH like Matsui?