Rumors for free-agent
How much is Josh Hamilton worth?
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Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton will be a free agent at the end of the season because the Rangers didn’t reach an agreement with him before Opening Day and because they don’t negotiate with potential free agents during the season. Now, with the start of the season underway and the start Hamilton is having, one has to wonder how much will he be worth on the open market.
Right now, Hamilton is one of the most feared hitters in the Majors and will be a highly sought after free agent. One of the teams that could give the Rangers a hard time with Hamilton this winter are the Yankees, among others. The Yankees have Nick Swisher as their everyday right fielder, but he’ll be a free agent at the end of the season and nobody knows if they will bring him back.
The problem with Hamilton could be his drug and alcohol abuse past and the fact that he had another alcohol-related episode this past off season. Teams interested in Hamilton might be wary about committing to a long-term deal with him in case he falls off track again. Although I think this won’t keep him away from signing a very lucrative deal next off season either with the Rangers or another team.
Hamilton said back in December that all he wants is to be treated fairly by the Rangers. “Treat me fair,” he said. “Don’t come here with no ridiculously low stuff. You know, just be fair…. Obviously I love it here in Texas, but it always comes down to getting treated fairly.”
Now, what does Hamilton consider fair? The Dodgers signed center fielder Matt Kemp to an eight-year, $160 million extension and to be honest I don’t think Hamilton should surpass that deal, especially the length. Kemp is three years younger than Hamilton but has one more year of Major League service. Besides that Kemp has only one DL stint in his seven year career while Hamilton could be considered “injury prone.”
Taking their numbers into account we have that Kemp is a career .297/.353/.506 hitter with 137 HR’s, 479 RBI’s and a 129 OPS+. Hamilton is a career .311/.368/.550 hitter with 126 HR’s, 443 RBI’s and a 137 OPS+. Definitely better numbers for Hamilton, but not eye popping. Hamilton’s career WARP (Wins Above Replacement Player) is 20.8 and Kemp’s 23.5. Hamilton’s career FRAA (Fielding Runs Above Average) is -8.6, although since 2010 he has recorded positive outcomes, and Kemp is a -18.7 career FRAA, which suggests that he should be moved to a corner outfield position like Hamilton.
If it were up to me, I wouldn’t give Hamilton more than seven-years and $154 million. And that, only if he continues to play the way he’s been playing this season and if he manages to stay healthy, and sober, throughout the season would I give him that deal.
Lets not forget that Hamilton will compete with Swisher (.254/.360/.468, 189 HR’s, 601 RBI’s, 13.9 FRAA and 22.7 WARP) and Andre Ethier (.291/.364/.482, 113 HR’s, 468 RBI’s, -14.0 FRAA and 16.7 WARP), among others, in the open market.
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Damon set to sign by May 1st per agent Scott Boras
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Johnny Damon remains a free agent as Opening Day quickly approaches. But according to his agent Scott Boras, Damon will find a new home by May 1st (via Buster Olney of ESPN). Boras had this to say about Damon’s situation:
“Damon will be signed by May 1st; just don’t know where.” He added that Damon is still looking for 450 plate appearances.
The Indians, Tigers, Yankees and Orioles have all stated they are not interested in Damon. Look for Boras to start calling teams after the first week or so of the season who are in need of some offensive help at a corner outfield spot or at the DH spot. But I just don’t see 450 plate appearances happening anywhere for Damon.
Damon, 38, is a career .286/.353/.435 hitter with 231 career home runs and 2,723 career hits. In his 17 year career thus far, he has played for the Royals, Athletics, Red Sox, Yankees, Tigers, and Rays.
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Braves sign Livan Hernandez
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The Atlanta Braves have signed Livan Hernandez to a one year Major League deal worth $750k, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports are reporting.
The deal comes hours after the Houston Astros released Hernandez.
Hernandez went 8-13 with a 4.47 era for the Nationals in 2011. His experience in the NL East probably played a role in the Braves signing Hernandez as prospects Julio Teheran and Randall Delgado failed to pitch effectively this Spring and claim the fifth spot in the rotation.
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Is 2012 the end of Daisuke Matsuzaka as a Major Leaguer?
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In December 2006, the Boston Red Sox signed right handed pitcher Daisuke Matsuzakato a six-year, $52 million, and lets not forget a $51 million posting fee. After five seasons in the Majors, the “Dice-K” fever is long gone and one is left wondering if he’ll actually be in the Majors after finishing his contract with the Red Sox this season.
Since his arrival to the Majors, Matsuzaka has only had one great season. That was the 2008 season when he finished 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA, 0.6 HR/9 and 8.3 SO/9 in 167.2 innings. Although his BB/9 was at 5.0 that year a really high number.
From 2009 until last season Matsuzaka only pitched in 45 games and hasn’t been impressive at all. He has been plagued with injuries and has averaged more than 4 walks per nine innings in each one of the last three seasons (4.6 in 2009, 4.3 in 2010 and 5.5 in 2011). Not to mention his ERA has been 5.76, 4.69 and 5.30 respectively.
For the money the Red Sox invested in him, and the hype he generated throughout the baseball industry, Matsuzaka has been a bitter disappointment for the baseball world, and unless he manages to stay healthy after his Tommy John surgery he probably won’t come back to the Majors in 2013. And even if he stays healthy he will certainly not find a similar contract to the one he signed back in 2006 with the Red Sox. He would probably be given a one-year deal with a team looking for help at the back of their rotation.
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Nationals sign Xavier Nady to Minor league deal
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The Washington Nationals have signed Xavier Nady to a minor league deal, Amanda Comak of the Washington Times reports. Nady will report directly to minor league camp.
Bill Ladson of MLB.com notes that the deal does not include any out dates and Nady will start the season at Triple-A.
Last season, Nady battled the injury bug appearing in only 82 games for Arizona. In those games, he posted a .248 avg, .287 OBP and .359 SLG while hitting just 4 home runs and collecting 35 RBIs.
He also made a base salary of $1.75mm with incentives for being on the active roster for so many days, though he only reached the first bonus (60 days).
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Royals make offer to Ivan Rodriguez
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The Kansas City Royals have offered Ivan Rodriguez an invite to Spring Training, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports. The invite comes after Salvador Perez was injured and will be out of action for three months. Rodriguez is still pondering the offer and has not decided whether he will take it or not.
Earlier in the offseason, Rodriguez was looking for a team that would give him “real playing time”, but you have to wonder as Spring Training roles on if his demands for playing time may have dropped a bit.
We know that the Rays are in need of another catcher, but they have said they are not interested in Rodriguez, nor are the Mets.
Rodriguez had a down year last season posting only a .218 avg in 124 plate appearances for the Nationals.
In 21 seasons, Rodriguez holds a .296 avg, .334 OBP and a .46 SLG with 311 home runs and 1332 RBIs.
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Giants and Matt Cain fail to make progress on new contract
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During the first week of March, we heard that the Giants and Matt Cain had “reached greater common ground in recent weeks,” as it relates to a new contract for Cain. But that was almost two weeks ago, as today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports is reporting that the two sides failed to to make progress today during talks.
No further discussions are scheduled, though Cain has not set a firm deadline for a new deal. But as time goes on, the chances of Cain reaching free agency and leaving the Giants grows.
Given his stamina and the perception of a being a number one pitcher on most team’s staffs, Cain could fetch one of the bigger contracts next offseason.
Last season, Cain went 12-11 with a 2.88 era with a 7.3 k/9.
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Cubs sign Cuban prospect Gerardo Concepcion
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The Chicago Cubs have signed Cuban pitching prospect Gerardo Concepcion to a five-year Major League contract worth $6mm, Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com reports. The deal includes a $3mm signing bonus with the other $3mm spread out over the life of the deal.
Back in January, the Cubs were rumored to be one of the front runners for Concepcion along with the Rangers, Yankees, Marlins, White Sox and others.
“One of our focuses has been on continuing to bring in pitching depth, and he’s a 20-year-old left-hander, really good feel for pitching, three-pitch mix, has had success at a really young age in Cuba,” general manager Jed Hoyer said. “He’s a guy we’re excited to bring over here and work with.”
Concepcion will be placed on the 40-man roster but will report to Minor League camp. A big reason the Cubs are doing this is for Concepcion not to feel rushed and allow him time to adjust to baseball in the States.
Last year when Concepcion was 19, he earned Cuban National Series rookie of the year honors, while going 10-3 with a 3.36 ERA over 21 appearances (16 starts).
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Quotes obtained from ESPN.com
Rays not considering Ivan Rodriguez
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A return to the state of Florida is unlikely for future Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez. According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Tampa Bay Rays are not considering the veteran catcher as an option for their backstop needs.
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Chris Young close to re-signing with Mets
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Free agent pitcher Chris Young appears close to rejoining the New York Mets, a source tells Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. The source went as far as to tell Martino that, “It will happen.” Young had narrowed his choices down to the Mets and Padres but prefers a return to the Mets.
Young pitched in four games for the Mets last season before he suffered a season ending tear of the anterior capsule in his shoulder.
Young and the Mets agreed to terms on January 17, 2011 on a $1.1mm deal with tons of incentives. Young missed five months of the 2010 season due to a shoulder injury. After his return, he made four starts going 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA over 20 innings.
In 2011, Young was 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 24 innings.
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