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Iiee–gowa! $26 Million for Igawa!?!?!
What?!?! This is nutz!!! I thought that $51 million was crazy and now this! The bid for Kei Igawa came in at around $26 million, he isn’t even half the pitcher that Diasuke Matsuzaka.
Part of the reason why the Boston Red Sox bid so high for Matsuzaka is that they were trying to get a foothold in the Far East market for players. The New York Yankees submitted the bid for Igawa even though they already have a working agreement with a Japanese baseball team and already have Hideki Matsui on their roster. They don’t have to make their presence known.
Igawa throws a mid-80s fastball with little movement. He also throws a decent curveball that’s probably his best pitch. Essentially, he’s a lefty long-reliever. Essentially, he’s a Ron Villone.
Yes, Ron Villone, a lefty pitcher that actually pitched for the Yankees in 2006 for less than 10% of the bid submitted by the Yankees alone.
Then there’s what you can buy with the $26 million for the bid alone. How about Adam Eaton for 3 years and have change left over? One year at that amount would’ve probably lured even Tom Glavine into pitching for the Yankees if you’re looking at left-handed starting pitching. Or how about someone that did well with the Yankees the last time he played for them? Orlando Hernandez showed he still had the stuff to win in the playoffs and was also cheaper than the bid.
What’s worse is that Yankees GM Brian Cashman already sees Igawa as a back of the rotation starter.
This is sad.
Mets Land Delgado
In his continual search to find high-priced latin talent, Met GM Omar Minaya finally grabbed one of the big fish that got away from him last year. The Mets acquired Carlos Delgado in a trade with the payroll cutting Florida Marlins.
Minaya got the power bopper that he wanted, Delgado reached 30 homers for the ninth consecutive season this past year and is an RBI machine. Carlos also gives protection in the batting order to another Carlos….Beltran, last year’s big signing. Delgado’s bat is feared more than Cliff Floyd’s and the protection should improve Carlos Beltran’s statistics.
By grabbing Delgado and signing Billy Wagner Omar Minaya not only added a significant amount of payroll, but placed the Mets into serious contention to take the NL East division from the Braves for the first time in 14 years. Delgado is one of the best RBI men in the business and Wagner is one of the best closers, shoring up two of the major problem areas of the Mets last season.
However, Omar gave up a lot to aquire Delgado. The organization’s top pitcher, Yusmesiro Petit is the second top pitching prospect to leave the organization in the past two years (remember Scott Kazmir?). Although he is projected to only be a middle of the rotation starter, Petit was one of the “untouchables” of the farm system. Although he probably deserves another year of seasoning in the minors, the Marlins will probably call him up soon to take his learning lumps in the rotation.
Mike Jacobs was brought up from Double-A last year and provide the spark at first base that the Mets had needed for some time. This kid hit .321/.376/.589 at Double-A with 64 extra-base hits. He then continued to excel with the Mets (.310/.375/.710), hitting 11 home runs in only 100 at-bats.
Although there was some concern that about his ability to hit left handed pitching, he could have eased into regular hitting against lefties since Xavier Nady had been received in the Mike Cameron trade. But Jacobs was sent to the Marlins where he should put up decent numbers soon, if given some protection in the lineup.
The third player that the Marlins received was promising third-baseman Grant Psomas who hit .301/.399/.517 with 37 doubles and 20 homers last year at the two “A” levels of the Mets system. Although it is early to make a call on Psomas, his statistics are very promising.
In all Omar Minaya gave up organization’s second and fourth ranked prospects, and a promising third baseman. Basically, he’s thinned out an already bleak farm system through this trade to win this year. He has his prime hitter, but at what cost? The Marlins, broadcasting their salary dump anyway, acquired decent talent to rebuild with in return.
Trade Bait: Brew Crew, D-Backs Swap 6
The Brewers and the Diamondbacks threw together an unspectacular, but interesting deal involving six players.
At the top of the Brewers list was Johnny Estrada. Their current catcher, Damian Miller, is 37 and often injured. Bringing in the younger Estrada immediately upgrades the offense as he will get most of the playing time and allows for a catcher, still capable of starting, to rest him often.
The Brewers also received Claudio Vargas for the rotation and Greg Aquino for the bullpen. Vargas will replace Doug Davis, who went to Arizona in the trade. Vargas is younger than Davis, pitched better than Davis last season, and is cheaper as well. Aquino deepens the bullpen and has the arm to be a good addition if he harnesses it well.
The Diamondbacks’ “prize” of the trade was Doug Davis who will add a little more experience to their starting rotation. He’s a durable innings eater that should take some pressure off the D-Back bullpen. Walks have absolutely killed him the last couple seasons though and his hits per nine innings have increased over the past three years as well.
They also took Dana Eveland, possibly the pitcher with the most potential out of the group. The last two seasons he has put up very good numbers in the minors, only to struggle in the majors. With a little more seasoning and a decent defense behind his groundball style, he could be a decent innings eater in the majors.
The final player that Arizona got was Dave Krynzel. This former first round pick has not had a decent season since he played rookie ball. Could Arizona GM Josh Byrnes seen something in Dave that everyone else has missed the past few years?
Overall, it looks as if the Brewers came out ahead in this deal as Brewers fans should start to salivate over what pitching coach Mike Maddux could do with Vargas and Aquino. Possibly the only way this would backfire on the Brew Crew would be if Eveland developed into a good, dependable starter.
Astros Double-Dip for Free Agents
The day after Thanksgiving the Astros solidified two signings that had been rumored for weeks. Outfielder Carlos Lee and pitcher Woody Williams signed up for the 2007 season and beyond.
Carlos Lee coming to the Astros had been rumored for some time as he owns a ranch near Houston. His presence will provide a powerful bat that immediately makes the Astros offense much better than last season. While the team’s defense took a hit with him taking over in left field, his bat makes up for his defensive shortcomings.
Woody Williams has been a solid pitcher over the past few seasons, especially after his time with pitching coach Dave Duncan in St. Louis. Williams is also coming home to the city he grew up in and near the college he was a star at, University of Houston.
With Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte becoming less likely to return, the Astros had to make a move. Although this crazy market has seen an insane amount of inflation, the Astros seem to have overpaid for Lee as his average annual salary is nearly as high as Alfonso Soriano’s, a clearly better player.
Trade Bait: Padres get a Ring
On Wednesday the Padres traded outfielder Ben Johnson to the Mets, along with another reliever, for two relievers. Will this be an annual thing for Mets GM Omar Minaya and Padres GM Kevin Towers? Each year Kevin will give Omar a mediocre outfield prospect in a trade? Last year it was Xavier Nady, in a trade that worked out better for the Padres as they ended up with Mike Cameron.
Ben Johnson has some pop in his bat, but has only two good seasons (’99-Rookie Level, ’05-Portland (.952 OPS)). Maybe Omar is looking for a cheap fifth outfielder with some pop off the bench.
Minaya also acquired Jon Adkins who had a good 2.90 ERA for the season, but his 1.37 WHIP was nothing to write home about and may be an indication of future troubles.
For Johnson and Adkins, Towers received left-handed Royce Ring and righty Heath Bell. Ring is a former star at San Diego State University and is poised to become the team’s left-handed specialist. He has some personality and weight issues, but had himself a good season in 2006, showing his potential in the majors.
Heath Bell has always had good control and displayed it the last two seasons at Triple-A with a .75 WHIP in 2005 and a 1.03 WHIP in 2006. Where Bell has struggled has been when he’s pitched for the parent club as he has completely fallen apart, posting ERAs above 5.00 each year. But Heath is yet another California native that might welcome the change of scenery, resulting in a better outcome in the Majors.
Although Ben Johnson’s bat may come around in New York, it looks like Kevin Towers has come out ahead in this trade as he continues to pack his bullpen with potent arms.
Red Sox Win Right to Sign Matsuzaka
On Tuesday night we discovered that the Boston Red Sox won negotiating rights for phenom Japanese pitcher Diasuke Matsuzka. The Red Sox submitted the highest bid through Japan’s vigorous posting process.
Boston’s bid, rumored to be an astonishing $51.1 million, far out distanced may of the other bids rumored to be submitted by other teams. $51.1 million! That’s more than the entire payrolls of some other teams! Theo, have you been stuffing pennies away someplace?
It should be interesting to see how Matsuzaka fares in his first season in the majors and how he adjusts to the Green Monster. What will be more interesting will be how he fares three years down the road. It seems like Japanese pitchers tend to fizzle out after just a few seasons in the majors. It may be an inability to adjust to the hitters’ adjustments to them or the overworking they get while pitching an eye-popping amount of innings in Japan that finally catches up to them. Whatever it is, the Red Sox may want to watch him closely.
Now the Sox have to negotiate with uberagent Scott Boras to finalize a contract within the 30 day negotiating window. Yes, the same Scott Boras that fleeced the Texas Rangers to give Alex Rodriguez about $100 million more than the next highest bidder.
What Scott Boras agrees to may also be notable as well. Will Scott want a long term contract with $12 million to $14 million per season? Or will he go for a three season contract to let Diasuke establish himself in the market before going for the major contract with 29 other teams pushing up the price? Or does Boras think Matsuzaka is good enough to blow the majors away in one season and then go immediately after the multi-year contract after 2007? Matsuzaka’s value may be the highest after his first season as hitters will be studying tapes throughout the off-season to make sure they’re not fooled again.
Boras, you’re on the mound now, let’s see what you got. Watch yourself though, I’ll be looking for the pine tar.
Deal or No Deal Ramierez
Even after significant bargaining between Cubs GM Jim Hendry and Aramis Ramirez’s agent Paul Kinzer, no contract was hammered out before the deadline for teams to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents. Rumors abound that Hendry finally gave in to Kinzer’s demands for six years and $90 million, but Kinzer turned it down. Supposedly, Ramirez and Kinzer are looking for Carlos Beltran money, seven years and $119 million.
Seven and $119 million? Who does Kinzer think he is, the second coming of Scott Boras? Carlos Beltran signed his contract two years ago after showing that he can take his game up a notch in the playoffs while with the Astros. He also plays Gold Glove caliber defense in center and is able to steal 30 plus bases? We haven’t seen Ramirez in the playoffs, but it is obvious that Ramirez is no Brooks Robinson at third, nor is he considered a speed demon on the base paths.
I applaud Hendry for not giving in to Kinzer’s demands. Now he can spread the money allocated for Ramirez to the other positions that are needed.
To the other GMs throughout MLB that may be thinking of signing Aramis Ramirez at the $119 million that Kinzer wants, what’s your coat size? I just want to know what size of straightjacket is needed before we throw you in a padded room.
UPDATE: Aramis Ramirez signed for 5 years and $75 million. Getting the deal down to five years instead of seven is MUCH better as his health problems, especially his back, are a concern. Also, the contract is for a few million less per season than what Kinzer supposedly wanted. This deal looks more like the market price for Ramirez.
Whine Sheff Whine
Gary Sheffield whined and whined and finally got what he wanted, a trade out of New York. Hasn’t he don’t something like this before? Or the bigger question, didn’t the new CBA state that players in the midst of long-term contracts could not demand trades?
As soon as his name hit the trade market though numerous teams were knocking down the Yankees GM Brian Cashman’s door for the outfielder. The 37 year-old outfielder coming off major surgery that kept him out most of the season.
This was somewhat of an odd trade from the Tigers standpoint, even before you get to the prospects they gave up. They already have a right fielder that they are paying a boatload for. The main guy that’s been playing left field, Craig Monroe, showed that he’s a clutch hitter in the playoffs. Sure, they did need a power bat that has the patience that the current free-swinging lineup doesn’t have. But they needed a LEFTY power bat, Sheffield is a righty.
But Gary is an impact hitter that should improve the entire lineup, not just those immediately ahead of or behind him.
To get Sheffield, Dave Dombrowski gave up three pitchers, one of the best starter prospects in their system and two Single-A relievers.
Humberto Sanchez was the key to the deal. Although he has a weight and injury history, he is a hard thrower with four different offerings. If he keeps his weight down and doesn’t get injured, he and his 97 mph heater could be in the majors by midseason.
The second pitcher, Kevin Whelan, is a solid bullpen candidate with a decent fastball and two different splitters. He supposedly has the stuff to be an asset at the back end of the pen. That is if he cuts down on his walks.
Anthony Claggett may also make the majors as a reliever, but he doesn’t have the same stuff as Whelan. Claggett may be more of the middle reliever type if he does make it.
Dombrowski did give up a lot for an aging, cranky outfielder, but if you look at the trade from a distance it does look a little different. Sanchez has a significant injury history and they still have Wil Ledezma, Andrew Miller, and Jordan Tata. As for Whelan and Claggett, both are relievers and showed promise in only Single-A.
Regardless though, you have to give the initial edge to Cashman as he got a great return for a player that was wanting off his team
Free Agent Predictions
Yeah, yeah, I know. Predicting where the free agents will go is like betting when Steinbrenner will blow up next, or when the Rangers will overpay for the next Scott Boras client, or when Gary Sheffield will demand a trade next (dang, lost that one already). But as a baseball analysis and commentary website, I have to make my predictions on where the major free agents will go, even if it looks pathetic in April.
Unlike many of the media outlets, I have predicted the whereabouts of the signings of the major baseball free agents. Yet, I didn’t stop at 10, at 20, or at 25. I predicted the signings of 79 of the free agents. Why 79? I have no clue.
To see my predictions and some of my idiotic reasoning for the signings, download the link below.
The Baseball Opinion’s
2006-2007 Free Agent Signings
If you have your own list of predictions, feel free to submit them and I’ll post them within the ‘Over a Beer and Peanuts’ section.
Trade Bait: Josh Barfield
Josh Barfield had a good rookie season in the majors. So good that he drew the interest of the Cleveland Indians. After realizing that it would cost too much to bring back Ron Belliard (and the fact that he was below average defensively), the Indians looked at other options. However, the free agent market wasn’t filled with great finds at decent prices, so they looked to the San Diego Padres and Barfield.
Josh, the son of former big leaguer Jesse, hit to the tune of .280 with 32 doubles, 13 homers, 72 runs and 21 steals during his first season in the majors. He has the potential to up those numbers over the next couple years to .290 with 40 doubles, 20 homers, 100 runs, and 30 steals depending on his position in the lineup. Add on that his defense is better than Belliard’s and he’ll get paid the minimum over the next two seasons before he hits arbitration and Josh looks like a great grab.
However the Indians did pay dearly for the second baseman. To get Barfield, the team had to trade third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and right-hander Andrew Brown.
Kouzmanoff was the prize of this trade for the Padres. He batted a combined .379 with 22 homers and 75 RBI in 94 games between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo last season before taking the jump to the majors. Kevin immediately solves the Padres troubles at third for the next few seasons as he becomes a productive bat in the middle of the lineup.
Andrew Brown is an oft-injured pitcher that has great stuff. Mainly due to his recurring injuries, Brown was moved to the pen in 2006 and showed promise as he posted a 2.60 ERA in 39 games. Under new manager Bud Black’s tutelage he could be their next dominant reliever.
The fallout of this trade will be interesting over the next few weeks. First, it looks as prospect Andy Marte’s job at third for the Tribe is his to loose. That is if the Indians do not bid or win the posting bid for Akinori Iwamura to play the hot corner. Second, this trade opens a hole at second base for either the return of Mark Loretta or a trade for Brian Giles’ brother, Marcus, from the Atlanta Braves.
It has been often rumored lately that the Padres were interested in Giles to play third. A rumor that puzzled me as I have never been impressed with his arm. These same rumors usually list setup man Scott Linebrink returning to the Braves for their beleaguered bullpen. Is Brown the reliever that Padres GM Kevin Towers is planning to rearm his bullpen if Linebrink is traded? This trade may be an indication of more to come…check the headlines.
