Tagged: Twins
Twins’ Talks for Casey Blake Reach Impasse, Dodgers Make 3 Year Offer
The Twins’ talks for Casey Blake have reached an impasse. They didn’t want to offer 3 years, but rather 2 years with an option for a 3rd. Blake apparently thought he stood a good chance of getting that 3 year deal from a different team. It’s possible that Blake could still end up in Minnesota, but he would have to be unable to land that 3 year deal.
The point may be moot, however, because the Dodgers have made a 3 year offer to Blake. They expect to hear back on Blake today. I’m guessing he will accept the contract offer, because no other team seems willing to offer 3 years. If he does indeed sign, it will be a solid move for the Dodgers. With their remaining money, they will try to resign Manny Ramirez and Rafael Furcal. They would also like to squeeze a starting pitcher in, but I’m not sure how they’ll do that. It looks like they may have to chose between Furcal and a starter. Of course, this all depends on the amount of money they give Blake. I can’t imagine it will be more than 6 million per year, though. If it is 3 years, 18 million, it will have been a solid signing in my opinion.
Even if Blake doesn’t sign in L.A. today, the Dodgers are still the unquestioned frontrunners.
Rafael Furcal News
Rafael Furcal has been a hot topic among baseball writers, but not among baseball teams. They have been disappearing from the Furcal sweepstakes after the A’s dropped out. The Indians could be interested, however.
I’m surprised that the A’s dropped out. They seemed like the perfect fit for Furcal, especially after the Giants signed Edgar Renteria. They offered him 4 years 35-40 million. Furcal declined, and the A’s ended their pursuit. I’m sure talks will start up again, partly because teams are dropping out of the Furcal sweepstakes.
There no longer seems to be a great fit for Rafael. The Dodgers don’t want to pay the amount of money he wants, and even if he came back with a smaller demand it’s possible the Dodgers could decide to fill different holes with their money. The Giants are out, and the A’s won’t up their offer. Just like that, the top three bidders are all out.
Some wild cards could enter the mix, however.
Like mentioned above, the Indians have shown interest. Furcal would make so much sense for their team. A signing would allow them to move Grady Sizemore down to the #3 hole in the lineup, greatly improving the overall team. Jhonny Peralta could move to third base in order to accommodate such a move. The Indians seem like the team that could jump in and steal Furcal right off the market.
The Twins could also make sense. They have 15 million to spend, and don’t have much speed in their lineup. They pulled out of the Casey Blake sweepstakes (more on that later) almost right after the A’s dropped out on Furcal. This could just be a coincidence, but you never know. It seems to make a lot of sense to me.
The Cubs want to add a leadoff man and almost had Furcal signed when he last entered free agency 3 years ago. He still fits great on their team. Ryan Theriot would move to second base, and Mark DeRosa would move to right field. Adding Furcal to their already impressive lineup would make them a much better team, which is hard to do when you win 97 games. The only issue is payroll. The Cubs only have about 3 million left to spend after arbitration raises if my calculations are correct. Jason Marquis could be traded, but it would still be a stretch to fit Furcal in. This is possible nontheless.
So we have learned that Furcal won’t sign with the A’s unless he takes less than what he wants, his market is not exactly booming, and the Indians, Twins, and Cubs could be possible dark horses.
Who would take Mike Lowell?
If the Red Sox sign Mark Teixera, move Kevin Youkilis to third base, and attempt to trade Mike Lowell, who would be interested in trading for the latter. He was not great, and battled injuries throughout the year. He had surgery, but should be back to 100% by spring training. Lowell has 2 years, 24 million left on his deal. That is about market value; the Red Sox will get some team to take on the contract. With only 2 decent names available via free agency, and with only one via trade, there should be a large amount of teams at least considering taking on Lowell’s contract. If the Dodgers don’t bring back Casey Blake he could go to LA. The Twins and Indians could make sense if they fail to fill other needs. Remember, the Red Sox would mainly just be looking to dump Lowell’s salary, so they won’t need much in return. I can’t say I love the idea of trading Lowell and signing Teixera, but it can’t hurt, can it. For 8-10 extra million, they add a huge bat to the middle of their lineup. If they want to really counter the Yankees possible addition of CC Sabathia, they need to make this move.
Team’s Payroll
I will put the amount of money teams will have to spend this offseason along with their payroll from the previous year, arbitration eligible players, and the salary they have committed. This will make things easier when trying to guess who could afford the top-notch free agents. I was informed greatly from MLB Trade Rumors. This will be a side-bar link.
|
Teams |
Last year’s payroll |
Salary Committed |
Arbitration Eligible |
Estimated money to spend |
|
Braves |
102 million |
48 million |
Casey Kothman, Omar Infante, Kelly Johnson, Matt Diaz, Jeff Francoeur, Mike Gonzalez |
45 million |
|
Mets |
138 million |
104 million |
Ryan Church, John Maine, Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano, Duaner Sanchez |
28 million |
|
Phillies |
103 million |
100 million |
Cole Hamels, Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, Greg Dobbs, Ryan Howard |
15 million |
|
Marlins |
21 million |
20 million |
Scott Olsen, Jorge Cantu, Ricky Nolasco, Mike Jacobs, Jeremy Hermida, Josh Willingham, Dan Uggla, Cody Ross, Matt Treanor, Alfredo Amezaga, Joe Nelson, Kevin Gregg, Logan Kensing, Eulogio de la Cruz, Doug, Waechter |
0 million |
|
Nationals |
55 million |
40 million |
Ryan Zimmerman, Tim Redding, Jesus Colome, Ryan Wagner, Willy Harris |
10 million |
|
Cubs |
118 million |
122 million |
Reed Johnson, Ronny Cedeno, Michael Wuertz, Neal Cotts, Chad Gaudin |
20 million |
|
Brewers |
80 million |
60 million |
Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, JJ Hardy, Corey Hart, Dave Bush, Seth McClung, Todd Coffey, Chris Capuano |
20 million |
|
Cardinals |
100 million |
78 million |
Aaron Miles, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Ludwick, Todd Wellemyer, Brad Thompson |
20 million |
|
Reds |
74 million |
54.5 million |
Bill Bray, Edwin Encarnacion, Mike Lincoln |
15 million |
|
Astros |
86 million |
88 million |
Humberto Quintero, Ty Wigginton, David Newhan, Brian Backe, Wandy Rodriguez, Jose Valverde, Geoff Geary, Tim Byrdak |
15 million |
|
Pirates |
49 million |
31 million |
Ryan Doumit, Adam LaRoche, Nate McLouth, Paul Maholm, Zack Duke, John Grabow, Tyler Yates, Denny Bautista |
8 million |
|
Dodgers |
59 million |
118 million |
Russell Martin, Andre Eithier, Takashi Saito, Jonathan Broxton, Scott Proctor, Yhency Brazoban |
50 million |
|
Diamond Backs |
66 million |
55 million |
Chris Snyder, Augie Ojeda, Conor Jackson, Chris Burke, Edgar Gonzalez, Chad Qualls |
10 million |
|
Rockies |
68 million |
77.5 million |
Garret Atkins, Willy Tavaras, Jorge de la Rosa, Jason Grilli |
3 million |
|
Padres |
73 million |
44 million |
Jody Gerut, Scott Hairston, Heath Bell, Clay Hensley |
4 million |
|
Giants |
76 million |
64 million |
Fred Lewis |
10 million |
|
Angels |
124 million |
87 million |
Macier Izturis, Rob Quinlan, Chone Figgins, Ervin Santana |
30 million |
|
A’s |
48 million |
29 million |
Huston Street, Justin Duchscherer Rob Bowen |
10 million + |
|
Rangers |
67 million |
63 million |
Gerald Laird, Marlon Byrd, Brandon McCarthy, Frank Francisco, CJ Wilson, Kameron Loe |
10 million |
|
Mariners |
117 million |
88 million |
Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard, Jeremy Reed |
20 million – |
|
White Sox |
121 million |
108 million |
Bobby Jenks, DJ Carasco, DeWayne Wise |
10 million |
|
Twins |
57 million |
54 million |
Jason Kubel, Matt Guerrier |
15 million |
|
Indians |
79 million |
64 million |
Kelly Shoppach |
15 million |
|
Tigers |
137 million |
115 million |
Marcus Thames, Ramon Santiago, Fernando Rodney, Justin Verlander, Gary Glover, Joel Zumaya, Bobby Seay |
|
|
14 millionRoyals |
58 million |
52 million |
John Buck, Esteban German, Mark Teahen, Joey Gathright, Zack Greinke, Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies, Jimmy Gobble, Joel Peralta |
7 million |
|
Red Sox |
133 million |
92 million |
Kevin Youkilis, Kevin Cash, Javier Lopez, Jonathan Papelban |
33 million |
|
Rays |
43 million |
49 million |
Edwin Jackson, Dioner Navarro, Jason Bartlett, Gabe Gross, Jonny Gomes, Grant Balfour |
5 million |
|
Yankees |
209 million |
140 million |
Xavier Nady, Wilson Betemit, Chien-Ming Wang, Brian Bruney |
50 million |
|
Blue Jays |
98 million |
80 million |
Jose Bautista, Jason Frasor, Brian Tallet, Brandon League |
15 million |
|
Orioles |
67 million |
63 million |
Freddie Bynum, Luke Scott, Nick Markakis, Jeremy Guthrie, Daniel Cabrera, George Sherrill, Chris Ray, Fernando Cabrera |
15 million |
Player Market: Casey Blake
Casey Blake leads the third base free agent market. There will be tons of suitors for him. Not only because he is the best third baseman available, but also because of his versatility. Let’s take a look.
Dodgers (frontrunners) You can’t trade one of the best third base prospects in the game and then just take a pass on his replacement. I know it will be hard locking up Blake, but you’d have to think the Dodgers would have to go all in to get him. Casey is more of a small-town guy, but with the Dodgers possibly offering 3 years, 24 million, he might take the money over the geography. I think he stays in Dodger Blue.
Braves (frontrunners) His versatility would make him a very valueable asset to the Braves. He could play either outfield corner, so they’d have flexibility if Jeff Francoeur continued struggling. The’d also be able to move Blake to third base in the event of a Chipper Jones injury. They also have the money to get a deal done. Don’t be surprised if he goes here.
Twins (frontrunners) They need a third baseman, and Blake makes a lot of sense here. They will go hard to try and trade for Adrian Beltre, but if they miss out Blake is a great fall-back option. He would also be nice to help out in the outfield if Michael Cuddyer reinjures himself.
Mets (possible) He could sign on in New York with the Mets and see a lot of time in the outfield. The only problem is that they’ll have to outbid the Dodgers and give Blake possibly up to 30 million over three years. That’s way to much. It would be far smarter to add a few million and sign Raul Ibanez. They get a far superior bat for only a little more money. Or Jaun Rivera could make sense for a lot less on a one year deal.
Giants (possible) There will always be the Giants – Dodgers rivalry. It is both on an off the field. The Giants could decide to spend a lot on Casey Blake to improve the infield and keep him from the Dodgers. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see them aggressively pursue him.
Reds (not likely) They will probably have interest because of his good bat for left field, but he will be grossly overpayed for an outfielder. Especially with all the better ones available via free agency. The only thing that might cause a discount from Casey Blake is Great American Ballpark.
Rays (not likely) The Rays had interest in him at last year’s trade deadline. They probably will pursue him to an extent this year, too. But instead I find it more likely they go with cheaper options.
Phillies (not likely) They’ll want him as a left fielder to replace Pat Burrell, but they don’t have a lot of money to spend. It might be smarter to use Citizens Bank Park as a lure for Jaun Rivera to sign on the cheap.
Indians (dark horse) The Indians are a dark horse candidate to resign Casey Blake. He still makes a lot of sense for their team. Although there might be a little bad-blood, a deal could still get done.
Player Market: Dan Uggla
It seems like the Marlins will make slugging second/third baseman Dan Uggla available this offseason. There will probably be tons of suitors. Lets check them out.
Cardinals (frontrunners) Bryan Anderson for Dan Uggla. This trade just makes too much sense for both teams. The Marlins get a catcher significantly better than Matt Treanor and open up a position for the fast, good defensive Chris Coghlan. The Cardinals get the bat they want to protect Albert Pujols, and Bryan Anderson has no role on their team because of Yadier Molina. I’d be surprised if either team got a better offer for their player.
Indians (frontrunners) They also have a catcher they could trade. They would be reluctant to do it, but Kelly Shoppach could get a deal done for both sides. I explained how it made sense for the Marlins above, and it makes sense for the Tribe, too. They’d have to be 100% sure Victor Martinez is healthy or else they shouldn’t do the deal. Dan Uggla can play either second base or third base, so it gives them even more flexibility as to who they will sign. This trade also makes sense.
Marlins (frontrunners) Unless they can get a good, young catcher in return, it might make more sense to trade Jorge Cantu or Mike Jacobs instead. Both players could bring back a hard throwing pitching prospect: the kind of player the Fish are looking for. Plus, it improves the defense by moving Jorge Cantu to first base or another team. If they want to build around pitching, defense, and speed it makes sense to move someone other than Uggla.
Twins (possible) If the Marlins are willing to take young pitching for Uggla, then the Twins are a good fit. They could offer one of their young guns and play Uggla at third base. I don’t know if the Marlins would do this trade, though.
Giants (possible) It is pretty much the same thing here as with the Twins. If the Fish will take pitchers, the Giants could trade Jonathan Sanchez for him. If the Marlins don’t accept starters, then Uggla won’t be in a Giant uniform next year.
A’s (possible) It’s possible the Marlins would rather have hard throwing prospects instead of proven young pitchers. If that is the case, don’t be surprised to see Uggla heading down to the bay area. The A’s could play him at second base until Adrian Cardenas is ready, then they could move him to third base. This makes sense for the A’s, but maybe not the Marlins.
Dodgers (possible) They could offer James McDonald. He’s not the best prospect, but could get the deal done with an added player and poor offers for Uggla. Or, the Marlins could decide to keep him and trade someone else.
White Sox (not likely) They would be interested, but I don’t see them giving away their farm for another slow player. I don’t know if they could even pull off a trade. They’d be much more interested in Brian Roberts.
Player Market: Adrian Beltre
The Mariners hold the best third baseman available this offseason in Adrian Beltre. Since they want to rebuild, it makes sense for them to shop him around. Remember, he has a no-trade-claus, so he’d probably only go to a contender. Lets look at some teams that could become interested.
Twins (frontrunners) They need a third baseman and Beltre is the best available. He has one year, 11.5 left on his contract. Unless the M’s eat a lot of salary, they can’t expect to get one of the Twins four good young pitchers. Even if they do eat part of the conract, it might not be enough. I think Kevin Mulvey for Beltre is fair for both teams. It would take away the depth at starting pitching for the Twins, though, and that’s something they probably don’t want to do.
Mariners (frontrunners) I have a feeling that they’ll ask for a ton, just like they did at last year’s trade deadline. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see this happen, I just pitty every Mariners fan.
Indians (possible) They would like to move Jhonny Peralta to third base so they can improve the defense. But adding Beltre and his gold glove helps their defense more than most other players could. They could offer Ben Francisco or Franklin Gutierrez. The player could play a lot on a terrible team like the Mariners.
Dodgers (possible) Could Beltre go back to his former team? It’s possible. They could make an offer that apeals the Mariners. I think Beltre would go back to LA to belt some homers. This trade could work out, but in the end, I think the Dodgers will resign Casey Blake instead of trading for Adrian Beltre.
Award Predictions: American League
Today I will do the award predictions for the AL, and tommorrow I’ll do the NL.
MVP
Dustin Pedroia. He has been amazing for the Red Sox, is very close to the league lead in batting average, and gets both steals and homers. He is the best all around player that plays a scarce position on a great playoff team. Whats not to like?
Cy Young
Cliff Lee. This is a pretty easy choice. Lee will lead the league in wins and ERA. He also gets his fair share of strike-outs. I know he isn’t on a contending team, but he is the best pitcher in the AL by a large margin.
Rooky of the Year
Evan Longoria. This is a very easy choice. He’s the best player on the best team in the AL East. He’d be the choice even if the Rays were terrible. Evan has carried that team, and will win the ROY.
Manager of the Year
Joe Madden. The Rays have been the biggest surprise of the year. They went from worst to first and aren’t done. This, however, would only be my pick if the Twins miss the playoffs. If they make it, then Ron Gardenhire would be my pick. I know the Rays were a worse team last year and a better this year, but they had more talent than the Twins did, and didn’t drastically downgrade in the offseason.
General Manager of the Year
(I know this isn’t a real award, but I think it should be. It is rated on deals through the year.)
Billy Beane. Remember at the beginning of this offseason when everyone was talking about how bad the A’s farm system was? Well, now they have arguably the best one. After trading Dan Haren, Rich Harden, Nick Swisher, and Joe Blanton for a ton of great prospects, they are bound for success. This team is going to be contenders in 2010 or 1011, all because of Billy Beane.
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Offseason Plan: Conclusion
The Offseason Plan series has sadly ended. It was a lot of fun writing this. I hope you enjoyed it. Remember, you can always click on the sidebar link: Offseason Plan to see them all. Here are the links for every team’s offseason plan…
Marlins, Astros, Blue Jays, Cubs, Diamond Backs, Dodgers, Mariners, Giants, Orioles, Red Sox, White Sox, Tigers, Indians, Angels, Phillies, Rays, Royals, Reds, Rockies, Mets, Twins, Padres, Nationals, Rangers, Brewers, Pirates, Cardinals, A’s, Braves, Yankees.
All Baseball All The Time 
