Bleacher Report - AL East

Doc Halladay's Demands

Ian Hunter — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:24:00 -0500

When it comes to off-field distractions, Roy Halladay would prefer not to deal with the drama.

ESPN’s Buster Olney spoke with one of Halladay's reps and said that if Roy Halladay is still with the Blue Jays next season, he will veto any trades after Spring Training and will therefore fly the coop as a free agent

Part of me wants to believe that it's just Halladay's agents who are trying to stir the pot and get the check-books of the Yankees and the Red Sox warmed up for the impending bidding war. Alex Anthopolous says he hasn't heard this from the horse's mouth or spoken to Halladay's representatives directly, so one can only guess the validity of this claim.

If this statement is in fact true, is it really all that surprising?

From the All-Star game until the July 31 trade deadline, all eyes in baseball were on Roy Halladay. Up until that point, Halladay’s biggest audience was the handful of Toronto sports writers…then the Ken Rosenthal article dropped and all hell broke loose.

We learned one important thing during that storm of trade talk and rumours—Halladay does not want to experience that ever again.

Speaking to the media and fielding questions day after day was not part of his routine, and whether or not he wants to admit it, maybe all that attention threw him off his game a little bit.

Some might say that Halladay’s alleged declaration decreases his trade value, but I think it actually increases it. If teams were banking on picking up Doc at the trade deadline as a rental, they now have to re-think their strategies and determine whether they have the resources to trade for him prior to Spring Training 2010.

For Alex Anthopoulos and the Toronto Blue Jays, it’s either now or never—trade Roy Halladay or watch him leave uncontested, just like Carlos Delgado did in 2004.

While it would be excruciatingly difficult to see Roy Halladay just walk away from this organization as a free agent, Halladay and his agents have all the power and the Blue Jays are simply at their mercy.

I just hope that Halladay take it easy on Jays.

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Tampa Bay Rays Acquire Kelly Shoppach From Cleveland Indians

Adam Bernacchio — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:15:02 -0500

According to the Tampa Bay Rays official site, the Rays have acquired catcher Kelly Shoppach from the Cleveland Indians for the vaunted player to be named later or “PTBNL” as us cool kids say.

I really like this pick up for the Rays.

I have always been a Shoppach fan going back to his days with the Boston Red Sox. I thought the Red Sox were going to reacquire him this offseason, but it was not meant to be.

Shoppach will be catching for the Rays in 2010

The Rays have been looking for a catcher because Gregg Zaun is a free agent and Dioner Navarro was completely useless last year. Talk about a World Series hangover. What happened to him last year?

Navarro hit .295 with a .757 OPS and was an All Star in 2008, but in 2009, Navarro reverted back to his 2006 and 2007 form by hitting a pathetic .218 with a .583 OPS.

Shoppach’s career has taken a similar path as Navarro’s. Shoppach was a backup catcher in 2006 and 2007 and then in 2008 Shoppach had the opportunity to start thanks to a Victor Martinez injury.

Shoppach proceeded to have a career year in 2008 when he hit 21 home runs and had an .865 OPS in 113 games for the Indians. In 2009, Shoppach suffered through injuries and had a down year, hitting only .214 with a .734 OPS in 58 games.

This trade gives the Rays a couple of options. The Rays could now let Navarro go instead of offering him arbitration by the December 12 deadline and re-sign Zaun. This would give them a Shoppach/Zaun tandem in 2010.

The second option would be to keep both Shoppach and Navarro. With Shoppach arbitration eligible as well, I believe the Rays will go with the first option.

If you were to ask me, Shoppach is a much better candidate than Navarro to have a bounce back year.

For the Indians, they will get a back player for a player who was probably going to be non-tendered in a couple of weeks, so it’s not a bad deal for them.

With Lou Marson and top prospect Carlos Santana ready to take over the catching duties in the future, Shoppach was expendable.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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How Should the New York Yankees Handle Arbitration with Deadline Approaching?

Greg Fertel — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:47:18 -0500

The arbitration deadline is midnight, so every team has to decide which players it will offer arbitration to and which it won't. It is an interesting day because it hints at what the team's offseason plans are.

I touched on this back in October but have since changed my mind. I predicted that the Yankees would offer Andy Pettitte arbitration, but not Johnny Damon.

There was only a month of baseball after I wrote this, so nothing should have changed, but there are some things that have come up that have led me to think differently.

Johnny Damon, Type-A

Johnny Damon made $13 million in 2009 and put together quite an offensive season. Arbitration committees tend to like things like home runs and RBI while seemingly ignoring equally important things like defense.

If the Yankees went to arbitration with Damon, it is likely he would receive a one-year contract in the neighborhood of $15 million. Boras said that Damon would use Bobby Abreu's two-year, $19 million contract as a guideline for Damon, and that seems fair to me.

Paying Damon $15 million for one season in this market seems like a giant overpay to me, and that's why I don't think the Yankees will offer him arbitration. The lure of an extra first round pick and a compensation pick is tempting, but the market dictates that Damon shouldn't get $15 million, so it would be hard to see him turning down an arbitration offer.

Andy Pettitte, Type B

Back in October, I figured the Yankees should offer Pettitte arbitration. I'm still for this move, as there are much worse things than having a No. 3 starter on a one-year deal at $11-12 million.

However, I'm not close enough to the situation to know what is going on here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Pettitte has said that he would only come back to the Yankees in 2010.

I don't think the Yankees will offer Pettitte arbitration, but I'm not sure they have the leverage to bring him back on an incentive-laden deal at this point. I think offering Pettitte arbitration is the safe bet. If he comes back, you're paying him a fair rate. If not, and he signs with another team, at least the Yankees net a draft pick.

Hideki Matsui, Not Rated

The Yankees obviously won't offer Matsui arbitration, but I just wanted to touch on Matsui anyway. The other day, Buster Olney tweeted, "Heard this: Matsui's attraction as a marketable asset is no factor for the Yankees. It is about getting the right player at the right price." I believe that the Yankees wouldn't get someone solely because of their marketability, because they are focused on winning.

Would signing Matsui prevent them from winning? I don't think so. Second to winning, it always has been, and always will be, the money. The right price for Matsui is a totally different animal than the right price for a different DH.

If the Yankees had to throw Matsui a few extra million bucks over a guy who would produce the same offense, it would absolutely be worth it. Aging designated hitters aren't in demand right now, so Matsui should come at a heavily discounted rate from his previous contract.

The reason, in the end, that Matsui will be back is the money.

So there you go. My guess is that the Yankees don't offer anyone arbitration. I think offering Pettitte arbitration would be the right call, but I don't think it is that important. We'll find out soon enough, and I look forward to finding out what the Yankees are thinking.

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Is Dustin Pedroia Moving to Shortstop?

Adam Bernacchio — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:44:59 -0500

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

According to ESPN’s Peter Gammons, the Boston Red Sox have asked 2B Dustin Pedroia if he would be willing to move over to shortstop:

They’ve asked me if I think I could play shortstop,” says Pedroia. “They’ve put it out there and I’ve told them I’m all for it. I can do it. I can’t wait for Tito [Terry Francona] to call me and ask, ‘Can you do it?’ I can do it. I really want to do it.”

Why don’t the Red Sox just hold open tryouts for shortstops at this point?

You know how Texas A&M has the tradition of the “12th Man Kickoff Team” where members of the student body get to try out for the football team? The Red Sox should do that to fill their shortstop need in 2010.

The Red Sox should just go to Boston College, Harvard, Providence, and UMass to find a shortstop in 2010.

Now if anyone can make the transition from second to short, it could be Pedroia. After all, he was an All-American shortstop at Arizona State University.

Like Gammons said, moving Pedroia to short would allow the Red Sox to pursue one of the top-tier second basemen on the market this winter. There are better options at second base via trade or free agency than there are shortstops.

Orlando Hudson, Dan Uggla, Brandon Phillips, and even Mark DeRosa are all second basemen who can be had this winter. If Pedroia does move to second, out of the group above, Phillips might make the most sense.

Uggla can’t play defense, DeRosa is more of a third baseman at this point in his career, and Hudson seemingly gets hurt every year. Phillips is a great defensive player and is a player that could thrive in the deep Red Sox lineup.

I wrote about the pros and cons of trading for Phillips last month.

The more I think about, the more I think this has a very good chance of happening. Pedroia is the ultimate team player and will do whatever it takes to win. If that means moving to shortstop, then so be it.

“When the idea of moving back to shortstop was floated to me, I welcomed it,” says Pedroia. “I’m excited. Tell Derek (Jeter) to enjoy the gold glove and silver slugger awards while he can. Obviously, I’m not serious about the fun I have with Derek, but I’m never stopping believing in the goal. I believe I can play shortstop and help get the Red Sox back where they belong.”

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Irish Coach, Yankees Manager, or Cowboys QB?: The Best Job in Sports Is...

John P. Wise — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:07:28 -0500

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

I started thinking about this last week, then found myself in a lukewarm debate on Bleacher Report about how prestigious the Notre Dame coaching job is.

One dude called it the most prestigious position in the entire world, and it didn't sound like he was exaggerating.

I think that's a bit of a stretch, but it's certainly one of the plum jobs in all of sports. If you're winning, that is. If you're not, as Charlie Weis found out Monday, it's a bushel of sour, rotten, brown apples.

Last week, in between gobbles, I wondered how I'd prefer to earn a living if my choices were:

Notre Dame football coach

Kentucky basketball coach

Yankees manager

Cowboys quarterback

Now, before you sign up to play QB for Dallas, with its acclaim, adulation, and endless supply of beautiful women, take an objective look at the four jobs above.

Look beyond the material possibilities and really consider which job you think would give you the best combination of a challenging and rewarding work environment, the best opportunity for success, the mental health and happiness for you and your family, and whatever other factors that key into your decisions to pursue certain jobs.

Notre Dame Football Coach

Growing up in Ohio, I loved the Buckeyes, but the college I heard about most after OSU was Notre Dame.

The Irish have long been the most scrutinized college football team in America, regardless of whether good news, bad news, or no news is coming out of South Bend. That type of microscope, coupled with pressure from the media, the university, alums, Catholics, fans, and to a degree NBC, among other sources, is not for the squeamish.

Could you handle it?

Kentucky Basketball Coach

The microscope, pressure, and expectations here are similar to those at Notre Dame. These are high-profile gigs on a national level, but because, in either position, your office is in small-town, Middle America, you are the biggest of fish in the smallest of puddles.

The likelihood that you'll own Lexington if you do the job right is stronger than the likelihood you'll own South Bend, where a 10-2 record would have saved Weis' job, but still left many whimpering about those two losses.

Yankees Manager

You are in charge of the most celebrated franchise in all of sports. Your team has won more championships than any other. Your logo, your history, and your pinstripes are as intimidating as they are famous.

You've retired more jerseys than most teams have won World Series. Your owners will buy you as many gourmet groceries as you need, you just need to cook the dinner and tolerate some occasional interference in the kitchen.

You also must answer to a relentless band of reporters, each of whom will leave no garbage can lid unturned in the world's largest media market, trying to make a story out of nothing. Do not underestimate the impact that will have on your ability to live your daily life.

Cowboys Quarterback

There seem to be two key requirements for this job: Be great, and be a savvy PR guy. Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman fulfilled those demands perfectly and they are in the NFL Hall of Fame.

Tony Romo, who many felt just two years ago was the next Brett Favre, will be known only for his off-field dalliances until he wins his first playoff game. Once he does that? He'll just need to win a Super Bowl or three.

No doubt there are many perks to the gig, but the everything's-bigger-in-Texas approach especially applies to the expectations and the pressure.

If I had to pick, I'd take the Kentucky basketball job.

I think the fewer people you have to coach and supervise, the more likely you are to have success that derives directly from your teaching, which would give me the most professional satisfaction. Also in a smaller circle, you're less likely to have one of your own find himself in some sort of off-field controversy, which sadly, would be a very real concern for me.

Lexington and South Bend are smaller towns, but I prefer the horse country in Kentucky, and I wouldn't feel the guilt of an entire religious denomination if I had unprotected, premarital, adulterous sex with Ashley Judd.

Finally, and I think most importantly, I'd much rather coach a team in the Final Four than risk botching the hold on a game-winning field goal attempt in an NFL playoff game.

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What Does Fate Hold for Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes in 2010?

Gavin Bedell — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:47:04 -0500

Major League Baseball's offseason is famous for its high-priced free agent signings and blockbuster trades.

General managers are on the phone 24/7 trying to put together the perfect roster for the upcoming season.

However, the New York Yankees have one glaring issue that needs a solution.

Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain both burst onto the scene in 2007.

Hughes came in as the second youngest player in the American League in late April and showed promise in a start against the Rangers before getting injured, sidelining him until August. In 2008, Hughes pitched very poorly. In only eight starts, he had no wins to show and a frightening 6.62 ERA.

Joba came onto the Yankees as a reliever, although he had been a starter his entire life. He lit up the radar gun and soon had Yankee fans everywhere excited. Joba's strict innings limit, known as the "Joba Rules," stemmed from surgery he had coming into the league and has severely limited his development as a starter.

Coming into the 2009 season, the Yankees had high hopes for their two young, promising pitchers. However, things went differently than planned.

Hughes began the season in AAA but was called up shortly after Chien-Ming Wang's injury. Hughes pitched well but was eventually sent to the bullpen as the setup man after Wang returned in early June.

Hughes had great success in the pen, finishing the year with eight wins and a 3.03 ERA. This success did not continue into the postseason, where Hughes struggled mightily setting up Mariano Rivera.

Joba was placed in the starting rotation to start the season for the first time in his career. Although he still had an innings limit, the Yankees hoped to spread out his innings so he could last longer into the season.

Chamberlain struggled most of the season, except for a bright spot after the All-Star Break where he seemed unhittable. His velocity was nowhere near what fans saw as a reliever, and his breaking pitches were not nearly as sharp and devastating. Joba was eventually moved to the bullpen late in the year and finished the season 9-6 with a 4.75 ERA.

Now that 2009 is over and in the books, let's look ahead to what 2010 holds for Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.

With CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Andy Pettitte the only pitchers penciled into the 2010 rotation, the uncertainty of Chien-Ming Wang's health, and a poor free agent starting pitchers pool, the Yankees will need Hughes and/or Joba to fill one or both of the remaining two spots.

But how effective can they be? We have seen both Hughes and Joba struggle in the rotation. Will Hughes be back in the pen, or will we see Joba lighting up the radar gun as the bridge to Rivera?

In my opinion, 2010 is the year for Hughes and Joba to make their marks in the American League as starting pitchers. Throw them in the rotation. Joba should be able to go 200 innings this year, and Hughes shouldn't have a problem stretching back into a starting pitcher over the offseason and into Spring Training.

If the plan goes awry, then decide the better of the two evils and throw one of them back into the pen. The Yankees cannot wait around forever to decide if these two fine young pitchers can have success in the rotation. It has to be decided this year.

We all know the potential Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain have. They have both been at the center of potential trades and are coveted by every team. With World Series rings on their fingers, they should have the confidence to now go out and start effectively. A great offense backing them up shouldn't hurt either.

Go out and show people why you were drafted so highly, why you were so feared in the minors, and why you deserve to be a part of the New York Yankees' starting rotation.

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SI Names Jeter Sportsman Of The Year

Ryan Maloney — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:26:00 -0500

For the first time in its 55-year history, the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award will go to a member of the New York Yankees.

The magazine announced Monday that Derek Jeter is the 2009 recipient of the award.

This October, the Yankee captain led the Bronx Bombers to their fifth World Series title since his debut with the franchise in 1996. Jeter hit .334 this season with 18 home runs and 66 RBI. He also stole 30 bases on just 35 attempts. He had stolen just 26 bases over the previous two seasons combined.

His efforts at shortstop earned him his fourth AL Gold Glove Award in six years. He also collected his fourth straight AL Silver Slugger Award to go along with the AL Hank Aaron Award. The Aaron award is given annually to the bet hitter in each league, as voted on by fans and members of the media.

Jeter is the first baseball player to receive the SI SOTY award since the entire Boston Red Sox roster was awarded it in 1004 after winning the franchise's first World Series in 86 years.

Prior to that, Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling shared the award after pitching the Arizona Diamondbacks to their only World Series title in 2001. They defeated Jeter's Yankees in seven games.

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Derek Jeter Named Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year"

Frankie Riolo — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:51:00 -0500

While Derek Jeter may have missed out on winning the American League MVP Award to Joe Mauer, this is one award no one can take away from him.

It was announced today that Jeter will be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year.

This is the first time that a Yankee has won the award in the 56 years of its existence, and the first time a baseball player has won since 2004, when the entire Boston Red Sox team was honored.

Jeter had one of the best years of his career in 2009, as he was ranked in the top 10 of several major American League categories. This led to the claiming of his fourth AL Silver Slugger Award and fourth AL Gold Glove.

But, as Sports Illustrated points out, the award does not simply recognize great accomplishments on the field, but off the field as well.

Jeter has been seen working with many charities, particularly with his Turn-2 Foundation, which he founded in 1996.

The organization concentrates on encouraging children to avoid abusive drugs and alcohol while improving social skills, such as leadership.

It truly makes me happy to see one of my childhood idols win this award. I myself have tried to emulate Jeter in many ways since I was probably about 10 years old, both while playing baseball and while presenting myself around other people.

Whether you are trying to copy his batting stance or help others in need, the Yankee captain is certainly a great example of what a person should strive to be.

Award well deserved.

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Boston Blunder: Red Sox Strike Out in Pursuit of Shortstops

Jeremiah Graves — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:17:04 -0500

The Boston Red Sox need a shortstop.

It’s as simple as that.

It’s time for the club to forget about acquiring ace Roy Halladay or a slugging first baseman like Adrian Gonzalez or Miguel Cabrera.

The Red Sox's No. 1 priority needs to be acquiring a legitimate starting shortstop.

The club hasn’t had a reliable shortstop since Nomar Garciaparra left town in the infamous 2004 trade that aided the Sox in breaking an 86-year championship drought.

Since 2004, the Red Sox have run out 19—count ‘em, 19—different shortstops, all with middling levels of success.

Here’s a quick look at the main players in the Red Sox shortstop rotation of the past half-decade.

After the club traded away Garciaparra, Orlando Cabrera manned the position admirably for the remainder of 2004. The club chose to let him walk via free agency, and the black hole opened.

In 2005, the club trotted out Edgar Renteria and his newly minted four-year, $40 million contract. After one uninspiring season at the plate and 30 errors in the field, he was shipped to Atlanta.

In stepped Alex Gonzalez for the 2006 campaign. Gonzo played solid defense but, as is his trademark, couldn’t hit to save his life.

In 2007, the club finally got the shortstop they had coveted for years, Julio Lugo.

Lugo was signed to a very Renteria-like four-year deal, this one for $36 million. He was expected to bring defensive stability to the infield and a legitimate leadoff hitter to the lineup.

Instead, he struggled early on in his Boston tenure and never recovered. Injuries and ineffectiveness lead to Lugo losing playing time to prospect Jed Lowrie and journeyman Nick Green.

In 2009, things got so bad that the Sox cut Lugo, despite owing him more than $13 million that remained on his contract.

The Sox made a late season trade to bring back Gonzalez for a second tour of duty in Boston. Gonzalez responded by hitting well for the Sox. He hit .284/.316/.453 with five home runs down the stretch.

Gonzalez’s strong showing didn’t impress the club enough to warrant exercising his $6 million option for 2010, but the club was rumored to be interested in bringing him back at a lesser salary.

The Red Sox, however, wanted to kick the tires on some other options before inking Gonzo to another deal.

The club reportedly showed interest in J.J. Hardy, but he was dealt from Milwaukee to Minnesota in a very busy opening weekend to the offseason.

The club also has reportedly made overtures to Arizona regarding shortstop Stephen Drew, all the while assuming that Gonzalez would still be waiting by the phone for Theo Epstein’s call.

Unfortunately for the Sox, that’s not exactly what happened.

Last Thursday morning, while Epstein was no doubt preparing for a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, new Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos was busy signing Gonzalez to a one-year, $2.75 million deal with a $2.5 million club option for 2011.

In doing so, the Red Sox' options immediately became very limited.

The club has basically three free agent options.

Marco Scutaro, who will no doubt be overpaid wherever he lands, is the first and seemingly most popular option, especially among Red Sox Nation.

Miguel Tejada, who at this stage in his career is far more suited for a corner infield position, is the second option.

Former Red Sox shortstop MLB&id=2485&line=279020&spln=1" target="_blank">Orlando Cabrera is the popular third option.

The Red Sox have shown interest in Scutaro, but it is believed that Scutaro, 34, is looking for a multi-year deal coming off a career year.

If and/or when he regresses to his career averages, the Sox would be on the hook for yet another light-hitting shortstop with diminishing defensive skills.

Additionally, the Blue Jays are expected to offer Scutaro arbitration.

As a Type A, signing Scutaro to an ill-advised multi-year deal would cost a first-round draft pick, in addition to the money the Sox would undoubtedly be throwing down the drain.

Tejada will be 36 years old next season (in theory) and is a liability in the field, but he would offer the offensive production the Sox could definitely stand to have inserted into the lineup.

It also isn’t known what type of contract Tejada is looking for, but anything longer than a one-year pact would be risky business for any club.

Cabrera, 35, has two Gold Gloves to his name and a history of helping clubs reach the postseason. He also has a lot of miles racked up and is quickly becoming a shell of the player he was just a few short years ago.

He is a liability in the field and more suited for a shift to second or third base.

Offensively, he has gone from a table-setter and ideal No. 2 hitter to a prototypical bottom-of-the-order hitter.

Making Cabrera even more of a long shot is that he’s currently looking for a two-year, $10 million deal.

Another free agent who hasn’t been mentioned much is Felipe Lopez.

Lopez, 29, makes a lot of sense if the Sox are willing to sacrifice a ton of defense, as he hasn’t played shortstop regularly since 2007 and hasn’t played it well since—ahem—ever.

He does, however, offer some serious offense.

Lopez posted a very solid .310/.383/.427 line in 2009, which is higher than his career norms, but not out of line with what could be expected if he spent a full season hitting in a bandbox like Fenway Park.

Beyond the aforementioned free agent options, the Red Sox still have Jed Lowrie, but he’s only hit .235/.313/.372 in the big leagues and has missed considerable time with wrist injuries.

For now, it seems that the Sox don’t appear sold on Lowrie as a legitimate answer at shortstop.

None of the other prospects in the Sox farm system are anywhere near ready to make the leap to the big leagues.

That leaves the trade market.

The Sox have already been linked to the aforementioned Stephen Drew and J.J. Hardy, but Marlins-Hanley-Ramirez-moving-north-to-join-Bos?urn=mlb,205531" target="_blank">recent reports have the club interested—yet again—in their former top prospect, Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins.

Ramirez is exactly the player the club needs going forward. He’s young, athletic, speedy, powerful, and—here’s the best part—he’s rapidly improving at shortstop.

After posting abysmal numbers in his first two seasons, he’s quickly becoming a solid defender up the middle.

Undoubtedly, acquiring Ramirez would take a major coup for the Marlins—the kind of coup that would make Marlins fans forget that an already notoriously stingy front office just shipped off the club’s franchise player who was under a very reasonable long-term contract.

That kind of coup would probably equate to starter Clay Buchholz, shortstop/starter Casey Kelly, and reliever Daniel Bard.

The scary part is that it may even cost more than that, and rightfully so. The Marlins have absolutely no incentive to move Ramirez unless they are absolutely blown away in a deal.

In the end, the Red Sox may be best served to sign a one-year stopgap.

In doing so, the club could hope for an extreme amount of growth by 19-year-old prospect Jose Iglesias and/or hope that top prospect Casey Kelly proves he can hit at the big league level and becomes a full-time shortstop.

If neither of those options pan out, the club can simply wait for next offseason, when the crop of potential free agent shortstops includes more enticing options such as Jhonny Peralta, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins, and Jose Reyes.

The options are currently very limited for Epstein and company to do much in the way of improving the situation without destroying the farm system or overpaying for diminishing veterans.

As such, I think we can all safely assume that Epstein is already scribbling out his offseason goals for 2010-2011 in one simple sentence.

The Boston Red Sox still need a shortstop.

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Has Marco Scutaro Started Calling the Shots?

Ian Hunter — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:45:00 -0500

Type A free agency must be an incredible power that changes a man because it sounds like the temptation of playing for big money with a perennial playoff contender might be going to Marco Scutaro's head.

MLBTR recently reported that Scutaro's preferred destinations are the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers because they give him the best chance of playing in the postseason.

When did Scutaro suddenly decide to start calling the shots?

Predominantly a career journeyman, Scutaro hit career highs in all offensive categories in 2009 and did a decent job fielding during his first two full seasons in the majors as a full-time shortstop. He's expected to command a hefty contract from the highest bidder on the market, but I wonder if all this attention has made him a little jaded.

With six years of service time under his belt, it's not as though Scutaro has had a long and tortured time in the majors like his former teammate Roy Halladay. Unlike Doc, Scoots played in both the Division and League Championship Series with the Athletics in 2006.

Don't get me wrong—Marco Scutaro was a great player for the Blue Jays, and after the year he put up this season, he rightfully deserves a big paycheque. However, is he really in the position to start making demands to sign with a team who is a perennial contender?

Perhaps Scutaro should speak to Halladay about how long you have to play on a losing team before you can start making demands to play for a winning team.

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Tis the Season

Jeff Summers — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:58:54 -0500

“Mom’s Ticked! She saw what you did.” Unfortunately that is a text message that I receive quite regularly from one of my kids. I’d love to say that I had no idea what this was referring to but this time I actually did.

Now that Thanksgiving is over it is time to retrieve the Christmas decorations from the boxes in the garage and transform our normally Sedona Red home into a winter wonderland. Over the years we seem to have accumulated just about every holiday decoration that has ever been made.

Decorating for Christmas is not just an afternoon event. At our house it cannot even be confined to a single day. Instead it feels like it stretches for days or even weeks. Because of this we have to start right after Thanksgiving in order to get them all up before Christmas arrives.

Among the various decorations is the Christmas tree. When we were first married I was a firm believer in having a real Christmas tree. As the years went by, it became more and more of a hassle and finally I succumbed and bought an artificial tree.

Our house has vaulted ceilings which tend to dwarf a regular sized tree. So when I bought the tree I measured the ceiling height and added a few inches. The result was that we bought a nine-and-a-half foot tree for our living room.

I went with the pre-lit variety since I really don’t like to hassle with putting lights on the tree. Even with the lights already on the branches it still takes a couple of days to completely decorate the tree.

This year, despite her better judgment, Trina left me in charge of the tree while she focused on the other decorations. This happens about as often as the Diamondbacks making the postseason. Somehow it never works out and in subsequent years she takes over the tree duties for a while.

I have a love/hate relationship with the Christmas tree. On the one hand I love seeing it fully decorated and enjoy sitting by the tree watching the lights twinkle. On the other hand, I get frustrated whenever I get the decorations out of the box, especially the tinsel.

When the Arizona Diamondbacks were first awarded I went out and found the perfect Christmas tree tinsel. It was purple with specks of copper. I was so proud of that tinsel. Then after the 2006 season the Diamondbacks changed their colors and suddenly that tinsel mocked me every time I took it out of the box.

Every year the tinsel comes out of the box I curse at the thoughts of putting the old team colors on the tree. That is usually followed by a trip to the various stores in the area desperately seeking Sedona Red tinsel.

I will think I have found the perfect Sedona Red tinsel and then when I compare it to my Diamondbacks hat I will find it is the wrong shade of red. I’ll then put the tinsel back and go to the next store. After a fruitless search I’ll return home and be forced to use the old purple tinsel.

Over the years the tinsel has taken a beating and had become fairly ragged. Last Christmas Trina decorated the tree and while I was gone she replaced the tinsel. Instead of going through the same search for Sedona Red tinsel she did the unthinkable.

She brought home New York Yankees blue tinsel and wrapped it around the tree. I remember coming home and discovering that my Christmas tree was now wrapped in the colors of an American League team.

She may as well have ripped my heart out and stomped on it. So this year it is even worse than in years past. It was bad enough that my tree was using the old team colors; now it is wrapped in the tinsel of the Evil Empire.

Despite all of my grumbling Trina insisted that the tinsel was perfectly fine and I was not to replace it. So begrudgingly I used the Yankees tinsel.

After hours of work getting the tree up, troubleshooting burnt out lights, and washing my hands numerous times after handling Yankees tinsel, the tree was finally decorated—or so I thought.

As I was about to put the ladder away the kids reminded me that I did not put the tree topper in place. Trina has an angel that adorns the top of our tree. I just could not bring myself to add yet another American League symbol to our tree.

So I did what any National League fan would do. I climbed to the top of the ladder and put my Arizona Diamondbacks hat on top of the tree. I climbed down and admired my work. It looked perfect.

Now based on the text message my daughter sent I may have to re-think my decorating or at the very least come up with a reason why the Diamondbacks hat is more appropriate than an angel at the top of the tree.

Maybe I’ll just tell her; the Yankees may wrap the tree but the Diamondbacks are on top. I’m sure she’ll buy that, won’t she?

Read more AL East news on BleacherReport.com

Doc Halladay Would Look Great in Fenway

James Rohricht — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:52:34 -0500

Roy Halladay will never don a Blue Jays jersey again. As a fan base, we know that much. What we don't know is who will cowboy up and give up the necessary talent to land this ace.

Many are speculating that the Halladay sweepstakes will eventually turn into a classic Red Sox versus Yankees bidding war. It's hard to argue. Last offseason, the boys in blue managed to spend $441 million for five players! That figure was over two times what the rest of the American League spent altogether.

The Red Sox spent just $12.5 million. However, they made several midseason trades, including the acquisition of V-Mart, which solidified and also jumbled the offense. They must have known that the pitching needs would come to the forefront this offseason.

So, it would make perfect sense if the Red Sox made an extra special push for Doc. Right? Not quite. To make this deal happen, the Sox would most likely need to give up their pride and joy, Clay Buchholz. In my opinion, this move would be considered pretty clever, considering that it is Roy Halladay, even if only for a year.

Last season, Halladay racked up 17 wins, 208 Ks, and an absolutely respectable 2.79 ERA. On the other side of the deal, Buchholz didn't exactly light up the league. Clay finished the year with just seven wins, 68 Ks, and an unattractive 4.21 ERA.

Seems to me like this deal would be an absolute steal for the Sox. Also, let's be honest. Boston's starting rotation isn't exactly a sure thing. Sure, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are great, but beyond them, who else is there? Daisuke can't stay healthy, Wakefield will turn 44 next season, and, as previously stated, the young gun Buchholz is too inconsistent to be a big-leaguer.

After digesting all of this information, the result should be clear. The Red Sox must sign Doc, not only because he will essentially improve the team, but to make a statement to the boys in the Bronx that they will not just lay down and die at the sight of C.C. Sabathia. That's the call Mr. Epstein. Make it happen.

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Red Sox Reportedly Eyeing Hanley Ramirez

Nick Poust — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:47:39 -0500

The Boston Red Sox traded one of their top prospects, shortstop Hanley Ramirez , to the Florida Marlins during the 2005 offseason.

In the deal, Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell came to Beantown, and both produced for the Red Sox.

They helped bring the franchise a championship in 2007.

But Ramirez also flourished with the Marlins.

He won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 2006 by hitting 17 homers, 46 doubles, 11 triples, while driving in 59, swiping 51 bases, and scoring 119 runs.

The following season, he had 29 homers, 48 doubles, 212 hits, 81 RBI, and hit .332 with a .386 on-base percentage. After a similar 2008 campaign, he clubbed 24 homers and drove in 106 while batting .342 this past season.

The Red Sox kept an eye on the budding pro-turned-superstar, and with these statistics it would have been hard not to.

Currently, the Red Sox don’t have a shortstop.

They lost Alex Gonzalez to free agency and the Toronto Blue Jays. In response to his departure, they expressed interest in free agent Marco Scutaro. They also spoke to the Arizona Diamondbacks about the availability of Stephen Drew.

Evidently tired of searching for average shortstops, they have turned their attention to the 25-year-old Ramirez.

Their former top prospect is due nearly $50 million over the next five years, relatively inexpensive given his talent-level.

But the Marlins, with a payroll well under $30 million, simply may not be able to afford to hand out that kind of cash.

This is where the Red Sox come in.

In need of a shortstop, they are a franchise that can easily dole out millions upon millions...just like candy. They contacted the Marlins, and the porous franchise apparently listened intently.

Bill Madden of the New York Daily News writes that "the Red Sox are reportedly engaged in talks with Florida about reacquiring the All-Star shortstop."

This is music to my ears.

Ramirez is only 25 and he is the best shortstop in baseball.

He would sure-up a hole that’s been gaping since Nomar Garciaparra left in 2004, and bolster an already formidable lineup.

Can you imagine a Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, and Ramirez threesome atop the Boston lineup?

To make this happen, the Red Sox would have to give up major league-ready talent, which means starting pitcher Clay Buchholz, and a few of their top prospects—most likely three in a group consisting of shortstop/pitcher Casey Kelly, pitchers Michael Bowden and Daniel Bard, and outfielders Ryan Westmoreland and Josh Reddick.

The package would have to be pretty overwhelming, and would presumably deplete their farm, but if they could somehow get the Marlins to take Kelly, Bowden, Westmoreland, and another prospect not named Reddick, Bard, or Buchholz, I would pull the trigger.

Ramirez is a rare talent with power, speed, and plate discipline.

The Red Sox have players with power, speed, and plate discipline, but not one with all three attributes.

Their roster is old, which could keep their management from giving up an array of touted prospects, but Ramirez’s youth and talent would help them in the short term and, given they would still have plenty of players roaming on the farm, allow the Red Sox to stay extremely competitive longterm.

Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein and Owner John Henry watched arch rival New York win the World Series.

This offseason, they have sought out to improve in order to overtake the Yankees.

They want to celebrate next year just as New York did this year.

Hanley Ramirez could help them achieve their goal.

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Where Will They Land? Predicted Destinations for Baseball's Top Free Agents (P2)

Nick Poust — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:20:01 -0500

Adrian Beltre isn't going to hit 48 homers like he did in 2004. He isn't going to drive in 120 runs, either. But he would give the Twins 20-30 homers and stellar defense at third base.

There are four sure-fire stars on the free-agent market–Matt Holliday , Jason Bay , John Lackey , and Chone Figgins , but there are countless others that, though classified as B-list free-agents, are capable of putting up solid numbers.

Having predicted where the top-five free-agents will land , here now are my predicted destinations for free-agents six through ten.

6. Andy Pettitte

Pettitte has been a tremendously dependable pitcher over the course of his career, and especially in the playoffs. He can be counted on to accumulate 12-15 wins during the regular season, 3-4 more during the playoffs, and an ERA in the low 4’s.

There is no reason for him to leave the World Series champion New York Yankees, and they have no reason not to retain him. He, who won all three playoff-series clinchers, will stay with New York, barring an unexpected retirement.

7. Marco Scutaro

Alex Gonzalez , who was the shortstop for the Boston Red Sox last season, Red Sox; a look at Red Sox shortstop carousel" target="_blank">signed a one-year deal with Scutaro’s old team, the Toronto Blue Jays , so it’s only fitting that the 34-year-old signs with the Red Sox.

There aren’t a lot of pleasing shortstops on the market (it’s Scutaro, a 36-year old and intriguing Miguel Tejada , and offensively-challenged Adam Everett , and that’s about it), and not many that are available via trade (unless Boston trades Florida the farm for Hanley Ramirez ), but though it appears Scutaro is the only option for Boston, they want him and he wants the Red Sox .

He picked a good time to have a career year. This past season, he hit .282 with 12 home-runs and 60 rbi’s out of the leadoff spot, and posted a tremendous .379 on-base percentage.

He is aging, and would probably want a three-year deal from Boston, but he’s a very good defender (he only made 10 errors), doesn’t strikeout very often (he had only 75 strikeouts compared to 90 walks in 144 games), and would be a good fit with Boston.

If he is signed by the Red Sox, he will be their sixth shortstop in as many years.

8. Jose Valverde

The fiery closer has been one of the best in the business over the past three seasons.

He saved over 40 games in both 2007 and 2008, and though he appeared in just 52 games in 2009 for the Houston Astros, the 31-year old compiled 25 saves in 29 chances, allowed only 15 runs in 54 innings, and had his best ERA, 2.33, since his rookie year with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Not many teams are looking for a closer. The lack of demand for a saves machine is either because they can’t afford to spend money, or because they have their own options in-house or on the farm.

One team in particular needs to add bullpen stability, and that would be the National League’s representative in the World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies.

Their closer, Brad Lidge , had a nightmarish regular season. In four more innings than Valverde, he had a 7.21 ERA, allowed 51 runs, 11 home-runs, walked 34, and blew 11 saves.

He pitched well in the postseason before being shelled in his lone World Series appearance, but the Phillies should certainly be on the lookout for a replacement.

They could move Lidge to the eighth inning, thereby taking the pressure off to increase his effectiveness, put Ryan Madson in as the setup man’s setup man, and Valverde in as closer.

The 6′4″, 250 pound Dominican has been very dependable and will come relatively cheap. Unless they want uncertainty throughout their ‘pen, the Phillies should pounce on Valverde.

9. Adrian Beltre

In 2004, the third-baseman’s final season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Beltre hit 48 homers–25 more than in 2003–drove in 121–41 more than in 2003–and batted .338–94 points higher than in 2003.

Since this unbelievable season, Beltre hasn’t clubbed more than 26 homers or driven in more than 99 RBI in a season, disappointing throughout his five seasons with the Seattle Mariners, but he’s only 30 years old and is still an accomplished hitter.

On top of his offensive production, he is a tremendously gifted defensive third-baseman, which makes him that much more appealing on the free-agent market.

The Red Sox have been linked to him, but he would fit more with the Minnesota Twins, a team in dire need of offense and particularly a third baseman. He would not only give the Twins one of the best defensive infields in the majors, but also 20-30 home-run power. Throughout his career in Seattle, his on-base percentage was awful, hovering around .300, yet in the 6th or 7th hole in Minnesota’s lineup, he would be a significant upgrade over the Brian Buscher /Brendan Harris /Joe Crede trio.

10. Rich Harden

If there is a high-risk, high-reward player on the market, it’s the 27-year old Harden. The gifted right-handed starting pitcher has spent the bulk of his seven-year career with the Oakland Athletics. Over the course of his tenure in the league, he has compiled 50 wins to just 29 losses, and a 3.39 ERA. Despite these outstanding numbers, he has made only 127 starts, or an average of 18 per season.

So, he’s been injury-plagued throughout, but he has a very good repertoire, with a wide array of strikeout pitches. Last season with the Chicago Cubs, he allowed just 122 hits in 141 innings while striking out 171 batters.

He should have plenty of suitors this offseason, given his age and ability. The Red Sox just signed knuckleballer Tim Wakefield to a two-year deal, making him their fifth starter once again.

Daisuke Matsuzaka is also returning to the rotation, and the team has also expressed interest in Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay , who is on the trade market.

But, despite having five starters and interest in a sixth, they should pull out of the Halladay Sweepstakes and focus on an inexpensive option.

Because of Harden’s injury history, teams will be hesitant to give him a multi-year deal. So, why don’t the Red Sox sign him to a one-year, $8 million contract? He could make 30 starts, something he has done only once, win 15-18 games, and make an already stacked rotation dominating.

Worst case, he makes 15 starts, wins seven-to-nine games, and spends the majority of the year on the shelf. Given Harden’s potential for greatness, if Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein wants to improve, he’ll take the gamble.

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The Boston Globe will always be No. 1 ESPNBoston

Amanda Bruno — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:37:00 -0500

VS.

Editor's Note: The title of this article was changed from "Hey ESPNBoston: Stop stealing the Globe's sports staff," due to readers' confusion of getting my point across (see Boston Herald paragraph).

About a week ago, I read something very interesting on apsportseditors.org , the official website of the Associated Press Sports Editors (ASPE).

It was the November Newsletter written by Boston Globe sports editor Joe Sullivan entitled, "Fending off the ESPN.com invasion. "

Sullivan described the recent invasion of ESPNBoston and how the company literally was trying to steal all of his Globe sports staff.

If you've been following the Boston sports reporting scene, you've noticed that the Globe lost two of its top guys in New England Patriots beat writer Mike Reiss and Boston.com Sports Producer Chris Forsberg to ESPNBoston the month it launched.

Then a week ago, former Globie Gordon Edes' name and face magically popped up on ESPNBoston's blog as the new Red Sox beat writer. Coincidence? Here's how Sullivan's piece starts off:

It started with a staffer calling me in early August. You know the type of call. "Can I talk to you?” he said with a mysterious tone. He came into the office the next day, and that’s when I found out ESPNBoston.com was on its way.

At that time, that writer told me he was only having preliminary talks, but wanted me to know (which I appreciated). Several weeks later, he accepted a job offer (which I didn’t appreciate).

Sullivan then goes onto tell that ESPNBoston offered jobs to six Globe employees. Who they were, only him and those people know.

Comcast SportsNet got wind of the news and soon followed suit as it offered jobs to five Globe staffers. On top of that, the Globe and CSNNE were competing for the same football writer (Albert Breer?). Here's how some of those staffers with the offers handled it:

The staffers with job offers seemed to wait until the weekend to call me. I would then call our editor, Marty Baron, to keep him up to date. One time he answered his phone and said, "Joe, I know when I hear from you on a weekend, it can’t be good news.”

It was true, the news was rarely good. It either had to do with the job offers our staff was receiving or the Boston Globe’s financial situation.

So why in the world did both ESPN and CSNNE want all of the Globe people? Apparently the Boston Herald was second choice if on the list at all (Sean McAdam and Joe Haggerty joined CSNNE).

Maybe just because the Globe is the best of the best of Boston sports coverage? But rather than admitting defeat, ESPNBoston tries to woo them in switching over to "the dark side?"

"We not going to apologize for trying to get the best people on our team,” said Patrick Stiegman, vice president/executive editor of ESPN.com.

"This wasn’t an attempt where we said ‘Let’s go see if we can raid someone’s staff.’ The idea was who would be the best talent in the market? In fairness to us, we’re trying to get the best people. If you want to be the best, if you want to do the best, you have to hire the best.” What Stiegman said is all of the proof in the world.

Nice going ESPNBoston. The only way you think you can beat the real hometownies is to just simply take them, thinking it'll destroy the organization as a whole. If you've also noticed early this month, Boston.com has been revamped quite a bit itself.

The best part is that ESPN is a member of the ASPE as is the Globe. It's almost like having the New York Times Co. shipping half of the Globe staff over to New York.

In a way, this is almost sickening. There's nothing like a little bit of friendly competition, but enough is enough. Not everyone can survive, so who's going to be the one to die?

To read Sullivan's full newsletter, click here.

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Do the Boston Red Sox Need Roy Halladay?

Joseph Doherty — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:21:34 -0500

Roy Halladay, the six time All Star, has been linked with the Red Sox. The real question is whether the Red Sox need another ace or should the payroll be better used elsewhere.

There are a number of reasons why Boston would look to trade for Halladay. The first of which is his obvious talent. The Toronto Blue Jay's star is one of the dominant pitchers in the American League. Last year he went 17-10 with a 2.79 ERA in a losing team. He was third in the AL in ERA and 4th in wins. His abilities as a pitcher are unquestionable.

The 32-year-old Halladay who has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays is said to want to join a playoff chasing team. For Halladay the Red Sox would be a good fit having made the ALDS again in 2009.

Halladay is definitely a better pitcher than the knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. And if Halladay were to join the Sox he would probably take Wakefield's or Clay Bucholz's place in the rotation. The 43-year-old Wakefield has just signed a two-year, $4m contract extension meaning he is unlikely to be dropped.

Halladay currently earns $40m in Toronto whereas Bucholz earns $413k. Which makes one wonder whether the Red Sox need to use so much of their payroll when they already have aces like Beckett and Daisuke?

The Red Sox rotation is very strong with two players who have pitched no-hitters in Jon Lester and Bucholz to join Daisuke, Beckett, and Wakefield.

The extra payroll could be better used signing an outfielder, either getting by Jason Bay to return to Fenway Park. A replacement for Bay is more imperative than signing Halladay. Bay hit 36 home runs and 116 RBIs. The excellent outfielder gave the Red Sox power during Ortiz's early season slump.

Also Boston need to improve at third base with Mike Lowell having missed 92 regular season games in the last two seasons. Also with age against Lowell, the Red Sox will look at free agents with an abundance of third baseman talent available.

Halladay is in demand. As well as the Red Sox, the Angels and Yankees are both rumoured to be looking at the pitcher.

If the Red Sox were to sign Halladay then their pitching depth chart would certainly be impressive and would definitely be a great addition. But the payroll could be better used at third base or in left field.

Read more AL East news on BleacherReport.com

What Would it Take to Get Carl Crawford to Brandish a Tomahawk?

Cameron Britt — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:20:00 -0500

For those of you who have actually looked over my profile, you know that Carl Crawford listed first on my Short List under "Favorite Athletes."

To expand on that positioning, Carl Crawford is my favorite baseball player/athlete/celebrity/everything.

Speed, defense, average, a little pop, and hustle.

What's not to love?

So, when I saw this article on the St. Pete Times site, you can believe that a smile ran across my face.

Now, that piece says that the Braves and Mets have only expressed interest in the 2009 All-Star Game MVP.

That doesn't mean that anything is imminent, nor does it mean that any names have been exchanged in trade negotiations.

I know that.

But, it is interesting to think about what it would take to acquire the left-handed outfielder.

Let's start by talking about why this implications this would have for Atlanta.

Pros: Speed, Hitting, Fielding, 'Swag'

Carl Crawford brings all of those things to that table.

The dude has epic speed (362 stolen bases in six-and-a-half years), which is something that the Braves have been lacking since Rafael Furcal's final season in '05.

The guy is also a perennial .300 hitter who is a lock for 15 homers (not exceptional, but the speed, average, and doubles and triples (36) make up for it) who can get to a lot of balls.

Put all of that together, and you have a complete package.

And add that package to Heyward and McLouth (possibly down the road), and you have the best outfield in the National League.

He may not fill the "right-handed, power-hitting bat" card, but he is a dynamic outfielder who has been great for his entire career.

(sorry about the bit of bias there)

Cons: Package(s), One Year?

We all know about the Floridian mantra (since it applies to both the Rays and Marlins).

Pay less, trade more.

That's why this rumor even has the bit of legs it possesses.

But it's also what makes this deal questionable.

The Rays will (likely) not accept any veterans with salaries exceeding about $6 MM.

We're talking the Julio Teheran's, Jordan Schafer's, and Craig Kimbrel's of the world (but not necessarily those guys).

And with only one year left on his contract, is he worth that type of talent?

That's up for debate...

Now, let's discuss a potential deal.

As we just established, the Rays will likely be seeking top-flight talent.

For only one year of Crawford, however, I think any deal could be leveraged into one blue-chip prospect, and three "above-average" prospects (remember, Mark Teixeira, with 1.5 years left, came over for five prospects).

So, this is, from the Braves' perspective, as far as I would go if trading for Crawford (and Crawford only) this offseason:

Braves Get: Carl Crawford, Ramon Ramirez
Rays Get: Julio Teheran, Kris Medlen, Jordan Schafer, Brandon Hicks

There's your primo, possible Neftali Feliz-type regret, good MLB-ready arm, MLB-ready replacement (if they do choose to deal BJ Upton as well), and some organizational depth for the Rays.

Add in the fact that this type of move would absolutely require the departure of Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez (it was probably going to happen anyway, but still...) and you have some questions to ask yourself (all asked as if I were Frank Wren) of you want to pull the trigger:

Are we sure we can get this guy to stick around? (a must)
Could we wait until July and possibly give up a little bit less?
Can we compete next offseason if he were to become a free agent?
Will this guy's skill set age well?

My ten cents?

Wait.

As much as a guy like Crawford would bring to the table, the risk-over-reward factor would make many fans (including myself) flash back to the summer of '07 when Mark T. came over.

With retain-ability and organizational depth both issues in any blockbuster like this, I would probably drop the gun and walk away.

Besides, the Braves have just as much of a shot at keeping him (in a trade) as they would acquiring him through free agency.

As hyped as I may have seemed at the beginning of this, thinking about all of that talent going to the Rays really took the wind out of my sails.

As I said...wait and try to get him in a year (by then, you may no longer need him for the offense if Cody Johnson, Jason Heyward, Jordan Schafer, and Freddie Freeman all show signs of panning out).

Read more AL East news on BleacherReport.com

Boston Red Sox Wants Marco Scutaro? The Question Is...WHY?!

Amanda Bruno — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:05:00 -0500

If you haven't heard, Alex Gonzalez signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Happy Thanksgiving Red Sox Nation.

What does this mean? Well first off, it means Gonzalez will not be back in a Red Sox uniform. It also means there is currently no everyday proven shortstop on the roster.

There's been talk of acquiring Marco Scutaro from the Jays.

Wouldn't it be something if the two teams just switches shortstops?

Scutaro hit .282, with 12 home runs, 60 runs-batted-in, 35 doubles, 90 walks, 14 stolen bases, and 75 strikeouts.

He is also 34 years old.

Why do the Red Sox have a tendency to bring in old ballplayers? This is no time for a quick fix and after last season, half of the fans are probably sick of them (no offense Brad Penny and John Smoltz).

But the problem is who else can the Sox get? Forget J.J. Hardy, who got traded to the Minnesota Twins from the Milwaukee Brewers.

There isn't a lot of there, and I can't believe Theo Epstein let Gonzalez slip away. Unless Gonzo does absolutely poorly in Toronto, then, ok we forgive you. But no the pressure is really on to get someone decent and Scutaro looks like the only option.

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Two Tickets to the Gonz Show: Toronto Blue Jays Sign Alex Gonzalez

Ian Hunter — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:22:00 -0500

Toronto, line up to get your tickets to the Gonz show .

The signing of former Red Sox and Reds shortstop Alex Gonzalez has capped off what has been an unusually active past few days for the Jays in the free agent market.

First they sign John McDonald to a reported one year deal as a stopgap solution at shortstop for 2010. Then it’s revealed that it's actually a two year deal, then we find out that John McDonald will actually be the backup SS and that his role on the team is undefined. Now they sign Alex Gonzalez to a one year deal (with option for a second)

Gonzalez (or A-Gonz as I will probably call him) is the final piece of the puzzle when it comes to the Blue Jays infield. At $2.75 million for one year and a $2.5 million option, the Gonzalez signing isn’t the biggest waste of money the Jays have ever spent on a shortstop. Just look back to 2008 when they paid David Eckstein over $4.5 million to stand out there between second and third base.

Speaking of Eckstein, I noticed that the Blue Jays have now successfully acquired both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds left side of the infield in the exact same way. They traded to get Rolen from the Cards at 3B, and signed Eckstein as a free agent SS. Then they traded to get Encarnacion from the Reds at 3B, and signed Gonzalez as a free agent SS. I guess some people’s trash is another person’s treasure.

Those wishing to complain that a combined $4.25 is too much to pay for both McDonald and Gonzalez in 2010, how about these less attractive alternatives? Orlando Cabrera at a total of $12 million for two years, or resigning Marco Scutaro so some ridiculous three or four year deal upwards of $25 million? I'd rather take the Gonz/Mac combo, thanks.

Believe it or not, this was actually a very smart move which basically forces the hand of the Boston Red Sox. Now their only options are to overpay either Marco Scutaro or Orlando Cabrera, neither of which the Blue Jays were interested in. I tip my cap to you sir, Alex Anthopoulos. Well played, sir.

If anything, at least we can be reassured that nothing will make it past the defensive wall combination of J-Mac and A-Gonz. Consider them the new version of J-Mac and Scoots .

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Alex Gonzalez Signs with Toronto

Jeremiah Graves — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:57:22 -0500

Alex Gonzalez will be taking his slick defense up north next summer.

Gonzalez, 32, signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday.

The contract includes a $2.5 million option for 2011.

The deal comes just one day after the club re-signed utility man John McDonald to a two-year contract , leading to speculation that he would be the club’s starting shortstop.

With both Gonzalez and McDonald under contract, this should officially spell the end of Marco Scutaro’s time with the Blue Jays.

Scutaro was high on many club’s wish lists this offseason, including Gonzalez’s most recent employer, the Boston Red Sox.

The Blue Jays still figure to offer Scutaro arbitration to obtain draft picks for the Type A free agent.

Gonzalez became a free agent when Boston declined his $6 million option for 2010.

The club was rumored to be interested in re-signing the shortstop to a one-year deal at roughly half the cost.

It appears as though Boston wasted too much time poking around the free agent and trade markets and was beaten to the punch by new Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos.

Gonzalez, split last season between the Cincinnati Reds and the aforementioned Red Sox, playing his usual Gold Glove-caliber defense with both clubs.

On the whole, Gonzalez hit .238/.279/.355 with eight home runs last season. He hit much better after coming to Boston in an August trade with Cincinnati.

Gonzalez has been hampered by persistent knee problems in recent years, but he appeared in 112 games last season, his highest total since 2005.

Gonzalez was an All-Star in 1999 and a World Series winner in 2003.

Overall, he is a career .247/.294/.395 hitter with 114 home runs and 521 RBI in 1,229 games.

The move saves Toronto the cash it would have cost to lock up Scutaro, essentially earns the club compensation picks when Scutaro signs elsewhere, shores up the club’s middle-infield defense, and offers Gonzalez a sense of security for the next two seasons.

All-in-all the deal is a major win-win for all parties involved.

Read more AL East news on BleacherReport.com

Derek Jeter Wins 2009 Gold Glove Award: Not as Crazy as You Think

Tommy Feliciano — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:25:55 -0500

I realize that Derek Jeter won the 2009 Gold Glove award for shortstops a few weeks ago, and this article may seem dated. Honestly, I admit that I've just been a little lazy. But part of it stems from the fact that I didn't want to get into this mess just yet.

I think I'm ready now, however, and before you comment on this article, please read it. I did put some thought into this, and the least you could do is respond with something intelligent. That having been said...

The Gold Glove award is a joke. An absolute joke. Getting upset about just means that you like getting upset about things. Hardly any thought is put into it, nobody cares, it really is not that serious.

However, some people do like to care about it anyway. One of those people is Rob Neyer. Neyer recently wrote, "And with Jeter and Hunter and Polanco and especially Jones, they just flat blew it, overlooking true excellence in favor of gaudy hitting stats or superficially impressive defensive performances."

Flat blew it? Really, Rob? I understand that Jeter may not have been the best shortstop in the American League this year, but I think that if the voters "flat blew it," they would have selected someone closer to the worst shortstop this year. And Jeter was far from the worst shortstop this year, actually coming close to being the best, believe it or not (and I'm sure most of the readers are going to side with the latter).

Grading, or rating defense is extremely difficult to do. I understand the usefulness of some new statistics, such as the ever-popular Ultimate Zone Rating (or UZR/150, which I see used more often than just standard UZR).

But fielding is so much more than numbers can possibly say. Using numbers like UZR to grade a fielder's range (although it is supposed to measure a combination of factors, it is most reliable for general range) is extremely useful, especially from a scouting point of view. And even just errors and fielding percentage have their merits in the right situations, because you can have great range and still fumble the ball frequently.

But there are mental factors too. Players who are in the right place at the right time, or exceed expectations with heads up plays. It might sound a little preachy, but it's true. Just knowing what to do in a given situation is an extremely valuable asset.

To draw upon an example using our subject, there was Derek Jeter's "flip play" in the 2001 ALCS. There is no way you can quantify something like that, but it really was a great play. I know lots of people probably think it was overrated, but it turned a poor play into an out (and an important one at that).

However, we do have to go on something. And Jeter's range lately has been so damning that it would have been unreasonable to really call him a great shortstop in, say, 2008.

While UZR is less appropriate for a position such as first base, it's very relevant at shortstop, where range is a major factor in what plays you're going to make, and what plays you're not going to make. Jeter's UZR/150 in 2008 was -0.7, and an awful -16.7 in 2007. For the record, if you're below 0, you're considered below average.

Yet Jeter improved in 2009, bringing his UZR/150 to 8.4, the highest its been since the stat has been recorded (since 2002), and possibly for his career. So while we know that that gave Jeter above-average range at short this season, how does it compare to other shortstops?

Jack Wilson - 20.4
Cesar Izturis - 14.1
Adam Everett - 13.6
Elvis Andrus - 11.7
Alex Gonzalez - 10.5
J.J. Hardy - 8.8
Rafael Furcal - 8.5
Derek Jeter - 8.4

So while Jeter clearly didn't have the best UZR/150 of the shortstops in the MLB, he still ranked very high in comparison to the rest of the pack. And we can't forget that we are talking about the American League Gold Glove award.

So we knock off Furcal and Hardy, who both spent the season in the National League, and then Gonzalez and Wilson, who spent less than half a season in the American League. That leaves us with Jeter placing fourth among AL shortstops in UZR/150, trailing Andrus, Everett, and Izturis.

For the record, Neyer selected Elvis Andrus as his choice for the best defensive shortstop of the year. This might seem like a good choice to some people, but to me it seems that he was arbitrarily selecting a shortstop with a good UZR not named Derek Jeter.

The fact of the matter is that Andrus committed 22 errors at shortstop. Twenty-two . I don't care how good your range is, you're not the best defender at your position if you mess up 20+ times. People over-relied on FP to describe how good a fielder a given player was, so for some reason, this meant that we no longer cared about it or errors accumulated.

However, it is still very important to be able to record the outs on balls that you get to.

So with that in mind, we know that Andrus was far from the slickest fielder on the list. And comparing errors between Jeter, Everett, and Izturis, we find that Everett was also in the double-digits with 14, and Jeter and Izturis tied with eight apiece.

Yet Jeter had a better fielding percentage than Izturis (albeit by a point), because he played in 40 more games than Izturis, and more specifically 326 more innings. Jeter played more innings at short than any of the aforementioned shortstops in the AL, and made the fewest mistakes, which must count for something .

He did tie for least errors with Izturis, however, and using their FP (.986 versus .985), there's nothing to suggest that extrapolating that would give Izturis more than another error over Jeter in the same amount of innings. However, like I said, something has to be said about a player who can commit so few errors while being a horse at their position.

I do want to make it clear that I don't necessarily think that Jeter should have won the award. Like I said, it's extremely hard to judge fielding. But Jeter was at least a good pick for the award. It is completely arguable that he was the best shortstop this year, although I may give a slight edge to Izturis.

And on a slightly related note: Another one of Neyer's selections was Kevin Youkilis for first base. Although first base is an even tougher subject that I don't want to get into, for a guy who is arguing the validity of an award, he just picked a player to win a Gold Glove at a position which he logged 647 innings in 78 games.

I don't know about you guys, but I think playing less than half a season at a position should disqualify you from being the best at it. I do have to give Neyer credit though, because Rafael Palmeiro won the award one year while only appearing at first base in 28 games.

Thanks for hearing me out, now rip me apart for claiming that Derek Jeter definitely should've won the award, even though that's something I didn't say. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Scratch That: John McDonald Is NOT the Blue Jays' Starting Shortstop

Ian Hunter — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:25:00 -0500

Are you as confused as I am?

Just hours ago the Blue Jays officially re-signed John McDonald to a two-year, $3 million deal that pretty much answered the question of who would be the starting shortstop in 2010.

Now this comes along.

Jordan Bastian reports that McDonald's role on the team next season remains undefined and that the Blue Jays are actually still seeking a full-time shortstop.

Say what?

So I guess that means time for the Blue Jays to dip into the shortstop free agent bargain bin. Viable options out on the market include former J.P. Ricciardi man-crush Orlando Cabrera, Alex "not that Alex " Gonzalez, or hell...maybe even Adam Everett.

This news comes as a huge surprise after I (and many of us) had assumed that this contract basically locked McDonald in as the full-time shortstop until somebody else challenged him for the job.

In my estimation, part of the reason for signing Johnny Mac to the two-year deal was so other teams could not scoop him up. By the sounds of things, it appears there were a few teams gunning for McDonald, and Alex Anthopoulos didn't want to let him slip away just in case they couldn't find a replacement at SS in the interim.

Unfortunately, knowing the way that Cito Gaston coaches, McDonald is doomed to be banished to the bench once again aside from the odd pinch-running assignment. Which is a shame, because one would think that this starting shortstop position was Johnny Mac's to lose.

But now he's lost it before he even had a chance to defend it. Now he'll spend the rest of 2010 and 2011 trying to get it back.

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Your starting shortstop for 2010: John McDonald

Ian Hunter — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:05:00 -0500

So much for Plan A , Plan B , or even Plan C …it appears as though the Blue Jays will be resorting to Plan D for shortstop next year.

Thanks to a reported one year deal worth approximately $1.5 million, John McDonald will return for one more season to wow fans with his defensive prowess at shortstop.

While the rumblings of this deal initially irked me, I fully understand the reasoning behind it. Instead of taking a chance right out of the gate with Mike McCoy or some other el-cheapo free agent signing, the club would rather have the stability (albeit his offensive shortcomings) of Johnny Mac stationed between second and third base.

Two months ago I would have been livid to find out that the Blue Jays were giving the starting shortstop position to John McDonald. The reasoning behind my disdain in that decision was having Johnny Mac on the team didn't move this team forward—it merely kept it at status quo.

Now that Alex Anthopoulos has announced the Blue Jays are "building", I understand that this move is to keep John McDonald as a placeholder until somebody else comes along. Whether that happens via a position player in a trade involving Roy Halladay, or if it means somebody from Las Vegas gets called up remains to be seen.

If anything, at least Johnny Mac will distract us from the on-field product with some of his defensive gems scattered throughout the 162-game schedule.

In the meantime, I don't see what all the fuss is about over giving a deserving player like John McDonald a starting job he has coveted for so long. $1.5 million dollars is chump change for McDonald to play 120+ games next year.

After all, the Blue Jays will be paying B.J. let Ryan almost seven times that kind of money in 2010 to work on his tan and try some experimental hair restoration products.

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Roy Halladay from Toronto Blue Jays' Point of View

FRANK — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:13:11 -0500

With the list of potential free agents being adequate at best, this Hot Stove season will be heated with potential trades. Leading the list of "Who Will Win The (insert name) Sweepstake" is Roy Halladay.

The current market seems to include both Los Angeles and New York teams, Boston and Chicago Cubs. I expect this list to grow with Atlanta, St. Louis and Philly jumping in the game.

Before deciding who will win and pay at least $120 million over six years, we need to understand what the Toronto Blue Jays need and who they may want.

Needs

New GM Alex Anthopoulos (aka GM Alex) needs to make a splash and regroup the Blue Jays with this trade.

The Blue Jays infield are set at second and third (tentatively) with Aaron Hill and Edwin Encarnacion, respectively. First base is currently manned by Lyle Overbay, but an improvement wouldn't hurt.

The outfield spots are locked with Adam Lind, Travis Snider and Vernon Wells. Though, I'm sure the Blue Jays wish they can turn back the clock on that Wells signing.

The pitching staff has some depth with Ricky Romero, Scott Richmond, Brett Cecil, Brian Tallet, and the return of Shane Marcum. Plus, Dustin McGowan and Jesse Litsch are expected back before the All-Star game.

Despite all those names, a veteran pitcher who can give them some quality innings at the No. 2 spot is required. This may need to be acquired with the saved money.

For any team, bullpen help is always required. The Blue Jays seem to have a quality 'pen with Jason Frasor, Brandon League, Jeremy Accardo, Scott Downs, Jesse Carlson, and Shawn Camp.

Reviewing the roster, the needs lie at catcher, shortstop, DH, and a solid No. 2 for the rotation.

Market

Understanding what positions are required we would expect the Blue Jays to aim for two major league ready players and two prospects (one top).

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers are loaded with young inexpensive players who are starting to make a big impact, plus, the Dodgers always seem to have talented prospects.

A trade centered around OF Andre Ethier (2009 salary: $3.1 million) and RP George Sherrill ($2.75 million) would be a good start. Especially if GM Alex was able to get SS Ivan DeJesus included.

To get these players, GM Alex will have to sell Roy Halladay to the Dodgers and make them understand that they really need him, not only to compete with their divisional foes, but against the Phillies.

The Dodgers do need Halladay to ace their rotation that includes Chad Billinglsey (faded in the second half), Clayton Kershaw (a star in the making), Hiroki Kuroda, and Jason McDonald. The rotation fell apart towards the end of the season and have too many question marks leading into 2010.

The Dodgers have a history of not trading young players. This may be a tough trade to complete, but one that seems to be a nice fit for both.

TRADE POSSIBILITY RATING (*** out of five)

2. Los Angeles Angels

The past five years, the Angels have become stubborn as the Dodgers in trading young talent. In my opinion, this has hurt the Angels from acquiring guys like Johan Santana and Matt Holliday. Though I do give them kudos with the Mark Teixeira trade in '08.

Even though the Angels may lose ace John Lackey to free agency, they are still solid in the rotation with Jered Weaver, Earvin Santana, Scott Kazmir, and Joe Saunders.

They may look to acquire a middle to back-end pitcher to fill their rotation, rather than trade for Halladay.

If the Angels wanted to win the sweepstakes, you can expect the Blue Jays to ask for a package centered around 1B Kendry Morales or OF Juan Rivera. Getting Jeff Mathis included would be nice.

I don't see the Angels making a trade for Halladay unless the price is extremely favorable.

TRADE POSSIBILITY RATING (* out of five)

3. New York Yankees

The World Champions are always linked to rumors, even if they are about Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston (what beauties).

I don't see a fit, especially since they play in the same division. It's bad enough that AJ Burnett went interdivision;not going to happen with the Blue Jays in control of his destiny.

Plus, they don't have the right personnel to trade unless they blow GM Alex away with Melky Cabrera ($1.4 million), Phil Hughes, and at least one more top prospect. Not sure if that still would be enough.

TRADE POSSIBILITY RATING (* out of five)

4. New York Mets

The Mets are the most desperate to make this trade possibility a reality. They need to overcome the terrible signing of Oliver Perez and the regression Mike Pelfrey made in 2009. This trade would sure up the top of the rotation with Johan Santana.

They also need to please the angry fan base, who have seen their beloved team collapse in September in 2007 and 2008 after losing game seven in 2006, if they want to fill those nice seats in Citi Field.

Similar to the Santana sweepstakes, the Mets GM Omar Minaya, will need to continually pursue this trade and stay visible to GM Alex. Also they play in the other league which helps.

Any trade will need to start with 25-year old Pelfrey ($2.2 million) and may also require top outfield prospect Fernando Martinez or prospect first baseman Ike Davis. Other players in the picture include P Bob Parnell, P Eddie Kunz, and P Jonathon Niese.

TRADE POSSIBILITY RATING (**** out of 5)

5. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are starting to realize that Carlos Zambrano's past workload is catching up with him, therefore another ace is required.

Getting Halladay should be enough to dethrone the Cardinals and seriously compete for the NL Pennant.

There's no one player to center a deal, but definitely a package with 3B/OF Jake Fox, SP Randy Wells, or SP Sean Marshall and Of Micah Hoffpauir should do it.

TRADE POSSIBILITY RATING (** out of five)

6. Philadelphia Phillies

Would the Phillies stand pat again and allow the Mets to obtain a top pitcher?

If not, they shouldn't have a problem acquiring Halladay to join what would become the best rotation since the 90s Braves.

They could easily put a package together which starts with Rookie-of-the-Year runner-up SP JA Happ or super prospect SP Kyle Drabek (son of 1990 NL Cy Young Winner Doug). The Phillies would probably be willing to include outfielders Ben Francisco or John Mayberry to complete the deal.

I truly feel that the Phillies could complete a deal in a heartbeat if they mention one of the two pitchers.

The Phillies may feel they have enough talent and pitching to compete and win again with the current roster, especially, with Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Happ, Jamie Moyer, and Joe Blanton in the rotation. Let's not forget one of the best offenses in baseball as well.

They only receive three stars because they probably feel that they are good enough and are looking to keep the payroll around $105 million.

TRADE POSSIBILITY RATING (*** out of five)

7. Boston Red Sox

Similar to the Yankees, I can't fathom GM Alex trading Halladay to a division rival, but you never know if the Red Sox are so desperate that they offer a package similar to SS Jed Lowrie, P Clay Buchholz, and P Michael Bowden.

TRADE POSSIBILITY RATING (* out of five)

Trade Partners

After analyzing the market and potential players that would be involved, I have come to the following conclusions:

a. Phillies have the best talent to complete the trade, but is unlikely to be a partner.

b. Mets are the most desperate to complete this trade similar to the Santana sweepstakes and have the payroll room to pay the hefty tag.

c. Dodgers are the best trade partner if they are willing to part with Ethier.

d. Both the Yankees and Red Sox will be content with having Halladay leave the American League like they were with Santana.

Outcome

GM Alex needs to make a big splash and fill some holes with this trade. The Blue Jays can continue to be contenders next year and in the near future even after losing Halladay, Alex Rios, Burnett, and BJ Ryan in the past year.

It would help if they played in another division.

Trades like this and the fan speculations, are the main reasons why the Baseball Hot Stove League have morphed into a sport in itself.

Perhaps, I should start a Fantasy Hot Stove League.

Let the fun begin and enjoy.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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Know Your Prospects: Jason Heyward, RF, Atlanta Braves

Dylan Sharek — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:53:00 -0500

Jason Heyward was chosen by the Atlanta Braves as the 14th pick in the first round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft.

Now, according to Baseball America and USA Today, he's the No. 1 prospect in all of Minor League Baseball. And with the Stephen Strasburg hype machine chugging along at full steam, Heyward has, in a way, become the forgotten uber prospect of 2009.

But hey, he's used to it.

Nearly half of Major League Baseball couldn't see Heyward's incredible promise; the then 17-year-old high school product from Georgia's McDonough High was passed on by 12 other teams in 2007's stacked draft class. Outside of Baltimore's Matt Wieters and Tampa Bay's David Price, he's thoroughly surpassed all of his contemporaries and will become 2010's premier impact prospect.

It's a funny story how Heyward fell to the Atlanta Braves. In the high school circuit, the lefthanded Heyward was a feared hitter renowned for his plate discipline. He was pitched around frequently and refused to chase anything out of the zone.

As a result, regional MLB scouts rarely saw a full at-bat. When the draft came around, no one was truly sure of the skills Heyward possessed because they simply hadn't seen them.

But for Atlanta Brave's scouting director Roy Clark, proximity to the prospect was both a luxury and an advantage.

Heyward was sent to the club's rookie level teams in the Gulf and Appalachian leagues after the draft. The short stints did little to clarify exactly what Atlanta had signed in Heyward, but the 17-year-old held his own.

Heyward finished third in the low Class A South Atlantic League in batting average (.323) and fourth in on-base percentage (.388) in 2008. A brief call up to the high Class A Myrtle Beach Pelicans at the end of the season wasn't a success, but the rookie campaign was enough to solidify the rightfielder as Atlanta's No. 2 prospect behind righthander Tommy Hanson.

Any debate surrounding Heyward's potential disappeared as he rocketed through three levels of professional baseball in 2009. With the same high Class A Myrtle Beach club where he hit a paltry .182 to finish 2008, Heyward started his dominating season by hitting 10 home runs, driving in 31 runs and scoring 34 runs in just 49 games.

The performance garnered a promotion to the Double A Southern League, where Heyward slammed 7 home runs, 30 RBI, and 31 runs in 47 games. The plate discipline that had frustrated high school pitchers and intrigued pro scouts returned: in 195 plate appearances, Heyward walked 28 times compared to just 19 strikeouts. His batting average soared to .352.

The tremendous performance earned him a three-game showcase with the International League's Gwinnett Braves. He hit .364 in limited action.

Heyward's progression has many comparing him to former-Brave's wonderkid Jeff Francoeur. Others seem more satisfied comparing him to a young Frank Thomas, a franchise player that was once the epitome of patience, power, and discipline.

A hybrid of the two seems the most appropriate evaluation.

Heyward's offensive accomplishments often overshadow his defensive prowess. For a 6'4", 220 pounder, Heyward is surprisingly lithe patrolling the outfield. He profiles as an above-average corner outfielder with an extremely strong arm a notch below Francoeur's cannon. Some speculate that Heyward could possibly play centerfield, but his barely above-average speed makes the notion merely a pipe dream.

Offensive comparisons to Francoeur seem uninspired. Francoeur was a strikeout machine at the minor league level, notching 262 punchouts to just 88 base-on-balls. This hacking approach at the plate belied future struggles to come; Francoeur's inability to adapt to major league breaking balls earned him a return trip to the minors in 2008.

Heyward, on the other hand, has struck out just 138 times and earned 108 walks. His plate discipline has markedly improved at every level and his approach has been described as "cerebral" and "commanding."

It's incredibly optimistic to call him the "next Frank Thomas," but Heyward's plate presence is extremely polished for a 20-year-old.

Heyward and Francoeur's power numbers, however, are undoubtedly similar. In his first two full professional seasons, Heyward hit 11 and 17 home runs, respectively; Francoeur notched 14 and 18 through the same time period. No matter which level he begins the oncoming season in, Heyward will most likely test his power stroke at the expense of a few batting average points.

He doesn't have incredible speed, but he is just as smart on the basepaths as he is in his outfield routes: he's been successful 26 times out of 31 tries, an 84 percent success rate.

According to the Brave's brass and Heyward himself, there is no definitive timeline for Heyward's ascension to Major League Baseball. If he plays well enough in Spring Training, he'll make the team and if the team decides he's not ready, he won't.

But Atlanta has patience. And for a 14th pick that has the potential to be a game-changer, they'll make all the time in the world.

This article can originally be found at Blogging About Baseball.

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For Baltimore Orioles, Last Place is Not an Option in 2010

Christopher Gallagher — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:21:02 -0500

What place will the Baltimore Orioles fall in 2010? More than 80 wins could be a start.

Of course there is room for optimism. Every fan has that in the offseason. Hoping there club can make the right moves to drive his or her home team to the playoffs.

The reality of the situation is that the Orioles haven’t had a winning record since the late '90s. This discourages top tier free agents from coming to Baltimore.

The Orioles are in a conundrum about the upcoming season. Go overpay for some free agents or keep with the rebuilding of the organization?

One of the goals of the offseason for the O’s is a big right handed bat. The best option would be to trade for one. The free agent market is pretty weak on this type of player.

I would consider trading prospects only if you had control over the player for a few years. Getting this right handed bat would let Nick Markakis go back to the three hole in the lineup.

The Orioles could have a formidable s lineup with this addition. A lineup of Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Luke Scott, Nolan Reimhold, and Matt Wieters could be intriguing to watch.

The other need is for a front-line starter in Baltimore. Overpaying for a pitcher is a horrible mistake for a rebuilding club.

There is a solid core of pitchers coming up through the system. We saw the debuts of Brian Matsuz and Chris Tillman last year. Brad Bergensen held his own until a shin injury ended his season prematurely.

You look for Jeremy Guthrie to be in that rotation. He is still under team control for a couple more seasons. David Hernandez (19 starts) and Jason Berken (24 starts) seem more suited for the bullpen.

I would go the route of signing someone coming off injury to an incentive laden deal. Guys like Eric Bedard, Rich Harden, and Ben Sheets coming to mind. Trading for a starter could be another option but there aren’t too many front line starters available.

To complete with Boston and New York you must have a good farm system. Having a good farm system helps you feel needs on your own club or use those prospects to acquire players via trade.

I would stick to the original plan Mr. McPhail. Use the draft and the scouting department to determine the team’s future. Only rely on the free agent market when there is a glaring need in your organization.

2010 looks like another rebuilding year.

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Understanding the MLB's Free Agent Compensation

Jeffrey Brown — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:26:30 -0500

The free agency period is now upon us, so we have been hearing lots of talk about Type-A and Type-B free agents and draft pick compensation…and the discussion leaves some people wondering what is all means.

For those of you who think you need an abacus to figure it all out, let’s see if I can help simplify it a little bit for you.

For the sake of discussion, let’s say the Red Sox sign John Lackey…and let’s say they lose Jason Bay to the Mariners and sign Jermaine Dye to fill the void left when Bay leaves. The question begs: which teams would get what compensation, and why?

(NOTE: all three players mentioned are Type-A free agents)

Through collective bargaining, Major League Baseball and the MLBPA have agreed on a statistical formula for ranking free agents in order to determine which free agents require compensation and which free agents don’t require compensation. The parties have agreed that the calculations will be based on the statistics each player has compiled over the last two years. Elias Sports Bureau makes the calculations and ranks the players overall and by position.

Position groupings are as follows:

* Catchers
* Designated hitters, first basemen and outfielders
* Second basemen, third basemen and shortstops
* Starting pitchers
* Relief pitchers.

Hitters are ranked based on the following statistics:

Plate appearances, batting average, on-base percentage, HR and RBI
Fielding percentage and assists (for catchers)
Fielding percentage and total chances (for 2B, 3B, and SS)

Pitchers are ranked based on the following:

Starters: starts, innings pitched, wins, winning percentage, ERA and strikeouts

Relievers: appearances, innings pitched, wins plus saves, ERA, hits per nine innings pitched and strikeout/walk ratio

Players who are ranked in the top twenty percent of their group are designated Type A free agents…those who place between 21 percent to 40 percent are designated as Type B.

Clubs only receive compensation for a Type A or B free agent if they offered their former player the opportunity for salary arbitration.

When a team loses a Type A free agent, they receive the signing team’s first-round draft pick and a supplemental first-round pick in the following year’s draft unless the signing team is picking in the first half of the first round , in which case the team losing the player receives a supplemental pick plus the signing team’s second-round draft pick.

When a team loses a Type B free agent, they receive only the sandwich pick.

If a team signs multiple Type A free agents, the club that lost the higher-ranking player gets the better pick. In other words, if the Red Sox were to sign John Lackey and Jermaine Dye, then the Angels would receive the Red Sox first-round pick (as Lackey is ranked higher than Dye) and the ChiSox would receive the Red Sox second-round pick. Both the Angels and the White Sox would also receive a supplemental pick.

Of course, in the scenario I laid out above, the Red Sox would receive Seattle’s first-round pick (the Mariners had the 14th-best record in baseball) plus a supplemental pick, for losing Jason Bay.

In the long run, the Sox would lose Bay and their second-round pick… on the other hand, they would end up with both Lackey and Dye while also improving their first-round pick ten spots.

NOTE: Jason Bay and Billy Wagner are the Red Sox Type-A free agents… Jason Varitek is a Type-B free agent. Takashi Saito was a Type-A free agent but the Red Sox lost the right to collect compensation for him when they dropped him off the 40-man roster after the end of the season.

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