Burrell Rejects $22MM From Phillies; Takes $16MM From Rays

Pat “the bat” Burrell has officially left the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies and has successfully negotiated a two-year deal with last year’s runner-up, the Tampa Bay Rays.

Burrell who is 32 years old, batted .250 for the World Champion Phillies last season, and tallied 33 homeruns and 86 total RBIs overall in 2008. Burrell has never played for another team except the Phillies in his 9-year career until now.

If it doesn’t already blow your mind that Burrell is leaving Philadelphia; wait until you hear this tidbit! Rumor has it that the Phillies previously offered Burrell a $22MM extension in October, an offer which was almost immediately rejected by him and his agent.

Today, about 2 months after the Phillies put their so-called offer on the table, Pat Burrell accepted only $16MM from the Tampa Bay Rays. As it turns out, Burrell should have accepted the Phillies offer which followed just a few days after the World Series. Some speculate that Burrell and his agent may have over priced “the bat’s” talent…ouch!

How do the Rays benefit from all of this? How about a 3-4-5 consisting of Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, and Pat Burrell possibly being part of the best offensive line-up in baseball. Don’t you think?

Overall, good move by the Rays! A move that may just sting the Phillies in the “tush” come next season.

Rays Close In On Deal With Pat Burrell

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Tampa Bay Rays and outfielder Pat Burrell are getting closer and closer to reaching a deal possibly worth two years and $16MM.

Burrell who is 32 years old, batted .250 for the World Champion Phillies last season, and tallied 33 homeruns and 86 total RBIs overall in 2008. Burrell has never played for another team except the Phillies in his 9-year career.

If Burrell does eventually reach a deal with the Rays, he will be accompanied in the outfield by players such as Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton. The Rays may also use Burrell at the DH position.

As a Phillies fan, it will be sad to see him leave..and life goes on.

Five Teams Interested In Ken Griffey Jr.

Five teams are reportedly interested in one of the most forgotten free-agents this offseason-Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey who just turned 39 years old, batted an uncharacteristic .249 last season.

His low performance last year has been attributed to a knee problem that was caused when Griffey fell over a shoe enclosure in the Red’s clubhouse at the beginning of 2008.

According to SI.com and Griffey’s agent, three American League teams and two National League teams may be interested in the outfielder’s services. Two of the American League teams include the Tampa Bay Rays and the Seattle Mariners for sure. The other three teams have not been mentioned as of today.

Griffey is expected to settle for a short duration contract possibly one to two years max. The future hall of famer is considered to be a possible fit for team looking to fill the DH position if the current outfield is already occupied.

More to follow on “the Griftster”…

Angels Grab Brian Fuentes As Closer

Free-agent relief pitcher Brian Fuentes and the Los Angeles Angels reached an agreement on Wednesday for $17.5MM over the span of 2-years. The deal was actually hammered home by the Angels late Wednesday afternoon according to multiple MLB news sources.

Adding Fuentes to the roster gives the Angels compensation after losing relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez to free agency at the end of this past season.

Fuentes saved 30 games for Colorado last season while securing a 2.73 earned run average overall in 2008. Francisco Rodriguez was acquired by the New York Mets in December on an agreement worth more than $37MM.

Giants May Zero In On Manny Ramirez

Earlier this month the San Francisco Giants acquired “The Big Unit” Randy Johnson, Edgar Renteria, Jeremy Affeldt and Bobby Howry adding more spice to the team’s defensive line-up.

Now, the Giants are looking to show their true colors in 2009 and bulk up on the offensive side of the ball as well in hopes of making a championship run next season.

A single report (Please Note: “A Single Report”) has said the Giants have expressed great interest in acquiring Manny Ramirez. According to the Denver Post, the Giants “are quietly making an aggressive play for Manny Ramirez.”

Speculation about Manny Ramirez and where he will play next year-now has the potential to turn into a traditional game of “tug-of-war” between the Dodgers and Giants. The Dodgers brought a pretty hefty offer to the table way back in November, but I am not so sure Manny is impressed. Losing both Derek Lowe and Manny Ramirez could be devastating to the Dodgers chances in 2009.

Dodgers fans-hold your breath over the next couple days as the bidding war and negotiations may have just begun with Scott Boras once again.

UPDATE 11:23 P.M. EST: The San Francisco Chronicle has not ruled out the Giants interest in Manny, but the Giants actually signing Ramirez may be a bit far fetched.

ESPN’s TV ticker has displayed the information about the Denver Post’s report involving the Giants and Manny Ramirez.

UPDATE FRIDAY 3:03 P.M. EST: SI has confirmed that the Giants have officially entered the bidding war for Manny Ramirez and that the Giants have made a three-year offer with an option for a fourth year.

More to follow…..

Mets Make Offer To Derek Lowe

This past week rumors began to circulate about the New York Mets’ possible interest in right-handed pitcher Derek Lowe.

RBI Magazine has now learned that the New York Mets may have confirmed the validity of that rumor by offering Lowe a contract worth $36MM over the span of 3 years.

No official announcement has been made by the Mets organization in reference to the offer. It is certain, however, that agent Scott Boras and Lowe are interested in seeking a 5-year, $90MM contract, an offer that exceeds the amount offered from the Mets.

According to the New York Times and Scott Boras, the number of teams interested in Derek Lowe has increased since last week. The Mets have recently shown exclusive interest in signing Oliver Perez, but since have now seemed to prioritize working out a deal with Lowe.

The “righty” was 14-11 with a 3.24 earned run average while playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. The Mets number one goal this offseason was to add a starting pitcher into their rotation.

Red Sox And Varitek Working Towards Possible Deal

RBI Magazine has learned from mulitple news sources that the Red Sox have begun negotiations with last year’s Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek.

The Boston Globe is reporting that Varitek’s agent Scott Boras and Red Sox officials are still “exchanging ideas” even after their recent troubles.

Jason Varitek is a Type A free agent who rejected the Red Sox’ arbitration offer earilier this month and started 120 games for the Red Sox in 2008, his lowest number of career starts recorded - except in 2006 when injuries played a role.

Yankees Spent $423 Million In December

The New York Yankees have gone “all out” this holiday season possibly placing the best players on the free agent market under the tree for the city of New York and all of those Yankees fans around the country.

Spending 423 million bucks on a few gifts is definitely a rarity these days, but the Yankees have all the confidence in the world on their recent holiday investments that include CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett.

What could you possibly buy with $400MM?  Apparently, it is possible to buy yourself a house on the moon, or even 400 billion 99 cent cheeseburgers at McDonalds. You could even buy three of the best players in baseball and add them to your roster in hopes of winning a World Series-just like the Yankees have done.

The Yankees have always been infamous for smashing the piggy bank, but with their recent $400MM in transactions the team will actually have saved money even after paying their so-called “luxury tax”.

Losing players like Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, Bobby Abreu, and Andy Pettitte all were responsible for freeing up most of the Yankees’ salary cap this offseason and reducing the payroll numbers below 2008 totals. The Yanks have successfully saved a dime in 2009! This is one spending spree we may never forget!

Nationals Had Higher Offer For Teixeira Than Yankees

First of all, RBI Magazine would like to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday and a great New Year as we move closer and closer to 2009. And with that we move to today’s breaking baseball news story….

Christmas Day has brought us a few stories surrounding the recent Yankees acquisition of first-baseman Mark Teixeira. RBI Magazine has learned from multiple news sources including MLBTRs that the Washington Nationals actually had a higher offer for Mark Teixeira and easily could have smoked the Yankees original offer. So why isn’t Teixeira a Nat?

Earlier this week, Teixeira’s agent Scott Boras was quoted stating that Teixeira would choose the team that was most likely to win a championship over the next few years. Obviously, Teixeira’s agent did not lie and even money could not stand in the way of his future decision. How much did Teixeira actually turn down to become a Yankee?

Reports have been circulating that the first-baseman turned down more than $5MM dollars more from the Nats to play in the Bronx. You might be asking “What in the Sam Hill was he thinking?”

The fact of the matter here is that Teixeira WAS thinking! Now he will have the opportunity to play and learn with baseball superstars Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Alex Rodriguez, and possibly develop his skills even more. Also, what seems to be the most important factor to agent Scott Boras and Mark Teixeira, is possibly winning a Championship.

If you were to choose who would win a championship in the next few years, I am sure the Nationals don’t immediatley come to mind. Did Mark Teixeira just pay $5MM to win a championship? Many think so…

Mets Could Offer Derek Lowe $18MM Per Year

Multiple MLB sources and Mets.com are now reporting that the Mets may make a run at acquiring pitcher Derek Lowe. Once again, agent Scott Boras is at it, this time with Derek Lowe.

RBI Magazine has learned from multiple reports that Lowe is seeking atleast $18MM per year. The Red Sox who just lost an offer to the Yankees involving another Scott Boras client Mark Teixeira, may still be interested in pursuring Lowe as well.

Yahoo Sports has confirmed that the Mets are currently engaging in “deep negotiations” with the all-star pitcher.

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