Breaking: $1.5 Million Seperates Manny, Dodgers

After contact between Manny Ramirez, and the Dodgers has remained continuous through the arms of Scott Boras over the last 3 days, SI.com is now reporting that the two sides are supposedly $1.5 million dollars apart from reaching an agreement.

Jon Heyman reports that Manny is asking for a two year contract worth $43.5 million while Manny’s previous request was for two years at $45 million. The information comes from an email allegedly sent to the media by  Scott Boras.

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt recently announced that all deals were off the table and that the two sides needed to start from scratch.

Boras has been known to conduct similar acts of trickery before, but hopefully this time it is not just another act of “confusing the media”.

More updates to follow….

Dodgers Make New Offer To Manny Ramirez

Finally a Manny Ramirez deal may be closer than ever. According to multiple reports last evening and this morning, the Los Angeles Dodgers have made a new offer to Manny Ramirez.

The offer is believed to be a two-year, $45 million contract, with a salary of $25 million during the first year and  $20 million during the second. The second year is supposedly a player option so Manny could leave for another team if he desires.

The Dodgers have now made a total of 3 offers to the slugger this offseason. The last offer was a similar dollar amount, but the current offer is now structured to Manny’s favor including the player option.

Miguel Salcido reported earlier this week that Adding Manny also makes Pierre somewhat expendable. That and a logjam at certain positions internally put the Dodgers in a great spot to trade for some pitching as the season unfolds if necessary. I feel that the Dodgers are prepared to run their kids out there this year and see what they can do. And of course there are a slew of veterans trying to resurrect their careers as well. People like Vargas, Schmidt, Estes, Weaver, and Milton are all seasoned vets that could turn things around.

“Third times the charm?” I guess we’ll see!

Dodgers Sign Orlando Hudson

The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached a 1-year agreement with Orlando Hudson. The deal is believed to be worth $3.4 million with incentives that could add as much as $4.6 million to that, which could bring the deal to a total of $8 million for the year.

What a great pickup for the Dodgers. Hudson hit .305 with eight homers, 41 RBIs and a .367 on-base percentage in 107 games with the Diamondbacks in 2008.

He adds a versatile switch hitting and speedy duo at the top of the Dodgers lineup. This really improves the team as a whole, espcially on the defensive side. I look forward to many dazzling plays and double plays between Furcal and Hudson this season! Here would be the projected batting order.

1.    Furcal
2.    Hudson
3.    Ethier
4.    Kemp
5.    Loney
6.    Blake
7.    Martin
8.    Pierre

Of course it could look alot better like this:

1.    Furcal
2.    Hudson
3.    Ethier
4.    Ramirez
5.    Kemp
6.    Loney
7.    Blake
8.    Martin

Sorry, I had to do it.

Now the Dodgers lose their first-round Draft pick in June, No. 17 overall but Los Angeles will receive an additional sandwich pick between the first and second rounds, as well as the Atlanta Braves’ second-round pick as compensation for the signing of Derek Lowe. And IF Manny Ramirez decides to sign with another team the Dodgers would be in line for another draft pick as compensation.

So the way I see it this was masterful because whether or not the Dodgers sing Manny they win. Its a win-win situation!

The Saving Grace for This Year’s Unsigned Free Agents

The winter long contract dances that have been going on are enough to make your head spin. The Manny Ramirez situation, Orlando Cabrera, Orlando Hudson, Juan Cruz, and more are Type A players. This means that any team that signs them, other than their current team, has to give up a first-round pick as compensation.

The prospect of having to give up a first-round draft pick has been enough to turn many clubs off. Even now that the market has depressed and players can be had at bargain rates, teams are reluctant to sign type A players. Just look at Orlando Hudson and the Dodgers and you have to believe that the only reason the Dodgers have not jumped at signing him is because of the draft pick. The Dodgers would get a steal of a deal and on a short 1 year contract which is exactly what they want!

So how do we get around this?

There is a thing called a “sign and trade” deal that the NBA has been using to maneuver rosters while getting around the NBA’s Salary cap rules. Major League Baseball should take some cues from the NBA on this one. How it works is that a player’s 2008 team resigns him, then they trade him in a prearranged deal to a team wants to sign him but that does not want to give up the draft pick.

Of course the new team will still need to give something up in return. But the idea is that they can give up a minors player rather than a first-round pick, which could be potentially a big deal. They can give up a pick in the later in the draft, prospects, or maybe even cash but whatever it is it will have to be close to the prospective picks.

Players will need to sign a waiver before resigning with their team in advance of any deals made. The commissioner’s office has confirmed that they would support this in hopes that it helps the remaining free agents to find a team. This sort of thing is unprecedented in MLB history but these are tough times that we are in economically and they require drastic measures.

So we will see if the Dodgers and Ned Colletti can pull of some magic and work a deal for Hudson. Or if the Oakland A’s can pull something off for Cabrera. This will be a very interesting year for baseball to say the least.

Griffey To Choose Braves Over Mariners?

Optimism about Junior’s much anticipated return to the Seattle Mariners may have just been crushed.  According to a news source close to Braves officials, free agent Ken Griffey Jr. has supposedly agreed to terms with the Atlanta Braves. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is also reporting that Griffey and Braves general manager Frank Wren met Monday night in Orlando. Wren and Griffey’s agent were apparently scheduled to meet this afternoon to finalize a deal.

An official announcement has not yet been made by either parties. It is believed that both the Seattle Mariners and the Braves made similar offers to try and lure the outfielder.

As of now, it looks as though Griffey will be sharing the left field position will Matt Diaz. Even though Griffey who just turned 39, is coming off of serious knee surgery, his bat against right handed pitchers may be more valuable to the Braves than we think.

On April 4, 2008, Ken Griffey, Jr. passed Reggie Jackson for 16th on the all-time list after driving in his 1,702nd RBI. Two days later, in an 8–2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, Griffey hit his 594th career home run and his first of the 2008 season. The two-run homer pushed him closer to becoming the sixth player in history to reach 600-home runs.

More to follow….

Ken Griffey Jr. Confirmed To Be Braves Prime Target

There have been plenty of players in the MLB over the last decade with just amazing swings that every kid in the country tries to mimic and perfect as they dream of playing under the lights of their favorite ballpark.

There is Albert Pujols in St. Louis who has a sweet smooth swing that looks at times like he doesn’t even feel the baseball when he blasts it into the stands. Then there is Manny Ramirez who always finds a way to take the ball yard with his pretty swing. Ryan Howard is another slugger that has amazing bat speed and loves to hit the long ball.

All these guys are awesome players with sweet swings, but none of them come close to the beauty of Ken Griffey Jr’s swing!

When I was a kid growing up in California I absolutely loved the Los Angeles Dodgers and Daryl Strawberry. The Straw had the swing I always wanted with his patent left lift before his powerful swing, but the second I saw Ken Griffey Jr. swing a bat I was hooked.

Over the last five years or so Ken Griffey Jr has taken somewhat of a back seat to the great up and coming hitters in the MLB like Pujols, Howard, and Manny (even though he has been in the league forever). The reason Griffey taking a step back wasn’t due to lack production, but because he just couldn’t stay healthy with injury after injury.

When Griffey actually had some significant playing time he made the best of it, but it wasn’t enough to get back into the spotlight as he couldn’t help the Cincinnati Reds to successful seasons.

There was some light at the end of the tunnel for Griffey when he was moved to a contender in the Chicago White Sox. Unfortunately, the Sox didn’t end going anywhere and unfortunately had no intentions in keeping him on in 2009.

Recently the Seattle Mariners reached out to their former superstar outfielder and started up talks with the former golden glover playing in Seattle to finish out his career. The Mariners have only really had a couple successful seasons after Griffey left, but they have never gotten back to where they were with him playing centerfield.

Although it seemed to be a done deal for Griffey to return to Seattle, the Atlanta Braves have made a late push to sign the slugger and lure him away from his former team.

Fortunately for the Braves, Griffey will probably lean toward playing in Atlanta due to his close relationship with Bobby Cox, the desire he has had in the past to play with the Braves and the fact that he lives in Orlando which is a much shorter trip than it would be to go back and forth from Seattle.

With the Braves recent additions like Derek Lowe and their pursuit of Tom Glavine, the Braves would give Griffey a much better chance of making a run at a World Series.

For the Mariners, Nostalgia Does Not Guarantee Winning

Ken Griffey Jr. is probably the greatest Mariner of all time.  Besides being considered one of the greatest players of all time, he is also the main reason the franchise has the fan base it does. So, with the news that he will most likely be coming back to the house that he built, Mariners fans should be ecstatic.  Or should they?

Heading into the 2009 season, it’s safe to say that the Mariners are mired in a rebuilding stage and Ken Griffey Jr. is not the player he used to be.  One thing is true about the Griffey deal: it’s not at all a baseball move, but purely a marketing move.

The Mariners have a couple good young bats that should be seeing regular time in the Majors, including Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentein.  Griffey will most likely see most of his at bats from the DH spot, due to his sharp decline in the field.  This means playing Griffey will certainly take time away from these young players that could be a key to the Mariners future.

General Manager Jack Zduriencik has put together a ballclub that has potential to surprise.  Right now the team looks like an 75-80 win team on paper, the addition of Griffey at best may only gain them another win or so.  Zduriencik’s additions of Endy Chavez, Franklin Gutierrez, and Russell Branyan show that he understands how to put together a ballclub that can play defense, win some games, and get good value from underrated players. He has been able to do this without costing the franchise nearly as much as teams of their recent past.  His moves have made sense looking to the future, building from within, and using trades to boost their overall depth.  The Griffey signing does not seem to fall in to line with this logic.

The Griffey deal is purely a public relations move, exciting fans with the possibility of Griffey returning to his glory years.  But while this may get the fan base excited, a player projected by MARCEL to hit .248/.336/.434 (.771 OPS)  this year is replaceable.  The Mariners had been linked to Bobby Abreu until he was signed by the Angels, and seemed to be in trade discussions with the New York Yankees about the availability of OF/1B Nick Swisher.  Both of these moves would have made me a bit more pleased, and both would be positive moves that generate wins, without hurting the future.

Jack Zdurienck’s offseason has been called a complete disaster by many, including Steve Phillips, but these same people will probably call the Griffey signing a success.  In an offseason where he was financially handcuffed, stuck with the awful contracts of Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista, and Carlos Silva, Zdurienck’s moves have all made sense for this ballclub.  This is the first deal I’m not sold on from purely a baseball standpoint.  Dissecting this deal as an analyst I see an aging and replaceable outfielder, who can’t quite cut it playing every day in the field.  But, what is not replaceable about that player is the name on his back.

The signing seems all but inevitable now, and I’m beginning to accept it. When I look at this purely as a fan, that part of me can not help but be a little excited to see #24 take the field in blue and teal again.  Good luck and welcome home, Junior.

List Of The 72 Unsigned Free Agents Still Remaining

With less than a week before teams begin their Spring Training rituals 72 free agents still remain unsigned across the league. Here is a list formulated by RBI Magazine of the remaining free agents still on the market- separated alphabetically (first name) and by notability.

Very Notable:

Adam Dunn, Ben Sheets, Bobby Abreu, Eric Gagne, Joe Crede, Ken Griffey Jr., Manny Ramirez, Moises Alou, Orlando Cabrera and Will  Ohman.

Notable:

Brad Wikerson, Braden Looper, Corey Patterson, Damion Easley, Dennys Reyes, Greg Maddux, Jason Isringhausen, Jay Payton, Juan Cruz, Julian Tavarez, Kevin Millar, Mark Grudzielanek, Mike Timlin, Miguel Cairo, Orlando Hernandez, Orlando Hudson, Paul Byrd, Pedro Martinez, Rich Aurilia, Sean Casey and Tom Glavine.

Somewhat Notable:

Joe Beimel, Brendan Donnelly, Brian Shouse, Chad Fox, Chris Gomez, Doug Mientkiewicz, Emil Brown, Frank Thomas, Garret Anderson, Gary Bennett, Ivan Rodriquez, Jamey Wright, Jeff Kent, Jim Edmonds, Jon Lieber, Juan Encarnacion, Keith Foulke, Kenny Rogers, Livan Hernandez, Luis Ayala, Luis Gonzalez, Luis Rivas, Matt Wise, Mark Mulder, Mark Sweeney, Pablo Ozuna, Paul Lo Duca, Ramon Martinez, Ray Durham, Ricardo Rincon, Ron Villone, Rudy Seanez, Sal Fasano, Scott Elarton, Sidney Ponson Todd Jones, Toby Hall.

Possible Retirees:

Curt Schlling, Mike Mussina and Nomar Garciaparra.

Sabermetrics 101: Runs Created

Runs Created or RC is a tool created by Bill James in an attempt to calculate how many runs an individual player creates for his team. If you follow James, then you probably know of RC already, but if you don’t and you are tired of the same old stats then you may want to pay close attention to this post. Here is how important RC is in Bill James own words:

Statistically speaking, RC is the player’s ability to get on base (his on base factor ) multiplied by his chance of advancing (his advancement factor) divided by his overall possible opportunities (his opportunity factor). To get these figures, James took a players hits plus walks (H + BB) total and multiplied that by his total bases (TB), then divides that by the total of his at bats (AB + BB) in it’s most basic form. To see the variations at which James takes into consideration, just follow this link or the previous one. The basic version of this stat gives the user an accurate measurement with a 5% margin of error and with the more complex variations that number decreases (see note # 3).

Runs created, if used correctly, can assist those looking for an edge (that is if your competitors aren’t already using it also) in player evaluation. This tool helps you to see the true value of a player’s offensive prowess in the most important stat of scoring runs which is what wins games. Right? After all, you could have the best pitching and defense on the field but if you don’t score any runs you can’t win the game.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in defense and especially good quality pitching, but as far as offense goes RC is one of the most important stats on the market.

For some external links on RC, please follow the previous link provided by Baseball-Reference.

All links and Notes found in this post come from Wikipedia on Runs Created.

Note 1: James, Bill (1985). The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract (1st ed.), pp. 273-4. Villard. ISBN 0-394-53713-0.

Note 3: James, Bill (2002). Win Shares, p. 90. STATS, Inc. Publishing. ISBN 1-931584-03-6.

Peter Schiller also writes monthly for Seamheads.com and almost daily at his personal baseball blog, Baseball Reflections.com. Please follow the links to read his work at these two other sites.

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.

Next Page »