In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that despite the perception that Jacoby Ellsbury would like to leave Boston down the line, a source says that he would actually like to stay if at all possible. Neither side has asked the other to consider a long-term deal, but that could certainly change in the offseason. Here's more from Cafardo..
- In last week's column, Cafardo wrote that Braves officials thought Michael Bourn would not re-sign when he becomes a free agent due to a less-than-stellar track record with Scott Boras clients. However, Boras told Cafardo that he has had an excellent relationship with General Manager Frank Wren and the club as a whole. The agent says he is not ruling out Atlanta at all and added that Bourn enjoys playing there.
- The Red Sox are very interested in pursuing a new deal with Cody Ross, who will be coming off of a one-year, $3MM pact this winter. With many teams in need of a righthanded bat, he could likely net a Josh Willingham-type three-year, $21MM deal.
- The Orioles, Nationals, and Dodgers may be among teams looking at Red Sox pitcher Aaron Cook now that he is on trade waivers.
- Mariners pitcher Kevin Millwood has not been placed on trade waivers yet but he could be one of the more sought-after pitchers once he is. “He’s got ice water in his veins and he knows how to get big outs,” said a veteran scout. “A guy like that isn’t going to do the Mariners any good going forward but he could solidify a rotation.”
- Cubs personnel are disappointed that Alfonso Soriano won’t waive his 10-and-5 rights to go to the Giants. The outfielder doesn't want to play in a colder climate that could adversely affect his hitting.
A Scott Boras client pretending as though team X is still very much in the mix? I haven’t heard that before.
Scott Boras saying that he’s had an “excellent relationship” with the general manager of a team that might be interested in one of his clients? I’ve never heard that one before.
Is there a mystery team yet?
A Veteran Scout on Kevin Millwood:
“He’s got ice water in his veins and he knows how to get big outs,”“A guy like that isn’t going to do the Mariners any good going forward but he could solidify a rotation.”
Where was this veteren scout when Millwood pitched for the Orioles?
I guess he was on sabbatical or taking a snooze.
Bourn is having a pretty good year… I think the Braves have to get to the NLCS for them to sign Bourn to a deal. Phillies could be interested too, if Bourn decides to test the free agent market.
Wow, Cody Ross, might be getting a 3 year / 21 million dollar deal! I wonder if anyone saw that coming?
The Orioles would be wise to make a claim on Aaron Cook, I think he has something in the tank. He would be better than Millwood in my IMHO. :p
Just because the O’s put a claim on Cook doesn’t mean they’ll get him, the Sox can pull him back.
Matsuzaka (unfortunately) is on about the tail end of his rehab and don’t think they can mysteriously bury him again. Cook is just as useless as Matsuzaka.. As in both are tossups.. U get what u get..
Boston will unload Cook and let Matsuzaka be the new BP pitcher at the back end of the rotation, 2 good starts by Cookie notwithstanding.
Dice-K’s rehab assignment ends 2 days before Sept. Call-ups, meaning worst case scenerio, they use someone’s option for 2 days. Cook being waived has little to do w/ Dice-K.
I don’t see who Cook would replace in the O’s rotation. I don’t think he’s any better than who we already have, including the salvage projects currently at Norfolk. I’d rather have Steve Johnson or (after last night) Britton than Cook.
What about Hunter? Cook could even go into the bullpen.
Also @AW, let the Sox pull him back, means they would have to keep him for the rest of the season in all probability.
The O’s should have put a claim in for Shoppach, the Red Sox really wanted to get Lavarnway in there. The O’s could have gotten him, if they made a claim. Why they didn’t, who knows.
My guess is that they liked Teagarden better than 2 months of Shoppach. If the O’s put Cook into the bullpen, I could live with that. I don’t see him as better than Hunter. Hunter works quick, throws strikes, gives up homers but little else lately. I’ve been pretty ok with his work over the past month. I wonder if someone can teach him a sinker or splitter, just to help him get the ball down more effectively.
I knew Ross would perform well at fenway and have been wanting him for YEARS to play at **1** decent, friendly stadium that plays up to his high, FB’s he hits to LF, LCF. He has NEVER played at 1 stadium in his entire career even vaguely neutral, it made sense his power numbers would jump back up, probably would be way higher had he not missed a month after fouling a ball off of his foot earlier this season.
Fenway is the PERFECT place for him and he plays a VERY good RF/LF and CF fair, He’s worth 3/21 every bit as much as Hammer Willingham and Hammer is awful on defense.
I hope Boston approaches him before the season is over, or within the period of exclusive rights to lock him up, cause he may get more than 3/21 with Ross the best after Hamilton of the lousy lot of OF FA.
Footnote:
Jackie Bradley TORE up High A ball, played 67 games (as many as he played in a college season btw) 1.086 OPS, .480 OBP, .356AVG.. He had never played more games, so a drop could have been expected as he continued playing his 1st pro season and has tired, some holes found in his game etc.. He hasn’t ‘bottomed out” tho as his power has picked up at AA. He has already played a total of 122 games this year now.. 1st ever pro season. i expect him to be back raking next year when he is fresh again and his OBP at AA is .363, .802 OPS, so not like he is doing terrible for playing there in his 1st year…
Agree with your assessment of Cody Ross. Ha, ha. The Marlins let him go for the waiver claim price……
Here are some statistics!
Aaron Cook: 1.1 K/9, 1.58 BB/9, 5.38 FIP, 5.05 TRA.
Kevin Millwood: 6.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 3.65 FIP, 4.16 TRA.
Yup. Those are certainly some statistics. My question is what argument are you trying to support? The one thing with taking statistics out of context is that you can make them say anything. I’m not sure what TRA is. Millwood should have better statistics because he pitches in Seattle vs Boston. If I’m anyone looking to add Cook, I’m scared off by his epically (and perhaps historically) low K/9 rate. I wonder if there’s ever been anyone in the modern era with 50+ innings who has had that low of a K-rate.
pitching in a hitters or pitchers park shouldn’t affect his strike out ratios. Right around 1? Its almost impossible to be successful in this day and age with a K rate that low.
Totally agree. I was just questioning (and still wonder about) what point he was trying to make. According to the What-If-Sports database, no pitcher in baseball has thrown more than 60 innings in a season with a lower K/9 rate since 1945.
Nats fans loved it when Soriano produced at a 40-40 clip in an otherwise unsuccessful season but never contemplated that he was anywhere near worth the money he got from the Cubs, certainly not over the term of the contract he received. By contrast, Werth’s signing in DC was as much about a culture change in the Washington clubhouse as it was projecting his production over the 7 year term. Can’t understand at all why people think Soriano has any obligation to approve a trade when his contract specifically gave him the right to not endure one. Bad signing when he inked it, continued bad signing in retrospect. In the end, it’s just going to be about eating salary and letting him go.
It’s a business and in large part I agree but since you said you can’t understand it: The idea behind it is a team believed in/ cared about you enough to give you that big deal and now you’re turning around and saying I don’t really care what you think is best for your organization, I care about myself.
Cook was willing to pitch out of the bullpen and maybe he will at a new destination? Ross has been impressive in Boston. Offensively he reminds me of Millar.
Alfonso Soriano is such a loser for not to go The Giants as he won actually play on a winning team. I think The Giants will come up with a named replacement.
Cubs personnel is disappointed with Alfonso Soriano. Cub fans are disappointed with the personnel for the awful contract.
I hope the BRAVES are able to sign Born also need a right handed power hitter to play left field next season and trade UGGLA for a good right hitting 2nd base man bring back MILLWOOD to put in the rotation get rid of jurrjens and Hanson jurrjens has a bad knee Hanson got that hitch in his deliver.
Two years…$12M with a club option for a third is what the Red Sox will offer Ross and he will take it. He likes to hit in Fenway Park. Plus Cody likes the atmosphere created by the home town fans during games.
Jacoby has to turn it on early in 2013 to get a long term deal with any team, the Red Sox included. Boston fans like Jacoby and the Red Sox organization is the only one he knows. But, his career has been up and down, mostly due to fluke injuries. He has to straighten out the direction he is heading in fully reap the benefits of his craft at this highest level of play.