An acquaintance of Zack Greinke's told Jon Heyman of SI.com that the 2009 Cy Young Award winner is "ready" to leave Kansas City. Yahoo's Jeff Passan reported that Greinke's priority is winning, but that doesn't mean we'll see him in Yankee pinstripes. The pitcher's friends say New York would not be a good fit. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:
- People close to Andy Pettitte tell Heyman the lefty would prefer to remain a Yankee.
- Just about everyone expects Cliff Lee to sign with the Yankees or Rangers, but Heyman says a couple clubs are "laying in the weeds." The Astros are one team with quiet interest.
- As much as the Rangers want Vladimir Guerrero back, they seem reluctant to give him a multiyear deal.
- The Dodgers will try to sign Russell Martin by tomorrow's non-tender deadline.
Nothing really new here with the ZG drama. He is as good as gone. Hopefully GMDM gets a huge haul for the young ace.
I still don’t get why the Astros are still being linked to Lee. Why in earth would he even want to be in Houston right now? Granted, adding Cliff would make their rotation top-shelf quality….but the offense is still pretty bad, an I just don’t see him making that move.
I’m just saying it seems like a waste of time.
Because the madman Uncle Drayton wants the befuddled Astros fans to think that the Astros are: A)One piece like Lee away from winning a World Series and B)That he is willing to go huge on payroll to win NOW. He is appealing to the same mentality that allows people to think they are getting a great deal by sending in all their gold in an envelope to the people who advertise during Cheaters and to those who believe there is really some Prince in Africa who is willing to give them millions in exchange for a little cash upfront.
So I shouldn’t send money to Prince Ebaku in Nigeria? Damn, his letter was so convincing!
Yeah, I thought that too, but all the local reports are that he’s gotten out of the way to let the “baseball people” run things.
Maybe he’s trying to raise the teams profile by making an unnecessary splash in free agency. Who knows what that man is doing…
The Chronicle also says Drayton wants to sell the team. He won’t make 800 mil for the current team as it stands. Maybe he would boost payroll for a guy like Lee…assuming Lee just wants money and doesn’t care about winning now…which I doubt. Then again, maybe Drayton thinks signing guys named Lee is a worthwhile investment considering how Carlos worked out for the team…
So who are the non large market teams who are both likely to be winners and the assets to deal?
Of those with the prospects, Minnesota, Texas, Cincinnati and Cleveland come to mind. The Indians are the only one of those 4 who one wouldn’t expect to be competitive next year.
Though as a Reds fan, I’d love to have him, I doubt the Reds would be willing to pay the salary given the presence of Arroyo. If he’s traded this offseason, my money would be on Texas, if Lee signs elsewhere, or the Twins if Lee stays put.
Even though they are not a small market in general they are a smaller baseball market; I would say the Blue Jays have just as good a chance at being competitive as those teams and probably have the better assets to give up.
With the arms they have in the minors and rotation, theres no sense to trade for a starter. Especially when there are still so many holes on the diamond.. ie 1B, 3B, CF/RF
I of course won’t complain if Lee does indeed get signed by the Yanks…but there’s a big part of me really hoping a team like the Nats swoop in and get him…it’d fit in the “good for baseball” category, IMO.
I cant see where DM would ever deal Greinke to another ALC team…I have said time in time again the Royals have a hard enough time beating the Twins without Greinke being added to their roster…
Minnesota is not a non large market team.
“is not a non” ?? That’s an affirmative followed by two negatives. Now I’m totaly lost as to what you meant…haha.
It’s a double negative. Not a non large market team means they are a large market team. Maybe not as large as Philly, NY, Detroit, Boston and Chicago, but they still are a large market.I was responding to the original post that opened up with “So who are the non large market teams”, and he mentioned Minnesota.
I don’t care about the market size in MN… Do really think DM wants to trade Greinke to a team the Royals play all time?
I was responding to RMR, not you. He was the one that brought them up, and he also brought up Cleveland.
oops sorry…
No problem
No problem
It will be interesting if the Yankees don’t sign Lee, which probably won’t happen now.
If they pursue Greinke, it most definitely means they will need to give up Jesus Montero, which will create problems at catcher.
You could do a lot worse than having Cervelli as your full time catcher, just saying
I’m a Yanks fan and I like Cervelli, but he screams “quality career backup catcher” to me. Nothing wrong with that. If Montero were to be traded, I’d say Jorge, Cervelli, and possibly a FA/trade as a third guy (Doumit?) would be the guys behind the plate in 2011, with Austin Romine getting a shot to be the guy in 2012. Personally, I think Montero fits in perfectly with the 2011 team, sharing DH/C duties with Jorge in his (quite possibly) last year in pinstripes. Granted, this is hinging on Montero actually earning it in spring training.
Absolutely I agree. Cervelli has proved he can be a capable replacement player.
“Replacement player” being the key phrase there. Cervelli has zero power and it’s hard to imagine a contender like the Yankees being satisfied with him full-time.
Honestly, the Yanks can carry 1 weak bat in their lineup. If he can provide top notch defense (which he didn’t in 2010), call a good game and throw out 30-35% of base stealers then I would be happy with a .240/.340 line. To his credit, call it luck or tunnel vision, dude was a tough out with RISP and in fact stepped up and performed well overall (.271/.359) and in the clutch (.316/402). Those are decent numbers for a singles hitter.
Yanks get a lot of offense from traditionaly defensive minded positions like SS (usually), 2B and CF. We can get by w/ a weak hitting C like Cervelli if we had to as long as his defense justifies it.
I have a possibly ignorant question. Why are the Red Sox not more linked to Cliff Lee? Is it simply because there’s so much money already tied up in SP? I know they have more than 5 SPs as is, but you can always fit in an elite pitcher no matter how many solid SPs you already have. Not trying to say they “should” go after Lee necessarily, but I feel like their name would at least get mentioned more. Wouldn’t signing Lee in lieu of say Crawford or Werth put them as the frontrunners for the AL East next year? I’m actually just asking…not being a ballbuster.
Certainly can’t rule Boston out but I think they will focus on their needs at C, 3B, bullpen and possibly the OF before worrying about spending $150 mil on Lee. They have about $175 mil committed to Beckett, Lester, Lackey and Dice-K already.
dont they already have 3 30 yr olds locked up? its no secret the sox dont need starting pitching but outfield help. they havent exactly made it secret they are going after crawford or werth. whoever the angels dont get basically.
If I’m a team like the Rangers, I have prospects to spare. This team has a good young core and the kids in the minors provide depth, aside from C, & 3B. In any case, why not go for both? Sign Cliff Lee to anchor the rotation. Trade for Greinke to give you a hell of a 1-2 punch. Add them with C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis and that’s arguably the best rotation in baseball. Sure there’ll be financial circumstances, but why the hell not? The Yankees did it when they went out and signed Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett
I’ve thought about that. That is awesome to think about, but the thing is, most of our best prospects now are pitchers. Smoak was expendable b/c of Moreland and Davis, and I think they would deal Profar b/c of Andrus and Kinsler’s presence, but you can’t ever have too much young pitching. Especially if they do resign Lee, they probably won’t be able to afford CJ Wilson next winter, and possibly Colby Lewis the one after that, let alone both of them. Having guys like Derek Holland/Martin Perez/Neftali Feliz around to possibly replace them as top of the rotation arms is a nice luxury from an economic standpoint. Especially on a team that’s not the Yankees/Sox/Cubs
If the Rangers resign Lee and lock up Hamilton, that will eat up a nice chunk of that money they have laying around. Extending one of Lewis/Wilson and Nelson Cruz would necessitate a need for some younger, cheaper alternatives for other guys down the road
Very good points. The last sentence is something that just goes to show why re-signing Vlad may not be a good deal for us. He’ll want to be overpaid and a long term deal. He’s strictly a DH. We tried him in the OF in the WS, and it didn’t work. So obviously he’s not a very versatile player. I would have really loved Victor Martinez because with his versatility he could really earn his money on an everyday basis. When he didn’t catch he could play 1B or DH. We don’t need to over pay for a DH though.
Yea, I agree. It depends on what he wants too. I haven’t heard much about that. I know I don’t think I’d give him multiple years though. If he’d do another one year deal, then I wouldn’t mind so much. I’ve heard Konerko and Berkman mentioned too. Konerko would be a nice fit as long as he’s not too expensive. Berkman could turn out to be a nice bargain next year, if he really is healthy again
One thing I’ve thought about w/ the DH spot is not doing anything, and giving Julio Borbon another shot at a regular spot. If he could hold his own in the lineup (or have a breakout year as the next Jacoby Ellsbury/Michael Bourn), then they could rotate their four outfielders b/w the OF and DH spots (and possibly keep Hamilton and Cruz healthy for a full season). Maybe sign a quality right handed bench bat who could mix and match w/ those guys as well, like Ty Wigginton/Francouer/someone like them
Anyone think the Tigers would entertain the thought of aggressively bidding for Cliff Lee? They may the darkhorse in the sweepstakes.
Greinke is overated with mental problems. Russell Martin should be non-tendered. Vlad is simply a 5M a year player these days.
“Greinke is overated with mental problems.”
It’s a good thing you don’t get paid to make statements like that.
I’d take Berkman over Guerrero. He just melted the second half, and he’s done that before. Berkman, just needs to do some conditioning and apply himself, and lay off the Twinkies.
While you probably meant it in jest, I can tell you from watching Lance here in Houston that he’s not a Twinkie chaser. His laid back/ self depricating personality lends itself to him being called chubby
I think his chin gets in the way and distracts him during at-bats.
I’d love to see my Twins make a play for Lee and land him! Goodbye Pavano hello Cliff Lee! It most likely won’t happen though. If it doesn’t then I’d rather us stay with what we have and sign a veteran starter like Webb or Bedard for a cheap deal and go from there and take the draft picks when Pav leaves.
Greinke knows that he could win a World Series with the Rangers as they are now. Admittedly, trading for Greinke, while costing the Rangers several extremely valuable prospects, would free up money to lockup guys like Josh and maybe CJ Wilson, though I would trade Wilson straight up to the Royals and keep the younger talent instead because Wilson is going to want big money soon and he is just one temper tantrum away from throwing away all he did this past season. He tends to be a head case and lets bad luck get to him during games. I sure as hell would like to see the Rangers get another big bat like Dunn over a creampuff like Berkman.
The Royals would not trade CJ Wilson straight up… was that a joke?
You have to realize that this on playoff run has the Rangers fans puffing their chest out a little too far. Reality will set in once soon enough.
Well now we get to see if Martin really wants to stay in LA; with Dodgers luck, he stays and never regains form, OR he moves on and succeeds. Imagine that. Nothing like a half-empty glass of water, eh?
Trade Martin, Loney, Blake to Boston for Ellsbury and Scutaro and sign a FA first baseman. I hear Boston needs a 3B, 1B, and C and we need an OF and could slot Scutaro over to 2nd and Uribe at 3rd
Boston needs a 1B, but they’re not going to settle for Loney. They’ve had their sights on Adrian Gonzalez for awhile now, and Prince Fielder is another option for them… aside from the crowded field of free agent 1B on the market, many of whom are superior to Loney.
Blake probably has negative value at this point. His price tag for this season is above market value. And Martin’s value is also non-existent considering he is a non-tender candidate.
Boston laughs at that deal.
Why not Loney? Solid D and he’s affordable, which will make signing Crawford much easier and Crawford can hide Loney’s bat in the lineup a little better. And, why not throw Loney into the possible Gonzalez/Fielder trade? Isnt San Diego or Milwaukee going to need a firstbaseman to replace their former? Why not send Loney in the package? And Blake crushes balls to LF which means he might play well at Fenway. Martin is still a great catcher who’s a nontender candidate mainly b.c he’s too expensive for LA. Scutaro’s rumored to be available and Ellsbury supposedly wants out of Boston.
Now on the flip side, Dodgers need an outfielder and could solidify their infield with Scutaro and by trading Blake we wont have to worry about overpaying Blake to be a bench player.
And of course you’d throw in cash/prospects to make the deal make sense, thats just the bulk of it
Well, players aren’t non-tender candidates because they are too expensive for their particular team, they are non-tender candidates because they are likely to make over market value through arbitration. If Martin or Loney have value to other teams above what their salary is likely to be through arbitration, the Dodgers will tender them contracts and trade them. It doesn’t really matter if the Dodgers can afford them or not.As much as I’d like to think otherwise, Martin and Loney just do not have much (if any) trade value. Blake and Scutaro are a wash, but Ellsbury has more value than Martin and Loney. Even if he wants to get out of Boston, there are 28 other teams the Red Sox can negotiate a deal with, so it doesn’t necessarily help the Dodgers.However, if the Dodgers are willing to pay a good chunk of Loney and Martin’s salaries, or include a prospect or two, that might make a deal workable. I do like the idea of Ellsbury in CF, Kemp in RF and Ethier in LF. That’d be a huge improvement defensively, and could move Furcal to the #2 spot where he really belongs. He’s not a legitimate leadoff hitter anymore.I do like the basis of your proposal. A lot actually. It’s just going to require giving up a prospect or two or eating salary. But if the Dodgers could then sign LaRoche (or Pena, Lee, Berkman) and, say, Pierzynski, we’d look pretty decent.Ellsbury – Furcal – Ethier – Kemp – LaRoche – Uribe – Scutaro/Carroll – PierzynskiI could live with that.
I think that improves the defense as well as the offense
Well Boston never really makes deals. They are just like the Yankees, spend a lot of money on the hottest free agent out there. If you wouldn’t take a All-star Catcher Russell Martin, James Loney a first baseman that has hit a close to 300avg the last 3 years and has amazing defense, and Casey Blake who hit 250/64RBI/17HR.
Then you can keep Beltre at 3rd-oh thats right he’s gone
Saltalamacchia at Catcher- a guy who still has trouble throwing the ball back to the pitcher.
Ellsbury at CF- He doesn’t even want to be on the Red-Sox anymore.
Scutaro at 2nd- a guy who hit .275/56RBI/11HR (Casey Blake 250/64/17HR)
Blake and Scutaro are about the same only Casey has more pop.
I think its not a good trade because the only good thing the dodgers would get out of it is Jacoby Ellsbury.
I thank god Boston laughs at the deal.
How bout Martin for Ellsbury
My heart says no, But my brain says yes. They need a catcher and we need someone who can play left field. Ellsbury would also bat second in the batting order another thing we need.
But im still hoping the Dodgers sign Brad Hawpe to play left.
I know, I love Martin, I love his heart. I even got a Martin #55 jersey hanging in my closet. But we need a Centerfielder and you’re right we need another speedy player at the top of our lineup