Pitchers and catchers are reporting in Arizona and Florida, but up in the northeast, it doesn't feel like spring has arrived quite yet. Here are a few AL and NL East-related links while we wait for the snow to melt….
- Although the Yankees and Kevin Millwood are still talking, they have "a ways to go," tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman. Yesterday, nearly 43% of over 6,300 MLBTR readers voted that Millwood would eventually sign with the Yanks.
- The Rays were close to sending Jason Bartlett to San Francisco before they worked out a trade with another NL West club, Giants GM Brian Sabean tells Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
- John Gonzalez of the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders why it's taking so long for the Phillies and Charlie Manuel to work out a contract extension.
- The Red Sox topped baseball's list of spenders this offseason, as ESPN.com's Katie Sharp writes. Since the turn of the century, the piece notes, only the 2009 Yankees have won a World Series after having outspent the rest of the league the previous winter.
- Bobby Jenks spoke to the media in Fort Myers today, discussing his decision to sign with the Red Sox. The right-hander said he had offers elsewhere to close, but wanted to play in Boston, adding that he knows his role as a setup man and "didn’t come here to step on anybody’s toes." Alex Speier of WEEI.com has those quotes and more from Jenks.
- Mike Puma of the New York Post and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun each pose 10 questions that could shape the Mets' and Orioles' seasons, respectively. In addition to discussing how new arrivals will fit in, each article addresses the back of the bullpen. Will the Mets let Francisco Rodriguez finish 55 games to trigger his 2012 option? And will it be Kevin Gregg, Koji Uehara, Mike Gonzalez, or someone else closing in Baltimore?
- For updates all year long on the closing situations in Boston, New York, Baltimore, and everywhere else, be sure to follow @closernews on Twitter. A great resource for fantasy players, @closernews will keep tabs on injuries, ineffectiveness, overuse, and anything else that could affect which relievers are getting save opps.
K-Rod could be worth something, if he pitches well and doesn’t KO anyone.
If the Mets are as bad as most experts predict, K-Rod will be gone by the trade deadline, someone looking for bullpen help will target him as a set-up man (so his option conveniently doesn’t vest from finishing 55 games), assuming the Mets are willing to make the financials work, which I’m sure they will to get out of that 2012 option.
I don’t think the Mets are going to be an awful team. Bay, Reyes, and Beltran should have some kind of bounce back and if they release Perez then they’ll limit the embarrassing losses. That said, on paper the Braves and Phils are better teams. I kinda see the Mets as being a tease, in the race until the last month.
Who were the giants going to trade for barttlet? Outfielder?
Probably. They have a small city of outfielders already. It was probably like Shierholtz or maybe even Torres
You gotta remember that this Barlett deal was BEFORE they signed Miguel Tejada
I doubt it…the Rays already have a bajillion outfielders. They probably wanted a reliever or two.
Ya bullpen help. Rays bullpen was horrible.
“Although the Yankees and Kevin Millwood are still talking, they have “a ways to go,” ”
This makes me happy. Go get em Cleveland!
Am I the only one thinking that Bobby Jenks “stepping on anyone”s toes” would be extremely painful?
“Since the turn of the century, the piece notes, only the 2009 Yankees have won a World Series after having outspent the rest of the league the previous winter.”
Coincidentally, the 2009 Yankees team is the only Yankees team to win since the turn of the century.
I was ready to call foul on this statement until google reminded me what the Cubs spent in the 2006/2007 offseason.