When George Kottaras hits for the cycle, left-hander Tom Milone homers on the very first pitch he sees in the Major Leagues and the Tigers come back from an 8-1 deficit for a 9-8 win over the White Sox, you know it's been a wild day in baseball. Let's end it off with some news items…
- The Rangers should offer C.J. Wilson a five-year contract worth between $92.5 and $97.5MM, writes Jean-Jacques Taylor for ESPN Dallas, but not any more than that since Wilson isn't quite one of the game's elite aces. If you think that Wilson isn't worth that kind of money, remember that unless C.C. Sabathia opts out of his deal, Wilson will be clearly the best free agent arm on the market this winter. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes thinks Wilson could even score a $100MM contract.
- Kaja Whitehouse of the New York Post isn't impressed by the Mets' plan of offering ownership "units" worth $20-$30MM to several different investors. She believes the club will find it hard to find investors willing to buy in without getting any say in the franchise's operations.
- Johan Santana threw 30 pitches for Class A St. Lucie today in his first minor league appearance since July 28, reports Adam Rubin for ESPN New York. Mets manager Terry Collins didn't rule out the possibility that Santana could pitch in a Major League game this season.
- The Cubs' new general manager may have a difficult decision to make about Geovany Soto, writes Patrick Mooney for CSNChicago.com. While Soto will have to rebound in 2012, it's hard to imagine any new GM immediately getting rid of a catcher who has performed very well in two of four Major League seasons.
- Bruce Chen tells Tyler Kepner of the New York Times that he wants to return to the Royals next season, what he's learned from pitching for 10 different organizations and how he wants to be like Jamie Moyer. Will MLBTR still be writing posts about Chen in 2025?
- Juan Rivera's performance for the Dodgers has convinced the team that it needs another big bat for next season, reports MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. That big bat is intended for first base or left field, which would mean that the Dodgers would part ways with either Rivera or James Loney.
Jeff 30
“Will MLBTR still be writing posts about Chen in 2025?”
We can only hope.
Isaac
Ya then maybe he’ll have already pitched with every team
Bender44
“Will MLBTR still be writing posts about Chen in 2025?”
No, but you’ll still be writing posts about Jamie Moyer.
bjsguess
I understand the position of the Mets investors. Look, if this was the Yankees and the organization was successful and printing money then I would feel relatively safe in being a silent investor. However, the Mets just don’t inspire that same level of confidence. I would be extremely leery of handing over a check for $20m and then having zero say in how the team is led.
start_wearing_purple
Exactly why I tend think this whole selling $20M-$30M share thing is a complete joke.
Not selling to Einhorn showed the baseball world that the Wilpons were simply playing the waiting game to make sure that Selig wouldn’t step in. This new tactic of trying to sell tiny pieces is just a new bs tactic.
Kinda screams that the Mets are in trouble for more than just next year.
Infield Fly
Kinda screams that the Mets are in trouble for more than just next year.
The Mets are in trouble every year in one way or another, and they will continue to be….until the freakin’ Wilpons finally succumb to reality….and sell.
Looks like this is going to be a pretty long siege. >:(
TimotheusATL
In 2025, I hope MLBTR is still writing posts about Matt Stairs.
bobbybaseball
“MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes thinks Wilson could even score a $100MM contract.” Isn’t that what Taylor is saying? 92-97 is awfully close to 100 isn’t it?
bomberj11
What is up with this man crush for Loney the Dodgers have…
Savino36
Good thing tim of MLBTR thinks Wilson will get a 100 million dollar deal….because any other person with common sense who has followed baseball free agency over the last few years couldnt predict that. So he started a blog that consolidates news articles about baseball transactions….that makes him an expert on MLB player moves? That’s like saying Mark Zuckerberg is an expert on relationships.
Infield Fly
Having read this site for years now, I can honestly say that I have yet to see Tim come off like he’s a baseball expert. Rather he is a passionate fan who gathers information, makes it available, invites speculation & debate, and ventures some guesses of his own about possible outcomes from what knowledge he has. When he’s wrong he says he’s wrong – openly – and he makes things fun.
In reality this site is unique, and a treasure for anyone who loves reading and talking about baseball (including major leaguers who sometimes post as well). So I really don’t see anything to complain about. Stick around for a while and you’ll see what I mean.
MattCMoore
What major leaguers posted on here?
Infield Fly
Most recently we’ve had LHP Marc Rzepczynski on here (and quite frequently), but there have also been interviews where major leaguers revealed to Tim that they read this site and post sometimes, although I don’t remember who they all are. I also remember some who said that they’d actually found out they’d been traded by reading this site. So just keep your eye on the articles. Sooner or later there will be another that tells you, including a welcome shout-out to the player from Tim & the staff.
Jose_Bautista
I do!
Jose_Bautista
Or do I?
Jonathan Volk
James Loney needs a change of scenery.
jammin502
On Soto … If you look around the league, the Catcher position as a whole has really dropped off as an offensive group. Guys like Mauer and V. Martinez have really seen their power drop away. A lot of the guys with higher HR totals have low averages. Guys like McCann, Avila, and Napoli really stand out.
jammin502
On Soto … If you look around the league, the Catcher position as a whole has really dropped off as an offensive group. Guys like Mauer and V. Martinez have really seen their power drop away. A lot of the guys with higher HR totals have low averages. Guys like McCann, Avila, and Napoli really stand out.
levendis
kinda tough for me to see anyone signing Wilson to a 100 million dollar deal when hes only been a starter since last year
Pete 12
“If you think that Wilson isn’t worth that kind of money, remember that unless C.C. Sabathia opts out of his deal, Wilson will be clearly the best free agent arm on the market this winter.”
Have you heard of this guy Yu Darvish?