Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy told reporters today (including Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun) that he won’t comment any further on his contract situation because there haven’t been any new developments. “There’s nothing to discuss,” said Hardy before adding that there haven’t been any recent negotiations between the two sides. Encina writes that Hardy and the O’s haven’t had extension talks since Spring Training. A few more late night links from around the league…
- Asked about the performance of rookie starter Mike Bolsinger following a strong start on Thursday, Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero launched into an unprompted defense of GM Kevin Towers, manager Kirk Gibson and the Arizona coaching staff, writes MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert. “The bottom line is, it’s our responsibility to go out there and take care of business,” said Montero. “I just wanted to say that, because the blame should be on us.” Montero said he would be “disappointed” if anything were to happen to Towers, Gibson or any of the coaches.
- Right-hander Kevin Gregg tells Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago-Sun Times that he’s in shape and waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. Gregg isn’t sure why he wasn’t able to land a guaranteed big league deal after a solid 2013 campaign with the Cubs but feels he can still get outs in the Majors and would welcome the opportunity to pitch in 2014. Gregg has been working out and pitching to college hitters at his home in Oregon to stay in shape as he waits for a deal. He spoke with a number of teams this offseason, writes Wittenmyer, but the Cubs weren’t one of them.
- LaTroy Hawkins was surprised when the Rockies’ offer to him this offseason included an opportunity to close games, writes Tracy Ringolsby for MLB.com. Hawkins says, however, that it was made clear that he was merely keeping the seat warm for Rex Brothers. Hawkins explains to Ringolsby the wisdom he’s trying to impart on Brothers as the young left-hander prepares himself to be the long-term answer for Colorado in the ninth inning.
- The Cardinals, Rays and Giants top a list of baseball’s smartest spenders over the past five that was devised by Ira Boudner, Evan Applegate and Ritchie S. King of Bloomberg Businessweek. The three have created a weighted system for all four major American sports based on the price paid per win compared to the league average and also created an interactive graphic for users to customize the list. In contrast, the White Sox, Mets and Cubs are the bottom three on the list.
Giants are smart spenders, huh? The team that gave you the Zito, Rowand, Huff, and now Lincecum and Pence contracts spend money smartly, you say?
Kiss the rings
Strange Gregg cant find a home somewhere after putting up 62 innings of 114 ERA+ ball…that said with the constantly evolving nature of a big league bullpen im sure he’ll find a home soon.
I think it’s more that it’s been a while since his peripherals have been particularly good. Last year his FIP/xFIP were 4.10/4.38, and he walked 4.65 per 9 innings.
It sounds like he’ll only accept a major league deal – if he were willing to take a minor league deal, I’m sure he’d be in AAA somewhere, and maybe he’d be in the majors already if he could dominate in AAA. But I don’t think teams want to gamble by giving him a guaranteed major league job, especially as he probably wants at least a million dollars.
That said, several teams would probably benefit from his presence, including the Cubs.
The Giants are not smart spenders. Paying a little more to keep guys like Lincecum, Pence, and Lopez around might appease the fans, but that isn’t smart spending. Couple that with the poor value they’ve got from non bargain bin free agents and they definitely don’t belong on the list.
Javy Lopez has been worth 3.5 WAR and 2 rings over the past 4 years while being paid around 11MM. By the old standard 1WAR = 5MM that would qualify as a bargain, and a smart spend. Pence doubled up on WAR value in his walk year after winning his ring during the trade theft from the Phils. Lincecum might be overpaid, but he’s been expensive for a while now, that’s what happens when you win CYs.
There just haven’t been that many free agents. The bargain ones in the past 4 years have provided some pretty amazing value. The non-bargain ones? Hit home runs off of Cliff Lee.
I don’t subscribe to the notion that WAR has a set monetary value. A 3 year deal for a non setup/closer is at a high AAV is very risky.
Not really. Its actually chump change, and not all leftys or Loogys are the same. Lopez is one of, or possibly the best in the majors.
The Cubs are bad spenders? The only Free Agents they’ve signed are guys they flipped at the deadline for prospects. How is that not smart? (The loan exception would be EJax, but does one bad deal really put them at the bottom?)
It’s over the last five years, not just the last two or three, and it looks at player payroll overall, not just free agent signings (so, arbitration and extension stuff too). It’s comparing how much they’ve spent to how much they’ve won.
Also, they’ve been nearly as bad as the Astros and Marlins for the past two years, but the Astros and Marlins have done it with a fraction of the price. Even this year, the Cubs have a $92.7M payroll. Marlins have $45.8M, Astros have $50.5M.
So would the Tigers kick the Tires on Gregg? What about Hanrahan? All I know is that the Tigers need bullpen help quick!