Writings on baseball by Matt Barnard and Dan Stein.

Ol' Chuck LaMar extended
 
As you may well be aware by now, Chuck LaMar's contract with the Devil Rays has been extended through 2006. His contract would have expired at the end of the 2004 season, and the organization would have finally been free of LaMar, without any financial entanglements that would've come with firing him, for the first time in the history of the franchise.

There's simply no explanation for this. Take a look at any of the articles announcing the extension (here's one from espn.com)...there's no coherent reasoning from anyone involved. What has LaMar's career as a general manager brought every single season? Failure. Wild, spectacular failure. The team has never won as many as 70 games in a season. Did LaMar save owner Vince Naimoli's life at some point? There's no reason he shouldn't have been fired years ago. For those of you who own Baseball Prospectus 2004, go back and reread the Devil Rays chapter essay, if it's not still fresh in your mind. I was cracking up through much of it, because it lays out just what the franchise has been since its founding - an incredibly unsuccessful (and often hilarious) joke.

I feel terrible for Tampa fans, as they clearly don't deserve this kind of treatment. Is Naimoli intentionally sabotaging the franchise? Logically, I would think there's no chance of that - he's got a lot of money invested - but what other conclusion could one possibly reach by looking at this move? The Devil Rays talk about getting better, and they may be marginally so this year. They've got some intriguing young players coming through their system to join the talented youngsters already at the major league level. But the franchise is going into its seventh year and has not yet reached seventy wins, let alone a .500 record. Making matters worse is how misguided many of the moves LaMar have looked even as he's made them - there's just no reason to believe that he's a good GM or is ever going to somehow blossom into one. Extending his contract is insanity.
posted by VZW Watcher at 4:16 PM -

Catching up on a few things
 
There have been quite a few trades in the last couple of days, and I've got about half an hour before the beginning of Georgia Tech - Kansas, so I'll try to get to a few of them.

New York Mets get: Ricky Gutierrez.
Cleveland Indians get: a player to be named later.

This is just off the wire, I'm not seeing it up everywhere just yet. As most of you probably know, Gutierrez has been hurt and making a ton of money, thanks to a three year, $11.5 million contract he signed in December of 2001. He was certainly never worth quite that much money, but if he hits like he did during his two years in Chicago with the Cubs, he's a useful player to have on the roster, given that he can handle the middle infield. The Mets hope they're not going to need much backup at second or short (with Jose Reyes and Kazuo Matsui there), but you need someone...and the Mets were going with Joe McEwing. I don't know what they can reasonably expect to get out of Gutierrez, but he's apparently healthy and having a good spring, so assuming they're not giving up anything of note here, it's fine. The Indians are paying a large part of the remaining money on the contract, though I've yet to see a precise figure.

New York Mets get: Matt Ginter.
Chicago White Sox get: Timo Perez.

The Mets' outfield is pretty much set, with Cliff Floyd in left, Mike Cameron in center and a Karim Garcia/Shane Spencer platoon in right. Roger Cedeno is currently slated to be the fifth outfielder, and his contract probably means he's going to keep that job regardless of his production. So there wasn't room for Timo Perez.

That being said, the Mets are getting back very little here. Ginter's hasn't been good in any of his major league trials (2002 was as close as he's gotten to an asset, and even then he was nothing special). I guess it's possible that he'll make the Mets, operating out of the back end of a pretty weak bullpen. The Mets may well know something that's not obvious from looking at his numbers, but it looks to me like they're just giving Timo Perez a chance to play somewhere, since it wasn't likely to happen at Shea. He'll be a decent backup outfielder in Chicago.
posted by VZW Watcher at 2:16 PM -

Tony is free!
 
It's been awhile, and my GM winter-to-date project is all but dead. It's a fair amount of work to do each of them - it'd be one thing if I'd been keeping up all along, and perhaps that's a project for next year - and with virtually no response, it hardly seems worthwhile. Dan's been regaling us all with some tales of his exploits down in Florida, and I trust he'll have more for all of us when he gets back to Buffalo (which I believe will happen later today). We're getting down to the end of Spring Training now, and are just a week and part of a day away from baseball...which is pretty great. Also pretty great is the news today that my boy of boys, Tony Womack has been freed from the godless, soul-sucking prison that is the Boston Red Sox organization.

St. Louis Cardinals get: Tony Womack.
Boston Red Sox get: Matt Duff.

Realistically, this probably means more to Matt Barnard sitting at his computer in Cambridge, Massachusetts than it does to just about anybody else (save the Womack and Duff families and close friends) - Womack wasn't likely to have a significant role on the Red Sox this year, though it's possible he might have won a job as a backup infielder to open the season with Nomar Garciaparra likely out. As much as I love watching Tony and it pains me to say it, his lack of job security is well deserved, as he's been a pretty atrocious player over the last couple of years. That said, it's not like the Cardinals have a bunch of world beaters at second base in Marlon Anderson and Bo Hart, so Tony may yet get a shot at some playing time and at bats in St. Louis, which is probably more than you could've said for him in Boston. Tony LaRussa is already saying he'll use Womack at second, third, short and in the outfield, so it looks like the team's weaknesses will be Tony's potential gain. And he'll be in a far more palatable shade of red. Of course, he'll need to be healthy to realize any of this, and he's being evaluated in Jupiter at the team's Spring Training facility today. He's apparently way ahead of schedule recovering from offseason Tommy John surgery, and could be back before the original expected date (sometime in May).

As for the other party in this trade, I don't know much about Matt Duff. He pitched 5.2 innings with the Cardinals in 2002 (walking 8), and that's it at the major league level. He'll be 29 this season and has been pitching in the minors since being signed by the Padres (as an undrafted free agent) out of the University of Mississippi in 1997, so he's got a pretty extensive track record. He looks like a right handed short relief pitcher who strikes out better than a man per 9 innings, with a higher walk rate than you'd like. I don't really see where there's a place for him in a bullpen as good as the Red Sox have, but he should be a nice fit in Pawtucket.
posted by VZW Watcher at 3:50 PM -

Minor delay/The Hardball Times
 
I'm swamped right now and Dan's off in sunny Florida, so the Dave Dombrowski (Tigers) winter review will be here tomorrow (Tuesday, 3/16) as opposed to today.

Our friend Joe Dimino of Baseball Primer and the Hall of Merit has informed us about a new site he's writing for called The Hardball Times. There are a number of fine writers there from many of the sites we frequent (including Aaron Gleeman, who helped us in getting this blog started), and we wish them the best of luck.
posted by VZW Watcher at 1:10 PM -

Brian Cashman's winter-to-date
 
The notable moves made by the New York Yankees under Brian Cashman since the end of the 2003 season. Please send any comments/omissions/questions/feedback here.

11/04/03 -
Declined option on David Wells ($6 million, $1 million buyout).

The intention was to bring Wells back at less money - he's not worth $6 million at this point - but it didn't work out, and he went home to San Diego. A lot's been made this offseason of how the Yankees go into 2004 with a very different rotation than 2003 because they have a lot of guys who left via free agency. While that's true, I have a tough time faulting any of them - including Clemens - since all any of them did was go home. I don't include free agents bolting in these analyses, so I'll say here that I'm very appreciative of all the fine work Pettitte, Clemens and Wells did for the Yankees while they were in pinstripes, and I wish them the best of luck in Houston and San Diego respectively.

12/01/03 -
Signed Aaron Boone to a one year, $5.75 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

With a clause prohibiting him from playing basketball, or something to that effect.

12/02/03 -
Signed Enrique Wilson to a one year, $700,000 contract.

I don't mind having Wilson around simply because of his crazy numbers against Pedro Martinez - it's nice seeing a player of Wilson's stature smack him around a little - but realistically, there's not a whole lot of reason to keep him around. At this point, Boone, Jeter, Soriano and Giambi/Johnson were going to be manning the infield again and getting the vast majority of time. Why spend $700,000 on a guy like Wilson who can't really hit or field? I know the money is effectively no object, but come on...it's not like the Yankee system is completely devoid of anyone who might at least be interesting to look at in a backup infielder role. Brian Myrow, anyone?

12/03/03 -
Signed Felix Heredia to a two year, $3.8 million contract with a club option for 2006.

The Yankee bullpen is going to be much better in 2004, in part due to having Heredia around for the full season (they'd made other significant acquisitions too, of course). A late-season waiver wire last year, Heredia pitched very well after joining the Yankees, and will presumably have a significant role in the bullpen again in 2004.

12/04/03 -
Acquired Javier Vazquez from the Montreal Expos. (for Randy Choate, Nick Johnson and Juan Rivera)
Traded Randy Choate to the Montreal Expos. (with Nick Johnson and Juan Rivera for Javier Vazquez)
Traded Nick Johnson to the Montreal Expos. (with Randy Choate and Juan Rivera for Javier Vazquez)
Traded Juan Rivera to the Montreal Expos. (with Randy Choate and Nick Johnson for Javier Vazquez)

As I said to anyone who would listen at the time, I hate seeing Nick Johnson go. He was one of the team's only above average defensive infielders (with Aaron Boone) and was quickly turning into a monster with the bat. The guy draws walks, hits for average and power...there's not much not to like. He's got the spectre of hand injuries over him all the time, which is a negative, but I have a tough time believing he's not going to be a flat-out stud for a long time in Montreal. At the same time, if I were going to trade him, I'd want it to be for someone just like Vazquez - a young (he'll be 27 this year) pitcher without an injury history to speak of who's had consistently excellent results and strikes a lot of guys out. Replacing Pettitte or Clemens or Wells with Vazquez is a significant upgrade. I expect Rivera and Choate to play some role and contribute over time in Montreal, but I don't think we'll miss them too much in New York.

12/07/03 -
Signed Ruben Sierra to a one year, $1 million contract.

Strictly a pinch hitter/occasional DH at this point, I don't know that he's worth anything approaching a million dollars for his age 38 season. There's no getting around the fact that he can still absolutely crush a pitch now and then, but there are an awful lot of guys who can do the same for a lot less money and can also contribute in some other area. I'd expect Torre to use him pretty much just as he did in 2003.

12/11/03 -
Acquired Kevin Brown from the Los Angeles Dodgers. (for Yhency Brazoban, Jeff Weaver, Brandon Weeden and $2.6 million)
Traded Yhency Brazoban to the Los Angeles Dodgers. (with Jeff Weaver, Brandon Weeden and $2.6 million for Kevin Brown)
Traded Jeff Weaver to the Los Angeles Dodgers. (with Yhency Brazoban, Brandon Weeden and $2.6 million for Kevin Brown)
Traded Brandon Weeden to the Los Angeles Dodgers. (with Yhency Brazoban, Jeff Weaver and $2.6 million for Kevin Brown)

It seems like many Yankee fans have some kind of vendetta against Jeff Weaver and wanted him gone at all costs - I'm certainly not in that camp. He didn't get the job done in pinstripes, that's pretty clear - but he goes into the 2004 season as a healthy 27-year old with a track record of major league success. Things didn't work out in New York, and it's a shame. I would've liked to see him in the rotation with Vazquez and take a wait-and-see approach...can you imagine two guys significantly under 30 in the Yankee rotation? In any case, he pitched himself out the team's plans, and it's hard to argue too hard against sending him on his merry way. Kevin Brown's got some things working against him - he's a groundball pitcher and the infield defense stinks, he's old and has had injury problems and he makes a ton of money. He also strikes a ton of guys out (precisely what the Yanks and their poor defense need) and has been and continues to be a borderline Hall-of-Fame pitcher when healthy. I'm more than a little worried about counting on him as much as the Yankees are though.

12/15/03 -
Signed John Flaherty to a one year, $775,000 contract.

Again, a little excessive. Flaherty's okay in a very limited role, which is all he serves with the Yankees. I'm reluctant to speak ill of him, because he is a New York boy (born in the city) and it's such a rare treat to have one playing in our beautiful town. I have to believe that someone like Michel Hernandez could've filled this role ably, but having Flaherty around won't kill them. Unless Posada gets hurt, in which case it would be terrible.

12/17/03 -
Signed Gary Sheffield to a three year, $39 million contract.

Having been talked about and nearly completed for awhile, the Sheffield contract finally got done. As I've read/heard in many places, Sheffield has such incredible bat speed that his age isn't likely to affect him as much as it might some other older players. I can buy that, and looking at his 2003 season in Atlanta (.330/.419/.604) I'd happily take a slightly reduced version of that over the next three years if I had to. The Yanks were sub-par in right last year and really not that great through the end of Paul O'Neill's career - Sheffield will be the best Yankee rightfielder I've ever seen. I loved Jesse Barfield too, but I'm just being real. He'll be a tremendous asset to the Yankee lineup, assuming he can play through the hand trouble he's currently experiencing.

12/18/03 -
Acquired Edwardo Sierra from the Oakland Athletics. (with J.T. Stotts for Chris Hammond)
Acquired J.T. Stotts from the Oakland Athletics. (with Edwardo Sierra for Chris Hammond)
Traded Chris Hammond to the Oakland Athletics. (for Edwardo Sierra and J.T. Stotts)

Hammond was going to be rendered useless on this team, and may yet be on the A's as well (they've got a lot of lefties over there). While he pitched well for the team during the season, the Yanks added Heredia and Gabe White late last season and had deals for Paul Quantrill and Tom Gordon in the works already by this point, so he was going to be gone one way or another. I don't know that we should expect much from either Sierra or Stotts, but I'll point out that Stotts was a third round draft pick of the A's in 2001 out of Cal State Northridge and wasn't a total bust in his initial exposure to AA last season. Sierra was converted to relief last season and pitched adequately in the Midwest league at age 21. Both guys are unlikely to ever make an impact on the Yankees, the upside realistically is for them to play well enough to turn into further trade bait.

12/19/03 -
Signed Miguel Cairo to a one year, $900,000 contract.

Wilson, Sierra and now this - about a million bucks a man filling out a pretty weak bench. Cairo's at least versatile, as he can play pretty much any position on the field and hit a little bit. I'm not thrilled about bringing him in, but he sure makes Wilson look like even more of a waste now that he's sitting alongside a similar but better player. Aside from the Pedro crushing.

12/20/03 -
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to David Dellucci.
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Karim Garcia.

There are those who like David Dellucci as a player, but I'm not among them. I know he's been a bit disappointing given some of the work he did early in his career, but he did virtually nothing for the Yanks in 2003 and had no business being brought back. He'll be in Texas. Garcia, on the other hand, can actually hit and has demonstrated that ability both in New York and Cleveland. I wouldn't want him as my starting corner outfielder (though that's been taken care of), but as a bat off the bench, I probably like him better than Ruben Sierra. He'll be in Queens, where the Mets have really improved their outfield.

12/22/03 -
Signed Paul Quantrill to a two year, $6.8 million contract with a club option for 2006 ($3.6 million, $400K buyout).

A little excessive. The Yanks have other options (Scott Proctor is one) internally and don't need to invest this kind of guaranteed money in a pitcher of Quantrill's caliber. I don't expect him to bomb in the Bronx, but my expectations aren't all that high either.

12/23/03 -
Designated Michel Hernandez for assignment.
Signed Tom Gordon to a two year, $7.25 million contract.
Signed Kenny Lofton to a two year, $6.2 million contract.

The Red Sox claimed Hernandez, who could be a credible backup catcher given the opportunity. Between talking Colter Bean in the Rule V Draft and Hernandez here, is it possible that Boston's trying to stick it to the Yankees, picking up a guy the Yanks have discarded and watching him go on to major league success? In any case, he's not going to displace Varitek in 2004 and is behind Kelly Shoppach on the organization depth chart in Boston. Gordon's exactly the kind of pitcher the Yanks need in the bullpen - a guy who collects a lot of strikeouts. His health problems are a few years behind him now, and it's going to be fun watching Flash set up the Hammer of God. The Lofton signing is probably the most bothersome move for me as a Yankee fan - there's just no discernable reason for it. He's not a significant upgrade over Bernie in center, and he's not a good DH. I know he would've been more money and required a longer commitment, but the Yanks should've been interested in Mike Cameron, who would've been a great aid to both the offense and defense. If they get Carlos Beltran after the season, Lofton's all the more extraneous...but all would be forgiven.

01/06/04 -
Signed Javier Vazquez to a four year, $45 millon contract.

If Vazquez isn't worth it, the Yankees have a right to be disappointed. He's been very good and durable in each of the last four years, and heading into his age 27-30 seasons, there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to sustain that success. Injuries are always a real risk when signing a long-term deal (especially for a pitcher), but Vazquez is a guy I feel pretty confident in.

01/09/04 -
Outrighted Erick Almonte to AAA Columbus.

Realistically, he's not going to have much of a role on this team. He failed in an extended trial in 2003, and isn't likely to see another such opportunity come around in pinstripes.

01/12/04 -
Designated Fernando Seguignol for assignment.
Signed Tony Clark to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

As you probably know, Seguignol absolutely destroyed AAA last year and didn't earn as much as a look from the Yankees at any point. It's reasonable to think that he could be a pretty decent hitter in the major leagues right now, but he's not going to get that opportunity with the Yankees. At the same time, they feel the need to go out and sign a backup first baseman (hey...Seguignol has been a better hitter for at least the last two years, and he's in house!) Whatever. Tony Clark's got major league success behind him, is really tall, and can contribute. It just seems silly that teams frequently won't give minor league veterans because they have limited major league experience - it's a self-perpetuating cycle. Anyhow, Clark's not likely to make the team now that Travis Lee (see 2/26/04) has been signed to a guaranteed contract.

01/20/04 -
Signed Alfonso Soriano to a one year, $5.4 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

A very reasonable price for a hitter of Soriano's caliber. As much as he's frustrating to watch, he's been enormously productive at second base. Of course, he wouldn't be around for long.

02/04/04 -
Acquired Mike Lamb from the Texas Rangers. (for Jose Garcia)
Traded Jose Garcia to the Texas Rangers. (for Mike Lamb)

It'd be nice to envision Mike Lamb winning a role on the Yankees. With Boone going down, he would've been a decent fill-in at third base, but with the acquisition of Alex Rodriguez (coming soon), he's rendered pretty much useless. He's really a pretty decent hitter and can play both the infield and outfield corners - I think he'd find a place on my bench if I were running the Yankees. Hard to imagine him doing so now though.

02/05/04 -
Released Drew Henson.
Signed Erick Almonte to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Darren Bragg to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Homer Bush to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Jeff Deardorff to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Felix Escalona to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Sal Fasano to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Omar Fuentes to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Joe Girardi to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Tyler Houston to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Jim Mann to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Dioner Navarro to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Donovan Osborne to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed John Rodriguez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed David Shepard to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Jon Mark Sprowl to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Steve Torrealba to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

The Drew Henson experiment officially ends; best of luck to him in the NFL. The Yankees don't often have guys make the roster after starting off as NRIs, and there's no exception in this group. Navarro and Sprowl are catching prospects (with Navarro the younger and better of the two), and there's not much else. Osborne will probably hang around AAA Columbus in case a Yankee starter goes down, and Girardi will move to the YES network. Tyler Houston might've been an option, but he gave up after the A-Rod acquisition.

02/16/04 -
Acquired Alex Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers. (with cash for Alfonso Soriano and a player to be named later)
Traded Alfonso Soriano to the Texas Rangers. (with a player to be named later for Alex Rodriguez and cash)
Traded a player to be named later to the Texas Rangers. (with Alfonso Soriano for Alex Rodriguez and cash)

I don't know what can be said that hasn't already been said. This is a wonderful deal for the Yankees. If I were starting a team right now (or any time for awhile now), my first selection would be Rodriguez...he can play short extremely well, he's been durable, he's still young and he can hit the crap out of the ball. And the Red Sox were close to acquiring him, which makes the trade even sweeter. He'll move to third for the beginning of the 2004 season - hopefully the Yanks think better of that before too long. The trade of trades.

02/17/04 -
Signed Gabe White to a one year, $2.15 million contract with a mutual option for 2005. (avoided arbitration)

White's been a very good reliever in the past and should be a lefty killer in the Yankee pen this year. If he can do what he's done in the past effectively, he's well worth $2.15 million to the Yankees.

02/24/04 -
Released Tyler Houston.

As I said, Houston gave up on making the team following the A-Rod trade. Good riddance.

02/26/04 -
Released Aaron Boone.
Signed Travis Lee to a one year, $2.25 million contract with a club option for 2005 ($3 million, $250K buyout).

Boone finally gets released - it's thought that the team may try to resign him to an incentive-laden deal for 2005, which would be fine with me. His injury ultimately paved the way for the A-Rod trade, so I guess it ends up being a positive thing. Not many Yankee fans were relishing the thought of seeing Boone out there for a full season, given what he did in pinstripes last year (of course, he'll always have a place in our hearts). The Travis Lee signing is a bit odd, just because of the money. I guess he probably had other options and could've gone and played more elsewhere, so the team had to come big to get him...I just don't see him getting all that many at bats with the team they've currently got. A great defensive first baseman, he'll be Giambi's caddy there - you just can't get him, Giambi, Bernie, Lofton and Matsui all into the lineup at once.

The 2004 Yankees are a very different looking team than the one that lost the 2003 World Series to the Marlins. For the most part, that's a good thing. There's no question that the team has lost starting pitching - but I have more questions about the back end of the rotation (Contreras and Lieber) than the top two replacements (Vazquez and Brown). In truth, the offense should be good enough to make up for a lot of pitching deficiences. Adding the likes of Sheffield and Rodriguez should make this one of the best offensive teams around, certainly the best Yankee team we've seen in recent years. Both the Yanks and Red Sox (and Blue Jays) have improved significantly since the end of the season - it's going to be fun, again.
posted by VZW Watcher at 12:50 PM -

Larry Beinfest's winter-to-date
 
The notable moves made by the Florida Marlins under Larry Beinfest since the end of the 2003 season. Please send any comments/omissions/questions/feedback here.

11/10/03 -
Outrighted Kevin Olsen to AAA Albuquerque.
Signed Ryan Christenson to a minor league contract.

There was a time when there were quite a few guys with names like "Christenson" floating around, but none have panned out so far. Ryan Christenson will be 30 this year and has not approached major league success of any kind since 2000, when he bordered on adequate in Oakland. So while he's not likely to get much of an opportunity, it's not as if the Marlins have a ton of outfield depth (after Juan Pierre, Jeff Conine and Miguel Cabrera, there's not much there). Probably not much here.

11/14/03 -
Signed Felipe Crespo to a minor league contract.
Signed Bryce Florie to a minor league contract.

11/24/03 -
Invited Ryan Christenson to spring training.
Invited Mike Fyhrie to spring training.
Invited Delvin James to spring training.
Invited David Manning to spring training.
Invited Aaron Small to spring training.
Signed Cedrick Bowers to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Marty McLeary to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Scott Sanders to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Matt Treanor to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Jason Wood to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

I'll be honest - I don't know a whole lot about most of these guys. Nice to see that Scott Sanders is still making a go of it - he pitched at AAA Albuquerque last year after last appearing in the major leagues with the Cubs in 1999. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that none of these guys make the team.

11/25/03 -
Acquired Hee Seop Choi from the Chicago Cubs. (with Mike Nannini for Derrek Lee)
Acquired Mike Nannini from the Chicago Cubs. (with Hee Seop Choi for Derrek Lee)
Traded Derrek Lee to the Chicago Cubs. (for Hee Seop Choi and Mike Nannini)

Lee's legitimately one of the best all-around first basemen in the game, but he was about to get expensive and is now gone. If you're going to trade a player of Lee's caliber, you'd do well to bring in a good young player like Choi, a guy with lots of promise who will be cheap for awhile. I fully expect both Lee and Choi to be successful in their new homes, with Choi and Wil Cordero (signed later in the offseason) forming a very effective platoon in Florida. Nannini's a former 1998 first rounder (selected by the Astros) who had a nice season last year at AA West Tennessee. He struck over a man per inning (158 Ks in 154 innings) and posted a 3.52 ERA at age 23, so he's not quite just a throw-in here.

12/02/03 -
Signed Mike Lowell to a four year, $32 million contract.

As you undoubtedly know, this is more than just a 4 year, $32 million contract - it's got an unprecedented (to my knowledge) clause that makes every year after the first contigent on the building of a new ballpark. It looks unlikely that a new stadium will be built in South Florida, so Lowell may well be a free agent again following the 2004 season - which wouldn't be the worst thing for the Marlins. As good as it looks like Miguel Cabrera is going to be, he'd have more value at third than he does in an outfield corner, and Lowell's getting to the point where he's likely to start declining soon. It's certainly a lot easier to find a good corner outfielder than a third baseman. Lowell should be worth the money this year.

12/04/03 -
Signed Mike Mordecai to a one year, $500,000 contract.

He can't really hit and is limited to playing a couple infield spots. He's now been a part of two World Series champs (Atlanta in 1995 and Florida last year), but has been legitimately crappy during his tenure with the Marlins (the last two years). You'd be better off filling this utility man spot with someone either younger and cheaper or someone competent...I don't see a whole lot of justification for spending half a million dollars and a roster spot on the likes of Mordecai.

12/05/03 -
Signed Lenny Harris to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

12/06/03 -
Signed Gerald Williams to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Good to have old Lenny and Ice back in camp. It goes without saying, but if either are on the roster at any point, it's a waste.

12/07/03 -
Signed Luis Castillo to a three year, $16 million contract with a vesting option for 2007 ($6 million).
Signed Chad Fox to a one year, $1.2 million contract.

Fox has been either very effective or pretty awful for most of his career, and the Marlins got the good Fox when they picked him up in midseason. It's a bit of a gamble to bank on him being able to be as good as he was in Florida in 2003 again, but for this price it's probably worth it. As he's shown, he has the ability to be a tremendous asset out of the bullpen. The Castillo deal is a little bit problematic, perhaps driven as much by public relations as anything else. While he's still a very good player, you're starting to see his speed go as he ages, and so much of his game is predicated on that. I can understand ownership wanting to look like it wants to keep the championship core together, but retaining Castillo and Lowell might not have been the best way to go. That being said, this is only three years guaranteed, and while Castillo might look overpaid by 2006, it's a short enough deal that they're unlikely to get too badly burned.

12/13/03 -
Acquired Travis Ezi from the Los Angeles Dodgers. (for Juan Encarnacion)
Traded Juan Encarnacion to the Los Angeles Dodgers. (for Travis Ezi)

I understand that the alternative for the Marlins was to non-tender him because he was about to get paid, but the outfield is going to be weaker without him around next year. Can you expect Juan Pierre and Jeff Conine to match their 2003 seasons in 2004? I don't know that you can. Either way, the team lacks a good fourth outfielder, and while he hasn't lived up to his early promise, Encarnacion was okay in 2003 (.270/.313/.446 in 601 at bats). He's not a good starting corner outfielder - but he's not worthless. Since they were going to get rid of him, kudos to Beinfest for getting something back.

12/16/03 -
Acquired Bill Murphy from the Oakland Athletics. (with Mike Neu for Mark Redman)
Acquired Mike Neu from the Oakland Athletics. (with Bill Murphy for Mark Redman)
Traded Mark Redman to the Oakland Athletics. (for Bill Murphy and Mike Neu)

Neu will be an asset out of the bullpen for years to come and Murphy is a young pitcher out of Cal State Northridge who did a decent young in the Texas League last year. However, Redman's a damn good pitcher and held the Marlin rotation together for parts of last season with Dontrelle Willis after A.J. Burnett went down. Again, he was about to make a lot of money and probably got overpaid in Oakland, but the drop from Redman to Darren Oliver (who will start the season as the #5 starter) is not insignificant.

12/20/03 -
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Armando Almanza.
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Toby Borland.
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Braden Looper.

Almanza was pretty bad last year (6.08 ERA in 50.1 innings), and the Marlins really have better options. Looper racked up a bunch of saves last season and was likely to be awarded more more in arbitration than he's really worth, so non-tendering him makes sense too. Borland pitched well (in just 9.2 innings) and was later brought back (12/22/03) on a minor league contract. He's in camp with the team.

12/21/03 -
Signed Armando Benitez to a one year, $3.5 million contract.
Signed A.J. Burnett to a one year, $2.5 million contract.
Signed Alex Gonzalez to a two year, $6.2 million contract.

Benitez will be the new closer in Florida, replacing the non-tendered Braden Looper and the still unsigned Ugueth Urbina. I've seen an awful lot of him here in New York, but I think we all know what we're getting by now. $3.5 million seems a little steep, but he'll solidify the back end of the bullpen. Burnett, as you know, is hurt, but he's supposedly on schedule to return before midseason. Alex Gonzalez will be at short again, which would concern me - he's had a couple good months his entire major league tenure, which is now over 600 games old. Obviously the team won a championship with him, but short is a position I'd want to look into upgrading.

12/22/03 -
Signed Toby Borland to a minor league contract.

01/07/04 -
Signed Damion Easley to a minor league contract.

I guess a great spring could get him a shot a backup role in the infield, but he's done nothing in the last...well...three years, to be charitable, to earn such an opportunity. He had a nice three year run in Detroit in 1997-1999, but there's plenty of evidence to show that he's finished now. He's limited to second base defensively and can't hit anymore, so he's really got no place on this or any team.

01/20/04 -
Signed Carl Pavano to a one year, $3.8 million contract. (avoided arbitration)
Signed Brad Penny to a one year, $3.725 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

Two important rotation cogs locked up for another year. After all the injury problems Pavano had after being acquired by the Expos in the Pedro Martinez deal, it was great to see him pitching effectively last year. He gave the Marlins 201 innings of solid work last year, won a World Series, pitched great in the playoffs, and according to Dan, is now dating Alyssa Milano. Hats off to you, Carl.

01/22/04 -
Invited Dennis Anderson to spring training.
Invited Trevor Hutchinson to spring training.
Invited Ryan Jorgenson to spring training.
Invited Mike Nannini to spring training.
Invited Eric Reed to spring training.
Invited Derek Wathan to spring training.
Signed Larry Sutton to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

01/29/04 -
Signed Darren Oliver to a one year, $750,000 contract.

One of the few transactions this offseason I actually covered on this site, you can check out my lengthier comments here. I would've expected little more than an NRI for Oliver, but he did pitch effectively last year in Colorado and supposedly will only be in the back of the rotation until A.J. Burnett returns (which the team hopes will be some time in May or June), at which point he'll move to the bullpen. Low risk, low reward.

02/03/04 -
Signed Wil Cordero to a one year, $600,000 contract.

There are many things Wil Cordero can't do, but the guy crushes left-handed pitching. Assuming he'll be used at first base and in the outfield pretty much exclusively against lefties, he'll be an asset. For this price, it's hard to argue.

02/05/04 -
Signed Nelson Cruz to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Armando Rios to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

The Marlins had some hard decisions to make coming off their second championship season - many reports came out following the World Series that the team's payroll would have to increase substantially in order to keep the team intact. Luis Castillo and Mike Lowell were free agents, and the team had to deal with escalating salaries of the likes of Juan Encarnacion, Derrek Lee and Mark Redman. To their credit, they didn't attempt to stand pat like the Angels did last winter, and have made moves looking towards the future, acquiring Hee Seop Choi and cutting the cord with guys who would've been clearly overpaid like Encarnacion. It'll be interesting to see how Beinfest and company go about tweaking this team through the season, as they go into the 2004 season a clear underdog in their own division (to the Phillies, with the Braves right there).

posted by VZW Watcher at 5:01 PM -

Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan's winter-to-date
 
The notable moves made by the Baltimore Orioles under Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan since the end of the 2003 season. Please send any comments/omissions/questions/feedback here.

10/03/03 -
Outrighted Robert Machado to AAA Ottawa.
Outrighted Carlos Mendez to AAA Ottawa. (Mendez refused and became a free agent.)
Outrighted Pedro Swann to AAA Ottawa.

10/14/03 -
Outrighted Felix Escalona to AAA Ottawa.
Outrighted Jose Leon to AAA Ottawa.
Outrighted Mike Paradis to AAA Ottawa.
Outrighted Willis Roberts to AAA Ottawa.

10/17/03 -
Signed Tim Corcoran to a minor league contract.
Signed Darwin Cubillan to a minor league contract.
Signed Cory Harris to a minor league contract.
Signed Chris Lemonis to a minor league contract.
Signed Luis Lopez to a minor league contract.
Signed Carlos Mendez to a minor league contract.
Signed Sean Spencer to a minor league contract.
Signed Pedro Swann to a minor league contract.

10/29/03 -
Declined option on Brook Fordyce ($4 million, $500K buyout).
Declined option on Pat Hentgen ($4 million, $300K buyout).

Hentgen had a nice second half last year, but I doubt the Orioles considered picking up his $4 million option too seriously. Given the young pitching coming up through the system, this probably makes sense, even if the Opening Day rotation isn't going to be anything to write home about. He's gone to Toronto where, if healthy, he should be a fine #4 starter. Not picking up Fordyce's option is an absolute no-brainer.

11/07/03 -
Named Lee Mazzilli manager.

Why Lee Mazzilli? He's coming from the Yankees and the Yankees have done a pretty good job winning lately. And I assume he interviewed well. But he's got no relevant experience for us to look at, so it's hard to have any good guess as to what kind of manager he'll be.

11/13/03 -
Declined option on Deivi Cruz ($1.5 million).
Declined option on Kerry Ligtenberg ($1.2 million).

Cruz was adequate for parts of last year, but he certainly isn't a guy you want to keep around at any significant expense. The Orioles found a slightly better replacement for him (12/14/03). He's gone to Tampa, where he really doesn't have a place to play given that Julio Lugo is the incumbent shortstop there and is coming off a decent 2003 season. Ligtenberg might've been worth keeping around at $1.2 million, but he's gone to Toronto.

11/20/03 -
Claimed Walter Young off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Unlikely to have an impact on the major league level. That said, Walter Young's been a productive minor league hitter, and by all accounts, he's a lot of fun to watch. Picking him up for nothing more than the cost of a waiver claim is a pretty nice move.

12/05/03 -
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Tony Batista.

Being replaced by Melvin Mora at third in Baltimore. Batista was pretty bad in 2003, finishing up with a .235/.270/.393 line in 161 games (631 at bats). He'll move to Montreal, where he should be something of an improvement on the likes of Jamey Carroll and Fernando Tatis, but he really hasn't shown much since 2000. Good for 25 home runs, but not a whole lot more.

12/14/03 -
Signed Miguel Tejada to a six year, $72 million contract.

A lot of money, but the Orioles wanted to make a statement (that they're willing to spend money), and they succeeded. While his OBP isn't quite as high as you'd like from a guy making this kind of scratch, there's little dispute that he's among the best shortstops in the game and a damn productive hitter. He's slugged at least .472 in each of the last four seasons, and at just 28, is a reasonable bet to continue to be productive over much of the life of this contract. This deal was initially thought to be for something like $54 million, which would've been significantly better - but Tejada's probably not going to be a burden over the next six years.

12/15/03 -
Selected Jose Bautista of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Rule V Draft (1st round, 6th overall).

Once a very well thought of prospect, the Pirates couldn't find a way to get Bautista on their 40-man roster, so the Orioles snapped him up. Given that Melvin Mora is currently slated to play third everyday and that Bautista might be able to play a credible third (offensively and defensively) right now, it seems possible that he could stick and actually get some time in the majors in 2004.

12/19/03 -
Signed Napoleon Calzado to a minor league contract.
Signed Eddy Garabito to a minor league contract.
Signed Chad Mottola to a minor league contract.

12/20/03 -
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Jason Johnson.
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Damian Moss.

With the pitching the Orioles have coming up through the system, it's hard to argue with either of these moves. Moss was brutal in Baltimore in 2003, kudos to the front office for not holding on to him just because he came over in the Ponson deal. He'll be in Tampa in 2004. Jason Johnson's an average innings eater, but likely would've been awarded more than he's worth had the team taken him to arbitration.

12/22/03 -
Signed Javy Lopez to a three year, $22.5 million contract.

A lot of money for a guy who's had one good season any time recently. Lopez will fill the team's void at catcher this year and potentially at first base in 2005 and 2006, but he'll need to prove that his 2003 wasn't a fluke before this contract looks like a smart investment. If he can continue to slug close to .700 over the next three years, this'll be a bargain. His 2003 performance was just so out of whack with the rest of his career that he's going to have to prove he's worth this kind of money.

12/30/03 -
Signed Mike DeJean to a one year, $1.5 million contract.

Do the Orioles really consider themselves contenders? If so, signing a guy like DeJean makes some sense...he's a good relief pitcher and could be a contributor in a contender's bullpen. But if not - and realistically, I don't know how they can in 2004 - what's the logic in signing a guy like DeJean to a one year contract? Sure, he improves this iteration of the Baltimore Orioles...but next year, in 2006, in 2007, when the team might actually have a chance to make a run at the division...what do they have to show for it? Mightn't it be an idea to allow your young pitchers to get some valuable experience in the bullpen, even in high leverage spots? I guess if they're going to turn around and ship DeJean out later in the season, I can buy this. Otherwise, I don't really understand it.

01/08/04 -
Invited Napoleon Calzado to spring training.
Invited Raul Casanova to spring training.
Invited Darwin Cubillan to spring training.
Invited Eddy Garabito to spring training.
Invited Luis Lopez to spring training.
Invited Carlos Mendez to spring training.
Invited Pedro Swann to spring training.
Signed Bill Haselman to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed B.J. Surhoff to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Probably nothing that impacts the team here. Surhoff is pretty much done, he apparently wants to come back, but there's not much room for him anymore. Pedro Swann's been mashing in the minor leagues for years now, and there's no reason to think he's about to break through. Calzado's been okay, advancing as far as AAA Ottawa in 2003, but with no power to speak of - there are much better players in place at the positions he can handle at the major league level. Carlos Mendez did smack around AAA pitching (.347/.375/.500) at Ottawa in 61 games last year, and might get a look, but only because Javy Lopez's backup is probably going to be Geronimo Gil. Not much here to be excited about.

01/10/04 -
Signed Rafael Palmeiro to a one year, $4 million contract.

Palmeiro is obviously getting old, but he's continued to be a very productive player. As long as the team doesn't have better options at first base and in the outfield corners (because Jay Gibbons could conceivably move to first if they had someone else to play right), this makes some sense. You certainly don't want David Segui or Jack Cust manning first base on a full-time basis, and this is only a one year commitment (with a club option I believe, but I couldn't find terms on it). I'm not sure how much impact signing a guy like Palmeiro for a year will ultimately be in a division that features three of the best teams in baseball, but at least it ought to excite the fans a little to bring in a Hall of Fame caliber player.

01/14/04 -
Signed Sidney Ponson to a three year, $22.5 million contract.

He's fat, but I really like Ponson. While he's been a health risk his entire career, he's coming off his best season and makes the trade that sent him to San Francisco look that much better now that he comes back to the Orioles. He'll be the #1 starter in what ought to be a good but inexperienced rotation.

01/16/04 -
Invited Mike Fontenot to spring training.
Invited John Maine to spring training.
Signed Keith Osik to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Both Fontenot and Maine have great shots to be major leaguers in some capacity in the not-too-distant future, but not yet. You know what Osik brings to the table, and it's not much.

01/20/04 -
Signed Jerry Hairston Jr. to a one year, $1.65 million contract. (avoided arbitration)
Signed Luis Matos to a one year, $975,000 contract. (avoided arbitration)

I'll be honest - I didn't realize how good Hairston was last year. He was hurt, but his numbers (even including those he accumulated after he returned, which were crappy) were easily the best of his career. If he can come close to replicating those, he's an asset to the team at second base and a bargain at this price. Matos also had a breakthrough season, and bringing him back at this price is a steal.

01/28/04 -
Signed Clay Bellinger to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Melvin Mora to a three year, $10.5 million contract.
Signed Rob Ramsay to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Mora's probably the Opening Day third baseman now that Tony Batista is gone to Montreal. Mora was terrific in 2003 (.317/.418/.503, easily the best season of his career), but his real value is probably in his versatility - he can play any infield or outfield spot and not embarrass himself offensively or defensively. He's already 32 though and unlikely to match his 2003 numbers, so the contract seems a little bit excessive. Neither Bellinger nor Ramsay are likely to have any impact with the major league team.

02/04/04 -
Signed Mark McLemore to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

A crappy, older version of Mora. Not long ago, McLemore was a valuable contributor in Seattle, but while he's got a decent shot at making this team, his offensive contributions from 2003 (.233/.318/.314) don't point to him being an asset. I don't know what McLemore brings to the team that they don't already have in Mora and Brian Roberts (a much younger player with more offensive skills who can also play a few positions).

02/11/04 -
Signed B.J. Ryan to a one year, $1.275 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

Eh. Ryan's been an average reliever over the past three seasons, though he took some steps forward in 2003 with an increased strikeout rate and decreased home run rate. There are a lot of relievers out there, but $1.275 million isn't really breaking the bank, particularly with the way the team threw around money this offseason.

02/12/04 -
Signed Jay Gibbons to a one year, $2.6 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

Not a guy I want to pay a whole lot more than this to, since he's not that young (he'll be 27 in 2004) and kind of limited in what he can do. That said, he can handle right field and hits for some power, so he's worth keeping around until they can find a viable alternative.

03/01/04 -
Invited Jeffrey Montani to spring training.
Invited Richard Stahl to spring training.

I'll be rooting for Montani, a product of the state university system of the great state of New York (he went to Binghamton). He's been a minor league closer to this point, racking up 38 saves over the past two seasons between rookie league Bluefield and A Delmarva. I'm sure he's just in camp so the organization can take a look at him. Stahl's a first rounder from 1999 who also finished at Delmarva.

It's a good thing that Orioles owner Peter Angelos wants to spend on his team again, and we're getting to a point now where it looks like we might have a division in the AL East where every team is competitive (I can't remember such a division in recent years) before too long. Tampa's not good yet, but there's a lot of young talent there. My hope is that what could be a down year in Baltimore in 2004 (with 19 games a piece against the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays) doesn't discourage them, as they should have some really good young pitching coming soon. It's a shame they missed out on Vladimir Guerrero, who they were close to signing, as he would've really set the tone for an excellent offensive team. As it is, the additions of Tejada and Palmeiro help, but I wonder if it'll be anywhere near enough to compete with the dynamite lineups the three divisional powers are likely to be sporting for the forseeable future.
posted by VZW Watcher at 5:34 PM -

Billy Beane's winter-to-date (Oakland Athletics)
 
The notable moves made by the Oakland Athletics under Billy Beane since the end of the 2003 season. Please send any comments/omissions/questions/feedback here.

10/09/03 -
Claimed Marco Scutaro off waivers from the New York Mets.
Claimed Matt Watson off waivers from the New York Mets.
Designated John Halama for assignment.
Designated Mark Johnson for assignment.

A couple of astute waiver wire pickups. Scutaro has been a major league ready player for awhile, and never got much of an opportunity in Queens, amassing just 111 at bats over two seasons. It's a shame, since the Mets continued to trot out the likes of Joe McEwing, who while a little more versatile defensively, is not the hitter Scutaro is. He should get a shot as the backup middle infielder in Oakland. Watson's a 25-year old minor league outfielder with a little pop, not a bad guy to have around just in case.

10/21/03 -
Declined option on Chris Singleton ($1.8 million for 2004, $200K buyout).

A pretty obvious move. While the team had yet to address its outfield deficiencies, Singleton clearly wasn't the answer. He since signed on with the Pirates for awhile and then was just recently released for not passing his physical. I still can't believe he's not Ken Singleton's son.

11/18/03 -
Acquired Bobby Kielty from the Toronto Blue Jays. (with a player to be named later or cash for Ted Lilly)
Acquired a player to be named later (or cash) from the Toronto Blue Jays. (with Bobby Kielty for Ted Lilly)
Signed Eric Cammack to a minor league contract.
Traded Ted Lilly to the Toronto Blue Jays. (for Bobby Kielty and a player to be named later or cash)

The first step in addressing the team's offensive woes and their getting worse with the impending departure of Miguel Tejada. Lilly's a real nice pitcher and a guy who is probably going to have pretty good success in Toronto behind Roy Halladay and bolstered by an excellent lineup. In Oakland however, he was clearly a back-of-the-rotation guy, and with the likes of Rich Harden, Justin Duchscherer and Joe Blanton coming along, very expendable. Kielty's the kind of guy the A's look for (good power, good eye) - we'll have to see just what he's able to accomplish in a full time role (his career high in at bats is 427). He'll be the team's starting left fielder. I don't think the player to be named (or cash) has been determined, but if I'm wrong on that, let me know.

11/19/03 -
Claimed Mario Ramos off waivers from the Texas Rangers.

Ramos did some more bouncing around after being claimed by the A's - ultimately settling at AAA Sacramento and, for the moment, in the A's camp - the comment on him is at 02/07/04.

11/26/03 -
Acquired Mark Kotsay from the San Diego Padres. (for Ramon Hernandez and Terrence Long)
Traded Ramon Hernandez to the San Diego Padres. (with Terrence Long for Mark Kotsay)
Traded Terrence Long to the San Diego Padres. (with Ramon Hernandez for Mark Kotsay).

Conceivably a win-win for both sides. The A's continued here to try to rebuild the outfield, and Kotsay's a step up from the likes of Terrence Long who they had out there in 2003. He's also suffered some debilitating injuries, and while I don't know much about them specifically, it doesn't sound as if he's out of the water in terms of dealing with them in the future. Either way, he's a very good centerfielder right now and can get on base...the question is really whether a) he can stay in the lineup and b) whether his power will return (he slugged just .384 in 2003). While moving Long is a straight dump of a pretty worthless and overpaid player, losing Ramon Hernandez is significant, particularly now that we know who he's being replaced by.

12/08/03 -
Declined to offer arbitration to Jose Guillen.
Declined to offer arbitration to Steve Sparks.
Offered arbitration to Keith Foulke.
Offered arbitration to Ricardo Rincon.
Offered arbitration to Miguel Tejada.

Offering arbitration to Foulke (who they attempted to resign), Rincon (who they did) and Tejada (who left without much of a fight) was pretty straightforward. Guillen would almost certainly have made more than he's worth in arbitration, coming off what was easily the best season of his career thus far.

12/15/03 -
Acquired Michael Barrett from the Montreal Expos. (for a player to be named later)
Acquired Frank Brooks from the New York Mets. (for a player to be named later)
Traded Brett Price to the Montreal Expos. (for Michael Barrett)
Traded a player to be named later to the New York Mets. (for Frank Brooks)

Brooks is a Rule V pick out of the Pirates' organization, and will have to stick in the majors all season for him to stick. Since the A's pulled this trick with Mike Neu a year ago, it seems possible that they can keep him on the roster, spot him in low-leverage situations, and keep him around. Michael Barrett would be an Athletic for just one day, moving along to the Cubs for Damian Miller on the 16th. Price is a 24-year old reliever with a nice strikeout rate who has pitched in the California League the past two seasons.

12/16/03 -
Acquired Damian Miller from the Chicago Cubs. (with $800,000 for Michael Barrett and a player to be named later)
Acquired Mark Redman from the Florida Marlins. (for Bill Murphy and Mike Neu)
Signed Ricardo Rincon to a two year, $3.65 million contract. (avoided arbitration)
Traded Michael Barrett to the Chicago Cubs. (with a player to be named later for Damian Miller and $800,000)
Traded Bill Murphy to the Florida Marlins. (with Mike Neu for Mark Redman)
Traded Mike Neu to the Florida Marlins. (with Bill Murphy for Mark Redman)

So the catcher in Oakland won't be Ramon Hernandez, won't be Michael Barrett, it'll be...Damian Miller. At his peak, Miller was a passable starting catcher, but if his 2003 numbers (.233/.310/.369) are any indication, those days may have passed.

12/18/03 -
Acquired Chris Hammond from the New York Yankees. (with cash for Edwardo Sierra and J.T. Stotts)
Traded Edwardo Sierra to the New York Yankees. (with J.T. Stotts for Chris Hammond and cash)
Traded J.T. Stotts to the New York Yankees. (with Edwardo Sierra for Chris Hammond and cash)

At this point, Arthur Rhodes wasn't yet signed, and Ricardo Rincon was the only lefty in the bullpen. I read in more than a few places that if Foulke left, Beane would make Rincon the "closer", let him rack up some nice save totals, and move him along. Of course, with the addition of Rhodes, Hammond slides in as just a valuable member of a good bullpen - he was pretty much useless in New York with the additions of Tom Gordon and Paul Quantrill.

12/20/03 -
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Jeremy Fikac.
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Frank Menechino.
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Mark Redman.
Signed Erubiel Durazo to a one year, $2.1 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

Very reasonable contract for a player like Durazo. Menechino and Redman would both be resigned.

12/21/03 -
Signed Billy McMillon to a one year contract.
Signed Mark Redman to a three year, $11 million contract.

I'm an unabashed Mark Redman lover, but this seems like a lot. Considering the way the A's have been able to churn out pitchers in recent years, you'd have to believe you'd be able to fill the #5 hole in the rotation (with Harden sliding up to #4) more cheaply than this without sacrificing much effectiveness. That said, Redman should be adequate rotation filler for the life of this contract, whether he's in Oakland or moved elsewhere. McMillon's a nice reserve and bat off the bench.

12/22/03 -
Signed Arthur Rhodes to a three year, $9.2 million contract.

He's getting up there in years (34 in 2004, 36 by the time this contract expires), but it seems short relievers don't have quite the same decline automatically associated with aging as some of their starting counterparts. Rhodes is coming off a down year, but he's been pretty reliable and effective over the last eight years or so, and especially in two of the last three. I wonder if he'll play all three years in Oakland. He's the nominal closer heading into the season.

01/06/04 -
Designated Jose Flores for assignment.
Invited Joe Blanton to spring training.
Invited Jose Flores to spring training.
Invited Mike Rose to spring training.
Invited Brian Sellier to spring training.
Invited Nick Swisher to spring training.
Outrighted Jose Flores to AAA Sacramento.
Signed Eric Cammack to a minor league contract.
Signed Ramon Castro to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Wayne Gomes to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Frank Menechino to a one year, $400,000 contract.

Blanton and Swisher are both relatively famous, prominent characters in Michael Lewis's Moneyball. None of these guys (with the exception of Menechino, who's got a guaranteed contract) has much of a shot of breaking camp with the team, but Blanton could conceivably be with the team before long. Wayne Gomes is a really nice guy.

01/08/04 -
Invited Brad Sullivan to spring training.
Signed Lou Pote to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Sullivan was a 2003 first round pick, a good looking pitcher out of the University of Houston. There are a few guys waiting for cracks at the rotation ahead of him, but it'll be fun to watch him in camp. Pote was out of the major leagues in 2003, but has had success over the course of his four year career. He'll compete for a spot in the bullpen.

01/12/04 -
Signed Britt Reames to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

That 2000 season in St. Louis seems like a long time ago. He'll be 31 later this season and has done nothing during his time in Montreal to convince anyone he's worth anything more than this. Not a good bet to see much time in Oakland.

02/02/04 -
Designated Mario Ramos for assignment.
Signed Eric Karros to a one year, $1.05 million contract with a club option for 2005 ($1.5 million, $500K buyout).

Karros at this price will help the A's, as his role will almost certainly be confined to crushing left-handed pitching, which he does awfully well. He'll fill the first base and DH spots with Scott Hatteberg and Erubiel Durazo in 2004. Graham Koonce will continue to sit around in the minors.

02/07/04 -
Invited Mario Ramos to spring training.
Outrighted Mario Ramos to AAA Sacramento.

Ramos's time may well have come and gone...there are younger pitchers on the horizon in the organization now with higher ceilings, so Oakland may not be the place for him to succeed. All he took to acquire was a waiver claim though, and there's nothing wrong (from an organizational standpoint) in stockpiling talent. Ramos could probably start some places around the majors, but certainly not in Oakland.

02/09/04 -
Signed Steve Woodard to a minor league contract.

At one time a pretty reasonable innings eater, it's hard to see Woodard doing much in this organization with the pitching depth on hand.

02/13/04 -
Signed Chad Bradford to a one year, $965,000 contract. (avoided arbitration)

A favorite of many due to his insane-looking, dirt-scraping motion, Bradford's a an absolute steal at under a million bucks. If he continues to pitch as effectively as he has - well, his entire career - he's going to make a lot more before too long.

02/20/04 -
Named David Forst assistant general manager.
Named Billy Owens director of player personnel.

Forst and Owens are the two guys who were promoted when assistant GM Paul DePodesta jumped ship to become GM with the Dodgers.

Beane and company (the entire front office was intact for most of the offseason) made some interesting moves and have changed the look of the team heading into 2004. Obviously, success or failure relies largely on the health and effectiveness of the awesome rotation, which now consists of Hudson, Zito, Mulder, Redman and Harden. While they don't have Miguel Tejada any more, the outfield should be improved, though a lot will rely on a return to form by both Mark Kotsay and Jermaine Dye. As with most teams these days, there are a number of committed and knowledgable A's-focused bloggers out there, including Elephants in Oakland and Athletics Nation. They know an awful lot more about the team than we do, and we encourage you to seek more information at their sites.
posted by VZW Watcher at 2:47 PM -

Bill Bavasi's winter-to-date (Seattle Mariners)
 
The notable moves made by the Seattle Mariners under Bill Bavasi since he was hired on 11/07/03. Please send any comments/omissions/questions/feedback here.

11/19/03 -
Signed Raul Ibanez to a three year, $13.25 million contract.

As the first move in his tenure as GM, Bavasi chose to sign Raul Ibanez to be his starting left fielder - effectively giving up on either Randy Winn (see 12/11/03) or Mike Cameron, who would sign with the Mets in December. Ibanez has been a pleasant surprise in Kansas City the last three years, but this contract keeps him in Seattle through his 32-34 year old seasons - his peak has likely passed. And he moves from an excellent hitting environment at Kauffman Stadium to a decidely tough environment in which to hit in Safeco Field, while also hurting the outfield defense as a whole by replacing Cameron with Ibanez and shifting Winn to center.

12/07/03 -
Offered salary arbitration to Pat Borders.
Signed Shigetoshi Hasegawa to a two year, $6.3 million contract.

Hasegawa's turning 36 in August, and age is bound to kick in eventually...but there's no getting around the fact that he was terrific in 2003 and has been real good since arriving in Seattle. $3 million plus per year over two years seems pretty reasonable, even if he regresses a bit and ends up somewhere between his 2002 and 2003 seasons. I really don't know what to say about Pat Borders. He's supposedly retiring (though, as you'll see, he's back at spring training this year)...so why offer arbitration? I have no idea.

12/09/03 -
Signed Eddie Guardado to a three year, $13 million contract. (club/player options for 2005 and 2006, $13 million guaranteed)

This is really a one year deal with both player and club options...either way, he's guaranteed $13 million and has incentives that could make it worth $17 million. Guardado's a nice pitcher, very durable and reasonably effective, but this is a lot of money for 65 innings a season, especially if the team isn't a contender.

12/11/03 -
Signed Ryan Franklin to a two year, $4.1 million contract.
Signed Randy Winn to a three year, $11 million contract. (mutual option for 2006, $11 million total guaranteed)

Like the rest of the rotation, Franklin was quite good in 2003, pitching 212 very solid innings. He's coming off basically three solid years in the majors and is old enough (31 this season) that injuries really shouldn't be a big concern. $2 million per for the kind of work he's done thus far is a steal, he's not great, but almost every team could use a Ryan Franklin. Winn was resigned for significantly more money and effectively booted Mike Cameron out the door (he would sign a week later with the Mets). He's nowhere near the centerfielder that Cameron is (offensively or defensively), but his offensive contributions will look significantly better in center than they did in left (he hit .295/.346/.425 last year).

12/14/03 -
Signed Carlos Guillen to a one year, $2.5 million contract.

Just retained Guillen here, he was nearly traded to Cleveland for Omar Vizquel and finally was off to Detroit within a month.

12/15/03 -
Acquired Chris Buglovsky from the Colorado Rockies. (for Allan Simpson)
Acquired Quinton McCracken from the Arizona Diamondbacks. (for Greg Colbrunn)
Traded Greg Colbrunn to the Arizona Diamondbacks. (for Quinton McCracken)
Traded Allan Simpson to the Colorado Rockies. (for Chris Buglovsky)

Colbrunn is a lefty masher who can play first base - not a guy you'd want in there everyday, but certainly a productive player if he's spotted correctly. Trading him for Quinton McCracken, who will probably be the fourth outfielder on this team and flat out stunk in 2003, is simply idiotic. I know nothing of Buglovsky other than that he was a passable, 24-year old starter at AA Tulsa last year. Simpson's a 26-year old AAA reliever.

12/17/03 -
Signed Scott Spiezio to a three year, $9.15 million contract with a club option for 2007 ($3.25 million, $250K buyout).

Signed to be the new third baseman, filling the hole left by the spectacularly disappointing and already on his way out Jeff Cirillo. Spiezio's never impressed me - he's been a pretty average/lousy hitter for a first baseman, not providing near the power you'd like from that spot. As a third baseman, his offensive contributions are a little more valuable, and but you're going to have to live with .265/.330/.450 from him, and for $3 million a season, it's a waste of resources. Expecting any more than than a place holder until someone else is ready would be foolish.

12/18/03 -
Signed Ichiro Suzuki to a four year, $44 million contract extension.

I know Suzuki's been a very productive player, and I know he had the organization over a barrel, threatening to walk if he didn't have a new, long-term deal heading into the 2004 season. But this still seems a bit excessive. I'm sure he brings in a lot of money through merchandising and Japanese interest, but this is a lot of money and a lengthy commitment to a guy who relies so much on his speed and whose walk rate took such a precipitous decline last year (from 68 in 647 at bats in 2002 to 36 in 679 at bats in 2003). I think this might look bad in a few years.

12/20/03 -
Signed Freddy Garcia to a one year, $6.875 million contract.

The team supposedly looked into trading him, considered non-tendering him, and then decided to resign him to a one year contract for a pretty sizable sum. The team isn't relying on him as its ace, and has here a pitcher who was damn good as recently as two years ago and is still young enough (28) to turn it around. It's a lot of money (money that could've gone into pursuing guys like Vladimir Guerrero or retaining Mike Cameron), but the Mariners could do worse than taking one more shot with Garcia. Given that the trade market was so unappealing for him over the course of the offseason and that the Mariners don't have as good a team as they have the past few years, maybe he can increase his stock with some good work over the first couple months and the team can ship him elsewhere and move forward. We'll see.

01/05/04 -
Acquired Vince Faison from the San Diego Padres. (with Kevin Jarvis, Wiki Gonzalez and Dave Hansen for Jeff Cirillo, Brian Sweeney and $4.775 million)
Acquired Wiki Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres. (with Kevin Jarvis, Dave Hansen and Vince Faison for Jeff Cirillo, Brian Sweeney and $4.775 million)
Acquired Dave Hansen from the San Diego Padres. (with Kevin Jarvis, Wiki Gonzalez and Vince Faison for Jeff Cirillo, Brian Sweeney and $4.775 million)
Acquired Kevin Jarvis from the San Diego Padres. (with Wiki Gonzalez, Dave Hansen and Vince Faison for Jeff Cirillo, Brian Sweeney and $4.775 million)
Traded Jeff Cirillo to the San Diego Padres. (with Brian Sweeney and $4.775 million for Kevin Jarvis, Wiki Gonzalez, Dave Hansen and Vince Faison)
Traded Brian Sweeney to the San Diego Padres. (with Jeff Cirillo and $4.775 million for Kevin Jarvis, Wiki Gonzalez, Dave Hansen and Vince Faison)

They really wanted to get rid of Cirillo, and they did - unfortunately, I'm not sure they got much back they'll be able to use. The best player coming from San Diego in this trade is probably Dave Hansen, who can pinch hit, get on base and play first or third in a jam. Wiki Gonzalez is a passable backup catcher, but the team's already got two of those in Dan Wilson and Ben Davis. Kevin Jarvis is okay, but he's overpaid (due $4.25 million this year) and not likely to see a whole lot of meaningful work. Vince Faison is a former first rounder (in 1999) who hasn't done much in the San Diego system. Ultimately, this is a transparent dump of Cirillo (who deserves to be dumped, he's been terrible) and not much more.

01/08/04 -
Acquired Juan Gonzalez from the Detroit Tigers. (with Ramon Santiago for Carlos Guillen)
Acquired Ramon Santiago from the Detroit Tigers. (with Juan Gonzalez for Carlos Guillen)
Signed Rich Aurilia to a one year, $3.5 million contract.
Traded Carlos Guillen to the Detroit Tigers. (for Ramon Santiago and Juan Gonzalez)

With the signings of Spiezio to man third and now Aurilia, Guillen became expendable and was moved to Detroit for not much. If you remember, Guillen was nearly traded earlier in the offseason to Cleveland for Omar Vizquel, and I guess this is a little better than that would've been. Aurilia's reputation as a good hitter is based on one year (2001, when he hit .324/.369/.572)...the rest of his career has been pretty average. $3.5 million doesn't seem like a ton for average production from short, but all these contracts add up...ultimately, you'd think the money being spent on the likes of Aurilia, Garcia, Suzuki, etc. could've been spent bringing in a big free agent. But no. Santiago is still young, but he was terrible in regular duty last season in Detroit. I have no idea who this Juan Gonzalez, supposedly a shortstop, is.

01/09/04 -
Designated Ryan Anderson for assignment.

01/13/04 -
Outrighted Ryan Anderson to AAA Tacoma.

01/16/04 -
Invited Craig Anderson to spring training.
Invited Travis Blackley to spring training.
Invited Shin-Soo Choo to spring training.
Invited Adam Jones to spring training.
Invited Jose Lopez to spring training.
Invited Mickey Lopez to spring training.
Invited Luis Oliveros to spring training.
Invited Rene Rivera to spring training.
Invited Randy Williams to spring training.
Invited A.J. Zapp to spring training.
Signed Hiram Bocachica to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Pat Borders to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Bucky Jacobsen to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Mike Myers to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Jose Nunez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed George Sherrill to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Several interesting players here. A few legitimate prospects in Blackley, Choo, Jose Lopez and Rene Rivera, some borderline guys in Adam Jones and George Sherrill and some who actually have a shot at making the big league roster out of camp in Bocachica and Mike Myers.

01/19/04 -
Signed Joel Pineiro to a three year, $14.5 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

Pineiro's a terrific pitcher and a joy to watch, so this seems awfully reasonable. He and Jamie Moyer should be 1-2 (in some order) in 2004.

01/20/04 -
Signed Gil Meche to a one year, $1.95 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

While nobody knows exactly what they're going to get with Meche (whether he'll fufill his once-great promise or not), he was effective and healthy last season, and $2 million is probably a reasonable gamble. If he can make 30 starts again (he made 32 last year, easily a career high), he's certainly worth it.

01/27/04 -
Released Kazuhiro Sasaki. (Sasaki returned to his native Japan.)

I don't know what options the Mariners had here...Sasaki wanted to go home, so that's it. He had a nice three year run.

01/29/04 -
Signed Yung-Chi Chen to a minor league contract.

02/09/04 -
Signed Mike Colangelo to a minor league contract.
Signed Ron Villone to a one year, $1 million contract.

As awesome as his name is, Colangelo's not likely to have much impact - after all, he's got the likes of Quinton McCracken, Hiram Bocachica and (if you look ahead to tomorrow) Eric Owens to contend with! Villone for a million bucks isn't terrible, he'll likely operate as a swingman, making spot starts and pitching in long relief.

02/10/04 -
Signed Terry Mulholland to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Eric Owens to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

While both these guys probably have a chance to stick, I'd take Owens over Mulholland if I had to pick, simply because Mulholland's role is filled a couple of times already and he's without a guaranteed contract. Having lefties around really isn't an issue...they've got Guardado, Mike Myers (if they choose to keep him around) and Ron Villone. Basically, Villone and Kevin Jarvis are guys I would imagine operating as long men/spot starters, and Mulholland would likely do the same. He's also already 41, so he's got something to prove in camp. Owens is a lousy fourth outfielder, but is likely to get a shot at getting on the roster as a reserve along with McCracken, just due to the lack of other options.

As you can hopefully see from these comments, I'm not terribly impressed with Bavasi's work in his first few months on the job, and I think this team will be considerably worse than it was last year (when they went 93-69). If you're a subscriber, Baseball Prospectus's Jonah Keri recently did a two part interview with Bavasi in which he explains the rationale behind some of his moves. It's a good read, so if you're a subscriber and for some reason haven't read it yet, take a look. Finally, there are many great devoted Mariners fans and writers out there that know way, way more about their team than we do, so we encourage you to check them out. U.S.S. Mariner is my favorite, but there are many more linked through their site.
posted by VZW Watcher at 8:26 PM -

Allard Baird's winter-to-date (Kansas City Royals)
 
The notable moves made by the Kansas City Royals since the end of the 2003 season. Please send me any comments/omissions/questions here.

10/29/03 -
Declined option on Brent Mayne ($3 million for 2004, $250K buyout).

A no-brainer. Mayne's been stinking on wheat for each of the last three years (.245/.307/.344 in 2003), and spending $3 million on him would've been akin to flushing it down the toilet. Gone to the Diamondbacks, where he'll be a bad backup catcher again.

10/31/03 -
Signed Joe Dawley to a one year, $300,000 contract.
Signed manager Tony Pena to a two year contract extension through 2006.

There aren't going to be comments for every one of these, but the extension of Tony Pena is probably worth commenting on. It's awfully tough to quantify managerial contributions, so what've we got to go on aside from record relative to talent on hand? Pena's Royals were pretty damn good in 2003, and it's hard to find a good reason to be against keeping him around a little while longer. I don't have financial terms on the extension, but I assume it's nothing ridiculous. I doubt Dawley's much more than minor league filler at this point (he's old and has very limited and crappy major league experience), he obviously isn't costing much - and who knows?

11/06/03 -
Invited Brent Abernathy to spring training.
Invited Brandon Berger to spring training.
Invited Shawn Camp to spring training.
Invited Shane Costa to spring training.
Invited Gookie Dawkins to spring training.
Invited Zack Greinke to spring training.
Invited Mitch Maier to spring training.
Invited Calvin Pickering to spring training.
Invited Dennys Reyes to spring training.
Invited Eric Thompson to spring training.
Invited Mike Venafro to spring training.

A few interesting names here, and some that you almost certainly know in Zack Greinke (one of the premier pitching prospects in baseball) and Mitch Maier (one of the team's first round picks in 2003, a young catcher). You've then got guys with major league experience like Gookie Dawkins, Mike Venafro and Dennys Reyes and a reasonable prospect in Shane Costa (2003 second rounder). I don't know how good a shot any of these guys have at breaking camp with the team, but the young guys (particularly Greinke) will certainly be able to make an impression. Calvin Pickering will be a guy to watch as well.

11/13/03 -
Released Brent Abernathy.

That was quick.

11/21/03 -
Signed Kevin Appier to a one year, $300,000 contract.

The Angels are still paying him through the nose (they released him last year), so the Royals could pick up an old, mediocre pitcher on the cheap. Because the starters aren't great right now, he'll probably open the season somewhere in the back end of the rotation.

11/26/03 -
Signed Brian Anderson to a two year, $6.5 million contract.
Signed Curtis Leskanic to a one year, $1.375 million contract with a club option for 2005 ($1.25 million, $125K buyout).
Signed Joe Randa to a one year, $3.75 million contract.

Seems like a lot in this market for Joe Randa, but I guess third basemen are hard to come by these days, and he's not terrible. There aren't any ready major league options within the system, and it's only for a year. The other two contracts seem perfectly reasonable, Leskanic will be an important part of the bullpen (he had a nice 2003) and Anderson slots in over his head as the #1 starter.

12/06/03 -
Signed Donnie Bridges to a minor league contract.

12/07/03 -
Signed Jason Grimsley to a one year, $1 million contract.

One of a ton of one year, $1 million contracts signed this offseason, Grimsley'll be a part of the bullpen again. He hasn't been good since 2001, but I don't know that the Royals are awash in better options.

12/08/03 -
Declined arbitration to Mike DiFelice.
Declined arbitration to Al Levine.
Declined arbitration to Jose Lima.
Declined arbitration to Graeme Lloyd.
Declined arbitration to Brent Mayne.
Declined arbitration to Tom Prince.
Declined arbitration to Rondell White.
Declined arbitration to Jamey Wright.
Offered arbitration to Michael Tucker.

Pretty easy decisions all the way around. I don't know why you'd offer arbitration to Michael Tucker, but the Giants took care of that - no harm done.

12/09/03 -
Signed Matt Stairs to a one year, $1 million contract.
Signed Scott Sullivan to a two year, $5 million contract with a club option for 2006 ($2.75 million, $300K buyout).

Stairs can still hit and will play some left and DH. Hauling him in for a million bucks seems like a pretty good move to me. I've read about Sullivan being something of an injury and ineffectiveness risk, but he had a fine 2003 and can be an asset to a bullpen, pitching a lot of innings (relatively, out of the pen) and doing a good job with them. $2.5 million per seems alright.

12/11/03 -
Signed Benito Santiago to a two year, $4.3 million contract.

He's ancient, but is a major upgrade over the garbage the Royals have trotted out there in recent years. If he's able to replicate his .279/.329/.424 of a year ago (or something like that), he'll help the team. That said, he's far from a long term solution at catcher, but I guess Mitch Maier is on his way.

12/14/03 -
Signed Tony Graffanino to a two year, $2.2 million contract.

Awfully versatile and relatively cheap. He'll be the backup at second, third and short and do an adequate job at the plate...as a Yankee fan, I'd certainly like to have him around.

12/15/03 -
Acquired Rule V pick Rich Thompson from the San Diego Padres. (for Rule V pick Jason Szuminski and cash)
Selected Jason Szuminski from the Chicago Cubs in the Rule V Draft (1st round, 10th overall).
Traded Rule V pick Jason Szuminski and cash to the San Diego Padres. (for Rule V pick Rich Thompson)

I have no idea whether or not Thompson will stick. I've heard good things about Szuminski, and have no clue why these Rule V Draft day swaps occur.

12/18/03 -
Signed Kelly Stinnett to a one year, $500,000 contract.

Adequate backup catcher, I don't know what else there is to say. The Royals have drastically improved the catching corps from 2003 (Brent Mayne and Mike DiFelice), and in Santiago and Stinnett, have done so at a reasonable cost.

12/20/03 -
Declined to offer a 2004 contract to Kris Wilson.

12/22/03 -
Signed Mendy Lopez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Kris Wilson to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Not offered arbitration because his salary would've been more than the team wanted to pay, it's conceivable that Wilson could be a part of the Royals staff in 2004. He's been pretty crappy through the first 235 innings of his major league career (11.1 hits per 9 innings, 5.32 ERA, 49 homers allowed) but the rotation is pretty weak right now, so a good spring and his versatily (can start or relieve) might allow him to contribute. He's only 27, so maybe there's still something there.

01/06/04 -
Invited Ruben Gotay to spring training.
Invited Donald Murphy to spring training.
Signed Adrian Brown to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Juan Gonzalez to a one year, $4.5 million contract with a mutual option for 2005 ($7 million).
Signed Wilton Guerrero to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Erik Hiljus to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Jimmy Serrano to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Rick Short to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
Signed Les Walrond to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Murphy and Gotay are pretty decent prospects, but neither is going to impact the Opening Day roster. We're all familiar with the good and bad Gonzalez brings to the table: he's a very talented hitter, but he's moody, frequently injured, and something of a liability in the field. That said, the Royals alternative in right field was probably going to be either Matt Stairs (as an everyday guy, he should still play a lot), Dee Brown, Brandon Berger or maybe, with some shuffling, David DeJesus (which wouldn't have been bad). In any case, this is only for a year...and he's a legitimately productive bat when healthy. He certainly bolsters the middle of the Royal lineup.

01/20/04 -
Signed Carlos Beltran to a one year, $9 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

You'd certainly like to get him locked up with a long term deal, but Beltran at $9 million is pretty reasonable.

01/23/04 -
Signed Darrell May to a two year, $4.95 million contract. (avoided arbitration)

The Royals and their shaky staff are depending on May replicating his 2003 success, having pitched 210 fine innings last season. Of course, he's nearly 32 and has had exactly one really good season, so I think it's safe to say that the Royals are playing with fire going with Anderson and May at the top of their rotation, even in the AL Central. $2.5 million bucks a year is far from breaking the bank though, and May's a decent bet to be productive and useful enough to be worth it.

01/26/04 -
Acquired Jaime Cerda from the New York Mets. (for Shawn Sedlacek)
Traded Shawn Sedlacek to the New York Mets. (for Jaime Cerda)

There's probably some reasoning for this move from the Mets' perspective, but I don't see it. Cerda's had some major league success, is several years younger than Sedlacek, and can actually pitch. Cerda may have a role this year in the Royal bullpen, and will undoubtedly be the more valuable player going forward.

02/06/04 -
Invited Alan Moye to spring training.
Signed Doug Linton to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

02/13/04 -
Signed Rudy Seanez to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

As best I can see it, the Royal bullpen has a few guys who will definitely be there: Mike MacDougal, Curt Leskanic, Scott Sullivan and Jason Grimsley. I suppose D.J. Carrasco is in there too, which leaves us without a lefty, assuming Jeremy Affeldt is going to be in the rotation. This should give some hope to guys like Dennys Reyes and Jaime Cerda - while discouraging the likes of Seanez and Linton. Sure, Seanez can and has been effective, but he's coming off two poor years and trying to break into a bullpen that doesn't seem to have a need for him. Linton has pitched nine major league innings (last year in Toronto) since 1999, and while he was good, it's hard to see him slotting in above those other guys. I suppose there's not much harm in taking a look at camp though.

02/17/04 -
Invited Chip Alley to spring training.
Invited Tony Arnerich to spring training.
Invited Scott Walter to spring training.

Nothing of note here. Tony Arnerich is exactly three years older than me.

02/22/04 -
Signed Greg Swindell to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.

Swindell's had a pretty nice career, with success as both a starter early in his career in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Houston and as a reliever over the last decade. However, he didn't pitch well at the end of his run with the Diamondbacks, didn't pitch at all last year, and is 39. He's a lefty, and maybe there's a spot for him somewhere, but he'll have to prove his worth this spring.

posted by VZW Watcher at 4:55 PM -

GM offseason recaps
 
Over the course of the next month or so, I'm going to attempt to crudely recap the winters of each of the 29 GMs in the league who have been in place for most of the offseason (Dodgers GM Paul DePodesta hasn't had a chance to do much yet).

This blog is written by two college students with no qualifications. We've done a lot of reading about the game, we've watched a lot of games, and we've developed strong opinions over the course of 21 years, but we're a long, long way from experts. I'm sure I don't need to point that out. Because this isn't my job, there are an awful lot of things I don't know...and that includes some of the roster movement rules as well as some of the more obscure players involved in various transactions. Naturally, I do the best I can in terms of acquiring what knowledge and information I can before I put anything out there for public consumption, but I'm fallible.

I've spent a little while during this hiatus (our last post was 2/24) putting together a list of the transactions made by each GM during this offseason (for a number of reasons), and hope to present them in this space with comments. This certainly isn't meant as anything more than a one stop glance at how teams have changed, but I hope it'll prove useful or at least interesting to you.

There are many minor moves (like shuffling players or management around within an organization) that I've chosen to omit here. If I'm missing anything major, please let me know. My focus going into this was to look at who's coming into and out of each organization, and who's being retained. Spring training invites are also included, as well as a few other things. But you'll see. Obviously, the offseason isn't over, so I hope to update these as we go.

Without much further ado, I'm going to present this in GM alphabetical order, starting later this afternoon with Allard Baird of the Kansas City Royals. Please get back to me with any questions and/or comments, good or bad. Hope you find it useful.
posted by VZW Watcher at 4:35 PM -