Wrapping up the Winter Meetings
Baseball had their four-day extravaganza referred to as the Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas this week. This is arguably the most exciting part of the baseball offseason and where most of the “Hot Stove” action starts and takes place. I wanted to give you my take on the major trades and signings that occurred from this week in Baseball.
Let’s start with the biggie, not named Notorious – Albert Pujols
Miami (formerly known as Florida) Marlins – The Miami Marlins were the first to shoot and reportedly offered Pujols a 10-year, $200 million plus contract for his services. This would be a HUGE get for them, as before the Winter Meetings were just getting started, the Marlins have agreed on offers with closer Heath Bell and shortstop Jose Reyes; two other priced free-agents and the best available players at their respective positions. However, they didn’t offer Pujols his all-coveted, no-trade clause, signaling to me that there only intention of signing Pujols is to sell tickets as they move into their new stadium, hopefully win a World Series, and then off-load Pujols in the next 4-5 years and rebuilt their team all over again as the Marlins have been known to do. Personally, how any team, especially a National League team, can offer any player over 30 years old a 10-year contract is insane. By year 5 or 6, you will ultimately end up regretting the deal, which is why I believe the Marlins refused to give Pujols his no-trade clause. Ask the Yankees how they like giving out 10-year contracts (freaking A-Rod) and giving players no-trade clauses (waste of space Jason Giambi). This is just window dressing for the most part with the off chance of landing one of the top 5 greatest hitters of all-time. Not bad window dressing though.
St. Louis Cardinals – His team of origin, the Cards have upped the ante and offered Pujols his 10-year contract worth $220 million plus, out of fear of losing their franchises best player ever (yes, I know Stan the Man was great and may be the most underrated baseball great, but when all said and done, Pujols will go down as that franchises best player). It is unknown how or what type of backlash the Cards may or would be getting themselves into if they did in fact let Pujols go without putting up a fight. Let’s not mistake something though; the Cards are still a good team if Pujols should walk. Moving Lance Berkman to first base and letting Allen Craig play right field full time is not a bad end result. But I am a firm believer in “franchise” players and having cornerstone players play their entire career with one team, which is why I think the Cards need to finish their soul-searching and give Pujols his contract. Give him his no-trade clause, give him a stake in the franchise, and give him the Arch. Let Pujols finish his HOF career in your uniform.
The Earth just spun off its axis – After flirting with the Miami, after Pujols supposedly realizing that loyalty wins out and was thought to be re-upping with the Cards, the Anaheim Angels came along and went all-in on Pujols. Early Thursday morning, the mega offer Pujols was looking for finally came to him, in the form of 10-years, $250 million plus, and his all-coveted no-trade clause, and he took it. Albert Pujols is going to finish his HOF career with the Anaheim Angels. This is earth shattering!!! It really unbelievable to me that Albert Pujols will not be returning to the St. Louis Cardinals. I’m not quite sure how to digest just from a Cards prospective. Yeah you don’t have to worry about the back-end years of that contract, but you are losing your franchises best player of all-time and a top 5 player of all-time. It can’t be a good day for you. I do believe that he truly considered Miami’s offer, and I also believed that ultimately the Cards would pony up for Pujols, but in the end, it was the Angels with their sweetheart deal that won out.
The Anaheim Angels – This is a bold move for the Anaheim Angels and one that makes the most sense for Pujols. I still think it’s insane that a player over the age of 30 is getting a 10-year contract, but in a win-now era of baseball, this deal puts the Angels squarely in the driver’s seat in the AL West division; and if they end up signing C.J. Wilson as well (see below), this offseason may put the Angels in the driver’s seat for the World Series. Everyone knows that the Angels overpaid and that Pujols won’t live up to the contract he was given, but for the 5-6 great years the Angels are expected to get from him, you can live with the average statistical years you will get from him on the backend of that contract. Pujols will be a great first baseman for them at the beginning, and then once he flames out in 4-5 years defensively, he can slide into the DH spot and be a productive hitter for the duration of his contract or retirement, whichever comes first. It’s sad that Pujols won’t finish his career with the Cards, as a top 5 player of all-time shouldn’t be splitting his career between two franchises; but in the media mogul market of LA, it’s only fitting that Pujols would be going there. Good luck to the Oakland A’s, Seattle Mariners, and now the Houston Astros (I leave out the Texas Rangers because I still believe you guys have a punchers chance against them). Have fun getting to deal with the Angels on Pujols for the next 10 years.
The Miami (formerly known as Florida) Marlins –
Man, talk a franchise making splashes in the free agent pool. First, they go out and sign the best free agent closer on the market in Heath Bell, then they sign the best shortstop on the market, and maybe in the game in Jose Reyes, and to top off their winter, they sign lefty starting pitcher Mark Buehrle. They signed Heath Bell to a 3-year, $27 million contract, signed Jose Reyes to a monster 6-year, $106 million contract, and signed Mark Buehrle for 4-years, $58 million.
As the San Diego Padres’ closer for 3 seasons, Bell netted 132 saves and posted an ERA of 2.36, pretty solid numbers for a closer. Not everyone can put up Mariano Rivera type numbers, and not everyone deserves his contract as well. I like the years that the Marlins got Bell to agree too, but $27 million is too much for a closer of Bell’s stature. Some believe that since Bell is a fly-ball closer, he was helped out tremendously by the ball park he played his home games in, which inflated his closing numbers. Others just don’t believe in giving a closer or relief pitchers big money. He may not be so fortunately in the new park ball in Miami.
Now the Jose Reyes signing, this signing I like a lot. They got him for I think below market value when compared to other players with his skill set (think Carl Crawford and his monster deal). Plus, he plays shortstop. Maybe it’s just me liking guys with top-end speed at the top of the lineup, but when that player can also win you a batting title and possibly an MVP, it’s a win-win. Reyes is that player. He is a career .300 hitter, 100 plus runs, and 40 plus steals per season. Having that at the top of your lineup takes you a long way. The only concern, and it’s a big one, is Reyes’ health. He has been plagued with nagging injuries his whole career and has trouble staying healthy for a full season. But with adding Reyes, this allows hefty Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez to move to third base (if he allows them too), which after gaining 30 pounds is a position that probably suits his skills better, and now the Marlins have plus defenders on the left side of their infield.
I’m still trying to figure out the Mark Buehrle signing. I’m on the fence on whether or not this is a good signing for them. They needed a veteran starting pitcher to help mentor their young arms, but $58 million for Buehrle just doesn’t seem right. I don’t hate it, as Mark Buehrle is a crafty-left handed veteran starter who will eat up innings and get ground ball outs. He has pitched a no-hitter, perfect game, and was an ace on a World Series team. He has decent numbers: 161-119 record, 3.83 ERA, and will get you about 110-120 strike out, so he pitches to contact. But good, left-handed pitching is hard to find, which makes you overpay for it. Time will tell on this signing.
C.J. Wilson – Arguably the best starting pitcher on the market, Wilson agrees to a 5-year, $77.5 million contract with who else, the Anaheim Angels. Think the Angels are tired of not making the playoffs? They went out and bought not only the best hitter on the market and in baseball, but also bolster their starting rotation by adding Wilson. He will undoubtedly be the Angels’ number three starter behind aces Weaver and Harden. He is cashing in on two-productive seasons with the Texas Rangers (15-8 record and 3.35 ERA in 2010, 16-7 record and 2.94 ERA in 2011), his only two years as a starting pitcher. He is 31 years old, meaning he is blossoming late, but since he has only been a starter for two years, the thought is that he has a lot of innings left in his arm. The fact that he signed with the Angels for five-years instead of six-year like it was original thought it would take to get him, leads me to believe that there is a little bit of a Pujols factor here and the thought of playing with him in the lineup most have played a huge part. I’m not the biggest C.J. Wilson fan, meaning he doesn’t excite me when I watch him and I don’t think his stuff is electric, but he will eat innings and strike people out. He will put up a good win-lose record because of the run production he will get from Pujols and the rest of the lineup, but he showed in last year’s playoff and World Series that he can be hit on. I can easily see him going the route of A.J. Burnett and having 2 decent seasons for a winning team and then bottoming out.
Nice little trades –
When you have all 30 General Managers gathered in one hotel, they are bound to bump into each other and engage in small talk. Sometimes that small talk turns into small, but nice, little trades that go un-scene or don’t make the bottom scroll of the mother ship’s channel. Here are a few of them:
Toronto Blue Jays acquire RP Sergio Santos from the Chicago White Sox for prospect Nestor Molina –
The Blue Jays get a live-arm closer with little mileage and a friendly contract for a prospect that this past season just made the Blue Jays top 50 prospects list. I really like this move for the Blue Jays and don’t understand it from the White Sox prospective. The Matt Thornton experiment didn’t work last year, so it looks like a closer by committee situation on the south side.
Colorado Rockies acquire SP Kevin Slowey from the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named later –
Slowey at one point was thought of as a high-ceiling starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, so trading him to the Rockies for a player to be named is weird. However, with player to be named trades, we never know the stipulations of the player to be named. Usually it’s a prospect from a list the giving organization provides, but the list of prospects can be either the organizations top 15 prospects, or the receiving team can have their choice of prospect except the top 5.
San Francisco Giants acquire CF Angel Pagan and a player to be named or cash from the New York Mets for RP Ramon Ramirez and CF Andres Torres –
I just love this trade for the Giants because we finally get rid of Andres Torres and I don’t have to watch him strike out on another backfoot slider in the dirt. On a baseball level, Pagan is four years younger than Torres, is a career .280 hitter, and stole 30-plus bases the past two seasons.
Teams that went quietly into the night –
These teams were initially thought to make some noise during the Winter Meetings, but instead remained awfully quiet.
Texas Rangers – They first low-balled C.J. Wilson to the point where it was impossible for him to return to them (according to his words in an interview on ESPN), then they announce that they will not go after free agent first baseman Prince Fielder. In my opinion, the Texas Rangers better start re-thinking their stance regarding whether or not to pursue Prince Fielder, especially after what the Angels were able to do during the Winter Meetings. It might be in the Rangers best interest. The way their team stances now, I do feel they can still compete in the AL West and for a wild card spot; assuming Joe Nathan returns back to form, Elvis Andrus continues to progress, and Neftali Feliz can be the quality starting pitcher management thinks he can be. But adding Prince Fielder to a lineup featuring Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Elvis Andrus, and Mike Napoli? Why wouldn’t you want to do it?
Boston Red Sox – Supposedly they are working the phones hard with the Oakland A’s to acquire closer Andrew Bailey, but otherwise, they were relatively silent. Supposedly the BoSox are in the market for a corner outfielder to replace J.D. Drew and there are speculations that Kevin Youkilis is available via trade. The deal for Bailey is centered on right field prospect Josh Reddick. They A’s need young hitting outfielder and the Red Sox need a new closer now that Jonathan Papelbon bolted to the Philadelphia Phillies.
New York Yankees – Any time the Yankees aren’t making headlines, it’s a headline. They didn’t need any of the high priced free agents in the market because the high priced free agents play positions that are already filled. The only logically free agents I could have seen the Yankees go after were C.J. Wilson or Mark Buehrle. Otherwise, Pujols, Fielder, Bell, and Reyes were out of the question. Although, the Yankees have been known to lie quietly in the grass and then suddenly come up and bite teams (Mark Teixeira ring a bell).
Chicago Cubs – Theo was supposedly trying to make a bid for Pujols but fell short. Not sure how real the Cubs offer was or if they were just trying to drive up the price, but they have been really quiet. They pulled off a small trade not worth me typing, but otherwise, I feel like their main focus is Prince Fielder, and they were wanted to see were Pujols would be setting to market value at. I don’t expect Prince to get a 10-year, $200 million plus deal, but a deal somewhat similar to Mark Teixeira (8-years, $180 million) would be appropriate.
And that’s tying a bow on the Baseball Winter Meetings.
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