Jayson Werth’s 7 year/$126 million contract has done many things to the baseball world—shocked it, confused it, angered it, and mocked it.
These types of contracts usually haven’t caused players to live up to the ridiculous amount of money that they are paid.
Here’s who has and hasn’t lived up to the massive cash.
MLB Free Agency 2011 continues with most of the big names still on the market.
Aside from making a big splash by landing Carl Crawford or Cliff Lee, most Major League clubs will be looking to bolster their depth by adding veteran hitting and pitching.
As usual, there are plenty reliable role players available.
There are also a few players who you might want your favorite teams to ignore for one reason or another.
Here’s a look at 10 clubhouse cancers who could stir up trouble with their new clubs.
According to Rob Pizzola, “Manny Ramirez spent a few days negotiating with the Blue Jays front office, and it looks like a deal is on the horizon”.
Now, I am not a fan of Manny Ramirez’s antics, and really not a fan of adding a 38-year-old to an already young and competitive squad, but Ramiriez’s bat is still pretty lethal and would instantly provide Toronto with one of the most deadly lineups in all of baseball—given Aaron Hill and Adam Lind return to form, and of course Jose Bautista is re-signed.
Ramirez, by all accounts, was very well-liked in both the Dodgers and White Sox locker rooms, and was viewed as a nice guy to have around the clubhouse, so people who say he’s a cancer don’t have their facts straight.
In 265 at-bats last season, Ramirez hit .298 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs. Those numbers don’t really jump out at you, but Ramirez has always loved hitting in Toronto and the AL East. Also, if you project last season’s stats out over 600 at bats, you roughly get 25 home runs and 100 runs batted in, so adding that to an already potent lineup gives the Jays instant credibility, and also instant recognition in the American media.
He loves playing against the twin towers in the AL East, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, and having his bat against those teams only helps the Jays.
However, this move to me screams out Frank Thomas all over again for some reason. Granted, Ramirez is coming off of a down year by his epic standards, and not off a random career outburst year Thomas enjoyed the season prior to joining the Jays.
Ramirez if anything provides Jays fans with a reason to go out to ball games. Could this move just be a marketing tactic by Rogers in the hopes of selling more tickets? That possibility is always there, but from what I heard, Ramirez is not washed up with the bat, where the Jays could use him the most.
In 2008, Ramirez hit 38 home runs, and in 2009 he hit 19—in only 352 at bats, about 200 at bats shy of his career average, so his power stroke appears to never be wavering. However, avoid putting him out in left field at all costs.
This move however could really put a damper on Toronto’s defence. Ranked as one of the best defences in the league the last few years, with the likes of Scott Rolen, Jose Bautista, Vernon Wells, Yunel Escobar, Aaron Hill and Lyle Overbay, all deserving of Gold Gloves, the Jays defence would have to shift Adam Lind to first, and if the rumors are true about Dan Uggla, Uggla would make his way to third.
The Jays lineup will instantly transform into one of the best in all of baseball if Uggla and Ramirez are signed, though.
Escobar SS
Uggla 3B
Bautista RF
Manny DH
Wells CF
Lind 1B
Hill 2B
Snider LF
Olivo/Arencibia/Buck/Molina C
What should be next on the Jays agenda?
Finding a suitable closer and some relievers?
Please feel free to comment and post who you think the Jays should go after for relievers..if this move does in fact go down.
Thanks for reading all.
I don’t like posting rumors without a source of of where I got my info
A random photo of Manny in Toronto (uploaded today)
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Alex Anthopoulos is ready to prepare his Blue Jays for the 2011 season. His coaching staff has all been assembled and it is an interesting mix of old and new. Now it is time for Anthopoulos to work on the team he is going to field in the coming season.
One of the issues that must get dealt with sooner or later is Jose Bautista’s new contract, or whether he will just get a raise through arbitration.
The outfielder and third basemen just won the Silver Slugger for the right field position, making him the third Blue Jay in two years to win the award.
There is a good chance that the GM will wait until part way through the season to see whether the slugger can keep up his record breaking numbers, then work up a contract based upon his performance.
After letting Edwin Encarnacion be claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics, the Blue Jays could be looking for a new third baseman, or slotting Bautista into that spot. Bautista’s arm is highly valued in right field, so there is a chance they will keep him there and look for a more permanent solution in third.
A couple of options could be the Kansas City Royals Alex Gordon or the Chicago White Sox’s Gordon Beckham. The Toronto Sun was reporting that the Blue Jays were talking with Kansas City about their former first round pick, as well as their Cy Young winning pitcher Zack Greinke.
It seems unlikely that they would pry Greinke away from Kansas since they seem hesitant to deal their primary starter, also due to the costs for the Jays to acquire him and the options they already have for starting.
Both the Jays and the Red Sox have inquired about Greinke, who has a partial no-trade clause with two years and $27 million remaining on his contract.
Gordon is a much easier target, once a highly regarded prospect, his stock has fallen after struggling to make it at the big league level. His defense was rather weak when he played at third, so he has since been moved to the outfield. Gordon is rather injury prone, but could develop into a hitting star if given the proper guidance and at-bats.
MLB trade rumors has been discussing that the White Sox have thought about dealing Beckham, and listed the possible suitors for the young infielder. His experience at third base, combined with his youth and potential seem like a prime option for Anthopoulos to pursue.
The same site is also reporting that the Florida Marlins talks with Dan Uggla have stalled, both sides in disagreement after the Marlins 4-year, $48 million contract extension was rejected. ESPN’s Buster Olney mentioned that two executives both said that Toronto would be their best guess for a possible trade destination for the second baseman.
Whether that would mean that Aaron Hill or Dan Uggla would be moved to third base remains to be seen, but this is all still speculation.
On ESPN, a survey by the analysts of the top free agents and their possible destinations mentioned two names for the Blue Jays, Manny Ramirez and Magglio Ordonez.
Both sluggers are nearing the end of the careers and don’t seem like a long term option for the Jays, so it seems unlikely Anthopoulos would bite on adding either of these two to his roster.
In other waiver news, both Brian Tallet and DeWayne Wise refused their assignment to Triple-A, which makes them free agents now.
Finally, since Tallet leaving creates an opening in the left handed long relief role, a possibility to fill that role is Marc Rzepczynski, who is currently working on his game in the Arizona Fall League.
Rzepczynski was just named one of the two Players of the Week, and in three starts so far has gone 1-0, with a 1.29 ERA, nine strikeouts and seven walks.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
With the MLB offseason in full swing, big free-agent signings are on the horizon and many teams are already trying to get the best fits.
Each year there are some signings that work out very well for some teams, and there are other signings that contribute nothing.
The 2010 offseason should be no different, as there will be a fair share of undervalued and under-appreciated players available. On the other hand, there will be some overvalued or overrated players that will be there for the taking.
This offseason, it seems as if there is a high amount of overrated players that will be out in the open for clubs to scoop up to add to their teams.
The New York Mets will be paying Bobby Bonilla until 2035.
With no salary cap and a new crop of talented free agents every season, it’s no surprise that the MLB is littered with bad contracts.
Teams are struggling with payroll flexibility both short and long-term in a tight economy, and these ten guys are big reasons as to why so many argue that there needs to be a cap in place.
Free agency for Major League Baseball is upon us.
Up until this year, the waiting period used to be 15 days after the World Series was over. This year, it’s only five days.
Teams will be looking to retool and rebuild their rosters through free agency and trades. Sunday will start the period where all teams will have the negotiating rights.
Which players are available? What teams are interested?
Lets take a look at the class of 2010-2011 free agents.
For what feels like the 10th time of the decade, Andy Pettitte will once again enter the free agent market. At 38 and quickly approaching 39, Pettitte is the gold standard of wizened pro baseball players, still enjoying much success. Pettitte finished the 2010 season 11-3 with a 1.20 WHIP, not too shabby for a 38 year old. But it is in the postseason where Pettitte has earned a reputation, winning a record 19 games.
The 2010 postseason saw a continuation of Pettitte’s dominance, providing the Yankees with several quality starts, which went for naught as the squad collapsed against a superior Texas Rangers squad.
Pettite is a free agent again, and though he is 38, he still has the numbers to warrant yet another massive payday. And he probably will get one, most likely from the Yankees who will be able and willing to overpay for the dominant starter’s services yet again. And when Andy Pettitte does sign his new contract with the New York Yankees, and when Andy Pettitte is yet again dominant in both the regular and postseason, every baseball fan with a brain should raise their eyebrows.
Why should fans question Pettitte’s sustained efficiency? Because Andy Pettitte is a cheater.
In December of 2007, Andy Pettitte was named on the Mitchell Report. Less than 48 hours after being listed by Senator Mitchell, Pettitte released a statement hoping to rectify his image and sway Americans away from their bias against cheating baseball players.
Pettitte’s release said: “In 2002 I was injured. I had heard that human growth hormone could promote faster healing for my elbow…I felt an obligation to get back to my team as soon as possible…I was looking to heal.”
Despite admitting to being a cheater, Pettitte was quickly embraced by the American media and public for his decision to come clean. Despite being a cheater, Pettitte managed to completely avert the continued criticism and skepticism that plagued other dominant superstars of the era, such as Barry Bonds.
In July of 2010, Andy Pettite strained a groin, causing him to miss two months. Pettitte came back in late September, pitching a masterful and complete six innings in his return, allowing just one run.
All of baseball bought it—Pettite was back, firing on all cylinders, and October, where Pettitte had always made his name, was two weeks away. Pettitte made two postseasons starts, allowing four runs in 14 innings pitched, with baseball fan’s everywhere drooling at the continued success of Ageless Andy, baseball’s best drug free 38 year old ever.
But lets be serious here, why on earth would we give Ageless Andy the benefit of the doubt? He is an admitted cheater, having confessed in a statement released by himself to receiving HGH injections to recover from an injury. Pettitte admitted he cheated when he was 30, in the prime of his physical fitness, to recover from an injury. Why should baseball fans believe that this same cheater, eight years later and older, would now refrain from cheating?
Andy Pettitte was 38 with a groin injury. HGH is a supplement that could definitely help a baseball player recover from an injury, as Pettitte witnessed when he cheated while on the DL in 2002. What would prevent Pettitte from turning to a PED again in 2010? Certainly his body would require this drug supplement much more than it did when he was at his athletic peak.
Why would Pettitte not take a PED in 2010? He had all the same incentives as in 2002 (remember Ageless Andy was in a contract season this year) and was once again on the DL.
Pettitte already cheated once, why should baseball fans expect him not to cheat twice?
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The MLB season is over and the offseason has officially begun. Some teams will look to improve, while others simply hope to keep the talent they have.
Many player will be on the move this offseason, perhaps a Hall of Fame shortstop, a notable pitching ace, or maybe one of the league’s best sluggers.
Regardless, always remember that these are bold predictions, and in honor of the title that they shall be.
MLB Rumors: The most burning question of the offseason is…?
Well there are plenty. And they affect plenty of teams in both leagues, and at just about every position.
There’s a lot of uncertainty heading into the next MLB season, and the “Final Four” of the 2010 season—San Francisco, Texas, Philadelphia and the New York Yankees—are the most at risk.
Inside we rank the top 10 questions heading into the 2011 season.