Archive for December, 2010

Did Red Sox Offer Cliff Lee a 7 Year Deal?

December 11, 2010

Anthony Mccarron and Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News are reporting the Red Sox offered Cliff Lee a 7 year deal last Tuesday.  As the story goes the Red Sox made a low ball offer to prolong the Cliff Lee Sweepstakes with the Rangers and Yankees. This story shows how baseball is truly a 365 day a year chess game. Stay tuned for further Cliff Lee developments.


Steve Garvey Assembling Group to Buy Dodgers?

December 11, 2010

Multiple media reports are saying Steve Garvey is putting together a group of investors to make a bid to buy the Dodgers. Of course any potential talk of the Dodgers being for sale is pending the resolution of the McCourt saga. Recent court rulings seem to indicate the McCourts will be awarded a 50-50 interest in the team. Most observers seem to believe neither has the finances to buyout the other leading to speculation of the Dodgers possibly being up for sale in the near future. Stay tuned.

Royals Passively Shopping Greinke?

December 11, 2010

Bob Dutton at the The Kansas City Star reports the Royals are not shopping Zach Greinke but will entertain offers. Rumor is several several teams have expressed interest including the Blue jays, Nationals and Rangers. Supposedly the starting price will be two top of the line prospects. This story will probably grab more headlines once Cliff Lee signs.  Rumor is the Royals and Blue Jays were close to a deal at the winter meetings but the refusal of the Blue Jays to include Kyle Drabek ended talks. Stay tuned.

Angels Sign Scott Downs to 3 year 15 Million Deal

December 10, 2010

Numerous sources are reporting the Angels have signed Scott Downs to a 3 year 15 million deal. Downs has been one of the better setup men in the American League the past 5 years. The only real concern is Downs will be 35 when the 2011 season starts.

Jack Cust signs 1 year 2.5 Million Deal with Mariners

December 10, 2010

MLB network is reporting Jack Cust has signed a 1 year 2.5 million deal with the Mariners. The hope is Cust will become their primary designated hitter. Cust had 13 Hr and 52 RBIs in only 349 at bats for the Athletics last season. If Cust can get 400+ at bats in 2011 this would seem to be a good value signing for the Mariners.

Reds Sign Jay Bruce to 6 year 51 million extension

December 9, 2010

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN is reporting the Jay Bruce will sign a 6 year 51 million extension with the Reds. The extension includes an option for a 7th year which would bring the total value of the deal to 63 million. This allows the Reds to avoid salary arbitration with Bruce in February. At just 23 Bruce seems poised to improve for the foreseeable future.  This has the looks of a good deal for both Bruce and the Reds. Now the Reds will likely turn their attention to signing Joey Votto to a long-term extension.

Cliff Lee Saga Continues

December 9, 2010

Anthony Andro and Jeff Wilson of The Forth Worth Star Telegram report representatives from the Rangers made a third trip to Cliff’s Lee’s home in Arkansas on Thursday. They gave a 90 minute presentation to Cliff and his wife on the virtues of signing a long-term deal with the Rangers.

The Rangers have to feel the Yankees are extremely motivated to secure the services of Lee after seeing Carl Crawford sign a 7 year 142 million dollar deal with the arch rival Red Sox.

Reds Discussing Extensions with Joey Votto and Jay Bruce

December 3, 2010

John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting the Reds are having preliminary discussions about signing Joey Votto and Jay Bruce to long term extensions. This is a smart move on their part but the recent signing of Troy Tulowitzki to an extension at almost 20 million per season has to concern the Reds.

Yankees to Sign Mariano Rivera to 2 Year 30 Million Dollar Deal

December 3, 2010

The New York Daily News is reporting that Mariano Rivera will sign a 2 year 30 million dollar deal on Friday to return to the Yankees. Rivera is unquestionably the best closer of the past 15 years and even at 40 years of age last season he showed little signs of slowing down. The Daily News reports he turned down a 3 year 51 million dollar offer from another unnamed team.

White Sox Sign Adam Dunn to 4 Year 56 Million Dollar Deal

December 3, 2010

The deal is scheduled to be announced Friday. On the plus side Dunn routinely puts up around 35-40 homes and 100 RBI each season and has an OBP approaching .400. On this minus side Dunn strikes out around 190 times per season and always seems to end up on non-contending teams. This should be his best chance to be on a contending team. It will be interesting to see how he performs under greater pressure in Chicago.