When you say NY won't be spending any more money, what are you basing that on? There doesn't seem to be any reason that they wouldn't spend more money if they decide they need something. I was surprised they didn't sign Ubaldo or Santana.
Options for Drew: Tigers, Mets, Yankees etc..
- Thread starter soxhop411
- Start date
Freep Sports @freepsports 4m
Source: Stephen Drew willing to sign 1-year deal with #Tigers. http://www.freep.com/article/20140321/SPORTS02/303210113/detroit-tigers-stephen-drew …
Source: Stephen Drew willing to sign 1-year deal with #Tigers. http://www.freep.com/article/20140321/SPORTS02/303210113/detroit-tigers-stephen-drew …
Sampo Gida said:
Not benched, but I'd be very surprised if he would be able to play more than 120 games in the field given his age and returning from injury. He will need plenty of games at DH to survive the season.
Either he gets plenty of days off from the field at DH (or off the field completely) or he breaks down. Either way they need a better option than bouncing everyone around 2b/3b/ss when Jeter is not playing.
If Ryan can't stay healthy to do that then they will need something. Maybe the plan is to use Anna as that something I guess.
Last time we heard that the Yankees were on a budget was just prior to Tanaka/McCann/Ellsbury/Beltran. 470+million dollars later.....
I think one of the few options for Drew at the moment is to sign (another) 1 year pillow contract. Show what he can do as a lefty in that park, then hit the yankees up for a 4 year deal next offseason with Jeter off the books and off the field.
A 1 year shot at Detroit (assuming he can get that) would net him more playing time, but his numbers will look a lot better after a year dropping them over the short porch in Yankee stadium.
Lowrielicious said:
Yeah, I figure Jeter for about 120 in the field, 20 at DH and 20 on the bench against good RHP'ers.
Drew actually is considering a 1 year deal with Detroit per a report on MLBTR if he can sign after opening day and not risk another QO. Detroit is good for him since he plays SS and nobody behind him to take his job if he has a little slump. Not sure the Tigers are biting though. Hard to give up a 1st round pick for 1 yr. Thats why I say he just makes so much more sense for the Yankees than any other team. Their "budget" is really puzzling. If you are going to spend 470 million to get to the 5 yard line just spend a bit more for TD.
I'd imagine NYY wouldn't want Drew for more than 1 year with Hanley, Hardy, Asdrubal, etc., FAs next year, and he wouldn't take 1 year from them because of Jeter.
I guess I don't understand why he wouldn't wait to see what is indeed up with Andrus's elbow at this point. That would be a perfect one-year situation for him.
Peter Gammons @pgammo 14s
GM today said Scott Boras insists he has three years and $39M on the table for Stephen Drew
https://twitter.com/pgammo/status/447464581322264576
GM today said Scott Boras insists he has three years and $39M on the table for Stephen Drew
https://twitter.com/pgammo/status/447464581322264576
Rudy Pemberton said:
The team offering the deal is in Guam? The tweet doesn't specify MLB.
Maybe the Yanks made a 2-year offer, and Boras is trying to extract 3 years from them?
Maybe the team making the offer doesn't want to give up a draft pick? I mean it's not metaphysically certain that what Boras says is a lie.
judyb said:
Hanley is way too expensive for NY with Arods salary coming back on the books for the next 3 years. JJ Hardy has no OBP and will cost a 1st round pick. Asdrubal has been so inconsistent the last 3 years. Last years Asdrubal is probably a guy they would pass on, have to see how he does this year. Lowrie is the worst defensive SS in the league and is an injury risk. Also, on a 3 year deal Drew would still be a very tradeable contract, so no problem moving it if something better comes around
soxhop411 said:
I read it as 2 unnamed GM's said Boras had a 3/39 deal, and many hoped it meant Drew had a home, but Boras is basically denying the claim by saying unnamed GM's are not credible sources
The only thing I get from that is that Boras is not saying he has a team at the number. Gammo's first tweet said "a GM said Boras said that he has a team at 3/39"
So this latest hearsay tweet is bullshit code for "I'm not confirming that to the public, despite the lies I've told GM's"
So this latest hearsay tweet is bullshit code for "I'm not confirming that to the public, despite the lies I've told GM's"
I did see Gammo sitting next to JP Ricciardi at a Mets ST game on Thursday. They were bending each others ears all game long though Ricciardi went into his shell when Farnsworth was brought in.Sampo Gida said:
I am going to keep beating the Drew-to-Texas drum until he's employed somewhere, because it just makes too much sense (unless that 3/39 offer is somehow real). Now they've lost Profar for the first three months of the season:
https://twitter.com/dennistlin/status/447858676515094528
https://twitter.com/dennistlin/status/447858676515094528
Detroit Free-Press is citing Baltimore Sun.
Per Dan Connolly of the Sun, O's are getting Steve Lombardozzi (the younger) in return.
Per Dan Connolly of the Sun, O's are getting Steve Lombardozzi (the younger) in return.
That draft pick compensation is just killing Drew's market.
At what point does Drew consider firing Boras? While admittedly circumstances could change quickly, at the present time turning down the QO appears to be a colossal mistake. If your agent winds up costing you $10 million or so, you probably have to sack him, right?
At what point does Drew consider firing Boras? While admittedly circumstances could change quickly, at the present time turning down the QO appears to be a colossal mistake. If your agent winds up costing you $10 million or so, you probably have to sack him, right?
Can we rule out the apparently insane possibility that Boras is telling the truth about the 3/39 offer, and Drew has actually been holding out for more than that?
I would be utterly shocked that Drew ever received a 3/39 offer. And if my some miracle he did receive one, there's zero chance he'd turn it down.
Boras is lying about such an offer, of course.
Boras is lying about such an offer, of course.
In any world where teams actually appropriately valued winning major league baseball games during the current season, the Pirates, Reds, and Royals would be engaged in a bidding war for Steven Drew. Each of them has spent money or prospects in recent years on far less valuable commodities in positions of less need (Hello Ryan Ludwick for $8X2 and James Shields for two players who are better than any realistic hope of a second-half-of-the-first-round draft pick, and each of them is in a position where a significant upgrade at shortstop could be the difference between making the playoffs or missing them. The Pirates, at least, should still have the AJ Burnett salary slot open, having been rumored to have offered 2 years at roughly $11 million at one point last summer to get him to return.
One possible consideration if you were inclined to give Boras the benefit of the doubt is that the Marlins could rebuild credibility and make Giancarlo Stanton happy enough to maybe consider an extension by offering that 3-$39 deal to Drew, which by my estimation is a pretty fair offer for both sides. And, it could be that Drew really does not want to go there given the situation and previous firesale, with the lack of an overpay to compensate.
One possible consideration if you were inclined to give Boras the benefit of the doubt is that the Marlins could rebuild credibility and make Giancarlo Stanton happy enough to maybe consider an extension by offering that 3-$39 deal to Drew, which by my estimation is a pretty fair offer for both sides. And, it could be that Drew really does not want to go there given the situation and previous firesale, with the lack of an overpay to compensate.
Rudy Pemberton said:
I missed Mercer when I was looking; he does seem plausible for a small market team. More so than Escobar and to a lesser extent Cozart. Both the Reds and the Royals could afford him; the Royals especially could plan on additional ticket revenues from a real playoff run offsetting the cost. Plus, they offered Shields $16 million, although that could have been an offer made only because it was sure to be turned down.
The Marlins did sign Salty for 3 years, and they've got mega talent coming up on the farm. Sign Drew and talk long term with Stanton and their Cuban ace at the same time, you start to get a good vibe there. Of course, that does have to be offset against Loria's reputation for teardowns.
Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
The Tigers just gave up a young cost controlled IF'er with some upside for a 37 yo replacement level SS. Odds are Lombardozzi is better than anyone the Tigers get with their 1st round pick. Tigers might be a bit unhappy with the way the Scherzer negotiations went and are taking it out on Drew/Boras since he makes so much sense for them
I guess we have to see what happens at the end of the day with Drew. Accepting 1/14 million at the time would have cost Drew about 25 million as some pundits estimated he would get over 3/39 even with draft pick compensation. If he gets that now, or close to it and does not have to worry about a QO next year he still might make out well.
With Profar out and Andrus nursing a bad elbow for the 2nd time this spring (MRI's came out clean do not always pick up tears) Texas might come through and save the day. Not sure Drew could learn to play 2B that quickly although I guess the Boras camp has him working out there.
Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
No evidence Boras even said it. Some unnamed GM trying to make him look bad (hence Boras calling it darts). No doubt he takes a 3/39 with no questions asked. Boras is many things but dumb is probably not one of them.
Sampo Gida said:
You seem to be massively overrating Lombardozzi. He has a .264/.297/.342/.639 career slash line. He's versatile in that he can play LF/2B/3B regularly and probably cover just about any position on the field in a pinch. But, despite the versatility, he's a pretty mediocre defender and a poor hitter. How much do mediocre utility infielders make? Being cost controlled isn't a huge benefit if you're not saving much, and having control of a bad player isn't extremely useful.
Lombardozzi has a negative career bWAR and fWAR. I would take the risk on a first round pick that might miss 2 out of 3 times for that shot of getting one player who is actually good rather than controlling one mediocre utility infielder who can't get on base 30% of the time and isn't a great defender. For your comment about Alex Gonzalez being replacement level... that's exactly what Steve Lombardozzi is as well.
ForceAtHome said:
Actually there is only a 15% chance at that slot of getting a league average player based on the historical records at B-Ref. Lombardozzi is coming off his age 24 season and his AAA and AA numbers project him as a better hitter than he has shown
Age 21 AA
.295/
373/
524/
897
Age 22 AA
309/
366/
454/
820
Age 22 AAA-
310/
354/
408/
762
His development might have been retarded being fast tracked as he was
Had a nice 2nd half last year that could be a sign of a breakout although that could be SSS and he had a dismal ST (not that ST stats should count much). Adrian Gonzalez has little upside at this point (although he had a great ST so maybe the Tigers look at ST stats more than us).
Detroit only wants/needs a guy for a year. Under those circumstances, AG's good spring training with little upside is fine.
Sampo Gida said:
If the Tigers view Lombardozzi as at or near replacement level (which I would guess they do based on the trade they just made), he just isn't that valuable to them. Also, Steve Lombardozzi can't handle shortstop so he wasn't ever an option to be their every day starter once Iglesias went down with an injury. Considering Detroit needs someone they can play every day, Gonzalez . Whether trading for Gonzalez was the right move or not and a solution for the Tigers, comparing the value of Lombardozzi to the Tigers versus their first round pick is not the way to illustrate it.
My point wasn't that the Tigers have a 33% chance of getting something useful with their pick or a 15% chance. The point is, if Lombardozzi is replacement level in their eyes, it makes more sense to take the lottery ticket at getting a good player than to hold on to a replacement level utility guy because he's cheap and cost controlled, especially when he doesn't even fit their pressing need. How much value do you think a utility infielder who can't play SS has? Nobody laments the loss of, say, Pedro Ciriaco in Boston. I doubt anyone in Detroit will miss Lombo. The real story here is how awful that Fister trade was for the Tigers. He's the guy they'll miss.
Seems odd that Detroit would view Lombardozzi as replacement level considering he was integral to the Foster deal.
Dombrowski has made a whole host of head scratching moves after being so close to making the Series
Dombrowski has made a whole host of head scratching moves after being so close to making the Series
You mean the guy who's control fell off the table in 2H? Pitch to contact guys who suddenly can't find the plate end up very, very vulnerable. Douglas Wildes Fister, name and nature.ForceAtHome said:
Sampo Gida said:
That seems most likely. Or a misunderstanding. I think agents say all sorts of things, but I don't believe Boras could be in the business as long as he has if he lies to GMs about offers he doesn't really have. That's pretty high up on there on the burn-a-bridge list I would think.
ForceAtHome said:
Well, they won't miss him until Kinsler gets hurt. LOL Obviously, if he does not improve there is no great loss, just saying there is some upside and switch hitter who can play IF and OF can be useful.
Fister trade looks bad on paper, but he has had some elbow problems this ST (last 18 starts last year he had a 4.07 ERA and a WHIP close to 1.5) , so me thinks Detroit might have sold high.
Sampo Gida said:
Fister just had an MRI taken a few days ago and it came up clean. All of his elbow inflammation is also gone. A couple of days ago he returned to the mound, throwing 3.2 IP (despite being scheduled for only 3 IP). He allowed just two hits, no runs, and recorded 4 K and 5 GO. Velocity was 89-91 MPH, which is a bit harder than he usually throws if anything. He's scheduled to take his turn in the rotation during the first week of play.
I don't think selling high is a 0 WAR utility infielder, a middle reliever, and a good but not elite pitching prospect. For all the hoopla about his supposed decline, Fister still put up a 3.14 FIP/3.47 xFIP in the second half last year. All he's done for the past three years is put up ERAs in the 2.83-3.67 range. He's going on 4 consecutive years with a FIP of 3.65 or better, and he just turned 30. Getting away from Cabrera and Fielder in his infield should help one of the most extreme groundball pitchers in the game, too.
That's also part of what makes Drew a possible fit for Pittsburgh, but they seem comfortable that they have it covered with Mercer backed up by Barmes. They could be a perfect landing spot come mid-season, assuming they are still in contention.ForceAtHome said:
Is Texas an option? They just lost their 2b for two months. They already lost their 1st rd pick, so that is not a concern. If Drew went there, he would have to play all over the field - 2b, SS, 3b, DH. It is a great place, however, to put up big offensive numbers. Seems like it may be a better 1 year option than Detroit.
Jayson Stark @jaysonst 6s
Jose Reyes' hamstring held up for half an inning anyway. Just left game, replaced by Ryan Goins. Wow. It's starting already for Toronto
Drew may have found a home
Jose Reyes' hamstring held up for half an inning anyway. Just left game, replaced by Ryan Goins. Wow. It's starting already for Toronto
Drew may have found a home
Scott Boras says that Drew has been "damaged" by an article on ESPN.com:
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/04/boras-drewmorales-damaged-by-comments-in-espn-story.html
What about the POS advice you gave Drew to turn down $14 mil there Scotty? How's that workin' out for your client?
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/04/boras-drewmorales-damaged-by-comments-in-espn-story.html
What about the POS advice you gave Drew to turn down $14 mil there Scotty? How's that workin' out for your client?
It's part of an Olney Insider column from April 9, I'll cut and paste the relevant part although it's pretty long:
==================================================================
"Maybe the Dodgers have a big budget, or the Yankees. But most teams have little wiggle room in their budget. Which brings us to Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales, two veteran free agents who remain unemployed.
To review: Both players -- represented by agent Scott Boras -- rejected $14.1 million qualifying offers from the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners, respectively, and continue to wait. And wait. And wait.
There might be one small upside to waiting this long. Now that the season has started, neither can be given another qualifying offer by the next team he signs with, which means each could be a free agent without restriction after the 2014 season. And if they don't sign until after the draft (June 5), the team that signs them won't have to forfeit a draft pick.
On the other hand, a qualifying offer would bring far more money than either player figures to get whenever he signs in the days or weeks ahead. The overwhelming sentiment within the industry is that both players made enormous mistakes in rejecting the qualifying offers, mistakes that will cost each millions of dollars. Based on the estimates presented by club officials Tuesday -- what they would offer Drew or Morales -- both players will have to settle for a lot less than $14.1 million annually.
The questions presented to the club executives:
1. If your team had a need for Drew or Morales, what would you offer him?
2. Would the fact that they haven’t had a spring training and would need time to get game-ready factor into your offer?
Executive No. 1, from the National League: "For Morales, I’d offer between $6 million to $8 million, and for Drew, $7 million to $8 million. At this point, why would you give them more? The whole market passed on them during the winter, and at some point, there has to be some kind of a discount for a player who has held out and sat out.
"With those guys missing so much time, when they’re trying to get ready, there’s a pretty good chance they’re going to get hurt. They’ve got to get 50 at-bats or so to get ready, and they’ll try to speed up the timetable to get back in the majors and get paid, and they’ll be at greater risk."
The NL executive said that because of how the negotiations have played out with both players, there would be concern about their emotional investment.
"Let’s say Drew waits until after the draft to sign, so that he isn’t tied to draft-pick compensation for this year," the executive said, "and let’s say he signed a one-year deal. Would he be playing for you at that point, for the team, or would he be playing for himself? If he had a minor injury late in the season, would he push through it for you, or would he sit out [to protect his free agency]. That would be a factor for me.
"For me, at some point, it comes down to, 'Do you want to play [or not]?’ At some point, you swallow your pride and say [rejecting the qualifying offer] didn’t work and you get back on the field and get back to work."
Another NL official: "I think most teams would still view the draft as the most relevant date. As with many scenarios, teams [in this age of parity] are hesitant to forfeit talent and money in transactions. There is a reason [David] Price and [Jeff] Samardzija were not traded."
(In other words: A team would not give up a draft pick and dollars for Drew or Morales.)
He continued: "If a team viewed either player as a midseason acquisition, they might value the player on a longer horizon [maybe a contract through 2016 for Drew and through 2015 for Morales]. I would probably value Drew as a $10-12 million player on a multiyear deal and Morales in the $8-10 million range. Time of year affects many teams with respect to budgets.
"The layoff and need for a modified spring training is a real issue. If a team signed the player in early June, there would still be a 10- to 14-day period to prepare him for activation."
An American League executive: "You are definitely concerned how long they’ve been away. You’d have to get them their 50 plate appearances in the minors before calling them up. You’d have to get these guys under contract and give them three weeks of preparation. For Drew, I’d go $8 million to $12 million, maybe on a multiyear deal; you wouldn’t want to sign him for one-year deal and give up a draft pick. And for Morales, I’d go $8 million to $10 million, prorated."
A second AL official: "I’d go $5 million for Morales, maybe $6 million to $8 million for Drew. The injury history for both guys scares me."
A third NL official: "The salary level I would be comfortable for both Drew and Morales is in the $7-8 million range. Both are limited players -- Drew just isn't an impact offensive player, and Morales is so limited by his body, injuries and poor defense -- which for me are similar to Nelson Cruz." (Cruz signed with Baltimore for $8 million.)
"Frankly, Cruz may be a better player than Drew and Morales. You know he's going to hit more than Drew, and hitting is what pays, while you know that he will hit similar to Morales and is more versatile defensively.
"I would have concerns about signing both now, but I think Morales can adjust easier than Drew. Morales is basically a bat; nobody expects anything out of him defensively, and even if he plays the field, he won't be put into too many situations where he can hurt himself. Drew is much more of a risk to sign now, not only because of the injuries more common to up-the-middle players but also because he needs to learn his other infielders or, specifically to him, his double-play partners. I think the adjustment will be harder for Drew and the upside will be much less."
AL talent evaluator: "I’d go $5 million to $6 million for Morales -- he has almost nowhere to go -- and $7 million for Drew. That’s after we get past the draft and you don’t surrender a pick."
AL exec: "Two years and $8-9 million for Drew, two years at $7 million or $8 million for Morales. I wouldn’t want to go to a third year for either guy."
An AL evaluator: "We are two months from the draft, and most teams that might be interested would just hold off so they keep their draft pick. I don’t think we have many teams that can just add millions to the payroll in midseason. It becomes an issue before the trade deadline. I think both these guys will sign after the draft and get ready to start playing at the major league level by July 1, a half season. Go out and have a good second half of the season and go back into free agency. Incentives in the contracts will probably be a must, as both guys will be getting ready to play in a shorter period of time.
"Both guys have missed time in recent years. Maybe you’ll see a situation in which team loses a high-priced player and has insurance cover a chunk of his salary which one of these guys could fit right into. I’d give either guy $3 million to $6 million base salary for three months, plus incentives. You will be getting close to the deadline once the summer hits, and you can get these guys without giving anything up.
"Their layoff is a factor but not that big of a factor. By mid-June, 10 teams might be looking to sell, and not buy, so the options for Drew and Morales will be limited. We’ve got to see how the Detroit and Boston infield situations play out for Drew.""
==================================================================
"Maybe the Dodgers have a big budget, or the Yankees. But most teams have little wiggle room in their budget. Which brings us to Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales, two veteran free agents who remain unemployed.
To review: Both players -- represented by agent Scott Boras -- rejected $14.1 million qualifying offers from the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners, respectively, and continue to wait. And wait. And wait.
There might be one small upside to waiting this long. Now that the season has started, neither can be given another qualifying offer by the next team he signs with, which means each could be a free agent without restriction after the 2014 season. And if they don't sign until after the draft (June 5), the team that signs them won't have to forfeit a draft pick.
On the other hand, a qualifying offer would bring far more money than either player figures to get whenever he signs in the days or weeks ahead. The overwhelming sentiment within the industry is that both players made enormous mistakes in rejecting the qualifying offers, mistakes that will cost each millions of dollars. Based on the estimates presented by club officials Tuesday -- what they would offer Drew or Morales -- both players will have to settle for a lot less than $14.1 million annually.
The questions presented to the club executives:
1. If your team had a need for Drew or Morales, what would you offer him?
2. Would the fact that they haven’t had a spring training and would need time to get game-ready factor into your offer?
Executive No. 1, from the National League: "For Morales, I’d offer between $6 million to $8 million, and for Drew, $7 million to $8 million. At this point, why would you give them more? The whole market passed on them during the winter, and at some point, there has to be some kind of a discount for a player who has held out and sat out.
"With those guys missing so much time, when they’re trying to get ready, there’s a pretty good chance they’re going to get hurt. They’ve got to get 50 at-bats or so to get ready, and they’ll try to speed up the timetable to get back in the majors and get paid, and they’ll be at greater risk."
The NL executive said that because of how the negotiations have played out with both players, there would be concern about their emotional investment.
"Let’s say Drew waits until after the draft to sign, so that he isn’t tied to draft-pick compensation for this year," the executive said, "and let’s say he signed a one-year deal. Would he be playing for you at that point, for the team, or would he be playing for himself? If he had a minor injury late in the season, would he push through it for you, or would he sit out [to protect his free agency]. That would be a factor for me.
"For me, at some point, it comes down to, 'Do you want to play [or not]?’ At some point, you swallow your pride and say [rejecting the qualifying offer] didn’t work and you get back on the field and get back to work."
Another NL official: "I think most teams would still view the draft as the most relevant date. As with many scenarios, teams [in this age of parity] are hesitant to forfeit talent and money in transactions. There is a reason [David] Price and [Jeff] Samardzija were not traded."
(In other words: A team would not give up a draft pick and dollars for Drew or Morales.)
He continued: "If a team viewed either player as a midseason acquisition, they might value the player on a longer horizon [maybe a contract through 2016 for Drew and through 2015 for Morales]. I would probably value Drew as a $10-12 million player on a multiyear deal and Morales in the $8-10 million range. Time of year affects many teams with respect to budgets.
"The layoff and need for a modified spring training is a real issue. If a team signed the player in early June, there would still be a 10- to 14-day period to prepare him for activation."
An American League executive: "You are definitely concerned how long they’ve been away. You’d have to get them their 50 plate appearances in the minors before calling them up. You’d have to get these guys under contract and give them three weeks of preparation. For Drew, I’d go $8 million to $12 million, maybe on a multiyear deal; you wouldn’t want to sign him for one-year deal and give up a draft pick. And for Morales, I’d go $8 million to $10 million, prorated."
A second AL official: "I’d go $5 million for Morales, maybe $6 million to $8 million for Drew. The injury history for both guys scares me."
A third NL official: "The salary level I would be comfortable for both Drew and Morales is in the $7-8 million range. Both are limited players -- Drew just isn't an impact offensive player, and Morales is so limited by his body, injuries and poor defense -- which for me are similar to Nelson Cruz." (Cruz signed with Baltimore for $8 million.)
"Frankly, Cruz may be a better player than Drew and Morales. You know he's going to hit more than Drew, and hitting is what pays, while you know that he will hit similar to Morales and is more versatile defensively.
"I would have concerns about signing both now, but I think Morales can adjust easier than Drew. Morales is basically a bat; nobody expects anything out of him defensively, and even if he plays the field, he won't be put into too many situations where he can hurt himself. Drew is much more of a risk to sign now, not only because of the injuries more common to up-the-middle players but also because he needs to learn his other infielders or, specifically to him, his double-play partners. I think the adjustment will be harder for Drew and the upside will be much less."
AL talent evaluator: "I’d go $5 million to $6 million for Morales -- he has almost nowhere to go -- and $7 million for Drew. That’s after we get past the draft and you don’t surrender a pick."
AL exec: "Two years and $8-9 million for Drew, two years at $7 million or $8 million for Morales. I wouldn’t want to go to a third year for either guy."
An AL evaluator: "We are two months from the draft, and most teams that might be interested would just hold off so they keep their draft pick. I don’t think we have many teams that can just add millions to the payroll in midseason. It becomes an issue before the trade deadline. I think both these guys will sign after the draft and get ready to start playing at the major league level by July 1, a half season. Go out and have a good second half of the season and go back into free agency. Incentives in the contracts will probably be a must, as both guys will be getting ready to play in a shorter period of time.
"Both guys have missed time in recent years. Maybe you’ll see a situation in which team loses a high-priced player and has insurance cover a chunk of his salary which one of these guys could fit right into. I’d give either guy $3 million to $6 million base salary for three months, plus incentives. You will be getting close to the deadline once the summer hits, and you can get these guys without giving anything up.
"Their layoff is a factor but not that big of a factor. By mid-June, 10 teams might be looking to sell, and not buy, so the options for Drew and Morales will be limited. We’ve got to see how the Detroit and Boston infield situations play out for Drew.""
I think this is the article that has Boras' knickers in a twist .. Basically saying the anonymous sources are maligning his clients and lowering their value. Can't say I blame him actually - especially the comments doubting their "emotional investment"
And what's with the comment about Drew not being "an impact bat" ? He was probably the 3rd or 4th best hitting SS in baseball last year.
And what's with the comment about Drew not being "an impact bat" ? He was probably the 3rd or 4th best hitting SS in baseball last year.
I read the quotes as stating the reality that the players face, not revealing something that wasn't thought of by a MLB baseball ops. person. I think these are the concerns any team thinking about these 2 players would have--it's really unlikely these issues would not have been on the mind of MLB decision makers without first reading them in a Buster Olney column. Their value is low because of this reality; it wasn't created by the comments.
I looked but could not readily find the part of the CBA that prohibits "negative" comments about FAs. I was focusing on Boras saying they have been "damaged" by the comments and should be "compensated." Depending on how this is structured in the CBA, maybe those who spoke to Olney will be reprimanded/receive a small fine, in the unlikely event they are ever discovered. There does not seem to be any reason to think the players will be compensated, which is a different question than discipline.
Hal Steinbrenner says the Ys are not interested in Drew. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2014/04/15/sports/baseball/ap-bbo-cubs-yankees-ppd.html?ref=sports