Kuzul

If anybody has got it made in the game of baseball today, it’s Albert Pujols.  He is currently the hot topic of debate in the newspapers, on websites, on television, and even in conversation.  He’s currently entering the final year of his current contra – as if you all didn’t already know that – and he’s contemplating on taking his unmatched skill elsewhere.

Pujols has declared that he will not negotiate a contract extension with the Cardinals after the onset of Spring Training, and has said that he will use his no-trade clause to veto any potential trades that may be executed midseason.

Even if the Cardinals don’t entice Pujols with what he feels is a respectable offer prior to the season, they are far from out of the hunt.  Frequent big money spenders like the Yankees and Red Sox are currently not in the market for a heavy hitting first basemen, as they have Mark Teixeira and Adrian Gonzalez, respectively.

Although Gonzalez is not currently under contract for more than this 2011 season, it is assumed around the league that the Sox will retain him for most of the near future.

The Cardinals would most likely have to compete with the Cubs (Carlos Pena is only under contract for this season), Blue Jays (you never know with Alex Anthopolous), Dodgers (if they part with James Loney), and Angels (if Kendry Morales shifts to the DH position). 

Pure speculation on my part, as other teams will surely be in the mix.  From the teams mentioned above, I see the Angels with the most legitimate shot at Pujols, but again, pure speculation.

If Pujols was smart, though, he’d stay right where he is in St. Louis. 

He has that city in the palm of his hand.  Albert Pujols is a baseball god to Cardinals fans, fans who are very educated about their past baseball heroes.  If he continues his career in St. Louis, he could realistically lead the franchise in just about every career offensive category.

That’s saying something.  There have been tons of great players in Cardinals history, and to be considered amongst them is a true honor.

Even though they may be expecting somewhat of a home town discount, the Cardinals will stay pay Pujols a large chunk of change.  Although he’s never had a reason to be hated, accepting a smaller contract to play for his current team would only boost his popularity.

Baseball needs another one-team superstar, and being one of them would enhance his popularity even more.  Players today just don’t stay with one team anymore, as they are always interested in “testing the market.”  Money speaks in today’s game and hopefully Pujols chooses not to listen.

As good as Pujols is, and he’s really good, there is always an adjustment period when playing for a new club.  Optimistically, he’d love for those new team jitters to get played out in Spring Training, but you never know what could happen. 

Realistically, it won’t lead to that much of a drop in his production because, well, he’s Albert Pujols, but fans love to see newly acquired players produce.  If he stumbles out of the gate, he may be in for one heck of a tenure with his new team.

Do I want Pujols to stay? Yes, I most certainly do.

Do I think he will?  It’s very tough to gauge it at this point.

He seems very serious at this point, and a serious player is a dangerous player.  Look out for Albert this season, as he’s motivated and playing for that next contract.

As if pitchers needed to worry any more about him.

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It’s almost here.

In just about two weeks, cities and small towns across Florida and Arizona will be invaded by baseball players honing their craft and getting back into shape for the six month, 162-game grind ahead.

But before pitchers and catchers report, there are still players looking for work and trying to land with a team. And sometimes the bargains found in late January into February turn out to be some of the biggest steals of the free-agent market. 

Out of the notable players still looking for work, these are the best who can still make a contribution to whatever team they sign with or possibly make the team out of camp. So without further ado, here are the 20 best available free agents.

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Alex Anthopolous took over the General Manager position of the Toronto Blue Jays on October 3, 2009 from the publicly ridiculed J.P. Ricciardi. 

He inherited a team in complete disarray; the Jays had failed to reach the postseason since 1993, the same year that they defeated the Phillies in the World Series. 

Anthopolous has plans to change that, and he plans for it to change sometime around 2012.

The Jays have made headlines since the hiring, due in large part to great free-agent signings and trades. 

Anthopolous began his flurry of transactions in November 2009 with the resigning of the sure-handed John McDonald. 

The next day, he signed veteran shortstop Alex Gonzalez.  Gonzalez proved to be worth more to the team later on in the season when the trade deadline was approaching.

In December, Anthopolous began to restock a depleted farm system.  He pulled off a major blockbuster, sending ace Roy Halladay to Philadelphia for three top prospects in catcher Travis d’Arnaud, right hander Kyle Drabek, and outfielder Michael Taylor. 

Taylor was then sent to Oakland for highly touted third base prospect Brett Wallace.  Wallace was later sent to the Astros for outfielder Anthony Gose. 

To cap off a busy day for Anthopolous, he signed veteran backstop John Buck to a one-year deal.

This was just the beginning, however. 

Later on in the month, the Jays sent fireballing reliever Brandon League to the Seattle Mariners for another fireballer, Brandon Morrow.  Morrow, although inconsistent, gave the Jays another young arm to add to their already young staff. 

After a quiet January, Anthopolous brought in veteran reliever Kevin Gregg to close games.  This capped off a busy first offseason for Anthopolous.

Early on in the 2010 season, Anthopolous signed Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria to a four-year, $10-million contract.  Hechavarria figures to be a large part of the Jays’ potential successes in 2012. 

Anthopolous acquired Fred Lewis from San Francisco a few days later.  Lewis became a spark plug at the top of the Jays lineup. 

He hit a modest .262 in 2010, with 8 homers, 36 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases.  Toronto chose to let him walk after the season, however, allowing him to sign with the Cincinnati Reds.

In July, Alex Gonzalez proved his true worth to Toronto.  He was sent to Atlanta for right hander Jo-Jo Reyes and shortstop Yunel Escobar. 

Escobar seemed to be wearing his welcome out in Atlanta, and Anthopolous took advantage of this by trading for him while his value was relatively low.  The youth movement in Toronto was continuing to take shape.

Anthopolous began his second offseason by acquiring catcher Miguel Olivo from Colorado and outfielder Rajai Davis from Oakland. 

Anthopolous completed two trades with the Brewers in as many days, first acquiring Carlos Villanueva in exchange for a player to be named later, and then trading ace Shaun Marcum for highly touted prospect Brett Lawrie.

2011 began with the low-risk, high-reward signing of relievers Octavio Dotel and Chad Cordero.  But, Anthopolous’ made his most genius move to date a little over a week ago. 

Anthopolous traded the highly overpaid and notorious free swinger Vernon Wells to the Angels for catcher Mike Napoli, a free swinger in his own right, and outfielder Juan Rivera.  Nobody is quite sure how he managed to unload such a contract, but he did it.

Napoli has since been shipped to Texas for reliever Frank Francisco.  Although many will say that Napoli would have had more value to Toronto than Francisco does, we have to remember:

Anthopolous essentially received Francisco and Rivera for Wells, a player who was holding the team back from spending big on free agents.  The money freed up by trading Wells will only help Anthopolous reach his goal.

The Jays figure to contend in the near future when prospects like Drabek, number 12 on MLB.com’s list of the Top 50 prospects, Gose, Hechavarria, and Lawrie, number 28 on the list, hit the majors. 

Without the genius of Alex Anthopolous, the Jays would not be in the position they are today, a position that has Jays fans waiting anxiously for 2012.   

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Billy Butler told MLB.com’s Dick Kaegel that he and the Royals have agreed to a four-year, $30 million contract extension.

The deal buys out all three of his arbitration-eligible years plus one year of free agency. Butler is represented by Greg Genske of Legacy Sports.

Butler filed for $4.3 million in arbitration earlier this week while the Royals countered with $3.4 million. Kansas City recently picked up an extra $12.4 million when Gil Meche unexpectedly retired.

Butler, 25 in April, has hit .309/.375/.480 with 36 homers over the last two seasons. Just 28 players boast an OPS that high during that time (min. 1,000 PA), but Evan Longoria, Carlos Gonzalez, Ryan Zimmerman, Troy Tulowitzki and Butler are the only ones to do so at age 25 or younger.

Clearly, the Royals first baseman has emerged as one of the game’s most dangerous young hitters.

Kansas City currently owns the game’s best farm system, and they’ve now ensured that their best position player at the Major League level will be around when some of those highly touted prospects start to arrive.

This is yet another good move made by Royals GM Dayton Moore. The signing of Jeff Francis last week has been considered by some to be the best deal of the winter thus far.

The addition of the Billy Butler extension shows that GMDM somewhat knows what he is doing.

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Is it just me, or are there any other people scratching their heads over the Yankees’ personnel decisions this offseason?

This is the time of the year that the Pinstripes are supposed to re-tool for another run at another World Series crown, isn’t it?

So far the Yanks have failed to sign a top-tier free agent outside of Rafael Soriano who will be paid $10 million to pitch the eighth inning in front of Mariano Rivera.

Perhaps the most telling fact about the Bronx Bombers’ offseason mediocrity is the rejection of Cliff Lee when he turned down the Yankees and signed with Phillies for less money. You have to go back to 1992 to find the last time that a free agent turned down a better offer from the Yankees to sign with another team when Greg Maddux opted to sign with Atlanta rather than wear pinstripes. That’s almost 20 years!

Do the Yankees make the grade with their offseason moves thus far?

Let’s take a look at some of their notable offseason transactions. Then, you decide.

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Does any other MLB fan find it weird when a team goes out and buys former superstars, seemingly anticipating that putting them back together will magically bring back the spark from seven years before?

It’s happening again this year, and it’s certainly not the first time that two World Series champions have played on entirely different teams together. It’s just weird to have it happen in the AL East and for it to not be the Yankees doing the purchasing.

Today it was announced that Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon (2004 World Series Champions) will be joining the recently depleted/farmed out Tampa Bay Rays. It’s not unrealistic that Tampa Bay would sign a few players (practicality says they needed to do so after losing the talent they let walk out the door over the offseason for nothing in return), but this is not the Tampa way.

As a Red Sox fan in Minneapolis, I take a lot of guff: “They’re just like the Yankees” tends to be the weapon of choice from the loyal Twins fans up here. I don’t understand the argument, and this latest move by the Rays emphasizes the point that I attempt to make every time I am forced to defend a contender in the AL East that doesn’t have the highest payroll. If you want to contend in a competitive division, money must be spent. The difference between the Red Sox and the Yankees, is the Red Sox spend money to keep talent, whereas the Yankees spend money to acquire talent.

In order to amass the team that Theo Epstein has over the last 10 years, talent acquisition had to take place, but talent retention and development also took place. I don’t see the same technique employed by the Yankees nor the Rays. After the 2007 World Series, the Red Sox had some decisions to make – they let Alex Gonzalez walk, but they retained staples (home-grown staples) like Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, etc.

Of course, not all of the talent of the 2004 and 2007 squads was drafted and developed, Manny, Papi, Curt Schilling, ‘Tek and the gang were acquired through trades and free agency – but it was a balance.

The Yankees transaction history from this offseason alone could easily take an article to chronicle, but the song remains the same in New York – the core four plus the highest paid free agents of any given year.

I thought the Rays were more like the Red Sox (develop and retain) than the Yankees (catch and release, then buy). With these signings today, coupled with the exit of solid talent such as Carl Crawford and Rafael Soriano, I begin to wonder about the managerial know-how of their front office.

I’m not complaining mind you, as a Red Sox fan, I’d love to see Tampa and the hipster doofus that is Joe Maddon fall into last place where they belong, but it is sad to see a team that took the division from the Yankees last year (with one of the smallest payrolls in the league) go from the top to the bottom.

Perhaps it is too early to speculate, but given the performance of Manny and Johnny in 2010, I think it’s safe to say the 2011 Rays can only hope for the same outcome as the Red Sox of 2004 enjoyed.

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Late Thursday afternoon, after nearly an entire offseason of position-player inactivity, Yankee GM Brian Cashman inked the former Braves superstar to a one-year, $2 million contract, with another $1.2 million in additional performance-based incentives. After bolstering their bullpen with top-shelf relief arms, the Yankees’ acquisition of Andruw Jones fills the hole left by the late (not so) great Marcus Thames.

Jones, who turns 34 in April, is coming off a strong campaign in 2010 in which he hit .230/.341/.486 with 19 home runs in limited duty for the Chicago White Sox. A longtime fan favorite in Atlanta, Jones combined both power and speed to create one of the most dynamic players baseball had ever seen. After a somewhat disappointing (to say the absolute least) 2008 where he hit .158/.256/.249 for the L.A. Dodgers, Jones has resurrected his career as a fourth outfielder and designated hitter. His most notable achievement, however, is primarily defensive in nature.

Looking at Andruw’s Baseball-Reference.com page, the more casual fan might notice 10 consecutive Gold Gloves and consider him a very good outfielder—but even that’s selling him short. According to the advanced statistic known as defensive wins above replacement (dWAR), Jones is quite literally the greatest defensive center fielder in baseball history.  

If you’re like the majority of baseball fans, dWAR might be a little foreign to you. The statistic is based upon something called TotalZone—which is derived from detailed accounts of each and every game played since 1953. Over Andruw’s career, he has been worth over 240 runs above the replacement-level center fielder—replacement-level meaning a normal AAA player, or bench option. Those 240 runs put Andruw ahead of some of the most legendary defenders of all time—people like Ozzie Smith, Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente. The only player who was worth more than the newest Yankee was former Baltimore Oriole Brooks Robinson, who is the consensus greatest third baseman ever.

The Yankees expect Jones to be their fourth outfielder, and the reserve designated hitter against left-handed pitching. 

Author’s Note: This was intended for my school newspaper—hence the rudimentary explanation of dWAR. 

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The clock is ticking on the St. Louis Cardinals to come to terms on a contract extension with the best player the Cardinals have had since Stan “The Man” Musial retired in 1963.

Albert Pujols has set a firm deadline to agree to an extension by the start of spring training.

Should Pujols not receive an extension by that time, he will become a free agent after the 2011 season.

With big spenders New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox locked into long contracts with current first basemen of Mark Teixeira and Adrian Gonzalez respectively, one has to wonder where the three-time National League MVP might end up.

Pujols could demand a deal close to the deal Alex Rodriguez signed for 10 years and $275 million.

So what teams could sign the free agent next off season?

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The New York Yankees have have had a rough offseason thus far.

It began with an all too public dispute with free agent SS Derek Jeter, who eventually re-signed with the team, but only after sniping and vitriol were exchanged by the two sides during (and in the aftermath of) negotiations.

Then they were spurned by free agent left-hander Cliff Lee, who took less money than the Yankees had offered in order to accept a return engagement with the Philadelphia Phillies.

And while they were successful in securing free agent Mariano Rivera’s autograph on a contract, they haven’t been so fortunate with southpaw Andy Pettitte, who may hold the fortunes of the organization in his left hand.

These dramas have played out on the back pages of the New York City newspapers at the same time that their mortal rivals, the Boston Red Sox, have enjoyed what is the most productive offseason in franchise history, adding 1B Adrian Gonzalez, OF Carl Crawford and relievers Bobby Jenks and Dan Wheeler to an already formidable ballclub. Crawford, the Yankees “Plan B” this ofseason, was signed by the Red Sox while Hank Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman fiddled around, awaiting word from Lee—their “Plan A”.

Ridiculed by the papers, maligned by their fan base and surpassed in talent by their arch-rivals to the north, the Yankees began to appear desperate in spite of the protestations to the contrary by their general manager.

Most of the Yankees’ opportunities to improve had been lost to the front office. Aside from Pettitte, the only other of the top ten free agents that remains unsigned is starter Carl Pavano, and they have been there, done that with the former Red Sox farmhand. If they do not re-sign Pettitte or add another impact starter through free agency, two other options are available to the Yankees:

1) sign a free agent setup man and then include Joba Chamberlain in a deal (along with top prospect Jesus Montero and others) for a front-line starter

2) sign a free agent reliever and then rely on the bullpen to compensate for a rotation that will have rookie Ivan Nova and another marginal pitcher at the back end

The best of the free agent relievers that remained available as of yesterday was former Braves and Rays closer Rafael Soriano, who has been seeking a three year deal—preferably to serve as some team’s closer. But the market never materialized for him—in large part due to the fact that he was designated a Type A free agent (requiring the signing team to forfeit a draft pick). In response to recent speculation that the Yankees needed to sign Soriano to act as their 8th inning setup man, a defiant Cashman declared he would not surrender his first round pick for any of the remaining free agents.

Apparently that all changed last night.

In an act that bears all of the hallmarks of pure desperation, the Yankees agreed to a three year, $35 million contract with Soriano, who will serve as Mariano Rivera’s primary setup man. The deal will allow the right-hander to opt out of his contract after either the first or second year of the deal. So, Cashman surrendered his first round draft pick for a player who may turn out to be a one year rental. Wow!

Soriano led the American League in saves last season (45) and will become the highest paid setup man in the history of the game. The cheering you are hearing is coming from the home of free agent southpaw Brian Fuentes, who remains unsigned.

The Yankees don’t care that they have once again hurt the game of baseball ($11.67 M per year for a set-up guy?). They were in desperate straits trying to chart a course for 2011, and so they did what they felt like they had to do.

The bullpen as currently constituted is arguably the best in the game of baseball, with Rivera and Soriano heading up a relief corps that includes Joba Chamberlain, Dave Robertson and Pedro Feliciano, among others. But I have a sense that there is another shoe that has yet to drop…

I cannot imagine the Yankees going into the 2011 season with a payroll in the vicinity of $200 million and a rotation that includes Nova and some as-yet-unidentified journeyman. Maybe Soriano will help convince Pettitte he should pitch for one more year…or maybe he frees up Chamberlain to be dealt. Either way, it seems likely that Steinbrenner and Cashman aren’t done yet.

The betting here is that Pettitte—who desperately wants to win—will finally decide to return to the Yankees to make another run towards a World Series ring.

As for Soriano, he makes the Yankees bullpen a force to be reckoned with and provides the club with an heir-apparent for Rivera.

He was an All-Star last year, going 3-2 with 45 saves and a 1.73 ERA. He allowed just 36 hits in 62.3 innings pitched while striking out 57 batters. He and Rivera combined for a 1.77 ERA and a .173 opponents’ batting average (122.3 IP, 75 hits) last year, to go along with 102 strikeouts and 25 walks. THAT is a formidable tandem.

But there is a downside here for the Yankees: Soriano didn’t miss as many bats last year as he had in previous years (his K-rate decreased by one-third last year), and he is a fly ball pitcher who will now pitch in a ballpark that often resembles an over-sized softball diamond. Caveat emptor, Brian.

Soriano doesn’t make up for losing out on Lee or Crawford, but it’s the best the Yankees could do at this point of the offseason—time will tell whether it was a stroke of genius or a mad act of desperation.

For this and more articles written by Jeffrey Brown, you can visit his website here.

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Looks like the Yanks finally got their big signing of the offseason. After missing out on Cliff Lee, they needed to make a splash. 

The Yankees now have a new setup man and an heir to the Mariano Rivera throne.

The details are still being worked out, but the contract looks to be a three-year deal worth $35 million.

Soriano, though, has the ability to opt out after the first or second year. If he does this, he will make $11.5 million or $21.5 million respectively.

This leaves some questions yet to be answered. What will happen to David Robertson and Joba Chamberlain with Soriano coming in? Are they now trade bait?

In the coming months we will see what sort of changes this type of deal will bring, but this is a huge move by the Yanks.

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