Tuesday, November 16, 2004 |
Pickoff Moves
Non-Story Stories: Beltre Considering His Options
The question before the house, as always, is: is Scott Boras acting for Adrian Beltre? Or is Adrian Beltre his own man? Encouraging noises that the latter is true came in this Times story:"No doubt, the Dodgers are going to have the first option," Beltre said. "I don't know exactly what they're thinking about or what they're going to do. I'm happy with the organization. I couldn't ask for better treatment. Now is the time I have the choice to stay or go, but I'm not thinking about leaving yet; I'm thinking about my family and the chance to go to the World Series."Belly, Boras, and DePodesta are expected to talk "perhaps by the end of the week, to discuss the future of the franchise and his place in it."... "Just the way the season finished and the way the fans supported me all year, I couldn't have asked for more," he said. "I cannot point to one thing that changed for me, though. A lot of things came together early this year. Being almost seven years in the big leagues, and the fact I have a daughter, my life has changed."
Ultimately, he said, "I helped myself personally so I would get more attention from other teams. But I don't know how it's going to work out. When I pick the team, I know they want me and will have a chance to be in the playoffs. I'm just sitting back to see what my options are. But, until it happens, I don't know how it's going to end."
Bonds: Give Me My Precious
Barry wants the hardware, and who can blame him? I'm skeptical; the Giants have a little more financial flexibility this year in the absence of Robb Nen, but when they start signing guys like Omar Vizquel, it makes you wonder how serious they are about contending. Their best team -- the 2002 edition -- hardly had a hole on it. Despite my initial misgivings that the 2004 club was Barry and the Seven Dwarves, it still lacked supporting stars; there's no Jeff Kent now, no Reggie Sanders. The ring may never come.Meanwhile, Back In Boston
Boston waterfront property is getting harder to move, so the Pritzker family is subdividing their Fan Pier lots. This is the same strategy Frank has pursued, so far to no avail. Of course, it's unclear how much actual debt service he has to make, so we'll just sit and observe that this means the value of Frank's property is likely badly overvalued.A's Shopping Zito
This Boston Herald column indicates the A's and Red Sox have been talking about Barry Zito, whom the A's are said to be interested in moving "for economic reasons". No terms, of course; nothing at this point is serious.Yanks Persue Delgado
The Yankees, who never seem to have enough first basemen, are pursuing Carlos Delgado. Are they trying to make this into reality?More On Ortiz, Erstad
This Times story lends credence to the idea that Ramon Ortiz will be with the Angels in 2005:Stoneman said he would not rule out a return to the rotation for Ortiz, who was 4-5 with a 5.47 ERA in 14 starts and 1-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 20 relief appearances.Also in that same article: a confirmation that the Angels won't move Erstad back to centerfield. "Stoneman said he preferred to keep Gold Glove winner Darin Erstad at first base next season rather than move him back to the outfield, solidifying the team's need for an additional outfielder as it attempts to trade Jose Guillen.""Command got him into trouble," Stoneman said. "If he can find the command we've seen from him in the past then, shoot, he can be a starter."
Percy To The Tigers?
Sure, why not. Percy is also in talks with Cleveland, the Cubs, and San Francisco, the latter, IMO, probably the best of his options.
: 11/16/2004 01:42:00 PM
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