Saturday, December 11, 2004 |
Pickoff Moves
Padres Sign Woody Williams, Geoff Blum
Something I should have mentioned a couple days ago: the Padres have signed RHP Woody Williams, for one year and $3.5M, with a second year option; and INF Geoff Blum (terms undisclosed).Williams' return to San Diego represents a reasonable dollar figure -- not to mention duration -- at a time when it looks like the player market may be going in full bull mode again. (Maybe we should have seen that coming: after near record attendance throughout baseball this year, the clubs were feeling pretty flush, and guess where they wanted to flush that cash?) For a guy PECOTA projects as a 10-20 VORP pitcher -- a back-of-the-rotation guy, in other words -- it's a reasonable pickup. His 6.22 K/9 and 2.26 K/BB represent respectable if not overpowering numbers, while 189 IP last year is plenty good. The one thing the Pads need to worry about is his .93 G/F ratio; one of the Padres' weaknesses in recent years has been their flycatchers, especially since trading Mark Kotsay to the A's, which we can now view as a complete mistake.
As to Blum -- well, not being familiar with the Pads' bench, I can't say which direction they needed to go here, but he's declined from a 27.0 VORP in 2002 to -10.3 in 2004. Why, I'm not too certain, but his value has absolutely plummeted. Unless this was for league minimum, this signing doesn't strike me as being especially a good idea; his defense at third is also well below replacement. Unless there's an injury here I'm unaware of, Blum is a mistake anywhere, even on the bench.
Wells To Bosox
David Wells signed a one-year, $8M contract with the Red Sox; the deal could expand to $13M if he makes 31 starts, a tall order for the 41-year-old. I'm withholding judgement on this one, but my impression is the Sox won't have to worry about giving him the $5M bonus.Belly To The M's?
So says U.S.S. Mariner, with the mega-jinormous caveat that it's a rumor, with a quashing of same coming not two posts later.Marlins Evicted After 2010
"Oh, yeah, well you can take your lousy team and find another place to live! I saw you the other day, out flirting with that hussy Las Vegas. You can come crawling back, but it won't do a bit of good. You know cricket and soccer? Well, we've started dating again."Dust In The Late Afternoon Of The Finley Signing
ESPN Insider claims Steve Finley might make a pitch at Randy Johnson to move to the Angels. It's conceivable, but the Snakes continue to make moves that sound too much like they're trying to actually have a team that won't embarrass the fans when they show up at the park. Nonetheless, Johnson supposedly hasn't budged from his itch to be traded:"Randy's always had a positive outlook," agent Alan Nero said. "He just feels determined that he needs to be elsewhere."So, surprisingly, this Register article about much and nothing. First, Scott Boras is throwing a hissy fit over his inability to get the Angels to jump at an infinity-year contract for Carlos Beltran. In fact, it now appears that the Angels weren't even really seriously pursuing Beltran:
Boras did confirm Anaheim was on Beltran's list. The agent doesn't buy Stoneman's logic about the folly of paying a player more than Guerrero.Sure, but he's not going to kill you in 2008 when his back gives out or whatever. Well: a fellow can try, can't he?"Mr. Stoneman's opinion is clearly in the minority on today's market," Boras said. "Vlad Guerrero is a tremendous hitter, but he signed after playing 70 percent of a season because of a back issue. He had no postseason experience whatsoever, and he was never a center fielder or a 40-base stealer.
Disagreement between Boras and Stoneman could impact the Angels' ability to sign other Boras clients this winter and beyond. Boras also represents current free agents Magglio Ordonez, J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek, Adrian Beltre and Derek Lowe.Damn straight. Stoneman is far from my favorite GM, but every now and then he shows real signs of promise. The Finley signing, not for its commission, but for its omission (i.e., Beltran at a ridiculous price), might have been one of the smartest moves this offseason.Last month, Boras accused Stoneman of bad faith in the drafting of first-round pick Jered Weaver last June. Boras said Stoneman agreed with how much it would take to get Weaver - about $10 million - before the draft and then changed his mind, a claim Stoneman denies. Weaver remains unsigned and the sides aren't talking. Stoneman said he wouldn't have a problem dealing with Boras.
"It's all a business thing, it's not about personalities," Stoneman said.
And with that, my friends, I'm off to the Anaheim Marriott, in hopes of bumping into Jay Jaffe, Rich Lederer, Will Carroll, and company.
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