2010 Baseball Season/Off-Season Discussion

[tim_m]

Oops. I guess i shouldn't post when tired. 

[tim_m]

We're all setup for the showdown in Gillette. Both Jets and Pats are 9-2. Whoever wins this game likely not only wins the division but will likely be the top AFC seed. It should be a good game.

I think you've got the wrong thread there.  But I will be AT Gillette in 10 days to watch the Pats topple the Jets and take control of the AFC East,,,,,,, hopefully.

Since you're a Yankee fan Timothy, I'll get us back on track.  I think the Yankees are handling the Derek Jeter negotiations wonderfully.  You have to take your personal feelings away from the game and realize that it's a business.  And they're doing great business right now.  In fact, I think they're offering him way more than he's worth at this stage of his career.  I don't buy into the theory that you pay players like Jeter for what they've done in the past.  That's a bunch of bull.  You pay for what he'll do in the future, and in my mind he's not worth any more than 15 million a year.  And if he thinks he can get more than that, be my guest and go get it.  The Red Sox played nice with David Ortiz and overpaid him for next year by picking up his option.  They could've played hard ball, but they didn't.  They don't mind overpaying if it's in the short term.  They're more leery of overpaying for lengthy contracts.  3 years 45 million for Jeter isn't much of a risk for the Yankees.  Could they afford to pay him more?  Sure, but that's besides the point.  It's just good business, that's all.  It's the way the Patriots have handled things the last decade and things have worked pretty well for them.  I know it's hard to compare two sports, but in the end they're both BUSINESSES.  Unfortunately, it's not the same game that we grew up loving.

I think in the end he'll end up back in NY.  I'm surprised it's gotten this "ugly".  But as I said, he's not going to find a better offer, so he's not going anywhere.

While i agree with you. You gotta take into consideration that he is in decline. He is coming off his worst offensive season. Having said that though. You just can't let this guy walk. You just can't. Jeter in another uniform would be like Mattingly in another uniform as a player. Brady not playing for the Pats, Manning not playing for the Colts. It would just be wrong. He is gonna be the first yankee to emasse 3000 hits. You cannot let that happen playing for another team. It scares me what someone might try to do do Cashman or one of the Steinbrenner brothers if they let him walk. There hasn't been a yankee so beloved since Mattingly. The yankees have to find some way to apease Jeter with a contract both sides are happy with. It has to end with Jeter a yankee.

/gets oof pedestel.

[faldor]

Do Jeter and his agent really believe he should be among the highest paid players in baseball?  Maybe 10 years ago, but now?  Any team would be crazy to give him what he's asking for.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2010/11/27/2010-11-27_source_jeters_camp_lowers_demands.html?r=sports%2Fbaseball%2Fyankees&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A


Derek Jeter's camp lowers demands in Yankee talks to $22 million-$24 million per year: source

BY Anthony Mccarron and Bill Madden
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS

Saturday, November 27th 2010, 4:00 AM

After weeks of inflammatory rhetoric, the messy negotiations between free-agent Derek Jeter and the Yankees appear to be inching toward a middle ground.

A day after the Daily News reported that the starting point for Jeter's side was $150 million over six years - figures that the shortstop's agent, Casey Close, said Friday were "inaccurate" - a source with knowledge of the talks said the Yankee captain's camp had come down slightly.

Jeter's side, the source said, has proposed a five-year deal worth between $22 million-$24 million per year, down from the $25 million average annual value that a six-year, $150 million contract represents.

With the Yankees' initial offer standing at three years, $45 million, these new parameters would still represent a gap of between $65 million-$75 million between the parties. Jeter, 36, who is coming off his worst season in the majors, just finished a contract that paid him $189 million over 10years, including $21 million in 2010.

Friday, Close released a statement to numerous media outlets that read: "The recently rumored terms of our contract proposal are simply inaccurate." Close, however, would not disclose where he and Jeter stand in regard to years and dollars and refused comment on the potential of a five-year deal for $110 million-$120 million for his client.

The agent also declined to reveal when there would be further talks between the sides, although they presumably will continue to negotiate, especially since many in baseball believe the two sides need each other.

The Yanks need Jeter because, without him, they don't have a shortstop - Ramiro Pe?a and Eduardo Nu?ez are on their depth chart now - or a face for their franchise, a role Jeter has played for years. Jeter needs the Yankees because he likely would not make as much on the open market, and his legacy as a player perhaps changes drastically if he does not finish his career in pinstripes.

But since Yankee co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner acknowledged on the radio early in the process that the talks could get "messy," ease and goodwill have evaporated from the talks like air out of a punctured balloon. Some in baseball believed a contract would get done swiftly - most still believe one will be completed - but these talks have proven to have bumps.

Yankee officials, when quoted publicly, praise Jeter, but can never seem to finish a sentence without reminding the world that he has gained from being a Yankee, too. While Jeter has been more than just a ballplayer for the Yanks, several team bigwigs, including Steinbrenner and team president Randy Levine, have insisted that this is solely a baseball negotiation, that the veteran's icon status is mostly meaningless.

When Close was quoted by The News' Mike Lupica last week saying he was "baffled" by the Yankees' public comments, management seemed to get angry and, at one point, Cashman encouraged Jeter to test the free-agent market.

"All I know is we've had honest, direct dialogue, not through the press like Casey alleged," Cashman said this week. "When he went public with the 'baffled,' we went public with our position. I think it's important that our fans understand where we're coming from. We think this is an important player and we want to move forward with him in a meaningful way."

Jeter had career lows in batting average (.270), on-base percentage (.340) and slugging percentage (.370) last season. But he also won his fifth Gold Glove, made the All-Star team for the 11th time and finished second in the American League with 111 runs scored.

Cashman has said that the Yankees have "some concerns with his performance the last number of years and with his age. We have to factor that into this negotiation, which we've tried to do."

It's unclear whether there are other clubs interested in Jeter. "I don't know what other people are willing to do or want to do, but I know what we think is fair from our perspective," Cashman said. "He's a free agent. Ultimately, we would like him to stay. Do we want Derek Jeter to be a Yankee? Absolutely. Do we want to treat him fairly? Absolutely. But do we want to be treated fairly at the same time? Absolutely."

[faldor]

And maybe further reasoning the Sox let V-Mart walk.  The Tigers are planning on using him primarily as a DH, which obviously diminishes his value from being primarily a catcher. 

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/index.ssf/2010/11/victor_martinez_signing_is_off.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+detroit-tigers+%28Detroit+Tigers+Impact+-+MLive.com%29&utm_

Victor Martinez signing is official; Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski says he primarily will serve as DH

Published: Friday, November 26, 2010, 9:10 AM     Updated: Friday, November 26, 2010, 3:44 PM
 Steve Kornacki

DETROIT -- Victor Martinez will get a good portion of the catching duties, but the plan remains for Alex Avila to be the Detroit Tigers’ primary catcher in 2011.

On Friday, Martinez officially became a member of the club, and Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski noted that his primary role will be designated hitter.

Martinez, a four-time All-Star with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox, came aboard with a four-year deal worth $50 million. Contract terms were reported Tuesday, but he needed to pass a physical before the transaction was completed.

“We are thrilled to add a premier hitter like Victor Martinez to the Tigers organization,” Tigers general manager David Dombrowski said. “Our top offseason priority was to add a proven bat in the middle of our lineup, and Victor is an established .300 hitter and run producer at the major league level.

“We expect Victor to be in our lineup on a daily basis, serving primarily as our club’s designated hitter and catching two to three times a week. He also has the ability to fill in at first base, and his versatility allows us to keep a premier bat in our lineup every day. We’ve discussed this role with Victor, and both sides are very pleased with what he brings to the Tigers organization.”

Martinez, a switch hitter, batted .302 with 20 home runs and 79 RBIs in 2010, when he missed 22 games with a fractured left thumb. He was the only major league catcher to reach .300 and 20 homers in 2010.

ESPN.com reported that Detroit outbid the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Red Sox, who offered three years at $36 million or four years at $42 million in a bid to re-sign him. Martinez made $7.7 million in 2010 and will average $12.5 million over the length of the pact.

Martinez, who turns 32 on Dec. 23, has reached 100 RBIs three times and 20 home runs five times in seven full seasons. His career highs of 25 home runs and 114 RBIs came in 2007 for the Cleveland Indians, and his top batting average was .316 in 2006.

He batted .400 with a .742 slugging percentage against left-handed pitchers last year. Left-handed hitting catcher Avila should be a good complement to Martinez, who also can spell Cabrera at first base.

Martinez threw out 21 percent of would-be stealers last year. He had an excellent 37 percent success rate two years ago.

He has batted .300 since coming up to the Indians in 2002 and has 131 home runs and 638 RBIs. He’s received American League MVP votes four times -- finishing as high as seventh in 2007 -- and won the Silver Slugger Award for catchers in 2004.

Martinez has batted .301 from the right side in his career but was .400 in 2010 with great power (17 doubles, 12 home runs and 39 RBIs in just 155 at-bats). He has batted .298 as a lefty for his career but dipped to .257 in 2010 with just 15 doubles, eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 338 at-bats.

His overall .302 average was the best among the league’s switch hitters last season.

Boston acquired him from Cleveland on July 31, 2009 for minor leaguers Bryan Price and Nick Hagadone and pitcher Justin Masterson.

Martinez will cost Detroit its first-round pick (No. 19 overall) in the June amateur draft  and will result in the Red Sox being awarded a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds because he is a Type A free agent.

[tim_m]

Do Jeter and his agent really believe he should be among the highest paid players in baseball?  Maybe 10 years ago, but now?  Any team would be crazy to give him what he's asking for.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2010/11/27/2010-11-27_source_jeters_camp_lowers_demands.html?r=sports%2Fbaseball%2Fyankees&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A


Derek Jeter's camp lowers demands in Yankee talks to $22 million-$24 million per year: source

BY Anthony Mccarron and Bill Madden
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITERS

Saturday, November 27th 2010, 4:00 AM

After weeks of inflammatory rhetoric, the messy negotiations between free-agent Derek Jeter and the Yankees appear to be inching toward a middle ground.

A day after the Daily News reported that the starting point for Jeter's side was $150 million over six years - figures that the shortstop's agent, Casey Close, said Friday were "inaccurate" - a source with knowledge of the talks said the Yankee captain's camp had come down slightly.

Jeter's side, the source said, has proposed a five-year deal worth between $22 million-$24 million per year, down from the $25 million average annual value that a six-year, $150 million contract represents.

With the Yankees' initial offer standing at three years, $45 million, these new parameters would still represent a gap of between $65 million-$75 million between the parties. Jeter, 36, who is coming off his worst season in the majors, just finished a contract that paid him $189 million over 10years, including $21 million in 2010.

Friday, Close released a statement to numerous media outlets that read: "The recently rumored terms of our contract proposal are simply inaccurate." Close, however, would not disclose where he and Jeter stand in regard to years and dollars and refused comment on the potential of a five-year deal for $110 million-$120 million for his client.

The agent also declined to reveal when there would be further talks between the sides, although they presumably will continue to negotiate, especially since many in baseball believe the two sides need each other.

The Yanks need Jeter because, without him, they don't have a shortstop - Ramiro Pe?a and Eduardo Nu?ez are on their depth chart now - or a face for their franchise, a role Jeter has played for years. Jeter needs the Yankees because he likely would not make as much on the open market, and his legacy as a player perhaps changes drastically if he does not finish his career in pinstripes.

But since Yankee co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner acknowledged on the radio early in the process that the talks could get "messy," ease and goodwill have evaporated from the talks like air out of a punctured balloon. Some in baseball believed a contract would get done swiftly - most still believe one will be completed - but these talks have proven to have bumps.

Yankee officials, when quoted publicly, praise Jeter, but can never seem to finish a sentence without reminding the world that he has gained from being a Yankee, too. While Jeter has been more than just a ballplayer for the Yanks, several team bigwigs, including Steinbrenner and team president Randy Levine, have insisted that this is solely a baseball negotiation, that the veteran's icon status is mostly meaningless.

When Close was quoted by The News' Mike Lupica last week saying he was "baffled" by the Yankees' public comments, management seemed to get angry and, at one point, Cashman encouraged Jeter to test the free-agent market.

"All I know is we've had honest, direct dialogue, not through the press like Casey alleged," Cashman said this week. "When he went public with the 'baffled,' we went public with our position. I think it's important that our fans understand where we're coming from. We think this is an important player and we want to move forward with him in a meaningful way."

Jeter had career lows in batting average (.270), on-base percentage (.340) and slugging percentage (.370) last season. But he also won his fifth Gold Glove, made the All-Star team for the 11th time and finished second in the American League with 111 runs scored.

Cashman has said that the Yankees have "some concerns with his performance the last number of years and with his age. We have to factor that into this negotiation, which we've tried to do."

It's unclear whether there are other clubs interested in Jeter. "I don't know what other people are willing to do or want to do, but I know what we think is fair from our perspective," Cashman said. "He's a free agent. Ultimately, we would like him to stay. Do we want Derek Jeter to be a Yankee? Absolutely. Do we want to treat him fairly? Absolutely. But do we want to be treated fairly at the same time? Absolutely."

In the end they will both find a middle ground. Jeter will be a yankee for life. I think we all know this will end with Jeter resigning.

[faldor]

I agree, but Jeter is asking for WAY TOO MUCH.  The Yankees are being made out to be the bad guys here and that's not completely fair.  Their offer of 3/45 was absolutely fair, I'd even say way more than fair.  Jeter is trying to take advantage of the Yankees because they have deep pockets and for all he's done for them in the past.  It's all about the present and the future though Derek, and you are nowhere near worth 20+ million a year.  Sorry pal.

[tim_m]

I agree, but Jeter is asking for WAY TOO MUCH.  The Yankees are being made out to be the bad guys here and that's not completely fair.  Their offer of 3/45 was absolutely fair, I'd even say way more than fair.  Jeter is trying to take advantage of the Yankees because they have deep pockets and for all he's done for them in the past.  It's all about the present and the future though Derek, and you are nowhere near worth 20+ million a year.  Sorry pal.

Oh i agree. He will be 37 next year. Coming off his worst offensive year. Was it just a bad year? Maybe but you can't pay him on the possibility he will bounce back and put up Jeteresque numbers again. He is still a big value to the yankees he's still a good shortstop and he can still be productive. He is still a guy i'd want at bat in a big situation. In the end i'm sure the yankees will end up giving him at least 4 years and overpaying him by a decent amount. In the end Jeter will be a yankee next year and be the first to 3000 hits.

[faldor]

Sox off-season plans starting to take shape???

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/news/story?id=5880440

Adrian Gonzalez to Red Sox?

By Gordon Edes
ESPNBoston.com
Archive

BOSTON -- While their pursuit of free agents Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth has grabbed most of the attention, Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has quietly been laying the groundwork for what could be the team's biggest offensive acquisition since Manny Ramirez.

Epstein has been engaged in ongoing discussions with his former top lieutenant, San Diego Padres general manager Jed Hoyer, about a trade that would bring slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez to Boston. It appears Epstein is making some headway, one baseball source with knowledge of the negotiations said Friday, in tempting Hoyer with a package of top prospects in the Red Sox minor league system.

Acquiring Gonzalez, while signing one of two free-agent outfielders, Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth, would give the Red Sox their most potent offensive lineup since Ramirez's trade to the Dodgers in 2008 and make clear why they were willing to lose free agents Victor Martinez and potentially Adrian Beltre. It also would help ease the sting of losing out to the Yankees on Mark Teixeira, the switch-hitting first baseman the Sox imagined in the middle of their lineup two years ago.

The Sox have long coveted the 28-year-old Gonzalez. As far back as the 2009 trading deadline, the Sox made a pitch for Gonzalez, a three-time All-Star who last season finished fourth in balloting for the National League's Most Valuable Player.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound first baseman, a left-handed hitter, batted .298 with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs for the Padres last season. He finished fifth in on-base percentage (.393), ninth in slugging (.511) and led the league in hitting with runners in scoring position (.407). Opposing pitchers issued 35 intentional walks to Gonzalez last season, a number exceeded only by Albert Pujols.

In addition to his offensive prowess, Gonzalez is a gifted defender, a two-time Gold Glove winner.

With David Ortiz nearing the end of his highly productive run with the Red Sox, the team views Gonzalez as an ideal successor to Big Papi as a middle-of-the-order run-producer. The Sox lineup could look something like this in 2011:

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Kevin Youkilis, 3B
David Ortiz, DH
Jayson Werth, LF
J.D. Drew, RF
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C
Marco Scutaro, SS

The trade, however, will not be an easy one for the Padres to make. Gonzalez is the team's most popular player, with great crossover appeal to the team's Mexican-American market, a native son who carried the Padres to within a game of a playoff spot last season. He is signed through 2011 at the bargain price of $6.3 million. The Padres exercised his 2011 option on Nov. 1. His contract called for a $5.5 million salary, but performance bonuses pushed the figure above $6 million.

The Padres, however, are working under significant financial constraints. The team's 2010 Opening Day payroll was $37.7 million; only the Pirates had a smaller payroll. Attendance, despite the team's improbable run for a playoff spot, showed only a modest increase from the previous year. The Padres drew just more than 2.1 million fans in 2010, ranking 11th out of 16 NL teams.

Offensively, the Padres were one of the weakest in the majors, even with Gonzalez, finishing 22nd in runs scored, 23rd in on-base percentage, and 28th in slugging.

And after meeting with Gonzalez and his agent, John Boggs, after the season, Hoyer acknowledged that the team has no chance of signing Gonzalez to an extension, not when he's in a position to command a contract in the $22 million-$25 million per year range, like Teixeira and Ryan Howard of the Phillies.

"Nothing that's happened is unexpected," Hoyer said when Gonzalez's option was picked up last month. "He's had a fantastic career and he wants to test out the free-agent market and see if he gets that franchise-player contract he's been working toward. To his credit, he signed a deal that has worked out very well for the club and he's never said a word about it. There's always been a desire to see what's on the free-agent market for him."

The Padres, then, essentially have three options: Keep him for the 2011 season, then collect two draft picks when he signs elsewhere as a free agent; keep him until the July trading deadline, then move him to another club; or trade him before the season. Here's one problem in waiting until the July trading deadline: If the Padres are in contention, a trade potentially would alienate both the fan base and the clubhouse, both of which could see such a move as the front office quitting on the club.

Trading Gonzalez now would allow Hoyer to address the multiple holes the club has entering the season while acquiring low-cost players that would remain under the team's control for up to six years.

According to the source familiar with the negotiations, the proposed deal centers only on minor leaguers, meaning the Red Sox would not lose star young reliever Daniel Bard. Hoyer and his assistant, Jason McLeod, who served as Boston's scouting director until going to San Diego, are intimately familiar with the Red Sox system. They almost certainly would seek pitcher Casey Kelly and first baseman Anthony Rizzo in any deal, with outfielder Ryan Kalish, shortstop Jose Iglesias, outfielder Josh Riddick, 19-year-old outfielder Reymond Fuentes, pitcher Stolmy Pimentel, and catcher Ryan Lavarnway also potential targets.

It is reasonable to assume it may take at least three top prospects to make a deal, with perhaps another minor leaguer or two of lesser skills included. The Sox probably have never been in a better position to make a trade of this magnitude, with the depth of prospects they have,

There are other teams with significant interest in Gonzalez, too, so Hoyer will have options. But are the Red Sox intent on making this happen? Will they? The next stage in this drama will take place in Orlando.

Gordon Edes covers the Red Sox for ESPNBoston.com.




 
Buster_ESPN Buster Olney   
Heard this: The Padres and Red Sox are making progress in Adrian Gonzalez talks. If completed, this would take Boston out of the Adrian Beltre talks. Also: One of the possible combos discussed, among many, has included Heath Bell going to Boston.  The fact that Adrian Beltre has stated publicly that he wants to go back to Boston could not have helped him gain leverage using Oakland.

[faldor]

I agree, but Jeter is asking for WAY TOO MUCH.  The Yankees are being made out to be the bad guys here and that's not completely fair.  Their offer of 3/45 was absolutely fair, I'd even say way more than fair.  Jeter is trying to take advantage of the Yankees because they have deep pockets and for all he's done for them in the past.  It's all about the present and the future though Derek, and you are nowhere near worth 20+ million a year.  Sorry pal.

Oh i agree. He will be 37 next year. Coming off his worst offensive year. Was it just a bad year? Maybe but you can't pay him on the possibility he will bounce back and put up Jeteresque numbers again. He is still a big value to the yankees he's still a good shortstop and he can still be productive. He is still a guy i'd want at bat in a big situation. In the end i'm sure the yankees will end up giving him at least 4 years and overpaying him by a decent amount. In the end Jeter will be a yankee next year and be the first to 3000 hits.

http://twitter.com/YankeesWFAN/status/10901361654763520

Yanks still working into the night, getting really close on deal w/ Jeter. Still hearing yanks won't go past 3 yrs, but maybe 4th yr option.
about 3 hours ago via Mobile Web

YankeesWFAN
Sweeny Murti

[faldor]

http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/news/story?id=5882356

Sources: Adrian Gonzalez to Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a deal in principle to acquire slugging first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney on Saturday morning.

The Red Sox have received permission from Major League Baseball to negotiate with Gonzalez on a new contract, the sources said, and Gonzalez's physical examination, one of the last hurdles to the deal, could happen Saturday, as Gonzalez was in Boston after being flown in by the team.

The Padres would not receive any established major league players in the trade, but it's likely the Red Sox would include their top pitching prospect, Casey Kelly, sources have said. Red Sox prospects Anthony Rizzo and Ryan Kalish also have been brought up as possible pieces, sources said.

Sources told Olney it's very possible the Gonzalez deal would mean the end of Adrian Beltre's time with the Red Sox, because although Kevin Youkilis could move to left field, Boston's preference probably would be to shift Youkilis to third base.

Gonzalez is the Padres' most popular player with great crossover appeal to the team's Mexican-American market, a native son who carried San Diego to within a game of a playoff spot in 2010.

He is signed through 2011 at $6.3 million. The Padres exercised his 2011 option Nov. 1. His contract called for a $5.5 million salary, but performance bonuses pushed the figure above $6 million.

Acquiring Gonzalez, while signing one of two free-agent outfielders, Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth, would give the Red Sox their most potent offensive lineup since the Manny Ramirez trade to the Dodgers in 2008 and make clear why they were willing to lose free agents Victor Martinez and potentially Beltre.

The Red Sox have long coveted the 28-year-old Gonzalez. As far back as the 2009 trading deadline, the Red Sox made a pitch for Gonzalez, a three-time All-Star who last season finished fourth in balloting for the National League's Most Valuable Player.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound left-handed hitter batted .298 with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs for the Padres last season. He finished fifth in the National League in on-base percentage (.393), ninth in slugging (.511) and led the league in hitting with runners in scoring position (.407).

Opposing pitchers issued 35 intentional walks to Gonzalez last season, a number exceeded only by Albert Pujols.

In addition to his offensive prowess, Gonzalez is a gifted defender, having won two Gold Gloves in five full seasons.

Information from ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes was used in this report.



A little more on the deal

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2010/12/some_details_on.html

Some details on the Gonzalez deal
Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff December 4, 2010 10:33 AM

It appears the Red Sox will obtain Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres for RHP Casey Kelly, 1B Anthony Rizzo and CF Rey Fuentes.

If that proves to be the case — and nothing is final quite yet — the Red Sox will have done quite well to retain Jose Iglesias and Ryan Kalish.

Kelly is their best prospect and his loss would be significant. But when the Red Sox drafted and signed Anthony Ranaudo and Brandon Workman, that gave then two RHPs who are older than Kelly. Ranaudo is a comparable prospect and could make it to Portland at some point next season.

Rizzo is an excellent prospect who could start next season in AAA. But with Gonzalez in the fold, the Red Sox do not need a first baseman. Fuentes is an athletic A ball prospect who so far has lacked power.

UPDATE, 10:52 a.m.: We can now confirm, via Major League sources, that the package will include Kelly, Rizzo and Fuentes.

That's two former first-round picks and three players with tremendous upside.

Kelly wrote this on Twitter: "Just waking up beautiful day in Sarasota about to get some breakfast. Can't worry about things out of your control."

He's a big loss, a potential No. 2 starter with great makeup.

Keep this in mind, however: The Red Sox will gain five draft picks in a deep 2011 draft as free-agent compensation. They will get two picks for Victor Martinez, two for Adrian Beltre and one for Felipe Lopez in addition to their own.

UPDATE, 11:17 a.m.: Now Ken Rosenthal of Fox is reporting the Padres may get a player to be named later.

The official details may not be known for a while. Gonzalez needs to pass a physical and the Red Sox have a window to sign him to an extension. As we get more info, we'll pass it along.

[tim_m]

The Jeter saga has come to a close. He as we all expected will remain a Yankee. Terms of the contract are reported to be 3 years and 51 million. Reports are there will be a player option for a 4th year at a lower salary but final details of that are still being worked out. So its ended just like we thought. Jeter will undoubtedly be the first Yankee to 3000 hits during the 2011 season. Also, Rivera has reportedly agreed to a new two year deal. Not sure of the money on that one. There was really no doubt he would resign with the Yankees though. Reportedly the Red Sox offered him the same deal the Yankees did and would have ditched Papelbon if he had accepted. I think we all know there's no way Rivera would have agreed to play for the Sox. He will always be loyal to the Yankees.

[faldor]

The Jeter saga has come to a close. He as we all expected will remain a Yankee. Terms of the contract are reported to be 3 years and 51 million. Reports are there will be a player option for a 4th year at a lower salary but final details of that are still being worked out. So its ended just like we thought. Jeter will undoubtedly be the first Yankee to 3000 hits during the 2011 season. Also, Rivera has reportedly agreed to a new two year deal. Not sure of the money on that one. There was really no doubt he would resign with the Yankees though. Reportedly the Red Sox offered him the same deal the Yankees did and would have ditched Papelbon if he had accepted. I think we all know there's no way Rivera would have agreed to play for the Sox. He will always be loyal to the Yankees.

All very true.  What you forgot to add though, is that the Red Sox got a whole lot better today, while the Yankees stayed the same.  So, have fun with that!

Ha ha!  Just having some fun, with the impending Monday night matchup coming up. But seriously, BIG move for the Sox today.

[tim_m]

The Jeter saga has come to a close. He as we all expected will remain a Yankee. Terms of the contract are reported to be 3 years and 51 million. Reports are there will be a player option for a 4th year at a lower salary but final details of that are still being worked out. So its ended just like we thought. Jeter will undoubtedly be the first Yankee to 3000 hits during the 2011 season. Also, Rivera has reportedly agreed to a new two year deal. Not sure of the money on that one. There was really no doubt he would resign with the Yankees though. Reportedly the Red Sox offered him the same deal the Yankees did and would have ditched Papelbon if he had accepted. I think we all know there's no way Rivera would have agreed to play for the Sox. He will always be loyal to the Yankees.

All very true.  What you forgot to add though, is that the Red Sox got a whole lot better today, while the Yankees stayed the same.  So, have fun with that!

Ha ha!  Just having some fun, with the impending Monday night matchup coming up. But seriously, BIG move for the Sox today.

Very true, however, if Lee is a Yankee by the end of the winter meetings we will be a whole lot better too. There's also talk they may persue Crawford.

[faldor]

The Jeter saga has come to a close. He as we all expected will remain a Yankee. Terms of the contract are reported to be 3 years and 51 million. Reports are there will be a player option for a 4th year at a lower salary but final details of that are still being worked out. So its ended just like we thought. Jeter will undoubtedly be the first Yankee to 3000 hits during the 2011 season. Also, Rivera has reportedly agreed to a new two year deal. Not sure of the money on that one. There was really no doubt he would resign with the Yankees though. Reportedly the Red Sox offered him the same deal the Yankees did and would have ditched Papelbon if he had accepted. I think we all know there's no way Rivera would have agreed to play for the Sox. He will always be loyal to the Yankees.

All very true.  What you forgot to add though, is that the Red Sox got a whole lot better today, while the Yankees stayed the same.  So, have fun with that!

Ha ha!  Just having some fun, with the impending Monday night matchup coming up. But seriously, BIG move for the Sox today.

Very true, however, if Lee is a Yankee by the end of the winter meetings we will be a whole lot better too. There's also talk they may persue Crawford.

Sox are also in on Crawford, as are the Angels.  Obviously both teams will work to improve themselves in the meantime.  Plus, this just in. 

SI.com's Jon Heyman reports that the Red Sox and Adrian Gonzalez could not agree to a contract extension and the deal has fallen through.
Boston reportedly couldn't come to an agreement with Gonzalez on a contract extension by Sunday afternoon's deadline. Heyman reported that Gonzalez asked for an eight-year extension while Boston didn't want to go beyond six. Earlier reports said the Red Sox might go through with the trade without an extension, but Heyman believes the trade has fallen through. Boston and San Diego agreed to a trade on Thursday that sent Gonzalez to the Red Sox and prospects Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, Reymond Fuentes and a PTBNL to the Padres. The Padres said Thursday that they wouldn't field more offers for Gonzalez if this trade fell through. Meanwhile, FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the deal with Boston is "is far from over." Stay tuned. Dec. 5 - 2:47 pm et
Source: Jon Heyman on Twitter

Hopefully Ken is right.  This would be a big blow to the Sox.



http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2010/12/a-gon_gone.html

A-Gon Gone?
Posted by Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff December 5, 2010 03:13 PM

One minute progress, next minute talks are off? Strange set of circumstances going on at the moment in the Adrian Gonzalez contract extension talks.

SI.com's Jon Heyman reported talks have broken off between the Red Sox and Adrian Gonzalez' agent John Boggs and the deal is over.

There's still, however a major gray area in whether they're off for good or just off for the time being. Boggs has not responded to inquiries in the last half-hour.

One team source indicated that extension talks are off, but another source indicated they could easily get going again. There's an obvious gap in what the two sides think Gonzalez might be worth.

The other issue would be whether the Red Sox would still make a deal without the extension and there are differing opinions on that as well.

This could be quite a decision for Gonzalez because he may have to stay in San Diego and then not have a desirable situation like Boston available to him next winter. The White Sox also made a bid for Gonzalez, but when they couldn't make a deal, they opted for Adam Dunn.

The Padres also like the Boston deal in terms of talent they're getting back and don't like what they've heard from other teams on packages.

We'll try to piece this together during the afternoon and evening.

[tim_m]

Oh man, that would be bad if that falls through for the Sox. It seems its pretty rare when a deal like this falls through. You rarely see a team and a player fail to workout an extension by the given deadline. Hopefully for the Sox they can still work this all out.

[tim_m]

The Jeter saga has come to a close. He as we all expected will remain a Yankee. Terms of the contract are reported to be 3 years and 51 million. Reports are there will be a player option for a 4th year at a lower salary but final details of that are still being worked out. So its ended just like we thought. Jeter will undoubtedly be the first Yankee to 3000 hits during the 2011 season. Also, Rivera has reportedly agreed to a new two year deal. Not sure of the money on that one. There was really no doubt he would resign with the Yankees though. Reportedly the Red Sox offered him the same deal the Yankees did and would have ditched Papelbon if he had accepted. I think we all know there's no way Rivera would have agreed to play for the Sox. He will always be loyal to the Yankees.

All very true.  What you forgot to add though, is that the Red Sox got a whole lot better today, while the Yankees stayed the same.  So, have fun with that!

Ha ha!  Just having some fun, with the impending Monday night matchup coming up. But seriously, BIG move for the Sox today.

Speaking of the huge monday matchup. I assume you heard the bad news for the Jets, very disappointing. I was hoping to see two good teams at full strength.

[tim_m]

Werth signs with the Nats for 7 years 126 million. Wow i did not see that one coming at all.

[Falcon]

Werth signs with the Nats for 7 years 126 million. Wow i did not see that one coming at all.

This is obviously a move to appease the Nats fanbase after losing Adam Dunn, too many years and entirely too much cash. 

Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford are doing cartwheels, I shudder to think how silly it will get for those two....

[tim_m]

Werth signs with the Nats for 7 years 126 million. Wow i did not see that one coming at all.

This is obviously a move to appease the Nats fanbase after losing Adam Dunn, too many years and entirely too much cash. 

Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford are doing cartwheels, I shudder to think how silly it will get for those two....

It will be ridiculous i'm sure.

[faldor]

Werth signs with the Nats for 7 years 126 million. Wow i did not see that one coming at all.

This is obviously a move to appease the Nats fanbase after losing Adam Dunn, too many years and entirely too much cash. 

Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford are doing cartwheels, I shudder to think how silly it will get for those two....

Yeah I was hoping the Sox would go after Crawford, but it looks like he'll be after an 8 year/160 million dollar deal or so after that ridiculous contract the Nats gave Werth.  I don't see them coming close to that.

Speaking of the Sox, it now looks like the deal for A-Gon is still on, only without an extension, for now.

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2010/12/report_red_sox_4.html?camp=localsearch:on:twit:sox

Report: Red Sox get Gonzalez
Posted by Peter Abraham, Globe Staff December 5, 2010 07:50 PM

After a day of many twists and turns, it appears the Red Sox have landed Adrian Gonzalez.

Jon Heyman of SI.com is reporting the deal was done. More information as we get it.

UPDATE, 8:05 p.m.: It appears the deal was done without an extension. Look for the Red Sox to come to an agreement, but not announce it until after Opening Day. That would allow them to save millions on the luxury tax.

It is likely that the Red Sox and Gonzalez have an understanding of what the extension would be, otherwise it would be risky to trade three prospects for one year out of the first baseman. This is basically what happened with Josh Beckett last spring. There was a deal in place that was announced after Opening Day.

It also would allow them to make sure Gonzalez recovers from the surgery he had on his right (non-throwing) shoulder. But that is not a major issue.

UPDATE, 8:21 p.m.: Just for the record, the trade is still Gonzalez for Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, Rey Fuentes and a player to be named later. That would indicate to me that the Sox feel an extension is in place.

UPDATE, 8:34 p.m.: So what happens now?

Jayson Werth's insane contract today means Carl Crawford will be looking for 8-10 years and $20 million a year. He's a good player but I'm not sure he's worth a $160 million investment.

The Red Sox will need to restock their bullpen as well. To me, that is a greater need than left field.

If the lineup is:

Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Gonzalez 1B
Youkilis 3B
Ortiz DH
Drew RF
Kalish LF
Scutaro SS
Salty C

... Can the Red Sox compete for a title? They were second in the game in runs scored last year with all those injuries, so why not? A full year of Ellsbury, Pedroia and Youkilis can make up for the loss of Martinez to some extent.

At any rate, these are interesting times.