PHOENIX – Attention K-Rod shoppers: As of 12:01 a.m. ET Friday, anyone willing to spend top dollar for a closer was free to negotiate with the record-setting Venezuelan right-hander. The doors have been flung wide open on another season of free-agent flesh peddling – the 171 players who filed for free agency now are permitted to negotiate with any of MLB’s 30 teams.
And while the likes of outfielder Manny Ramirez, pitcher CC Sabathia and first baseman Mark Teixeira are expected to land recession-proof megadeals, there are early indications that Francisco Rodriguez could find market conditions not quite as favorable.
K-Rod need look no further than at the Chicago Cubs, who elected not to spend the money it would have taken to keep their closer, Kerry Wood, and instead made a deal with the Florida Marlins Thursday for Kevin Gregg, a much more affordable option who is expected to compete for the closer’s job with Carlos Marmol, the Cubs’ incumbent setup man.
Plenty of teams need closers, among them the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals and Cleveland Indians.
But it appears there could be a glut of closers on the market, most of whom will come cheaper than Rodriguez, whose former team, the Los Angeles Angels, has all but shut the door on him coming back, despite his record 62 saves in 2008.
Earlier this week, the San Diego Padres went through an ugly public divorce with their Hall-of-Fame bound closer, Trevor Hoffman, who at 41 and with declining stuff has limited appeal elsewhere. Wood now will be seeking a change of address, as will Colorado Rockies lefty Brian Fuentes, the other prize free-agent closer on the market.
But a number of other closers may be available via trade. The Chicago White Sox are willing to listen to offers for Bobby Jenks, according to scouts attending Arizona Fall League games this week. The Rockies, who just acquired Huston Street from the Oakland Athletics in the Matt Holliday deal, may be looking to flip him. Jack Zduriencik, the Seattle Mariners’ new general manager, must decide whether to keep Brandon Morrow, who threw 7 2/3 no-hit innings against the New York Yankees in his first big-league start, in the rotation or put him in the bullpen, where some Mariners’ people believe he belongs. If Morrow becomes closer, the Mariners would be in a position to move All-Star J.J. Putz.
Chad Cordero of the Washington Nationals is coming off shoulder surgery and should be ready by spring for any team willing to take a chance. Then there’s Jose Valverde, the Houston Astros’ All-Star closer. Valverde is not eligible for free agency until after the 2009 season, but if Houston GM Ed Wade decides to swing into cost-cutting mode, an early target could be Valverde, who was paid $4.7 million after losing his arbitration case last winter and can expect a hefty raise in arbitration. If the Astros decide to move Valverde, they could find a motivated buyer in Mets GM Omar Minaya.
The Mets, with closer Billy Wagner already lost for the 2009 season after undergoing late-summer elbow surgery, project as the ideal landing place for Rodriguez. But the Mets already are on the hook to pay Wagner $10.5 million next season, and Minaya told clubs last week at the GM meetings that his priority is starting pitching. The Mets still could make a play for K-Rod, but don’t be surprised if Minaya exhausts other options first.
Angels owner Arte Moreno has told his people to spare no effort in attempting to re-sign Teixeira, the switch-hitting first baseman who is the enviable position of also being coveted by the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, teams that historically drive up the price while competing against each other (see: Mussina, Mike; Damon, Johnny; Williams, Bernie; Contreras, Jose, etc.).
If the Angels fail to keep Teixeira, they are expected to shift their attention to either Sabathia, who has indicated he intends to live in Southern California, or Ramirez, whose agent, Scott Boras, publicly derided the Dodgers’ offer for the 36-year-old outfielder ($45 million guaranteed over two years, including a buyout) by saying he expects to start fielding “serious” offers Friday.
And what about K-Rod?
“Believe it or not, we really spent a lot of time and effort trying to re-sign Frankie,” Moreno said in a radio interview this week. “There were six different offers on the table at different times, and this time last year, we thought we had him signed. Then [Mariano] Rivera got his deal. I’m not one of these never-never people, but I think as a whole, it’s time to turn the page and move forward and get to things we need to do.”
Rodriguez, who turned down a three-year, $34 million offer last winter from the Angels after Rivera signed a new $45 million deal with the Yankees, may yet get his money. But he may have to sweat a little first.
There should be no such high anxiety for Ramirez, who could find himself courted by both Southern California teams and both New York teams, or Sabathia, who is dealing with the same set of suitors as well as his last team, the Milwaukee Brewers, whose reported $100 million is expected to fall woefully short. Scouts here insisted that Sabathia, not Ramirez, is the Dodgers’ true object of affection, a contention bolstered by the team’s lukewarm offer to Manny. A.J. Burnett, Ryan Dempster, Ben Sheets, and Derek Lowe all occupy the rung below Sabathia among those looking for starting pitching. Another intriguing name is Randy Johnson, the 45-year-old Big Unit who was among the last to file Thursday when he could not come to terms with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
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