Looking closer at the Pedroia deal
The reported six-year, $40.5 million extension given to Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia sounds like a bargain on the surface. He's been the American League's Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player the past two seasons. That's Cal Ripken territory.
It's worth noting, however (and Peter Gammons did so on ESPN.com) that this is one of the four largest non-arbitration deals ever given to a player. Pedroia joins Hanley Ramirez (six years, $70 million), David Wright (six years, $55 million) and Ryan Braun (seven years, $45 million - with a possible increase to $51 million if he's deemed a "super 2" next November).
That ain't too shabby.
It does make you wonder what Brian Roberts is worth, since they play the same position - and, coincidentally, have become good friends while working out together in Arizona.
Roberts made $6.3 million this season and is set to earn $8 million in 2009.
Moving to the mound, the Atlanta Braves reportedly have obtained right-hander Javier Vazquez in a six-player deal with the Chicago White Sox.
My first reaction: Does this deal kill their interest in free-agent pitcher A.J. Burnett?
Probably not. The Braves still want to add a starter for the top of their rotation. Vazquez more likely will settle in the middle of it.
The San Francisco Giants reportedly have turned their shortstop attention to Edgar Renteria after telling Omar Vizquel to pack up his 11 Gold Gloves and hit the bricks. The Giants believe they can get Renteria for two years. Rafael Furcal, who's also on the Orioles' radar, reportedly is commanding a four-year deal after undergoing back surgery.
 |
Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
Would the Pedroia deal be the info that Markakis was looking for also? They are along the same lines as service time and both future faces of the franchise. Could we see similar numbers for a Markakis deal or would he command higher pay being more of a middle of the lineup type player (even though Pedroia did bat cleanup for a while this past year)?
I still think we should go after Cesar Izturis because he's more affordable and a better choice considering Furcal's history, etc.
As for Pedroia's contract, I still think it's a good benchmark for both players. It's right up there.
And in regard to Burnett, I've read that the Blue Jays are preparing a 5 year contract. So, I'm not sure how to take it since dollar figures are thrown around so casually. We shall see.
Although, I am worried since the Winter Meetings are in Las Vegas, and I am concerned everybody there will be feeling the allure of Las Vegas and start gambling. Quick, call Pete Rose!
Roch,
Why dont we bring in Vizquel for a year. Seems like an inexpensive option. He can bridge the gap, then maybe draft a top tier SS in the draft if one is available. How Much is he looking for? That would keep the money free for Teixeira and A.J. as well as possibly giving us some time til the Padres are desperate to get rid of Greene and maybe even let us talk to him about extension before we ship them a low level prospect teamed with some kind of roster dissapointment.
Pedroia's contract really helps out the O's in terms of Markakis and Roberts.
The non-arbitration years of Pedroia's contract have him earning 10 million per. This is good news on Roberts' side because it serves as a benchmark of how much he is worth compared to the best 2B in the majors. Roberts could get more, because he's been around longer and has a track record, but I don't think it would be much more. Maybe 12 million per at most and declining as he gets older. Say, 4 years at 42 million, with both team and player options over 2 years.
With Markakis, Pedroia has one year less experience, but as stated, both are the current and future faces of their franchises. Their offensive stats are comparable (not exactly the same...Pedroia benefits from a more potent lineup, while Markakis has had to do a lot of the heavy lifting). But I would give Markakis more money during his non-arbitration years, and go deeper than the first two years. So a 6-7 year deal would be ideal with 13-15 million per year during the final 3-4 years. During the next 3 years, I would base it similar to what Pedroia is getting. Nick won't command Ryan Howard type money during arbitration, but I feel it would be around 7 million and rising each year.
With those two extensions, then the O's would have something to base future extensions (Adam Jones, Matt Weiters, etc.) on and set the market instead of play follow the leader.
And I think Markakis is probably looking for more than just Pedroia's signing.
ESPN radio just reported that the O's acquired Hank Blaylock but nowhere else is reporting that
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've contacted a few people who say it's not true, but I'm still checking. - Roch
Ryan Jackson....SS for the U....draft him with the 4th pick next year!
There's some talk of getting Jack Wilson from the Pirates at SS. As far as defense goes, he's supposed to be a superb defender, central part of his game. His bat is solid too, high contact bat with occasional pop and occasional bags. The main thing about his kind of bat is that, even if the AVG is not esp. high, he makes up for it because he keeps the strikeouts low and offset by walks. So he's the kind of batter that can create a lot of "productive outs." He would be a quality addition by any definition. The only drawback might be that the Dodgers supposedly backed off of trading for him because the Pirates' asking price was too high. So he wouldn't come for nothing.
Roch, is this just purely rumor? Or have you heard anything about this too?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Orioles have discussed him, but I think their reported interest is exaggerated. He's a year away from free agency, and the Pirates are asking too much. - Roch
Mike Nealis, it's too early to be drunk and crazy. Vizquel? Really? Did we not have enough home-grown .200 hitters in 08??? We really need to bring in a 40 yr old (give or take a few, if you're doing the Venezuelan Math at home) with an OPS of .500-ish? Oh, and one that's been plagued with injuries the last couple of years? Really? Omar?
Hey, for that matter, what's Mike Bordick doing these days?
Id Rather have Grant Green or Tyler Matzek for the first round and then the second round as Matt Davidson or Chad Thompson not Ryan Jackson.
so the giants are pretty much putting all there eggs in one basket for their short stop...
PS: I'm now done celebrating my b-day... Sad face :(
Mike Bordick is at Boys Latin. He could bring a few prospects with him.