GM Meetings
Since the General Manager meetings started yesterday, we’re going to see a proliferation of rumors starting to hit the ‘net. Any time you gather a group of executives, things will be discussed, most of which are just feelers and groundwork. I’d encourage you to take everything you read the next few days with large grains of salt. Historically, the GM meetings are a place of much talk, little action. If the M’s make a move this week, I’ll be surprised.
In other news, we’ll be putting out some final information on the second annual USSM pizza feed in the next day or two, including place, time, and cost. The date is set for December 18th, so if you’re interested in going, mark your calendars now. Keep your eye out for more information later tonight or tomorrow.
Comments
31 Responses to “GM Meetings”
Just read this over at the “Truth and Rumors” section at CNNSI.com. Seems like it’s fast becoming a popular rumor. First Gammons and now the Boston Herald.
“One whisper heard was that free-agent first baseman Richie Sexson has all but signed a deal with the Mariners, but that the formalities will be postponed until much later in the hot stove season.
— Boston Herald”
Like I said, large grains of salt…
Holy crap Sexson can hit. 48th lifetime in SLG! Similar Batters: Mo Vaugh, Cecil Fielder, Martinez, McGwire, McCovey.
Any thoughts on what a hometown discount is worth? Did Pappas ever study the contract value of hometown players?
I think with the glut of rumors and the emotional need to make an early show of faith. Sexson will be signed immediately by the M’s.
Even though there are a lot of debates about Sexson’s health and worth. I read this as a good sign that they will at least semi-serious players in the Beltran/Beltre negotiations because if the bidding goes too high and they fail, they will at least have one power hitter signed.
LB!!!
Who has a higher career OPS+: Bret Boone or Jim Lefebvre?
Answer to come.
Is Lefebvre your favorite player, manager, or both?
Signing Sexson is also good because that means they will not sign Delgado.
Grain of salt and all, but I for one would not be seriously upset if we sign richie sexson to a three year 21-24 million dollar deal. Despite the obsession that people seem to have over him being right handed in a “left handed hitters park”, the simple truth is guys who can mash will mash wherever they play. How would you like to see this line out of first base next year:
.270/.380/.550
re Beltre…. from todays OC Register:
[DMZ: clipped several-page snippet of article. Sorry, but I’m super-paranoid about having copyrighted materials appear here in any form except very short snippets.]
#5 I pay tribute to Jimmy L. because even though much is made of the 1995 season, I look at the 1991 season as the first season that M fans had some semblance of hope that management was building a winner. Before Smulyans financial troubles and the Bill Plummer debacle.
Answer: A tie at 104 each.
I like the idea of signing Sexson. He did have a bad injury, but wasn’t it his only injury-affected season? I like going younger vs. older too.
Sill, this team has enough holes that they should be going after the best player available with gusto. Beltran is a guy to build around. Almost anyone else on the market is much less that way, even Beltre, whose future production is suspect, although promising.
Sign Beltran, play him in center. Trade Winn. Let Reed/Ibanez work it out in LF. Let Ibanez/Bucky work it out at 1B. Or sign Sexson too, and make Bucky and Ibanez part time players.
Just a few thoughts…
Sexson’s injury is the sort that can reoccur. I remember how weirded out by it Will Carroll was. That sort of violent reverse sublocation causes a lot of damage to the surrounding tissue.
And he did it twice.
Read (through Musings) that Rosenthal has the Padres trying to give away Klesko and his 10m w Burroughs as a throw in inticement. I admit to not being much of an NL guy, but can Klesko play the corners? If so, and the price in prospects isn’t too high, this could be a decent way to upgrade in two areas. A young proven 3b and a LH power hitter (albeit an aging one. and i’m too lazy to look up the length of his contract).
Of course, we already have a glut of 1b/3b/lf types, but perhaps if we can get rid of SOMEBODY this would be an upgrade.
As for Sexson… mixed feelings. I like his numbers, hate his shoulders. If he can be gotten in a hugely incentive ridden deal, then go for it. if it is absolute guaranteed money and he goes down then Bavasi could very well go down with him.
enticement. i hate spelling.
Isn’t it tampering at this point for anyone but the FAs current team to even talk to them?
If the rumor is true, Mariner’s next season sluggers will be all right-hand hitters. Bret Boone, Richie Sexson, Bucky Jacobsen, Glaus/Beltre (Mariner should able to grab one). It will be interesting to see what kind of line-up gonna be arranged next season after Mariners had balanced one during these couples years.
Hopefully it will not become an issue if we do sign Sexson.
Sorry, I don’t take Beltran into the account this time because Mariners really need utmost luck to load him.
RE 13, Klesko is at 8 mil the next 2 years. His numbers are falling fast, but if we could throw in a little bit of our dead weight it might work out. Winn + Spiezio
Burroughs would be a plan B instead of Beltre and Klesko would give platoon/injury insurance for Bucky/Ibanez.
Will Carroll’s comment on Sexson this week:
“The Mariners seem to be fixated on Richie Sexson. They’ll point to Ken Griffey Jr., who was able to come back from more serious shoulder surgery, or Shawn Green who came back from similar surgery to hit well. It’s Green that I would compare most closely to Sexson’s situation. Green’s still not all the way back, a combination of shoulder degeneration and the passing of time. If that’s enough for the Mariners, well, that is their pattern.”
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=3608
Any chance we could get a profile on Sexson since he seems to be on everyone’s mind right now?
I’m tired of hearing comments involving words similar to “… that’s good, because we won’t sign Delgado.”
Wait, you’re right…What a horrible signing that would be: a left-handed hitter with limitless power and run-producing abilities. That would just really suck. I hate those dang power hitters with semi-high averages.
Know what would really blow? If the M’s signed Delgado and he averaged 35 HRs and 125 RBIs over the next three years. That would be just awful.
Not sure if I can bear it. Especially when there are are players like Marty Cordova on the market. Now we’re talkin…
Amen Pete.
Obviously if the M’s signed Delgado to a 5 year contract and were paying him $15-18M when he’s 37 that’s a bad move. But he’s only 32 and likely has three or four good years left. At ~$30M for 3 years, it seems like a great addition to the middle of the lineup and the best plan B if plan A (Beltre) doesn’t work.
Signing Sexson, who has the potential to be the next Mo Vaughn, seems like the move we should be worried about.
Sign Beltre to whatever it takes, then ship him to Steinbrenner Inc. along with Winn and a pitcher not named Joel (take your pick – preferably Moyer) for A-Rod and maybe another player (toss in Spezio, receive Giambi, take our chances?). Assuming only NY’s liability for A-Rod’s contract of course. THEN add Beltran. Then raise ticket prices.
Jim,
You’re not serious are you? OK, good. Because I would pay the Mariners NOT to bring back A-Rod. If they did, I’d go down to Safeco, throw a $20 in Lincoln’s pocket, and leave before seeing the first pitch.
…ok, that’s extreme, but I would feel sick to my stomach trying to support a Mariners team with A-Rod and/or Giambi…even if that brought the playoffs.
Excuse me, that sentence about the $20 didn’t make sense….
I don’t think Giambi’s a bad guy – just a shell of his former self.
A-Rod’s the opposite. He’s still a great player, but he’s an ass.
From the Orange County Register article that was snipped above, here are the copyright-friendly highlights:
“What’s Beltre worth?
Agent Boras will argue the Dodger had the best season ever for a third baseman.
…
Boras has already said he is seeking a 10-year deal for the 27-year-old Beltran. Though he has made no such pronouncement about what will be required to sign Beltre, Boras doesn’t hesitate to set the bar very high.
“Our contention is that Adrian Beltre had the best season ever by a third baseman,” the agent said. “What we did was take four criteria – 45 home runs, 100 runs scored, 100 RBIs and a .330 batting average – and looked to see how many third basemen had seasons like that. The answer is none. There’s no third baseman who’s ever done it.”
…
“The question is going to be out there – was this a one-year wonder? Our answer is to show the numbers that he’s compiled at this age,” Boras said, pointing out that only one other third baseman in baseball history had 145 home runs and over 500 RBIs by age 25 (Mathews). Beltre has 147 and 510.
…
Dodgers general manager Paul DePodesta has said re-signing Beltre is his top priority this offseason. He doesn’t expect Boras to make it easy.
…
“From what I’ve heard and what I’ve been told, Adrian would like to remain a Dodger and, internally, we’d certainly like to keep him a Dodger.”
Oh, one other thing from the article: Beltre has said he wants to play for a contendor, be on a team where ownership will surround him with talent, yada yada yada — same thing we hear from every free agent. The one part that caught my eye is he says he wants to play in a city where his family will be “comfortable.” If that means some place with a large Latin population, Seattle can’t be high on his wish list.
Before anyone makes the inevitable, “He wants to play in Rome?” joke, I meant to type “Latino” there.
“The one part that caught my eye is he says he wants to play in a city where his family will be “comfortable.†If that means some place with a large Latin population, Seattle can’t be high on his wish list.”–Comment by Mark — 11/9/2004
FWIW, Beltre’s wife is from LA….
I’d like top point out that Vlad Guerrero was “comfortable” in Montréal, a bilingual city in which he spoke neither language. The closet thing Montréal has to a Latin population is the French-speaking Africans (like the Algerian community).
So I don’t think Seattle’s demographics will be a deal-breaker for Beltre.
#9: I agree, the M’s screwed up by firing LeFebvre. He “turned the corner” on losing.