Non-tenders of note
There is some crazy stuff happening with today’s deadline to offer contracts: A’s didn’t offer Jack Cust a 2010 deal. Chien-Ming Wang is free. Garret Atkins may not get a deal. Johnny Gomes (already Geoff Baker look-endorsed). One of the two Rays catchers may also get cut. And that’s just the stuff we know about so far.
The M’s might have to get up early tomorrow and start making some calls.
Also, how dumb are the Royals and Nationals? I mean holy mackeral. It’s like there’s a payroll floor and they’re being forced to burn money.
Dave adds: M’s non-tender Langerhans. This has been a lock ever since Griffey re-signed. There’s no room on the roster for him unless he’s the starting LF, and the team has their sights set higher. They may try to re-sign him a minor league deal, but with Corey Patterson already in the fold, he might head elsewhere.
I would love to see the M’s bring in Wang. Yeah, his last two seasons have been wrecked by injury, and he was never really the great pitcher that being a Yankee made some folks think he was, but given what he did in NYC with the Yankee “fielders” behind him, I’d like to see what he could do in Safeco with our fielders in support.
And heck, if he got off to a great start, combine that with his name recognition and you could probably flip him for a fair bit if you wanted.
I would have some definite interest in a reclamation project like Wang, if there’s anything left in the arm he’s got real upside.
As for Cust and Gommes, I think they’re better suited to bench roles then a starting role on a team with thoughts of contention. I just don’t see them being a fit on a team that already has a lefty bench DH. Plus I’ve heard that Cust is kind of a a-hole.
Whoops, I was under the mistaken impression that “Gomes” was a lefty hitter.
He still shouldn’t be the M’s first choice; Not when guys like Guerrero and Dye may not be getting much attention.
A couple of questions…
1) Does Wang have anything left in the tank? He’s only going on 30…so, yeah, I think he might be worth a look as well.
2) How dumb is Pudge Rodriguez these days? Still scratching my head as to why he’d want to spend the twilight years of a HOF career wasting his time with a team like the Nats who are going absolutely nowhere.
I think he has 6 million reasons to sign with the Nationals.
The Royals and Nationals suffer from the same problem: players like to win, so those teams must fork over a “loser premium” to entice them to sign.
Kelley Johnson is out their now, do you think M’s will bother too look at him or is his defense just to weak?
I think Garrett Atkins (other than Wang) is the most intriguing. Everyone else is eh. =/
http://twitter.com/shannondrayer/status/6616084576
M’s non-tender Langerhans.
Jonny Gomes for Right Hand DH option!
This is on you, Griffey.
Kelly Johnson?
Langerhans is a career .230 hitter, so its not like Griffey is really blocking something special.
Do you think Langerhans was non-tendered because Corey Patterson plays the same role; a left-handed bat who can play all three of positions and plays good D?
Langerhans’s non-tender would seem to indicate that Seattle will not carry an all-glove, no-bat OF on the bench. If they intended to have a guy like that, Langerhans would be as good as anybody and his arbitration salary would have been peanuts, little more than he’d make as an NRI added to the roster out of Spring Training.
On the plus side, it pretty much narrows the bench down to a catcher, Hannahan, Hall, and Griffey. That’s a plus because whenever Griffey’s on the bench, he’s not in the lineup.
I suppose Tui could force his way into the bench picture, but he really doesn’t do much that Bill Hall isn’t already doing.
Not only in reference to Langerhans, but I’m betting there are at least a half dozen better choices than Griffey for the LH DH spot. And many of them could actually run the bases and play in the field.
I envision myself booing Griffey at a game this upcoming season and getting into a fistfight.
This is not true. They’re very bad at valuing players. This is why they’re losers.
Per DRaysBay, Gabe Gross? I don’t know what the M’s management is going to do with LF, just throwing the name out there.
How about hit?
Derek, the ideas aren’t mutually exclusive. The clubs are losers because they aren’t good at evaluating talent, and they also must pay a “loser premium” once they establish a bad reputation in the league.
Naw, Taryn and Trey have their own things going on. They won’t make it to Safeco much next season.
Players do know which teams are winning, yes. Players also watch and listen to what is going on in the league. Sure, playing in Seattle is not the best for an east coast guy. It’s not quite so bad for a guy that see’s a positive trend in how the team is run though.
I am sorry to see Langerhans go. He will sign somewhere as a solid, lefthanded-hitting #4 outfielder.
Late breaking news that the Pirates have non-tendered closer Matt Capps.
Capps is coming off what is without a doubt his worst season, which begs the question: Is he a good buy low candidate for a team looking for bullpen help?
Madison Mariner: it may raise the question (well, at least you’re raising it), but it doesn’t beg the question.