Aha!
I’ve got it! It’s a hoax!
I can only hope this isn’t true, but if it is…
The good news here is that Omar has only one more year left on his contract (i.e., 2004 and that’s all). He’s a better hitter than he was during his first go-round in Seattle, though it’s getting closer, and his defense has certainly taken a step backwards with age (he’ll be 37 in April). From the M’s perspective, this looks like a one-year stopgap until Jose Lopez takes over in 2005. That’s not a terrible thing, but for much less money — and without giving up anything in trade — they could have accomplished the same thing by re-signing Rey Sanchez for a year.
Man, I hope the Cleveland Indians Report jumped the gun on this one.
Update: By all accounts, this report is a hoax. Insert collective sigh of relief… now.
In stunning news, Vladimir Guerrero is reportedly going to sign with the Cleveland Indians for 4 years and $60 million. The Indians will then clear salary space by trading Omar Vizquel to Seattle.
Stunning, and terrible, news. 4 years, $60 million for Vlad is an absolute bargain, and dumping the remains of Omar Vizquel on the M’s is pouring salt in the open wound.
Clarification: This link is not meant as a confirmation of the validity of this story, which may or may not be true. I have met Joe Ptak, author of CIR, and can vouch for his credentials as a reliable source of Indians information. However, circumstances surrounding the post call the authenticity into question, and the riots in the streets should be withheld until the story is either confirmed or denied by someone involved with a major league organization.
Three new M’s blogs in a day! Our cup overfloweth. U.S.S. Mariner frequent correspondent Jeff Sullivan offers Leone for Third. Guess who he wants to see at the hot corner. Go on, guess.
Two new entries in the M’s blogosphere today, not sure if they’re ready to be outed, but I’ve always been a strong proponent of a strong Mariners fan community, so go check ’em out. And folks, if you don’t want your website outed early, try not to show up in our referer logs. Hee hee hee.
And if anyone knows where Dave of “Dave’s Mariners Blog” is, could you wake him up? It’s been a month since we got a posting out of that guy.
Quote of the day: I was talking to some smart guy about the M’s front office situation and he said “At least it’s not a good GM that’s being wasted — it would really suck if they hired Billy Beane and Gillick was still running things.”
Debate rages: Bavillick (submitted by reader AMZ) or Gillvasi? Cast your vote now.
Updated: it’s neck and neck for this pointless and ultimately futile gesture of defiance!
Wait, so Mike Cameron isn’t worth more than 1y/4m to the team, but Winn’s worth 3y/3.75m? How… what… I don’t…
Details on Randy Winn’s contract are in. It’s a two-year deal with a dual option for the third year — the team has an option for $5M, but if they decline it, it becomes Winn’s option at $3.75M. The deal breaks down as follows:
2004: $3.5M
2005: $3.75M ($125K bonus for 650 plate appearances)
2006: Club option $5M or player option $3.75M, plus the same $125K clause as 2005
There don’t appear to be monetary details on Ryan Franklin’s two-year deal as of yet.
The hot rumor is Jeff Weaver to the Dodgers for Kevin Brown, which seems to make sense for both sides — the Yankees get the better pitcher, while LA unloads a big salary. Watch out for Weaver if this deal goes down… he never seemed comfortable in New York, but could put up some very nice numbers in Los Angeles.
In any event, that’s quite a bit of rotation turnover for the Yankees. Last season they opened with a rotation of Mussina, Clemens, Pettitte, Wells and Weaver. So far, next season looks like Mussina and Vasquez for sure, with Contreras, Wells (who signed a minor league deal recently) and perhaps Brown if the deal goes down. There’s also potentially Jon Lieber, who missed almost all of last season after Tommy John surgery.
Pettitte to the Astros. The Yankees are said to be in new discussions to get Kevin Brown from the Dodgers, but I think we’re all hoping that Gillvasi’s going to unload Garcia on them for something shiny and Drew Henson (don’t ask). I’d love to see the Yankees trade for Tom Glavine or someone equally silly with a huge contract, though.
I’ll be even more specific: Ibanez was a pursuit in progress when Bavasi was brought on, and much of this off-season is stuff that’s all Gillick’s doing. It’s my contention that for all practical purposes, Gillick remains the head of the baseball side of the front office.
I find it amusing when I come across the sentiment that it’s unfair to criticize if we’re not three major league GMs ourselves. Doesn’t that mean no one should be able to criticize us unless they’re also putting their work out in public for people to kick? I don’t understand. But to quote Ivan “Official Teamster of the U.S.S. Mariner” Weiss: “I never laid an egg, either, but I know a rotten one when I smell it.”
And yeah, I know, I shouldn’t care. But look at this from the National Weather Service:
TODAY…CLOUDY WITH A FEW SPRINKLES. HIGHS IN THE MID 40S. SOUTHEAST WIND 5 TO 15 MPH.
FRIDAY…SHOWERS LIKELY…DECREASING IN THE AFTERNOON. HIGHS IN THE MID AND UPPER 40S. SOUTH WIND 15 TO 20 MPH.
SATURDAY…RAIN DEVELOPING BY NOON. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH BECOMING SOUTHWEST.
SUNDAY…SHOWERS LIKELY. HIGHS IN THE MID 40S.
MONDAY…MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN. HIGHS IN THE UPPER 40S.
It’s a wonder anyone manages to be optimistic about anything in these conditions.