Nationals C Ramos abducted in Venezuela (AP)

Professional baseball player Wilson Ramos, a catcher seen as one of the young building blocks for the Washington Nationals, was abducted by gunmen Wednesday from his home in his native Venezuela. Ramos, a 24-year-old who just finished his rookie season, was taken away in an SUV by four armed men in Santa Ines in central [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/11/10/nationals-c-ramos-abducted-in-venezuela-ap/

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Rockies Interested In Braves Second Baseman
Martin Prado

Rumors - they be a flyin. This one comes courtesy of the Denver Post:

With the Braves open-minded about trading players, the Rockies have contacted them about infielder Martin Prado, according to a major league source.

The Rockies scouted Prado extensively last season and view him as a starting second baseman who could occupy a run-producing spot in the lineup. The clubs have not yet exchanged names, but are expected to keep the lines of communication open.

Atlanta is seeking outfield help, willing to consider moving Prado rather than use him in left field. The Rockies have outfield depth to start trade talks. Seth Smith could fit in a platoon for the Braves, and Charlie Blackmon, a former star at Georgia Tech, might satisfy the Braves" desire to get a center fielder of the future [.]

The sides seem to match up pretty well. Even DOB spent half the day rolling around trade ideas about the Rockies.

Despite a down year, I'm guessing Prado will be a hot commodity on the trade market if the Braves are serious about trading him. Much like Jurrjens, Prado has two years left before free agency and should be in the midst of his prime production years.

Perhaps the perception that Prado's trade value is down is also generating more interest, with teams believing they could get him for somewhat of a discount.

I'm always wary of trading for Colorado hitters. Sure enough, Smith's numbers are likely Coors-inflated, as his OPS is 175 points higher at home than on the road for his career, all of which has been with the Rockies. Those home-away numbers got much closer together last year -- just 34 points better at home -- but who knows if that's a true representation of what he would do playing almost all of his games away from Coors.

Interesting ... discuss.

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Nationals C Ramos kidnapped in Venezuela (AP)

Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos has been kidnapped in his native Venezuela. A spokeswoman for his Venezuelan League team, the Aragua Tigers, says Ramos was taken away in an SUV Wednesday by four armed men near his home in central Venezuela. Spokeswoman Kathe Vilera said through her Twitter account that “this is sad, worrisome and [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/11/10/nationals-c-ramos-kidnapped-in-venezuela-ap
/

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Padres update uniforms with cleaner look (AP)

The San Diego Padres are sticking to their blue-and-white color scheme while updating their uniforms with cleaner, more traditional looks. The updates include adding piping on the home whites, road grays and blue alternate jerseys. The team will use block numbers and letters on the back of the jerseys, including their Sunday camouflage uniform, much [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/11/10/padres-update-uniforms-with-cleaner-look-ap
/

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Avilan Excels While Gilmartin And Bullock
Struggle In This Week's Atlanta Braves Winter League Recap

Joey Terdoslavich had another solid week for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League, going 4-14 with a homer, 4 RBI, and 6 walks. Overall, he's hitting .348 with a 1.061 OPS, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 12 RBI, and 11 walks in 69 at bats. Christian Bethancourt cooled off considerably, going just 2-13 with an RBI this week, to drop his numbers to a .323 average and a .898 OPS, along with 3 doubles, 4 homers, 12 RBI, and 3 stolen bases in 62 at bats. Todd Cunningham also struggled, going 2-10 with a double and 2 walks. Overall, he's hitting .288 with a .760 OPS, 4 doubles, 11 RBI, and 2 stolen bases in 52 at bats. Sean Gilmartin had his worst AFL start last Thursday, allowing 7 runs, 6 earned, in just 3 innings. He struck out 2 in 2 scoreless innings today, and overall he has a 4.85 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts in 26 innings. In his lone appearance this week, JJ Hoover struck out 4 over 2 scoreless innings. In 9.1 innings in the AFL, he has a 8.68 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. Billy Bullock continues to struggle, allowing 5 earned runs and 4 walks over 2.1 innings in 2 appearances this week. In 9 AFL innings he has allowed a 15.00 ERA, a 2.67 WHIP, 9 walks and 11 strikeouts. Navery Moore allowed 2 runs in 2 innings over 2 appearances, giving him a 6.00 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP in 3 innings.

We'll update you on the rest of the winter action after the break:

Playing for Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League, Jose Constanza went 4-21 with a walk and 2 stolen bases, giving him a .279 average, a .605 OPS and 7 stolen bases in 43 at bats. Teammate Jairo Asencio struck out 2 over a scoreless inning in his lone appearance this week, giving him 8.1 scoreless inning and 4 saves in 8 appearances. Jose Lugo tossed 1.1 scoreless innings in 2 appearances for Este this week, giving him 6 shutout innings over 9 appearances. Cristhian Martinez joined Tigres del Licey this week, tossing 3 shutout innings over 3 appearances.

Ernesto Mejia, playing for Aguilas de Zulia in the Venezuelan Winter League, went 3-13 with a homer and an RBI this week. Overall, he's hitting .284 with a .886 OPS, 7 doubles, 3 homers, and 12 RBI in 74 at bats. In 2 appearances for Cardenales de Lara, Luis Avilan allowed 2 runs over 7 innings, giving him a 1.27 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 21.1 innings. The Australian Baseball League started up this weekend, and Matt Kennelly went 1-10 with a walk in 3 games for the Perth Heat. Playing for Diablicos de Azuero in the Panamanian Winter League, Myke Jones is hitting .271 with a .842 OPS in 59 at bats, and Cory Harrilchak is hitting .302 with a .819 OPS in 43 at bats.

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

José Reyes; the Miami Marlins short-term man

Editor’s note: Exciting news to announce. We are about to debut two new authors here at Marlin Maniac. Today, we start off with Will Privette, he is also known as @Thrill21 on Twitter. Will has connections with the former Marlins minor league affiliate, the Carolina Mudcats. He used to be known as an “inside source” for the Marlins moves over the internet.  When Jose Reyes first hit the free agent market a week ago, people throughout baseball assumed that Reyes was looking to fully cash in on a long-term deal; six or seven years were the general idea. That has all [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://marlinmaniac.com/2011/11/09/jose-reyes-the-miami-marlins-short-term-man/

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Cardinals interview Sandberg, Oquendo (AP)

Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg and longtime Cardinals third base coach Jose Oquendo interviewed for St. Louis’ managerial opening Wednesday. Both interviews took place in St. Louis, Sandberg in the morning and Oquendo in the afternoon, a person familiar with the process told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.mlbnewsblog.com/2011/11/10/cardinals-interview-sandberg-oquendo-ap/

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Infantes Impact on the World Series

Over the next few weeks of the off-season, I will be going over some of my favorite plays of the 2011 Florida Marlins season. My first post today will be about someone who should be directly linked to the World Series Champions of 2011. The St. Louis Cardinals won the 2011 World Series with excellent play in September and then followed that up with a great October. They pulled one of the most amazing comebacks in September to win the wild card. David Freese was named the World Series MVP for the Cards after they won it all. However, the [...]

Read The Full Article:
http://marlinmaniac.com/2011/11/09/infantes-impact-on-the-world-series/

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Marlins Smart to Offer Jose Reyes Three Years

Something interesting came out regarding the Marlins' and their bid to acquire free agent shortstop Jose Reyes. This tidbit came from the New York Daily News (H/T Steve Slowinski of SB Tampa Bay).

Yet Mets people on Tuesday privately downplayed the significance of the Marlins’ aggressiveness. One person said he heard they plan to offer Reyes only a three-year deal at a high annual average, presumably more than $20 million a year.

Another Mets person joked that, "Calling him at 12:01 only gets you to 12:02. The more important message is the offer."

Now, those snarky Mets officials are right: just because the Marlins supposedly prioritized Jose Reyes, it does not mean that he will sign with the team. The offer the Marlins eventually throw his way is going to have to impress him in order for him to sign. And by the sound of their tone, it does not sound like they think a three-year offer to Reyes would be impressive, even for the sort of annual average value that the team supposedly is considering.

But think for a second what an offer like that means for both sides. As Slowinski mentions in the linked hat tip article, the idea is not actually all that bad for both the team and the player.

Slowinski explain why both sides could favor an expensive three-year deal over a cheaper, long-term contract.

This is a savvy move by the Marlins. If Reyes accepts the deal, it gives them a star player but doesn't commit them to him over a long period of time, minimizing the risk involved in signing the injury-prone Reyes. It's also a more attractive offer than it seems at first glance, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if Reyes jumps at the chance to make huge money both now and in three years.

Why is it a more attractive offer to Reyes initially? Because he would make more money now than he would have under a long-term deal and he would be re-entering the free agent market at age 32. Of course, this would only involve him betting on himself to stay on pace over the next three seasons. If he does, he would be in line to make more money than he would have on a long-term deal due to natural inflation.

While this example does not match the exact precedence, the situation of Adrian Beltre fits to a degree. Beltre did sign a five-year deal when he hit free agency, but he was locked up at age 26. After those five years passed, he re-entered the market at age 31 and established enough value to receive another lucrative five-year contract at age 32. In Reyes's case, he would re-enter the market at age 32 if he accepted a lucrative three-year deal. If he bets on himself maintaining a 4.5-win pace over the next three seasons, he could re-enter and earn a five-year deal an equally or more lucrative five-year contract then.

For the Marlins, the move is obviously a good one, as they eschew the risk of a long-term, big-money deal while gaining the short term benefits of having an in-his-prime Reyes. Perhaps the greater point is that it also minimizes the commitment the team would make to their entire current core roster. It should be noted that a three-year deal for Reyes would run through 2014. Ramirez's current contract also takes him through 2014. John Buck, Josh Johnson, and Ricky Nolasco are signed through 2013. Much of the long-term commitments the Marlins have made end at around this time. If the team fails to compete, the Marlins have a simple exit strategy for rebuilding presumably around Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison. They will have a substantial amount of money coming off the books in those seasons and can use them accordingly during those free agent years.

The only way a deal like this can fail in the long term is, ironically enough, if the Marlins succeed. If Ramirez and Reyes tear it up and the Fish are competitive for the next three years, the Marlins will have to contend with how to retain these players from a successful core. However, no Marlins fan will be whining if the team is so successful during this three-year period, especially if success includes playoff berths and even World Series runs. So the one way in which this sort of risk would have long-term complications for the organization is if the team succeeds enough to camouflage the negative effects behind wins.

Now, it's a difficult sell to Reyes, who would be gambling future security for the chance at a better payday. But if it succeeds, he will earn more money and the Marlins will have safety valves installed to minimize their risk. It is actually a bold proposition, and one that could be a huge boon for the Fish if accomplished.

What do you Fish Stripers think? Would Reyes agree to a deal like this? Would he be willing to bet on his performance with future security on the line?

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!

Atlanta Braves Re-sign Jose Lugo, Matt Young Goes
To The Detroit Tigers

Atlanta Braves Re-sign Jose Lugo, Matt Young Goes To The Detroit Tigers

The Braves brought back lefty Jose Lugo, who pitched pretty well between Mississippi and Gwinnett, especially toward the end of the season, on a Minor League deal. The Detroit Tigers signed long time Braves farmhand Matt Young to a Minor League deal, ending his time in the organization.

Add to del.icio.us

Digg this

Post to Furl

Add to reddit

Add to myYahoo!