From Ken Rosenthal:
The Rangers are putting their savings from the Kevin Millwood trade to good use.
Free-agent right-hander Rich Harden is close to signing a one-year contract with the Rangers, according to a major-league source.
The deal, valued at $7.5 million according to published reports, qualifies as one of the biggest surprises of the winter meetings.
With Harden, Penny, and Pavano all coming in around 7-8 million, one would think that Ben Sheets would come in at a similar price. While he may have the highest upside of that group, he is the only one not to have pitched at all in 2009. However, it seems that Sheets is setting his sights higher (from ESPN):
Sheets, whose agent met with the Rangers on Tuesday, is apparently looking for money similar to what he made his last season in the majors — 2008, which was $12 million.
Brian Cashman has said that he has a short list of pitchers that he would like to pursue to deepen the rotation, and I would be shocked if Sheets is not on that list. However, if he really wants 12 million dollars, he is going to be getting it elsewhere. That is a deal way above market, and there are other options available.
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Interesting, here you have an often injured pitcher with a Mike Maddox and Nolan Ryan, whos motto is pitch till your arm falls off
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The other Chris H Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Yeah well lets hope they don’t kill him! Sheets to the Mets would be even worse with their track record on injured pitchers!
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classicsteve Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
“Whos(e) motto is pitch till your arm falls off.”
Which should happen for Harden by June 1, 2010 if the last 5 years are a guide. Further, some of Harden’s key metrics (ERA+ and H/9) declined significantly in 2009. Throw in the home ballpark conditions and you have to wonder seriously about Harden’s chances for success in 2010 and whether this money was well spent..
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wow 12 mil for sheets? i dont know about that one
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The other Chris H Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
I don’t think he can get it! He may want 12 but I doubt he comes close unless maybe the Mets really go crazy in need of a pitcher…
I can see Sheets getting a deal that will pay him up to 12 million ala an incentive laden deal like Pettitte had last year but no one is going to give Sheets 10 million guaranteed coming off not pitching for a year and surgery!
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OldFan Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Well. for one point, there is no way we can pay Sheets more than Andy, based on last year, career-wise, last 2 years, or any way you cut it.
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these are the type of guys, YANkees signed during the WS drought.OVerpaying for mediocre injured pitchers.Let’s wait and get a CLiff Lee or a HAlladay or someone else that will be available in July.
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Peter Lacock Reply:
December 9th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
You got that righty-leftylarry Gura, my good buddy! Joba is solid and maybe Phil pitches his arse off. If not, Gaudin, Ace, Mitre, Hirsch, Nova, McAlister, WDLR or Romulo Sanchez will pick him up.
Cash might make a move for Kelvim Escobar (aka Jon Garland lite).
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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2009/12/10/2009-12-10_not_likely_to_pitch_to_cuban.html
“He’s not someone right now, based on the information that we have, that I would tell you is a guy we’re looking at to pencil into our rotation in 2010,” GM Brian Cashman said.
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NORRIS: Yankees revert to trading prospects
http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2009/12/10/sports/doc4b2081beea499568862527.txt
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leftylarry Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 6:57 am
i don’t agree with the premise of that article.Rather than reverting to form and trading prospects, i believe Yankees traded 2 iffy players along with a solid but replaceable LH pitcher for a sure thing CF’er.AJax and Ian were far from the Yankees best prospects IMO.Just the most ready prospects.
If AJax were a “Can’t Miss” he’d be starting CF next season.
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I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit disappointed that the Rangers got Harden. He was #1 on my low-risk/high-rewards fliers list. Sheets/Duchscherer (sp?) might be next on my list but I had them much lower down than Harden.
All I know is that I don’t want to see Jason Marquis in Pinstripes next year but I’m getting that funny feeling that Cashman is setting us up for that chump.
PS – Off topic but Boston got C/1B Max Ramirez for Mike Lowell and his entire salary. Makes you wonder if they’re opening up 3B for Youk so they can get a Gonzalez/Cabrera 1B or if they’re opening up 3B to get Adrian Beltre. Either way, I think it’s funny that Lowell and cash still only got them a AAAA player like Max Ramirez.
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OldFan Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
The GM of San Diego reportedly said that AGon was not being traded this off season.
Yesterday I watched Dombroski (GM of Detroit)say that they were NOT going to trade Cabrera now that they traded the 2 guys yesterday.
So, I DON’T think that the Sox are setting up for a great trade. In fact, it appears that the opposite is happening.
A great gloom is enveloping Boston, and many are writing off next season.
There is a lot of speculation that the Sox traded Lowell so that they could sign Beltre (he of the 8 homers in 440+ AB’s last yr). I think that they might do this because (a)-they have no confidence in Lowell fielding 3B next yr and Beltre is a very good fielder, (b)-they would expect Beltre would revert to career averages of 20-25 hr’s, or maybe more in Fenway.
It is real sad what is happening in beantown. There has been stories of them being interested in Nick Johnson for depth, and even Milton Bradley for LF (if they don’t want to meet the salaries it would take for Bay or Holliday). There are stories that Owner Henry might be holding onto his bucks this winter.
Just a real depressing situation for Sox fans. Real good news for Yankee fans, though! The winter is far from over though.
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MJ Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
I agree, the Beltre signing is far more probable and easier to pull off. Then again, never write off Theo and his ability to swing deals.
As for Beltre, I’d imagine that he’d do very well at Fenway. He’s got a pretty good swing and was playing at an atrocious park for righty hitters. He’s a good fielder and would be an upgrade defensively over Mike Lowell and no worse than the same offensive player.
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Mark Mulder is still around! LOL
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MJ Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Oy vey…stay away from that turd in the punch bowl.
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The only way Sheets gets a 12 million dollar deal is with incentives and he would have to reach everyone including something like unamamous cy young winner or something. If andy gets under 12 and he is durable… and Harden gets 7.5 and he has the best pure stuff. There is 0 chance sheets gets 12 while not pitching this past year! Although if one team was going to screw up and offer that the Mets would be that team.
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