Wire Taps: Washington Nationals AFL Action, Bryce Harper Talking, Free Agent Chatter.
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 25, 2011 1:52 PM EDT
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Print• Washington Nationals Fall Notes: C.J. Wilson may have pitched his last game as a Texas Ranger last night in the Rangers' win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Will the Washington Nationals make a run at the soon-to-be free agent left-hander? Current Nats' left-handed pitching prospect Sammy Solis made his fourth AFL start last night in Arizona, but received no decision when fellow Nats' prospect Pat Lehman got knocked around. 22-year-old Derek Norris, who'll turn 23 in February, was 2 for 2 with a HR in Monday's game. C.J. Wilson, Yu Darvish, CC Sabathia, Prince Fielder, Jose Reyes, Roy Oswalt...the Nats get mentioned in discussions about all the potential free agents, will any of them end up in the nation's capital? I say the Nats will sign...That's right...will be a National for the next few years! Imagine that...and the Nationals! Exciting. What? I'm being told this bullpen phone isn't working. Sorry. Here are the links...
• THE BIG STORY!!:
• "'I can’t say I don’t like the attention. I like it,' [Bryce] Harper said. 'It comes with the territory. If people are talking about you, you must be good.'" - "Nationals ready to start Harper's countdown to superstardom" - Amanda Comak, Washington Times
• NATS BEAT:
• "Is C.J. Wilson really worth the money he's going to get this winter?" - "Tuesday morning thoughts" - Mark Zuckerman, NatsInsider.com
• "I've written several times that I think the Nationals could have some interest in [Mark] Buehrle, and if they could get him on a nice two-year deal or by adding an option year for a third season, it might be worth a look." - "A few free agency thoughts" - Ben Goessling, MASNSports.com
• Jose Reyes? "I have to say no because Davey Johnson often talked about how he wants Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa to be his double-play combination." - "Nationals beat reporter Bill Ladson answers fans' questions in his latest Inbox." - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News
• "As with [C.J.] Wilson, the Nationals and the Angels are also prepared to bid for [Yu] Darvish, who has not announced his intentions for next season." - "From Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles, Baseball's Hot Stove Is Heating Up" - David Waldstein, NYTimes.com
• 106.7 The FAN in D.C.'s Holden Kushner on Twitter (@Holdenradio): "[Drew] Storen on what Davey Johnson told the #Nationals at the end of the season, 'I want to see this to the end.'"
• "Guesses on the posting fee ranged from $30-55MM, with the team executive making the highest prediction. The average of the six guesses was $45MM. As for the contract, most people predicted a five or six-year deal in the $72-75MM range." - "Agents Predict Darvish's Posting Fee, Contract: MLB Rumors" - Tim Dierkes, MLBTradeRumors.com
• Your Daily Message From The Dalai Lama On Twitter (@DalaiLama): "Disturbing emotions not only disturb our own state of mind, they also disturb the minds of others."
• NATSTOWN:
• "To me, it seems Roy Oswalt would be a natural fit for Washington. The Nats have made it no secret that they want to add top-of-the-line veteran starters to bolster their young and talented rotation." - "Phillies Set Oswalt Free, Should The Nationals Make A Push?" - Will Yoder, The Nats Blog
• "The problem is that Washington D.C. isn’t an attractive landing spot for players looking for a new team, thus forcing the team to overpay for guys like Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche." - "Nats could strike gold with Lidge and Oswalt from Phillies" - Zach Myles, Washington Nationals
• "BREAKING: Washington D.C. is not all about the Nationals. Shocking, I know, but it turns out the city isn’t nuts about baseball." - "A Third of DC Likes Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles Over Nats" - Win for Teddy
• "Personally, I’m not so sure if [C.J.] Wilson is an ace. He’s very good, and his move from the bullpen last year to full time starter has been a rousing success." - "You Might Wanna Pay Attention Tonight" - The Nationals Review
• "Boswell Chat 10/24/11: My answers to his Baseball questions" - Todd Boss, Nationals Arm Race
• "Corey Brown - Age 25: How he became a Nat: He came over with Henry Rodriguez in the trade that sent Josh Willingham to Oakland." - "A Few Good Men: 11 - Brown" - Mac, Capitol Baseball
• "First and foremost, he’s been durable and consistent. Over each of the past two seasons Wilson has eclipsed the 200 inning plateau. He’s made at least 33 starts each season." - "Examining the Case For & Against C.J. Wilson" - Aaron Somers, District on Deck
• "Jesus Flores: 'Contento por los batazos en la primera semana.'" - Nats Enquirer
• "Do the Nats even want [Roy] Oswalt? Yes they do. The narrative of the season is a little alarming." - "Roy Oswalt talk" - Harper, Nationals Baseball
• "AFL Update: October 25, 2011" - NationalsProspects.com
• NL EAST UPDATES:
• Phillies: "In a development likely to shock absolutely no one, the Phillies have opted to decline the $16 million option on pitcher Roy Oswalt's contract, and the $12.5 million option for reliever Brad Lidge." - "Phillies Decline 2012 Options for Brad Lidge, Roy Oswalt -- Source: Completely Obvious News Network" - Whole Camels, The Good Phight
• Mets: "No one thought it would be this bad. Sure, everyone everyone hated the Jason Bay contract for various reasons but a 100 OPS+ and 18 home runs in his first two seasons as a Met?" - "2011 Postmortem: Left Field" - James Kannengieser, Amazin' Avenue
• Braves: "With a strike zone rate of 53%, Prado saw more strikes than normal, which makes sense thanks to a very low swing rate (42%). When he did swing though, he made contact at a 90% rate, which is very high up there." - "2011 Atlanta Braves Player Review: Martin Prado" - SCrebel, Talking Chop
• Marlins: "Shields would be an ideal fit for the Marlins. He’s at worst a solid No. 2 starter minus the salary exposure that would accompany a free agent like C.J. Wilson." - "Rays RHP James Shields could prove a nice fit if price is right" - Juan C. Rodriguez, Florida Sun-Sentinel
• Your Daily Message From Joe Posnanski: "So, an admission: I love bullpen phones. Love them. I absolutely love the idea that there’s an old-fashioned, land-line telephone in pretty much every major league baseball dugout across America." - "Bullpen Phones" - Joe Posnanski, SI.com
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-10 pts actually. Dern double-click...
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 25, 2011 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 25, 2011 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Here's another good read, on arbitration salaries
Mike Morse had 95 RBI in the Nationals’ lineup this year, and combined with his .303 AVG and 31 HR, we have him coming in with a solid $3.9MM salary. Baseball-Reference.com estimated in August that Morse would have 50% more RBI if given the same RBI opportunities as Ryan Howard. What would Morse earn with 50% more RBI? Try $4.6MM. That’s $700K the Nationals will save on him simply by putting different guys in front of him in the lineup than the Phillies put in front of Howard.
If Doghouse were here,
he’d probably take the opportunity to point out how good a statistic “RBIs” is.
Rob
-- In baseball we trust.
at least the quote contextualizes RBIs
I’m not sure I agree with the scaling, but B-R recognizes that RBI are primarily dependent on the quality of the lineup in front of you…
Brain: "Pinky, are you pondering what i'm pondering?"
Pinky: "Yes, ... wait, ... no, ... never mind"
Booo! RBIs stink!
They’re better than pitcher wins, I guess, but probably worse than ERA.
"If you ain't got the pants, you ain't got a chance." --PerryMason (on the sartorial component of being a Real Ballplayer)
Stranded inherited men on base stat, that's what you need for a reliever
along with Batting Avg against for Lefties and Righties…etc etc…I agree ERA isn’t needed as much…
Even better than Posnanski's pondering of bullpen phones
Was his article about baseball on FOX. I found myself agreeing with him on virtually every point that he made, especially about McCarver [spits]
He was pretty much spot on, imo
Two points in particular stood out with me – 1) Vin Scully is the surviving grandmaster of broadcast baseball, either on radio or TV; The world will be a little less great with his retirement / passing. 2) Ex-players have a definite shelf-life as a “Color” man on a broadcast team; My personal timeline is if they are 10 years away from the game & still using 1st person references, they’re past due.
Did anyone else think
that the Rodriguez piece from the Sun-Sentinel was slightly fanboy delusional? Shields from the Rays for Gaby Sanchez & two prospects?
Interesting chatter going on at The Good Phight
The article (linked on the SBNation Baseball Nation page) puts forth the likelihood of Reyes signing with the Phillies [spit]. One of the comments was especially interesting:
If Ian Desmond weren’t starting to make a (rather unimpressive) name for himself in Washington, I wouldn’t mind Rollins signing there and sucking money out of that team as well.
Or maybe we’ll get lucky and the Nats will overpay for Reyes to keep us from getting him. I wouldn’t put it past Rizzo.
They could always stop caravaning down to DC, in an attempt to reduce the Nats’ coffers :). Apparently they don’t think of the Nats as warm and cuddly anymore.
Brain: "Pinky, are you pondering what i'm pondering?"
Pinky: "Yes, ... wait, ... no, ... never mind"
NationalsPR:
Bryce Harper has recorded a hit in 6 consecutive AFL games during which he has batted .348 (8-23). #Nationals
Was the Scottsdale game rained out last night?
It’s been a while since Harper’s played, it seems.
Rob
-- In baseball we trust.
Apologies for nothing new in the last 24hrs, been slightly under the weather...
And trying to sleep it off. Will have new posts this afternoon with news from the Nats and a Rick Ankiel highlight reel. Might put together a late edition of the links too since I neglected to compile them this morning.
that is all.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 26, 2011 12:50 PM EDT reply actions
Feel better Patrick
Until then we’ll talk amongst ourselves :-)
I agree with d_c_guy sleep and rest. Poppies...poppies...sleep...sleeppp..sssllleeeppp..
Darn now I need a 5 hour energy thingy… Patrick it’s the off season… Sick + You = Sleep, Rest, Liquids and chix noodle soup. Matza ball if you can find it, wait you’re in Jersey of course you can find it!
In case you're not on the Twitter and didn't see all the updates popping up...
Mike Rizzo just held a teleconference, touching on Davey’s status, talks with Wang, LaRoche’s progress, Rendon’s throwing work, Yu Darvish (guess who asked that?), Jesus Flores’ hot start in the VWL and more. Transcribing no, will post asap.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 26, 2011 1:35 PM EDT reply actions
[transcribing now]
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 26, 2011 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
No Darvish IMO
I can’t see them being serious if he hasn’t personally scouted him. I’ll be stunned if they’re anywhere near as interested as Texas and Toronto. I could be wrong though. Do you know if he personally scouted Chapman? They were a close second there.
He said he's personally scouted Darvish, but not in the last two years.
Says his scouts have seen Darvish pitch in the past and saw him this season. IIRC, Rizzo did scout Chapman personally, but those sessions were in the U.S. I’ll have the full quotes up shortly, I’ve transcribed 5 of the 20 minutes already, be up soon.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 26, 2011 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I just don't see it
I’ll be shocked if the Nats win the posting. When the money is that high, the GM will scout him. I hope I’m wrong on this as Darvish is the second most talented non-MLB pitcher I’ve ever seen after Strasburg.
Post is up with Rizzo's full comments on Darvish and a host of other topics.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 26, 2011 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions
It's harder for the GM to scout him when the season overlap and the player is on the other side of the planet
Rizzo could personally scout him when he was the assistant GM, not the GM. I don’t read that much into his comments either way.
Was going to say the same, there was apparently a lot of trouble...
…when he just traveled in the US scouting potential draft picks this year. He reportedly came back to all sorts of in-house issues he hadn’t anticipated.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 26, 2011 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Texas and Torntos GMs both found the time to scout him
So I am not buying that. Look, if the team is serious about investing 50-100 million on a guy, the GM is going to go and see him IMO. I will be very surprised if a team that didn’t send their top guy (the Nats) bids anywhere all that close to a team that did send their top guy (Texas, Toronto). I hope I am wrong.
Just wondering...
What’s the significance of having made a trip to see him this year? If Rizzo’s seen him pitch before, he can watch the pitcher on tv and he’s had scouts there to see Darvish, why does the fact that other GM’s saw him this season make a difference? Texas and Toronto are on the top of just about everyone’s list of interested teams, but I’m not counting New York out just because Brian Cashman didn’t travel to Japan to see him, or at least didn’t alert the press if he did.
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 26, 2011 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions
When you are investing that much money...
You have your top people involved directly. You want to talk with the team, and if possible the player. I know that the Nats do serious profiles on potential additions. Everything from psych evals, to opinions from teammates. Can you imagine Rizzo not going to see Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg in their draft year?
I just don’t see it. I’ll be very pleasantly surprised if the Nats win the posting.
I'll be very pleasantly surprised if the Nats win the posting
and the posting fee is something less than $50 million. I’m not sure how I’d feel about a $50 million fee, and anything above that wouldn’t sit all that well. I’m for the same process they used with Aroldis Chapman – they figured out what they could live with, made a very substantial financial offer, and someone else beat it. Chapman is an electric talent who may never actually be a good MLB pitcher. Darvish is the same.
An advantage with the posting fee is the blind bidding process, so at least you don’t get into a testosterone-laden bidding war. Figure out what the team can live with in terms of risk/reward and make a substantial-but-not-stupid bid. If it wins, start the negotiating process with the player. If not, on to the next negotiation.
Getting Darvish...
probably means NOT getting Fielder, or someone like him. I would not be happy about that — too much risk, when the safe bet’s gonna get you more expected wins.
Rob
-- In baseball we trust.
You're talking like the choice is Darvish or Fielder, one or the other
I think that the chance of their signing Fielder is really small, regardless of whether they sign Darvish.
All I'm saying is
that if they make a splash and get Darvish, they will probably not make another splash and get Fielder, too.
Are the chances of signing Fielder remote? Yeah, probably . But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t sign Fielder.
Rob
-- In baseball we trust.
NPUT with Rizzo quotes from this afternoon...
Vivian Jaffe: "Have you ever transcended space and time?"
Albert Markovski: "Yes. No. Uh, time, not space... No, I don't know what you're talking about."
by Patrick Reddington on Oct 26, 2011 3:17 PM EDT reply actions
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