Now that the dreaded World Series is finally over, it’s time to put away that nightmare and look ahead to next season. The hot stove is already churning with plenty of rumors regarding soon to be free agents Matt Holliday and Jason Bay.
The blogosphere has been buzzing with the pros and cons of each leftfielder, while Mets fans debate about which would be a better fit at CitiField.
The agents for each player are already embroiled in a war of words as to which of them is the most complete player, and Boras has already made it known that it could take a Mark Teixeira sized contract to land his client, Matt Holliday.
However, a thought has occurred to me that has me somewhat baffled. What if both players resign with their former clubs?
Theo Epstein, GM of the Boston Red Sox, sounded pretty confident on Monday when he said that Bay was one of his most important players and that he will do what it takes to resign him. Jason Bay later added that he wants to stay in Boston and that he absolutely loves playing for the Red Sox. Epstein said he would continue working toward a deal until the last possible moment before Bay officially becomes a free agent in fifteen days.
Meanwhile back in St. Louis, Joe Straus in his live chat for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, suggested that the Cardinals are already discussing the groundwork for a 6 year $96 million dollar contract, to keep Matt Holliday in St. Louis. Holliday enjoyed his time with the Cards and loved the ballpark. Also important to note is this one small but very important fact; the Cardinals have hire Mark McGwire as their hitting coach. McGwire is Matt Holliday’s personal hitting coach.
The Red Sox and Cardinals now have 15 days to exclusively negotiate with their former players before other teams can begin contacting them.
If both those players get resigned, the Mets may find themselves looking at players like Hideki Matsui, Bobby Abreu, Jermaine Dye and Vladimir Guerrero, each of whom come with some added risk.
The Mets could also venture into the trade market for players like Carl Crawford who will cost them several premium prospects including Ike Davis, Fernando Martinez and Jenrry Mejia, or they can instead take on Vernon Wells for two low-level prospects, but also assume his huge $105 million dollar commitment as well.
The other alternative would be to overwhelm San Diego or Milwaukee for their All Star first basemen and add the big bat the Mets desperately need at 1B instead of LF. The free agent market at first base is very weak.
The best thing we could hope for is that neither Bay or Holliday resigns, and that their negotiations fall apart.
Even if just one of them resigns, it would be bad news for the Mets as a huge bidding war will ensue for the remaining leftfielder. A bidding war that will see offers that are so high that it will force the Mets to back off and consider another option.
The question then becomes, which option?
I think that is an issue with this offseason list of UFA’s, there are guys that can help the team, but not an incredible amount of them, so the mets will have to over pay for holliday, bay, lackey etc… These guys will be in high demand and teams will throw the money around.
And that the mets have limited trading chips makes it even more important for them to dip into the free agent market
If we can’t sign Holliday or Bay, we have to go a route that could prove better and less risky. And maybe by mid-season make a trade that will help. Figure in addition to Beltran, Reyes Wright and Francoeur, we need better players at catcher and 2nd base. We don’t need Castillo’s defense or all his singles. We need more slugging! That’s why I like DeRosa at 2nd plus he can play some first for Murphy too. By the way – Thole is hitting over .400 with an OBP of over .500 in Venezuela.
Let’s blow the rest of our cash on PITCHING
I think a healthy beltran and reyes along with wright and franceour wont be enough pop, and there aren’t many free agent catchers with home run ability, though I think De rosa would be a nice addition…the Mets need some more power from either 1B or LF, and it looks like daniel murphy will be the starting 1B, so in my opinion the Mets have to grab Bay or Holliday.
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
I’VE NEVER BEEN TOTALLY IMPRESSED BY DeROSA AS ANYONE OTHER THAN A BIT PLAYER, CERTAINLY NOT A CLEANUP TYPE BOPPER THAT WE DESPERATLY NEED TO FILL DELGARDO’S LINEUP ROLE AS THE THUNDER TO ACCOMPANY THE 1-3 LIGTNING
IF ONE MORE PERSON SUGGESTS DeROSA FOR 2B, I’LL WONDER IF ANYONE PAYS ANY ATTENTION WHATSOVER TO ALOMAR,MATSUI,CEDENO,BONILLA et al AS CONTRACTS WE SHOULD’VE BUT NEVER ATE. CASTILLO IS THERE UNTIL SOMEONE TAKES HIM IN TRADE, UNTIL THEN FORGET DeROSA & SINCE WE DON’T EMPLOY DH THOUGHTS OF BIG BUCKS ON BENCH AIN’T HAPPENING EITHER. I’M SORRY; BUT THAT’S REALITY & THAT IS WHAT WE’RE DEALING WITH NOT FANTASY BASEBALL. IF ANYONE FINDS THAT ATTITUDE OFFENSIVE, I’LL BE HAPPY TO APOLOGIZE AS SOON AS U CAN PROVE ME WRONG. FROM MY RECOLLECTION THE LAST TIME THE NYM ATE A BAD CONTRACT DOUBLEDAY WAS CALLING THE SHOTS & THAT PLAYER WAS GEORGE FOSTER(OUR WINFIELD CONSOLATION PRIZE)
RE. RANDY WOLF, HE FREIGHTENS ME AS TO WHY AN ‘ON PAPER’ COMPETENT, EFFECTIVE YOUNGISH LH SP HAS BEEN ON 5 DIFFERNT ROSTERS SINCE 2006? CONSIDERING THE VALUE OF COMPETANT PITCHING & HIGHER VALUE OF LH ONES, THAT FACT CERTAINLY MAKES ME WONDER ABOUT THE NON-STATS ISSUES, LIKE CLUBHOUSE FACTOR, PERSONALITY,PERHAPS HE DRINKS TOO MUCH? ETC. HE CERTAINLY DIDN’T IMPRESS IN THE LCS. I STILL SAY WE’LL LIKELY DEAL A SP & IF WE DO SHOULD FOCUS ON LACKEY & MARQUIS FOR #2 & #3 SPOTS BEHIND JOHAN & IN FRONT OF OLLIE(SEE CONTRACT EATING ISSUE ABOVE) LIKE CASTILLO OLLIE IS SUPERGLUED ON THE ROSTER, ALL WE SHOULD DO IS ROOT FOR HIS IMPROVMENT UNDER WARTHEN WHILE HOLDING OUR NOSES AS GOOD FANS, ALWAYS REMEMBER IT COULD BE WORSE, WE COULD BE IN CINCY OR PITTSBURGH! MAYBE KC!
If Holliday and Bay resign I say go after X Nady or maybe Matsui. they wont cost nearly as much.
We have a Nady style player already in Francouer. Besides, Nady is barely a run producer when healthy.
Francouer doesn’t play first – Nady does.
What makes you think Nady will even last a year with out hurting his elbow again.
I say we should sign Vladimir Guerrero if the other two arent available. Vlad is still a terrific hitter with great power. Imagine his intimidating presence in the middle of the lineup. We should offer him a 2 year deal.
The time to sign Vlad was five plus years ago. Vlad is exactly the type of player who Omar loves and who would break down when we needed him most. Move on.
I agree he’s strictly a DH.
Call me crazy and I am:
1. Jose Reyes
2. David Wright
3. Carlos Beltran
4. Derek Lee (via trade)
5. Carlos Lee (via trade)
6. Jeff Fancouer
7. Brian Roberts
8. Benji Molina (not the hitter Yadier is, but he IS hitting number
******************
1. Johan Santana
2. John Lackey (via free agency)
3. Crazy Carlos Zambrano (via trade)- If you tell me Brandon Webb, OK.
4. Crazier Oliver Perez
5. Mike Pelfrey
******************
1. K-Rod
2. Bobby Parnell
3. Brian Stokes (if not traded)
4. Brad Thompson (just released by the Cardinals)
5. Pedro Feliciano
6. Joe Biemel (no more treating Pedro like a rag doll!)or Noah Lowry (I know, I know… but I believe he’s healthy!)
*******************
1. Endy Chavez (he should have NEVER left!)
2. Luis Castillo (because he is untradable)
3. Chad Tracy (D-Backs just bought him out)
4. Josh Thole (let the young boys see action- SHOW ME WHAT YOU’VE GOT!!)
5. Jenry Mejia (Ditto!)
If you want an omelete… And if you think I’m crazy then tell me why I should spend and significant money on Bay of Holliday. And Halladay as a number 2? Not in this town. I can ensure that I will at least see some of my money come back on attendance alone. I can sell that line up to fans. Jeff, don’t tell me what you don’t have when you come off looking like the Pirates and the Expos combined!
I’m ready to face the firing squad now…
call up Mike Francesa and see what he says
Ok, you’re crazy.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of waiting around for some body else to make aggressive moves to better thier club. I realize Lee AND Lee is asking for much, but if the Mets eat the contracts (which is the only option they have I think), what’s they big deal?!
As for Francessa… I haven’t listened to that blow hard in 8 years.
I dont understand why alot of Mets fans still hate on Luis Castillo. Was it the ball that he dropped against the Yanks (Cuz trust me that broke my heart too) or is it just his bad contract. If it is his bad contract then the hate should be directed at Omar. I think Luis had a good season for a very bad team (.387 OBP), and may have two more good seasons left in him.
Lets bring in Babe Ruth too…..the mets are trading for a lot of great players there, and the mets do not have the trading chips to get all of those guys
Your crazy. Derek and Carlos Lee would demand a lot in return via prospects and then Zambrano that would cost way to much in prospects that we don’t have let alone that isn’t what the Mets direction is I’m sure. I agree with everyone else call up Mike
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
DEEBO, THAT’S A LOT OF TRADING WITH VERY FEW PROSPECTS IN FRANCHISE & NEGLIGIBLE ML TALENT U R MISSING. I UNDERSTAND YOUR DESIRE FOR DERRICK LEE; BUT HAVE U LOOKED AT HIS MOST IMPOORTANT STAT? DOB: 09/06/75 WITH HIS INJURY PLAGUED PAST WHY LEE & NOT DELGADO FOR 1Y LOW GUARANTEE HIGH INCENTIVE CONTRACT? PERSONALLY, I’D PREFER FIELDER @ 1B FOR ROTATIONAL SP WE’VE A EXCESS OF IN MAINE,PELFREY,PEREZ,MISCH,NIESE,NIEVE AND MILWALKEE’S DESPERATE FOR SPing FOR THEIR ROTATION & NOT INTERESTED IN MILB OPTIONS THERE. WE TEND TO OVERLOOK & OVER CRITICIZE OUR OWN; BUT DID U NOTICE ONLY 5 STUD QUALITY SP TOTAL BET 2 WS TEAMS IN ’09 SERIES.
AJ,CC,ANDY,HAMELS,LEE? BEWTWEEN 2 WS TEAMS? MILW ROTATION IS DISMALLY DREADFUL WITH STAFF SP ERA 5.1+.
IF FIELDER ADDED FOR 1B, PAGAN COULD BE A VIABLE LF OPTION IF ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
I WONDER WHAT ACQUISITION OF HERMEDA DOES TO BOSOX FERVOR TO RETAIN BAY?
HOLLIDAY, REP’D BY BORAS IS UNQUESTIONABLY OUT OF PRICE RANGE.
IF SPing DEALT ADD BOTH LACKEY & MARQUIS FOR #2,#3 SPOTS.
In some interesting news the Marlins traded Jeremy Hermida to the Redsox. Hermida is a left fielder, I wonder if the Red Sox will just trade Hermida once Bay signs or if this means that Bay is no longer an option for the Red Sox?
Between this trade and the Bobby Abreu signing, you think it’s good news for us getting Bay or Holliday?
As far as Abreu it’s good news for us as the Angels won’t be in the market anymore, one team down that could afford either Bay or Holliday.
The Red Sox trade is a little more confusing as I would rather have Bay or Holliday then Hermida though I think the Red Sox prefer Bay over Holliday anyway.
If Holliday and Bay remain with their teams like Abreu did, then I would go after Lackey hard and go get either Guerrero, Dye or Matsui to play LF, Molina or pudge to C and keep my prospects, we all know Murphy will be the mets 1b. We won’t lose our 1st round pick this year if we sign a Type A FA because we finished within the top 15 worse records in baseball, we all know Murphy will be the 1b next year. Chances are Guerrero, Dye or Matsui at least one of them will not be offered arbitration, so we won’t lose another pick in signing any 1 of 3 either.
Metsblog.com-Heyman says Mets want do-over on Randy Wolf, which they will go hard after him and that the mets will be heavy players on Matt Holliday, yankees to be heavy players for lackey.
With Hermida going to Boston and Abreu staying in LA this gives the Mets a good chance to get Bay or Holliday. Seeing as thought I don’t know why Boston would trade for Hermida and then sign Bay.
I think if Bay and Holliday resign with there clubs.We go after Figgins to be our starting leftfielder and hit 2.Barajas to catch and hit 7 spot infront of Castillo.And DeRosa to platoon with Murphy and play alittle everywhere.If not just save the money for next year.When Halladay and Crawford are freeagents.If the Mets dont sign anybody id be fine with that? Let Fmart get 600abs inleft Murphy get 600abs at 1st.Let Thole get 400abs behind the plate.We might not hit alot of Homers but atleast our propects will get valuable playing time.I truly wouldnt mind seeing the propects play a full year.Also have Niese in the rotation with Bostick and Kunz in the pen.
First off F- mart will not get 600 abs plus he’s going to be starting the season of in AAA and Murphy will be lucky if he’s in Mets training camp in march meaning if they don’t trade him which they more then likely will if they want to have any chance at getting a power bat at first base and and No. 2 pitcher like Halladay. Although I don’t see the Mets getting Halladay I see them getting Erik Bedard, Jon Garland or Randy Wolf who is a free agent again and Minaya should pursue him because Halladay would cost way to much and Bedard and Garland would come relatively cheap and would be great behind Santana. As for Wolf I wouldn’t make him our No. 2 starter even though he pitched well for the Dodgers in 09 he would be a better No. 3 starter behind Santana and maybe Garland or whomever the Mets sign.
First off Daniel the F-mart comment i made was if the Mets dont sign any brand name freeagents.I hope he plays a full season in Buffalo.Same with Thole ,Ike Davis,Tejada and Bowman.What about Marquis he along with Wolf would help the rotation?
Yeah true. I like Marquis I think he along with Wolf would be a great addition to our rotation because it would drop everybody else down a slot but I still think we need a solid No. 2 starter.
CAPSLOCK=DISABILITY ACCOMODATION
CAN ANYONE AT ALL EXPLAIN WHY A LH SP AS CAPABLE AS WOLF HAS HAD SO MANY TEAMS SINCE ’06? WHAT’S UNDER THE COVERS? NOT ON THE BACK OF HIS CARD? TRUST ME, THER’S SOMETHING WRONG. LAD,SD,HOU ARE FRANCHISES WITH PRETTY DECENT PITCHING EVALUATION REPS. YET NONE WANTED TO LOCK HIM UP.
Matsui? His knees are shot and that’s why he’s a DH and most likely going to Seattle. And Vlad? We should’ve gotten him before he went to LA.
Vlad is the type of player Omar would go after.
He’s strictly a DH.
Yes I agree the Mets will pursue Wolf aggressively and same for Holliday but do you think Wolf can be our No. 2 starter I don’t I think it will take Wolf and someone like a Garland or Bedard
2010 Top 50 Free Agents
By Tim Dierkes [November 8, 2009 at 10:45pm CST]
It’s time for the fourth annual MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 Free Agents list! The entire list of available free agents can be found here.
A note before we begin – this is a complicated puzzle, and I’ll be satisfied if I’m correct on a quarter of these guesses. If your favorite team seems under-represented, keep in mind that the list doesn’t account for trades or every single free agent.
1. Matt Holliday – Mets. The Mets could grab headlines by signing Holliday to a six or seven-year deal for more than $100MM.
2. John Lackey – Yankees. Last winter’s strategy of signing the best two starters and the best hitter available contributed to the Yankees’ World Series title. With rotation question marks after C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, it makes sense that the Yanks will pursue the best available starter in Lackey.
3. Jason Bay – Red Sox. It’s been rumored the Red Sox are willing to offer four years and $60MM to Bay. That seems to be a fair opening bid, given his defensive struggles.
4. Chone Figgins – Angels. The Angels have internal options at third base, but he’d be hard to let go after a career-high .395 OBP and excellent defense at the hot corner.
5. Randy Wolf – Mets. The Mets regrettably chose Oliver Perez over Wolf a year ago. As the best available starter aside from Lackey, Wolf is primed to get a three-year deal worth more than $30MM.
6. Andy Pettitte – Yankees. With all the good vibes surrounding Pettitte’s work this year, it’s hard to see him anywhere else. The Yankees might have to guarantee more than $5.5MM this time though.
7. Jose Valverde – Phillies. One way to shore up a shaky bullpen: sign the best closer available. Few teams are seeking closers, and even fewer have money, so the Phillies should be able to get a relative bargain.
8. Marco Scutaro – Red Sox. It’s difficult to place Scutaro, because not many teams with shortstop vacacies will be willing to pay the three years and $18MM+ he’ll likely demand. The Sox would be getting the best available shortstop here, but they could instead choose Jed Lowrie and/or Alex Gonzalez.
9. Adrian Beltre – Twins. The Twins made a large upgrade at shortstop by acquiring J.J. Hardy. Beltre would give them fantastic left-side infield defense and another possible 20 home run bat. The Twins had interest in trading for Beltre a year ago, though the Scott Boras client added them to his no-trade clause.
10. Rich Harden – Red Sox. A one-year deal with a $7MM base salary would be difficult for Harden to resist. His injuries are maddening, but he leads free agent starters with a 10.9 K/9.
11. Mike Cameron – Padres. The Padres are tight on cash, but bringing back Cameron to play center field makes sense on a one-year deal worth $7MM or so.
12. Johnny Damon – Yankees. Most believe the Yankees will re-sign one of Damon and Hideki Matsui. Despite Matsui’s World Series MVP award, Damon probably fits better given his ability to play the field more regularly.
13. Orlando Hudson – Nationals. The Nats coveted Hudson last year. Adding him now would help with their stated goal of improving up the middle.
14. Miguel Tejada – Athletics. A one-year deal to bring Tejada back would give the A’s security on the left side of the infield, where they have Cliff Pennington at shortstop and Brett Wallace not quite ready at third base.
15. Joel Pineiro – Cardinals. He’d be a big loss for the Cardinals, who have rotation openings after Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, and Kyle Lohse. Pineiro walked just 27 in 214 innings posted a 60.5% groundball rate due to a newfound sinker.
16. Nick Johnson – Giants. A jolt of OBP at first base would do the Giants good. They were involved in talks for Johnson around the trade deadline.
17. Aroldis Chapman – Red Sox. They’ve been heavily involved with Chapman from the start, and may consider him a long-term investment worth more than $20MM.
18. Marlon Byrd – Rangers. Byrd is one of the better center fielders available, but not too many clubs are in the hunt at the position. The Cubs could be in the mix here after they trade Milton Bradley.
19. Vladimir Guerrero – White Sox. The White Sox would generate attention by signing Vlad as a DH and occasional right fielder. Landing Guerrero would also be a solid baseball move on a reasonable one-year deal.
20. Felipe Lopez – Dodgers. They seem ready to part ways with Orlando Hudson, and Lopez might be a bit cheaper. Lopez’s 2009 season ranked fourth among all free agents in WAR.
21. Adam LaRoche – Braves. Did LaRoche’s scorching stint with the Braves last year price him out of their range? The Mets, Orioles, A’s, Mariners, Giants, D’Backs, and Rangers might also be in the market for a first baseman.
22. Rafael Soriano – Angels. Will the failure of Brian Fuentes prompt the Angels to add another late-inning arm? After missing most of ’08, Soriano bounced back with 102 strikeouts in 75.6 innings this year.
23. Jon Garland, Dodgers. Bringing back Garland would be a safe move, though the Dodgers already declined his $10MM option. Garland required a $7.25MM guarantee a year ago, and he had a better season, so this is an iffy prediction. The Twins, Nationals, Mets, and Brewers may be among the other teams seeking an innings-eater.
24. Carl Pavano – Nationals. Back to his original organization? Pavano surprisingly managed 33 starts in ’09, and his 4.16 xFIP reveals his 5.10 ERA was misleading.
25. Brad Penny – Mets. Penny is just one of many different arms the Mets might consider as they attempt to bolster their rotation depth. No other free agent starter throws harder, so Penny’s upside is still tantalizing.
26. Erik Bedard – Dodgers. If the Dodgers don’t want to pony up the cash or prospects for a true ace, they could buy a Bedard lottery ticket instead.
27. Hideki Matsui – Mariners. Matsui joining the Mariners in a DH/left field role will become more likely if Ken Griffey Jr. retires.
28. Bengie Molina – Nationals. Molina is difficult to place, especially if he demands more than $5MM. With Jesus Flores coming off shoulder surgery, the Nats will probably add a veteran on a one-year deal. The Mets also may sign a catcher.
29. Mike Gonzalez – Braves. Gonzalez should be cheaper than Soriano, and the Braves need some kind of relief signing or acquisition. With available closers plentiful, the Braves could wait around until March in hopes of a bargain.
30. Jason Marquis – Diamondbacks. The D’Backs are known to crave a mid-tier veteran starter, and Marquis is one of many options. Many have speculated Marquis would like to play for the Mets, and they are a reasonable match as well.
31. Placido Polanco – Diamondbacks. Second base is another area of need for Arizona. As with the Marquis situation above, Polanco is one of several palatable free agent choices.
32. Tim Wakefield – Red Sox. Wakefield had back surgery in October, but the Red Sox will probably still view him as a bargain at $4MM.
33. Ben Sheets – Rangers. The Brewers and Rangers seem to be the most likely landing spots for Sheets, who had flexor tendon surgery in February and missed the ’09 season. That injury caused a two-year deal with the Rangers to fall apart.
34. Doug Davis – Brewers. Davis was claimed off waivers by the Brewers in August, but they couldn’t work out a deal with the D’Backs. At the time, Davis liked the idea of returning to Milwaukee. He’ll probably have to back off his three-year demand to make it happen.
35. Jarrod Washburn – Brewers. Perhaps the Brewers won’t sign these two mid-tier lefties, but they do figure to acquire a pair of starters somehow. Washburn could make it easier on the Brewers by providing a hometown discount. Otherwise, trading Mat Gamel could net an arm.
36. Russell Branyan – Mariners. Interest in a new contract is mutual. There are enough mitigating factors to make another one-year deal likely.
37. Billy Wagner – Cubs. The Cubs don’t have much payroll space, and they may prefer to go with Carlos Marmol as their closer. Then again, they wouldn’t do so a year ago when Marmol was coming off a good season. The Cubs could offer Wagner a chance to close, as could the Orioles, Rays, Tigers, Angels, and Braves. Even Wagner’s old teams, the Phillies and Astros, have back-end bullpen concerns.
38. Juan Uribe – Mariners. Uribe was quietly very valuable in 2009, playing all around the infield for the Giants. Uribe’s shortstop-third base flexibility could fit for Seattle.
39. John Smoltz – Tigers. Smoltz of course came up with the Tigers, and they considered him a year ago. They could sign him and keep an open mind as to his role.
40. Jermaine Dye – Rangers. The Rangers signing both Byrd and Dye might be a stretch, though Dye should be used strictly at DH. Given his second half decline he should be affordable.
41. Mark DeRosa – Phillies. I debated flipping the DeRosa-Beltre predictions, as both the Phillies and Twins have a need at third base. DeRosa, a former Penn quarterback, has been linked to the Phils for years.
42. Coco Crisp – Royals. The Royals already declined his $8MM option. But Crisp likes Kansas City and the Royals still need a center fielder, so an incentive-based deal could happen.
43. Carlos Delgado – Orioles. In Delgado, the Orioles could add a possible 30-home run bat with little risk. And Delgado could benefit from some time at DH.
44. Orlando Cabrera – Blue Jays. O-Cab might find a small market for his services this winter, even without a draft pick cost attached.
45. Gregg Zaun – Rays. Zaun can void his $2MM club option if the Rays exercise it, but he might be swayed by the chance to start.
46. Jim Thome – Athletics. The A’s should have their pick of affordable free agent DHs. Thome’s not done; he hit .249/.366/.481 this year.
47. Fernando Rodney – Tigers. I have no idea where Rodney will sign. No one will want to pay a premium for his 37 saves. He might be best-served returning to Detroit on a one-year deal worth $6MM or so.
48. Xavier Nady – Diamondbacks. The D’Backs will probably tender a contract to Conor Jackson, but Nady could still be helpful at first base and left field. He’s a Scott Boras client, but he missed most of the season due to Tommy John surgery.
49. Kiko Calero – Rays. Calero’s a health risk, so he might be cheap despite a 1.95 ERA and 10.4 K/9 in 60 innings this year. He’s the type of reliever the Rays figure to add.
50. Rafael Betancourt – Rockies. I think the Rockies will work out a two-year deal to retain Betancourt as their setup man. It could include incentives for closing, should Huston Street depart after ’10 or struggle before then.