13
2011
Hot Stove News: Dontrelle To Phillies, Aramis To Brewers, Rowand To Marlins
An article by Hojo's Mojo
A major-league source confirmed that the Phillies have agreed to a one-year deal for under $1 million dollars with Dontrelle Willis pending a physical.
Willis posted a 5.00 ERA in 75 2/3 innings for Cincinnati in 2011, but the Phillies apparently saw enough to guarantee the lefthander a one-year contract for 2012 based mostly on how effective he was against left-handed batters.
The D-Train’s career numbers against lefties are tremendous, holding them to a .200 batting average and a .274 on-base, but in 2011 he was off the charts holding them to .127 batting average and a .369 OPS.
Willis, 29, will become the Phillies lefty specialist according to Ruben Amaro Jr. who has said he wanted to add a lefthanded reliever at the winter meetings.
* * * * * * * * * *
The Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a three-year contract with veteran slugger Aramis Ramirez, who was the top third baseman on the market. The deal is pending a physical.
Ramirez, 33, hit .306 with 26 home runs and 93 RBIs with the Chicago Cubs in 2011. It was the eighth time in nine seasons that he topped 25 homers. The two-time All-Star also won the Silver Slugger as the league’s top offensive third baseman.
* * * * * * * * * *
The Miami Marlins signed Aaron Rowand to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. The San Francisco Giants must pay Rowand more than $11.5 million of the $12 million he’s owed next season, with the Marlins covering the rest.
Rowand, 34, was released by the Giants in September after hitting .233 with four home runs and 21 RBI. But was 9 for 26 with three home runs as a pinch-hitter. Rowand can play all three outfield positions and has hit .273 in 11 major-league seasons. He once played for Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen when he was with the White Sox in 2005.
* * * * * * * * * *
MLB teams have until Wednesday at 4 p.m. Central time to put a bid in to negotiate with Darvish. He’s started the posting process and teams submit sealed bids to the MLB office, and the club with the highest bid earns the right to negotiate with Darvish. They have 30 days to do so and if no deal is reached, the posting bid is returned to the team. If a deal is done, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Darvish’s Japanese team, will get the money.
Darvish, 25, was 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA and 276 strikeouts. Both the ERA and strikeouts led the Pacific League. One scout told me at the Winter Meetings that Darvish has excellent command and throws “just about anything you can think of.” Various reports say the 6-foot-5 right-hander throws seven pitches, including a two-seamer that he added to his repertoire in 2010. He pitched for Japan in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
About the Author: Rob Johnson
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Wonder how Aramis’ contract will compare to what Wright will get
Just a WAG, but close to but slightly less than Wright makes now? 3/39-41 maybe?
That being the case, Wright may actually be affordable going forward and wouldn’t fall into a true “Long” term contract. Interesting.
who cares how his contract compares to Wright’s or anybody’s for that matter.
I remember when the first thing people would talk about is how a guy like Aramis will help Milwaukee win games on the field and if the Mets were in contention that’s what i would be concerned about NOT how much money he’s making. But I guess when your team is being gutted there’s nothing else to talk about but other people’s money.
The contract talk was always there but things are compartmentalized the wrong way now. People lose their own ability to think and now like to talk more about contracts because they play follow the leader
Please stop responding. Obviously, I care.
How about any fan who is not a fan of the Yankees? Those would be the ones who care…
In other words,
Blah, blah, blah…. awwwwww shut-up.
Very Mature of you TRS86.. funny how you keep telling me to grow up and act like an adult, yet, see how many of this type post you have written today…
Alex, you must not be old enough to remember that this is a joke. It is a quote from Bugs Bunny…
That being said, you would come to me about something as innocent as that yet support your buddy who made a joke about a guys father getting ran over.
You calling out anyone for an immature post is pretty ironic. I guess it’s not immature for your God Bayonne to butt into two other people have a civil discussion with is childish remarks? You guys should start your own blog so you can talk stupid and just salute each other.
Great post Tom! Intelligent posters salute you!
And the reason this team is being gutted is b/c Sterling Mets are broke.
Sorry….but for the next few years – thanks to the Wilpons – talk about $$ will always be the first consideration. Not very hard to understand at all, unless you believe these multitude of stories on how much debt they’re in are all false.
yep looking to move Ike Davis, Jon Niese and any other young player w/potential to be a star is because ownership is broke.
Unbelievable excuse making for your god
you are so far off the mark in this case you aren’t in the same hemisphere with the god crack.
and of course it is because they are broke. If (and remember, no one has been traded, and every report is the mets are looking to hit the jackpot for any of them) they are, it is only because the team doesn’t expect to have the money to buy the missing pieces in the next couple of years, or to keep these guys around long enough to help out when the team might finally be competitive.
no one is looking to trade guys because they have star potential. If it happens, it is to get multiple pieces of the future out of 1 current piece.
trading kids that are practically rookies/prospects themselves that are under team control for what you call “prospects for the future” makes no sense whatsoever. So trading Niese & Davis, who are ‘young players for the future’ for kids a couple years younger who are prospects but with no major league experience for makes sense? So now it’s different kinds of futures? Niese & Davis are good for the present and future and you trade a future star like Ike Davis who can be the next face of the franchise you’re gonna get killed at the turnstiles even moreso. Especially if he’s cracking 40 HRs next year. He would have surpassed 30 this year if he stayed healthy.
Niese & Davis are part of the pieces of a team that is supposed to contend and make money so how does trading them for unproven prospects help the Wilpon’s financial situation? Unless there is a major acquisition for Niese I don’t see the sense in trading a young Lefty who is not far from being a prospect & had to work with a terrible catching tandem last year.
Again you’re over thinking maybe try and loosen up your bookeeper’s visor and use some baseball sense. I cannot believe the type of ridiculous baseball conversations that happen here now. Everybody is losing their minds. I think people would rather discuss finances and try to sound smart with all these new numbers crunching toys than actually try to figure what’s best to win. Trying to win in baseball is out – trying to sound intellectual is in
“yep looking to move Ike Davis, Jon Niese and any other young player w/potential to be a star is because ownership is broke.
Unbelievable excuse making for your god”
Yeah an excuse, the rest of the free world know what’s going on with ownership, but I guess you don’t, but you played the game and can evaluate talent better than anyone else right?
Do you know there is a difference between a reason and an excuse?
Wake up loser
No YOU wake up you loser,
There is no reason or excuse to move young, team controlled building blocks like Ike Davis or Jonathan Niese. Those are guys you build with, at least according to baseball the way I know it growing up and it’s no different now regardless of what you and your new legion of accountants and numbers crunchers say. They are practically rookies/prospects themselves.
If Saber Sandy does move them or attempt to than I will start buying into the notion that maybe he does want his own players and not the one that Omar put on this team. You know, the players that Sandy is piggybacking his potential success on.
But judging by the terrible way Alderson does business so far I see no success for this joke of a franchise for years to come as long as this idiot is at the helm
I’m starting to like this guy Tom.
Your constant stereotypical comments (your god) is just one of the reasons most have a hard time taking anything you say seriously. Your baseless assumptions are just really getting old, Bayonne.
..and I’m going to actually care what people like you think about my evaluation of the baseball business currently at hand? Of course not
Dontrelle is still kicking around? did not realize he had morphed into a pen arm, but I suppose if he can keep that up, he can survive as a LOOGY.
And rowand really has fallen apart. I wonder what a guy like that thinks when he hits the AAA clubhouse on opening, realizes he is worth more than everyone else in the room, is way older than all of them, and he could go sit by his pool in Hawaii and get paid 11mill for the year instead of riding the bus to Altoona?
I know, they just can never quit and hold out hope of making it back to the majors, but it still must be one heck of a culture shock!
As a LOOGY, Dontrelle is a great pickup. He doesn’t have the torque he once had, but he’s still devastating against lefty hitters. He probably can still swing the bat too.
Anyone remember DWillis hitting a GS off of Jorge Sosa (rip) then having a 2 homerun night off of OPerez and R Hernandez? All in 2006!
I was sitting field level at the game he hit a grand slam. It was depressing to say the lest
Didn’t he hit the GS off Lima?
I stand corrected – sorry. I knew it was just another bad pitcher that was brought in here to save the day, but didn’t.
Jose Lima – rip
I do feel horrible for thinking Jorge Sosa was passed……..
Honest mistake! It’s amazing that we won the division going away in 2006 when you connsider how many different starters we went through that year. Guys like Lima(RIP), Jeremy Gonzalez,Jorge Sosa,etc…We still won 97 games,great offense and great pen.
Even though he was limited to just 26.2 IP last season because of a left hamstring strain, I preferred Takashi Saito who can still pitch who signed with the D’Backs for 1.75MM instead of the overrated Jon Rauch at 3.5MM plus incentives especially after having traded for Ramon Ramirez.
I prefer a lot of people but do we know that he preferred the Mets?
Acc. to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago, Aramis signed for 3 yrs. 36MM plus a mutual option for 2015.
Acc. to Rubin, Sandy today labeled Johan a question mark for April.
I think it’s fair to say that not knowing what to expect from Santana goes without saying. Just look at the Nationals Wang road back. While you can’t say Santana will have the same setbacks you have to at least be open to the possibility it may occur.
There is a “just look at the Nationals Wang” joke in there somewhere…
I thought it was a “long and wanging road…..”
Nice.
Well, I have said ever since the surgery that Santana should be considered a question mark forever. Of course he is going to be one at this point, since they really have no idea what to expect when he ramps it up in ST.
I still say plan like he doesn’t exist, so anything he gives you is gravy.
Off Topic: Here is a quote from Daniel Murphy.
“I know the perception — I’ve been over there twice, I’ve been hurt twice,” he said. “So I’m going to have to be as comfortable around second base as I guess some would say I feel in the batter’s box.”
http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/13/alderson-works-through-mets-woes/?smid=tw-nytimesbats&seid=auto
Acc. to Rosenthal, Aramis will earn just 6MM in 2012 ( 9MM less than Wright), 10MM in 2013 and 16MM in 2014 with a 4MM buyout on a mutual option for 2015. The 2014 salary includes 6MM in deferred money.
This is the kind of thing a creative GM with a brain does to sign stars while they may be struggling somewhat with payroll but expect that payroll to become more flexible in a year or so. Lesson to be learned here.
So is it fair to say that Alderson is having yet another terrible off season making lousy moves again? Is this going to be the 2nd year in a row that he could have had better players even though the payroll is low?
Is this happening yet again? Or are there going to be a legion of stoic, robotic followers who will dispute that? I thought this was guy was supposed to be something special? Wasn’t he supposed to be very smart? Wasn’t his use of advanced statistical analysis supposed to help him get players of “value”?
Looks like he’s being outsmarted by other GMs again. Is somebody going to sit there and tell this fanbase that Sandy is having the best possible off season he can have? Or is this yet another repeat of last year?
This is the first time you’ve seen a back loaded contract? How do you think Santana and Reyes’ deals are structured?
Acc. to Jerry Crasnick, Josh Willingham has signed with the Twins.
Who needs Willingham, we have Andres Torres.