K-rod to test the Free Agent market this year

Rodriguez, 26, told the Los Angeles Times that the Angels "had six years. They didn't get anything done with me. If I wait six years, why not wait another 2 1/2 months?"
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What's the odds of Shapiro paying 10+ million a year for a closer? Nil?

4 months ago Toxicadam Comment 38 comments 0 recs |

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nil

by ASP on Jul 15, 2008 10:32 AM EDT 0 recs

What has higher odds, the Indians paying that mount for a closer, or regretting signing that contract in 2010?

by FredOx on Jul 15, 2008 10:50 AM EDT 0 recs

Slim and none, and Slim is packing his bags.

You know Selig? Ombudsman.

by rolub on Jul 15, 2008 11:04 AM EDT 0 recs

I think you guys are wrong. It’s unlikely the Indians would win the bidding for K-Rod, but if he could be had for a 3-year deal, I could see Shapiro putting up $10-13M per. K-Rod is an elite closer. Those guys are special.

by APV on Jul 15, 2008 11:13 AM EDT 0 recs

Yeah, I agree. I brought Rodriguez up the other day but someone ended up sharing that he wanted something like a 5 year deal at 14 per or something.

Obviously, that seems a little nuts.

by afh4 on Jul 15, 2008 11:15 AM EDT up 0 recs

that’d be the BJ Ryan model (5/47), which might be what he gets. Shapiro is not going to sign any reliever to a 5-year deal.

by APV on Jul 15, 2008 11:24 AM EDT up 0 recs

Nor should he, IMHO.

by FredOx on Jul 15, 2008 11:33 AM EDT up 0 recs

But some team probably will probably go that 5th year.

Free Andy Marte!

Pronk Needs You

by woodsmeister on Jul 15, 2008 3:12 PM EDT up 0 recs

Probably.

by odradek on Jul 15, 2008 3:39 PM EDT up 1 recs

Agreed.

I’m arguing that we should try to get him on a three year deal worth like 16 a year or a two year for 17. With a club option and full trade rights.

Is that insane? I’ve always thought more teams should pay a premium to keep years low; maybe players are just too smart to fall for this kind of deal.

by afh4 on Jul 15, 2008 11:36 AM EDT up 0 recs

i agree andrew; try to throw out flashy numbers at him, and say hey man you can make $35 million for us over 2 years and then go sign a multi-year contract from some idiot time for $60 million over 4 yours

by Gradyforpresident on Jul 15, 2008 12:10 PM EDT up 0 recs

*team

by Gradyforpresident on Jul 15, 2008 2:05 PM EDT up 0 recs

Given the potential of career-ending injury at any time, especially for a pitcher, any agent who advises his client to take a shorter deal worth more per year over a longer deal at slightly less per year is giving his client bad advice and won’t have many clients for long.

Free Andy Marte!

Pronk Needs You

by woodsmeister on Jul 15, 2008 3:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah but what’s the tipping point? How much do you have to beat the next offer by? 80% of the longer offer?

There’s some point at which the money is high enough that the player will consider it, especially if they’re durable and think it gives them a chance to get two giant contracts, not just one.

by afh4 on Jul 15, 2008 3:34 PM EDT up 0 recs

That’s absolutely right. There is a tipping point where it becomes smarter to sign the shorter deal, because of the money probably available at the end of it.

Also, there is an intrinsic value to the player in a shorter deal, in that it gives him the ability to reconsider what he wants out of his total situation — what kind of club, older or younger teammates, who looks like a contender now vs. three years from now, geography and family issues — a year or two earlier. That value is not strictly financial, but it is real value.

There is a growing trend toward deals like this, Furcal being among the obvious ones.

by Jay on Jul 15, 2008 4:59 PM EDT up 0 recs

I would argue the agents are too smart

by Roger Dorn on Jul 15, 2008 12:55 PM EDT up 0 recs

I thought Shapiro was close to singing Ryan prior to Toronto giving him more money, (or was it an extra year? In either case Shapiro wasn’t that far off in what he offered to Ryan and what Ryan accepted from Toronto

by hans on Jul 15, 2008 3:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

I really don’t think Shapiro could have been offering an extra (6th) year. More money ($10M+/year) maybe.

by APV on Jul 15, 2008 3:37 PM EDT up 0 recs

No, he was saying that Toronto threw in that fourth year. I believe Shapiro was offering a similar AAV.

by Jay on Jul 15, 2008 5:00 PM EDT up 0 recs

i agree. they went after bj ryan and hoffman, and K Rod is younger, healthier and in his prime

by Gradyforpresident on Jul 15, 2008 12:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

The Indians signed Wickman to a 3-year contract for $15.9M before 2002.

They would be willing to at least double that for K-Rod 7 years later. The question is how high would they go to get him. Part of it will depend on how competitive they expect to be in 2009.

by palcal on Jul 15, 2008 3:16 PM EDT 0 recs

you guys. we don’t need k-rod. we have masa.

by Brick. on Jul 15, 2008 3:41 PM EDT 0 recs

Just think, for the money we would spend on K-rod, we can get a bullpen full of declining Japanese relievers.

by Toxicadam on Jul 15, 2008 3:49 PM EDT up 2 recs

And that right there is the whole dilemma of the smart, low-budget team.

by Jay on Jul 15, 2008 5:01 PM EDT up 0 recs

Anyone concerned about his declining K/9 rate? or his K/BB?

(IP, K/9, K/BB)
2006: 73, 12.08, 3.50
2007: 67, 12.03, 2.68
2008: 42, 8.79, 1.58

by gte619n on Jul 15, 2008 5:40 PM EDT 0 recs

Concerned, meaning aware that he’s not as dominant as he was? Yes.

Concerned, meaning worried that 8.79 K/9 isn’t good enough? No.

by Jay on Jul 15, 2008 6:08 PM EDT up 0 recs

It’s the K/BB that’d scare me off a little. I mean, heck, I bed Ferd had a pretty sick K/9

by gte619n on Jul 16, 2008 2:21 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah … you know something, ask me again at the end of the season. His walk rates are rising in a worrying way, but it seems to me that he’s somewhat a pitcher in transition, possibly nibbling a little and more pitching to contact. He’s been so effective, though, it’s hard to believe that he lost a ton of stuff and happened to get extremely lucky at the same time. Worth deeper consideration.

by Jay on Jul 16, 2008 5:55 PM EDT up 0 recs

agree. I imagine we’ll look at this again after we get some KRod $60m/4 year Dolan-is-cheap commentary out of the PD.

by gte619n on Jul 16, 2008 9:00 PM EDT up 0 recs

He was hurt earlier. An ankle sprain, or something? But maybe he is enough of a headcase to be unhappy about his contract status. The quote sure makes him sound that way.

by odradek on Jul 15, 2008 10:11 PM EDT up 0 recs

Lemme see, aren’t the Yankees gonna be lookin’ for a closer pretty soon? Mariano ain’t gettin’ any younger. My guess is they might be able to out bid us.

Resident LGT beer kinda sewer

by mauichuck on Jul 16, 2008 11:20 AM EDT 0 recs

he may not be getting younger, but he’s not getting any worse either. have you looked at his numbers from this season?

by APV on Jul 16, 2008 11:29 AM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah … incredible … the bastard is having a career year at age 38.

I would worry about the Yankees swooping in if Mariano weren’t signed through 2010 and totally dominating. I can’t see the Yankees asking Mo to setup for K-Rod, and I can’t see K-Rod agreeing to setup for Mo. For a few months in a pennant drive, maybe, but not for a year, let alone two years.

by Jay on Jul 16, 2008 5:57 PM EDT up 0 recs

I hate the Yankees. But I can’t help appreciate Rivera and hope that MLB somday names a top reliever award after him (even though the “Rolaids Rivera Reliever Award” doesn’t have a good ring to it).

by APV on Jul 16, 2008 6:00 PM EDT up 0 recs

and did anyone else see the clip from the All-Star game of Rivera, Halladay and Kazmir talking about different baseball grips? what I wouldn’t give to have stuck Sowers in on that conversation.

by APV on Jul 16, 2008 6:03 PM EDT up 0 recs

I don’t think it’s the grip-it that evades Sowers, it’s the rip-it.

Steel Nick

by nickjs21 on Jul 16, 2008 7:39 PM EDT up 0 recs

Rivera: 42.3 IP, 384 ERA+, 0.638 WHIP, 10.55 K/9, 0.84 BB/9
K-Rod: 42.0 IP, 175 ERA+, 1.262 WHIP, 8.79 K/9, 5.57 BB/9

by FredOx on Jul 16, 2008 11:47 AM EDT 0 recs

Also, per PitchFX, Rivera’s velocity is almost exactly the same in 2008 as it was in 2007 (93.98 vs. 94.04). the yankees are not your competition for five years of K-Rod.

by FredOx on Jul 16, 2008 11:52 AM EDT up 0 recs