If that is true then the first offer he got was a nice raise for him, and at age 36. He went from 1.5 to 2.75, with an option. On the surface it looks like Oakland valued him more than the rest of the league, at that age I wouldn't expect much of a raise for a platoon/reserve/bench guy. I agree with the Ellis fail, his option was fairly expensive at 5.75 (he signed for half a mill less) but it was a good insurance policy to hold on to. Ellis to me was the quintessential hard nosed ball player, a gamer. As far as Skippy, I was never a big fan, he was ok I guess.
Is Jamey Carroll available? He'd be a nice filler after the Punto, Ellis, Schu misses. These are just reminders that Ned is still roaming the halls of Blue Heaven on Earth.
^ yup, washington Nationals To Sign Jamey CarrollBy Steve Adams [January 9, 2014 at 12:25pm CST]The Nationals have agreed to terms with Jamey Carroll according to Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish (Twitter link). Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that it's a minor league contract (also via Twitter) Carroll is represented by Millennium Sports.Carroll, 40 next month, batted just .211/.267/.251 for the Twins and Royals last season but collected his 1,000th Major League hit along the way. He's just one year removed from a .268/.343/.317 batting line with solid defense at three infield positions for the 2012 Twins. Carroll can help to fill the utility infield role that was formerly filled by Steve Lombardozzi. The Nationals included Lombardozzi in the trade that netted them Doug Fister from the Tigers.This will be Carroll's second stint in a Nationals jersey. The Indiana native was drafted by the Expos in the 14th round of the 1996 draft and made his big league debut with the Expos in 2002. Carroll was still with the organization when it jumped to Washington, appearing in 113 games for the Nationals in their inaugural season. Carroll has never had power -- he has just 13 career homers -- but he has a solid defensive reputation at three positions and a patient approach at the plate. He has a 9.7 percent career walk rate and is a career .272/.349/.338 hitter in 4,225 plate appearances.ESPN's Jerry Crasnick first reported that Carroll was nearing a deal with an unknown team (on Twitter), and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reported that the Nationals and Indians were in the mix (Twitter link). __
I believe Punto went to Oakland to be close to his wife and kids. He called the Dodgers before they had a chance to offer and said something along the lines of "I'm doing what's best for my family"
ok, gaddamnit...NOW we're talking. Bonafacio's numbers after getting to KC were back to where they were when he was on top of his game. this motherfucker basically plays every position outside of 1B and catcher. a switch hitter ( we need another MLB-level lefty bat), has great speed and takes bases, a good glove pretty much everywhere, good arm, and at his best he can do .285/.350-ish obp. he's still only 28 as well, so he fits the " get younger " movement. fits our club house as well. this needs to happen. i want Guerrero to succeed...i do, but this isn't just about Guerrero. Bonafacio can give us insurance basically everywhere and be a regular starter if need be at all those positions. we need to beat the Yankees on this one...this one is a real need for us. if it were up to me...goodbye, Dre. farewell. now, i don't know how Bonafacio would cope with being pegged as a " utility guy ", but i'd be willing to find out. he can go to sleep knowing that at some point he'll be starting a bunch of games in a row though. Ned...you son of a bitch...if you get this one you get a free pass for a year.
In the next five days, the Dodgers will likely sign a utility infielder to a minor-league deal, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets.
sub in the word " trade " for " sign " and boom. perfect. lol no, but this is it. most insiders have been saying all along that LAD would more than likely deal Ethier over Kemp...and that more than likely it'd happen as we get closer to the season. well, here we are...February is here. this is the deal. Bonafacio brings too much upside and helps at too many positions to pass up. get him in early, so he can get to Arizona and get to know everybody (other than Hanley who he likely knows very well). and i don't wanna here any excuses from Ned...none of that " well, we were spending a bunch of time on Hanley's deal and we couldn't..." no. shut it. you were working on CK's deal and bidding on Tanaka at the same time. no excuses. this is a prime fit.
Former NBA Star McGrady Eyeing Baseball CareerBy Aaron Steen [February 1, 2014 at 9:31pm CST]Seven-time NBA All-Star Tracy McGrady is aiming to pitch in professional baseball, FOX 26 reports. Still a relatively young 34, McGrady has been training with Diamondbacks pro scout Scipio Spinks and will look to catch on with the independent league Sugar Land Skeeters for the 2014 season.Spinks says McGrady is currently throwing in the 85-86 MPH range, disputing earlier reports that the former NBA scoring champion had surpassed 90 MPH. However, he adds that McGrady's slider, which took him "five minutes" to learn, is a "true slider" with "good break on it." McGrady can also command the baseball to both sides of the plate with ease, he comments, and may reach the 90s with practice. "If the season starts tomorrow Tracy McGrady will be able to pitch on that Skeeters team," Spinks says. McGrady is training at Constellation Field, the Skeeters' home park.Roger Clemens has also given instruction to McGrady, the Houston Chronicle's Jose de Jesus Ortiz reports. Clemens, currently a special assistant with the Astros, says McGrady "[isn't] there yet" and needs the opportunity to throw to live hitters. __
The Royals have designated infielder Emilio Bonifacio for assignment, according to a team release. The move clears space on the Royals' roster for Bruce Chen. Bonifacio, who will be 29 in April, hit .243/.295/.331 in 461 plate appearances divided between the Royals and Blue Jays in 2013. Not elite. Pretty nice glove. Can play almost everywhere. I say grab him as insurance. http://www.baseball-reference.com/p...urce=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.typepad.com
Also likely in the next 5 days, it will rain/snow somewhere in Canada and some people in Colorado will buy pot.
Kenley Jansen isn't worried about being the last arbitration case for the Dodgers, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times. "I leave all that to my agent," says Jansen. "I know what my No. 1 goal is, and that’s to get ready for the season." Jansen filed for $5.05MM, and the Dodgers countered with $3.5MM. Jansen mentions that he is excited that three former closers -- Brandon League, Brian Wilson and the newly-signed Chris Perez -- will join him in the Dodgers' bullpen. __
Breaking News: Dodgers sign UTL IF Justin Turner. Turner has experience at 2B and 3B, he also OPS at .704 last season. He is not a great player, but he is the type of guy this team needed for IF depth.
