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Around Baseball: Desperate Mets Overpay For K-Rod; O’s Ship C Hernandez To Reds
By Administrator | December 10, 2008
The New York Mets and record-setting closer Francisco Rodriguez have agreed on a three-year, $37 million contract… the deal is pending a physical (scheduled to take place in NYC tomorrow) and some dotting of i’s and crossing of t’s.
The deal contains numerous incentives, including a vesting provision for a fourth year (for somewhere in the $13 million range).
Mets GM Omar Minaya said: “I feel good where we are today, compared to where we were yesterday. I’m going to stay positive, but total completion of the deal is when everything is signed, sealed and delivered, and (right now) we continue to have dialogue. That’s the best I can tell you”.
Rodriguez, known as “K-Rod”, broke the major league single-season saves record in 2008 with 62, breaking the record previously established by ChiSox closer Bobby Thigpen (57, 1990).
K-Rod had expected a huge payday after his record-setting effort, but a glut of free agent closers (Fuentes, Hoffman, Wood) and the dismal economic conditions forced him to settle for less. Rather than a five-year deal in the Mariano Rivera stratosphere ($15 million per season), he settled for three years plus an option.
But with that said, it is very possible that Minaya has once again made a bad investment. He was reactionary in signing Pedro Martinez and Billy Wagner to big-money deals — two players who were considered injury risks. And now he appears to have been reactionary in signing Rodriguez, another player who is considered to be a significant injury risk.
It is interesting to note that both Martinez and Wagner DID suffer injuries while under contract with the Metropolitans — the latter injury having placed Minaya in the current predicament that required him to shop for Rodriguez.
As for his new closer, Minaya has rolled the dice once again — whether it be based on injury-risk or declining performance. I know, it’s an ironic observation to make in consideration of the fact K-Rod just set the single-season saves record, but look beyond the numbers and it is a salient observation. His velocity has been in decline for the last couple of years. He has added a changeup to his arsenal while reducing the use of his best pitch, a sharp slider, that was his out pitch in the early years of his career. As he has abandoned the slider he experienced a decline in his strikeout rate (from 33.1% in 2006 to 26.7% in 2008).
The drop in velocity and the violence in his delivery make him an injury risk (a la B.J. Ryan). Further, Rodriguez was limited to a maximum of one inning in 2008, in part due to those injury concerns — a factor which ultimately limits his value to the Mets.
Many pundits believe that K-Rod would have been looking at something south of $10 million per year if the Mets had signed someone like Hoffman or Wood, as the Mets and Angels are the only BIG-market teams in desperate need of a closer. Thus, it appears Minaya had a hammer at his disposal he could have used to keep the AAV (average annual value) of the Rodriguez contract in check. But, as in the case of Martinez and Wagner, it appears Omar blinked early and paid out money he should have been able to save.
Preliminary statistical analysis indicates that K-Rod will be worth three more wins in 2009 than the Mets in-house options. Twelve million dollars for three more wins. Four million dollars per win.
It’s a good thing Minaya works for a BIG-market team.
But he had no closer… and the team is opening a new ballpark in 2009… and the Yankees are in a position where they may make a BIG splash in free agency. So I guess Minaya thought he had to make a splash.
It says here this deal may turn out to be another Minaya belly flop.
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The Baltimore Orioles have shipped catcher Ramon Hernandez to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for utilityman Ryan Freel and two minor leaguers, infield prospects Justin Turner and Brandon Waring. As part of the deal, Baltimore will give Cincinnati some cash to offset part of Hernandez’s contract ($8.5 million in 2009).
The Orioles are known to have been shopping Hernandez for several weeks so that they could clear an opportunity for blue-chip prospect Matt Wieters.
Hernandez was a back-up plan for the Red Sox in case the club failed to re-sign free agent Jason Varitek… he is the second fall-back option that has been removed from play in the last few days (Texas catcher Gerald Laird was traded to Detroit over the weekend). [NOTE: as options disappear, Varitek's position is strengthened and the Red Sox become more susceptible to Scott Boras' contract demands]
Hernandez hit .257, with 15 home runs and 65 RBI in 133 games last season… but he improved as the season progressed, hitting .285 after the All-Star break.
The Orioles want to bring catching prospect Matt Wieters to the major leagues — possibly as soon as Opening Day ‘09 — and knew Hernandez wouldn’t want a part-time role. MacPhail said: “Given where our franchise is, we understand that our future is probably with Matt”.
Freel provides the O’s with depth and a quality right-handed bat. He is a .272 career hitter, and is well-regarded for his hustle. He was limited to 48 games (26 starts) last season due to a hamstring problem that required surgery on July 23rd (he missed the final 103 games of the season).
He has played all three outfield positions during his seven-year career, in addition to third base and second base.
Topics: Around Baseball |
