I don’t know how many of you regularly read the site “The Business of Baseball”, but they post some great stories over there. There was one posted this evening which I found rather fascinating. It’s about television territories and how it affects expansion & relocation. You always hear some teams whining (Angelos & Orioles, the Giants) about their territories. This article goes into that a bit in detail.
They also have a map which shows where each team’s rights go. If I’m reading that map right, the Rangers own rights into New Mexico? That seems a bit far away. Check it out, it’s a good read.
Raffy wants back in
Saw this little blurb today up on the Boston Globe website.
According to a friend of Palmeiro, the former Cubs, Orioles, and Rangers star wants to return to baseball even after the embarrassing events of 2005. Palmeiro, the highest-profile player ever to test positive for steroids, feels he’s done the time and should be able to return. On Aug. 1, 2005, Palmeiro was suspended 10 games. He returned to the Orioles after the suspension but was out of baseball all of last year. The Cuban-born Palmeiro, 42, feels he can still hit.
Apparently Rafael Palmeiro doesn’t feel like he’s finished, and wants to make a comeback. I wonder who would have him? I’m sure the Rangers wouldn’t. I’m not up on the Orioles situation, but I’m not sure they’d want that headache, either. Guilty or not, there’s a stigma around him now too. It’s still a sad way for him to end his career. I wish that hadn’t happened. Oh well.
I envision him like he was in this old Rangers TV commercial, knocking on the clubhouse door saying “Let me in!”
What do you think? Do you think Raffy should come back, and if he did, who do you think would be interested? My gut feeling is that he will probably try, but I have no idea who would want to take a shot on him.
Gotta love this
Jerry Hairston Re-Signed
It’s the signing of the off-season! Screw that Zito deal in SF – this is the biggest one yet! The Rangers re-signed Jerry Hairston Jr to a 1 year minor league contract with an invite to spring training. (Link)
I hope they’re starting to print the World Series Tickets already.
Hairston
- IF Jerry Hairston Jr signed to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training [ Link ]
46 Days to go
46 days to go until Ranger pitchers and catchers are to report (Sat Feb 17th).
Zito to Giants
The Giants just trumped everyone, pulling a Hicks/Arod move and outbidding everyone by a wide margin apparently. Zito has agreed to a deal with the Giants for seven years on Wednesday evening. It’s a 7 year deal for $126 million with an option eighth. Largest contract ever for a pitcher, that’s for sure. According to the story:
Zito’s agreement, reached late Wednesday night, includes an $18 million option for 2014 with a $7 million buyout that could increase the value to $137 million. The option would become guaranteed if Zito pitches 200 innings in 2013, 400 combined over 2012 and 2013 or 600 combined from 2011-13.
Well, at least he won’t be pitching in Arlington anymore with that 11-1 record, unless it’s in the playoffs or interleague anymore. That part is good.
It’s also good that this money is not spent, so it could be used for Mike Young and Mark Teixeira. I expect it will take those kinds of numbers to resign Teixeira, especially with Boor-Ass as his agent. I know the Rangers have said that signing Zito wouldn’t have stopped them, but you have to think re-signing them has been made easier with that money not being paid to Zito on payroll day.
This all makes the deals signed by Padilla & Millwood look like a bargain, eh? :)
Danks, Masset to White Sox for McCarthy
Sat down after putting my daughter down for a nap, and got a flash from the Dallas Morning news saying this..
According to two Rangers sources, the club has agreed to send top pitching prospect John Danks, the team’s No. 1 pick in 2003, and reliever Nick Masset to the Chicago White Sox for 23-year-old hard-throwing right-hander Brandon McCarthy. Both teams will also exchange low-level minor leaguers.
There is an article online at the DMN; as these things break, online DMN articles tend to be updated, so you may want to check back again there in a little.
Danks AND Masset, eh? That’s a high price for McCarthy. Yikes. I know McCarthy is good, but he’ll now be known as the guy who cost us Danks, so he had better deliver.
UPDATE: TR Sullivan’s blog now has a story on this trade. TR says the full trade list is: John Danks, Nick Masset, & P Jacob Rasner to White Sox for Brandon McCarthy & OF David Paisano. Don’t know Rasner & Paisano myself, I know the other guys. This will be big, and a lot of discussion will follow shortly, I’m sure.
UPDATE 2: The Rangers site has a story up now, but it’s mostly the same thing that’s on TR’s blog (as he writes the Rangers site too).
UPDATE 3: I went to the White Sox site to see if their reporter had anything yet. They had not as of 1:50PM Saturday. However, they had posted an article earlier this morning on McCarthy getting his Christmas wish about being put into the rotation. I bet you he thought it was going to be in Chicago, not Arlington. Go check out the article, it has a lengthy interview with McCarthy about a wide range of topics.
UPDATE 4: An article is up on chicagosports.com about the trade. Check it out.
UPDATE 5: The White Sox fan site Sox Machine has an update on the trade. They seem as stunned as Ranger fans are about losing Danks.
If you have something to say, please feel free to add a comment here.
Remaining Free Agents
Saw a cool post today with all the remaining free agents out there as of today. Now I know some of these are in the process of signing (JD Drew, Bonds), and a couple (Radke, Kapler) have retired. I wonder what kind of team I can put together with this list. This will be an interesting mish-mash, I’m sure. This also assumes the guys would be healthy, as I know at least one of my choices has some health questions going into 2007 (assuming they get a job).
C – Sandy Alomar, Jr
1B – Shea Hillenbrand
2B – Ronnie Belliard
3B – Aubrey Huff
SS – Tomas Perez
LF – Barry Bonds
CF – Darin Erstad
RF – Shannon Stewart
DH – Phil Nevin
Bench: Miguel Cairo (IF), Doug Mientkiewicz (1B), Todd Greene (C), Mark Loretta (IF), Ricky Ledee (OF)
SP – Barry Zito
SP – Roger Clemens
SP – Tony Armas Jr
SP – Steve Trachsel
SP – Jeff Weaver
RP – Eddie Guardardo
RP – Matt Herges
RP – Danny Kolb
RP – Mike DeJean
RP – Arthur Rhodes
CL – Keith Foulke
Hey, Fernando Tatis is still out there! :)
Rod Barajas
In a bit of good news for the Rangers, it appears Rod Barajas has signed a one year deal with the Phillies.
This is a good move for the Phillies, as they have some stud kid catchers, but they’re not mature enough to handle the full time job. So a one year is good for the Phillies in that regard, as Carlos Ruiz and a kid with the last name of Jaramillo are apparently the (somewhat near) future.
This is a good move for the Rangers, as it puts to rest that rumour from a few days back that the Rangers were thinking of brining him back. While I liked Rod when he was here (my fav moment was that home run to beat the Yankees at home – I was there), I felt it was time to part. Laird deserves the job, and we don’t need him back as a backup, nor do I think he’d want that.
This is a bad move for Rod Barajas, as he… well… He probably screwed himself with the deal in Toronto, that was probably a better deal in terms of years and stature, I would think. As much of a Phillies fan as I am, I would think it would have been better for Rod in Toronto. Of course, I’m just a guy at a keyboard in Garland Texas, I’m not the actual player. :)
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