Call to the Pen - A Major League Baseball Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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According to an ESPN New York piece, the Mets could see the largest year-to-year payroll drop in Major League Baseball history.  Last season, the Mets had a payroll of about $143 million.  Adam Rubin of ESPN says that total is expected to drop to about $91 million.  A team can do a lot with $91 million.  Imagine the Tampa Bay Rays with the flexibility to spend $91 million.  Imagine Billy Beane’s Athletics spending that much year in and year out.  Imagine Kansas City, Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Washington with that type of money.

If the Mets do slash they 2012 Opening Day payroll to $91 million, they will still rank in the top half of all of baseball according to the 2011 salary figures for all 30 teams.  According to CBS Sports, there were 13 teams with payrolls over $91 million in 2011.  There were ten teams with salary totals under $70 million.  A $91 million Opening Day payroll is far from chump change.  In New York, the amount may be low.  But take New York out of the equation.  Forget about the city.  If the Mets had a General Manager who could stretch the most out of his money, a $91 million payroll could buy a championship.

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Yoennis Cespedes is now officially a free agent, and a bidding war for the Cuban native is expected to ensue.  While multiple teams have been linked to Cespedes this offseason, news came out yesterday regarding two of Yoennis’s potential suitors; the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers. Continue reading this post »

The New York Yankees search for a designated hitter has seemingly been put on hold as they’ve introduced their pair of newly acquired starting pitchers, Hiroki Kuroda and Michael Pineda.  Still, the Yankees figure to have potential bats on their radar, and Kevin Kernan of the New York Post is now reporting that New York has interest in free agent Raul Ibanez. Continue reading this post »

Yesterday we found that there are reportedly six teams in the mix for free agent starting pitcher Roy Oswalt; the Red Sox, Rangers, Cardinals, Nationals, Indians and Brewers.  While it was reported the Cardinals and Red Sox each had offers on the table for Oswalt yesterday, we now have a better idea of what Boston’s proposed deal looks like.  Meanwhile, the Rangers are still debating whether or not they have a need for Oswalt. Continue reading this post »

T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com is reporting that, according to major league sources, there is a “pretty good chance” that the Texas Rangers trade right-handed reliever Koji Uehara.  Sullivan says that the Rangers would likely receive prospects in exchange for Uehara.  The Japanese native was on the brink of being traded earlier this week, but he rejected a deal that would have sent him to the Toronto Blue Jays. Continue reading this post »

The New York Mets have had a relatively quiet offseason due to the fact that their front office is facing well documented financial constraints.  However, now that the dust has settled and many of the big-name free agents have landed, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports that the Mets are on the prowl for a bargain buy.  Crasnick tweeted yesterday that New York is in the market for a left-handed-hitting outfielder and named Johnny Damon, Kosuke Fukudome, Rick Ankiel, Raul Ibanez and Juan Pierre as possible players of interest. Continue reading this post »

After spending much of the Hot Stove season watching from the sidelines, the market for free agent starting pitcher Edwin Jackson is starting to pick up.  Yesterday we heard that the Red Sox and Orioles are eying the right-hander and it now appears that the Cardinals are also in the mix for Jackson.  Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com confirms that the Cardinals and Red Sox are keeping tabs on Jackson, while the Scott Boras client reportedly has a multi-year offer on the table from an unknown team. Continue reading this post »

Each Winter, Major League Baseball is able to captivate audiences with the Free Agent Frenzy that ensues once a World Series winner is crowned at the end of October. When others make the statement that baseball is no longer America’s favorite sport, I have a hard time believing that because when a major free agent is signed, it takes over all the airwaves, whether it’s TV, radio, or social media. I think it’s pretty safe to assume that no sport consistently gets the attention of fans in the off-season like the MLB Hot Stove does. However, when looking at the deals that the three most sought after position players received this winter (Jose Reyes, Albert Pujols, and Prince Fielder), this off-season seems unique when looking at recent years.

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Most of the yesterday’s news involving the Detroit Tigers had to do with their new free agent addition Prince Fielder.  The $214 million man was introduced, and while most focused their attention on the big man, a few had questions regarding the injury that ultimately made Fielder’s presence possible.  Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski told reporters that Victor Martinez was receiving a second opinion on his injured ACL in Colorado yesterday.  If the tear in his ACL is confirmed, Martinez is expected to undergo surgery today. Continue reading this post »

With one well known Cuban player hitting free agency, it looks like another may be poised to exit the market.  Yoennis Cespedes was declared a free agent Wednesday and the bidding is expected to begin in a big way.  Meanwhile, fellow Cuban native Gerardo Concepcion is reportedly close to signing with a major league club.  Earlier this week Concepcion’s agent told Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com that the Rangers, Yankees, Cubs and White Sox had all expressed the most interest in his client thus far. Continue reading this post »

Major League Baseball teams seem to have two very different lines of thinking when it comes to paying closers. One group emphasizes the role and spends lavishly to fill it. The other side becomes creative through the trade market or uses an in system low cost option. In my opinion, there are very few closers who deserve 8 digit salaries and fewer who deserve 4/5 year deals along with 8 digit salaries. The role of the closer is too fickle to heavily invest in. This season the divide has been especially apparent. More than a few teams have doled out huge contracts for their ninth inning man, and arguably each one was risky. Some others have fallen in line with the theory that while the role of the closer is important, the likelihood the player becomes injured or pitches poorly is too risky, and signs someone they feel is competent yet inexpensive. Continue reading this post »

Former “perfect” closer and World Series hero Brad Lidge was signed to a one-year deal worth $1 million by the Washington Nationals. The former Philadelphia Phillies closer imploded in 2009 after getting the final punchout in the World Series and was worth -0.8 WAR. Lidge has been worth exactly 0.3 WAR in the past two seasons and should be viewed as an average reliever at this point. He is injury-prone and is no longer a reliable option as a closer (Drew Storen is firmly entrenched as the closer for obvious reasons), but this deal carries no risk to it and is incentive-laden based on appearances.

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Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer is reporting that the Cleveland Indians have placed starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez Heredia, formerly known as Fausto Carmona, on their restricted list.  Heredia was arrested in his native Dominican Republic last week for using a false identity. Continue reading this post »