Rays May Have Helped Red Sox Save Money
It was 41 years ago today that Johnny Cash performed live at Folsom Prison. So the iPod will be all Johnny Cash, all day. But if listening to too much Johnny Cash seems depressing, worry not. Today is also Rubber Duckie's Birthday! Too much information?DEVIL DOGS WEBTOPIA...
- Rob Neyer agrees that a healthy Jason Bartlett will be much better in 2009 which should help the Rays avoid the "Plexiglass Principle." [ESPN]
- And the Baseball Crank delivers what we have been looking for. Pre-injury and post-injury defensive splits for Jason Bartlett. It is not an exact split, but Bartlett's Zone Rating was .859 in late May. His Revised Zone Rating for the entire season was .807 (6th in AL). This suggests that his rating from June on was well below .800. [Baseball Crank]
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe says the Pat Burrell contract will likely save the Red Sox money as they attempt to sign Jason Bay to a long-term deal. [Boston Globe]
- Marc Topkin has some quotes from Gabe Kapler on his signing and notes that Kapler could play center field if BJ Upton is not ready to start the season. [St. Pete Times]
- In the same piece, Marc Topkin notes that the Rays are negotiating with their 5 arbitration-eligible players and Andrew Friedman with the team's self-imposed January 20 deadline looming. Friedman sounds confident that all 5 players will have new contracts prior to the deadline. [St. Pete Times]
- Gabe Kapler's 2009 salary will not be $1,000,018 as previously reported. It will just be an even $1 million. [The Heater]
- David Chalk at Bugs and Cranks continues his countdown of the top 177 Devil Rays of all time. Today we are at #172. [Bugs and Cranks]
Labels: Andrew Friedman, BJ Upton, Gabe Kapler, Jason Bartlett is looking for glove, Jason Bay, Pat Burrell
posted by The Professor at 10:30 AM
1 Comments:
I think the Red Sox hoping to save money on Jason Bay due to the Pat Burrell signing is wishful thinking on their part. Bay's agent is (hopefully) not an idiot, so why would he try to get an extension done now when 1) the market for corner OFs is at its very lowest and 2) when Bay would be the best or second best free agent corner OF (depending on Matt Holliday) after the season? The Yankees will have Damon, Matsui, and possibly Nady (not as sure about that one) coming off the books after this season, and the Mets look to be in the market for a corner OF as well. All the corner OFs this offseason had pretty large question marks (or outright negatives), which will not be the case with Bay and Holliday.
With the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox (Braves and White Sox as well?) all having big needs for quality corner OFs, Bay and Holliday should be just fine. I guess there's a lot to be said for Bay liking Boston and playing for a contender, but signing now for anything less than $15 million per year would be leaving a lot of money on the table if you ask me.
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