Daily Archives: January 10, 2010
John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer says the deal is done, and six years will be guaranteed to Chapman, with the payout stretching even longer, and the deal will be announced tomorrow.
Update, 3:44 pm:
Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports says the Reds were going after Chapman “like crazy” and ultimately had to outbid the Angels, Marlins, and Blue Jays, and in a post to Twitter, he says the Reds could decline the 2011 options for Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang to help pay for Chapman’s contract.
…or, they might end up trading them for either low cost, Major League-ready talent, or prospects to try and get something for them…
On Friday, Jon Heyman of SI.com said the Blue Jays bid around $20 million, and the Nationals, Marlins, A’s, Red Sox, and Angels were all players in the sweepstakes as well.
Update, 3:16 pm:
According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, in speaking with Chapman, the contract is still unsigned but the deal could be for as long as ten years.
Update, 2:38 pm:
According to Jeff Blair of the Toronto Globe and Mail, “Aroldis Chapman to the Reds is done” and he has agreed to a five year, $30 million deal.
…it’s a lot of money to commit to an unknown, although with Chapman in the mix, the Reds now have a good group of young players, such as Joey Votto, and Jay Bruce under control for a long time…i also wonder if this financial commitment to Chapman opens the door for Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang to be traded as well, along with possibly Brandon Phillips…
In a post to Mets Police, Shannon Shark asks: “Who are the five greatest Mets?”
Shannon lists Tom Seaver, Keith Hernandez, Dwight Gooden, Jerry Koosman and Lee Mazilli.
Shannon left Mike Piazza off the list, just to generate a reaction.
…so, i’m assuming, Shannon, that you feel Piazza belongs on the list…i would have to say, when i think about the five greatest Mets, Seaver, Piazza and Hernandez come to mind, but also Gary Carter who besides Seaver, i idolized as a child…i also think about Darryl Strawberry, probably over Gooden although i thought Gooden was just unreal between 1984-1986….
To follow Shannon on Twitter, click here.
Joe Frisaro of MLB.com says this week, the Marlins will meet with Matt Sosnick, the agent for RHP Josh Johnson.
According to Frisaro, movement towards a contract extension for Johnson is dependent on the Marlins guaranteeing four years.
…i’m not sure where this is headed at this point in time, but i think Johnson is headed back to arbitration or will settle for a one year deal again, which could be good for him because he can go on another one year deal, and if he has another lights out season, he will only command that much more either in arbitration or a long term contract…
Johnson is arbitration eligible and Frisaro thinks he will earn about $4.2 million in 2010, after earning $1.4 million and going 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA in 209 innings with Florida in 2009.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe caught up with free agent outfielder Johnny Damon, and Damon, who earned $13 million in 2009, told Cafardo he proposed a $10 million per year deal to the Yankees, but they were thinking more along the lines of a $6 – $7 million per year deal, and he is not willing to take that kind of pay cut.
With regards to the Yankees, Damon told Cafardo:
“I don’t know. I haven’t had any conversations with them recently. Nothing would surprise me, but there’s nothing there right now…I’m just kind of going on with my life. I haven’t made a lot of appearances in the offseason like I did after we won in ’04 with the Red Sox. I’m just trying to get in the best shape possible and see where that takes me.’’
…yeah Johnny, except for that bizarre WWE showing you made a couple of weeks ago…
Damon might be interested in joining the Braves, as, when asked if they might be a fit, Damon said that would be “great” but also noted:
“I’m wide open. There are a handful of teams who, in my opinion, could win and I’d like to see what kind of availability there would be with those clubs.’’
…there was some buzz in december that the Mets might consider Damon if they were unable to land either Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, but no matter what the case may be, i’m happy he isn’t coming to Flushing…
…i don’t see Atlanta as a fit at all for him considering they don’t seem to be looking to add that much to their payroll at the moment, and his inability to throw the baseball from the outfield could be a big problem in such a big ballpark…at this point, he is best suited to be a DH in a hitters park, because i believe his numbers were inflated playing in the short porch of both the old and new Yankee Stadiums, and that’s why i believe that, eventually, he will end up back in the Bronx for somewhere between his proposal and the Yankees proposal…it’s not to say he isn’t a good guy to have in the clubhouse because i think he has a great personality, but his market is going to be paper thin considering he is a defensive liability…
The 36 year old Damon is a two time World Champion, and a lifetime .288 hitter with 207 home runs and 996 RBI spanning 15 seasons with the Royals, A’s, Red Sox, and Yankees.
Since joining the Yankees in 2006, Damon has played in 576 games, and has hit .285 with 77 home runs and 296 RBI.
Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers have agreed to sign former Padres and Cardinals SS Khalil Greene to a one year contract.
According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, the deal is worth $750,000 and he will serve as their utility infielder.
Greene, 30, hit just .200 with six home runs and 24 RBI in 77 games with St. Louis in 2009, and in 2008 with San Diego, he hit just .213 with ten home runs and 35 RBI in 105 games.
