2010 Hot Stove

Couple of copy and paste from ESPN Insider:

The Philadelphia Phillies would like to re-sign Jayson Werth but aren't sitting around and waiting out the situation, just as GM Ruben Amaro planned. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports Wednesday that The Phillies have been discussing a trade with the Chicago White Sox that would bring Carlos Quentin to Philly where he'd presumably replace Werth in the lineup.

The club's aggressiveness when it comes to retaining or replacing Werth suggests they are not willing to hand Domonic Brown the starting job right out of the gate next spring, or that they are planning on finding a taker, some how, for left fielder Raul Ibanez who is entering the final year of a three-year deal that will pay him $10 million in 2011.

The White Sox have been linked to both Adam Dunn and Hideki Matsui this month, and are said to want to re-sign Paul Konerko, so their bases may be covered, at least as far as their plan is concerned.

It's no secret the Boston Red Sox have put a high priority on retaining third baseman Adrian Beltre, but they won't be offering a blank check.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe cites one source who says the Bosox will go no more than four years, $52 million for Beltre and they appear to be on the same type of path with Victor Martinez.

Beltre's agent, Scott Boras, is expected to meet with Red Sox GM Theo Epstein at the GM meetings, if he hasn't done so already. At first glance, it appears Boras will be looking for bigger dollars, especially since Beltre is coming off a stellar season.

But the above facts didn't stop the Athletics from offering Beltre a 5-year deal, according to a Dominican news source. ESPNDeportes.com reports the offer is for $64 million, which is basically what Beltre received six years ago when he left Los Angeles for Seattle.
We mentioned Tuesday that Beltre would be a perfect fit for the Los Angeles Angels, but ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney warns that Boras may be at odds with the suits in Anaheim. "The Angels haven't gotten into a whole lot of give-and-take negotiations in recent years -- and Boras is the ultimate give-and-take agent," Olney writes. "In recent years, there seems to have been a split between the Angels and Boras. We'll see if that's a factor."

 

I don't think Werth will return to Philly.

 

nope

 

It's sounding like Jeter is over pricing himself. Even the Yankees are not going to give him 4 or 5 years at 20-25M.

 

Jeter ought to be breaking in their offices and signing that contract. 23-25 mil a season for 4 years based on last years numbers?

 

Rockies have locked in Tulo for the next decade. Wow what a deal

 

Is Cliff Lee a make or break acquisition for the Yankees?

 

He is because they have made too many bad deals in the past (see: AJ Burnett) etc. CC and Hughes are solid but after that ?????? Boston has gotten much better on offense and they already had a better, deeper rotation than the Yankees.

 

Yep. Boston's going to be better. Also, nobody knows whats going to happen with the Rays. They've lost Crawford, and there's talk that Garza may be traded to the Cubs or elsewhere. The Rays management seems to think they've got players in their system who can step right in. It's going to an interesting year in the AL East.

 

It'll never happen but.........

Could Cliff Lee rejoin the Phillies?

There is a chance.

I'm not sure how great that chance is, but sources confirmed reports today the Phillies are a legitimate suitor in the Lee sweepstakes. The Phillies almost certainly are offering less money than the Yankees and Rangers, but here is the 'X' factor: Lee absolutely enjoyed his time in Philadelphia in 2009 and in the past has indicated to teammates he would like to rejoin the organization.

But does he love Philadelphia enough to leave millions of dollars on the table?

"All I can say is I'm not going to comment either way," Ruben Amaro Jr. said tonight of the reports.

The Phillies have nearly $150 million committed to 17 players next season, so they would need to clear payroll for Lee. A source said the Phillies have been shopping Joe Blanton in recent days. The source said the Phillies would be willing to eat some of Blanton's salary to foster a trade. He is owed $17 million over the next two seasons.

(The Tigers are a team looking for back end rotation help, although it's unclear how much salary they would take on.)

The source also said the Phillies have been gauging team's interest in Kyle Kendrick and Raul Ibanez, who makes $11.5 million this season before becoming a free agent.

Lee was stunned last December when the Phillies traded him to Seattle. He did not want to leave, but at the time Lee's agent indicated he would be incredibly difficult to sign to an extension. So the Phillies acquired Roy Halladay, who signed a club-friendly, three-year, $60 million contract to leave Toronto, and shipped Lee to the Mariners for three prospects.