A smattering of notes to help pass the time here in the early stages of the offseason...
* I've heard rumors floating around for a while that the Twins have some interest in free agent Tony Clark as a designated hitter candidate, and on Friday La Velle E. Neal III confirmed those rumors on his blog. Clark is 35 and has not had more than 349 at-bats in a season since 2001, so he's hardly an option as a regular, but he's at least mildly intriguing as a part-time DH option.
Like Craig Monroe, Clark has some power but lacks on-base skills. He's gotten on base at an above-average rate exactly once in the past five years, but he did slug .511 last year and in 2005 he hit .304/.366/.636 with 30 home runs and 87 RBI over 130 games.
He's reported to be looking for deal in the area of two years, $4 million. That sounds like something the Twins could afford.
* The Star Tribune's resident geezer, Sid Hartman, wrote in Sunday's edition that the Twins have offered Johan Santana a five-year deal worth $93 million. Considering the source, I'm hesitant to give this bit of news much credence, but in any case it seems like a logical starting point for negotiations from the Twins' perspective. There's little doubt that Santana would reject such an offer, but it's far from an insult.
* I heard rumors from people with "inside sources" last week that Torii Hunter was going to be signing a six-year deal with the Rangers on Friday. Obviously those rumors were false because such a deal never materialized; nevertheless, I continue to believe that Hunter will eventually end up in Texas. Such a deal would make sense, considering the Rangers' history of handing out foolishly lengthy contracts (see: Rodriguez, Alex).
Monday, November 19, 2007
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4 comments:
I'm not sure it was the length of A-Rod's contract that was foolish.
Obviously the money was ridiculous as well, but I find it absurd to hand anyone a contract for 10 years, no matter how great the player may be.
True. For everybody of A-Rod's caliber who continued to stay great there's a few that saw a sharp decline at some point and were no longer worth the money. Contract extensions are where it's at.
If Torii has to stay in the AL, I can live with him at Texas. Chicago would be hard to take.
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