SB Nation - Adrian Beltre

Thursday Bird Droppings

Camden Chat — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:00:24 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

Farewell, Mr. Ray, and thanks for all the ~~hair weaves~~ ~~fish~~ ~~dingers~~ saves.

There's a billion articles on the web about the Millwood-for-Ray trade, and lots of discussion here at Camden Chat.

In other news,

The Rangers have agreed to terms with Rich Harden and are close to a deal with the Red Sox that would give them Mike Lowell for minor league catcher Max Ramirez. The Sox are in the mix for Adrian Beltre to replace Lowell at third. Andy Pettitte re-signed with the Yankees for a year. The Brewers bagged Randy Wolf and LaTroy Hawkins. The Astros got closer Matt Lindstrom in a trade with Florida, and are close to signing closer Brandon Lyon. And the Blue Jays are again taking the Orioles sloppy seconds as they signed the car jumping wonder Joey Gathright.

The Mets asked why the world was passing them by.

Florida Marlins: Giants cooling, Orioles warming on Uggla?
"The Orioles aren't going to move Chris Tillman or Brian Matusz, but they might consider parting with prospects like Jake Arrieta, David Hernandez, Jason Berken or Zach Britton. Two from that group probably nets them Uggla." Two out of that group? For Dan Uggla? Pass. -duck

Orioles could become players on Hideki Matsui - CBSSports.com
According to Scott Miller, the Orioles, could become serious players for Hideki Matsui depending on how things play out there with the Yankees and where Matsui might turn next. This is hardly a blurb, and seems like mostly speculation. -zk

Roundup - In Annual Address, Scott Boras Delivers Just the Highlights - NYTimes.com
Scott Boras flaps his gums at the winter meetings, comparing Holliday to Mark Teixeira. -zk

So make a trade already | DailyHerald.com Blogs
These guys are impatient because Andy MacPhail moved faster than Jim Hendry. I'm really, really tired of "fans" who aren't happy unless "something interesting" happens for their team at the winter meetings. These guys would love Schmuck, who feels the winter meetings exist for teams to make a headline-grabbing splash that will sell season tickets. -zk

M's sign outfielder Corey Patterson
Former Orioles (S)Corey Patterson signs a minor-league deal with the Ms. -zk

I never thought it was such a bad little Open Thread. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.

Winter Meetings, Day Three Recap: Mike Lowell Making Things Fun

Randy Booth — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:00:24 -0000

~~Another day at the winter meetings means another day with no news.~~

~~Some news, actually, but nothing significant. No signings, no trades. Not even a great quote here or there. Nevertheless, here are the rumors floating around the Interwebs.~~

Mike Lowell might be traded.

See what happens when I try to write up posts in advance?

RED SOX RUMBLINGS:

Twitter / Ken Rosenthal: Prelim agreement on Lowell ...

Yup, so that's the big news. If it goes through (and, as of this writing, it's still "preliminary"), this will be an interesting shakeup for the Sox. Where does Max Ramirez fit? He's catcher with a huge bat, one that fits perfectly in the Sox system (hits for power and gets on base at an amazing clip). But can he stay behind the plate? Will he be in the bigs in 2010? Either the Sox will season him a little in AAA, or he could DH a little bit, play a little catcher. Maybe he'll be the backup catcher and the Sox will dump Jason Varitek. That's a possibility, too.

But, as of now, a deal is not official. Let's remember that. So who will play third? Well, thanks for asking!...

BostonHerald.com - Sources: Red Sox interest in Beltre significant

It could be that guy, but who really knows? Adrian Beltre would probably hit quite well in Fenway Park. And he is perhaps the best defensive third baseman in baseball, so this is a nice fit. The only thing that doesn't fit is the contract. Word is his agent, Scott Boras, wants a similar contract to the one he last signed. That would be in the $12 million per year range. That may be a little pricey. But the Sox have a decent history with Boras, so that could come down.

Bradley one (explosive) possibility - Extra Bases - Red Sox blog

I hope we can just laugh at this now. Everyone was when the rumor happened, anyway.

BostonHerald.com - Source: 3 other teams besides Red Sox in on Bay

Angels, Mariners and ... Mets? They're rumored to be in on Matt Holliday, but the other rumor is that they have no money to spend. Funny how that works. I'm sure there are a handful of other teams that Bay could land with, but nothing seems too obvious.

NON-RED SOX RUMBLINGS:

Rangers Trade Pitcher Kevin Millwood To Orioles - SB Nation

An interesting move, but it makes a lot of sense considering...

Report: Rich Harden To Sign With Texas Rangers, Pending Physical - SB Nation

...they wanted to make room for this guy. Good deal for the Rangers when it's all said and done. Harden has a lot of potential and even Chris Ray could work his way back to being a solid reliever with closer potential. I have a feeling it'll be hard to watch the Sox face Harden this year.

Brewers Staying Busy During Winter Meetings, Sign Pitchers Randy Wolf, LaTroy Hawkins - SB Nation

Two nice pickups for the Brew Crew. Seems to me that they want to compete this year. Good for them. I hear C.C. Sabathia is on the market. Nah, not true. Sorry to get your hopes up, Brewers.

Rays close to trading for Rafael Soriano

Another bullpen arm to compete with in the AL East. Soriano pitched well for the Braves, but how will that translate to the American League?

Fast Eddy keeps going: Astros ink Brandon Lyon - The Crawfish Boxes

A former Sox going to a team managed by a former Sox. Poetry in motion, for sure. The deal is worth $15 million over three years. This isn't a bad deal for a bonafide closer, but the job certainly isn't his at this point. Maybe he could win it in the spring.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Red Sox Edition

ltrain2 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:22:05 -0000

You are Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein.

You have recently completed a trade, pending approval from commissioner Bud Selig, that sends veteran third baseman Mike Lowell to the Texas Rangers in return for catching prospect Max Ramirez. You now find yourself with yet another void to fill, this time at the "hot corner." Your arch-rivals, the New York Yankees, have just acquired the multi-talented center fielder Curtis Granderson and are linked in discussions for one of the most talented pitchers in all of baseball, Roy Halladay. Fans are growing impatient with every deal made at the winter meetings that doesn't involve you, and opportunities to patch your teams weaknesses are growing slim. What do you do?

Sign Adrian Beltre as Mike Lowell's successor (go to bullet point A)
Package some of your prospects and pry Adrian Gonzalez away from San Diego (go to bullet point B)
Package a few prospects and steal Miguel Cabrera away from Detroit (go to bullet point C)
Sit idly by and hope that everything works out on its own (go to bullet point D)

A. Ah, you have chosen to sign former Seattle Mariner Adrian Beltre. You have replaced one former Gold Glove Award recipient with another at the third base position. Last season, despite being sidelined for approximately six weeks, your new addition put up respectable numbers. The 30 year old still has some seasons left in him, and assuming you signed him to a Scutaro-type contract, you're only going to need him for a brief bridging period. You likely paid a rather high price for the free agent that has been linked to several other suitors, but you got your corner infield spots addressed. Aside from Beltre's suspicious 2004 season (not even going to go there), your new 3B seems like a safe bet to produce Lowell-like offensive numbers and provide a slight upgrade on the defensive side of the ball from the often-injured Lowell. You decided to steer clear of that blockbuster move, but you've made a wise and safe choice nonetheless, Theo.

B. Congratulations! You have just acquired one of the most prominent left-handed bats in all of baseball, Adrian Gonzalez. Your new 27 year old first baseman forces you to move Kevin Youkilis over to third base, but you now have Gold Glovers literally littering your infield. Fielding prowess aside, Gonzalez gives you a powerful left-handed bat that you can build your lineup around for years to come. Coming off of a career year at the plate, your new trade acquisition fills your need for both a corner infielder as well as a power hitter. The guy's defense makes your pitching staff better and his bat positively influences all of those around him in the lineup. You didn't just upgrade your first base position, you made your whole team better. Bold, smart, and you've made a strong statement to your fans and team that 2010 isn't going to be a conservative effort.

C. Great move. You have taken advantage of a few recent occurrences and snagged Miguel Cabrera away from the Detroit Tigers. After the Tigers dumped both Edwin Jackson and Curtis Granderson, you knew Cabrera was available. Everyone has their price, and after Detroit acquired a slew of highly touted prospects in the deal with New York and Arizona, Cabrera's asking price went down a bit as Detroit became relatively content with their farm system. Sure, you had to take Dontrelle Willis off their hands as part of the deal, but you find joy in taking players and attempting to re-mold them, especially pitchers. In Miguel, you received a player who reminds most of Manny Ramirez in his prime, both on and off the field. However, you decided to take the good with the bad, and ride this guy in the middle of your order for many years. Nobody doubts Cabrera's talent or work ethic, they're both Hall-of-Fame caliber, if you can only avoid any off the field transgressions. Succeed in that, and you have made potentially the biggest splash of the off-season. You're team is again feared, and your fans are more than content. Your job is done here.

D. You have decided to do nothing. 2010 is going to be a bumpy ride, one that will be filled with many unhappy, I told you so fans. You had better hope that 2011 free agent class that you've been day-dreaming about treats you better than the one that preceded it.

Poll

Which adventure did you choose?

Winter Meetings Open Thread, Wednesday: Kouzmanoff, Perkins, Quinlan

Jesse — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:58:29 -0000

5:25 pm - This from ESPN's Jayson Stark: the Padres are making a hard push to move Kouzmanoff.

5:20 pm - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON MARTHALER!

4:25 pm - Ummm....get this...Rich Harden? Yeah. He's signing with the Texas Rangers.

That's kind of a double-whammy for the Mariners, isn't it? Bit of a shock, for sure.

3:50 pm - More Olney: Rich Harden is on the verge of signing with...someone? No news on who. What are the chances that the mystery team is the Twins? Right now the rotation is probably guaranteed in four of five spots, but this would be a huge signing for Minnesota with big-time repurcussions.

What say you? Is it even possible? Rumor has it that the Mariners have been hot on his trail, but it could be someone else...

2:55 pm - Buster Olney tweets that the Twins and Padres "have had several discussions about Kevin Kouzmanoff".

2:45 pm - Kelsie Smith tweets that that the Twins' talks with Mark DeRosa's agent were "preliminary".

1:35 pm - A quiet afternoon for the Twins so far, but Ken Rosenthal tweets that LaTroy Hawkins will be pitching for the Brewers next year. Flame on, LaTroy!

10:50 am - Some highlights from LEN III's morning update, I suggest you pop over for a gander...

The Twins met with DeRosa's agent yesterday. Neal admits that DeRosa's been rumored to be asking for three years and $27 million, but also believes that a wave of non-tenders this weekend could drive down prices.
The agents for Pedro Feliz? They're getting the silent treatment. Can you just see Bill Smith, Rob Antony and company whistling and looking the other way as Feliz's agents walk by in the lobby?
Nothing is imminent with Quinlan.
This is surprising: the Twins tried to sign Boof to a one-year deal recently and were turned down. Looks like it was either one or the other, and we know how that story turns out.

9:40 am - Over at MLB Trade Rumors, Tim Dierkes rounds up the speculation over who Minnesota's likely third base targets are. He mentions the usuals: Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa and Felipe Lopez. And then he adds another one...Juan Uribe. Out of all of those players, the last one I would want would be Uribe.

Adding Joe Crede and Kevin Kouzmanoff to that list, and now we finally have a solid group of players to speculate on. Out of those six, who do you prefer?

7:15 am - A couple things I've read this morning...

First, "talks with Joe Crede are progressing slowly" with the Twins. That's interesting. I would have thought the Twins might try something else before going back to Crede, but perhaps they're just trying to keep their foot in the door.

LEN III in his late-late-late edition last night also said the Twins have interest in Mark DeRosa. Now, this isn't necessarily a surprise, but it's the first we've heard his name tied to the Twins this week.

6:50 am - Wrapping up the last two days before we get into what could be a very interesting day 3...

1. Carl Pavano accepted arbitration. The number people seem to be throwing out there is $7 million, although if the Twins sign him for two years they might be able to get away with $5 million per.

2. The biggest tidbit to come out of Tuesday involved the Twins and Padres discussing a Glen Perkins/Kevin Kouzmanoff swap. San Diego rejected the one-for-one deal, as they're looking for more. The Padres also were linked by Kouz to the Giants yesterday, but once again were looking for more than San Francisco's initial offer.

3. Speaking of the Giants, it sounds like they're shying away from Dan Uggla. The Orioles remain interested, but what about the Twins?

4. The sad news from yesterday: Boof Bonser was designated for assignment. I'm confident he'll sign on with somebody, and be able to contribute in 2010.

5. The Twins are also rumored to be interested in utility man Robb Quinlan, probably as a fourth outfielder.

6. There were a lot of rumors yesterday evening about three teams (one being the Cubs) and a number of players (one being Milton Bradley). A report from earlier in the evening said one team was a "surprise" American League club. Would the Twins be interested in moving Delmon Young in order to fit Bradley? How would you feel about a Michael Cuddyer/Denard Span/Milton Bradley outfield?

7. As we continue to discuss the Winter Meetings at length on the main page, don't forget to vote for the next top prospect! Every day Roger (in conjunction with Seth Stohs) is asking you: who is the next best prospect? If you haven't yet, head over to the FanPosts and vote on yesterday's ballot, and be sure to make your voice heard this afternoon on the next one.

8. Last but certainly not least, be sure to check out our own Jon Marthaler on Seth's podcast!

Mariners Make Solid Deal for Chone Figgins

Satchel Price — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:46:23 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

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Assuming that Figgins passes his physical today, the Seattle Mariners will announce a four-year, $36M contract with the veteran third baseman, according to Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times. Figgins, who turns 32 in January, is likely to replace Adrian Beltre as the team's everyday third baseman next season.

Figgins is regarded as one of the best leadoff hitters in the game, and he's quietly emerged as one of the better defensive third baseman in the game. He's improved his walk rate in every season since breaking onto the scene with the Angels in 2002, peaking at 14.1% this season. He offers practically no power, but he's a good contact hitter with excellent plate discipline, and he's posted OBP's of .393, .367 and .395 in the past three respecitve seasons.

In addition, Figgins is one of the better baserunners in the game as well. He's stolen 34+ bases in every season since 2003, and while his 74% stealing percentage isn't great, he's also very good at the other nuances of baserunning, he was worth about 0.8 WAR solely on the basepaths in 2009, a very impressive mark. When you factor in his solid contact ability, impressive (and increasing) walk rates, and value on the basepaths, it's clear that he's one of the more productive top of the order hitters in the game.

While it would be tough to justify giving $9M per season to a hitter of Figgins' caliber, it's much easier when factoring in his defense. He's a solidly above-average defender at third base that's capable of playing second base and the outfield, and in over 4500 innings at third base he has a career UZR/150 of +8.0, and he posted a +16.3 UZR in 2009.

Considering that Figgins should be good for a wOBA around the .340-.360 range as well as a solidly above average UZR (+4 to +8, approximately), you could reasonably expect Figgins to be a 3-4 WAR player over the next couple of years. Considering how valuable that kind of player is, and the fact that a similarly valuable player, Jason Bay, will likely command 4+ years at $12M+ per season, it seems that the Mariners got pretty solid value for one of the best players on the open market.

The Mariners have locked up one of the best top of the orders in the game with Figgins and Ichiro Suzuki, and landing a good leadoff hitter and a plus defensive third baseman for $9M per year looks pretty good for Seattle right now. Figgins is likely to decline over the duration of the contract, his skill set is one that generally deteriorates quickly with aging, but he should still be an above-average regular for at least the first two years of the deal, and a solid contributor afterwards.

Considering what Bay is likely to get, and the numbers bandied about by some writers (5/50 or so), landing Figgins for $36M seems like a solid first big-name free agent signing for Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik.

An Adrian Beltre Appreciation Thread

Matthew — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:50:09 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

Thank you, Adrian

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With multiple people agreeing, and on the side of overwhelming logic as well, it appears that within the next 12 hours or so, Adrian Beltre will decline the Mariners offer of arbitration.

Beltre, or Scott Boras rather, seems to still be pressing for a multi-year contract for Beltre, something in the 4/40 range. It strikes me as unlikely that Beltre will reach that. He may get $10 million in annual, but guaranteed for four years coming off the season he had in 2009, the reputation that he's garnered and the general state of free agent contracts this winter, seems unlikely. Beltre and Boras are probably aware of that. They probably know that they are more likely to prefer a one year contract in order to have Beltre put up respectable offensive numbers and then land a four year deal next winter. By declining arbitration, they are refusing a guaranteed one year, ~$12 million contract.

What this tells me is, that while the Mariners are objectively no different from any of the other 29 teams in terms of chance of signing Beltre, realistically, they don't want to return for 2010. I do not blame them.

In his five years here, Beltre provided legitimately top of the line defense (48.2 runs by UZR), a dedication to play through all sorts of pain as long as it didn't impact his ability to play, fantastically easy to root for antics and many other things. According to FanGraphs, Beltre was worth 16.6 wins with the Mariners, an amount that from 2005-9 was valued at $67.4 million for which he was paid $64 million.

Everything that Adrian Beltre did not provide is irrelevant. He was worth his salary in performance on the field alone. His performances in other aspects, the dancing, the lovably retarded plate discipline, the interactions with Red, etc were just gravy. Godspeed, Adrian. I hope you find success and appreciation where ever you go*

*offer void in Anaheim

Winter Meetings Open Thread, Monday

Jon Marthaler — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:00:29 -0000

6:30 pm - As TonyO points out in the comment threads, LEN III is reporting that Pavano will indeed accept the Twins' offer of arbitration.

I should point out that this means there is only one rotation spot up for grabs. This provides Minnesota with a lot of starting pitching depth, although none of the contenders for the fifth spot look like stars. Could the Twins batch a couple of them along with another piece or two to get something significant in return?

Back to Pavano, Ed Price thinks the Twins could be on the hook for $7 million for this decision. Considering this was his first healthy season in half a decade, I think that's a bit high unless he reaches some incentive bonuses. But we'll find out.

3:45 pm - Happy Monday afternoon y'all, here's another Jesse update, rounding up some of the SP and 3B names and teams in circulation...

Ed Price tweets that no fewer than 12 teams are interested in Tigers starter Edwin Jackson.
Meanwhile, Ken Davidoff wonders if starters not named John Lackey or Randy Wolf can get more than a one-year deal.
Speaking of Wolf, Ken Rosenthal says the Brewers are hot on his trail.
Former Pavano rotation-mate Brad Penny is close to signing with the Cardinals.
It sounds like Mark DeRose will decline the Cards' offer of arbitration.
Adrian Beltre is also likely to decline arbitration.

Noon - Ken Rosenthal contradicts Neal, saying Pavano is actually likely to accept the offer of arbitration. Intriguing.

10:15 am - La Velle is guessing that Pavano will decline arbitration, and is hoping to get a multi-year deal.

9:30 am - Morning all, Jesse here. Over at Big League Stew there's a perma-chat going on, with news from Yahoo!'s pundits. A couple of things from Tim Brown: apparently Pavano's agent pressed the Twins for a multi-year deal last night. Brown also mentions that the Twins have prioritized starting pitching and third basemen, "in that order".

9:00 am - Only one link so far to start off the morning - Kelsie Smith at the PiPress reminds us all that those offered arbitration have to decide today whether to accept it. For the Twins, that's only Carl Pavano, and apparently Bill Smith and Pavano agent Tom O'Connell were deep in conversation late last night.

HOT STOVE CHAOS! HERE WE GO!

Okay, we're Twins fans; it's unlikely we'll see too much CHAOS this week. Nevertheless, we'll be following the news and posting updates in this thread. Discuss in the comments, of course.

Winter Meetings Primer, 2009

Jesse — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:15:52 -0000

More photos » by Jennifer Simonson - AP

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Sure, it's a rumor-filled week that generally leads to nothing. But it's still a rumor-filled week, and to me that equals fun.

Twins Needs

Second Base
Third Base
Starting Pitcher
Bench Depth
Joe Mauer Extension

Between LEN III and Joe C., the Twins have been tied to a few names already this off-season: Mark DeRosa, Rich Harden, Adrian Beltre, Jarrod Washburn and Orlando Hudson. There has been little speculation fueled by comments from the front office, although this has been commonplace during the Bill Smith era. Now entering his third Winter Meetings and in the best position to win since taking on the role of General Manager, it will be interesting to see if the rumors lead to anything concrete this season.

Obviously the Twins are still in the market for at least one infielder after picking up J.J. Hardy a few weeks ago, and the recent (and early) signings of Chone Figgins (four years, $36 million), Placido Polanco (three years, $18 million) and Marco Scutaro (two years, $12.5 million with an option for more) seem to set the market for starting infielders. Considering the combination of age and history I feel like all three teams overpaid, on either years or dollars or both.

Last season at this time there was a lot of talk surrounding Casey Blake and Garrett Atkins, and there's been nothing quite like that this season. This front office, and I've said it before, plays things notoriously close to the vest. Sure, it might not make for interesting discussion fodder, but it serves the best interests of the team.

A vast majority of the time all of the rumors and speculation lead to absolutely nothing during the week of the Winter Meetings. The common theme is for teams to read each other and, if possible, lay a foundation for things to happen over the following weeks. But that doesn't mean we won't hear some interesting tidbits over the next few days.

Names of Interest (after the break)

Adrian Beltre - With the Phillies signing Polanco, one of the Twins main competetors for the free agent third baseman may have just taken themselves out of the market. The biggest issue surrounding Beltre is Scott Boraas and his $10 million per year asking price. Even for his glove, I'm not sure Minnesota is going to fork out that kind of money for Beltre.

Mark DeRosa - He's also been rumored to be asking for nearly $10 million per season. Yikes.

Josh Johnson - The Marlins have said that Johnson won't be traded this off-season, but it's always hard to tell what's truth and what's posturing. If his name comes up this week, or at anytime over the next couple of months, I'll be listening.

Rich Harden - Along with Ben Sheets and Erik Bedard, it will be interesting to see how much teams are willing to gamble on these guys. Will the Twins maintain their interest in Harden?

Jed Lowrie - With the Red Sox the proud owners of a Scutaro, will he be on the block?

Carl Pavano - Will he accept arbitration?

Dan Uggla - The Marlins second baseman has been linked to about half of the teams in baseball at some point over the last couple of months, although no team has been connected more often than the Giants. His offense as a second baseman is superior, and in spite of his defense is still probably a three-win player.

In Closing

The Winter Meetings this season aren't set to be quite as interesting as they were the last couple of seasons, if only because the first thing on everyone's mind isn't really who else the front office can bring in but who can they sign to an extension. "General discussions" between the Twins and Mauer have begun, but nothing hard core so far, so stay tuned.

It's an exciting time of year. Be sure to keep checking back here for the latest rumblings and grumblings.

Poll

Make the call: what, if anything, will happen this week at the Winter Meetings for the Minnesota Twins?

MLB Trade Rumors: Phillies Sign Placido Polanco

raygu — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:00:15 -0000

by Duane Burleson - AP

7 days ago: FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2009, file phot, Detroit Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco throws to first after getting the force out on Tampa Bay Rays' Dioner Navarro (30) in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Detroit. Polanco has returned to the Philadelphia Phillies, agreeing to an $18 million, three-year contract on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009. The 34-year-old free agent won Gold Gloves at second base for the Detroit Tigers in 2007 and this year but will shift to third base, which hasn't been his primary position since 2002. He replaces Pedro Feliz, who became a free agent. (AP Photo/Duane Burleson, File)

View full size photo »

Thursdays news that the Phillies signed Placido Polanco is a little confusing as most rumors out there were that they were interested in Adrian Beltre or Mark DeRosa. The Polanco signing came out of left field in my opinion.

Polanco is a career .300 hitterm but doesn't walk much or strike out much, and maybe that is why the Phillies signed him. He isn't a power hitter, judging by his career slugging percentage of .414, but he can hit and field very well.

This is what ESPN's Buster Olney had to say about the Polanco signing:

And the Phillies also believe that Polanco will help them do a better job of manufacturing runs at the top of their order. The team has, year after year, consistently ranked near the top of the major leagues in runs scored, but the front office has come to believe that the team is too reliant on home runs -- on big swings -- and has become prone to strikeouts and pop-ups in situations in which they might be well-served by a ground ball to the right side.

Shane Victorino was the primary No. 2 hitter for the Phillies last year and struck out 71 times, not a particularly high number. The Phillies believe that if Polanco bats second, behind Jimmy Rollins, this will give Rollins a better chance to run after reaching base, and that Charlie Manuel will have more options at his disposal, given that Polanco is one of the best hit-and-run men in the sport. Victorino may well drop down in the lineup, to the No. 7 spot.

Quite informative piece there as this tells me that Rollins and Victorino could be running more in 2010...well, definitely Rollins. But with Victorino batting 7th, he could also run more than last year, but he won't be scoring as many runs as he would hitting in front of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth.

Then again, the Phillies could deal Victorino and promote AAA outfielder Michael Taylor to bat 7th, which would be a perfect spot in the lineup for a young power hitter.

Poll

Will Jimmy Rollins steal more bases in 2010?

Mariners, Chone Figgins in serious negotiations

Eli Greenspan — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 04:29:16 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

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FOXSPORTS.com's John Paul Morosi is reporting that the Mariners are the frontrunners for free agent infielder Chone Figgins.

Talks are expected to heat up next week in Indianapolis at the Winter Meetings, which MLBDD will be covering live.

Figgins would replace Adrian Beltre as the teams third baseman, assuming Beltre does not accept the teams arbitration offer. In the event that he does accept the offer, Figgins can move to second base and Jose Lopez can be moved to first.

With Placido Polanco signing in Philadelphia for three years and 18 million dollars earlier today, Figgins can expect a deal in the 25-35 million dollar range.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Placido Polanco	153	618	82	176	31	4	10	72	36	46	7	2	.285	.331	.396

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Chone Figgins	158	615	114	183	30	7	5	54	101	114	42	17	.298	.395	.393

First and foremost, Figgins is four years younger than Polanco and was far superior on the base paths, evident by his runs, walks, and stolen bases numbers compared to Polanco's. Polanco is one of the top defensive infielders in the game, winning his second Gold Glove last season. Figgins turned 36 double plays last season with a 16.7 UZR.

For the Mariners, it is an interesting move considering they were expected to be players for a big name bat. However, Figgins would solidify the top of the order and give some of their young guys more opportunities to drive in runs.

The Angels are still considering Figgins and are still very much in play for his services in 2010.