Terrific. I spend a couple of days making fun of Baltimore’s big offseason signings being Roger Cedeno and Danys Baez, and this happens. From SI.com’s Jon Heyman.
Reliever Chad Bradford has agreed to a $10.5-million, three-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles, SI.com has learned.
Baltimore also reached a $900,000, one-year deal with Scott Williamson, who can earn an additional $600,000 on performance bonuses. He was scheduled to take a physical Tuesday.
Heyman’s report attributes Baez’ ’05/’06 stats to Bradford, but that’s ok. I’ve made worse mistakes. That whole Nelson/Francisco Liriano business, for example.
St. Louis’ signings for Tuesday include 2B Adam Kennedy (re-united with former Halo teammate the World’s Scrappiest Human), P Kip Wells, backup backstop Gary Bennett and C Eli Marrero.
The Journal News’ Peter Abraham is reporting the Yankees have won the negotiating rights for LHP Kei Igawa, paying somewhere in the ‘hood of $25 million to the Hashin Tigers. Never mind Barry Zito, even Gil Meche and Vicente Padilla are getting text messages from Ferrari salesmen.
oh, what the hell. this free-agent season is TERRIBLE. a bullpen of baez, bradford, and walker worth $42 million over the next three years? and another $900k for williamson for just this year? do the orioles’ finance people know something about the dollar that i don’t?
Bradford’s 2006 earned him a payday somewhere, but I didn’t think it would be a 3 year deal with that kind of jack.
I guess we’re all gonna have to get used to the wild new marketplace. If only Johnny Franco could’ve held on for another couple of years.
“Sultan of Scrappy”?
I saw the Post headline in the subway and I thought it was a typo or a joke. For 10.5, I figured it couldn’t possibly be for any less than a 5-year deal. I still wonder what kind of deal Eric Gagné is going to get. This goes without saying, but I hope the Yankees get him.
After Steve Kline and LaTroy Hawkins, you would figure that of all teams, the Orioles would be more cautious about overspending for bp pitchers.
Most scouts who’ve seen him pitch estimate that Igawa is at best a 4th or 5th starter, or maybe even middle relief. Why not pay that posting fee to Schmidt or Zito instead? Of course they’re not worth it, but neither is anyone else this year.
’tis slightly baffling. Tyler Kepner wrote in this morning’s Times that Igawa would command a somewhere in the range of $16-$20 million over 4 years. At $40-45 to complete the transaction, Jason Schmidt (supposedly offered $15 million per by the Cubs) is a better bet.
Zito was projected at $60-$70 million over 4 years and that was before the market went absolutely fucking nuts. I don’t think we’re gonna see Mike Hampton Pt. II, but Surfin’ Barry will be able to buy his own ocean when this is all done and dusted.
Yeah, that’s all the Cubs need at this point – another captain of the Whirlpool. He can bring his own personal rubber ducky when he starts sharing time with the Wood – Man and Mark “Don’t Call Him a Can’t – Miss Prospect” Prior. Some scouts have estimated that Schmidt has lost about 5 MPH off his fastball, and when he tries to throw the off – speed stuff, his shoulder hurts like hell. What hath Jim Hendry wrought?