C.J. Wilson: Now that CC Sabathia has re-upped with the Yankees, Wilson is the consensus top starter on the open market. Which means he's about to make a boatload of money. The question is whether he's actually worth it. The upside: Wilson was the No. 1 starter on a team that just came within a strike of winning the World Series, he's a rare power left-hander who struck out 206 batters in 223 1/3 innings and he's still relatively young (he turns 31 this month). The downside: Wilson has only been a starter for two seasons, he's issued the second-most walks in the AL over those two seasons and he was decidedly unimpressive during the postseason. Is all that worth perhaps nine figures? The Nationals have to make that decision. http://www.csnwashington.com/blog/nationals-talk/post/Whom-might-Nats-pursue-in-free-agency?blockID=587468&feedID=6358
The Braves have to commit, this winter, to adding a leftfielder who can bat in the top half of the order, to go with midseason pickup Michael Bourn and holdovers Brian McCann, Freddie Freeman and Jason Heyward as the core of a championship-caliber lineup. They can do that by trade or by free agency, but it means the team's owners, Liberty Media, has to be willing to spend money. The best corner outfielders available on the market are Jason Kubel, Carlos Beltran and Michael Cuddyer. Beltran, who the Braves were in on at the trade deadline, would be an excellent fit, but likely to require a three-year commitment at upwards of $10 million per season. If they would prefer, the Braves could put some of that pitching depth -- the names above, plus Mike Minor or Brandon Beachy -- on the trade wire. That could make players like B.J. Upton, Nick Swisher, Logan Morrison or Andre Ethier available -- three of whom are free agents after 2012. The goal, however pursued, is clear: Bolster the top of the lineup so that a third straight season of strong pitching isn't wasted http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/joe_sheehan/11/02/nl.east.hot.stove.preview/index.html#ixzz1cxsH1G1n
Signed free agent LF-R Juan Rivera. [11/3] What baffles me about this move isn’t that the Dodgers re-signed Juan Rivera, but that the Dodgers re-signed Juan Rivera for $4.5 million (technically $4 million with a $500,000 buyout of his 2013 team option, which brings the total to $4.5 million in guaranteed cash). Granted, the Dodgers found out last season what can happen when you have a hole in left field, and they have every reason to want to avoid reliving that PTSD-inducing experience. During the first half of 2010, the Dodgers tried to fill their left field void with a motley crew composed of Tony Gwynn, Jr., Marcus Thames, Xavier Paul, Jamie Hoffmann, Jerry Sands, Jay Gibbons, Trent Oeltjen, and—Scully save us—Eugenio Velez, who went 0-for-37 on the year. That group combined for a .232 TAv through July 10th, which ranked 26th in the majors. The team was 41-51 and 11 games behind the division-leading Giants by then, but in light of their acute need, it didn’t come as a complete shock that they reached for Rivera. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15470
According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, the Yankees, Phillies, Marlins, Blue Jays, Giants, Nationals, Indians, A's and Pirates have all expressed interest in 26-year-old Cuban outfielder Yoennis Cespedes. We had already caught wind of the Yanks', Phils', Marlins' and Nats' interest in Cespedes, who defected from Cuba over the summer, but the other teams are new. Cespedes boasts an impressive combination of well-developed power and speed that could lead to him becoming a productive major league regular soon after a contract agreement. The Marlins are currently considered the favorite to land him and are even sending owner Jeffrey Loria to the Dominican Republic on Thursday for a meet-and-greet. Bidding will begin later this month.
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com reports that the Phillies are making a "strong push" to re-sign Ryan Madson. Madson's agent Scott Boras said Saturday that his client is already drawing "a lot of interest." Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. has refused to comment on negotiations, but they are expected to do their best to re-sign him. The 31-year-old right-hander posted a 2.37 ERA and 62/16 K/BB ratio over 60 2/3 innings this season. He also went 32-for-34 in save opportunities. http://www.rotoworld.com/headlines/mlb/344999/baseball-headlines?r=1
