Boras Blog

Bagels and Boras

When I was growing up in New York, the fledgling WFAN used to run a Sunday morning show covering baseball, but focusing on the Mets.  The show was called "Bagels and Baseball".  That always stuck with me - is there really any better way to think of Sunday morning?  And even though now my Sunday mornings are more like Bagels and Diapers, or even Errands and Diapers, I figure I have about eight to ten years until it can be Bagels and Baseball for me and my son together.

Ok, Sunday's Quick Thoughts:

• Josh Fields has signed with the Mariners (hat-tip to Reader Jumbo).  Details of the contract have not been released, but Ill post more about it when I get confirmation of the contract.
• Midwest Sports Fans does a great job breaking down the market for Joe Crede.
• La Velle Neal III does a great job breaking down the value of Joe Crede.  
• Ken Davidoff talks about how A-Rod turns to Boras in times of trouble.  To me this plays out like an episode of Arliss.
• For those in the know, Andy Oliver has won his lawsuit against the NCAA. For those who have no idea what I am talking about, I am working on a longer post about this - should be up tomorrow.  This could have huge implications for the way draft negotiations work going forward. 

Sunday's Quick Thoughts

• I cant understand why everyone can classify the late nineties and early aughts (Is that right?  "oh-oh"s?  "two-thousands"?) as the Steroid Era and there can be so much chatter the EVERYONE was on steroids, yet whenever news comes out that ANYONE was on steroids we are supposed to be outraged.
• Took a long time, but it looks like the market is heating up for Joe Crede.  Reports are out there that both the Giants as  well as the Twins have either made, or will be making offers.
• Seattle Pi reports that  Boras is pitching Garrett Anderson to the Mariners, which seems like a good match.  If it doesnt happen, Anderson might be looking at a graceless Mike Piazza-like retirement.
• The Seattle Post Intelligencer report also checks in on Josh Fields and reports no progress.  Amazing considering that the two sides are apart by less than an Elmer Dessens contract.
• The Giants appear to be getting more serious about Manny Ramirez.  Of course nothing is certain until there is a signature above the dotted line.

The Greed of Crede

The market for Joe Crede has been so quiet this off-season that I still havent had a newsworthy opportunity to bring him up on the blog.  The same can be said for Eric Gagne, but Ill save that for a rainy day.  As we wait to hear about Varitek and Manny, lets check in on Joe the Hitter.

Crede is a 31 year old third baseman.  Career .257/.306/.447 hitter.  He turned the corner with a career year in 2006 when he hit 30 homers and had a more respectable .323 obp, only to have his 2007 ruined by back injuries.  In 2008 Crede was playing close to his career line at .248/.314/.460 and 17 homers in 335 at bats when back injuries resurfaced.

The Twins look like the most logical suitors.  They have Brian Buscher pencilled in at third, with Brendan Harris behind him or as a platoon partner.  Crede would be a substantial upgrade.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that the Twins have not yet formally made an offer, while other teams might be getting into the mix.  

MLB.com covered a recent workout in which Crede hit 75 balls in front of scouts, and report that the Twins are no longer interested in Crede while the Giants and Rangers are.  The Giants make perfect sense, as they are looking at an opening day lineup with someone named Pablo Sandoval playing third.  The Rangers, meanwhile, are loaded with hitting depth, though they are planning on shifting Blalock to DH and Chris Davis to first so they can move Michael Young and his hideous contract to third. Perhaps they have a taker for Young?  Young is owed $62m over the next five years - difficult to believe that another GM would prefer that to what is available by free agency.

I am finding guys like Crede to be the most interesting to watch this off season.  Top talent like Sabathia and Teixeira got their money and second-tier talent like Fuentes and Burrell had to settle for far less than they expected, but that third tier of talent - the guys just above replacement level - well, the market has just disappeared for them.  There are still so many of these guys out there - guys like Emil Brown and Millar and Durham and Wilkerson and on and on... there just isnt a couple of million dollars sitting around for these guys anymore.

Scott Boras and Crede are said to be asking $5.1m plus incentives for a one year contract.  I think that might be a stretch, but the fact is that he would be worth $5m to the Giants and Twins.