11/14 Morning News
Since this is the first offseason in which I haven't done Rotoworld's offseason morning news -- I'm still doing weekends, but Aaron Gleeman is taking care of the weekdays -- I plan on occasionally posting my take on some of the morning blurbs here in the blog. This seemed like an especially good day to start.
News - According to the New York Daily News, Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees "have been discussing a deal for the past few days to keep the two-time MVP in pinstripes."
My take - 10 years, $290 million seems to be on everyone's lips. That would allow A-Rod to save face by again landing the biggest contract ever, and the Yankees would get to stay under the magical $30 million barrier. A-Rod is worth over $30 million per season right now, but it's doubtful that he will be in the back half of the deal. Of course, by 2013, the Yankees could be hauling in twice what they are now and it might not matter very much if A-Rod is hauling in $29 million when he's only worth $15 million-$20 million. There's no good reason for this not to happen. Sure, the Yankees said daily for months and months that it wouldn't work out this way, but a year from now, no one is going to care that they went back on their word.
News - General manager John Mozeliak said Tuesday that the Cardinals are open to trading Scott Rolen and called it "a very delicate situation."
My take - Rolen is just 32 (33 in April), but his shoulder is such a major concern going forward that it’d be too risky to take on the bulk of the $36 million he’s owed for three years. The Cardinals should have to pay one-third to one-half of it to get anything in return, and they’d be opening up a gaping hole at third base. It makes more sense for them to keep him and hope for the best. Rolen and Tony La Russa may be sick and tired of one another, but if Rolen is healthy, his dislike of his manager isn’t going to take a toll on his performance.
News - According to Newsday, Yorvit Torrealba is close to signing a multiyear deal with the Mets.
My take - The Mets want to pair Torrealba and Ramon Castro rather than re-sign Paul Lo Duca. I don’t mind the idea, though going to three years for Torrealba is a bad idea. FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal is saying that the guy set to make $4 million for two years might actually get more playing time than the one landing the three-year, $15 million deal. I like the thought -- a healthy Castro is a much better hitter than Torrealba and can hold his own defensively -- but it just doesn’t make much sense.
News - According to the Denver Post, the Rockies are pursuing Michael Barrett as a potential replacement for Yorvit Torrealba.
My take - It’s a reasonably good bet to happen, but it won’t be this month. The Rockies will wait until the Padres decline to offer Barrett arbitration, thus allowing them to keep their first-round pick.
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