David Ortiz May DH Somewhere Not Named Boston

David Ortiz has been offered salary arbitration by the Boston Red Sox and he has yet to accept it.

Ortiz has until the December 7th deadline to accept the Sox offer and accept essentially a one-year deal to remain in Boston as the DH. He would likely be making roughly $14million next year, but the deal is not a guaranteed contract.

This could be cause for concern to Ortiz and his agent.

At the start of the 2009 season Ortiz was awful in the months of April and May. He did not hit his first home run of the season until May 20th against Toronto, at which point he was only batting .210 with a .319 OBP. He finished the season only batting .238 but did manage 28 home runs and 99 RBI's with an OPS of .794 (his lowest ever as a full time player.)

2010 started no different than 2009. While he managed to homer much earlier in this season (April 23rd to be exact) his bat was still a major concern. His batting average at the end of April was a dreadful .143 with an OPS of .524. Once again, he did rebound to have a fine statistical season, but in an arbitration year, he may not get a full season to turn things around.

Both years he was under contract, therefore his money was guaranteed. In an arbitration year, slow starts like in 2009 or 2010 could mean that the Red Sox would entertain the idea of cutting ties with Ortiz and have no obligation to pay him the salary.

Ortiz appears hesitant to sign the arbitration offer because he is currently seeking a 3-year deal. I doubt he is going to find that offer in Boston.

There are a few teams that come to mind that may want to utilize Ortiz's service for the next three seasons, but you have to look at the field of suitors and potential landing spots objectively. First of all, every NL team is out of the running.

David Ortiz won't be playing first base any time soon.

His talent is hitting, and only hitting, so wipe 15 teams out of contention. Now comes the issue of money; who can afford David Ortiz? The A's, the Indians, the Twins and Rays all can be counted out of the running, unless he opted for a pay cut. That narrows the field down to 11 possible suitors.

What teams are in need of a DH? You can count out the Yankees, as they have Alex Rodriguez pretty much primed to be the DH, if Jeter doesn't get the job first. The White Sox locked up Adam Dunn to fulfill that role for them. Boston has made it clear they have no interest in bringing him back for 3 seasons. So where is the need?

There are three teams that I believe could be serious suitors for Ortiz.

First, the Toronto Blue Jays have been rumored to have interest in Prince Fielder. I'm not so certain they can afford Fielder, but they are looking to add some offensive protection in the lineup behind Jose Bautista. Ortiz is historically known to be a clubhouse guy and would bring a nice veteran presence to the young Blue Jay squad. He would literally double the production the Jays are getting from their current DH, Edwin Encarnacion as well.

Encarnacion is a career .260 hitter with a .336 OBP, .453 SLG and .789 OPS. Over the past 3 seasons he has homered 13, 21, & 17 times respectively while driving in 39, 51 and 55 runs. For comparison sake, Ortiz is a career .283 hitter with a .378 OBP, .544 SLG and a .922 OPS. Over the past three seasons, he has homered 28, 32, and 29 times respectively while driving in 99, 102, and 96 runs.

Next up is the Baltimore Orioles, a team that I think is more likely to land Ortiz than many think. Having just signed Dan Duquette as their new general manager, I see the O's making a little noise. They are geared up with a young team with a stud catcher, a new/old logo back and in need of some star power to give the team a shot in the arm. Duquette is no stranger to making big signings or acquiring top tier talent (see Manny Ramierez, Pedro Martinez) and that brashness will pay off for him in Baltimore.

While the Orioles are realistically more than just one big signing away from being in the hunt for a World Series, it would be a step for them. This would be a spark to make them more competitive and help to even out the landscape in the harsh American League East.

Lastly, the Seattle Mariners could prove to be a dark horse in the David Ortiz courtship. Here is the deal with Seattle, they have excellent starting pitching, pretty good players on the roster, but they have no significant offensive threats on the team.

The Mariners are another team that has been rumored to have significant interest in Prince Fielder, and they have the cash to sign him. From what I have read on various websites, the Mariners want Prince to DH and not play first, opting to keep Justin Smoak there.

From what I've read, Prince wants to play first base, not DH.

This is why Ortiz would make perfect sense for the Mariners. They would get the slugger they are looking for at the position they are looking for, presumably for considerably less money than what they initially thought they would spend. Locking Ortiz up for those three years would allow the team to build up around him and develop some of their younger talent further, like Justin Smoak.

So Boston fans, don't be surprised to see another Red Sox favorite donning another teams laundry in 2012.

Meet Yoennis Céspedes: The Next Great Cuban Born Major Leaguer

By now you undoubtedly have heard the name Yoenis Céspedes. The Cuban sensation has been drawing interest from several Major League clubs including the Yankees, The Tigers, the Nationals and the Boston Red Sox.

What is all the fuss about? Let me tell you.

First of all, according to baseballprospectus.com's Kevin Goldstein, Céspedes is "arguably the best all-around player to come out of Cuba in a generation." That is quite a feat considering there has been several very good baseball players to come from Cuba, such as Yuniesky Bettencourt, Aroldis Chapman and Alexei Ramirez to name a few.

Early scouting reports state that Céspedes is a five-tool baseball player. He is listed as 26 years old, stands 6ft tall and weighs 215lbs. In other words, he sounds physically like a baseball player primed to enter the heart of his playing career.

So what has he done to garner all this attention? The first thing that stands out to me is his power. In the 2010-2011 season, playing for Cuba's premier baseball league, the Serie Nacional,

Céspedes broke the single season home run record, belting 33 long balls in just 90 games. One home run every 2.73 games, translated into Major League terms could mean the man is capable of hitting damn near 60 homers in the course of a season. Sure that is a stretch, but on average, it could happen.

It is not just his power that is impressive though. In the same season that he managed to put up the power numbers, he batted .333 with an OBP of .424 and a SLG of .667. That is quite impressive. Granted, it is against other Cuban players and not against heavy competition as he would see in in the majors, but damn good nonetheless.

As for speed, in the 2010-11 season he stole 11 bags on 14 attempts. Keep in mind again, this is in a 90 game season. By all accounts the man is fast. His range in the outfield is impressive.

Monetarily, it is rumored that Céspedes is looking to acquire a contract in the $60million range for 8-years. Are you hearing this Boston fans? That is only $7.5million per season, a little more than half of what was just shelled out for J.D. Drew and by all accounts, Céspedes will be twice the player.

I am very intrigued to see which Major League team will take a bite at this man. While we can't really be too sure as to how the man will pan out, I'll leave you with this, his 20-minute promo video put out by Céspedes to showcase his talents. I'll give him this, the film is interesting, and yet reminds me of Eastbound and Down when Kenny Powers makes his comeback video.

Enjoy!

5 AL Players to Watch in 2012

There can be no ying without the yang, no Cheech without the Chong, no.... alright, you get the picture. I already profiled 5 NL players to keep your eye on in 2012 yesterday. The time has come to check out their AL counterparts and see what talent is out there. With no further adieu:

Austin Jackson - Detroit Tigers

When the Tigers decided to let Curtis Granderson go after the 2009 season, many people wondered if perhaps they should have considered picking up another center fielder "just in case" the young Jackson would not be able to handle the pressure of the big leagues.

Handle the pressure he did indeed. He came in 2nd in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2010 posting a .293 batting average with a .345 OBP and an even .400 SLG to give him an OPS of .745... pretty impressive for a rookie. He played in 154 games and offered the Tigers a player who could get on base and provided some speed on the base paths (stealing 27 bags in 2010, 22 in 2011.)

What I like the most about Jackson is the fact that he seems to have filled in for Granderson without missing a beat. This says a lot considering they are two different styles of baseball player. The best part for Detroit? Jackson is under team control until 2016, and not arbitration eligible until 2013.

Matt Weiters - Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles have themselves a blessing behind the plate. While most teams fight for quality catchers, the O's have developed their own in Matt Weiters. While only 25 years old, Weiters has played in 3 seasons and has already made his first All-Star team (2011) with a shiny Golden Glove to match.

Weiters has been on the radar of many baseball insiders since his minor-league days. While many teams have tried to lure the O's in to trading him away, ownership has seen the value that the young catcher has to offer their team. In his short career, Weiters is showing glimpses of brilliance. The numbers he has put up in his first three seasons remind me incredibly of Pudge Rodriguez - a little bit of power, dependability at the plate and a decent batting average. Sure, Pudge would go on to be a career .296 hitter, but in his first three seasons he posted a .265 BA, while Weiters is on the same path, with an identical .265 career BA.

Now, I'm not saying that Weiters is going to be the next Pudge, but he sure could be. Like Pudge's breakout 1994 season, I think Weiters will share the same success in 2012.

Michael Pineda - Seattle Mariners

If you've been reading me for a while you know that Pineda was my mid-season selection to be the AL MVP. I think the man is a beast. Pitching behind King Felix is no easy task, especially in a win-deprived Mariners organization.

Sorry Seattle, I know you're a baseball town. It's just been awhile.

However, Pineda is a bonafied Major League Pitcher and all I needed for proof was how well he handled his game in 2011. He posted a 3.74 ERA and a WHIP of only 1.099, which to me negates his 9-10 record. It is worth mentioning that his WHIP was good enough for 14th overall in 2011, behind a laundry list of 13 All-Stars and some future Hall of Fame players. No other rookie ranked higher. That says a lot to me.

The man is only 22 years old and proved in his first year he could pound the cheese. 2012 will allow him to prove his dominance in a week AL West.

Mike Moustakas - Kansas City Royals

Mike Moustakas was wildely considered to be the best third base prospect in Major League Baseball going into the 2011 season. While many (myself included) thought perhaps the Royals would use him as trade bait, they wisely decided to hold on to this young stud and ended up utilizing him in 2011 for 89 games.

While his numbers were less than impressive in 2011, all scouting reports indicate that this kid has the stuff to be a solid Major League third baseman. By many accounts, this may be my longest of shots as far as young talent goes. While in the minors, Moustakas was dominant. He showed excellent defensive flashes with an ability to get on base with a little bit of power.

Sure, playing in Kansas City might make it a little difficult to tangibly see the numbers to back up the development of this particular player. However, he is one to use your eyeball test on. From what I have seen on him play, the kid has a bright future. He is only 23 and still very wet behind the ears. It looks (doesn't it always) as though the Royals are trying to be competitive again in 2012, making a couple of minor moves that included trading away Melky Cabrera for pitching. Perhaps they think players like Moustakas will provide the offense their lineup would otherwise be missing with Cabrera's departure. Time will tell.

Last but not least....

Ivan Nova - New York Yankees

Look, I really didn't want to talk about any major market teams for this particular article, but looking at what Nova did for the Yankees in 2011, it is hard NOT to take a look at him.

As a Red Sox fan, I sat back at the start of the 2011 season and scoffed at the Yanks, rolling out "this Nova kid" in their rotation against the formidable offenses in the AL East. Yet, "this Nova kid" managed to put up a 16-4 record with a 3.70 ERA and a 1.331 WHIP. Last I checked, that worked out to be better than the Red Sox starting 5. While sure, Lester may have had a lower ERA and Beckett might have had a lower WHIP - that stat line would have been GLADLY accepted from any of the Boston starting five in 2011.

Nova has me very curious as to what he can do moving forward. Realistically, the man only has 38 games of service in the Majors, but his numbers have been out of this world. By all indication he will continue on the same path in 2012, making the Yankee search for a solid #2 starter behind CC Sabathia null and void. Realistically, they should be seeking a #3, as Nova, in my mind, has the stuff to be called an ace on most staffs, definitely #2 on the Yankees.

5 NL Players to Watch in 2012

One thing I truly love about the game of baseball is the never- ending revolving door of new and upcoming talent the game has to offer.

Every few years, a new class of player comes in and takes the reigns from those that came before them. Often times we ignore their talent while still basking in the excellence of the previous class. Baseball is starting to catch up to the idea of drafting the young talent rather than paying for it at the end of its prime.

While I'm sure we will still see teams vastly overpaying for players as they head into the twilight years of their careers (much like the Yankees did with Alex Rodriguez; offering a 10-year contract that will take him into his 40's carrying an average annual salary of $27.5million) I'm certain that we will see other teams draft well and be competitive with their young crop of players. Here are five players to watch in 2012 in the National League:

Andrew McCutchen - Pittsburgh Pirates

The 25-year old center fielder for the Pirates has emerged as one of the finer young talents in the National League. He is currently pre-arbitration eligible and under team control through the 2016 season. He came in 4th in 2009 in Rookie of the Year voting and has made his first All-Star appearance in 2011, not too bad for someone making $453,000.

What I like a lot about McCutchen is his consistent production and tenacious play. While he has three years of Major League experience under his belt (420 games to be exact) he has managed to hit fairly consistently and see an increase in his power numbers. His career batting average is .276, taking a dip after a low 2011 season batting .259. However, his home run total in 2011 was 23, 7 more than in 2010 and 11 more than his rookie year in 2009. Defensively, in 2011 his range factor was a 2.73, first in the National League for outfielders .

Mike Stanton - Miami Marlins

The Marlins are making a lot of noise this Hot Stove season, but some of the largest grumblings could come from their existing outfield. Stanton is just 22 years old, pre-arbitration eligible earning $417,000 in 2011, and is under team control until 2017. Stanton has only played in 250 games in the Major Leagues, but I feel he is on the cusp of really breaking out in 2012.

Entering the Majors in 2010 at 20 years old, Stanton made an immediate impact, belting in 22 home runs and 59 RBI's in just 100 games. While his batting average was just .259 his OBP was .326 and he slugged .507, giving him an OPS of .833, pretty good numbers for a rookie, let alone one so wet behind the ears. In 150 games in 2011 his numbers increased across the board. His stat line looked like this: 34 HR, 87 RBI's, .262 AVG. His OBP increased to .356, SLG to .537 and his OPS to .893. I think he is positioned for a large breakout this season. If the Marlins miss out on Pujols or Fielder, but manage to bring in Reyes - the middle of their lineup will be scary, anchored by Stanton.

Hunter Pence - Philadelphia Phillies

When the Phillies pulled the trigger to land Pence in 2011 at the trade deadline, I thought the move was brilliant. They needed to get younger and managed to land a solid rightfielder in Pence. While he may not take the spotlight from the stars surrounding him on the Phillies, his contribution in 2012 will certainly be felt.

Pence is a 2-time all star and a career .292 hitter. He has a career OBP of .343 and SLG of .485 with a .828 OPS. In other words, you know exactly what you are getting from Pence. His numbers come from four and a half seasons in the Astros organization that really had no threats around him in the lineup. Being added to such a deep lineup as the Phillies, in a full season I feel that we are likely to see Pence's numbers go up across the board. Just looking at his splits from last season, in 54 games with the Phillies he hit as many HR's as he did in Houston (11 each) but his BA went from .308 to .324, his OBP from .356 to .394, his SLG from .471 to .560 and his OPS from .828 to .954. I think this trend is only going to continue with a full season in Philly. Pence is only 28 and is in the middle of his prime.

Freddie Freeman - Atlanta Braves

Obviously I am high on Freeman, he was my mid-season pick to be NL Rookie of the Year. The man can play and I firmly doubt we will see any type of sophomore slump from the Braves first baseman in 2012.

He is only 22 years old, making $414,000 in 2011 and in my opinion, is already a stud. He placed second in 2011 Rookie of the Year voting, losing out to his teammate, RP Craig Kimbrel. In 157 games for the Braves, Freeman's stat line looked like this: 161 hits, 21 home runs, 76 RBI's, .282 BA, .346 OBP, .448 SLG and a .795 OPS. Defensively, Freeman only committed 6 errors, posting a .996 fielding percentage. Solid numbers from your first year first baseman.

It appears he is quite comfortable facing Major League pitching. If his first full season was any indication of what may come from the man, 2012 should prove to be impressive.

Last, but not least...

Justin Upton - Arizona Diamondbacks

You can make the case that Upton is already a star, but I feel the younger Upton brother is just starting to show the flashes of brilliance he has to offer. At just 24 years old, the D'Backs were wise to lock Upton up with a 6-year/$50million contract to keep him in the desert through 2015. Upton is a 2 time All-Star and a Silver Slugger winner. In 2011 he finished 4th in NL MVP voting. In short, Upton is a beast.

In 2011, Upton posted career highs in HR's (31), RBI's (88) and OBP (.369); he also managed a .529 slugging and .898 OPS, both were the second highest numbers in his career. What I like about Upton as well is his speed, swiping 21 bags. I don't want to over-step any boundaries here, but looking at Upton's young career reminds me of Barry Bonds from 1987-1991. Now, before you harp on me for that, I am a huge Bonds fan, I am well aware of his numbers for that time, and while Bonds posted better numbers than Upton, I am just trying to point out the similarities between the two.

Who is to say that Upton, again just 24 years old, can't have an MVP caliber career from here on out? After all, Bonds didn't get his first MVP until he was 25 years old.

Thankful for Curt Schilling

As a Boston Red Sox fan, today I am thankful for Curt Schilling. It was on Thanksgiving in 2003 that Curt decided to waive his no-trade clause from the Arizona Diamondbacks and agreed to come to Boston. Without Curt Schilling and his heroics, the 86 year curse may have not been broken yet and Sox fans hunger for a World Series championship would be insatiable. Thank you, Curt.

Ortiz Should Be Praying for Arbitration

There is a chance that David Ortiz could be back in Boston next season.

The Red Sox have until midnight tomorrow night to offer the slugger arbitration for the 2012 season, which would make David Ortiz mighty wealthy for one season's worth of work. As it stands, Ortiz would make in the area of $14million if he accepted the Sox arbitration offer to bring him back.

The plus side of the equation for Ortiz is that he will be making significant money to do what he has been doing well for so many years in Boston. The down side to accepting arbitration is the fact that the money he would be making is not guaranteed.

This could be cause for concern to Ortiz and his agent.

Let's look back to the 2009 season. Ortiz started off abysmally in April and May. He did not hit his first home run of the season until May 20th against Toronto, at which point he was only batting .210 with a .319 OBP. He finished the season only batting .238 but did manage 28 home runs and 99 RBI's with an OPS of .794 (his lowest ever as a full time player.)

In 2010, his April was as painful to watch as in 2009. While he managed to homer much earlier in this season (April 23rd to be exact) his bat was still a major concern. His batting average at the end of April was a dreadful .143 with an OPS of .524. Once again, he did rebound to have a fine statistical season, but in an arbitration year, he may not get a full season to turn things around.

Both years he was under contract, therefore his money was guaranteed. In an arbitration year, slow starts like in 2009 or 2010 could mean that the Red Sox would entertain the idea of cutting ties with Ortiz and have no obligation to pay him the salary.

On the other hand, if Ortiz opted not to accept arbitration, he likely could find another offer on the market in the 2-year, $14million ballpark. This offer could come from the Red Sox, but if he declines the arbitration I could see the Sox low-balling him with a 2-year deal in the $10million range. In the event he decided to walk away from the Red Sox, he is still considered to be a type-A free agent in the new collective bargaining agreement, so Boston would gladly accept the 2 draft picks that would come in his place.

They then would find another DH in that same $10million range and be quite content.

Though I have made it clear in the past that I believe it is time for the Red Sox to move on from David Ortiz, I do think that it would make sense for both parts to be active in getting an arbitration deal done. While it is more money than what I think Ortiz is worth for a one-year deal, it would be a nice compromise in that the Red Sox could keep him on the roster on a year-to-year basis with no fully vested monetary commitment should his statistics falter.

Valentine's Day for Red Sox?

It is being widely reported that Bobby Valentine will meet with the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox, Ben Cherington, today to discuss the managerial vacancy at Fenway.

It seems a bit unfortunate that Cherington is the last of the front office to interview Valentine; considering the fact that he has already met with Henry, Warner and Lucchino. This meeting seems arbitrary, with the assumption that the job is already Valentines and the meeting with Cherington looks to be for appearances.

This is the same goofy Bobby Valentine that was ejected from a Mets game, only to come back into the dugout in disguise in order to try and be a part of the rest of the game. No, he will never live that down.

This is the same Bobby Valentine that was fired by the Mets in 2002 after finishing 75-86 with a star studded team that included future Hall of Fame member Roberto Alomar, along side stars Mike Piazza, Mo Vaughn and Jeremy Burnitz. This was a team whose chief problem was laziness and motivation. That sounds awfully familiar Sox fans, doesn't it?

It is no secret that Bobby Valentine is a Larry Lucchino guy. Valentine has gone on record to say that his relationship with Lucchino is so, he would consider calling him a friend. That sounds awfully convenient to me. It also sounds like Cherington was set up to fail in his search for a new manager for the club.

I don't want to spend the entire article bashing Valentine. Obviously there is some merit to him being considered for the position, even if I'm not particularly fond of the idea.

Valentine did see significant success with the New York Mets in 1999 and 2000. Both seasons he managed the team to over 90 wins (97 in '99, 94 in '00) and made it to the World Series in 2000. He was a very good manager for the Mets in 1997 and 1998, recording 88 wins each of those seasons after taking over the club in 1996. His progress was significant, until the World Series loss, the team seemed to just slip away from him.

While many consider him to be a system guy that can relate to players, I seem him as a .500 manager. In fact, he only posts a .510 winning percentage in his 15 years managing in Major League Baseball.

Bringing Valentine in is, in my mind, a short term solution. The man is 61 and by just looking at his numbers, a decent manager. This is not a long-term solution by any means.

Perhaps the Red Sox are bringing in a guy like Valentine because they know what to expect from him. Perhaps this is just a move to keep the seat warm for a full-court press at Joe Maddon (whose contract is up after 2012) OR John Farrell, when he becomes available.

I have no idea what the brass is thinking here. What I do know is that the fan base is starting to get restless and are certainly tired of the beloved Red Sox being a laughing stock in the eyes of the rest of the league. Enough toying around, let's start getting some business done.