{"id":6605,"date":"2010-01-31T07:01:09","date_gmt":"2010-01-31T07:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/?p=6605"},"modified":"2010-04-02T15:32:45","modified_gmt":"2010-04-02T14:32:45","slug":"rounding-the-bases-sheets-damon-thome-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/?p=6605","title":{"rendered":"Rounding the Bases: Sheets, Damon, Thome etc"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-6025\" title=\"MlbHlSq\" src=\"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/wp-content\/MlbHlSq.jpg\" alt=\"MlbHlSq\" width=\"201\" height=\"225\" \/>It&#8217;s now less than three weeks until the first day on which pitchers and catchers can report to Spring Training (18 February) and it&#8217;s just 64 days until Opening Day.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Much of the winter offseason is now behind us and we now know where a lot of the 09\/10 free agents will be playing this season; however there are still some more-than-useful players waiting to find a club.\u00c2\u00a0 Johnny Damon and Pedro Martinez were playing in the World Series last October and they don&#8217;t yet know where they will need to report for Spring Training.\u00c2\u00a0 You can add the likes of Orlando Hudson, Carlos Delgado, Jermaine Dye, Erik Bedard and\u00c2\u00a0Jarrod Washburn to that list as well, although a number of players did sign deals over the past week.\u00c2\u00a0 <!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sign Sheets<\/h3>\n<p>The big signing of the week was <a href=\"http:\/\/oakland.athletics.mlb.com\/news\/article.jsp?ymd=20100126&amp;content_id=7968982&amp;vkey=news_oak&amp;fext=.jsp&amp;c_id=oak\" target=\"_blank\">Oakland\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s capture<\/a> of free agent pitcher <strong>Ben Sheets<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<div style=\"float:left;margin-right:5px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/view.picapp.com\/default.aspx?term=ben sheets&amp;iid=3148487\" target=\"_blank\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.picapp.com\/ftp\/Images\/1\/6\/8\/f\/dc.JPG?adImageId=9669125&amp;imageId=3148487\" border=\"0\" alt=\"MLB: Brewers v Rangers June 9, 2007\" width=\"234\" height=\"334\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"http:\/\/cdn.pis.picapp.com\/IamProd\/PicAppPIS\/JavaScript\/PisV4.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script>\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcBig Ben\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 was one of the more intriguing players on the free agent market this offseason: an ace-type talent who carried plenty of risk after sitting out all of 2009 after undergoing elbow surgery.\u00c2\u00a0 A number of teams were linked with Sheets, not least the New York Mets, but it was the A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s who somewhat surprisingly stumped up $10m (\u00c2\u00a36.26m) to win his signature.<\/p>\n<p>It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a deal that makes a lot of sense for both parties.\u00c2\u00a0 The A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s are in rebuilding mode, but General Manager Billy Beane has showed in the past that if a good player is out there at the right price, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll make a move.\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the same plan of attack that has led to the A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being linked with Johnny Damon recently.\u00c2\u00a0 If Sheets performs well, some other veterans step up (the first decent contribution from Eric Chavez for a few years perhaps?) and a youngster or two really takes a leap forward, then the A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s could spring a surprise and edge the AL West.\u00c2\u00a0 If\u00c2\u00a0 Sheets is the only part of those three factors that comes good, he can be traded to a postseason contender prior to the deadline for some more useful youngsters to add to the A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s growing horde (ala Matt Holliday last year).\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 And if even Sheets doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pan out, well it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only a one-year commitment and the A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t expected to be competitive anyway.\u00c2\u00a0 In many respects, the A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lose.<\/p>\n<p>For Sheets, this offseason was about finding a good home to prove his worth once again and then to look for a multi-year contract over the 2010\/11 offseason.\u00c2\u00a0 Oakland is as good a place as any to put that plan in motion.\u00c2\u00a0 There will be no signs of panic if he starts off slowly after such a long lay-off, not something you could have said if he had signed for the Mets, and\u00c2\u00a0 the Coliseum is very favourable to pitchers, as we all know.\u00c2\u00a0 If he pitches well then he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll either boost his stock by leading the A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s into October (or very close to it) or by being an impact signing for another team after the All-Star break.\u00c2\u00a0 Add in the $10m that the A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s were willing to pay and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a great situation for the former Brewers ace.<\/p>\n<h3>A Winn for the Yankees, a loss for Damon?<\/h3>\n<div style=\"float:right;margin-left:5px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/view.picapp.com\/default.aspx?term=johnny damon&amp;iid=5749964\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.picapp.com\/ftp\/Images\/f\/8\/0\/f\/New_York_Yankees_27b4.JPG?adImageId=9669146&amp;imageId=5749964\" border=\"0\" alt=\"New York Yankees' Johnny Damon gets ready to bat against the Chicago White Sox\" width=\"234\" height=\"156\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"http:\/\/cdn.pis.picapp.com\/IamProd\/PicAppPIS\/JavaScript\/PisV4.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script>Rumours have been circulating that <strong>Johnny Damon<\/strong> may join Ben Sheets in Oakland, a prospect made all the more possible after the New York Yankees\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <a href=\"http:\/\/newyork.yankees.mlb.com\/news\/article.jsp?ymd=20100127&amp;content_id=7984542&amp;vkey=news_nyy&amp;fext=.jsp&amp;c_id=nyy\" target=\"_blank\">reached an agreement<\/a> with former Giant <strong>Randy Winn<\/strong> on a one-year deal worth $2m (\u00c2\u00a31.25m).\u00c2\u00a0 Winn will be the fourth outfielder in the Bronx and his signing almost certainly means that Damon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s expected return to the Yankees will not materialise.\u00c2\u00a0 Not yet, at least.<\/p>\n<p>It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a slightly strange situation in that continuing the Damon-Yankees relationship seemed to make a huge amount of sense for both parties.\u00c2\u00a0 Damon clearly wanted to stay with the Yankees and he was a good fit for them, not least in the way in which he took advantage of the New Yankee Stadium.\u00c2\u00a0 However, Damon and his agent Scott Boras were not prepared to accept a contract for less than they thought the outfielder was worth.\u00c2\u00a0 There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing wrong with that, of course, but it was a price that the Yankees were not prepared to pay and they decided to go in a different direction instead: trading for Curtis Granderson, signing Nick Johnson and Randy Winn on relatively inexpensive deals and using the remaining money to pay for Javier Vazquez\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s wages.\u00c2\u00a0 That has left Damon looking at a variety of one-year deals, with the A\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, Blue Jays, Braves, Rays and Tigers all being linked with him over the last week.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Still, <a href=\"http:\/\/sportsillustrated.cnn.com\/2010\/writers\/jon_heyman\/01\/29\/heyman.damon\/index.html?eref=writers\" target=\"_blank\">the idea<\/a> of Damon being reacquired by the Yankees in a midseason trade has already been floated and, if he has a good first-half to the season, it would be no surprise to see him back in pinstripes.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>As if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never left<\/h3>\n<p>The Damon-Yankee reunion may be on hold, but several other players returned to their former teams this week.<\/p>\n<p>The Dodgers re-signed two bench players, coming to terms on one-year deals for both veteran back-up catcher <strong>Brad Ausmus<\/strong> and second baseman <strong>Ronnie Belliard<\/strong>.\u00c2\u00a0 L.A. also brought back starting pitcher <strong>Vicente Padilla<\/strong> on a one-year deal last week.\u00c2\u00a0 Staying in the NL West, the Rockies liked what they saw in <strong>Jason Giambi<\/strong> at the end of last season and decided to bring him back for a full year.\u00c2\u00a0 He figures to be a spot-starter for regular first baseman Todd Helton and a power bat off the bench.\u00c2\u00a0 Another former Oakland A also found his way back to one of his previous teams.\u00c2\u00a0 The Baltimore Orioles signed <strong>Miguel Tejada<\/strong> on a one-year deal with a view to him moving from shortstop to third base (pushing other offseason acquisition Garrett Atkins over to first).\u00c2\u00a0 Tejada played for the Orioles for four straight seasons between 2004 and 2007 before spending two years with the Houston Astros.<\/p>\n<h3>Division returns<\/h3>\n<p>If returning to your old club isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t an option, then returning to a previous division can be the next best thing.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<div style=\"float:right;margin-left:5px;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/view.picapp.com\/default.aspx?term=jim thome&amp;iid=1399099\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.picapp.com\/ftp\/Images\/6\/4\/7\/1\/ad.jpg?adImageId=9669195&amp;imageId=1399099\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Chicago White Sox v New York Yankees\" width=\"234\" height=\"156\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><script src=\"http:\/\/cdn.pis.picapp.com\/IamProd\/PicAppPIS\/JavaScript\/PisV4.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><strong>Jim Thome<\/strong> spent time in the National League (with the Phillies and with the Dodgers at the end of last season), but his history is mainly linked to the AL Central after his stints with the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox.\u00c2\u00a0 Chicago thought long and hard about bringing Thome back, but Ozzie Guillen has decided that he couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make great use of the slugger as he wants a flexible DH spot.\u00c2\u00a0 Division rivals the Minnesota Twins stepped in and snapped him up on a one-year deal worth $1.5m, which could rise to $2.25m if he meets certain performance targets.\u00c2\u00a0 Jason Kubel had a strong 2009 as the Twin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s DH (.300 batting average, 28 homers and 103 RBIs), yet manager Ron Gardenhire hopes to find Thome his share of spot-starts at DH while also using him as an impact bat off the bench.\u00c2\u00a0 Gardenhire <a href=\"http:\/\/minnesota.twins.mlb.com\/news\/article.jsp?ymd=20100126&amp;content_id=7972214&amp;vkey=news_min&amp;fext=.jsp&amp;c_id=min\" target=\"_blank\">is excited<\/a> to have the slugger on his side at last:<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;He looks like stinkin&#8217; Babe Ruth and he takes swings like Babe Ruth. We&#8217;ve seen too many fly against us. Now let&#8217;s see some fly for us.&#8221;<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, <strong>Jim Edmonds<\/strong> is bidding to make a return to the NL Central, this time on a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers.\u00c2\u00a0 The former St Louis favourite, and a Cub in 2008, couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find a job last year.\u00c2\u00a0 His public attempts to seal a return to the Cardinals didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come off, but the Brewers have given him an opportunity to make their club if he has an impressive Spring Training.<\/p>\n<h3>Other notable deals<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The Kansas City Royals signed free agent outfielder <strong>Rick Ankiel<\/strong> on a one-year deal worth $3.25m, with a $6m option for 2011.\u00c2\u00a0 The former pitcher struggled through 2009 with the Cardinals, dealing with a variety of injuries and hitting .231\/.285\/.387 with 11 homers in 122 games.\u00c2\u00a0 Ankiel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unusual career path makes it difficult to predict whether last year was a blip or if his decent 2008 showing was a one-off.\u00c2\u00a0 The Royals have taken a worthwhile gamble to find out.<\/li>\n<li>The Chicago Cubs acquired two position players, signing outfielder <strong>Xavier Nady<\/strong> on a one-year deal worth a guaranteed $3.3m and first baseman <strong>Chad Tracy<\/strong> on a minor league deal.\u00c2\u00a0 Nady played well down the stretch for the Yankees back in 2008, but he played in just nine games last year and underwent Tommy John surgery for the second time in his career.\u00c2\u00a0 Tracy was a free agent after his six-year\u00c2\u00a0period with the D-Backs came to an end.\u00c2\u00a0 His decent performances in 2005 and 2006 (.294 with 47 homers combined) look a long way off now, although he has a shot at earning a Major League roster spot as a bench player and occasional deputy for Derrek Lee.\u00c2\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The Philadelphia Phillies signed veteran Cuban pitcher <strong>Jose Contreras<\/strong> on a one-year deal worth $1.5m. Contreras found a new lease of life as a reliever when he joined the Rockies at the start of September last year and the Phillies see him as a bullpen guy, although he gives them another starting option if required.<\/li>\n<li>The San Diego Padres signed two veteran free agents: starting pitcher <strong>Jon Garland<\/strong> and bench-bat extraordinaire <strong>Matt Stairs<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week&#8217;s transactions in MLB include the A&#8217;s signing an ace pitcher and Jim Thome landing with his third different AL Central team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[104,120,133,114,132,121,110,553,98,128,99,135],"class_list":["post-6605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mlb-2","tag-baltimore-orioles","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-colorado-rockies","tag-kansas-city-royals","tag-los-angeles-dodgers","tag-milwaukee-brewers","tag-minnesota-twins","tag-mlb-2","tag-new-york-yankees","tag-oakland-as","tag-philadelphia-phillies","tag-san-diego-padres"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6605"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7226,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6605\/revisions\/7226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baseballgb.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}