Marlins to Sign Buck

[DirtySox]

 

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal

#Marlins close to signing free-agent catcher John Buck to three-year deal. #BlueJays #MLB

35 minutes ago

 

 

jonmorosi Jon Morosi

UPDATE: Source tells me that the Buck deal is, in fact, worth more than $15M. #Florida #Marlins #MLB

1 minute ago

 

 

Details aren't entirely official yet, but this certainly influences the catchers market. If Buck is getting between 5 and 6 million a year, the Sox would be foolish to not offer AJ arbitration. Not much harm in him accepting, and draft picks if he walks.

[bigruss]

Details aren't entirely official yet, but this certainly influences the catchers market. If Buck is getting between 5 and 6 million a year, the Sox would be foolish to not offer AJ arbitration. Not much harm in him accepting, and draft picks if he walks.

$6 million is quite a bit of harm to this team's resources right now.

[southsider2k5]

That is insane money and years for a guy who isn't that good.

[justBLAZE]

Details aren't entirely official yet, but this certainly influences the catchers market. If Buck is getting between 5 and 6 million a year, the Sox would be foolish to not offer AJ arbitration. Not much harm in him accepting, and draft picks if he walks.

 

Bruce Levine disagrees with you.

 

Because of recent rule changes, not offering arbitration to your own player does not exclude you from signing them back as a free agent. For example, in the case of A.J. Pierzynski, the White Sox might hurt the catcher's chances in the free-agent market if they offer him arbitration. That would mean a team signing Pierzynski would lose two draft picks to the White Sox. Because of their relationship with Pierzynski and the fact they might want to bring him back, the White Sox may pass on offering arbitration which would give Pierzynski and his agent an even playing field to find his best offer elsehwere or return to the White Sox on a shorter contract in a good frame of mind.

[southsider2k5]

Also it is worth mentioning that if this is the going price for catchers, we might be looking at the Tyler Flowers era starting next year.

[Chisoxfn]

For some reason I keep thinking Mike Napoli will be our starting catcher next season.

[SoxPride56]

For some reason I keep thinking Mike Napoli will be our starting catcher next season.

 

 

There are far worse options out there then Mike Napoli.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

For some reason I keep thinking Mike Napoli will be our starting catcher next season.

I wouldn't be a huge fan of this unless AJ left the Sox for a better offer and Kenny had to go after the next best thing. Napoli is a good player, but he's going to get a raise on the $3.6M he made last year during arb, and 2011 is his last year before FA. AJ doesn't cost draft picks, only money. Napoli costs good talent, plus money, and we'd run the risk of losing him.

[Chisoxfn]

I wouldn't be a huge fan of this unless AJ left the Sox for a better offer and Kenny had to go after the next best thing. Napoli is a good player, but he's going to get a raise on the $3.6M he made last year during arb, and 2011 is his last year before FA. AJ doesn't cost draft picks, only money. Napoli costs good talent, plus money, and we'd run the risk of losing him.

I don't necessarily know how much good talent you'd lose in the deal. It seemed like the Angels might go another route. They won't give him away but I don't know if they need a whole ton to make something happen. Again, purely hypothetical and while Napoli has his flaws it is a move I'd support.

[Kenny Hates Prospects]

I don't necessarily know how much good talent you'd lose in the deal. It seemed like the Angels might go another route. They won't give him away but I don't know if they need a whole ton to make something happen. Again, purely hypothetical and while Napoli has his flaws it is a move I'd support.

From a pure talent perspective I'd support it too. But if I were the Angels I'd ask for something good (not like Viciedo or anything, but much better than Flowers and D2 kind of prospects) knowing that eventually someone is going to offer a good player. Even in his down year last year he hit 26 HR in just 510 plate appearances, and his OBP was still 78 points above his BA, which is about where it has been. He struck out more and got fewer hits, but there's no reason to believe that is the start of a downward trend.

 

Now if we thought we could extend him at a reasonable price however, and buy low, then I'd fully support this move. But he's still going to cost something good.

Edited November 16, 2010 by Kenny Hates Prospects

[LittleHurt05]

There are far worse options out there then Mike Napoli.

 

Offensively yes. Defensively, not so much.

[Chisoxfn]

From a pure talent perspective I'd support it too. But if I were the Angels I'd ask for something good (not like Viciedo or anything, but much better than Flowers and D2 kind of prospects) knowing that eventually someone is going to offer a good player. Even in his down year last year he hit 26 HR in just 510 plate appearances, and his OBP was still 78 points above his BA, which is about where it has been. He struck out more and got fewer hits, but there's no reason to believe that is the start of a downward trend.

 

Now if we thought we could extend him at a reasonable price however, and buy low, then I'd fully support this move. But he's still going to cost something good.

Scioscia wants his catchers first and most importantly to call great games and he has fallen in love with the light hitting, exceptionally defensively Jeff Mathis. However, Napoli is a pretty solid catcher in his own right and I think the Angels tend to underrate him. Plus the Angels org in general despises strikeouts, which is why I still don't understand how they have stuck by Wood for as long as they have.

[DirtySox]

I don't believe the decision to offer arbitration or not is as clear-cut as some of you think. It certainly isn't a slam dunk like with Konerko and Putz, but it's entirely reasonable.

 

Sox Machine just put up a very nice piece on the topic.

 

http://soxmachine.com/2010/11/17/buck-deal...skis-prospects/

Edited November 17, 2010 by DirtySox

[ChiliIrishHammock24]

I don't believe the decision to offer arbitration or not is as clear-cut as some of you think. It certainly isn't a slam dunk like with Konerko and Putz, but it's entirely reasonable.

 

Sox Machine just put up a very nice piece on the topic.

 

http://soxmachine.com/2010/11/17/buck-deal...skis-prospects/

 

very good piece.

 

I agree the Sox should offer AJ the arb after reading that article. And if AJ accepts, then what is stopping Kenny from trading AJ somewhere since $6M isn't a huge commitment to a team, and as long as we get a player or two back, even if they are crappy, we can just consider them our draft picks that we would have done if AJ rejected arb. Either way, if he accepts and we trade him, or he declines, we could earn ourselves 1 or 2 prospects in return that we would otherwise not have gotten if we didn't offer him arb.

[Chicago White Sox]

very good piece.

 

I agree the Sox should offer AJ the arb after reading that article. And if AJ accepts, then what is stopping Kenny from trading AJ somewhere since $6M isn't a huge commitment to a team, and as long as we get a player or two back, even if they are crappy, we can just consider them our draft picks that we would have done if AJ rejected arb. Either way, if he accepts and we trade him, or he declines, we could earn ourselves 1 or 2 prospects in return that we would otherwise not have gotten if we didn't offer him arb.

What's the date we need to offer arbitration by? Isn't there a chance a team desperate for a catcher would sign him before that deadline? I didn't think Buck would move so quickly, but him doing so has thinned out the free agent catching market quite a bit. Maybe a team would be willing to sacrifice a pick (especially if it's a second rounder) and make an offer to A.J. early if they know other teams will be waiting on our arbitration decision.

[DirtySox]

What's the date we need to offer arbitration by? Isn't there a chance a team desperate for a catcher would sign him before that deadline? I didn't think Buck would move so quickly, but him doing so has thinned out the free agent catching market quite a bit. Maybe a team would be willing to sacrifice a pick (especially if it's a second rounder) and make an offer to A.J. early if they know other teams will be waiting on our arbitration decision.

 

November 23rd is the deadline to offer. The player must decide to accept or decline by the 30th.

Edited November 17, 2010 by DirtySox

[elrockinMT]

Many here must have signed on to the "fatalistic" viewpoint. This team is not made up of a bunch of also ran losers. I think the Sox should re-sign AJP and the Marlins were interested in him. Now they have Buck, who can't hold a candle to AJ so hopefully he and the Sox are talking.

[witesoxfan]

Bruce Levine disagrees with you.

 

I understand the average fan having difficulty with something like this, but if you are a "credible" baseball journalist, you should absolutely know that signing a Type A free agent does not cost a team two draft picks, and I'm pretty sure it never has. The incumbent team will receive two draft picks, yes, but one of them is in the sandwich round between the 1st and the 2nd and is compensation from MLB itself, not from any particular team.

 

 

[DirtySox]

I understand the average fan having difficulty with something like this, but if you are a "credible" baseball journalist, you should absolutely know that signing a Type A free agent does not cost a team two draft picks, and I'm pretty sure it never has. The incumbent team will receive two draft picks, yes, but one of them is in the sandwich round between the 1st and the 2nd and is compensation from MLB itself, not from any particular team.

 

Bruce Levine is a horrible horrible source of anything. It's best to disregard almost all of what he says. If you want a laugh you should read some of the answers he gives out in his Sox/Cubs chats.