(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
UPDATE-Joel Sherman Tweets that the Yanks won’t be trading for him.
From MLBTR
Rafael Soriano accepted arbitration, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Braves, who recently signed Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito, will have lots of relatively expensive relievers under contract now. Imagine if Mike Gonzalez accepts, too.
As ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick points out, the Braves need Soriano’s permission to trade him before June 15th. Apparently Soriano prefers the security of a one-year deal to the uncertainty of a market that would have been dulled by his Type A status.
6:56pm: Braves GM Frank Wren told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman he’d expect Soriano to request a trade if he accepts arbitration. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports expects this decision to go down to the buzzer.
12:40pm: MLB.com’s Mark Bowman says Soriano’s agent Peter Greenberg will make the rounds today, talking to as many teams as possible before making the arbitration decision.
11:29am: Heyman notes that Soriano has attracted interest from the Yankees, Orioles, and Astros. The Yankees would give up their #32 pick, the Orioles #37, or the Astros #43.
This intrigues me to no end. Estimates are he’d get around 7-8 mil in arbitration, since he’s coming off a good season and made 6.35 mil last year. To put that into some context in the current marketplace, the Braves just gave Billy Wagner 7 mil to close for them next year, and Soriano is seen as more of a swing man who could set up or close, but not a pure closer. Which is a roundabout way of saying he’s not worth 7-8 mil on the open market.
Given the youth in the Yankee bullpen there’s certainly room for more veteran presence, right now everyone but Mo and Marte are youngsters. If Joba and Hughes are targeted for the rotation next year as many suspect, the bridge to Mariano would be something the Yanks would like to address this off season. The absence of 2009 Phil Hughes would leave a gaping hole in the 2010 bullpen. With the Yanks dealing off Brian Bruney to the Nationals yesterday they saved themselves an estimated 2 mil for next season right there, so overpaying a bit for Soriano is easier for Brian Cashman to swallow.
Cashman is on the record saying he doesn’t want to give up a draft pick for a setup man, and tries not to hand out long term deals to free agent relievers given their volatile nature. But with Soriano accepting arbitration I don’t think you’d even have to give up that much. He’d be getting paid much more for 2010 than he would get on the open market, which is why he wanted to accept arbitration in the first place. If he’s overpaid in dollars he has very little residual trade value, if any. Fangraphs has him worth 9.1 mil last year, yet worth only .5 the year before and 1.7 in 2007. His injury history makes him unlikely to be a good investment, and setup men are never worth as much as closers.
The Braves would be happy just to get rid of his salary for next year. It would be the Juan Cruz situation all over again where you give up a token player, one who may soon be out of options anyway, and just agree to pay him for one year. However, there seems to be a bit more demand for Soriano than there was for Cruz last year, which went all the way to spring. This looks like it will be wrapped up quickly, and that could drive up the return for Braves GM Frank Wren. But make no mistake, the Braves have their backs to the wall. They have to move him. As an organization they have always had a set budget and paying him 8 mil would mean dumping another salary (or two) they’d prefer to keep. They’d be highly motivated sellers.
This is the type of thing teams try to work out in advance, and the reports of Soriano’s agent gauging landing spots for him fits that scenario. A relief pitcher with Rafael’s ability on a 1 year deal is sweet, even if it is a bit pricey. I do this yesterday.
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6 Responses to Rafael Soriano Accepts Arbitration
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TIQ IQ
I definitely like where you’re going Steve. I think that the question will be, when all is said and done, how much money do the Yankees have to spend?
And if the market is better next year, and Soriano has a good season, the Yankees may net the draft picks.
I trade a journeyman minor leaguer or a throw in minor leaguer and bring back Soriano and still ask the braves to eat 1 million of contract. Than I go and sign either Duscherer or Harden or Sheets. One of the three and put that pitcher at back end of staff. I do not give up the farm for Holliday unless it’s a trade that doesn’t involve Hughes, Jackson, Montero, and Romine. I think the players and the 100 million price tag is too substantial. So you hope to get lightning in a bottle with one of the other three pitchers who have top of the rotation stuff. Than I resign Petite. Lastly I trade for Granderson but no way do I trade the players on the table. I give up Austin Jackson if I have to a centerpiece with another minor league arm. Otherwise I trade Melky, Coke, and another decent prospect but not in category of Romine or even Dunn. I like that lefty arm. Winter meetings over and lets go get them in 2010.
Now they are talking about giving up IPK, AJax and Coke for Curtis Granderson. That looks a little unbalanced.
I sincerely hope that this is just an internet rumor and not something being considered. As I’ve argued a million times on this and other sites, why trade value for Curtis Granderson when the same player (Mike Cameron) is just sitting out there for money?
Really, you want to spend close to 8 million dollars on a setup man??? Especially after the fact that the Yankees said they were going to “reduce” payroll? Not to mention the Yankees are going to have to trade players to the Braves to get him and there is no guarantee that we even offer arbitration to him next year, and damn what if he accepts again! I do no like this idea at all. Wassting 8 mil on the bullpen (which is NOT a need at this point) takes away money we can spend elsewhere this offseason. Let’s not forget we have a LF, SP, and DH spot that we need to fill… But no, lets boost our bullpen with expensive veterans…
I wouldn’t mind signing Mike Gonzalez at this point to be the setup man and add a 2nd lefty to the pen with the trade of Coke and the fact that I think Dunn needs a little more time in Scranton.
Gonzalez would cost a draft pick as Soriano would have but he is a lefty who can be a setup man and strikeout close to 100 in 70 innings this year.