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01/26/2005: Hot Stove League: Notes of interest on the baseball front.
1) The Big News: Free agent 1B Carlos Delgado just signed with...... The Florida Marlins. 4 years, $52 million, with an option for 2009. This after a rather raucous bidding war between Florida, Texas, the Mets, and Baltimore.
Is he worth it? Lee Sinins, in his daily "Around the Majors" newsletter, points out that Delgado ranks 9th in career Runs Created Above Average for all first basemen in AL history:
RCAA
1 Lou Gehrig 1247
2 Jimmie Foxx 959
3 Frank Thomas 505
4 Rafael Palmeiro 456
5 Norm Cash 423
T6 Jason Giambi 421
T6 Hank Greenberg 421
8 Eddie Murray 416
9 Carlos Delgado 396
10 Mark McGwire 391
Ahead of Mark McGwire. I assume that the RCAA figure there does not include Big Mac's time with the Cardinals.
2) The Bigger News: Roger Clemens signed with the Houston Astros. 1 year, $18 million, making Rocket the highest paid pitcher in the history of the game (in terms of a single year salary, that is). And then 5 years after he retires (if he ever does), the trip to Cooperstown.
3) Interesting tidbits: The New York Mets may be ready to trade for BoSox 1B Doug "Mine! The ball is mine, I tell you!" Mientkiewicz. (As mentioned earlier around these parts, Mientkiewicz is claiming that he owns the ball that he caught to make the putout for the last out of the 2004 World Series, Boston's first World Series victory since 1918.) I'm beginning to wonder if a condition of the trade will be the Mets handing over The Ball to Boston. Meanwhile, the Braves signed free agent OF (and former Cardinal) Brian Jordan to a 1 year contract worth $600,000 (Jordan's second sojourn with the Bravos; Brian played in Hotlanta from '99-'01 as well). That's about half (a little less, if I'm calculating correctly) of what he made with the Rangers last season, which was a BIG pay cut from what he made with the Dodgers in 2003. If B.J. doesn't pull a Tony Womack this year, he's apparently on the downward side of the hill, and may just be thinking of retirement soon...
Len on 01.26.05 @ 07:06 PM CST
Replies: 2 comments
on Wednesday, January 26th, 2005 at 10:00 PM CST, roboto said
I am shocked that Mintk. and the Sox haven't privately resolved this issue. It's certainly a very strange stance he's taking.
on Thursday, January 27th, 2005 at 8:20 AM CST, Len Cleavelin said
It is weird. I personally tend to go with the analysis by Professor Paul Finkelman of the University of Tulsa Law School, who argues that the ball belongs either to the Cardinals (his first choice) or to MLB (or technically, the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball). If you're interested:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/12/opinion/12finkelman.html?ex=1263272400&en=9c0b7c0c32a566e6&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland