The Stros are in a state of flux, going from reloading to rebuilding, or adjusting lol. I think they need to make these three moves in the offseason to continue having the "adjusting" go in the right direction. In these 3 moves you would save roughly 15-19 million next year and a bit more down the road depending on Lee. 1) Hunter Pence to Tampa for Reid Brignac - Pence is a Hunsicker guy and the type of player the Rays want, fast athletic type who shows no fear. The Rays don't have room for Brignac with guys like Rodriguez and Zobrist ready to take over the position. Also the expected lose of Crawford and Pena via FAgency this offseason, Hunter could split time at DH and outfield while their top prospect Desmond Jennings gets his feet wet and Zobrist/Rodriguez handle 2nd. The Stros will sign DDjr but he is still many years away and Keppinger is a super sub not a regular 2nd baseman. Acquiring a guy like Brignac could be a huge step in the right direction for the youth movement and keep the team competitive while lowering payroll a bit more. 2) Wandy Rodriguez to the Mets for Kirk Nieuwenhuis + Eric Beaulac - Wandy to the Mets makes all the sense in the world and I am stunned it didn't happen at the deadline. They need a #3 guy badly and Wandy is the definition of a #3 starter. Consistently good but not special, they are falling fast because of their pitching and with NO money to spend and Wandy becomes an affordable option that should see more then 6 to 6.5 million in arbitration. Nieuwenhuis is a nice outfielder with tons of speed and pretty good bat and excellent defender in the OF. He could battle Jack Shuck, BB and TJ Steele for that right or left field spot as soon as 2011 Spring Training. 3) Carlos Lee to ANY Contender in the American League for Nachos, a Hot Dog and Soda. - The Stros HAVE to get rid of Caballo, this will mean moving him at a steep cost. Uncle D might have eat as much as 25-30 million in salary for the next two years but there is VERY little choice as he clogging up LF and has become one of the worst everyday players in the game. I wouldn't expect much in return but that is hardly the point. You could ask the Red Sox for Josh Reddick since they appeared to have soured on him and hope to catch lightning in a bottle but honestly don't expect an A level guy. Point is saving between 8-13 million over the long haul and letting some of the Young guys fight it out. Projected lineup 2011 after moves... Bourn Brignac Wallace C.Johnson Castro Nieuwenhuis Jack Shuck/JD Martinez/BB Sanchez Bench - J-Mike Keppinger Q loser of Shuck/Martinez/BB Blum Staff - Myers Happ Paulino Norris Lyles Lindstrom Lyons Melancon Fulchino Lopez That is a young team but let me remind you what the opening day lineup looked in 1991.. Yielding Finley Biggio Gonzo Cammy Baggy Tuffy Rhodes - HR champ of Japan may I add lol Mclemore If we are going young lets go REALLY young!
Regardless of how much McLane would kick in, Lee has a full no trade clause and has never indicated he would waive it.
FWIW, I believe the full no-trade clause turns into a partial no-trade clause after this season. Carlos Lee is probably movable if the Astros pay $30MM of his contract. But at that point, I'd rather just pay the extra $4-$5MM / yr and see if this is just a terrible season. He's been phenomenally consistent until this year, and I'd say it's about 50/50 that he returns to that level next year.
Well it's confusing but Carlos Lee full no trade clause expires at the end of this season. He has a partial no trade clause for the 2011 and 2012 season. There are 12 teams he cannot be traded without his consent. However, after the 2011 season, Carlos will be a five year player with the Astros and a ten year MLB veteran so he can veto any trade. In effect then, the only window to trade Carlos without his consent appears to be from the end of this season until the end of next season. http://www.mlb4u.com/profile.php?id=339
Like Major said, the no-trade clause becomes limited after season. The Stros and Lee have to decided on 12 teams he would not want to be traded to and the rest is fair game. It is important we move him this offseason because if we don't then his 10-5 clause kicks in and basically becomes a full no-trade again. We could wait till the deadline but if he has another crappy year next season then we are stuck with him till the end.
Nope. His contract stipulations (full no-trade for X-years, then limited no-trade for Y-years) trump his 10-5 rights. He in effect gave up his 10-5 rights when he signed that contract.
Stopped reading right here. Hunsicker is not the GM of the Rays. He has no control over the team or the trades. He is a consultant.
That is correct, he "consults" with the Rays on players and since he drafted Hunter I believe he would suggest making a play for the kid. By the way didn't know Lee had waived his 10-5 rights as part of his limited no trade. Would make it easier to move but still essential we move him before he declines worse.
We can't trade away all our middle of the order players. We gotta have players that can hit for power/average in the middle of the lineup. Even small ball teams have at least 1 guy who can hit 20hr's. Wallace may get there but he's no sure bet.
It's pretty much a trade-off incorporated into the CBA. You want a multi-year deal with a no-trade clause *before* you reach 10-5 rights? OK then...no 10-5 rights for you.
I'm not sure this is accurate as I do not believe that 10-5 rights are "negotiable" in the CBA. My belief is that Lee gets only limited trade protection for a single year before gaining 10-5 status and then will be protected by full no-trade protection. Other than locals here in Houston trying to give him credit for the Rays, there has never been any indication that he has any significant influence in the Tampa organization. And even if he did, Pence is not a player the Rays would be interested in.
I would love to dump Lee if he'd be willing to waive his no-trade. No way Drayton is going to sign off on a Pence trade. I really don't see it taking nearly as long to compete either. In 2012 Roy will be a FA. I could see us re-signing him if he's still pitching on the same level. Lyles should be up. Roy-Happ-Myers-Lyles would be a heck of a rotation.
I'd say there is virtually no chance you see JD Martinez up before Sept 2011. Best case scenario has him competing for a spot on the 2012 team.
In fact he did. As have many other players. There is nothing in the CBA that would require a player to waive 10-5 in order to procure a notrade before reaching that status, and 10-5 rights cannot be negotiated out of a contract by a player.
Yes, it is accurate. A player can voluntarily waive his 10-5 rights, given certain circumstances. Lee has done this; he has a list of 12 teams to which he will not accept a trade (maximum of 16 allowed), he has at least a limited no-trade clause for the duration of his contract, his contract was signed before he gained 10-5 rights. Here's one blurb about it: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bb/7053315.html "Lee is in the fourth and last year of a full no-trade clause, with a partial trade clause kicking in for the remainder two years that supersedes his 10-and-5 rights, which he will attain for the 2012 season." In short, after this season, Carlos Lee can be traded without his approval to all but 12 teams. Email Fallas, Footer or Levine if you want clarification.
I understand that the local media is saying this, but I've never heard of an instance where a player negotiated away his 10-5 rights. I've never believed that to be possible as the union doesn't like players to have the ability to give up collectively bargained benefits. Teams would do everything they could to get players to waive those rights when they sign a contract.
