http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=showdown/mlb/5toolplayer03122004 In baseball terminology, a 5-tool player is one who is above average in the 5 major areas: Hitting for average, hitting for power, great speed, good position fielding and a strong throwing arm.
I believe it is defined as a player that hits for power, hits for average, steals bases, excels at defense, and has a strong throwing arm. I think Beltran should be referred to as a 4 1/2 tool player. While he has hit more than .300 before, he is not a Pujols .335 + type, but he has the ability. I can't really think of any true 5 tool players in baseball today, perhaps A Rod. Really the young Junior Griffey was probably the last one.
for the out of towners: berman on kriv had nothing to report. just showed purpura saying that we're still in it. not been told we're out of it. we remain optimistic.
I really didn't believe this would go on till Saturday... whether or not he was choosing us. Tommorow, with the NFL playoffs all day, when are they going to have time to have a press conference... to say his decision either way. Boras' latest theory on "collusion" is an interesting one with absolutely no basis.
If Purpura doesn't watch it, he is going start looking more and more like Jerry Krause. Ch. 2 news is the only Houston station we get, they got nuthin', this thread is all I need.
For what it's worth, the latest from NY Times claiming that the Astros are the favorites. No real big news here. I guess we shall find out soon enough. Sorry if this was posted already, but I did not see it in this thread. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Astros Favored to Sign Beltran in the Nick of Time By JACK CURRY Published: January 8, 2005 The mystery about where Carlos Beltran will play center field in 2005 could be solved today because the Houston Astros, one of his primary suitors and perhaps one of only two suitors, have a midnight deadline to sign him. If the Astros do not reach an agreement with Beltran by the end of the day, they would be forbidden to negotiate with him until May 1 because he declined salary arbitration. That would end Houston's chance of signing Beltran, and he would play for another team this season - most likely the Mets, Beltran's other obvious salivating suitor. Still, a prominent executive with a major league team said the prevailing thought throughout Major League Baseball was that Beltran would return to the Astros. It seems doubtful today will pass without some resolution because Scott Boras, Beltran's agent, does not want a team eliminated from what has seemingly evaporated into a two-team skirmish. The Mets were intensifying that skirmish last night as they were involved in extensive discussions with Boras to try to consummate an agreement to bring Beltran to Shea Stadium. Unless the Yankees suddenly make an offer, it appears as if Beltran will stay with the Astros or give the Mets another marquee free agent to join Pedro Martínez. Three Yankees officials said George Steinbrenner, the team's principal owner, had not mentioned Beltran in more than a week. Steinbrenner declined to comment on Beltran yesterday. The Astros and the Mets have offered Beltran seven-year deals in excess of $100 million, with the Mets believed to be offering $112 million. But because there is no state income tax in Texas, the offers are almost identical. The Mets have ordered their employees not to discuss Beltran, so Mets officials have not commented on him since some of them visited him in Puerto Rico earlier this week. Boras was quoted in The New York Post on Thursday as saying that five teams had offered Beltran contracts of at least seven years and $112 million. Boras had said those contractual conditions were the minimum bid for a team to be engaged in the negotiations. The Yankees are only monitoring the discussions, the Detroit Tigers have said they are not in the running and the Chicago Cubs do not think they are serious competitors for Beltran, so it is hard to imagine that five teams have made such lavish offers. Boras was telling teams that the numbers of suitors for Beltran had been reduced to four by yesterday and that it was uncertain if a deal would be reached with any of them by today. As the Mets continue to chase Beltran, they are, in some ways, trying to duplicate what they did in signing Martínez to a four-year, $53 million contract. The Mets are trying to persuade Beltran to leave a team he was successful and comfortable with, although it was only for three months. Martínez, of course, spent seven excellent and entertaining seasons in Boston. Even though it was believed that Martínez would return to the Red Sox, the Mets secured him by offering another year and $12.5 million more than Boston did. Whether Omar Minaya, the Mets' general manager, can have the same type of success in luring Beltran is uncertain. If the Yankees remain on the sideline and Beltran has to choose between similar offers from the Astros and the Mets, it is reasonable to wonder why he would pick the Mets. Beltran had a superb postseason for the Astros, hitting .435 with 8 homers, 14 runs batted in and 6 stolen bases in 12 games, and almost leading them to their first World Series appearance. Because Beltran is sensitive, some baseball executives think he is better suited for the calmer atmosphere in Houston, where he has been embraced and has blended in. If Beltran does sign with Houston, there is a stronger chance that Roger Clemens, the National League's Cy Young Award winner, would return to pitch another season for the Astros. But if Beltran signs with the Mets, he would become the face of an organization that has averaged 71 victories in the past three seasons and would be in a pressure-filled spot. Beltran would not be an anonymous star on the Mets because he would be their highest-paid and most notable player. The Mets have been in contact with Carlos Delgado's agent and could try to sign Delgado, a free-agent first baseman, if they do not get Beltran. David Sloane, Delgado's agent, said the Mets were one of several teams having serious discussions about Delgado. The Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers are also interested. "We're not close to a deal," Sloane said, "but we're not far, either." While the Mets waited to hear from Boras, they wondered about things they could not control, including if Steinbrenner was prepared to pounce. Steinbrenner was intent on obtaining Randy Johnson, but so far has shown little enthusiasm for adding Beltran. That surely bothers Boras, who knows the Yankees could pump up the price even if they did not sign Beltran. As fans purchased all of the Yankees' spring training tickets yesterday in Tampa, Fla., Steinbrenner told The Associated Press that he was pleased with the changes the team had made in the off-season. He did not answer questions about Beltran or Beltran's next baseball address. But by tonight, Beltran might finally have one. Murray Chass contributed reporting for this article. NY Times: Beltran Article
Basically thats what I just heard on Fox Sports just now....and also that Drayton is a little more optimistic. And they just released the "supposed numbers." Mets and Astros no suprise there with 7 and 112 and 7 and 105 respectively. The Yankees of course are still a mystery and the cubs have reportedly offered 6 and 84 (so they're basically out of it).
Here's the Chronicle version... Jan. 7, 2005, 11:18PM Deadline looms for Beltran deal McLane holds firm, likes chances on final day for Astros in talks By JOSE DE JESUS ORTIZ Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Astros owner Drayton McLane is not a gambler. Nonetheless, he likes his odds today as the clock ticks toward a deadline for the Astros to re-sign All-Star center fielder Carlos Beltran by 11 p.m. or lose all negotiating rights until May 1. As of late Friday night, McLane had not received a decision from Beltran's agent, Scott Boras, who had multiple discussions with the New York Mets regarding Beltran on Friday. "I'm very optimistic," McLane said via phone late Friday night from his home in Temple. "As this moves forward, I'm somewhat optimistic." McLane and Boras spoke for the third consecutive day Friday, but McLane said he had not altered his offer, which sources say is for seven years at approximately $105 million. As of late Friday, the Mets were debating whether to cross the $112 million threshold for Beltran. The Cubs also have given Boras the parameters of an offer for Beltran, reportedly at about $80 million for five years. Although the Yankees publicly downplayed their interest, neither Mets nor Astros officials discount the possibility of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner stepping up today and trumping all offers. Considering the cost of living and tax differential between Houston and New York, there is little difference between the offers the Mets and Astros have put on the table. For that reason, McLane had a much greater sense of optimism than some of the Mets' officials. One person close to the situation even said it was probably a "long shot" for the Mets to beat out the Astros for Beltran. Because Beltran declined salary arbitration, the Astros must re-sign him by 11 tonight or lose all rights to sign him until May 1. Per the collective bargaining agreement, commissioner Bud Selig cannot extend this deadline, which was put in place specifically to guard against teams colluding. That deadline applies only to the Astros, the team that held Beltran's rights at the end of the season. The Mets, Yankees or Cubs can theoretically jump in with high offers and extend the negotiations with Beltran to push past the deadline in hopes of eliminating one major opponent. Because Beltran chose free agency, the club from which he came (the Astros) had to offer him arbitration by Dec. 7 or lose negotiating rights until May 1. The Astros made the offer, and he had until Dec. 19 to accept, which would have made him property of the Astros and landed him on Houston's 40-man roster. Beltran turned down arbitration, so the Astros must re-sign him by tonight at 11 or lose negotiating rights until May 1. This process was included in the collective bargaining agreement after the owners were caught colluding to keep salaries down. This deadline "was a consequence of collusion," said a prominent agent who had no ties to the Beltran-Astros negotiations but was a major player in making the owners pay for colluding. "The first form of collusion (in baseball) was a boycott by owners. So if a club wanted to keep a player, the other owners wouldn't offer a contract. "With this deadline, the commissioner has no power over it. The labor union and the owners do. That baby (11 p.m.) ain't moving," Nevertheless, not much paperwork has to be submitted to the commissioner's office tonight by 11. If a deal is reached, Boras will call a representative of the union. Astros officials will call a Major League Baseball representative in the labor relations department. The parties can negotiate until 10:59 p.m. because reporting the agreement by 11 p.m. can be as simple as calling the union and the labor relations department and saying, "We've reached an agreement." Then the point person from the union will call the point person from the labor relations department and confirm the deal's figures. That deadline was very much on the minds of Boras and McLane during their phone conversation Friday morning. "I said (to Boras),'If Houston's going to be a player, you have a deadline,' " McLane said. "I just said, 'You're going to let this run out.' I'm trying to focus. Time will run out for the Houston Astros. "We've had the offer out there. He knows what it is. It's the permanent offer. As I told him today, 'Our offer is there.' " Whether he signs Beltran or not, however, McLane is comfortable about the health of his franchise for years to come. If one thing has surprised him this winter is the fact that hardly anybody asks him about Lance Berkman, the other young switch-hitting outfielder who has been among the best sluggers in the majors this decade. Before Beltran, 27, was acquired from the Royals, Berkman, 28, was the Astros' most feared batter. The first Astro to have three seasons with at least 30 home runs, Berkman is a career .303 hitter with 156 home runs and 535 RBIs over only four full seasons. He has played parts of two other seasons in the majors. Berkman, a New Braunfels High graduate who was the Astros' first-round pick in 1997 out of Rice, reached the majors in 1999. He played 34 games in 1999 for the Astros before playing all but 31 of his games in the majors in 2000 while landing in Houston for good. "You look at him," McLane said of Berkman, who also starred this past postseason. "He's homegrown, played every game for the Astros. Played at Rice, grew up in New Braunfels and really got Rice moving forward. "His offensive numbers are as good as anybody, and he's a great human being. What we already have, we take for granted while focusing on others. Look at Roy (Oswalt), the only pitcher in the National League that won 20 games (in 2004). Look at his potential and look at Brad Lidge, who is one of the best closers in the game." Berkman is in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and the Astros are already talking to him about signing a multi-year deal. McLane also is ready to start trying to persuade 2004 NL Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens to pitch another year. "Think how excited we were this time last year (as Clemens was preparing to sign with the Astros) and nobody even knew Carlos Beltran was in our future," McLane said. "With him or without we'll have a good team." If McLane's instincts are correct, Beltran will sign with Houston today. Link McLane sure doesn't sound like the owner of a team that has a make or break decision ahead of it. I like our chances.
Knowing what's at stake, McLane will get deal done By JOHN P. LOPEZ Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle There was no way the Astros could pull off the 11th-hour deal for Randy Johnson in 1998. Absolutely no way. No way, either, could they sign former National League Most Valuable Player Jeff Kent in 2002. Are you kidding me? Did you forget who owns this team? And, please. It was nothing more than a dream that the Astros actually could open the vault and close the deal on the already retired Roger Clemens. Or had you also forgotten the rancor and resentment between Clemens' agents and then-general manager Gerry Hunsicker during the Astros' previous ill-fated run at the Rocket in 1999? A marketer's dream Somehow, someway, those deals got done. Because those deals were about much more than baseball games and numbers. They were about commodities. They were about working the market, creating a buzz and filling stadiums. And for the same reason those impossibilities became possibilities, this Carlos Beltran deal can get done. In fact, it will get done, or Astros owner Drayton McLane will exhaust himself trying. Drayton might know only marginally more baseball now than he did when he bought the club 13 years ago. Oh, he can tell you about the infield fly rule and work a scorebook all right. But like sportswriters, when it comes to understanding and working the intricate parts and personalities while building a title team, he knows only enough to be dangerous. But he does know this: Beltran's signing will mean more in the Houston, national and international markets than any other in the history of the organization — Nolan Ryan and Clemens included. Few in the game have a better grasp of what sells than McLane. '05 and beyond affected He knows the stakes. There's a kind of big, Tiffany crystal ball beginning to descend in the Astros' sky. It's counting down the minutes to Saturday's 11 p.m. deadline for Beltran's decision on whether the Astros will stay in the game. McLane knows the next hours will determine whether 2005 will be a happy new year or the first of what could be many less appealing rebuilding years for his club. There has been growing buzz of late in baseball circles that the Astros' chances of signing Beltran have dwindled, given the Mets' $100 million offer, the Cubs entering the fray, and at least one other team, likely the Yankees, still talking. Some say it's over for the 'Stros. But in the words of another slightly uninformed but equally optimistic figure — Animal House's John Blutarsky — was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? To put it bluntly, this isn't over until McLane says it is. He has the means, the opportunity, and, most importantly, the inspiration, to go further, try harder and spend more than ever before. He knows he'll make money on the Beltran deal, if not at the gate, then in merchandising, international appeal and value of the club. It has been reported that McLane has offered a deal worth $105 million. He also has made it clear that his proposal to Beltran was not the Astros' last offer. That tells you just how important McLane sees these final few hours in terms of business. When was the last time he openly talked about negotiating up? Fear factor Having the fans turn on him is probably McLane's greatest fear in life, next to Wal-Mart's stock cratering or Whataburger's closing shop. He knows they will indeed feel spurned if this signing does not happen. Worse, the club could well go from one game away from the World Series to maybe one game under .500 or thereabouts. By mid-August, with no Beltran and so many other dominoes having fallen the wrong way, the once-rocking Minute Maid Park could well become a nice, quiet place to read a book. Not a pretty picture The dominoes: •Without Beltran, the already stated one percent chance of Roger Clemens' return would be reduced to zero percent. •The pitching staff would be strong at the top with Roy Oswalt and a presumably healthy Andy Pettitte. But with the Astros having allowed Wade Miller to move on, there would be no guarantees behind the top two, although there's promise in Brandon Backe's future. •Having mistakenly played agent Scott Boras' game by Scott Boras' rules, the Astros precluded themselves from being involved in any other significant free-agent negotiations. They should have imposed their own deadline for a decision so they could have had a kind of fall-back plan. By not doing so, it has become an all-or-nothing thing with Beltran. •Having undervalued Kent, who signed with his hometown Dodgers, the club would be left with a bad defensive lineup and an average one at best offensively. You're talking a first baseman, Jeff Bagwell, whose power numbers have slipped of late and who has shoulder problems. At second, there would be the unproven Chris Burke. The shortstop would be nice but light-hitting Adam Everett, and there would be a platoon at third. And that's not all Craig Biggio would be back in center field, for better or worse. When healthy — if healthy — Lance Berkman would patrol one corner of the outfield and Jason Lane the other. If that's not a rebuilding team, there has never been one. Rebuilding teams don't rock the house. This McLane knows, which is why he's going to make this thing happen. Link
I was hoping to see some news on here this morning...I'm getting tired of hearing how optimistic Drayton and Purpura are...going to play golf...
That's it...I can't wait any longer. If Boras hasn't said NO to the ASTROS by now, then that can conly mean that the ASTROS are the team that Beltran has chosen.
