Lukewarm Stove: Upton, Fowler, Greinke, Hamilton, Myers, Wright, More

Nov 27, 2012

A Lukewarm Stove breather from the Scott Feldman signing reacting …

The Cubs have not been attached to B.J. Upton in a single credible rumor (despite there being reasons to consider him), so this mostly ancillary information at this point, but he’s expected to make a decision on his future team this week. The Braves and the Phillies are believed to be his heaviest suitors, with possible interest from the Nationals and Reds, too … and, naturally, a mystery team. I can’t wait to see what kind of contract he gets, as his signing will be the first big-time deal of the offseason, and could set the tone for the rest of the Winter.

After Upton signs, the Rockies could become inclined to shop center fielder Dexter Fowler, who broke out in a big way in 2012 (.300/.389/.474), and doesn’t turn 27 until March. Troy Renck says the asking price will be very high, which is understandable – though Fowler has three more arbitration years left after being a Super Two. He’ll make upwards of $6 million in 2013, and won’t be as much of a bargain going forward. That said, he’s an interesting center field option on the market (though UZR says he’s been a poor defensive one).

The Yankees are expected to get a deal done with Andy Pettitte, which, together with the Hiroki Kuroda deal, should effectively take the Yankees out of the starting pitching market, and could make someone like Phil Hughes available.

Speaking of the starting pitching market, as expected, Zack Greinke is going to get the most money this offseason, and it could be record-breaking for a right-handed starter. Execs expect him to pull in upwards of six years and $25 million per year (I’ll bet he gets seven years, if he wants it).

And speaking of super-expensive free agents, Buster Olney reports that some agents believe Josh Hamilton won’t get a deal longer than three years. Sure, it’d be for $25 million or more per year, but a three-year Hamilton deal? Why wouldn’t 15 teams be in on that, even considering the special risks? For that reason, I think there’s no way he gets only three years. Four or five seem like the minimum.

As noted previously, the Royals are considering moving top prospect Wil Myers for a veteran pitcher, for reasons only they know. Bob Dutton reports that a couple of the arms they’ve been discussing are Jon Lester and James Shields, each of whom wouldn’t be much of a return for Myers, one of the top three prospects in all of baseball, and who is big league ready. I’m sure the Royals are setting their sights a bit higher.

The Reds are on the verge of inking Jonathan Broxton to a three-year deal, which would move Aroldis Chapman into the rotation, and could put a Reds pitcher (Mike Leake?) on the trade market. As they showed with the Travis Wood/Sean Marshall deal last year, the Cubs and Reds aren’t totally averse to dealing with each other, so it’s something to watch.

The Mets have offered David Wright a six year, $100 million extension (the same as Evan Longoria just received, but Wright is a free agent after this year, so the extension wouldn’t have quite as much risk), but he’s expected to turn it down. If that happens, you can figure the Mets will be quick to start shopping the third baseman. Under contract for 2013 only, Wright doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the Cubs, though just about every team – including the Cubs – would be interested in him long-term at third base. Given the state of the third base market, though, I’d think the bidding on Wright could get nutty.

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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