What about Marco Scutaro?
What about Marco Scutaro?
With all eyes firmly set on Roy Halladay, many in the mainstream media and even some in the ‘Jays Nation’ are seemingly forgetting about the upcoming free agency of Marco Scutaro.
Scutaro, who is eligible for free agency in the off-season, will qualify as either a Type A or Type B free agent. Type A FA’s are considered to be in the top 20 percent at their position. Marco may qualify for Type A status if he can maintain his numbers until the end of the season.
The SS position for the Jays in 2010 is a big question mark. One would assume that Marco will file for free agency in the off-season, along with Johnny Mac. Prospect Justin Jackson isn’t ready to play full-time at the MLB level next season. What are the Jays going to do?
Unfortunately, what happens with Marco is likely tied in with Halladay. If Doc goes Marco stays. If Halladay stays, Marco goes. Huh?
Well, if Doc goes then 2010 is out the window. If that’s the case the Jays will probably hold onto Marco and collect the compensation draft picks in the off-season. If Halladay stays then the Jays are going to give the long-awaited 2010 run a go. At that point it would be wise to trade Marco and bring in some fresh blood that can contribute in 2010 (vs the draft picks that will take years to develop).
Of course the third scenario would be to re-sign Marco before or during free agency. Unfortunately, at least from the Jays perspective, Marco’s price tag has raised considerably.
Regardless, with the Halladay trade talks dying down I’d like to hear more information from the Jays brass as to the status of Marco Scutaro heading into the trade deadline.
July 23, 2009
I’m thinking more with conventional thinking on this one. If Halladay goes, Scutaro’s going to be shopped around. If Halladay stays, so does Scoot.
If Halladay stays that means we’re going to try to win next year. We’ll need a SS to do that. Retaining and resigning Scutaro is the most likely option. We won’t be able to trade him for his replacement (since, if they were a replacement, the other team wouldn’t need Scutaro in the first place). Unless we can get a decent one for a bullpen piece, there isn’t any piece to trade off for one. At the end of the season, we’d offer him arb and hope he accepts as opposed to risk being shunned as the next Gary Matthews Jr (parlay a career year in the early 30s into a silly deal) or because they don’t think he’s worth the contract and a first round pick. Maybe offer him a 2 year deal.
If Halladay goes, then it’s sell mode. He’s valuable to a contender now (Twins would be a good target. Mariners? Red Sox? Giants? Cubs? Reds, if they think they’re on the periphery?), and you can brag up the type-A status to extract more. The reason I wouldn’t wait? If he gets type-A, he might just take arbitration. Look at how tough it was for some to get deals – Cruz, Cabrera, the others I’m definitely forgetting… Also, we can get talent closer to the majors (presumably the best players in a Halladay trade would also be close to the majors) as opposed to developing draft picks.
Just a thought… or two.
July 23, 2009
Those are all relevant points, nice comment and addition to the website!
I agree, the Jays wouldn’t get another SS in return if they did deal Marco. They’d probably get another piece or at minimum someone they can trade in the off-season for an FA.
Hopefully the market this off-season resembles the market from last off-season. I can see Marco demanding $10+ million per season. And with his walk total and above average D this season he’s likely to get it from some club. In this scenario can the Jays afford it (with Halladay and Wells still on the roster)?
July 24, 2009
Fellas, wanted to leave a comment on the Buck O’Neill post but didn’t want it to get lost below…..picked up the book on your recommendation – about half way through, and it’s fantastic.
Perspective, man. Thanks for the tip.
July 24, 2009
Great to hear that you picked it up. I’m working on an ultimate Buck O’Neil post that will be posted sometime next week.