Cordero to Reds; 4 years, $46 million

[brettac1]

I could be wrong - but I doubt that an extra $1 millon a year was the reason he left Milwaukee.

 

Well, for one I doubt (and hope) the Brewers didn't offer the option year.

[MNBrew]

I liked Cordero a lot and even when he had his few really poor outings and I was pulling my hair out over it, I still felt re-signing him was the only truly justifiable way to go.

 

While the draft choices received for Cordero & Linebrink are a decent commodity, all along I've never been thrilled with the "let 'em walk, we'll take the draft choices" mentality because the player in question is an established commodity while the players to be drafted take years to develop and still may not ever play in a major league game.

 

For everyone who was so sure that not re-signing these two guys in particular was such a great idea, did it never occur to you that if any FAs sign with stinky teams, the Brewers end up with 2nd round picks, not 1st rounders?

 

Now we don't have Cordero OR Linebrink. And yeah, we do have a growing stockpile of post-1st-round draft picks, but all we really seem to have going for the bullpen at this point for sure are a great big pile of question marks, plus Turnbow, Shouse, & Mota -- each themselves not without question marks.

 

We came into the offseason clearly needing to address needs in the OF, bullpen, & defense, + possibly catcher. C'mon, Dougie...

 

Catcher - done, and respectably so

 

Bullpen - plus 1, minus 2 -- holes seemingly are growing

Defense - only upgrades so far lie in the difference from Estrada up to Kendall, which don't seem to be huge

OF - still waiting

 

So much for blind optimism so far. I sure wish so many of these guys seriously considered the ballclub they're leaving and not just allowing the highest amount of cash blind their views of the team they're joining.

[twobrewers]

The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a club option for a fifth year that can bring the total value of the package to $57 million.

 

It is a club option.

[brettac1]

So much for blind optimism so far. I sure wish so many of these guys seriously considered the ballclub they're leaving and not just allowing the highest amount of cash blind their views of the team they're joining.

 

It's still super early in the offseason, give Melvin time.

 

Personally, this restores some faith for me that Melvin isn't losing it.

[MNBrew]

In spite of some of my remarks in #26 above -- twobrewers, I'm totally in agreement -- I have great faith in Doug Melvin.

 

My only huge frustration with this besides the loss of a decent closer is the fact that now there are just that many more unknowns added to the one area of the team which already had the greatest number of unknowns.

 

C'mon, Dougie!

[theavrock]

Regardless of holes that we have now, we could not have afforded Linebrink or Cordero for the money they got. The Milwaukee market cannot afford to pay relievers that type of money especially with all the young guys who we will be trying to keep in the coming years. Would you rather have Coredero or Corey Hart? Those are the types of desicions that DM has to make. Yes it sucks to lose them but we could not afford to keep them for the money they got paid.

[fondybrewfan]

Cordero got $46 million; Brewers offered $42 million

By Tom Haudricourt

Friday, Nov 23 2007, 04:14 PM

Free agent closer Francisco Cordero's new deal with Cincinnati is for four years and $46 million, with an option year for $11 million more.

 

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said he offered four years and $42 million to Cordero, also with a option for a fifth year. Melvin said agent Bean Stringfellow told him he had a higher offer from another club and indicated the Brewers were more than $1 million shy.

 

Not knowing how much more it would take to keep Cordero, Melvin said he stopped bidding.

 

"I thought we had a chance to keep 'Coco,'" said Melvin. "Our offer was competitive.

 

"Our offer was slightly below what Billy Wagner got (four years, $43 million two years ago from the New York Mets). We thought that was a competitive offer. As important as he was to us, we just felt (the bidding) was getting to be too much."

 

Now in need of a closer, Melvin said he didn't expect an answer to come on the free agent market.

 

"There aren't any other closers out there like 'Coco,'" said Melvin, who didn't appear excited about the prospect of going after Eric Gagne.

 

If they have to fill from within, Melvin said the Brewers might have to turn to Derrick Turnbow, who saved 39 games in 2005 before melting down in 2006 and losing the closer's job to Cordero. Melvin realizes Turnbow became a lightning rod for fans in a set-up role with wildness-fueled blowups but said he might be the best option internally.

 

"I still have confidence Derrick Turnbow can compile a number of saves," said Melvin.

 

Melvin considered that it really hurt to lose Cordero to an NL Central opponent.

 

"We hoped he would want to stay," said Melvin. "We're going to miss Coco. He was a good teammate and he thrived with us.

 

"In the end, it's always about money. This helps raise the bar for other closers. That's the way it is, no matter what they say."

[mpepy05]

Yesssss, now we can move Bush into the "good ol' days" 2-3 inning closer role.

 

Seriously, I don't think he'd be terrible as a closer. I'm thinking he might get his shot this year.

[brettac1]

"In the end, it's always about money. This helps raise the bar for other closers. That's the way it is, no matter what they say."

 

Exactly.

[paul253]

Just our luck. We finally get not only 1, but 2 class A free agents, and they both sign with crap teams and we get 2 2nd round picks. Yeah it's nice, but not nearly as nice as it could have been.

 

With the money we saved but not signing Cordero, I don't think we have any choice but to use it on the pen. I'm all for two $5 million guys. I know Riske and Hawkins names have been thrown out there, not saying they're worth $5 million a year, but we have to sign someone.

[Fatter than Joey]

"I still have confidence Derrick Turnbow can compile a number of saves," said Melvin.

 

Zero is a number I suppose.

[thablingster]

This offseason isn't going well for us, at all.

 

I am actually more bitter about Cordero leaving for the Reds than I was about Carlos Lee turning down our deal and ultimately being traded. I guess now we will see what magic DM can pull out of his hat, because unless we can count on our starters pitching complete games all the time, I'm not liking our bullpen options (not that Cordero would have single-handedly fixed that, anyway).

[brettac1]

I know Riske and Hawkins names have been thrown out there, not saying they're worth $5 million a year, but we have to sign someone.

 

I don't think this would be a good approach. They need to sign guys for what they're worth, not just throw money at a problem. I think if any real improvements are to be made to the pen, they're going to come in trades (someone like Soriano, Cordero, etc.).

[dogs with bees in their mo]

The fact is that when we have good players hit free agency we have to be very selective on who we re-sign because so many of them get insanely overpaid. I'm glad we didn't make an offer as high as the Reds, and I think we offered more than we should have. We can't afford to blow this kind of money on a guy who pitches like 70 innings per year.

 

It's why I didn't like the Linebrink deal and I still don't. I understand that we basically traded prospects for a player rental and a draft pick, but I am not a big fan of that for a few reasons; The only player's success who you can predict worse than a minor leaguer is a draft pick, we don't know exactly where the pick will be, we gave up 3 players for 1, and that one is likely a couple more years away from the majors.

[danzig6767]

"In the end, it's always about money. This helps raise the bar for other closers. That's the way it is, no matter what they say."

 

Exactly.

 

 

Unless Cordero wanted to leave Milwaukee, in the grand scheme of his financial future, is there much difference between 42 or 46 million? I can see why players take the bigger contract when the gap between offers is large, but i can't see how the Reds offer vs the Brewers one will change his lifestyle or financial future in any way.

[Crew2323]

Here's Rotoworld's take:

 

"The Reds and Francisco Cordero have come to terms on a four-year, $46 million contract with an option for a fifth year, FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reports.
If Rosenthal is correct, then $1 million per year is all it took to lure Cordero from a team set up to contend annually for the next several years to one that simply isn't. That the Reds spent this much on a guy who only figures to throw 70 innings per year shows precisely why they're going nowhere fast. Cordero is a fine pitcher, but he blew one more save than David Weathers did last season. He's only going to make so much of a difference."

 

Can't say I disagree.

[Crew2323]

Will it be considered acceptable to boo CoCo when he returns to Milwaukee?

[brettac1]

Unless Cordero wanted to leave Milwaukee, in the grand scheme of his financial future, is there much difference between 42 or 46 million? I can see why players take the bigger contract when the gap between offers is large, but i can't see how the Reds offer vs the Brewers one will change his lifestyle or financial future in any way.

 

It's not about him, per se. As a member of the union, he kind of owes it to his brethren to take the best offer and raise the bar, like DM was saying. Like, this season, the Wagner deal was used as a guide for what the "proven" closers were asking. Now, that has been topped, and guys like Nathan, F-Rod, et al will be looking for "Cordero Money" when they hit the market.

[splitterpfj]

No way, NO WAY, no way would I have given Cordero that deal. I don't care that it's two-second round draft picks for the guys we lost, it's also two supplemental first-round picks, and the payroll flexibility to fill the closer role without blowing up the budget. I'm sure we'll be dealing for relief help now, and if the next closer is league average - we haven't lost much.

 

Hats off to the Brewers for making a very respectable attempt to keep Cordero.

 

Hats off to the Cordero family, you took the highest offer, there's no harm in that.

[Bert55]

Splitter is absolutely right.....We gave it a valliant try.....I would never give him that king of contract.....

[fondybrewfan]

Well if we are going to spend $12 million a different way might as well get atleast 2 or 3 of Brian Fuentes (trade) Ron Mahay, LaTroy Hawkins, David Riske, Jeremy Affeldt, Troy Percival

[logan82]

Zero is a number I suppose.

You should be happy with Turnbow as the closer. Then we can use our best reliever better than we could if he is tied to the closer's role. That is unless Turnbow ends up being our best reliever. In that case we are screwed.

[fondybrewfan]

"In the end, it's always about money. This helps raise the bar for other closers. That's the way it is, no matter what they say."

 

Exactly.

 

 

Unless Cordero wanted to leave Milwaukee, in the grand scheme of his financial future, is there much difference between 42 or 46 million? I can see why players take the bigger contract when the gap between offers is large, but i can't see how the Reds offer vs the Brewers one will change his lifestyle or financial future in any way.

Income taxes could play a role as well however I have no idea what kind of tax rates Ohio has, but I believe Wisconsin has one of the higher state income taxes

[danzig6767]

Unless Cordero wanted to leave Milwaukee, in the grand scheme of his financial future, is there much difference between 42 or 46 million? I can see why players take the bigger contract when the gap between offers is large, but i can't see how the Reds offer vs the Brewers one will change his lifestyle or financial future in any way.

 

It's not about him, per se. As a member of the union, he kind of owes it to his brethren to take the best offer and raise the bar, like DM was saying.

I don't buy that. This very well could be his last contract and if he cares about winning before his playing days are over, he IMO owes it to himself to look out for his own interests especially given the minor gap between the offers. Plenty of players take slightly lesser offers and sometimes quite a bit less for either the chance to win or live where they want.

 

Cordero taking one extra million per year doesn't really raise the bar much to where the union should voice a concern either way. It's not like the Reds offered 15 million per and we offered 10 per.

[fondybrewfan]

Zero is a number I suppose.

You should be happy with Turnbow as the closer. Then we can use our best reliever better than we could if he is tied to the closer's role. That is unless Turnbow ends up being our best reliever. In that case we are screwed.

He wont be to bad in a closer role, as long as he never ever comes in during the middle of an inning. Ever. Never. Ever.