D-backs and Miguel Montero, Ryan Roberts Agree On One-Year Deals
by Jim McLennan on Jan 31, 2012 11:50 AM EST
in Diamondbacks News
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PrintLiterally minutes before an arbitration hearing was scheduled to begin in Tampa, the Diamondbacks and Miguel Montero agreed on a one-year deal worth $5.9 million. Montero told Steve Gilbert, "I was sitting in the [hearing] room. I was getting a bottle of water right before it was supposed to start and they told me to step outside to talk." The final figure was a good bit closer to the team's submitted figure of $5.4m, than what Montero was seeking ($6.8m).
It has also just been announced that Ryan Roberts and the team have agreed on a one-year deal to avoid arbitration, settling at $2,012,500. I'm sure it was the extra $500 that did it. :) This deal slightly favors Roberts: the team offered $1.65 million, while the Dread Pirate wanted $2.275 million in booty. It leaves Arizona's streak of seasons without an actual hearing, intact - at least, for now. The last was in 2001, but one player is still outstanding - new reliever, Craig Breslow.
The bigger issue still remains, however, in that Montero will be eligible for free-agency at the end of this season, unless a contract extension is agreed. "I don’t know what’s going to happen," Montero said of that topic. "I haven’t thought about that yet, just about arbitration so we’ll see what happens." The last we heard, the team was still very interested in such an extension, but "we haven't made much progress," according to GM Kevin Towers. "There's just not a lot of relevant comps, so it's kind of hard." Keep an eye on that story, and we'll see what develops over the coming months.
With regard to this year's settlement, the $5.9m figure is roughly comparable with what Brian McCann received from the Atlanta Braves at the same point in his career. McCann got $5.7m, but that was as part of a multi-year deal, signed when McCann had less than two years of service-time. It is, however, a good deal more than MLBTradeRumors projected Montero to receive from Arizona: their system had him down at $5.3m, but that would actually have been less than the Diamondbacks offered.
Either way, it seems a good thing to have avoided the hearing: Montero seemed particularly pleased to have got it done, telling Gilbert "It feels so nice. I feel relieved and happy to get it done, man. I can’t wait to get to Spring Training and start playing. That’s the fun part. That’s what it’s all about." I suspect Roberts' deal, which seems to have been similarly last-minute, will result in a very similar reaction from him.
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An important piece of this season's puzzle
still not the extension we’re looking for, but a step in the right direction.
sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur
Just have to wonder if it is a step in the right direction
If they wanted to sign Miggy to an extension, there’s not much keeping them from doing it. He’s been willing for a long while. Instead, we get Kubel actually signed for longer and for more per year. And he can’t even play defense. I can’t believe they’d nickel and dime Miggy after paying over market for Bloomquist, either. I think those two things say all we need to know about how much this team really wants to keep Montero around.
by azshadowwalker on Jan 31, 2012 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
Gotta believe it's just negotiations
Miggy has us over a barrel. We have no other option at catcher, and none are really available. I am guessing KT and the team are hoping that they can get a better deal from Miggy if they wait, but I don’t think he’s gonna give in (nor would I, if I were Miggy). Catchers don’t last that long – Miggy needs to make his money now.
by Craig from Az on Jan 31, 2012 2:37 PM EST up reply actions
In the 'Probably reading way to into small things' department
Any chance that Miggy agreeing to a value much closer to what the DBacks first offered than his own is a sign that he’s showing willingness to be more flexible to team offers on extension talks?
A guy can dream.
Where have you gone, Greg Colbrunn?
Moreso than anything
Just get the extension done, guys. Good catching is so worth the money.
"How much money can we offer Brandon Lyon without making him suspicious"
by SenSurround on Jan 31, 2012 12:52 PM EST up reply actions
Just get the extension done, guys
Good catching is so worth the money.
"How much money can we offer Brandon Lyon without making him suspicious"
Just sitting in on the conference call
Miggy wants to discuss an extension through about March 20th, see if something can get done, then stop for the season and concentrate on that. From what KT was saying, seems the team and Montero are further apart on dollars than years now.
"There's one rule by which I generally run my life:
What would Mothra do?"
McCann
Has an $8.5MM vesting option for 2012 and a $12MM team option for 2013. I gotta imagine that Miggy is looking for something in similar territory.
Is 4 yrs/$40M (12-15) too much? He’ll be 32-years-old by the end of that contract and it can be staggered as…
’12 – $5.9MM
’13 – $8.5MM
’14 – $11.7MM
’15 – $13.9MM
The injury history is a concern, but you have to take a risk when it comes to one of the best catchers in the game. As soon as he gets a sniff of free agency he’ll be gone.
Wear your own fur.
by Marc Fournier on Jan 31, 2012 2:49 PM EST up reply actions
If we're paying 14 million for a DH in LF
then 4 years 40 million for a bat first but still good defensive catcher doesn’t seem that bad.
"Clearly the Brewers didn't realize that going into Beast Mode raised their testosterone levels."
by tcyoung
by txzona on Jan 31, 2012 2:53 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
i think he'll want an additional year
which would probably be in the $14-15MM range
i just don’t think we have the budget for that, or the risk profile
by blue bulldog on Jan 31, 2012 3:03 PM EST up reply actions
You're right
some team will pay him that much and we don’t have that much coin. Personally I think he’s too much of an injury risk for 15 million a year.
When healthy he’s a .280 hitter with 15-20 HR and he plays average defense with a plus arm. That’s very good yes, but is it worth 15 mil a year? I’m not so sure. I think guys like McCann and Napoli are a notch above him and will easily get that on the open market.
So if we offered him 5 years 45 million I think there would be a good chance he would resign. Mostly because he likes the team and the city. He’ll have a legitimate shot at a ring in the next 5 years, and he gets to stay at the hitter’s haven that is Chase field.
"Clearly the Brewers didn't realize that going into Beast Mode raised their testosterone levels."
by tcyoung
was that a typo?
did you mean 5 years and 55 million?
because i was thinking that it would probably take something like 4yr/$48 million (not including 2012)
by blue bulldog on Jan 31, 2012 5:35 PM EST up reply actions
no
I think it’s more about years with Miggy
something like
2013-7 million (maybe 3 million in incentives)
2014- 8 million( 2 million)
2015-10 million
2016- 10 million
2017- 10 million
He’s a 10 million a year player if he repeats his performance from last year or 09, but that’s no guarantee. He’s a chubby guy who has yet to hit 20 HR in a hitter’s paradise. Don’t overestimate his value.
If he wants to play at Safeco or Anaheim because they’ll pay him an extra 2-3 million a year, then so be it. I doubt he’ll ever top 20 HR in places like that. If he plays another 6 years with us, he’ll have the numbers to get a decent multiyear deal in his mid 30s.
"Clearly the Brewers didn't realize that going into Beast Mode raised their testosterone levels."
by tcyoung
He's only had
Two seasons with more than 400+ at-bats and he homered a respective 16 and 18 times in them. That’s above league average at catcher. Plus, it’s not just about home runs. Montero had the third best slugging percentage and OPS last year among all catchers. That’s ahead of guys like McCann, Molina, and Wieters.
He’s in his prime and I’d expect him to command a larger backloaded contract than $10MM a year.
Wear your own fur.
by Marc Fournier on Jan 31, 2012 6:54 PM EST up reply actions
He doesn't have the bat of McCann or the glove of Molina
or the upside of Wieters
He also is going to get knocked for playing at Chase.
"Clearly the Brewers didn't realize that going into Beast Mode raised their testosterone levels."
by tcyoung
Except
He’s pretty much better in every aspect of his game away from Chase.
His home/away split shows better offensive numbers in every category including a lower K% and a higher BB%. The Chase Field argument shouldn’t be a major factor.
Comparing him to McCann should only strengthen his case seeing as, for the most part, they’ve mirrored each other since 2009. Montero might be lacking some of the power that McCann has but he’s not incredibly far off.
Molina certainly has a history for his glove but Montero is quickly catching up. He’s progressively improved his game behind the plate since ’09 and lead the league in caught stealing.
Wear your own fur.
by Marc Fournier on Jan 31, 2012 7:27 PM EST up reply actions
a couple of things
1) i thought it was in the article, maybe not. but Piecoro tweeted that the gap between the team and Montero is dollars and not years. the most reasonable thing to me then, from both a team/Montero standpoint, is a 4 year deal (not including 2012), so we can expect that they want a contract extension going from 2013-2016
2) i agree with you that Montero is not as valuable as McCann, and that if both were in the free market, McCann would probably get more. but the thing is, McCann’s deal was signed waaaaay early. he had many years before free agency, he paid a premium for safety, and essentially took a pay cut. despite this, his free agent option is worth $12 million. this was also signed way back when, so you have to take into account baseball inflation.
both of this to me, means that even if you think Montero is not as valuable as McCann, he’s probably going to get a contract with an AAV of around $12 million.
the only benefit is that there does seem to be an influx of catchers in the market and minors in the near future. this could help drive down Montero’s price. let’s hope that’s the case.
by blue bulldog on Jan 31, 2012 7:51 PM EST up reply actions
I think he's now a plus defensive catcher
and calls a really good game. With the stable of thorobreds that the D’Backs have in the stable, the team would be well advised to keep a quality catcher like Montero under contract for a while.
sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur
by NASCARbernet on Jan 31, 2012 7:09 PM EST up reply actions
Show Miggy the money!
"Clearly the Brewers didn't realize that going into Beast Mode raised their testosterone levels."
by tcyoung
Eh
I was really hoping for an extension, but it’s better than nothing
isitspringtrainingyet.com
by imstillhungry95 on Jan 31, 2012 3:24 PM EST reply actions
Well
I am really happy they resigned him but they need to work on that extension now. This is a player that needs to stay in the desert. He is key for the team!
"If Gortat pulls off a real Dream Shake in-game this year I will shave my head.
Mark my words." Piotr Szczesniak 12/12/11 2:12 PM
Cardinals, Suns, D-backs for life!
Extension, please.
The longer the front office waits, the more it will cost to Montero up.
The bird is struggling out of the egg. The egg is the world. Whoever wants to be born, must first destroy a world.
by Stupendous Man on Jan 31, 2012 4:46 PM EST via mobile reply actions
*lock Montero up. Ha. Use your imagination…
The bird is struggling out of the egg. The egg is the world. Whoever wants to be born, must first destroy a world.
by Stupendous Man on Jan 31, 2012 4:47 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I understand the rampant desire to lock up Montero
And I’ve been one of the bigger proponents in the past, but I think we should all take a step back for a moment and look at some facts:
- Montero played in 140 games last year… as a catcher. Yes, he was good, but part of his value was in his bulk playing time. Is Montero going to catch 140 games again? I would be rather surprised if he did. Thus, his value might never be higher.
- Montero tore his meniscus in 2010. Then caught 140 games in 2011. Yet he’s going to be durable for not just 2012, but for three years after that, through his age-31 season? It’s not impossible, but paying him under the assumption that it’ll happen seems a bit rash, no?
- We already have him for one year. Really, what’s so horrible about that? We have one year of below-market-salary control of an All-Star catcher. This gives us surplus value and risk control all in one tidy package. So why are we all rushing to obliterate the benefits of that risk control now? Seems to me like everyone’s willing to throw away that risk control at market value just so we can be sure that Montero returns to the team in 2013 and beyond.
I truly believe that there’s no such thing as a bad one-year contract, yet everyone’s rushing to get rid of a phenomenal one-year contract – risky position, low cost, great player, all pluses for Arizona. Unless we’re getting a significant discount, why are we throwing away the biggest benefit of a one-year contract? It’s not like the free agent market for 2012-2013 is going to be devoid of catching – Ianetta, Martin, Yadi Molina, Napoli, and Pierzynski are all free agents along with Montero. Montero is an ideal choice, because he’s a great clubhouse guy and is damn good, but is he a necessity? No, there are options. Just because they’re not already in the organization doesn’t mean it’s time to panic and overspend on the known quantity.
Founder and Chairman of the Send Dan Some Pizzeria Bianco Commission (SDSPBC). SDSPBC is a totally, definitely for-profit organization.
by Dan Strittmatter on Jan 31, 2012 9:03 PM EST reply actions
getting rid of Montero's contract?
who’s talking about getting rid of Montero’s one-year contract? that’s already locked up and in the bank.
we’re talking about the years after Montero’s one-year contract is up. extension years and one-year contract aren’t mutually exclusive.
if you don’t like the merits of a Montero extension on face, that’s fine by itself. but i don’t see how that has anything to do with his current one-year Arb deal, or why getting an extension would be getting rid of his Arb deal.
by blue bulldog on Jan 31, 2012 9:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Extending Montero
Inherently destroys the benefit of minimizing long-term risk that is provided by the one-year contract. In essence, it gets rid of that benefit, so it gets rid of the contract.
Does that explain my point a bit better?
Founder and Chairman of the Send Dan Some Pizzeria Bianco Commission (SDSPBC). SDSPBC is a totally, definitely for-profit organization.
by Dan Strittmatter on Feb 1, 2012 12:42 AM EST up reply actions
not really though
the surplus value that you get from the arb deal will always exist. even if they restructure the arb year deal as part of the extension, that restructuring will price in the surplus value of the current arb deal, and will be reflected in savings in the laster three-four years
what i mean is, there’s no need to throw in the arb year deal when analyzing whether the extension would be a good or bad idea. essentially, what you want to do is analyze a three-four year extension with the probability that you could get three-four one year or two year deals at less AAV or less risk while maintaining same production
which is possible, because of the free agents next year, and upcoming prospects
i’m just skeptical i guess
We're saying the same things
But thinking of it differently. Basically, I’m trying to say that people aren’t accounting for the sizable increase in risk that comes with an extension properly, and I’m attributing it to the lack of appreciation for the merits of the one-year deal we already have.
Founder and Chairman of the Send Dan Some Pizzeria Bianco Commission (SDSPBC). SDSPBC is a totally, definitely for-profit organization.
by Dan Strittmatter on Feb 1, 2012 11:33 AM EST up reply actions
or we could trade for Kurt Suzuki
"Clearly the Brewers didn't realize that going into Beast Mode raised their testosterone levels."
by tcyoung
I am so happy for Miggy and Ryan!
Welcome Back Bazooka Joe!!!
Geoff Blum: BEST hair in the Major Leagues!
Would definitely like to see Miggy locked up for a few more years
In addition to being a great catcher, he has a great presence in the clubhouse.
by Backin'the'Backs on Jan 31, 2012 11:20 PM EST reply actions
That was actually clear from the conference call
So as he started talking, I couldn’t stop grinning. His enthusiasm was both infectious and obvious, he seemed genuinely pleased to be there.
"There's one rule by which I generally run my life:
What would Mothra do?"
His enthusiasm
seems real, unlike certain fly-ball shaggers we’ve had in the outfield in the past. Catchers are a different breed: nobody catches to be in the limelight. I really think what you see with this young man is what you get, and he’s probably worth a long term investment.
sententia Platonis semper in ore illius fuit, florere civitates si aut philosophi imperarent aut imperantes philosopharentur
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