NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The New York Yankees have spent $400 million on free agents the past four weeks. The Los Angeles Dodgers put $36.2 million on their credit card for Andruw Jones on Thursday night.
A year after Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry completed a contract while recovering from a heart attack, there’s been no major market correction in major-league baseball.
The winter meetings saw the Detroit Tigers add $20 million in payroll with the acquisition of Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. Plus, David Riske, with 20 career saves, accepted a $13 million deal from Milwaukee.
Will the money or madness — depending on the prism viewed — stop?
“You want me to keep (prices down)? You want me to negotiate with Iran when I am done?” Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane said Thursday after meetings broke up into a hail of taxis and flights home.
“As soon as I start saying it is ridiculous this is just the game. Players get what the market will bear and you have to anticipate that and be creative in how you address your needs.”
While the cash flowed like the waterfalls in the Opryland Resort’s Cascades lobby, the lack of deals was surprising. Many died in hotel suites or cyberspace. This was going to be the week that Minnesota unloaded ace Johan Santana, and Baltimore’s Miguel Tejada found a new home.
Neither warranted a ballroom news conference, but they are hardly safe from relocation. Minnesota hasn’t pulled Santana off the table, and viable proposals still are percolating from the Mets and Red Sox. The Astros are making an aggressive play for Tejada, whom they have flirted with acquiring for two years.
And the Diamondbacks haven’t given up their pursuit of Oakland pitcher Dan Haren. They are willing to give up prized outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. The National League West, however, has been more talk than walk. The Padres added Randy Wolf and re-signed Greg Maddux, both starting pitchers, but still seek a center fielder.
The Giants are considering giving up young starter Tim Lincecum for Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios, have poked around about Yankees left fielder Hideki Matsui, and also could make a play for Detroit third baseman Brandon Inge.
Colorado has far-reaching tentacles, about to trade Jamey Carroll to Cleveland, emerging as the front-runner for free agent second baseman Tadahito Iguchi and clearing money to re-sign LaTroy Hawkins. But it is the Dodgers, the same team whose big winter dissolved this past summer, who struck first with Jones, who hit .222 for Atlanta last season.
He will receive $18 million a year for two years to prove he’s worthy of a leading actor role again. It also frees up Los Angeles to trade Andre Ethier or another young player for more pitching.
“Jones makes their lineup really good. And everybody knows what he can do defensively,” Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said.
Other possible deals:
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
