I didn’t look much at news today because I was busy, but here was the first thing I saw when I finally did- “Brewers decline Betancourt’s option.” My day was instantly made.
That’s right, Yuniesky Betancourt-haters (including myself). He probably won’t be playing shortstop for the Brewers next year, which means better defense at that position and better offense in the lineup- hopefully.
Betancourt had a pretty bad 2011. But it may have been good for his standards, actually. He hit .252 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI. All of those stats are worse than his 2010 season with the Royals, in which he hit .259 with 16 home runs and 78 RBI. Anyway, if you add his 2011 stats to his lazy defense at shortstop, you can see why the Brewers declined his option.
My guess is that Doug Melvin will make a push for Jose Reyes, the Mets’ All-Star shortstop who is now a free agent. His .336 batting average won him the NL batting title (although he technically cheated to get it). Reyes doesn’t hit for much power, but he did lead the NL in triples with 16. His offense, defense, and speed all make him a giant upgrade from Betancourt.
Oh yeah, and the Brewers are also expected to be top contender for lefty starter C.J. Wilson. He went 16-7 with a 2.94 ERA as the ace of the Rangers this year, but he had an ugly postseason, as he went 0-3 with an ERA hovering around 7.00. But, he would make a great addition to the Brewers’ rotation, and would probably push lefty Chris Narveson (11-8, 4.45 ERA) back into the bullpen.
And just a couple more things before I move onto my next topic- the Brewers’ declined reliever Francisco Rodriguez’s $17.5 million option, but that was expected, as there was no way the Brewers would have been able to afford that. Also, Dale Sveum is going to be interviewed as one of the possible managerial candidates for the Red Sox. No idea why they’d want him, unless they’ve already given up on next year.
Anyway, onto the next topic. Here is a list of every free agent from every team, with their respective position next to their name:
Atlanta Braves
Alex Gonzalez, SS
Scott Linebrink, RP
Nate McLouth, OF
George Sherrill, RP
Jack Wilson, SS
Arizona Diamondbacks
Jason Marquis, SP
John McDonald, SS
Xavier Nady, OF
Lyle Overbay, 1B
Baltimore Orioles
Vladimir Guerrero, DH
Cesar Izturis, SS
Boston Red Sox
Erik Bedard, SP
J.D. Drew, OF
Conor Jackson, OF
Trever Miller, RP
David Ortiz, DH
Jonathan Papelbon, RP
Jason Varitek, C
Tim Wakefield, P
Chicago Cubs
John Grabow, RP
Reed Johnson, OF
Rodrigo Lopez, SP
Ramon Ortiz, RP
Carlos Pena, 1B
Kerry Wood, RP
Cincinnati Reds
Ramon Hernandez, C
Edgar Renteria, SS
Dontrelle Willis, SP
Cleveland Indians
Chad Durbin, RP
Kosuke Fukudome, OF
Jim Thome, DH
Colorado Rockies
Aaron Cook, SP
Mark Ellis, 2B
Kevin Millwood, SP
J.C. Romero, RP
Chicago White Sox
Mark Buehrle, SP
Ramon Castro, C
Juan Pierre, OF
Omar Vizquel, SS
Detroit Tigers
Wilson Betemit, SS
Carlos Guillen, 2B
Magglio Ordonez, OF
Brad Penny, SP
Ramon Santiago, 2B
Joel Zumaya, RP
Florida Marlins
Greg Dobbs, 3B
Jose Lopez, 2B
Javier Vasquez, SP
Houston Astros
Clint Barmes, SS
Jason Michaels, OF
Kansas City Royals
Bruce Chen, SP
Jeff Francis, SP
Jason Kendall, C
Los Angeles Angels
Russell Branyan, OF
Joel Pineiro, SP
Horacio Ramirez, RP
Fernando Rodney, RP
Los Angeles Dodgers
Rod Barajas, C
Casey Blake, 2B
Jonathan Broxton, RP
Jamey Carroll, SS
Jon Garland, SP
Hiroki Kuroda, SP
Mike MacDougal, RP
Aaron Miles, 2B
Vicente Padilla, SP
Juan Rivera, 1B
Milwaukee Brewers
Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
Craig Counsell, SS
Prince Fielder, 1B
Jerry Hairston Jr., 2B
LaTroy Hawkins, RP
Mark Kotsay, OF
Francisco Rodriguez, RP
Takashi Saito, RP
Minnesota Twins
Matt Capps, RP
Michael Cuddyer, OF
Jason Kubel, OF
Joe Nathan, RP
New York Mets
Miguel Batista, RP
Chris Capuano, SP
Scott Hairston, OF
Willie Harris, 2B
Jason Isringhausen, RP
Jose Reyes, SS
Chris Young, SP
New York Yankees
Luis Ayala, RP
Eric Chavez, 3B
Bartolo Colon, SP
Freddy Garcia, SP
Andruw Jones, OF
Damaso Marte, RP
Sergio Mitre, RP
Jorge Posada, DH
Oakland Athletics
Coco Crisp, OF
David DeJesus, OF
Rich Harden, SP
Hideki Matsui, DH
Josh Willingham, OF
Philadelphia Phillies
Ross Gload, OF
Raul Ibanez, OF
Brad Lidge, RP
Ryan Madson, RP
Roy Oswalt, SP
Jimmy Rollins, SS
Brian Schneider, C
Pittsburgh Pirates
Derrek Lee, 1B
Ryan Ludwick, OF
San Diego Padres
Heath Bell, RP
Aaron Harang, SP
Brad Hawpe, 1B
Chad Qualls, RP
Seattle Mariners
Josh Bard, C
Adam Kennedy, 2B
Wily Mo Pena, OF
Jamey Wright, RP
San Francisco Giants
Carlos Beltran, OF
Pat Burrell, OF
Orlando Cabrera, SS
Mark De Rosa, 2B
Guillermo Mota, RP
Cody Ross, OF
St. Louis Cardinals
Edwin Jackson, SP
Gerald Laird, C
Albert Pujols, 1B
Nick Punto, 2B
Arthur Rhodes, RP
Tampa Bay Rays
Juan Cruz, RP
Johnny Damon, DH
Casey Kotchman, 1B
Texas Rangers
Endy Chavez, OF
Michael Gonzalez, RP
Darren Oliver, RP
Matt Treanor, C
Brandon Webb, SP
C.J. Wilson, SP
Toronto Blue Jays
Shawn Camp, RP
Frank Francisco, RP
Kelly Johnson, 2B
Jose Molina, C
Washington Nationals
Rick Ankiel, OF
Todd Coffey, RP
Alex Cora, 3B
Jonny Gomes, OF
Livan Hernandez, SP
Laynce Nix, OF
Ivan Rodriguez, C
Chien-Ming Wang, SP
Posted by breakingwi 
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