The Angels lock up Maicer Izturis

The term Utility couldn't be more represented than by Maicer Izturis.  After a few injuries and a demotion for Angels regular second baseman, Howie Kendrick, Maicer was able to get quite the amount of playing time last year.  And it wasn't a desperation move or an attempt to just keep the base warm, Maicer was actually quite effective.  With limited plate appearances, Izturis maintained a batting avg of 300.  With 8 home runs.  Izturis brings solid defense at SS, 2B, or 3B.  And with the ability to get on base, he is more than just a fill in.

Today the Angels extended Maicer's contract for 3 more years at 10MM a year.  Which breaks down to about 3.3MM which was pretty much what Maicer was petitioning for in his arbitration hearing.  This extension is a great insurance policy in case there are any injuries to Kendrick, Wood, or Aybar.  And of course, Izturis can fill in when its time to give any of the three a day off.  This was a great signing and hopefully more extensions to come, for those who are facing arbitration.

No Arbitration asked or given

The formality of arbitration offers has come and gone for the Angels and it is no surprised that often hurt hurler Kelvim Escobar and utility man Robb Quinlan were not offered arbitration. There is also no surprise that Angel Fan's Favorite Vladimir Guerrero and Lefty reliever Darren Oliver

Escobar's injury woes will certainly affect his abilities to land a starting role with any ball club. However I think any team willing to take a high-risk, high-reward bullpen type could really benefit from Escobar. Escobar might be a surprising signing for the New York Yankees for bullpen relief. With the troubles they had bridging to Mariano Rivera in the playoffs, Escobar could be an affordable solution. I also would not be surprised to see the Boston Red Sox offer a heavily incentive based contract to have Escobar start for them, considering the chances they took on John Smoltz and Brad Penny.

Rob Quinlan really didn't see much playing time this year. The Q probably will not land a starting job with any major league team, but certainly can provide any team with a little depth. Quinlan play at 1st and left provides average defense. And his offense again is about average. I don't see him hitting the cover off the ball, but perhaps a team like Colorado could appreciate his ability to play several positions. There was also rumor interest in Quinlan's home state of Minnesota.

Vladimir Guerrero's destiny of winning a World Series ring has never come to fruition. Guerrero has meant a lot to this ball club through out the years and is partially responsible for the Angels making it to the playoffs so many times this decade. But his power is fading, his base running is atrocious, and his fielding is worrisome. At the very least Guerrero must come to realize that he cannot play in the outfield anymore. The decline to offer arbitration to Vladimir doesn't necessarily mean he will not re-sign with the Angels. But it does guarantee that any team is interested, will not cost the teams a draft pick. Vladimir is still a threat in the line up and although his power isn't what it was he's still able to hit for RBIs. I still see Vladimir returning to the Angels, in the designated hitter role. If he were to go somewhere else you'd have to assume that he would only want to sign on a team who can compete, who can afford him, and who has a role for him. The Red Sox and the Yankees don't seem like good fits. If the Rays trade away Burrell they could be in need of a DH. And perhaps the Texas Rangers. But realistically Vladimir Guerrero needs the Angels more than the Angels need him.

Probably the only surprise in the declined offers of arbitration was Darren Oliver. Oliver was perhaps the heart and soul of the bullpen that was practically hung together by a thread when Scott Shields went down with a season ending injury early in the year. My only guess as to why you don't offer Oliver arbitration is that you are hoping to re-signing for less, like Guerrero. However Oliver looked really good this year and perhaps some teams will try to get to him early this season. Again New York needed bullpen help in the playoffs, but really who couldn't use a lefty reliever.

Do you think any of these 4 should have been offered arbitration? Where do you see the four playing? Feel free to leave a comment below.

MLB Trade Rumors is talking Elias Rankings

Hat Tip to the MLBTradeRumors about the Elias Rankings

The 2009 Elias Rankings have been released, and Ed Price of AOL FanHouse has a full list of the Type-A and B free agents.

Our 2010 MLB Free Agent list has been updated, and below is a summary of differences between the official rankings, and those projected by Eddie Bajek.

* Chone Figgins qualifies as a Type-A, not a Type-B as projected.
* Melvin Mora qualifies as a Type-A, not a Type-B as projected.
* Vladimir Guerrero qualifies as a Type-B, not a Type-A as projected.
* Gregg Zaun goes from no compensation to Type-B.
* Jerry Hairston Jr. goes from Type-B to no compensation.
* Hideki Matsui goes from Type-B to no compensation.
* Aubrey Huff goes from Type-B to no compensation.

I'm not Tony Reagins, but I'm pretty sure that means The Angels offer arbitration to Chone Figgins immediately and maybe not offering arbitration to Vladimir Guerrero. By offering arb. to Figgins, it will give the Angels some compensatory draft picks if Figgins is signed by another team. If The Angels offered Vlad arb., Vlad would probably accept it and we would be held to the arbitration hearings. If he doesn't accept arb., then the Angels would get compensatory drafts, but much lower picks. If the Halos do not offer arb., then the Angels would be free to re-negotiate a contract with Vlad.