yagsy
04-23-2005, 10:54 AM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/20050422-9999-1s22graney.html
UNION-TRIBUNE
April 22, 2005
Sandy Alderson begins his duties as Padres CEO on May 1, and awaiting his well-known attitude toward multiyear contracts are more than a few key decisions sure to shape the organization's immediate and long-term plans.
And none – not the futures of General Manager Kevin Towers or manager Bruce Bochy or closer Trevor Hoffman or right fielder Brian Giles – is more important than a 28-year-old catcher sure to invite suitors willing to offer the kind of lengthy agreement Alderson has so fervently opposed.
Ramon Hernandez is that vital a player on today's open market.
Ask anyone within 100 yards of the Padres clubhouse.
"I can't give you words to describe how valuable he is," said ace Jake Peavy. "Nobody wants him signed more than I do . . . This guy has to be a mainstay of our organization. If we want to get where we want to be, guys like Ramon have to be here."
Hernandez began last night's 6-1 victory over the Dodgers in the place he has existed for a while now, a premier position player who can hit. There aren't many of them and certainly not among those who crouch for a living.
And in Hernandez's corner as possible free agency looms in November is one component Hoffman and Giles won't have: leverage.
Hoffman is 37 and has at least a few years of saves remaining in his right arm, but he wants to relocate his family like he wants hitters to know when the next change-up is coming. Giles is 34 and still an above-average player, but his numbers have probably seen their brightest days. So while Alderson has judgments to make, none will test his negotiating skill more when deciding whether to meet Hernandez's demands. It won't be easy.
The team and player tabled talks once a deal couldn't be struck before the season – when they were $12 million apart. But this is more about years than dollars. Hernandez is said to desire four guaranteed seasons. The Padres are thinking three.
Do not believe those who insist Hernandez is seeking Jason Varitek's price tag, although you can bet his agent will float the numbers (four years, $40 million) for which Boston re-signed its 33-year-old catcher. He should. Few fortunate souls are ever presented winning lottery tickets, and Hernandez might never again own a better chance at cashing his than now.
"The right time, the right age," he said. "I wouldn't mind seeing what (offers) are out there. I'd like to come back here, but you know how things are sometimes. If it doesn't work out, then it's time to move on.
"Right now, I want to do the best job I can and help this team win a World Series. If that doesn't happen and this is my last year here, that's it. But I think if you are comfortable in a place, which I am, and can get can something done, then you win both ways."
The Padres really can't match his control of the situation. It's just not enough that a guy owns a home here and likes the weather. The next-closest thing San Diego has to an everyday major league catcher is George Kottaras at high Single-A, but he might not be ready until 2007. And there are those who covet Hernandez and will pay above market value, notably Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, who has the fiscal discipline of Imelda Marcos at a blowout sale of Prada shoes.
Mostly, you can't overstate how much Hernandez's teammates think of him, particularly a certain group of 12. Hernandez led all National League catchers in combined on-base and slugging percentage last year and his .327 average early this season includes three more hits last night. His one perceived weakness in five-plus seasons with Oakland and here – blocking the plate – has become a strength.
But this is still a relatively young Padres staff that views Hernandez – his preparation, his knowledge of hitters, his willingness to set ego aside, his ability not to carry poor at-bats onto the defensive side of things – as irreplaceable. The pitchers trust him implicitly and he them.
"The biggest thing is how easy Ramon is to work with," said Scott Linebrink. "He is definitely a guy we want to hang onto."
You can get by with a good but not great catcher. Most teams do. See the Dodgers. But is one extra season of guaranteed money in the $7 million range important enough if you don't have to settle for average? I don't think so.
Alderson will ultimately make that call, the man who signed Hernandez to his first professional contract and knows well the player's capabilities, the man who once said his worst business decision was giving any player a multiyear deal.
"I hope and pray and cross my fingers they get it done with him," Peavy said. "Ramon is so good at all facets of the game, it amazes me."
It won't be easy. Not at all.
UNION-TRIBUNE
April 22, 2005
Sandy Alderson begins his duties as Padres CEO on May 1, and awaiting his well-known attitude toward multiyear contracts are more than a few key decisions sure to shape the organization's immediate and long-term plans.
And none – not the futures of General Manager Kevin Towers or manager Bruce Bochy or closer Trevor Hoffman or right fielder Brian Giles – is more important than a 28-year-old catcher sure to invite suitors willing to offer the kind of lengthy agreement Alderson has so fervently opposed.
Ramon Hernandez is that vital a player on today's open market.
Ask anyone within 100 yards of the Padres clubhouse.
"I can't give you words to describe how valuable he is," said ace Jake Peavy. "Nobody wants him signed more than I do . . . This guy has to be a mainstay of our organization. If we want to get where we want to be, guys like Ramon have to be here."
Hernandez began last night's 6-1 victory over the Dodgers in the place he has existed for a while now, a premier position player who can hit. There aren't many of them and certainly not among those who crouch for a living.
And in Hernandez's corner as possible free agency looms in November is one component Hoffman and Giles won't have: leverage.
Hoffman is 37 and has at least a few years of saves remaining in his right arm, but he wants to relocate his family like he wants hitters to know when the next change-up is coming. Giles is 34 and still an above-average player, but his numbers have probably seen their brightest days. So while Alderson has judgments to make, none will test his negotiating skill more when deciding whether to meet Hernandez's demands. It won't be easy.
The team and player tabled talks once a deal couldn't be struck before the season – when they were $12 million apart. But this is more about years than dollars. Hernandez is said to desire four guaranteed seasons. The Padres are thinking three.
Do not believe those who insist Hernandez is seeking Jason Varitek's price tag, although you can bet his agent will float the numbers (four years, $40 million) for which Boston re-signed its 33-year-old catcher. He should. Few fortunate souls are ever presented winning lottery tickets, and Hernandez might never again own a better chance at cashing his than now.
"The right time, the right age," he said. "I wouldn't mind seeing what (offers) are out there. I'd like to come back here, but you know how things are sometimes. If it doesn't work out, then it's time to move on.
"Right now, I want to do the best job I can and help this team win a World Series. If that doesn't happen and this is my last year here, that's it. But I think if you are comfortable in a place, which I am, and can get can something done, then you win both ways."
The Padres really can't match his control of the situation. It's just not enough that a guy owns a home here and likes the weather. The next-closest thing San Diego has to an everyday major league catcher is George Kottaras at high Single-A, but he might not be ready until 2007. And there are those who covet Hernandez and will pay above market value, notably Mets General Manager Omar Minaya, who has the fiscal discipline of Imelda Marcos at a blowout sale of Prada shoes.
Mostly, you can't overstate how much Hernandez's teammates think of him, particularly a certain group of 12. Hernandez led all National League catchers in combined on-base and slugging percentage last year and his .327 average early this season includes three more hits last night. His one perceived weakness in five-plus seasons with Oakland and here – blocking the plate – has become a strength.
But this is still a relatively young Padres staff that views Hernandez – his preparation, his knowledge of hitters, his willingness to set ego aside, his ability not to carry poor at-bats onto the defensive side of things – as irreplaceable. The pitchers trust him implicitly and he them.
"The biggest thing is how easy Ramon is to work with," said Scott Linebrink. "He is definitely a guy we want to hang onto."
You can get by with a good but not great catcher. Most teams do. See the Dodgers. But is one extra season of guaranteed money in the $7 million range important enough if you don't have to settle for average? I don't think so.
Alderson will ultimately make that call, the man who signed Hernandez to his first professional contract and knows well the player's capabilities, the man who once said his worst business decision was giving any player a multiyear deal.
"I hope and pray and cross my fingers they get it done with him," Peavy said. "Ramon is so good at all facets of the game, it amazes me."
It won't be easy. Not at all.