Scott Boras has always had a flair for impeccable timing. With the St. Louis Cardinals on the verge of clinching the NL Central, the superagent said today that Rick Ankiel, a pending free agent and one of his clients, is unlikely to return to St. Louis in 2010. Given Ankiel's shrinking role in an outfield with Colby Rasmus, Matt Holliday (who the Cardinals will likely push to re-sign), and Ryan Ludwick, this news isn't surprising, though it's always something that could be left unsaid until after the Cards' season ends. Ankiel himself has earned his smaller role, hitting just .235/.287/.395 this season after slugging over .500 in each of his first two seasons as a big league outfielder. Between his poor performance at the plate and all of the injuries he's suffered in the past two years, it's not really surprising that the Cardinals haven't been able to find room for him in the outfield this year.
Still, Ankiel is likely to generate some interest on the open market, even with all of his struggles because as Boras notes, he's a fairly good defensive center fielder with a cannon for an arm and 30-homer potential if he can play a full season. There are already reports that the Pirates are rumored to be interested in the outfielder, though no team can publicly comment on a player until free agency officially begins due to tampering rules.
Of course, it's also possible that this winter's free agent market will move even slower than last winter's due to economic problems facing all of the teams. And while Ankiel's certainly got some promise, he's also going to be 30-years old and he's still something of an unknown because he's really only been hitting for about five years now and he's missed a lot of time to injury. In fact, he's only managed more than 500 plate appearances in one season (2007). Because of that, it seems like there's a pretty good chance that the market that Boras expects for Ankiel won't fully develop and he may end up signing somewhere fairly cheaply when it's all said and done.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
I'm predicting a one year contract with the Pirates for close to minimum salary
This is Boras at his finest. There's a time and place for everything. After the WS is over is a great time to talk about what is happening with your client next year. Not in the middle of pennant races and division titles and upcoming playoffs. Another of Boras clients did something very similar - in the 7th inning of the last game of the 2007 WS - A-Rod decided to announce he was opting out of his contract. He tried to steal the thunder away from the World Series and say "look at me". These guys need to show more class.
Rick loves St. Louis and Tony LaRussa. After he went off the rails as a young picture LaRussa was the one who taslked him into trying to convert to an outflielder.
I would love to see him stay a Cardinal, get well and have a good season next year. He could help this club as a late in ning defensive replacement and resting starters.
Boras is a trotal azz.
I have always been a huge Ankiel fan. I saw him pitch a spring training game in Florida aginst then-Astro Doc Gooden in 2000, and he was amazing. Then in 2002 I happened to be in Houston when the Csrds were in town and saw him pitch again. That outing turned out to be the next to last one he pitched before he was sent down. But I was at the galleria after the game and I saw him in there with a couple of buddies. I didn't want to bother him, but I had to go up to him and tell him to keep his head up and that we're all rooting for him. He was genuinely grateful for the sentiment as he shook my hand. And then to come back as a powerful position player- stunning.
I know LaRussa feels a great deal of responsibility for Rick, whether it's because he may think he put too much on Rick too soon or just because Rick has so much promise. Nevertheless, each party has to do what is best for the team in this game, and I fear Rick won't be around any longer.But you can bet I will follow his progress.
For all that he has been through, I can only hope for good things to happen to Rick. In this day and age it was great to see someone work hard to comeback because he loved the game. My hat is off to you, Mr. Ankiel!