John Ely Rumors

Astros Notes: Luhnow, Ely, Rebuilding

Here's the latest news from the American League's newest team....

• GM Jeff Luhnow's non-traditional baseball background, his history with the Cardinals and his belief in analytics are profiled by MLB.com's Richard Justice in a look at how Luhnow is exploring a wide range of methods to help rebuild the Astros.
• Before John Ely was traded to the Astros in December, the right-hander was going to sign a contract with a South Korean team, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports.  Ely was looking for a chance to start since he knew he was far down the Dodgers' depth chart but is now excited about his opportunity with the Astros.
• While the Astros would love to match the Rays' rise from last place to being a consistent contender, Houston assistant GM David Stearns tells ESPN's Jayson Stark that the Astros "want to find the next advancement and to be ahead of the curve yourself" rather than specifically duplicating the Rays' process.  As Stearns notes, the Astros have a major advantage over the Rays in that Houston is able to support a large payroll when the time is right.

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Astros Acquire John Ely

The Astros announced that they acquired right-hander John Ely from the Dodgers for minor league left-hander Rob Rasmussen. The Dodgers now have 39 players on the 40 man roster.

Ely appeared in two games for the Dodgers in 2012, but spent most of the season at Triple-A. The 26-year-old led the Triple-A Pacific Coast League with a 3.20 ERA in 168 2/3 innings. Ely, a former third round selection of the White Sox, started 18 games for the Dodgers in 2010, posting a 5.49 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 100 innings. He has just shy of one year of MLB service (167 days).

Rasmussen, 23, was a second round draft pick of the Marlins in 2010. The Astros acquired him from Miami along with Matt Dominguez for Carlos Lee this past summer. In 142 innings at Class A and Double A, Rasmussen posted a 4.25 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.

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Odds & Ends: Pettitte, Marlins, Laird, Pirates, Ely

Sunday links, as the Rays look to extend their league-best winning streak to five games....

• Andy Pettitte tells Newsday's Ken Davidoff that his participation in the government's indictment of Roger Clemens won't impact his baseball future. The 38-year-old also says he doesn't expect to still be playing at age 40.
• Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post tweets that the Marlins have no timetable for when they'll hire a permanent manager, though they have a short list of four or five candidates.
• Like teammate Jeremy Bonderman, Gerald Laird isn't sure whether he'll be a Tiger next year. "If a better opportunity presents itself, I'll probably take that route," the backstop told Tom Gage of the Detroit News (Twitter link)
• GM Neal Huntington discusses the Pirates' upcoming offseason with Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, noting that the club may pursue a platoon partner for Garrett Jones at first base.
• Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun wonders if the Orioles will aggressively go after an impact bat this winter.
• John Ely may be pitching himself out of the Dodgers' 2011 plans, writes Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times.

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Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Lowell, Padres, Sale, Buehrle

On this date last season, Randy Johnson threw six innings of one run ball to beat the Nationals and earn his 300th career victory. The Big Unit called it career in January with 303 career wins despite having just 64 on his 30th birthday. His 4,875 strikeouts are the second most all time, though his 10.61 career K/9 is the best mark in history.

The four year, $53.4MM deal the Diamondbacks gave Johnson prior to the 1999 season might be the greatest free agent signing of all time. All he gave them in return was 1030 innings, 81 wins, 1,417 strikeouts, four Cy Young Awards and a World Championship. I'd call that one a win.

Here are a few links from around the world wide netweb...

• The Bottom Line wonders if Ken Griffey Jr.'s retirement opens the door for a Mike Lowell to Seattle trade.
• The Friarhood says it's time for the Padres to get serious about adding a middle-of-the-order bat.
• MLB Depth Charts checks in on prospects who were traded this past offseason.
• Bucs Prospects offers up a first hand scouting report on Florida Gulf Coast lefty Chris Sale, who's expected to be a high pick in next week's draft.
• Examiner wonders if the White Sox should trade Mark Buehrle.
• Meanwhile, Midwest Sports Fan suggests the ChiSox could be in for a turn around this month.
• More Hardball offer up a one-third mark of the season All-Star Team.
• Feeling Dodger Blue wonders if John Ely is the National League's second best rookie.

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

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Odds & Ends: Strasburg, Piniella, Ely, Marlins

Jamie Moyer, we are all witnesses.  Some quick notes as we finish up the work week....

• Stephen Strasburg allowed just one hit and one walk over six shutout innings in his debut for Washington's Triple-A affiliate, reports The Associated Press.
• Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com predicts the Cubs' woes may drive Lou Piniella into retirement when his contract is up after this season.
• The Los Angeles Times' Steve Dilbeck thinks the Dodgers erred in sending rookie right-hander John Ely back down to the minors so quickly.
• Clark Spencer of The Miami Herald has some details of Florida owner Jeffrey Loria's chat with reporters today.  Loria dismissed any problems between him and manager Fredi Gonzalez, though Spencer notes that Loria "never exactly came out and said Gonzalez's job was 100 percent secure."  Loria was vague about when Mike Stanton would be called up to the majors, but the owner noted that the Marlins "don't want him to come and fail. If he's going to come here, he's going to come here to stay."
• Speaking of Stanton, his name came up more than once during Baseball America's J.J. Cooper's chat with fans today.  When asked if he'd rather have Stanton or Jason Heyward for the next 10 years, Cooper's answer was "Heyward and it didn't really take any time to think about it," though that's more of a nod to Heyward's limitless potential than a slight towards Stanton.
• Brian McCann revealed today that he is having more vision problems, and he will again start wearing glasses in the field, reports David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• ESPN's Buster Olney reports (via Tweets here and here) that the Mariners will still be paying Milton Bradley while he is on the team's restricted list.
• Jean-Jacques Taylor of the Dallas Morning News writes that of all the catcher possibilities the Rangers looked at over the winter, little-regarded Matt Treanor became the team's "savior" due to his solid defensive and game-calling skills.  (Probably on purpose, Taylor doesn't mention Treanor's .619 OPS.) 
• Aaron Rowand, like Barry Zito, is also starting to live up his big Giants contract, writes Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com.  Urban notes that Rowand's early-season success may be due to a better offseason fitness regiment and a total swing overhaul.

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