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Archives for August 2008

Rosenthal’s Latest: Holliday, Fuentes, Kotsay

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Ken Rosenthal posted a new Full Count video this weekend.

  • Rosenthal believes the Rockies are "almost certain to trade Matt Holliday this offseason."  Should be a hot topic at the Winter Meetings in December.  Rosenthal says to watch out for smaller-revenue sleepers on Holliday like the Nationals, Royals, and Blue Jays.  Holliday, a Boras client, is set to earn $13.5MM in ’09 before he hits free agency.
  • Rockies closer Brian Fuentes has yet to hit the waiver wire, but he will soon.  Rosenthal wonders if the Dodgers would win the claim if their record is worse than Arizona’s when Fuentes hits the wire.  The Marlins, Astros, and the NL non-contenders would have to pass first.  I could see the salary-shy Dodgers passing on Fuentes, but the Phillies probably wouldn’t let him get to the Mets.  At any rate, a team would have to beat two draft picks to pry Fuentes loose in a trade.
  • Somewhat surprising new addition to our cleared waivers list – Braves center fielder Mark Kotsay.  Apparently a number of teams are interested in the resurgent Kotsay, though not enough to take on his remaining salary.
  • The Braves nearly acquired Jason Bay in July, and will be in the market for a slugging outfielder this winter.  They’ll also be looking for a quality starter, likely in the Ryan Dempster/A.J. Burnett/Jon Garland range.  Click here to browse the free agent market.

Players Who Cleared Waivers

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I will make this post a permanent sidebar link.  This is a running list of players who have cleared waivers, based on published reports.  Once a player clears waivers, he can be traded to any team (barring a no-trade clause).

Updated 8-25-08 at 9:00am.  Latest to clear in red.

  • Paul Byrd – Byrd cleared waivers, but then was traded to the Red Sox.  They were the only team willing to pay his remaining $2MM.
  • Frank Catalanotto – Catalanotto, 34, is hitting .272/.337/.389 in 267 plate appearances.  He’s played first base and left field this year.  He’s not helpful against lefthanded pitching.  His contract is a problem – $765K this year, $4MM in ’09, and a $2MM buyout in ’10.
  • Eric Gagne – Gagne has been awful this year, as his walks and home runs skyrocketed and he dealt with rotator cuff tendinitis.  Understandably, no one wanted to pay the $2.15MM remaining on his contract.
  • Aubrey Huff – Huff’s .909 OPS ranks 10th in the league, but surprisingly no team wanted to take on his $10.1MM commitment through ’09.
  • Mark Kotsay – Ken Rosenthal says he cleared and a number of teams are interested.  Kotsay clearing is a bit of a surprise since the A’s are paying most of his salary.  Kotsay can block trades to eight teams.  The center fielder is having a nice comeback season with a .782 OPS in 324 plate appearances.
  • Greg Maddux – Maddux is earning $10MM this year and will only accept a trade to a West Coast team.  The Dodgers wanted him but asked the Padres to pay more than 80% of his remaining salary according to Peter Gammons.
  • Kevin Millar – Millar has been OK this year; he may reach 20 home runs.  He is owed about $710K from here on out.
  • Kevin Millwood – Millwood, 33, has a 5.24 ERA in 122 innings this year.  He’s dealt with a groin injury for much of the season, as well as a hamstring issue in spring.  Millwood will earn another $1.6MM this year and $11MM in ’09.  His 2010 salary of $12MM becomes a club option unless he pitches 180 innings in ’09.
  • Melvin Mora – Mora has raised his numbers and stock significantly by hitting .378/.421/.652 since the beginning of July.  He has a full no-trade clause and is owed $9MM next year and $1.79MM more this year.
  • Vicente Padilla – Padilla, 31 in September, has a 4.98 ERA in 148.1 innings.  Home runs have been his main problem.  He spent time on the DL with a strained neck.  He’ll earn another $2.1MM this year and $12MM in ’09.  He has a $12MM club option for ’10 with a $1.75MM buyout.
  • Jay Payton – Payton is the O’s regular center fielder with Adam Jones out for the season.  He is owed $1.3MM for the rest of the season.  He’s been lousy offensively, though he can hit lefties and play all three outfield positions.
  • David Riske – Riske is owed $860K more this year, $4.25MM in ’09, and $4.5MM in ’10 plus a $250K buyout for a total of almost $10MM.  Walks have been a problem this year, as well as elbow pain.
  • Dave Ross – Ross had cleared waivers prior to being designated for assignment.  He is earning $2.525MM this year.
  • Duaner Sanchez – His velocity is down 3.6 mph from ’06.  Sanchez is under team control through ’09.
  • Scott Schoeneweis – His strikeout rate is down, but so is his ERA.  Apparently no team wanted to risk taking on his contract – $910K more this year, $3.6MM in ’09.
  • Gary Sheffield – No surprise here. Sheff is owed around $17.5 million between this year and next.
  • Jamie Walker – The 37 year-old southpaw has a 5.00 ERA in 27 innings this year.  As usual, home runs have been a problem.  He spent time on the DL with elbow inflammation and is set to earn $4.5MM next year.
  • David Weathers – Weathers is owed only $610K on the season, and he has a 2.52 ERA and 2.78 K/BB since the beginning of June.  I am quite surprised he cleared waivers.

Draft Reactions: Pirates Sign Pedro Alvarez

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Friday night was a major victory for the Pirates’ new regime, as they signed #2 overall pick Pedro Alvarez to a reasonable $6MM minor league deal.  The Pirates spent almost $9.8MM on their 32 draft picks, easily a franchise record.

  • Dejan Kovacevic has the negotiation details.  Scott Boras called GM Neal Huntington five minutes before the deadline, and Huntington stood firm at $6MM.  Alvarez verbally accepted and the Pirates quickly fired off an email to MLB headquarters. 
  • Huntington and Boras had spoken regularly, and the calls were cordial.  Kovacevic says Boras was just posturing with the $9.5MM Major League deal talk, as the Pirates ultimately got their man at their price.  Boras complained about the midnight deadline creating administrative problems and eliminating negotiation.
  • Nationals GM Jim Bowden wouldn’t go past $3.5MM for top pick Aaron Crow, but called Alvarez a "really good signing."
  • Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson wasn’t impressed with the signing, as many members of the current team will be gone when Alvarez arrives.
  • Interesting media subplot: the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Bob Smizik took umbrage to the suggestion that local radio host Rocco DeMaro got the scoop on the Alvarez signing.

Draft Reactions: Nationals

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The dust has settled on the 2008 amateur draft.  The Nationals, Pirates, and Royals had storylines worthy of a closer look. 

The Nationals failed to sign their first round pick, college righty Aaron Crow.  Crow might’ve completely skipped the minors had he signed.  ESPN’s Keith Law considers the Crow situation a major blunder for the organization.  The Washington Post learned the details via a lengthy Q&A with GM Jim Bowden.  Here are some highlights:

  • Crow is represented by Randy and Alan Hendricks, and much of the discussion occurred over email.  Last Tuesday the Nats were told it’d take a $9MM big league deal.  Bowden wanted the Hendricks brothers to explain the rationale behind that figure, but the Hendricks brothers did not provide it. 
  • Law blames the Nationals for not properly gauging Crow’s signability before the draft.  That point comes up in the Q&A but Bowden does not provide a clear answer on how he gauges signability.  He mentions that they knew they couldn’t afford Rick Porcello last year, but doesn’t explain why they thought they could afford Crow.
  • The Nats were offering $2.25MM on a minor league deal until Brian Matusz signed Friday, six hours before the deadline.  Matusz got a $3.5MM Major League deal.  Bowden called and said he’d do a deal within that framework, but the Hendricks were not interested. 
  • At one point Bowden gave in and offered a Major League deal, but this offer was by the boards at 6:30pm on deadline day.  That’s because the Nats would not have had enough time to give Crow a physical, and a big league contract can’t be voided.  Both sides seemed to understand this.
  • 15 minutes before the deadline, Crow’s agents dropped their demand to $4.4MM on a minor league deal.  In the last few minutes the Nats offered $3.3MM, and then went to $3.5MM over the phone at the buzzer.  Needless to say the offer was not accepted, and the Nats lost Crow over $900K.
  • I agree with Bowden’s implication that the Hendricks brothers didn’t do a great job here – their client now has to play for the Fort Worth Cats for a year when he could’ve been in the Major Leagues.  This looks ugly for both sides, and neither agents nor teams seem happy with the idea of a midnight deadline. 
  • It’s fair to consider Bowden on thin ice.  The FBI investigation, public mention of his plan to non-tender Chad Cordero, and many of his contract extensions form a poor resume coupled with the Crow situation.

Giants Rumors: Winn, Walker, Aurilia

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Let’s dig into a couple of blog posts from Giants beat writers Henry Schulman and Andrew Baggarly.

  • Schulman says the Giants’ front office is divided on whether to trade right fielder Randy Winn this winter.  Nate Schierholtz has a .931 OPS in Triple A this year, but can he be a capable regular in 2009?  Winn makes $8.25MM in ’09, and can block trades to ten teams.  The Giants could take advantage of a weak free agent market for center fielders, if Winn can still handle the position.
  • Tyler Walker, owner of a 4.95 ERA, expects to be non-tendered by the Giants rather than given an arbitration raise from his current $750K.  Schulman thinks Walker could still return on a lesser deal.
  • Baggarly looks at Rich Aurilia, who has drawn little trade interest this year (though published reports have mentioned the Mets and Rays).  Baggarly thinks the Giants need to keep him around this year to remain respectable at third base, and could even entertain the possibility for ’09.  Aurilia has a strong connection to the Giants organization.
  • Shea has an article up discussing possiblities for third base next year, mentioning Adrian Beltre, Casey Blake, Joe Crede, and Hank Blalock.

Week In Review: 8/10 – 8/16

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Taking a look back at this week’s happenings here on MLBTR…

Law: Major-League Deals For Recent Draftees

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ESPN’s Keith Law has an article up in which he takes a look at the difference between signing a draft pick to a major-league deal rather than a minor-league deal. With all of the talk of draft picks and contract signings following Friday’s deadline, Law’s article is a good way of clearing up any questions readers may have on contract statuses.

Law uses the Orioles and their first-round pick, Brian Matusz, as an example as he explains the difference between signing players to a major-league contract and a minor-league contract.

Law also points out that even players who sign major-league contracts can still see time at the minor-league level, and that signing a major-league contract immediately places the player on that club’s 40-man roster, despite which level they are headed to.

More Odds And Ends: Rays, Rangers, Burnett, Pirates

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A few more random notes from the MLBiverse…

  • Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman says the team’s waiver position makes it "extremely unrealistic to expect that [the Rays] will be able to get something done in August."
  • Tom Hicks says the Rangers will look for free agents this offseason that fit the team, but he doubts they will offer any long-term deals to pitchers over 30.  That doesn’t rule out C.C. Sabathia or Oliver Perez.
  • A.J. Burnett denies he has already decided to opt out of his contract, but Jays manager Cito Gaston thinks the pitcher won’t be back.
  • Dejan Kovacevic says now that the signings are concluded, the Pirates’ draft bonanza was unprecedented for the organization.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

MLB Suspends Indians’ International Free Agent Signee

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Paul Hoynes is reporting Major League Baseball has suspended Edward Pinales for one year after failing a background check.

Right-hander Edward Pinales from the Dominican Republic did not pass a background check by MLB officials. John Mirabelli, the Indians’ director of scouting, said he wasn’t sure if Pinales said he was younger than he really was or used a false identification…Pinales claimed to be 16.

Pinales is the latest of 16 international free agents to be suspended. These suspensions show baseball is trying to get a better grip on international free agency and will certainly have an effect on how teams handle these players in the future. However, Hoynes reports the Indians "lost no money in the deal," suggesting these suspensions are unlikely to curb signing bonuses.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here .

Odds And Ends: Angels, Glavine, Johnson, Santana

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A few minor notes from around the MLBiverse…

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

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