CHONE Projected Standings
Sean Smith’s projected standings are out, using his CHONE projection system. His playoff teams: the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, Angels, Phillies, Cubs, Dodgers, and the Braves or Mets. You can contrast these projections with those from Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA system.
The two systems project the exact same number of wins for the Orioles (74), Twins (79), White Sox (73), Angels (85), and Rangers (72).
Their biggest disagreements: the D’Backs (79 vs. 92 wins), Pirates (73 vs. 64 wins), and the Cubs (88 vs. 96 wins).
Of course, this is really just a fun exercise…there are way too many variables to predict the standings in February. Even if the systems nail the win totals it may be for the wrong reasons.
Andy Marte Clears Waivers
MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince says Indians third baseman Andy Marte cleared waivers, so he’ll head to Triple A. No team was willing to take on Marte for nothing and give him a big league spot.
Marte was ranked no worse than 14th among all prospects by Baseball America in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
Cubs Sign 20
According to a press release, the Cubs signed all 20 of their zero to three years service time players. That includes Carlos Marmol, Geovany Soto, and Ryan Theriot. Before players reach arbitration, the team basically gets to decide their salaries.
Duaner Sanchez On The Bubble
Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes today about Mets reliever Duaner Sanchez, who could be released before April 1st. In that case the Mets would only have to pay a quarter of his ’09 salary – they’d owe about $422K. They could also shop Sanchez around; Sherman suggests they ask for Marlon Byrd or Marcus Thames.
Sanchez, 29, posted a 4.32 ERA and 6.79 K/9 for the Mets in 58.3 innings last year. He’d previously missed over a year with two shoulder surgeries in a span of nine months. His average fastball velocity was below 90 mph last year; he’d been above 93 in 2005-06.
Marlins Eyeing Will Ohman, Chad Cordero
According to MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro, the Marlins continue to have interest in free agent lefty Will Ohman. Back on February 16th, ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick said Ohman had offers in hand from the Marlins, Padres, and Pirates. The Pirates are still involved, while the Padres are seen as a long shot. Ohman doesn’t figure to get more than $1MM as the lefty reliever market continues to drag.
Frisaro adds that the Marlins were one of about 15 teams watching Chad Cordero‘s recent workout. Frisaro’s read on the audition:
The reports are Cordero likely won’t be ready until perhaps the second half. His fastball was clocked around 80 mph, and the ball wasn’t coming out of his hand like it did when he was healthy pitching for Washington.
Cordero’s agent Larry Reynolds, however, suggested his client would be at "full tilt" sometime in March.
Fantasy Baseball Closer Report
Here’s my latest fantasy baseball closer report over at RotoAuthority.
Adam LaRoche: A Pirate For Life?
As reported by MLB.com’s Jenifer Langosch, 29-year-old first baseman Adam LaRoche said Tuesday that he wouldn’t mind sticking with the Pirates until retirement.
"I’m not opposed to playing here for the rest of my career, if it can work it out," LaRoche said. "If they were to approach me, I would take it very seriously. I would take a long look at it to stay here. … Especially with my brother [Andy] being here. I want to play with him as long as I can. And I love the group of guys. I like the staff that we have. My family likes Pittsburgh, and I don’t want to leave that."
GM Neal Huntington said he prefers to shy away from in-season contract negotiations. Even if he was open to it, as Langosch writes, "LaRoche is in line to make $7 million this year, which means the Pirates are probably nearing — if not there already — the point where LaRoche does not financially fit."
A five-year MLB veteran, he hit .270/.341/.500 with 25 home runs and 85 RBI last season. If the Pirates don’t lock him up, LaRoche would make for a fairly attractive in-season trade candidate. He’ll be a free agent after the 2009 season.
Borowski Hangs Up The Spikes
Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that 38-year-old reliever Joe Borowski has decided to retire from baseball.
"I guess 38, 87 and 88 wasn’t looking good in people’s eyes," said the former Indians closer, referring to his age and fastball velocity, respectively. Borowski was a free agent this winter, but only drew mild interest from the Tigers and Phillies before talks ultimately flat-lined.
He pitched 12 big league seasons, making stops with Baltimore, Atlanta, the Yankees, Cubs, Tampa Bay, Florida and Cleveland along the way. He finishes with a 4.18 career ERA and 131 saves, leaving him 80th on the all-time list.
Rangers, Hamilton Planning Extension Talks
According to MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan, the Rangers plan to embark on long-term contract discussions with Josh Hamilton‘s agents later this spring.
Tim suggested last week that Dustin Pedroia‘s six-year, $40.5MM extension could be a model for the Rangers and Hamilton’s representatives, as both players have two years of MLB service time. Hamilton, 27, went nuts last season, finishing with a line of .304/.371/.530. He also blasted 32 home runs and racked up 130 RBI.
Phillies Set Franchise Payroll Record
According to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, the Phillies are looking at an Opening Day 25-man roster payroll of $132.5MM, a franchise record.
The Phils can expect an increase in merchandise and ticket sales after their 2008 World Series win, but the club might not have much of a budget for in-season acquisitions. Ryan Howard will command the highest salary from the Phillies in ’09 at $15MM. Brett Myers is second at $12MM.