Rangers Release Adam Melhuse
According to Jamey Newberg, 37-year-old catcher Adam Melhuse requested and was granted his release on Friday afternoon. Melhuse could sign a minor league deal with another club or opt for retirement. He went 13-for-20 with six RBI during spring play, so the phone could definitely be ringing.
Phillies Set Their Roster
The Phillies added Miguel Cairo to the 25-man roster today, presumably ending the club's search for a right-handed reserve player. David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer has a short review of that hunt:
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has spent a lot of time looking for ways to upgrade the bench, particularly late in spring training. There was the highly-publicized flirtation with Gary Sheffield. There was the hope that Andruw Jones would fail to win a roster spot with the Rangers. Earlier in the offseason, there was an attempted wooing of Nomar Garciaparra.
But in the Phillies situation, it proved difficult to convince the type of player they hoped to attract to sign with the team. Sheffield, Garciaparra, Jones, Ty Wigginton — all signed with teams where the opportunity for playing time was far greater than the Phillies could guarantee.
Cairo, 34, hit .249/.316/.330 with 23 RBI in 221 at-bats for Seattle last season. He hasn't gone yard in over 900 plate appearances, but should make for a versatile option in the infield.
Mariners Fire Sale In ’09?
Larry LaRue of the Tacoma News Tribune expects the Mariners to host a fire sale this season, around or before the July 31 trade deadline. Many folks would probably agree. Erik Bedard, Adrian Beltre, Miguel Batista and Jarrod Washburn could all be on their way out.
It'll be a cost-cutting operation, but should also result in the M's forming a younger squad that is better equipped for the future.
[Mariners general manager] Jack Zduriencik has shown a willingness to make deals large (J.J. Putz) and small (Chris Burke), writes LaRue. He has stockpiled young players and pieces like Chris Shelton, in part to improve the Mariners minor league season and in part to act as a 7-11 convenience store for teams in need of a quick fix.
Who else could go by the deadline? Jose Lopez? Chad Cordero? Kenji Johjima?
Ricciardi Comments On Youth
Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail spoke with J.P. Ricciardi and heard that the Blue Jays GM expects the game to become younger.
Angels Open In Lackey Negotiations
According to Kevin Baxter of the LA Times Angels GM Tony Reagins has no deadline for a possible extension with John Lackey, though the pitcher has made Opening Day his deadline.
Odds And Ends: Alvarez, DePodesta, Strasburg
A few links for Saturday…
- Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette heard from a talent evaluator who says Pedro Alvarez is the most talented Pirates prospect since Barry Bonds.
- Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe looks at some of Chris Carter's quirks.
- Jon Paul Morosi of the Detroit Free Press believes the Tigers need a top-notch closer.
- According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune Padres executive Paul DePodesta now reports to GM Kevin Towers, not CEO Sandy Alderson.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney expects Gary Sheffield to help the Mets.
- MLB.com's Lisa Winston notes that only eight of the 21 Rule 5 draftees are still with their new teams.
- MLB.com's Jennifer Langosch has some minor Pirates transactions.
- And Stephen Strasburg improved to 6-0 last night with six strikeouts in as many innings. The prospect is averaging almost two punchouts per inning, so this is nothing for him.
- Kevin Baxter of the LA Times reports that Torii Hunter thought Strasburg looked sharp.
Odds & Ends: Fogg, Payrolls, Padres, Nady
Links for Friday…
- Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Orioles have "mild interest" in Josh Fogg. If Fogg can't find an appealing job elsewhere he'll report to Triple A Colorado Springs for the Rockies.
- Via the Twitter feed of John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer…the Reds have talked about Geoff Jenkins and Frank Catalanotto but nothing is close.
- Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker has a Sports Hochi report saying recently released pitcher Ken Kadokura is reaching out to the Cardinals and Orioles.
- Ryan Shealy cleared waivers and was sent to Triple A, clearing up the Royals' first base/DH logjam.
- The website FINalternatives.com says Rangers owner Tom Hicks defaulted on more than $500MM in loans.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks at the payrolls for the Mets and Yankees.
- Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune says Hal Steinbrenner "told close friends he plans on hiring Lou Piniella as a consultant when his managerial contract with the Cubs runs out after the 2010 season."
- According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres GM Kevin Towers said he still might add another starting pitcher.
- Albert Chen of Sports Illustrated writes about the advanced defensive metrics that are becoming prevalent in the game.
- Dave Cameron of FanGraphs writes about the ethics of service time manipulation.
- SI.com's Jon Heyman noted yesterday that "The Giants like Xavier Nady and wouldn't mind bringing the University of California product home at some point."
Brewers Claim Joe Koshansky
Joe Koshansky's time as a Ranger didn't last long. According to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy, the Brewers claimed the first baseman today and optioned him to Triple A Nashville. Tony Gwynn Jr. will join him there, as he cleared waivers.
Koshansky, 27 in May (just like me!), hit .300/.380/.600 at Triple A in '08, enjoying the friendly Security Service Field in Colorado Springs. His road line was .253/.340/.515. Greer Stadium, home of the Nashville Sounds, is much different.
Gwynn, 26, hit .275/.328/.331 in Triple A last year. Baseball America liked his defense back in their '07 Handbook.
Offseason In Review: Los Angeles Angels
Next up in our Offseason In Review series, the Angels. Here's what we wrote about them on October 15th. Changes for 2009:
Additions: Brian Fuentes, Bobby Abreu, Juan Rivera (re-signed), Darren Oliver (accepted arbitration)
Subtractions: Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Garret Anderson, Jon Garland, Darren O'Day. Midseason: Casey Kotchman
The Angels were 10th in the AL last year with 4.72 runs scored per game. GM Tony Reagins wasn't able to retain Teixeira, but Abreu for less than 3% of the guaranteed money ain't bad. CHONE projections and the lineup analysis tool suggest this team will score 5.16 runs per game in '09. The Angels' offense is better than I realized.
If last year's run prevention holds up, the Angels project to win around 95 games. Let's take a closer look.
The '08 rotation posted a 4.14 ERA in 1012 innings, and they've since subtracted Garland and his 4.90 mark in favor of Kelvim Escobar (once he's ready). Throw in Dustin Moseley as the sixth man and the rotation projects around 4.10. The problem is that Ervin Santana and John Lackey are ailing and may not combine for 56 starts again. Still, if Santana and Lackey can combine for 300 innings the Angels should be fine. Nobody is out for the season currently. The Angels' toughest division rival, the Athletics, have at least as much rotation uncertainty.
Last year's bullpen posted a 3.69 ERA in 439.3 innings. I liked the Fuentes signing. Natural regression probably puts the bullpen closer to 4.00, but that's not too bad.
Defensively the Angels ranked 9th in the AL according to The Fielding Bible II. They may slip a bit further without Kotchman and Teixeira at first base.
All in all I see the Angels winning 90-91 games as presently constructed. Obviously the health of the rotation is a huge variable, but I imagine Reagins will make an acquisition if one of the injuries turns out to be major.
Bottom line: The Angels patched over their free agent losses with more affordable players in Fuentes and Abreu. The Halos again have a strong club barring a rotation catastrophe.
Heyman On Peavy, Tigers, Cliff Lee
The latest from SI.com's Jon Heyman…
- Heyman lists 30 breakout candidates for 2009, headed by Paul Maholm of the Pirates.
- Padres GM Kevin Towers had this to say regarding trading Jake Peavy midseason: "If we start spinning our wheels, we might engage in discussions." ESPN's Buster Olney also wrote about Peavy this morning, noting that the Cubs were "much closer than anybody realized at the time" to acquiring Peavy this winter. Towers gave Olney a similar quote about Peavy – he doesn't want to think about it right now but if the team is out of contention it's possible.
- Heyman names the Tigers and Blue Jays as teams that may look to dump salary this summer. He speculates on names such as Jeremy Bonderman, Brandon Inge, Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez, Roy Halladay, Vernon Wells, and Scott Rolen.
- Cliff Lee is a tricky case for an extension, but the Indians told his agent Darek Braunecker they'd let him throw out a bid. Braunecker didn't bite, and negotiations are not expected to take place during the season. You have to wonder if Lee will be traded next winter or at the 2010 trade deadline.