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Archives for May 2009

Brewers Sign Frank Catalanotto

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According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Brewers signed first baseman/outfielder Frank Catalanotto to a minor league deal today.  The Cat will begin in extended spring training and then go to the minors, with an eye on a big league bench role.

The Rangers released Catalanotto on April 1st, so they'll pay most of the $6MM owed to him.  He should be useful, having hit .274/.342/.399 last year in 278 plate appearances.

Odds & Ends: Proctor, Dunn, Contreras

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Links for Tuesday…

2010 Options: Atlanta Braves

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Pitcher Tim Hudson is the only member of the Braves with a 2010 option.  It's a $12MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout.  Back in January, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said the Braves "fully intend to exercise it, barring some unexpected turn of events."  Hudson hopes to return in August from Tommy John surgery, and even seems willing to come back as a reliever to help more quickly.  In February, talking to MLB.com's Mark Bowman, Hudson expressed his desire for the Braves to pick up the option:

"If I'm healthy, I hope they like what they see enough to pick up the option.  If not, I'm still young. If everything goes right with this elbow, I see myself pitching another seven or eight years. I've got a new elbow. I'm ready to go.  There's no other place I'd rather be, that's for sure."

It's safe to assume that if the Braves exercise Hudson's option, he won't choose to void it in search of a bigger contract.  The Braves' 2010 rotation would be deep, with Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, Javier Vazquez, Kenshin Kawakami, Hudson, and Tommy Hanson.  Kawkami is off to a shaky start, but his $23MM contract runs through 2011.

Your Perception Of Boras

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Joe Posnanski has an interesting blog post today about how difficult it is to shake off our early biases.  He uses Scott Boras as an example, specifically Selena Roberts' account of the Alex Rodriguez-Mariners negotiations of 1993.  Roberts' book frames these negotiations in typical anti-Boras fashion, despite signs that the Mariners may have been trying to take advantage of Rodriguez and his mother.

Posnanski's post reminds me of last year's Pedro Alvarez grievance.  Initially most of us viewed the grievance as standard Boras greed, an attempt to gain free agency for Alvarez or at least a bigger contract.  But in his September 16th article, Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus suggested MLB's deadline extension gave leverage to the Pirates while also taking away Alvarez's right of representation.  Viewed in that light, Boras had an obligation to object.

Today's question: how do you perceive Scott Boras?  Is he ruining the game, just doing his job, or something in-between?

Rosenthal On Ortiz, Braves, White Sox

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The latest from Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports…

  • Rosenthal notes how easy it would be for the Red Sox to find a left-handed hitter to top David Ortiz's 2009 production – many such bats are impending free agents and could be available in July.  A shortstop and young catcher also remain on Boston's wish list.  Unfortunately, with no-trade protection and about $22.5MM remaining on his contract, Ortiz is pretty much immovable.
  • Former D'Backs pitching coach Bryan Price resigned in part due to reservations about working for new manager A.J. Hinch. 
  • Rosenthal notes the Braves' surplus of quality minor league arms, and suggests they're well-equipped to trade for a bat.  The Braves rank 11th in the NL with 4.41 runs scored per game.
  • The White Sox's rotation is looking a bit shaky given the ineffectiveness of Jose Contreras.  Rosenthal says "the team eventually figures to be in the market for a starter."  The Sox are hanging in there at 3.5 games out with a 14-17 record.
  • Aside from Cliff Lee, Rosenthal believes Indians infielder Mark DeRosa could draw attention closer to the trade deadline.

Boston Pitching Surplus

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ESPN's Buster Olney speculates on Boston's pitching surplus:

Eventually, it figures that Justin Masterson will go back to the Boston bullpen, and that will create the spot in the rotation for Daisuke Matsuzaka. If the Red Sox want to create another for Clay Buchholz, they would always have the option of taking offers for a veteran pitcher who has had quality starts in four of his six outings. That guy is Brad Penny, who might be a nice fit for a team like the Milwaukee Brewers or the Mets. That's all speculation at this point.

Even if Buchholz can't supplant Penny, how about John Smoltz?  He's back on track and may even pitch an extended spring training game on Friday.  The surplus also includes 22 year-old Michael Bowden, he of the 1.01 ERA in five Triple A starts.

The best bet for the Sox may be to just hoard this depth in the event of an injury.  Even though most expect Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and Penny to pitch much better from here on out, the fact is that Boston's rotation ranks dead last in the AL with a collective 5.81 ERA.  They're 20-12 despite that stat.

Discussion: Best Free Agent Outfielder

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Today's discussion question: who's the best outfielder of the 2009-10 free agent class?  Is it still Matt Holliday, despite his slow start?  Manny Ramirez, despite the PED-suspension?  Does Jason Bay's quiet production get the nod?  Maybe you prefer a leadoff man like Johnny Damon or a center fielder such as Mike Cameron?  Make your case in the comments.

Odds & Ends: Byrd, Fox, Kobayashi

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Links for Monday…

Orioles Trade Candidates

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The Orioles are currently in last place, eight games out in the AL East.  The offense has been OK, the pitching lousy.  This comes as no surprise; 2009 was viewed as a rebuilding year for Baltimore heading into the season.  This is entirely speculative, but let's take a look at possible veteran trade candidates a month or two from now.

  • Melvin Mora, 3B - $9MM this year, $8MM club option for '10 with a $1MM buyout.  Mora, 37, caught fire in July and August of '08.  He has a no-trade clause and has dealt with a hamstring injury this year.  Could he help the Reds, if he starts hitting and shows a willingness to accept a trade?  Walt Jocketty and Andy MacPhail matched up on the Ryan Freel–Ramon Hernandez deal last winter.
  • Ty Wigginton, 3B - $2.5MM this year, $3.5MM in '10.  Wiggy has been awful at the plate so far in 106 plate appearances, rendering him immovable.
  • Adam Eaton, SP – signed through 2009, Phillies paying most of his salary.  Eaton's had one good start this year, against the White Sox.  He needs to find his way back to the NL.
  • Aubrey Huff, DH/1B – $8MM this year.  This year he's looked more like the pre-2008 Huff.  Did MacPhail miss his chance last winter to move the entire $8MM?
  • Danys Baez, RP – $5.5MM this year.  He missed all of '08, but Baez is having a nice year in his first 18 innings.  The O's have handled him carefully, as he ranks fourth in their bullpen in Leverage.  He appears to be the most likely trade candidate on the team, and the cost shouldn't be much beyond paying his salary.
  • Koji Uehara, SP – $5MM this year, $5MM in '10.  Uehara has been the team's best pitcher, combining a decent strikeout rate with a tiny walk rate.  Is this MacPhail's chance to sell high, despite the risk of making the '09 rotation even worse?  Given the hoopla about Uehara being the team's first Japanese-born player, it's unlikely he's dealt a few months into the contract.
  • Jamie Walker, RP – $4.5MM this year.  Walker's been solid overall this year, but he's surprisingly been rocked by lefties.
  • George Sherrill, RP – $2.75MM this year, under team control through 2011.  Sherrill is trying to hang on to the team's closer job.  He may be best-served back in a lefty-specialist role.  He's similar to Guthrie in that he's past 30 but under team control for a while.
  • Cesar Izturis, SS – $2.4MM this year, $2.6MM in '10.  Izturis probably isn't a trade candidate unless an adequate replacement emerges, perhaps through a separate deal.  Robert Andino hasn't gotten much of a look yet.
  • Luke Scott, OF – $2.4MM this year, under team control through 2012.  Scott's shoulder injury may knock him out for an extended period of time, keeping him off the trade market.
  • Mark Hendrickson, SP/RP – $1.5MM this year.  He at least takes the ball every fifth day, so the O's may keep him around just to eat up innings.  Maybe they'll feel the same way about Eaton. 
  • Gregg Zaun, C – $1.5MM this year, $2MM club option for '10 with a $500K buyout.  The contract could be a nice bargain if Zaun rediscovers his .340 OBP ability.  The O's probably prefer he stays on to tutor Matt Wieters when the prospect comes up this summer.
  • Jeremy Guthrie, SP – $650K this year, under team control through 2012.  The O's are not in a position to trade away pitching, but Guthrie is already 30 years old.  3.5 years of Guthrie could be appealing on the trade market.  Maybe he could be cashed in for multiple young players.

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