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Archives for June 2009

Igarashi Qualifies For Free Agency

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Patrick at NPB Tracker passes along a report saying that righthander Ryota Igarashi has met service time requirements and will qualify for international free agency this offseason. The hard throwing 30-yr old has a 1.48 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in 24.1 IP of relief for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Igarashi missed all of 2007 due to Tommy John surgery but pitched well in his return last season. He has closed in the past.

Patrick profiled Igarashi last month, saying that he would be his choice for the top free agent coming out of Japan this offseason. At 98.75 mph, Igarashi holds the record for the fastest pitch thrown by a Japanese pitcher in a NPB game.

Mets Not Ready To Trade For Help?

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MLB.com's Marty Noble reports that despite the bevy of injuries that have decimated their roster, the Mets probably won't trade for help anytime soon.

At this point and probably until after the All-Star break on July 13-15, the Mets will be disinclined to trade for help. Their sense of the market now is that some eventual sellers will seek more in return now than they will when they are closer to the Trade Deadline. So the Mets will wait and talk and wait. Come later July, they will talk and wait and talk, so long as they believe their own team still has a chance to play into mid-October.

Despite being without their starting shortstop, starting first baseman, number three starter, number four starter, and top setup reliever, the Mets are just four games back in the division and one and a half games back of the wild card.

Minor League Transactions

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Baseball America released this week's set of minor league transactions, and there was plenty of interesting movement. Let's break it down.

  • The Indians signed reliever Mike Gosling to a minor league pact. The Twins released Gosling earlier this month. He last pitched in the big leagues for the Reds in 2007.
  • The Tigers released Jason Tyner. You probably remember that the Brewers traded Tyner to the Tigers back in April for literally nothing.
  • Marlins youngster Cameron Maybin was suspended for "aggressively arguing a call and bumping an umpire."
  • The Astros removed Geoff Geary from the 40-man roster and outrighted him to Triple-A.
  • The Angels signed former Orioles wunderkind Val Majewski to a minor league pact.
  • Chris Burke was granted free agency by the Padres. He fashioned just a .207-.270-.305 batting line in 89 plate appearances this season.
  • The Giants released Jesse Foppert, who was once the best pitching prospect in the game. He hasn't pitched in the majors since 2005.

Odds And Ends: Francoeur, Draft, Giants

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Some more links for the evening…

Pirates Rumors: Snell, LaRoche, Grabow

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John Perrotto of PiratesReport.com provides more detail on the Ian Snell rumors and adds a couple new ones in his latest article:

  • The Rockies could have interest in Snell and the Pirates would be looking to get a "decent prospect" in return, despite Snell's tendency to blame others and his poor start to the season.
  • Colorado "figures to make a play for him."  
  • The Giants have interest in Adam LaRoche. 
  • The Angels are interested in John Grabow, now that they can't count on Scot Shields or Jose Arredondo.

Isringhausen To Have Tommy John Surgery

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Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune reports that Jason Isringhausen will undergo Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. The surgery will end the 36-year-old's season and, possibly, his career. The Rays signed him last winter to contribute to a bullpen that had been surprisingly good in 2008. Isringhausen only pitched eight innings this year before going on the DL.

As Drew pointed out when we heard he was going on the 60-day DL, Izzy's 293 saves are enough to place him 22nd on the all-time list.

Playoff Odds Update

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The season's now two and a half months old, so it's a good time to check the current Playoff Odds report at Baseball Prospectus. When Tim analyzed these odds a couple weeks ago, there were eleven teams with less than a 10% chance of making the playoffs. Now, there are ten such teams, but since the Pirates are sitting right on 10%, essentially the same number of teams seems to be out of the race. 

The teams themselves are different, though. The Rockies have boosted their playoff chaces from under 5% to 21%. The Giants and Marlins didn't do as well as the streaking Rockies, but they both boosted their chances considerably. Here's the list of teams with less than a 10% chance of making the playoffs, according to BP.
  • Mariners – 9.5%
  • Royals – 9.2%
  • Braves – 8.8%  
  • White Sox – 5.4% 
  • Astros – 4.8%
  • A's – 2.9%  
  • Diamondbacks – 2.0%  
  • Padres – 1.5%  
  • Orioles – 0.3%  
  • Nationals – 0.0% 

These odds can change in a hurry, as the Rockies proved, but it takes a lot. This doesn't mean these teams will all become sellers, but it would be surprising to see any of these teams, even the Braves or Mariners, make the playoffs. Contenders will probably find that adding Nick Johnson or Aubrey Huff is simpler than dealing for players like Brad Hawpe, whose teams are back in the race.

Odds And Ends: Crow, Willis, Bay

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More links for the afternoon…

  • Aaron Crow, the Royals' first round draft pick, told MLB.com's Rustin Dodd that this year, he's focused on completing a deal and beginning to play. Last year, he was drafted by the Nationals, but didn't sign.
  • Mike Hazen, the Red Sox Director of Player Personnel, told CMSB Media that the team has already begun working on the 2010 draft. Click the link to hear the entire interview. 
  • The most intriguing name in next year's draft class could be Bryce Harper. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star says Harper should finish high school early if his "dream is to play pro ball, not flirt in homeroom."
  • Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press would like to see the Twins try to acquire Robb Quinlan from the Angels.
  • Steve Kornacki of MLive.com wonders whether the Tigers would release Dontrelle Willis and eat the remainder of this year's $10MM contract, plus the $12MM he's owed in 2010.
  • Brett Perryman of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers' number one priority should be to prepare players within the organization to carry the Rangers to the playoffs in "2010 and on."
  • ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick says it's hard to imagine Jason Bay signing for less than $60MM over four years or $70MM over five.
  • Jeff Gordon includes Reggie Jackson, Orlando Hudson and David Ortiz on his list of the best ever free agent bargains at AskMen.com.
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wonders what the Brewers will do with the slumping J.J. Hardy. 
  • MLB.com's Brian McTaggart reports that the Astros have signed 22 of the players they drafted, including their second rounder, Tanner Bushue.
  • MLB.com's Mark Sheldon has a corresponding list for the Reds, who also signed their second rounder.

Discussion: Should The Cards Extend Pujols Now?

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Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Cardinals should try to extend Albert Pujols' contract soon, instead of waiting until the first baseman becomes a free agent after 2011. Here's his reasoning:

  • Already a two-time MVP with a batting title, a World Series win and the fourth highest OPS of all-time, Pujols could finish his career as the greatest right-handed hitter ever.
  • He's a good defender and a smart baserunner.  
  • Cardinals fans love him and would be devastated to see their star leave. 
  • Baseball Prospectus projects Pujols to be an elite hitter well into his thirties.
But there are reasons to hold off extension talks, at least for now:
  • An injury between now and the end of the 2011 season could prevent him from playing, limit some elements of his game, or lower his market value. 
  • They can wait a year and a half and still have exclusive negotiating rights next winter.
  • It's hard to imagine Pujols ever having more negotiating power than he does now. 

What do you think the Cardinals should do? 

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