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Archives for June 2009

Mariners Release Tyler Johnson

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According to Ryan Divish at the Tacoma News-Tribune, the Mariners released lefty Tyler Johnson last night. Johnson had been throwing for the Triple-A Rainiers and posted a rough 27.00 ERA in 2.2 innings.

The M's inked Johnson to a minor-league deal in February in hopes he'd develop into a lefty specialist, but he's suffered command issues in his recovery from recent arm surgery.

Glavine Considering Grievance

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According to FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, Tom Glavine is considering filing a grievance against the Braves in the aftermath of his release Wednesday.  As Rosenthal reports,

Players cannot be released by their teams due to financial reasons, according to the collective-bargaining agreement.  Glavine was set to receive a $1 million bonus once he made the major-league roster, another $1.25 million for 30 days on the roster and another $1.25 million for 90 days on the roster.

The Braves maintain that Glavine's release was based solely on performance, and would seem to have a pretty strong case.  Glavine struggled with his velocity during several rehab starts and top pitching prospect Tommy Hanson will be promoted on Sunday.

Odds & Ends: Pavano, Draft, Dodgertown

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A couple of links on a sluggish Saturday afternoon in the baseball world…

  • MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince has an update on Carl Pavano's contract: "Pavano, at his current rate, is projected to go 17-11 with a 4.63 ERA in 205 innings over 34 starts this season. If that were to happen, Pavano would make an additional $3.5 million in performance incentives, on top of the $1.5 million he is guaranteed this season."
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel breaks down some possibilities for the Brewers' first pick.  Baseball America has Milwaukee selecting Notre Dame center fielder A.J. Pollock 26th overall. The Brewers boast five of the first 74 picks.
  • Can't get enough draft coverage? John Sickels over at SB Nation's Minor League Ball hosted a first round mock draft this afternoon. 
  • Dodger Stadium and the surrounding area received it's own ZIP code today, 90090, in a ceremony behind home plate.  The territory is already officially listed as "Dodgertown, California."
  • Missouri right-hander Kyle Gibson, Baseball America's 4th ranked draft prospect, suffered a stress fracture in his throwing arm on May 30.  He'll be out six weeks.  

Talkin’ Ryan Spilborghs

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With the promotion of 23-year-old outfielder Carlos Gonzalez from Triple-A, Ryan Spilborghs now stands as the fifth outfielder in Colorado.  He's not an All-Star, and probably never will be, but Spilborghs deserves a bit more playing time than he'll get with the Rockies. Thus, he's on the proverbial trading block.

As Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported Friday evening, "The Red Sox have interest in Spilborghs, and Tampa and Atlanta are looking for outfield help.  The Cubs have always liked Spilborghs as well."

ESPN.com's Rob Neyer reported the Braves' interest on Friday, but with the Nate McLouth deal in the books, is he really a good fit?  Is Spilborghs destined for reserve duty wherever he goes?  For reference, the 29-year-old is batting .262/.326/.440 with five home runs, 25 RBI and six stolen bases in 168 at-bats this season.  He's earning close to the league minimum.

Discussion: Billy Wagner

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Mets' lefthander Billy Wagner hasn't pitched this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last September, but he's expected to begin throwing to batters by the end of June. A team official said a September 1st return date is "very conservative". The Mets hold an $8MM option for his services next season, but they have reportedly already told Wagner that the option will not be picked up, instead paying him a $1MM buyout.

I'd like to see what the MLBTR readers think about Wagner's situation. If he comes back later in the season and is effective, what kind of market do you think there will be for be for his services in the offseason? As a 38-yr old coming off major surgery, could his distinguished track record still land him a multi-year deal? Could Brian Fuentes' two year, $17.5MM deal with the Angels work as framework for a potential contract?

Draft Roundup: Mock Draft, Strasburg, Gibson

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Major League Baseball's amateur draft is now just three days away, so let's round up the latest news.

  • Jim Callis of Baseball America posted version three of their Mock Draft yesterday (subscription req'd). He projects the top three picks to be Stephen Strasburg, Dustin Ackley, and Donavan Tate.
  • After Strasburg is announced as the first overall pick on Tuesday, he will not meet with the media at his home or on the San Diego State campus, according to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times. Strasburg will instead hold his press conference in "the main lobby of the Boras Corporation offices."
  • Conor Glassey reports that Missouri righthander Kyle Gibson experienced tightness in his forearm during his start last weekend, which is causing his velocity and stock to drop. Gibson was a consensus top 15 talent prior to the injury.
  • Mark Heller of The East Valley Tribune spoke to Diamondbacks scouting director Tom Allison, who says the team will "stay true to best person on the board." With seven of the first 64 picks, there was some thought that the D-Backs would seek out players willing to sign for, or below slot to save money.
  • Steve Buckley of The Boston Herald wrote about how the Red Sox's recent success in the draft has fans following the event more closely than ever.

Olney on Reyes, McLouth, Holliday

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney wonders if the currently injured Jose Reyes has already peaked, quoting a scout who says "I don't see a lot of evolution there … Jimmy Rollins struggled early in his career, but then he just kept getting better and better, and I'm not really seeing that in Reyes." Olney likens the situation to Mark Prior's, who seemingly held the Cubs hostage with his potential. Reyes will turn just 26 next week, but Olney says that going forward "the Mets should not assume that Reyes is going to be an unmovable foundation piece," however he is not advocating a trade just yet.

Here's the rest of Olney's rumors:

  • Olney heard that the Pirates were concerned about Nate McLouth's defensive abilities, so they moved him now before his trade value diminished.
  • Billy Beane will soon have to make a decision about whether or not he should trade Matt Holliday, because other teams will start inquiring soon.
  • Olney speculates that the Cardinals could be interested in Holliday, which would satisfy Tony LaRussa's desire for a big bat. He also says that Cards' prospect Brett Wallace would be a good fit for Oakland, but that seems like a hefty price for just three or four months of Holliday.

Odds & Ends: Schuerholz, Fukumori, Perez

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Some Saturday morning links to hold you over while the cartoons are on commercial break…

  • Braves' team president John Schuerholz issued a public apology for how Tom Glavine's release was handled, as MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports. "I'm not regretting the decision making. I'm regretting the manner in which it was portrayed and explained to Tommy. I feel like I could have done a better job with that."  
  • Patrick at NPB Tracker passes along a report that the Rangers are trying to transfer Kazuo Fukumori's rights to a Japanese club. Fukumori had a 20.25 ERA in four ineffective outings for Texas last year, but he hasn't pitched this year and is training in Arizona.
  • ESPN.com's Jorge Arangure Jr. reports that Cuban outfielder Felix Perez has been suspended one year for falsifying age documents. Perez, who claimed he was 20 years old, was close to signing a $3MM contract with the Yankees when it was discovered that he is actually 24 or 25.
  • UmpBump.com's Nick Kapur lists one player each NL team should cut from their roster. While just about everyone listed has been downright terrible this year, most of the players would have no trouble finding a new job if they were actually released.

Zambrano Says He’ll Retire At End Of Contract

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According to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat, Cubs' righthander Carlos Zambrano says he will retire at the end of his current contract. Zambrano is currently in the second year of a five year, $91.5MM million dollar contract that he signed before the 2008 season.

"After this contract, I'm done," said Zambrano, who is signed through 2012 with a vesting option for 2013. "I'm serious. I don't want to play. I want to help this team, I want to do everything possible to win with this team, but after five years or four years, or whatever I have left on my contract, I just don't want to play.

"I want to stay home and see my daughters grow up and hang out with my family more," he said. "Do you know how many Mother's Days I spend with my mother? Do you know how many things I've lost in my life?

"It's good to be here, it's good to play baseball — don't get me wrong," Zambrano said. "But five years, four years, whatever I have left in my contract, I will retire. That's it."

Zambrano turned 28 just this past week and just won his 100th career game last night. Like the quote says, his contract doesn't expire until after the 2013 season and has a vesting option for 2014 based on health and Cy Young voting, but it seems a bit odd that he would announce his intentions to retire so early. Perhaps he's just frustrated by some of the recent issues he's deal with. What do you guys think?

Mike Axisa writes for River Ave. Blues.

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