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Archives for September 2009

Rockies DFA Adam Eaton

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According to MLB.com, the Rockies designated right-hander Adam Eaton for assignment in order to clear 40-man roster space for infielder Mike McCoy.

Eaton, 31, posted a 5.63 ERA in eight innings of relief for the Rockies back in August shortly after inking a minor league deal.  He was also released by the Orioles earlier this season and will finish the 2009 campaign with an 8.08 ERA in 49 innings (eight starts).

Rosenthal’s Latest: 2010 Free Agent Starters

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As MLBTR learned in January, and FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal notes in his most recent column, 34-year-old right-hander Tim Hudson holds a mutual $12MM option with the Braves for 2010.  He's only made two starts this season, and still carries some injury risk, so the Braves aren't likely to pony up that kind of cash.  If the option is declined, or Hudson simply opts out (the most likely scenario), he'll join a fairly intriguing 2010 free agent pitching class.

As for the other big names headed toward the open market?  Rosenthal places the Angels' John Lackey right at the top:

"After Lackey," Rosenthal writes, "the top free-agent starters probably will be Cubs right-hander Rich Harden, Dodgers lefty Randy Wolf, Tigers lefty Jarrod Washburn, Rockies righty Jason Marquis, Diamondbacks lefty Doug Davis and Dodgers righty Jon Garland.

Veterans such as Phillies right-hander Pedro Martinez, Cardinals righty John Smoltz and Giants righty Brad Penny also will be back on the market."

We'd also throw Erik Bedard, Ben Sheets and Justin Duchscherer into the mix, despite the question marks surrounding their readiness.  And Joel Pineiro is likely to score a major deal with the exceptional season he's having.  It is going to be a fun offseason.

Giants DFA Osiris Matos

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Here's a minor transaction that slipped through the cracks.  According to MLB.com's Chris Haft, the Giants designated reliever Osiris Matos for assignment late Tuesday evening.  The move was executed in order to clear room on the 40-man roster for Madison Bumgarner, a 20-year-old pitching prospect who made his major league debut last night against the Padres.

Matos, 25, posted a 3.48 ERA in 54 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level this season.  He was given a shot in the big leagues at the beginning of '09, but allowed seven runs over a disappointing six-inning stay.

Free Agent Market: Shortstops

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Today let's take a look at the free agent market for shortstops.

  • Marco Scutaro is the OBP leader at .377.  He's racked up 83 walks in 639 plate appearances.  After him we get down to Omar Vizquel and Miguel Tejada in the .330 range.  Scott Boras client Alex Cora was at .371 in limited duty last year, but he's down to .320 in '09.
  • Good luck finding power – you've got Tejada with a .435 SLG, and then Scutaro at .409.
  • Defense is crucial at shortstop.  UZR/150 likes Jack Wilson (club option), Alex Gonzalez (club option), Scutaro, and Adam Everett (of course).  In his top ten heading into the season, the Fielding Bible's John Dewan ranked Wilson, Everett, Omar Vizquel, and John McDonald in his top ten.
  • Felipe Lopez last spent significant time at shortstop in 2007; it'd be a big gamble to use him there consistently.
  • If you're looking for youth, Lopez, Bobby Crosby and Khalil Greene will be 30 years old next season.
  • Scutaro, Orlando Cabrera, and Lopez project as Type A free agents.  Wilson and Tejada project as Bs.  Given his contributions on offense and defense, Scutaro is the prize of the free agent shortstop class. 

Phillies Release Rodrigo Lopez; A’s Interested

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3:41pm: The A's have some interest in Lopez for the season's final few weeks, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

9:57am: The Phillies released pitcher Rodrigo Lopez, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki (via Twitter).  The 34 year-old righty tallied 30 innings, posting a 5.70 ERA and 19 strikeouts against 11 walks.  He was solid in his five starts, with a 3.62 ERA.  Lopez was bumped from the rotation when the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee.

Prior to his stint in the bigs, Lopez showed sparkling control en route to a 4.31 ERA in 18 Triple A starts.  The Scott Boras client had Tommy John surgery in late '07 and had a minor league stint with the Braves in '08 before signing with the Phillies in March of this year.

Orioles Acquire Sean Henn

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WEDNESDAY: A press release from the Orioles says the Twins will receive a player to be named later or cash considerations.

TUESDAY: The Orioles acquired reliever Sean Henn from the Twins today, according to Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.  The 28 year-old southpaw has yet to experience big league success in brief stints with the Yankees, Padres, and Twins, but he posted strong numbers in Triple A this year.

Heyman On Awards, Lackey, Pettitte

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A look at the latest from SI's Jon Heyman…

  • Heyman hands out the hardware, starting with Joe Mauer and Albert Pujols for the MVP awards.  I'll let you click to see his take on the other awards.
  • Heyman says "there hasn't been any hint of negotiations between the Angels and ace pitcher John Lackey."  He believes their initial offer before the season was in the four-year, $60MM range.  Hard to see Lackey leaving a possible $20MM+ on the table.
  • Andy Pettitte will decide on 2010 once he talks to his family in Houston after the season.

Best Minor League Deals Of 2009

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If you're looking for free agent bang for your buck, you can't go wrong with minor league deals.  Let's take a look at the best of 2009.

  • Garrett Jones – At .302/.368/.613 in 261 plate appearances, Jones is in the mix for NL Rookie of the Year.  He didn't show this kind of power playing at Triple A in the Twins' system.  Jones has played first base and the outfield corners for the Pirates.
  • Ryan Roberts – The Diamondbacks picked up Roberts after the Rangers cut him loose.  Playing left field, second base, and third base, he has a .285/.381/.427 line in 287 PAs.
  • Kevin Correia – The Giants non-tendered Correia last year; an oblique injury may have contributed to his lousy '08.  This year he's been the Padres' best starter with a 4.30 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 169.6 innings.
  • Juan Uribe – Uribe's power returned with the Giants in the NL, and he's contributed defensively all around the infield.  Dave Cameron of FanGraphs has more.
  • Adam Kennedy – Kennedy gets an asterisk, as he signed his minor league deal with the Rays and was traded to Oakland on May 8th.  He's been solid offensively and a strong defender at second and third base.
  • Chad Gaudin – Gaudin signed with the Padres in mid-April after being released by the Cubs (they'd have saved some bucks if they'd non-tendered him earlier).  He racked up 105 Ks in 105.3 innings for the Padres, and the Yankees acquired him in August.
  • Scott Podsednik – Playing left and center field for the White Sox after being released by Colorado, Pods surprisingly racked up 504 PAs with a .303/.355/.405 line.
  • Kiko Calero – When healthy Calero's been dominant for the Marlins – a 2.09 ERA and 62 Ks in 51.6 innings.
  • Brian Sanches – A Nationals castoff, Sanches has a 1.45 ERA with 47 Ks in 49.6 innings for the Marlins.  Couple of cheap, quality bullpen pickups for the Fish.
  • Jonny Gomes – We discussed Gomes here; he's been a pleasant surprise for the Reds.
  • Laynce Nix – He's been useful in left field for the Reds, slugging .484 in 307 PAs.
  • Ronald Belisario – He didn't do much at Double A for the Pirates, but Belisario has a 2.07 ERA and 54 Ks in 61 innings for the Dodgers.
  • Mike MacDougal – 14 saves in 15 tries as the Nationals' closer is impressive, but a 25:32 K/BB ratio shows why the White Sox let him go.
  • Honorable mentions: Sean White, Livan Hernandez, Omar Vizquel, Matt Palmer, Andruw Jones, Omir Santos, Jeff Weaver, Tyler Walker, and Josh Fogg.  Brad Penny and Vicente Padilla have impressed with their new clubs.  Did we miss anyone?

Jonny Gomes’ Future With The Reds

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The Reds' signing of outfielder Jonny Gomes has been one of the best minor league deals of the year, up there with Garrett Jones, Ryan Roberts, Kevin Correia, and Juan Uribe.  Gomes, 29 in November, has a .279/.349/.558 line with 18 home runs in 261 plate appearances.

Gomes feels he's proven that he's more than a platoon player, and John Fay's article for the Cincinnati Enquirer addresses his future.  Given his service time (less than five years), Gomes is arbitration-eligible after the season.  The Reds simply have to tender him a contract, and he's theirs for 2010 whether he likes it or not.  Fay's article seems to imply that the Reds might non-tender Gomes, which would be odd (but not unprecedented). 

And then there's Gomes telling Fay he'd accept arbitration if the Reds offer, which makes even less sense.  If the Reds tender him a contract, Gomes' only say in it is regarding his 2010 salary.  If the two parties can't find common ground, there would be an arbitration hearing.

Odds & Ends: Chen, Mets, White Sox

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An action-packed set of links for Wednesday…

  • Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along a report about MLB teams, the Cubs included, watching Chunichi Dragons pitcher Wei-Yin Chen's last start.  It's possible Chen will be a free agent after the season.  The Taiwanese southpaw has a 1.45 ERA this year and would be in high demand.
  • MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone does not believe the team will non-tender starter John Maine after the season.  Maine, coming back from a shoulder injury, may start Sunday.
  • SNY's Ted Berg says this is a terrible time to trade Jose Reyes.
  • R.J. Anderson of DRays Bay sees a trade more likely than a non-tender for catcher Dioner Navarro.
  • Over at FanGraphs, Anderson notes that Kiko Calero (10.8 K/9) is a "nice sleeper candidate" among free agent relievers.  Calero's strikeout rate ranks behind only Rafael Soriano, Mike Gonzalez, Rich Harden, and Octavio Dotel among free agent pitchers with at least 40 innings.
  • Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck the Magglio Ordonez vesting option situation "speaks for itself."  23 more plate appearances for Maggs, and the Tigers have him at $18MM for 2010.
  • Among the topics in Mark Gonzales' Chicago Tribune White Sox mailbag: the Brandon Allen–Tony Pena swap and the possibility of the Sox pursuing Chone Figgins.  In another article, Gonzales notes that Ozzie Guillen wants Freddy Garcia ($1MM club option) as his fifth starter next year.
  • Jack Curry of the New York Times has the story on the Newark Bears, and independent league club that has chosen to stock its roster with recognizable former big leaguers trying to claw their way back to the Show.
  • An AL scout told Tom Krasovic "Oakland got smoked" in the Scott Hairston trade.  The Padres received pitchers Sean Gallagher, Ryan Webb, and Craig Italiano in the July 5th trade (Gallagher was named later).
  • WEEI's Alex Speier says the Red Sox announced the signing of Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias to a four-year Major League deal beginning next year (it's worth $8.25MM).

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