Odds & Ends: Julio, Cubs, Springer
A fresh batch of links as we move into the evening…
- According to Adam Sobsey of The Independent Weekly, the Rays have released 30-year-old reliever Jorge Julio. The right-hander had a 5.96 ERA and a 24/15 K/BB ratio in 22 2/3 innings this season with Triple-A Durham.
- Cubs GM Jim Hendry told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times Saturday that he is open to a waiver deal if it will make his club better. "We'll see," said Hendry. "If we find something that makes us better, we'll try.''
- Need a refresher on the way waiver deals work? Will Carroll of Baseball Prospectus has you covered.
- The San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser gathered a quote from Russ Springer moments after he learned he was headed to the Rays: "It will be nice to play in some playoff-race type games and hopefully I can go to Tampa Bay and carry my load."
Phillies Cut Ties With Ozuna
According to Scott Lauber of the Wilmington Journal, the Phillies have released 34-year-old infielder Pablo Ozuna.
Ozuna was batting .294/.342/.396 with no home runs and 15 RBI in 187 at-bats at Triple-A Lehigh Valley before he was suspended for a positive PED test in June. He appeared in 68 major league games last season during stays with the White Sox and Dodgers.
Rays Claim Russ Springer Off Waivers
2:46pm: It's a straight waiver claim, according to Slusser, so the A's will receive nothing in return (besides a small payroll cut). Here's A's assistant GM David Forst:
"We felt like it was a good opportunity to see some guys in Triple-A the last month of the season, and it gives Russ the chance to pitch in a pennant race. That's something he deserves at this point in his career. He's done a great job for us and he's been a great mentor for our youngsters."
2:31pm: According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Rays have claimed reliever Russ Springer off waivers from the Athletics.
Springer, a 40-year-old right-hander, had a 4.10 ERA and a 47/14 K/BB ratio in 41 2/3 innings out of the Oakland bullpen this season.
One-Year Gambles
Earlier today, Ray Ratto at the San Francisco Chronicle decried Billy Beane's propensity to sign aging former stars to one-year deals, citing the recent release of Jason Giambi as another failed experiment:
"The final point here is that Beane is finally going to have to make his next stand without the benefit of 35-plus hope-and-a-prayer guys whose only benefit is that they're available. It's a short-stack strategy whose failures far exceed all the benefits of the one time it worked."
With many players facing team budget crunches, there were no shortage of these types of deals this past offseason. Using Ratto's criteria of "35-plus hope-and-a-prayer guys," let's check out the performances of some of this past year's veteran one-year gambles, sticking specifically to hitters and starters who once flashed star-level success at the big league level, and deals with guaranteed major-league money:
HITTERS
- Jason Giambi – .193/.332/.365 in 328 plate appearances. Signed one-year, $5.25MM contract with club option for 2010 with A's. Released this week.
- Ken Griffey Jr. – .222/.322/.401 in 334 PA. Signed one-year, $2MM contract with Mariners.
- Bobby Abreu – .320/.416/.456 in 445 PA. Signed one-year, $5MM with Angels.
- Ivan Rodriguez – .245/.274/.384 in 318 PA. Signed one-year, $1.5MM with Astros.
- Nomar Garciaparra – .265/.300/.372 in 120 PA. Signed one-year, $1MM with A's.
- Garret Anderson – .289/.320/.435 in 338 PA. Signed one-year, $2.5MM with Braves.
- Cliff Floyd – .125/.176./.125 in 17 PA. Signed one-year, $750k with Padres.
- Jason Varitek – .225/.333/.432 in 336 PA. Signed one-year, $5MM with Red Sox.
- Orlando Cabrera – .289/.326/.384 in 476 PA. Signed one-year, $4MM with A's, now with the Twins.
STARTING PITCHERS
- Bartolo Colon – 4.19 ERA, 38/21 K/BB ratio in 62.1 innings. Signed one-year, $1MM deal with White Sox.
- John Smoltz – 8.32 ERA, 33/9 K/BB ratio in 40 innings, DFA'd this week. Signed one-year, $5.5MM-guaranteed deal with Red Sox.
- Mike Hampton – 5.19 ERA, 71/44 K/BB ratio in 105 innings. Signed one-year, $2MM with Astros.
- Tom Glavine – Did not play. Signed one-year, $1MM deal with Braves.
- Randy Johnson – 4.81 ERA, 80/31 K/BB ratio in 91.2 innings. Signed one-year, $8MM with Giants.
Hampton has had his moments and Anderson, Varitek and Cabrera have been passable, but it looks like the only real win from this group was Bobby Abreu, and he was probably less of a "gamble" in the sense that he had a fairly clean bill of health and success up to his signing. Gambling on veteran stars has been like playing roulette for many teams this season. Let me know if you think I missed anyone notable in the comments and we'll add them to the list.
Odds & Ends: Yankees, Giambi, Smoltz
On this day last year, Brian Giles invoked his no-trade clause in a deal that would have sent him to Boston. Some links:
- Robinson Cano, Brian Bruney, Mark Melancon and David Robertson have all cleared waivers for the Yankees, says George A. King III at the New York Post, and quite a few more names are going through waivers now, including A.J. Burnett and Melky Cabrera. Keep checking out our updated Players Who Have Cleared Waivers post as August progresses.
- Vicente Padilla is "disappointed" in having being designated for assignment and being called a "bad teammate," says T.R. Sullivan at MLB.com, and he wants to pitch again.
- According to George A. King III at the New York Post, the Yankees have no interest in bringing back Jason Giambi, who was released by the A's this week.
- Yahoo Sports' Gordon Edes writes that the failed John Smoltz gamble by the Red Sox proves just how deep the gap is between small and large-market teams.
- Ray Ratto at the San Francisco Chronicle believes that the failed Jason Giambi gamble proves that GM Billy Beane shouldn't continue with one-year deals for older veterans.
Mets Acquire Jason Dubois
According to Rick Brown at the Des Moines Register, the Mets acquired outfielder Jason Dubois from the Cubs last night for cash considerations. Dubois, 30, hasn't played in the majors since 2005, but has put up a solid .302/.390/.502 line for AAA Iowa this year. He could find time from the big-league bench with the Mets' injury issues.
Rays DFA Michel Hernandez
According to Marc Topkin at the St. Petersburg Times, the Rays have designated backup catcher Michel Hernandez for assignment. He'll make room for the newly-acquired Gregg Zaun. The 30-year-old Hernandez put up a .242/.292/.343 line in 107 plate appearances for the Rays this year.
Mozeliak: Cards Unlikely To Pursue Smoltz
When the Red Sox designated John Smoltz for assignment earlier today, it was only a matter of time before we started hearing if clubs were interested in his services or not. Matt Baker at The News Leader caught up with Cardinals GM John Mozeliak, who said "Right now I would say no, but things can change,” when asked if he had interest in the future Hall of Famer.
St. Louis added $6.6MM to their payroll with their deadline acquisitions, but the Red Sox would be on the hook for all but the pro-rated portion of the minimum should he be released. Perhaps more importantly, Smoltz would have to decide to continue his career first.
Mozeliak also said that he's "very optimistic we’ll get something worked out" with top pick Shelby Miller, who remains unsigned.
Odds & Ends: Berroa, Yankees, Scheppers, Pirates
More odds, more ends, more links…
- Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog reports that the Mets have designated Angel Berroa for assignment. Berroa's tenure in Flushing lasted 31 plate appearances, in which he fashioned a .148-.233-.185 batting line.
- George A. King III of The NY Post reports that the Yankees placed second baseman Robinson Cano, as well as relievers Brian Bruney, David Robertson, and Mark Melancon on waivers this past Wednesday. King says it's "highly unlikely the Yankees will deal Cano."
- MLB.com's Daniel Paulling spoke to Greg Genske, agent for Rangers' supplemental first round pick Tanner Scheppers, and reports that Genske is "setting up an audition for Scheppers for about a half dozen Japanese teams within a couple of weeks." Genske hasn't decided whether or not to invite the Rangers to workout, and also mentions that Scheppers has been given a clean bill of health.
- In addition to eighth rounder Colton Cain, the Pirates have also signed fourth round pick Zackry Dodson according to MLB.com's Jen Langosch. Team president Frank Coonelly denied a report that the team reached an agreement with Dodson last month.
- Patrick at NPB Tracker passes along a report that Chris Resop has left the Hanshin Tigers and returned home to the States to recover from pain in his throwing elbow. Resop doesn't have any immediate plans to return to Japan, and Patrick says he's unlikely to get another shot with Hanshin.
Rangers DFA Vicente Padilla
Evan Grant of D Magazine reports that the Rangers have designated righthander Vicente Padilla for assignment. Grant says the team has "no plans on bringing him back." Padilla went unclaimed when the team placed him on waivers in early June.
With a 4.90 ERA in 103 starts for Texas, it's safe to say the Rangers didn't get the return they were seeking on the three year, $33.75MM deal they gave Padilla before the 2007 season. There is roughly $4MM left on Padilla's contract for this season, not to mention a $1.75MM buyout for next year's option.