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Archives for May 2010

Konerko Ignores Trade Speculation

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The White Sox aren’t selling yet, but if they decide to, Paul Konerko and his league-leading 13 home runs would appeal to many clubs. But Konerko told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he’s not thinking about midseason trades just yet.

“It’s got no place in my day,” he said. “If it doesn’t help me be productive today, then it’s got no place in my routine.” 

Konerko, who makes $12MM this year before becoming a free agent, can’t be traded without his permission. His agent says it’s too early to talk about waiving his client’s no-trade clause.

“We’ll cross that bridge when and if we come to it,” Craig Landis said.

If teams start calling the White Sox, GM Kenny Williams may have to listen. It’s early, and Konerko may not maintain this pace, but teams will be looking for power. Morosi names the Rays as a potential suitor and they do make some sense, if Hank Blalock can’t replicate his minor league success at the big league level.

Pat Burrell Clears Waivers

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Pat Burrell has cleared waivers and is now a free agent, according to the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter). As Tony Fabrizio of The Tampa Tribune reported, the Rays designated Burrell for assignment on Saturday to free up a roster spot for Hank Blalock, who joined the team over the weekend.

Burrell can now sign with any team for a pro-rated portion of the major league minimum. In other words, it would cost teams just under $300K to sign him at this point. The Rays will be responsible for the remainder of his $9MM salary.

Burrell, 33, has been a major disappointment since signing a two year, $16MM contract prior to last season. Brought in to help balance out the lineup against lefties, Burrell has hit just .218/.311/.361 in 572 plate appearances since signing. He's been even worse than that against southpaws, if you can believe it.

Heyman On Mets, Brewers, Werth

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The Marlins should extend manager Fredi Gonzalez to keep him around as long as Hanley Ramirez is under contract, writes Jon Heyman of SI.com. There's no indication that the Marlins are going to extend their skipper in the near future, but Heyman has the latest on some moves that could happen sooner:

  • The Mets will "almost assuredly" hire Bob Melvin if they fire Jerry Manuel, but there's no evidence that GM Omar Minaya is under the same scrutiny as Manuel.
  • The Brewers would presumably ask bench coach Willie Randolph to manage if they fire manager Ken Macha.
  • Executives estimate that Jayson Werth will sign a deal worth more than Jason Bay's $66MM deal, but less than Matt Holliday's $120MM deal. One executive doesn't think Werth will be able to secure a deal like Holliday's because he doesn't have the same track record. Werth hadn't played more than 102 games before 2008, but he has hit .278/.375/.521 since then.

Blue Jays Release Randy Ruiz

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The Blue Jays released Randy Ruiz, tweets MLB.com's Jordan Bastian.  Ruiz then signed a contract with Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles.  The Jays called up Jeremy Reed to take Ruiz's place.

Ruiz, 32, raked in his 130 big league plate appearances for the Blue Jays last year but had only 40 PAs this year.  The journeyman first baseman/left fielder has logged 11 minor league seasons, and will presumably get a chance to earn more money in Japan.

Available Left-Handed Relievers

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Looking for left-handed relief?  Here's a look at the projected trade market.

  • Aaron Laffey is doing a nice job against southpaws for the Indians, and he's under team control for the foreseeable future.  Rafael Perez should also be available, but he hasn't been effective in a while.
  • The Pirates could move Jack Taschner and Javier Lopez.  Taschner has strong peripherals against lefties, aside from hits allowed.
  • Matt Thornton has been dominant and is capable of closing, but the White Sox might want him around for next year.  He has a reasonable $3MM club option.
  • The Orioles can offer a pair of veteran southpaws in Will Ohman and Mark Hendrickson.  Ohman sports a 0.00 ERA, but he's walked 5.4 per nine.
  • The Dodgers' George Sherrill is a non-tender candidate after the season, as he's earning $4.5MM this year.  He's had a rough year so far, with 12 walks and 15 hits in 13 innings.  The Dodgers have a more appealing lefty in Hong-Chih Kuo, who is superb when healthy.
  • Teams would probably line up for the Brewers' Manny Parra, but he's currently in the rotation while Doug Davis is on the DL.

Available Right-Handed Relievers

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Cubs GM Jim Hendry recently explained to the Chicago Sun-Times that he'd like to add a right-handed reliever, but they're hard to come by on the trade market.  For the Cubs and other interested teams, which righty relievers might be out there soon?

  • Kyle Farnsworth has done tolerable work so far this year.  He's being paid $4.5MM, plus a $500K buyout after the season.  The Royals would probably eat a significant portion.  The Indians will have to get creative to move Kerry Wood, who is earning $10.5MM.  The Orioles' Koji Uehara was recently activated from the DL.  At $5MM, the O's would presumably be happy to move a portion of his contract.
  • If the White Sox decide to sell, they could potentially blow up their bullpen.  Tony Pena, Bobby Jenks, J.J. Putz, and Scott Linebrink would have varying degrees of trade value.  The Astros could do the same, with Matt Lindstrom the most attractive piece.  The Brewers have inventory, but no one too useful.
  • The Mariners have three controlled, quality arms in David Aardsma, Brandon League, and Mark Lowe.  Lowe is currently on the DL with a back injury.  If the Ms start looking to next year, one of the three might be traded.
  • The Pirates could look to flip many of their recently-signed free agent relievers, including Octavio Dotel, Brendan Donnelly, and D.J. Carrasco.  Donnelly should return from an oblique strain this week.
  • Should the Diamondbacks send up the white flag, Aaron Heilman and Chad Qualls could hit the market.

If The Blue Jays Become Buyers

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The Blue Jays are 24-17, five games back in the AL East.  They're only two back of the Yankees for the wild card lead.  The Jays have gotten this far based on middle of the pack pitching and a powerful offense.  Their runs scored and allowed totals back up the .585 winning percentage, suggesting this team really can win 90+ games.

This was expected to be a consolidation year for the Blue Jays – set the bargain-basement rotation loose, let Travis Snider develop, trade away veteran relievers.  Instead, rookie GM Alex Anthopoulos has to be considering making midseason upgrades for a once-improbable playoff run.

The offense has three glaring issues: designated hitter, first base, and second base.  In other words, Adam Lind, Lyle Overbay, and Aaron Hill have disappointed, and it is to some extent balancing out surprising contributions by other hitters.  We're talking of samples of less than 200 plate appearances for each, so it's very possible the best course of action is to just give each player more time to rediscover his 2009 form. 

Overbay, a free agent after the season, would be the easiest to replace if he doesn't improve in the next month.  We're not sure yet if game-changers like Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez will be available at the trade deadline, but acquiring either would require a radical departure from Anthopoulos' plan.  It'd also block Brett Wallace (.309/.369/.612 at Triple A) through 2011.  Calling up Wallace to replace Overbay might provide a sufficient upgrade.  Otherwise, the Jays could target more reasonable first base rentals such as Paul Konerko, Adam Dunn, Adam LaRoche, or Lance Berkman.

A rotation reinforcement to back up the ace performances of Shaun Marcum and Ricky Romero would help.  Brett Cecil and Brandon Morrow have shown enough promise that one veteran addition might be enough.  Jesse Litsch could be an in-house addition next month.  Still, the cost to acquire Kevin Millwood, Jake Westbrook, Brandon Webb, or Brett Myers wouldn't be high, as opposed to the Roy Oswalt/Cliff Lee range.  The Jays' bullpen hasn't been great, but Jason Frasor appears to be back on track and they've got good arms at the back end.

The Blue Jays have to be treated as potential buyers rather than sellers.  There are plenty of options to upgrade the club in 2010 without abandoning the long-term plan.

Odds & Ends: Kearns, Lowell, Dye, Strasburg

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Links for Tuesday, as Hanley Ramirez digs himself into an even bigger hole after last night's jog…

Checking In On The Atlantic League

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Of the major independent leagues, play begins earliest in the Atlantic League, which often serves as a halfway house for players who eventually return to affiliated baseball. Making that jump has become increasingly common, with 11 former Atlantic Leaguers logging major league time in 2009. Former stars like Ruben Sierra and Juan Gonzalez have played in the Atlantic League and others, like Nelson Figueroa, have used the league to induce organized baseball to give them second chances.

It is hard to find a group more worthy of fan appreciation than those in the Atlantic League. These players earn small salaries and hope that with enough strong play, they can return to one of the 30 major league organizations.

So with the 2010 Atlantic League season more than 20 games old, let's take a look at some of the players there who could make that jump this year:

  • Kennard Jones currently leads the circuit for the Newark Bears with a .403 average, 13 extra-base hits in his first 77 at-bats, and nine walks against ten strikeouts. Jones was a third-round pick of the San Diego Padres back in 2002, and played all three outfield positions in their organization, though he's been primarily in right field with Newark. Just 28, it seems far from impossible to imagine him helping a big league team. Jones' big limitation during his time with the Padres was a lack of power, something he clearly doesn't suffer from in Newark.
  • Daryle Ward is a name familiar to many baseball fans, and he is remaking a name for himself with Newark as well, leading the Atlantic League with six home runs. Ward played with six major league teams, most notably with the Houston Astros, and could be a source of power for a team short at first base or designated hitter. Two notes of caution: Ward is turning 35 next month, and has three walks in his first 78 at-bats, a sign he has become an all-or-nothing hitter.
  • Rene Rivera, who played briefly with the Seattle Mariners and now plays with the Camden Riversharks, is tied with Ward for the league home run lead. Rivera plays catcher, a position where power is scarce, particularly this season, so he may be the best bet to find his way back to the major leagues. What works against Rivera is that he's never hit with anything close to this kind of power- in 259 plate appearances last season with Triple-A Buffalo, Rivera had nine home runs. Still, Rivera was a second round pick of the Mariners back in 2001, and is just 26. Catchers often develop later offensively, so perhaps Rivera has figured it out.
  • Another potential late bloomer is right-hander Ben Fritz, a first round pick of the Athletics back in 2001. The 6'4" hurler has been nothing short of dominant for the Lancaster Barnstormers so far this season, with 23 strikeouts against seven walks in his past three starts. Fritz never put it together for Oakland, but still just 29, perhaps Fritz is ready to shed his first-round bust label once and for all.

Some difference-makers were signed this past winter, and others will be acquired at the trade deadline, but don't discount the possibility that one could come from independent league baseball, either.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Joaquin Benoit

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The Rays signed Joaquin Benoit after a year in which he didn't throw a major league pitch. The 32-year-old missed all of 2009 with rotator cuff surgery, so Tampa Bay was paying for promise, not performance. So far in 2010, the reliever has delivered one dominant outing after the other.

He didn't make the Opening Day roster, but struck out 15.8 batters per nine at Triple A Durham, with just 2.8 BB/9. He has yet to allow a run in six appearances since getting the call to the majors and has nine strikeouts (including all five batters who faced him last night) in 6.2 innings with just one walk. 

But performance isn't everything for free agent relievers. Just ask Kiko Calero, who couldn't secure a major league deal last winter because teams questioned his health despite the 1.95 ERA and 10.4 K/9 he posted in 60 innings. If Benoit continues pitching well, his stats will convince teams that he can perform, but his agents will have to convince them that he can stay healthy if he wants a guaranteed contract.

Benoit's fastball is harder than ever, which suggests he has recovered from last year's rotator cuff surgery. If that's the case, he could ask for a guaranteed deal, like the ones some strikeout-inducing relievers agreed to last winter. Kevin Gregg ($2.75MM), J.J. Putz ($3MM) and Octavio Dotel ($3.5MM) signed deals that could become models for the one Benoit signs after 2010.

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