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Archives for May 2010

Elias Rankings Update

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Eddie Bajek has reverse-engineered the Elias Rankings, and he's providing his work exclusively here at MLB Trade Rumors.  The player stats used start with the beginning of the 2009 season and run through May 15th, 2010.  We still have 4.5 months for these to change.

A few thoughts:

GM Initiation: Ned Colletti

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Ned Colletti was hired as general manager of the Dodgers on November 16th, 2005.  His first deal, struck about a month later with the Athletics' Billy Beane, was a huge success.  Colletti shipped Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez to Oakland for young outfielder Andre Ethier, who had just been named MVP of the Double A Texas League. 

Colletti kindly answered a few questions for MLBTR about his first trade.

MLB Trade Rumors: It was rumored that the Cubs, Yankees, and Blue Jays were also in on Bradley, with the Cubs even sending Dusty Baker to the player's home.  Were any of the other possible trades close, or was Oakland always the frontrunner?

Ned Colletti: There were a couple of teams who showed a passing interest. But the calls lacked substance. Oakland had a sincere interest. The calls were of a far more serious nature.

MLBTR: At the time of the deal you called the situation with Bradley and the Dodgers "irreconcilable."  Why did you feel that way?

Colletti: I had watched from a distance what had occurred so I had some read on the situation. When I went to the Dodgers I asked a few people who were in the midst of the situation. I asked them for facts and not opinions. I also talked to players, some who were friends with Milton. Finally, at the winter meetings in Dallas I met with one of his agents. He confirmed that giving Milton a fresh start would be best for everyone.

MLBTR: Before the '06 season Baseball America suggested Ethier might not have enough power to be a corner outfield regular.  What did you see that made you feel differently?

Colletti: From the outset his swing path was excellent. A young player can develop power later. Once he started to pull the ball more and learned his body and his swing, we felt the home runs would follow. I watched much the same occur earlier in my career, most notably with Ryne Sandberg and the Cubs when then-manager Jim Frey encouraged Sandberg to use his power to pull. Ryno went from hitting 9-12 home runs to hitting 25-40 home runs shortly thereafter.

MLBTR: When your front office puts together a trade, about how many people are involved?

Colletti: It depends on the trade. Anyone who has knowledge of the players involved – both coming and going – are asked to voice their option. It can be amateur scouts, the scouting director, major league staff and an occasional major league player, player development staff and leaders and of course our professional scouts. No one makes these decisions solo or in a vacuum. The more information you can gather from the truest evaluators the better chance you have of making the right decision.

Thanks to Ned Colletti for contributing.  Neal Huntington, Jon Daniels, and Josh Byrnes have also participated in the GM Initiation series.

Delgado Aiming For July Return

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Nearly three months after undergoing his second right hip labrum surgery in the last year, Carlos Delgado is finally off crutches and is eyeing a return to action in July, the free agent told Ruben A. Rodriguez at the Puerto Rican paper El Nuevo Dia (link and interview in Spanish). Delgado will travel to Colorado soon to get his doctor's approval before beginning a strengthening program, but insists he isn't "married" to his timeline and won't rush his recovery just to play this summer.

Delgado's name has been bandied as a possible mid-season hired gun for a contender, but the 37-year-old first baseman sounds more humble in the interview, conceding he may find it difficult to convince any teams to sign him following reconstructive surgery and more than a year away from Major League pitching. He declined to mention any specific suitors and seems resigned to taking whatever work he can find, rather than waiting, Jermaine Dye-esque, for the right price or team. "I understand the technical side and I'm willing to deal with that," Delgado told Rodriguez. "It's not like I'll sign and be the cleanup hitter. To get a job you have to go through another process. People have to see me play."

To that end, Delgado said he is open to the possibility of playing during the offseason in Puerto Rico, as he did last winter. Barring all other options, though, he acknowledged that he may have to simply "face reality," a theme which popped up in previous interviews with the Puerto Rican press even prior to his latest operation.

Phillies To Designate Wilson Valdez For Assignment?

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Phillies infielder Wilson Valdez, who is out of options, will likely be bumped to make space for the returning Jimmy Rollins, writes Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.  This means that Valdez must clear waivers in order to remain with the club.  Valdez was summoned from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Rollins' spot on the roster.

The highlight of Valdez's stint with the Phillies came on April 28th against the Giants when he scored the game-winning run.  On the season, he has an OPS of .596 in 48 plate appearances which is slightly better than his major league career average.  However, he has a career 9.9 UZR/150 at the shortstop position.

Valdez, who turns 32-years-old on Thursday, has also made major league cameos with the White Sox, Mariners, Padres, Dodgers, and Mets.

Odds & Ends: Pirates, Yankees, Storen, Mets

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Links for Sunday night..

  • The Pirates have promoted Bryan Morris to Double-A after a sensational start to the season, writes Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.  The 23-year-old starter, who has a 0.60 ERA, could earn another promotion by August according to GM Neal Huntington.  Morris was one of the main pieces the Pirates received in the Jason Bay trade in July of '08. 
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post (via Twitter) points out that three former Yankees set-up men have been released in the last 24 hours: Chad Gaudin, Edwar Ramirez, and Brian Bruney.
  • Nats pitching coach Steve McCatty says that the club has not yet determined Drew Storen's role and that they will "ease him in", tweets Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com writes that Mets GM Omar Minaya will accompany the team on their trip to Atlanta, though a team official insists that he will be there just to lend support.

Mets Have Payroll For Pitching, Not For Pedro

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The Mets have the payroll flexibility to add another starter if they remain in contention, sources tell Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.  However, a person with direct knowledge of the Mets' thinking says that the team has no interest in bringing Pedro Martinez back to Queens.

Mets officials recognize that the rotation is the area most in need of out-of-house reinforcement.  Though the club's offense has been less than stellar, the front office believes that things will pick up upon Carlos Beltran's return. 

Martino writes that the Mets have been in contact with several teams about pitching, though he classified those conversations as "preliminary".  He notes that trade talks do not usually heat up until June and therefore it is too early to gauge the Amazins' chances of landing a big-name pitcher such as Roy Oswalt.  Earlier this week, it was reported that the $33MM that remains on Oswalt's contract might prevent the Mets from dealing for him.

When GMs do begin calling each other more frequently, the Mets may find that they do not have the trade chips to land the type of hurler they desire.  Top prospects Ike Davis and Jenrry Mejia are now major leaguers and Fernando Martinez is on the Triple-A disabled list.

Rangers Inquire On Pierzynski

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The Rangers have inquired about the availability of White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, a source tells Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.  Over the weekend, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports identified the veteran backstop as a trade candidate.

The 2010 season has not been kind to Pierzynski, who has a slash line of .198/.254/.292 with 2 HRs in 115 plate appearances.  The two-time All-Star is one of six starting position players on the White Sox with a batting average south of .250.

Pierzynski, 33, will have the right to veto any trade in four weeks.  Gonzales writes that a lengthy delay in the sale of the Rangers has raised the question of whether the club could take on the remainder of the catcher's 2010 salary.  According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, Pierzynski is set to earn a base salary of $6.25MM for this season with incentives that could tack on another $580K.

Acquiring Pierzynski would give Texas an experienced starter behind the plate.  To date, they have not found a reliable everyday option in Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Max Ramirez, Taylor Teagarden, or Matt Treanor.

Week In Review: 5/9/10 – 5/15/10

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Let's take our weekly look back at the last seven days here on MLBTR:

Possible Destinations: Kelly Johnson

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Earlier today, Nick Cafardo speculated that Arizona could have to consider trading someone like Kelly Johnson in order to boost its dreadful bullpen. The D'Backs entered today dead last in baseball with a 7.42 bullpen ERA, and the six earned runs it surrendered aren't helping. 

Johnson was signed to a one-year, $2.35MM deal this offseason after being non-tendered by the Braves. Apparently, the desert air has rejuvenated the once-productive second baseman. If chicks really do dig the long ball, it's safe to say Johnson is Arizona's newest heartthrob. He entered today hitting .279/.361/.628, having already crushed 11 round-trippers on the season. Even more enticing than his affordable salary and big-time production may be that Johnson has one year of arbitration left, meaning any new team could control him for the 2011 campaign as well.

The Diamondbacks entered today 7.5 games out of first, and after Dan Haren's pummeling at the hands of the Braves, they find themselves down 13-1 as I write this post. Simply put, things aren't pretty in Arizona this season. If they do look to move Johnson, let's speculate as to where he could end up:

  • Detroit: The Tigers have the lowest bullpen ERA of any team in baseball, thanks to their signing of Jose Valverde and the resurgence of Joel Zumaya. They also just demoted second base prospect Scott Sizemore back to Triple-A after Sizemore posted a line of .206/.297/.289 through his first 115 plate appearances. An upgrade at second base would be a huge boost to the TIgers, who sit just one game back of the Twins in the AL Central.
  • San Diego: If the two don't mind dealing within their own division, there's a match between the needs. The Padres are in first place in the NL West, but have mustered just a .663 OPS from their second basemen so far this offseason. David Eckstein has seen most of the time there, but could be shifted to shortstop as an upgrade over Everth Cabrera's .211/.273/.282 line this season or simply to a utility role. With just 4.16 runs per game and a mere 27 home runs on the season, an offensive upgrade would help San Diego, who also happens to own a sparkling 2.70 bullpen ERA.
  • St. Louis: The Cardinals can be none too pleased with Skip Schumaker's .589 OPS on the season. His .261 BABIP and increased line drive rate likely point to bad luck as the source more than anything else, but if his numbers can't correct themselves, the Cardinals could consider dipping into a relief corps that's produced a 2.85 ERA to help them keep up with the Reds in the NL Central.

What other destinations would make sense for the Arizona masher, and what's a reasonable price to pay for 1.5 years of the resurgent second-bagger? Should clubs be wary of his new hitting-friendly environment, or is Johnson's warpath so far legitimate? Keep in mind that the Diamondbacks could simply elect to hang onto Johnson, but it's hard to argue that now is a good time to sell high.

Odds & Ends: Storen, Duchscherer, Johnson

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Links for Sunday, as we wait to see if the Dodgers can extend their six-game winning streak….

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