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If The Reds Become Buyers

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There's been plenty of talk about the Reds becoming sellers later this year, potentially shedding the salaries of Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, and Francisco Cordero.  However, at 17-15, this team is firmly in contention.  The problem is that their runs scored and allowed totals suggest a below-.500 team, a club that should finish with 74 wins or so.  To remain in the playoff hunt, the Reds need to play better.

With 4.66 runs scored per game this year, the Reds rank in the middle of the NL.  If they're able to maintain that production, they'd probably finish around sixth in the runs scored rankings.  Improvements might come from within, as more is expected from Brandon Phillips, Orlando Cabrera, Drew Stubbs, and Jonny Gomes.  My speculation: potential outfield bats the Reds could pursue include Scott Podsednik, Andruw Jones, David DeJesus, and Ryan Church.  The ability to play center field would be beneficial.

The Reds' starting pitching has been terrible, with a 5.31 ERA.  Only Mike Leake has an ERA under 5.00.  Again, improvements should come from within, with Harang, Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, and Homer Bailey capable of better things.  Aroldis Chapman doesn't appear ready given a 5.1 BB/9 in Triple A.  One interesting rental idea if the Diamondbacks continue to stumble: Brandon Webb.  He's talked about playing closer to his Kentucky home, so Cincinnati would be perfect.

The Reds' bullpen has technically struggled, though much of the ERA damage came from low-leverage pitchers Logan Ondrusek and Carlos Fisher.  Despite spotty control, Nick Masset's 14.6 K/9 and .511 BABIP suggest he'll round back into setup man form.

Like most teams, the Reds have a few areas for improvement.  However, their likeliest path to the playoffs involves veterans simply meeting expectations.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Jose Contreras

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After an ugly outing against the Yankees on August 29th of last year, Jose Contreras' record stood at 5-13.  He had a 5.42 ERA on the season and was well overpaid at $10MM.  At the August 31st deadline, the White Sox shipped Contreras to Colorado for minor league pitcher Brandon Hynick plus cash in a salary dump move.  The 38-year-old Cuban pitched well in his Rockies debut but suffered a quad injury in his second start.  Contreras returned from the injury as a reliever and did a good job in five appearances.  

The Phillies signed Contreras in January to a $1.5MM deal.  He's been lights-out this season, and has already ascended to second in line to close if Brad Lidge struggles or isn't available.  Contreras' dominance is no fluke – as a reliever this year his average fastball has jumped up to 94.7 mph and he sports an 11.6 K/9 with a career-best 54.2% groundball rate.  The relief sample is growing – since his Rockies role change Contreras has a 0.95 ERA, 10.4 K/9, and 2.4 BB/9 in 19 innings.

Contreras appears to have found a second baseball life as a reliever.  Admittedly, the 2010 season has just begun.  But if Contreras' excellence continues until free agency, he'll be positioned for a two-year deal or even a closing job.

Griffey Could Be Released Soon

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TUESDAY, 8:51am: SI's Jon Heyman tweets that the Mariners "aren't about to release" Griffey.  To be clear, here's what LaRue wrote yesterday:

All of them [Don Wakamatsu, Jack Zduriencik, and Chuck Armstrong] are going to ask Junior to retire gracefully. If he doesn’t, the end of Griffey’s career will come, anyway – by way of a release from the Seattle Mariners.  All that is going to happen, probably this month.

MONDAY, 5:14pm: Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik told Larry Stone of the Seattle Times that he "wouldn't read into or speculate on anything" as far as an upcoming release. Zduriencik didn't comment on any of the goings on in the team's clubhouse, though he did note that several Mariners are now struggling at the plate.

1:06pm: Ken Griffey Jr. could be released this month, reports Larry LaRue of The Tacoma News Tribune.  The Mariners would prefer retirement, but at any rate, LaRue believes "the end is near" for Junior.

LaRue's story details Griffey's problems beyond his lack of offensive production.  Apparently he is not proving valuable as a teammate either.  For instance, LaRue says Griffey was unavailable to pinch-hit recently because he was asleep in the clubhouse during a game. 

Meanwhile, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN in Seattle writes that Griffey has always napped because he has a "sleep issue." It doesn't change the fact that Griffey isn't hitting, but as Drayer notes, Griffey naps constantly.

2011 Contract Issues: Chicago White Sox

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The White Sox face two contractual options after the season:

  • Reliever Matt Thornton has a $3MM club option with a $250K buyout.  This is a good bet to be exercised.
  • Backup catcher Ramon Castro has a $1.2MM club option with a $200K buyout.  He's missed most of the season with a heel injury.

The team's other free agents are earning $26.125MM this year, led by Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski.  If they also let Castro go and we add in buyouts paid to Jermaine Dye and Mike MacDougal, the Sox have nearly $29MM coming off the books.

Increases to players under contract total $11.3MM, with Alex Rios, Juan Pierre, Mark Teahen, and Gavin Floyd getting bumps of at least $2MM.  There are also arbitration cases to consider: Alexei Ramirez goes for the first time, John Danks, Carlos Quentin, and Tony Pena a second, and Bobby Jenks a third.  Technically Ramirez is already under contract for '11, but perhaps he's allowed to choose arbitration if he prefers.  I think Jenks will be non-tendered, meaning another $7.5MM off the books.

Using the above scenarios I think the White Sox would have approximately $15MM to work with if they hold payroll steady.  Keep in mind that's before re-signing any free agents, including 2010 offensive standouts Konerko and Andruw Jones.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.

Mets Designate Frank Catalanotto For Assignment

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The Mets designated Frank Catalanotto for assignment, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). The Mets have called Chris Carter up to replace the 36-year-old utility man. Catalanotto hit .167/.200/.208 for the Mets in 25 plate appearances this year, almost exclusively off the bench. Catalanotto will have his career .296/.360/.456 line against righties to point to if the Mets release him.

Carter has just 26 big league plate appearances to his name, but he is hitting well at Triple A Buffalo. His .339/.395/.615 line was enough to impress the Mets front office. The 27-year-old's 132 minor league homers suggest he could provide the Mets with some power.

Torre Undecided On Future

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Dodgers manager Joe Torre told MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick that he remains uncertain about his future and doesn’t expect to seek out a new managerial job after the season when his contract expires.

"I refuse to say absolutely,” Torre said. “But I have to say it's very, very remote that ever happens. I certainly don't anticipate, at age 70, searching around for another managing job."

Ken Rosenthal recently reported that Torre’s friends aren’t sure he would continue managing the Dodgers if their ownership situation doesn’t become settled, but Torre bristled at that suggestion. Torre said in February that he was discussing an extension that would keep him in Dodger Blue through 2011. The sides considered a front office role for Torre, who turns 70 this summer.

Torre has a 2260-1932 record in 29 seasons as a big league manager to go along with four World Series titles. His Dodgers are now 14-17, in fourth place in the NL West.

Players Who Were Once Designated For Assignment

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We see it all the time. Most weeks a handful of players are designated for assignment and more often than not casual fans barely notice. A DFA indicates that a team is willing to part with a player – sometimes for nothing. But sometimes those players come back from DFAs to become stars in the major leagues. Here's a list of some current players who have been designated for assignment:

  • David Aardsma – The Red Sox acquired Aardsma after the White Sox designated him for assignment in 2008. A year later, the Mariners traded for Aardsma, who became the team's closer and posted impressive rates of 10.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9.
  • Mike Adams – Adams was designated for assignment in 2006, before he posted absurdly low ERAs and regularly struck out more than a batter per inning.
  • Milton Bradley – The Padres acquired Bradley from the A's after Bradley was designated for assignment in 2007. Bradley hit .313/.414/.590 for the Padres and led them to a one game playoff with the Rockies for the Wild Card spot. Of course Bradley didn't play in game 163, since he tore his ACL while manager Bud Black restrained him during an on-field argument earlier in the month.
  • Russell Branyan – No one claimed Branyan after his 2006 DFA, but the Cardinals traded for him when the Phillies designated him for assignment the next year. He didn't do much for the Cards in his 39 plate appearances in 2007, but Branyan rebounded to hit 31 homers for the Mariners in 2009.
  • Marlon Byrd – The Nationals designated Byrd for assignment in 2006 without losing him and the Rangers did the same in 2007. Byrd recovered from his '07 demotion to post three consecutive productive seasons in Texas.
  • Nelson Cruz – The Rangers designated Cruz for assignment at the beginning of the 2008 season –  usually a good time to sneak players through waivers. The Rangers must be thrilled no one claimed Cruz, who hit 37 homers in the minors that year and added 33 in the majors the following season.
  • Rajai Davis – The A's claimed the outfielder off of waivers from their Bay Area rivals in 2008. Davis was hitting .056/.105/.056 at the time, though he had batted just 19 times. He has gone on to become a useful player, hitting .305/.360/.423 last year with 41 steals and above average defense, according to UZR.
  • Jorge de la Rosa – The Royals designated de la Rosa for assignment in March of 2008, but it wasn't until a month later that the Rockies traded for him. The 29-year-old free agent-to-be has been a productive starter in Colorado since.
  • Ryan Franklin – The Reds acquired Franklin from the Phillies in 2006 after a poor start to the season. Franklin didn't do much better with the Reds, but he has been productive for three-plus seasons in St. Louis since.
  • Jeremy Guthrie – The Orioles claimed the former first round pick from the Indians early in 2007, when Guthrie had just 37 big league innings and a 6.08 ERA to his name. Since, the righty has posted a 4.19 ERA in 610.1 innings.
  • LaTroy Hawkins – The Yankees designated the reliever for assignment in 2008 and traded him to Houston, where Hawkins dominated for 24 appearances. He posted a 0.43 ERA along with 10.7 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9.
  • Bobby Jenks – He has fallen out of favor with the White Sox now, but they deserve credit for picking him up after the 2004 season. Jenks has struck out three times as many batters as he has walked in 301 innings with the White Sox.
  • Ryan Ludwick – The slugger started the 2005 season hitting just .154/.267/.385 so the Indians designated him for assignment. No one claimed Ludwick then, but the Cardinals made a shrewd pickup when they later signed him.
  • Brandon Phillips – The Reds claimed Phillips after the Indians designated him for assignment in 2006. He had just a .206/.246/.310 big league line at the time, but he has averaged 22 homers and 26 steals in his four full seasons with the Reds. UZR rates the 28-year-old as an above average defender at second base, too.
  • Joel Pineiro – The Red Sox designated Pineiro for assignment in 2007 when he had a 5.03 ERA and just 20 strikeouts to go along with 14 walks. Later that summer, the Cardinals acquired Pineiro and he went on to post 426.1 solid innings for the Cards. Under the tutelage of pitching coach Dave Duncan, Pineiro posted a walk rate of 1.6 BB/9 in a Cardinals uniform.
  • Grant Balfour, Ryan Church, Jack Cust, Matt Diaz, Jerry Hairston Jr., Joel Hanrahan, Livan Hernandez, Mike Jacobs, Colby Lewis, Julio Lugo, Mike MacDougal, Evan Meek, Vicente Padilla, Scott Podsednik, J.C. Romero, David Ross, Brian Tallet, Todd Wellemeyer and Randy Wells are among the many big leaguers who have been designated for assignment.

It's worth noting that this group does not include a superstar (Cruz might be the closest thing to one). Teams designate many talented players for assignment because of roster constraints, but few enjoy as much success as the group above.

Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the information.

Odds & Ends: Lackey, Stanton, Blue Jays, Vazquez

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Links for Monday, as Johnny Damon enjoys a little revenge against his former team…

No Upcoming Moves For Royals

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The Royals already trail the Twins by ten games, but GM Dayton Moore told MLB.com's Dick Kaegel that he is not about to make any player moves. The Royals are 11-21, but Moore says he does not anticipate any action in the near future.

"No, nothing planned," Moore said. "There shouldn't be anything in the works tomorrow unless there's something unforeseen."

Some expect the Royals to listen to offers for Jose Guillen and David DeJesus. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported yesterday that Dejesus is "more than available" already. The Mariners have some interest in Jose Guillen, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star, though the Seattle has yet to inquire formally about Guillen's availability.

Royals manager Trey Hillman has frustrated some fans, including Rany Jazayerli, who says Hillman has "crossed the point of no return in Kansas City." However, Moore told Kaegel that he thinks his manager has done a "terrific job."

Rangers Seek Catching Help

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The Rangers are looking for catching help, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal notes that the Astros, Brewers, Rays and Red Sox could also use reinforcements behind the plate. The Rays appear unlikey to deal for a catcher, partly because there aren't many backstops available.

The Rangers dealt for one of the few available catchers at the end of Spring Training, acquiring Matt Treanor from the Brewers. Treanor has impressed some with his game calling and defense, but Rosenthal says the team is looking at other options. Treanor, who has a .197/.300/.262 line in 71 plate appearances, missed most of last season with a bone spur in his right hip.

It may not be easy for GM Jon Daniels to work out a trade. The Rangers' sale is unresolved and has limited the club's ability to acquire players before. MLB prevented the Rangers from offering first round pick Matt Purke as much as they had planned to last summer, so the Rangers would presumably benefit from an immediate sale of the club.

MLBTR's Howard Megdal looked at the market for Chris Iannetta a couple weeks ago and concluded that the catcher could help teams at the major league level. The 27-year-old struggled in the majors this season and has since been demoted to the minors where he has posted a .303/.378/.667 line in 37 plate appearances. Iannetta is one of the many catchers the Rangers could inquire on.

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