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Archives for May 2010

How Do Nationals Match Up For Oswalt?

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The Washington Nationals have made no secret of their interest in Roy Oswalt, and with good reason. The 32-year-old lays waste to the wins statistic, pitching to just a 2-6 record despite a 2.66 ERA, 16 walks and 60 strikeouts in 61 innings. That 8.9 K/9 mark should go a long way toward assuaging teams concerned about taking on the hefty salary Oswalt commands- $15MM this year, $16MM in 2011, and a $16MM 2012 option (with $2MM buyout).

Assuming the Nationals would take on Oswalt's contract and the pitcher is willing to play for them, what would constitute a reasonable haul of young players from Washington?

For Houston's part, they need help, essentially, everywhere. The farm system is pretty sparsely populated, prospect-wise, and the major league club has needs all over. Their 15-29 record is earned honestly; their Pythagorean mark, based on runs scored and runs allowed, is 14-30.

Some major league pieces that could interest Houston include Ian Desmond, who could provide middle infield help for the Astros, and Tyler Clippard, whose value might never be higher after a strong start (and with Houston GM Ed Wade a longtime lover of bullpen pieces).

But the deal would almost certainly have to revolve around minor league pieces. Houston would be right to ask for Drew Storen or Derek Norris as a centerpiece, though both are extremely prized by Washington, and the latter plays the same position as Houston's best prospect, Jason Castro. The smart money is probably on a deal centered around pitcher Brad Meyers, whose tremendous results at Double-A this year- 27 strikeouts, four walks in 22 2/3 innings, 0.79 ERA- are only tempered by questions about how his stuff will translate at higher levels.

Other pieces that could draw Houston's interest include 2006 first rounder Chris Marrero as a possible replacement for Lance Berkman at first base (though his Double-A numbers are underwhelming so far), and Danny Espinosa, whose strong play and effective plate discipline at shortstop for Double-A Harrisburg makes him appear pretty close to big-league ready.

From this view, a reasonable trade for Oswalt would be Meyers, Marrero, Clippard and another minor piece. And given the massive needs of the Astros, such a deal would certainly be in their interest.

Rockies To Designate Phillips For Assignment

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The Rockies will designate Paul Phillips for assignment to make room for Chris Iannetta, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (via Twitter). Phillips will report to Triple A if he isn't claimed. That's where Iannetta posted the .349/.447/.698 line that forced the Rockies to call him up.

Miguel Olivo has been hitting well, so the Rockies have barely used Phillips this season. The 33-year-old has picked up just 19 plate appearances this year, hitting .294/.368/.294. That's a decent approximation of how Phillips has hit in his seven-year major league career.

Nationals Release Brian Bruney

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The Nationals released Brian Bruney, according to a team press release. They called catcher Carlos Maldonado up in a corresponding move. The Nationals designated Bruney for assignment last week and the reliever refused a minor league assignment after clearing waivers. The Nationals are responsible for Bruney's $1.5MM salary unless another team signs him, in which case the Nats will save about $300K.

Bruney, 28, had serious control problems in his 19 appearances this year, walking more than a batter per inning. He has never been a control pitcher, but had an acceptable walk rate as recently as 2008, when he posted a sub-2.00 ERA for the Yankees. 

The hard-throwing right-hander could sign with a team looking for minor league depth. The Brewers, who signed Jeff Bennett earlier today, would make some sense. Bruney still considers himself a major leaguer and hopes his time in pinstripes will help him find a big league job, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (via Twitter).

Brewers Sign Jeff Bennett

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The Brewers signed Jeff Bennett to a minor league deal, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (via Twitter). The righty pitched 46.2 innings for the Braves and Rays last year, posting a 5.01 ERA with 6.2 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9. Bennett, 30 next month, was a big part of the Brewers' 'pen in 2004, posting a 4.79 ERA in 60 appearances.

The Rays released Bennett, who had been pitching at Triple A, earlier in the month. He was struggling in Triple A, but the Brewers need arms. Their 6.03 bullpen ERA is part of the reason they're 14th in the National League in runs allowed.

Mets Claim Justin Turner

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The Mets claimed infielder Justin Turner off waivers from the Orioles, tweets Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.  The O's had designated Turner for assignment on Friday to make room for Scott Moore.  Connolly notes that Mets executive Wayne Krivsky drafted Turner as Reds GM back in '06.

Turner, 25, hit .300/.362/.388 in 441 Triple A plate appearances last year.  He's failed to match that production in 95 PAs this year.  Turner has mostly played second base this year, but he's also spent time at third base and shortstop.

Heading into the '09 season, Baseball America ranked Turner 27th among Orioles prospects after he came over in the Ramon Hernandez deal.  BA wrote that Turner is a competitive "baseball rat" who has a shot at becoming a utility player in the bigs.

Biggest June Trades In Recent Years

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June is around the corner, and trade talks will begin in earnest.  Most of the bigger recent June deals occurred toward the end of the month; let's take a look.

  • June 3rd, 2009: Pirates traded Nate McLouth to the Braves for Charlie Morton, Gorkys Hernandez, and Jeff Locke.  Pirates GM Neal Huntington could not resist the Braves' offer.  McLouth has been disappointing for Atlanta, while the players the Pirates acquired still retain promise.
  • June 27th, 2009:  Indians traded Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals for Chris Perez and Jess Todd.  DeRosa injured his wrist days after the trade and didn't produce in St. Louis.  The book isn't closed on the Cards' side, as they snagged the #46 pick in this year's draft when DeRosa left as a free agent.  Perez has a 3.51 ERA, 9.6 K/9, and 3.9 BB/9 in his Indians career, picking up a few saves along the way.  Todd has yet to experience big league success. 
  • June 29th, 2007: Athletics traded Milton Bradley and cash to the Padres for Andrew Brown.  Bradley raked for the '07 Padres, who just missed the playoffs.  Bradley's season ended with a torn ACL on a bizarre incident.  Given the uncertainty, GM Kevin Towers decided not to offer arbitration.  Brown was released by the A's in January of '09. 
  • June 30th, 2006: Mariners traded Asdrubal Cabrera to the Indians for Eduardo Perez.  A month later GM Bill Bavasi would trade Shin-Soo Choo to the Indians along with another player for Ben Broussard and cash.  Choo became a star, while Cabrera is Cleveland's starting shortstop (he's currently recovering from a broken forearm).  Both first basemen struggled in Seattle, though Broussard stuck around through the following season and was dealt for Tug Hulett.  Thinking short-term, Bavasi did a lot of damage in the course of about a month.
  • June 24th, 2004: Royals traded Carlos Beltran to the Astros for Octavio Dotel and John Buck; Royals traded Dotel to Athletics for Mark Teahen and Mike Wood.  The Astros of course got a ton from Beltran in his brief time with the club.  They added Eli Iorg and Tommy Manzella as draft picks for Beltran's departure.  Teahen, Buck, and Wood were mostly disappointing for Kansas City.  One thread of the Beltran deal is still somewhat alive for them in the form of Chris Getz and Josh Fields. 

Free Agent Stock Watch: Derek Jeter

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Last September, SI's Jon Heyman guessed the Yankees would eventually re-sign Derek Jeter for at least $60MM over three years.  Bob Klapisch of FOX Sports suggested in November that the Yankees give him a four-year, $100MM extension beginning with the '10 season.  As recently as March, Heyman talked to two rival executives who believed Jeter would seek six years.

We haven't seen those kinds of contract estimates lately.  Noting Jeter's reduced range to his left, Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote on May 6th that the length of Jeter's next contract "is one of the toughest issues in the history of the organization."  More recently, Sherman wondered if the prices for Jeter and Mariano Rivera will come down as they fail to match their 2009 seasons.

Jeter is currently hitting .276/.320/.396 in 206 plate appearances this season.  His walks are down and he's swinging at more pitches outside the zone than ever.  It'd easily be the worst offensive season of his career, though he still has plenty of time to right the ship.  He had two similar offensive months to start the '08 season, but regained his form in June.

Consider this hypothetical situation.  Say the Astros had drafted Jeter first overall in 1992 instead of Phil Nevin.  Jeter has the same legendary career in Houston, but still reaches free agency after the 2010 season.  With Jeter's game potentially slipping, the Astros decide to part ways and don't offer arbitration.  The Yankees need a shortstop.  What's their contract offer?  I'm thinking three years, $30MM at most.  Even three years might be a reach for a 36-year-old player.

Back to reality: Jeter is the face of the Yankees, and an extension seems a near-certainty.  Based on Heyman's September guess, Jeter's premium could be in the range of $10MM annually, plus an extra year or two.

Red Sox Designate McDonald For Assignment

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The Red Sox designated Darnell McDonald for assignment, according to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). The Red Sox had to make room for returning center fielder Mike Cameron, who is returning from an abdominal injury. 

Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury both missed significant time early on, so McDonald has played more than expected. The 31-year-old has essentially been a regular this year. He has played all three outfield positions, hitting .263/.320/.400 in 105 plate appearances. Like Jeremy Hermida, McDonald has batted more times than Cameron and Ellsbury combined. It wouldn't be fair to judge McDonald's defensive ability on 226 innings, but UZR suggests he has been below average to this point. 

McDonald could be claimed by another team, but the outfielder has enjoyed playing for the Red Sox so far. He told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that he wants to stay in the Red Sox organization, though he understands the business side of the game.

Odds & Ends: Rangers, Resop, Trembley, Harper

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Links for Monday, as Edwin Encarnacion and the Blue Jays swing away in Anaheim…

  • Michael Young told MLB.com's Chris Cox that he was relieved to hear that the Rangers' sale won't affect the team's regular spending.
  • As MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan explains, the Rangers' sale will go before a judge to speed up the process. In the meantime, the Rangers should be able to spend normally.
  • The Rangers probably won't be drafting players who demand over-slot money this year, according to Richard Durrett of ESPNDallas.com.
  • Jon Paul Morosi expects Chris Resop, who has a June 15th opt-out clause, to be in the majors within a couple weeks (Twitter link). The Braves could trade him or call him up.
  • Dave Trembley is still the Orioles' manager after today's meeting with president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, writes Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun. 
  • Bryce Harper keeps making the Nationals' decision easier. The 2010 draft prospect slugged four homers, a triple and a double in one game over the weekend, writes John Manuel of Baseball America.
  • In a mock draft for ESPN.com, Keith Law has the Harper going first overall to the Nationals, because "there's no argument left for taking anyone else."
  • MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo shows that the D'Backs and A's have drafted many major league contributors this past decade.
  • The Koji Uehara signing was a regrettable but not unforgivable move by the Orioles, writes Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Former Astros manager Phil Garner told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that he thinks Roy Oswalt would prefer to play near his Mississippi home. Garner, who hasn't spoken to Oswalt in three years, believes Brad Ausmus and Jake Peavy could draw Oswalt to the Dodgers and White Sox, respectively.

Rockies Sign Kaz Matsui

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Kaz Matsui wasn't a free agent for long. Just hours after his official release from the Astros, he agreed to a minor league deal with the Rockies. Matsui has struggled this year – his batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage all fall short of .200 – but he has succeeded in Colorado before.

Matsui passed his physical, so he will report to Triple A Colorado Springs, where he first played in 2006. GM Dan O'Dowd told Renck that Matsui's first stint in Colorado contributed to the team's current interest.

"We all remember the magic of 2007," O'Dowd said. "But I also know that this is 2010."

MLB.com's Thomas Harding reported the deal after Troy Renck of the Denver Post reported mutual interest between the team and Matsui. 

Matsui was off to a poor start at the plate, hitting .141/.197/.155. That's not the only reason he doesn't fit on the Rockies' major league roster, as I wrote last week. However, adding an extra middle infielder to the minor leagues is a cheap way for the Rockies to build depth. 

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