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Archives for August 2010

Odds & Ends: Torre, Royals, Colome, Hawpe

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Links for Wednesday, a year to the day after the Rangers acquired Ivan Rodriguez…

Adam LaRoche Clears Waivers

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Adam LaRoche cleared waivers, so the D'Backs can now trade him to any team, according to John Gambadoro of KTAR.com (on Twitter). The 30-year-old, who was traded twice last year, has a .272/.339/.489 line with 20 homers this season. That line is virtually identical to LaRoche's career averages, so this level of production seems sustainable.

The D'Backs owe LaRoche $1.15MM between now and the end of the season, plus a $1.5MM buyout on a $7.5MM mutual option for 2011 (the option climbs in value to $9.5MM after a trade). LaRoche currently projects to be a Type B free agent after the season, though there's no guarantee that his team will offer arbitration.

The Red Sox had interest in left-handed first basemen early in the month and the Rays and White Sox could also have interest in LaRoche's bat. Here's MLBTR's complete list of players who have cleared waivers.

Olney On Draft, Harper, Brewers

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There's some concern among MLB executives that baseball is losing top athletes to other sports, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. It's possible that the next collective bargaining agreement will include a slotting system, but executives point out that slotted bonuses would have to be substantial to compare to the value of a college football or basketball scholarship. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors:

  • One GM told Olney that baseball's August trading system is "completely antiquated." Another GM admitted that he couldn't give Olney a good reason why players must pass through waivers to be traded in August.
  • Nationals GM Mike Rizzo estimates that the team agreed to terms with first-overall pick Bryce Harper with about 26 seconds to spare before Monday night's deadline.
  • Brewers GM Doug Melvin says he isn't going to give his veteran players away, but he's open to trading them to teams in contention. Melvin was speaking in general terms, but that approach presumably applies to Craig Counsell. The infielder has cleared waivers and is open to a trade.

The Athletics’ 2011 Rotation

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Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill, Dallas Braden, Gio Gonzalez, and Vin Mazzaro are all 27 or younger, and all five pitchers have ERAs under 4.00 this year. That doesn't tell the whole story, of course, but it shows that the A's have a formidable group of young arms. 

There's no reason to expect the A's to change course next year, as long as those five pitchers stay healthy. They should be effective again (xFIP, a fielding-independent stat that evaluates pitchers based on walk, strikeout and grounder rates, has all five starters at 4.33 or below, so they don't appear to be succeeding on luck) and they will all be affordable. Only Braden, who goes to arbitration for the first time, will earn more than $750K in 2011. 

Basically every team MLBTR has analyzed so far could pursue starting pitching this winter. The Brewers, Dodgers, D'Backs, Padres and Nationals all seem likely to consider free agent starters this offseason and even the Reds could actively pursue pitching. Last winter, the A's signed Justin Duchscherer and Ben Sheets to high-risk, high-reward deals, but don't expect GM Billy Beane to do the same this winter. The A's have enough starting pitching to get by without aggressive forays into the trade or free agent markets.

The A's have potential starters in the bullpen, on the DL and the minor leagues. Reliever Tyson Ross succeeded as a starter throughout his minor league career, so Oakland could stretch him back into a starting role. Before the season, Baseball America said Ross has "middle-of-the-rotation stuff, and possibly more." Boof Bonser, now in the 'pen, also has experience as a starter, but there's no guarantee that the A's offer Bonser arbitration, since his 2011 salary could be in the $1MM range.

Josh Outman, who started 12 games for the A's last year, will be an option if he recovers from the elbow issues that have sidelined him for most of the season.

If and when the A's encounter injuries, they can also call on minor leaguers for depth. Former first-rounder Clayton Mortensen has posted a 4.14 ERA and struck out 2.4 times as many batters as he has walked at Triple A this year and rotation-mate Travis Banwart has struck out more than a batter per inning. A couple pickups from the Mexican League, Bobby Cramer and Yadel Marti, provide depth and intrigue, if nothing else.

Ross, Outman, Mortensen et al. are not necessarily the sort of starters the A's would choose to rely on, but the A's don't have to rely on them. They have a quintet of effective young starters and can call on their organizational depth when they need it. Beane and the rest of the front office would presumably be open-minded about adding pitching this winter, but they can focus on the lineup or the bullpen, since the A's don't need to add starting pitching. 

Poll: K-Rod’s Contract

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The Mets placed closer Francisco Rodriguez on the disqualified list and, not surprisingly, the union has objected. After all, players on the disqualified list don’t get paid or pick up service time. The Mets will argue that they shouldn’t have to pay K-Rod to recover from a non-baseball-related injury, but the MLBPA will work to uphold the deal. The end result? That’s anybody’s guess at this point, but let’s make some predictions:

How will the conflict between K-Rod and the Mets end?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

The Padres’ 2011 Rotation

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Clayton Richard, Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc, Jon Garland and Kevin Correia have been baseball's most dependable rotation and, arguably, its best. So far in 2010, those five pitchers have combined to start all but two of the Padres' 117 games and the group is second in the majors with a 3.46 ERA (the Cardinals' 3.35 mark is best of all). Looking ahead to next year, here's a closer look at the team's 2011 rotation.

The youngsters – Latos, Richard and LeBlanc – will be back and they'll be cheap, since they are not even arbitration-eligible. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Padres offer Latos an extension before the 2011 season, but he'll be around regardless as long as he's healthy. Latos, Richard and LeBlanc should comprise three fifths of the team's rotation in 2011.

We can't assume that the rest of the rotation will return, though. Correia is a free agent and Garland will also hit the open market unless he and the Padres exercise his $6.75MM mutual option. The Padres have an $8.5MM option for Chris Young's services, but there are probably more prudent ways of committing that kind of money.

The Padres could attempt to fill the rotation out with some of their minor league depth. Former Oriole Radhames Liz is striking out nearly a batter per inning at Triple A Portland, where he has a 4.87 ERA. Will Inman, a 23-year-old right-hander, has pitched well in 11 Triple A starts and Cesar Ramos and Cesar Carrillo also provide organizational depth at Portland. Jeremy Hefner, 24, is pitching well at AA. Before the season, Baseball America suggested that Hefner could become a back-of-the-rotation starter.

And then there are the top prospects. Simon Castro, a 22-year-old right-hander, has made a successful leap to AA this year, posting a 2.83 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 21 starts. Baseball America ranked Castro second among Padres prospects before the season, explaining that he "has the stuff and durability to profile at least as a No. 3 starter." Castro has pitched well this year, so he could be ready for the majors at some point in 2011. 

Cory Luebke, another highly-touted prospect, has strikingly similar numbers to the ones Castro has posted. In 100 innings, Luebke, a lefty, has posted a 3.06 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9. Before the season, Baseball America ranked Luebke sixth among Padres prospects and said his "stuff and size give him a ceiling as a No. 3 starter." Luebke's strong 2010 campaign suggests that, like Castro, he could start for the Padres at some point soon.

Castro and Luebke are highly-regarded prospects and both seem likely to succeed in the big leagues. But the Padres, who have plenty of payroll flexibility in 2011, will probably not count on that duo right away, so it would be a surprise if GM Jed Hoyer did not pursue free agent pitchers.

Garland, who pitched 7.0 more scoreless innings tonight, has had an excellent season for San Diego and the club could look to bring back some combination of Garland, Correia and Young. Whether the Padres pursue those pitchers or others, they seem likely to spend on free agent arms this winter. The organization has a number of promising minor league starters who will likely contribute in 2011, but the Padres just don't seem likely to rely on such an inexperienced group to start the season.

Thanks to MLB.com's Corey Brock and Cot's Baseball Contracts.

Odds & Ends: Owings, Yankees, Counsell, Livingston

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Some more links for Tuesday as two of the game's best second basemen – Chase Utley and Dustin Pedroia – return to action…

Orioles Will Not Trade Wigginton Or Scott

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Ty Wigginton and Luke Scott will not be traded this season. Both players were claimed when the Orioles placed them on waivers earlier this month, according to Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The Orioles pulled Wigginton and Scott back, so a trade is no longer possible. Technically, the Orioles could re-expose the players to waivers, but they would no longer have the option of pulling them back.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail could not confirm which players have been claimed, but he told the Sun that it’s “highly unlikely” that the Orioles make any trades in August. The Braves and Cardinals, two teams that appear to be monitoring the market for infielders, can cross Wigginton off of their respective lists. 

Wigginton hits free agency this winter, but the Orioles have ample time to consider offers for Scott, who has 22 home runs and a .932 OPS. The 32-year-old is under team control through the 2012 season.

Dodgers Release Claudio Vargas

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The Dodgers released right-hander Claudio Vargas, according to the transactions page for the Pacific Coast League. It's the second time this year that Vargas has been released; the Dodgers signed him after the Brewers released him in early June.

The 32-year-old posted a 7.32 ERA with the Brewers this year, with 8.2 K/9 and 4.6 BB/9 in 19.2 innings of work. His Triple A numbers were a little better, but similar; Vargas posted a 5.89 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 47.1 innings for Albuquerque.

Rangers Sign Alex Cora

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The Rangers signed infielder Alex Cora and assigned him to Triple A, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported yesterday that the Rangers were considering Cora.

The Mets released Cora ten days ago, after the 34-year-old posted a .207/.265/.278 line in 187 plate appearances. At the time of his release, he needed just 18 more games for his $2MM 2011 option to vest. Cora has mostly played second base this year, but the Mets also used him at first and at short. Ian Kinsler is on the DL, so the Rangers are presumably interested in Cora as a second baseman.

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