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Archives for August 2010

Odds & Ends: Harper, Dodgers, Romero, Hermida

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Sunday night linkage..

  • Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports implores the Nats to get a deal done with Bryce Harper.
  • Nats pitcher Stephen Strasburg had some interesting comments to make about the club's negotiations with Harper, writes Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
  • Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (in these tweets) says that rival agents think that the Dodgers will offer first-round pick Zach Lee roughly $3MM and at least one of them thinks that will be enough to get a deal done.
  • Toronto manager Cito Gaston told David Ely of MLB.com that he didn't think Ricky Romero would feel any pressure after signing a lucrative contract extension.  The lefty didn't show any signs of jitters today as he allowed just one run in seven innings against the Angels.
  • Boston outfielder Jeremy Hermida is making the most of his time in the minors, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal.  Hermida was just thirty days shy of accruing enough major league time to decline a demotion when he was sent down by the Red Sox.

Pirates Notes: Heredia, Taillon, Allie

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Let's check out some Pirates tidbits, courtesy of Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette..

  • The Pirates remain the favorites to land 16-year-old Mexican pitcher Luis Heredia.  Veracruz, the Mexican team that holds his rights, is allowed by the Mexican Baseball League to begin entertaining offers on Thursday.  Early last month, the Pirates and Blue Jays were said to be the favorites for his services.  Toronto reportedly offered $2.8MM while Pittsburgh offered $2.5MM.  The Yankees were said to be gaining interest in the prospect as of a month ago.
  • Jameson Taillon's father Michael expects his son and the club to reach agreement prior to tomorrow's deadline.  Michael mentioned that there remained a "variable" for the two sides to work out.  The variable, Finder says, could be a spot on the 40-man roster.  It appears that the Pirates are reluctant to oblige, though the father of the second overall selection doesn't see it as a potential stumbling block.  The slot recommendation for Taillon is $3.25MM, though he will likely receive more.
  • As for the Pirates and second-round choice Stetson Allie, there's optimism on both sides that a deal can be reached.  Both Allie and Taillon are represented by the Hendricks brothers.

Phillies Agree To Terms With Pointer, Musser

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The Phillies agreed to terms on a pair of over-slot draft deals, MLBTR has learned.  Prep outfielder Brian Pointer, drafted in the 28th round, will sign for high third-round money.  Baseball America's Jim Callis tweets that the amount is $350K.  Pointer had been prepared to play ball at Oregon State.  Prep righthander Jonathan Musser, chosen in the 21st round, agreed to a deal worth $300K.  Both players are advised by Adam Karon of Sosnick Cobbe Sports.  Karon also advises pitcher Steve McKinnon, a 32nd-rounder signed by the Rangers earlier today.

Poll: What Should The Dodgers Have Done?

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Sitting seven games back of the Padres and five-and-a-half games back in the wild card chase on deadline day, the Dodgers decided to burn up the phone lines and upgrade their roster.  Despite the impact that the McCourt divorce may have on the club's financial situation, Los Angeles surprisingly became one of the deadline's most active teams. 

After acquiring Scott Podsednik from the Royals, GM Ned Colletti decided that he wasn't done.  He swung a deal for Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot from the Cubs and also grabbed Pirates reliever Octavio Dotel.  The Lilly deal would cost them Blake DeWitt, Brett Wallach, and Kyle Smit.  For some observers, the Dotel deal was the real head-scratcher as Colletti surrendered pitcher James McDonald and outfield prospect Andrew Lambo.  While each player has suffered their own setbacks, both continue to hold promise and could blossom into real contributors.

Ultimately, the Dodgers rolled the dice for a chance to gain some ground in the home stretch.  To date, the upgrades have not helped them in the standings as they are 60-58, ten games back in the NL West and six-and-a-half games behind in the wild card chase.

Should the Dodgers have been buyers, sellers, or stood pat at the Trade Deadline?

Click here to take the poll, and here to view the results.

A Look At 2011 Club Options

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Often times, a club option is an easy call to make. Kerry Wood's $11MM option isn't going to be exercised, and Bill Hall can forget about being paid $9.25MM in 2011. Eric Chavez at $12.5MM? Not happening. On the other side of the coin, Albert Pujols is a no-brainer at $16MM, and there's some easy lower profile calls like Matt Thornton's $3MM option.

But a closer look at some of the options out there makes for some interesting discussion. Let's take a look at a few cases that aren't as black and white:

  • Mark Ellis, $6MM, $500K buyout: Ellis has spent his whole career with the A's, and has enjoyed some fine seasons. From 2007-2008, he was a 6.8 WAR second baseman playing great defense and posting passable, though not outstanding offensive numbers. He's injury-prone, however, and UZR suggests that his defense has suffered the past two seasons. Fangraphs valued his services at $5.2MM in 2009 and $2.8MM so far in 2010. Will he be worth $6MM in 2011? Ellis profiles as a Type B free agent, so letting him walk (assuming he declines arbitration) would net a supplemental pick.
  • Nick Punto, $5MM, $500K buyout: Another injury-prone infielder, Punto's glove does his talking for him. While he's had some passable offensive seasons, he's certainly not a reliable source for production at the plate. Punto's defensive excellence makes him an asset at three positions, but his injuries and and weak bat are reason enough to be hesitant with the option.
  • Jeff Francis, $7MM: Francis has returned after missing all of 2009 to post a 4.56 ERA, which is considerably higher than both his FIP and xFIP suggest it should be. He's on the disabled list again now with shoulder soreness though, and he's totaled just 92.2 innings this season after rehabbing from shoulder surgery until mid-May. A healthy Francis is worth $7MM, but having missed 2009 and being on the DL once again, that's far from a guarantee.
  • Kevin Gregg, $4.5MM for 2011 or $8.75MM for 2011-2012, $750K buyout: Gregg's racking up the strikeouts and saves in his first season as Toronto's closer, but he's also walking hitters at a prolific rate (4.63 BB/9). His ERA is down from last season mostly due to allowing far fewer long balls, but his inconsistency and affinity for free passes make him a risky investment. Like Ellis, Gregg will be a Type B free agent.

These players represent only a handful of the options clubs will be faced with following the 2010 season. You can see other players' options by looking at our 2011 free agent list. While none of these are overly pricey, the difference that a few extra million can make on the free agent market could be sizable. Vladimir Guerrero ($6.5MM), Jim Thome ($1.5MM), and Brett Myers ($5.1MM) are just a few free agents who were inked in this price range last offseason.

Rangers Sign Pair Of Draft Picks

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The Rangers signed 14th round pick Nick Tepesch as well as 32nd rounder Steve McKinnon for $400K and $150K, respectively.

The Tepesch signing was originally tweeted by Jamey Newberg, with Yahoo's Kendall Rogers adding the dollar amount (via Twitter). While the $400K is over slot for the 14th round, Keith Law tweets that the Mizzou right-hander has first-round potential but never matched that talent with his performance. Tepesch posted a 4.07 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 17 walks through 66.1 innings during his junior season at Missouri. Baseball America's Jim Callis provides a scouting report saying Tepesch features a 90-94mph fastball and would've gone in the first three rounds out of high school had it not been for his signing demands.

McKinnon is a high school right-hander out of British Columbia. Law tweets that the righty was signed for $150K in spite of having a partial tear in the UCL of his throwing arm.

Rangers Sign Willy Taveras

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The Rangers signed Willy Taveras to a minor league deal to provide outfield depth at the Triple-A level, tweets MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.

Taveras, 28, has bounced around quite a bit this season, having split time between the Majors and Triple-A with the Nationals, Phillies, and Braves. It seems like much longer ago than just two years that Taveras led the National League with 68 stolen bases for Colorado, likely due to the speedster's struggles.

Always known more for his speed and glove than his bat, Taveras' offense has fallen off the table even more over the past two years. Since his time with Colorado he's hit .237/.272/.282 over 474 plate appearances with the Reds and Nationals. He's managed an OPS+ of just 47 over that stretch.

Odds & Ends: Glaus, Orioles, Figgins, Papelbon

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Links for Sunday, as Jeremy Hellickson aims for his third win in his third career start….

Cafardo On LaRoche, Johnson, V-Mart, Guthrie

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In his latest piece for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo speculates on possible frontrunners for all the managerial positions that could open up this offseason. Bobby Valentine, Fredi Gonzalez, Dave Martinez, Tim Wallach, and Brian Butterfield are among the options Cafardo suggests for various teams. Here are the rest of the highlights from Cafardo's column:

  • The Diamondbacks placed potential trade candidates Adam LaRoche and Kelly Johnson on waivers on Friday.
  • One National League GM on August trades: "You’re going to see a lot of deals in the third and final week. A lot of teams are still in the mode that they’re in the hunt and they don’t want to sell off. The races are tighter this year, so most of the activity will come later rather than sooner."
  • The Red Sox and Victor Martinez's representation have had "preliminary talks" regarding an extension. Cafardo feels that Martinez could land a contract worth approximately $60MM for four years, and he's not sure if the Sox would pay that much to keep V-Mart's bat around.
  • An American League GM tells Cafardo that he was on the fence about Jeremy Guthrie before the trade deadline and regrets not pursuing the O's right-hander more aggressively: "I think he’s a pitcher who could have helped a lot of teams if you’d taken that leap."
  • Cafardo hears from a Blue Jays source that the team has "about 200 people" on their list of managerial candidates. Whether or not that's an exaggeration, the Jays are clearly casting a very wide net in their search for Cito Gaston's replacement.

Draft Signings: Hahn, Shipers, Cates, Cone

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The deadline for signing draft picks is fast approaching, as teams have until tomorrow night at 11 CST to finalize deals with this year's draftees. Here are a few notable above-slot agreements, with any new updates added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • Sixth-round pick Jesse Hahn has signed with the Rays for $525K, reports Jim Callis of Baseball America. Hahn was projected as a first-rounder at one point, but Tommy John surgery hurt his value. Still, he easily exceeded MLB's recommended $150K maximum for players drafted after the fifth round.
  • The Indians signed 23rd-round left-hander Tony Dischler for $255K, tweets Callis.
  • The Mariners agreed to terms with 16th-round pick Jordan Shipers for a deal worth $800K, according to Callis. That bonus is the highest so far for any player draft later than the fourth round.
  • Third-rounder Zach Cates reached an agreement with the Padres for a $765K bonus, the highest to date for a third-round selection. Callis reports that the right-hander more than doubled MLB's recommended bonus of approximately $380K for the draft slot.
  • Derek Cone, the Dodgers' 31st-round pick, signed with the club for $150K, according to Callis (via Twitter).
  • For a summary of which first-rounders and sandwich picks have signed so far, click here.

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