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Archives for August 2010

Poll: Romero, Lester & Gallardo

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The Blue Jays reached a five-year, $30.1MM agreement with Ricky Romero yesterday, locking him up for all of his arbitration seasons and his first year of free agency. As MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith noted, the deal is nearly identical to contracts signed by Jon Lester ($30MM) and Yovani Gallardo ($30.1MM). Lester's five-year deal will run through 2013, Gallardo's through 2014, and Romero's through 2015, while each contract has a $13MM club option for one extra season.

Taking into account Lester's and Gallardo's performances so far, and looking ahead to the future for all three young pitchers, today's poll question is this:

Which team's five-year contract will provide the best value?

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

How To Use MLBTR

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Ricky Romero, Jon Lester & Yovani Gallardo

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Technically, the Blue Jays entered uncharted territory today. They committed more money ($30.1MM) to Ricky Romero than any team has ever committed to a pitcher with less than two years of service time. But in reality, the extension is all about precedent.

“It’s all about comparables and comparable deals and what else has been done,” Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said this evening, comparing Romero to Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester and Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo.

Both Lester ($30MM) and Gallardo ($30.1MM) signed deals worth virtually the same amount as Romero’s. The three extensions cover the exact same five seasons (one year of pre-arbitration, three arbitration seasons and one free agent season) and all include $13MM team options for the players’ second free agent years. It would be hard to construct three more similar contracts.

And it would be hard to find three more similar pitchers. If you compare Romero to Lester and Gallardo at the time they signed their respective contracts, you notice striking similarities. All three had made between 52 and 59 starts, posted ERAs between 3.57 and 3.94, allowed between 28 and 33 homers and walked between 134 and 141 batters. All three were selected within the first two rounds of the amateur draft and all three were 24 or 25 when they agreed to their respective deals.

There are differences, of course. Gallardo is right-handed and walks and strikes out more batters than the two lefties. Lester and Gallardo missed time early in their careers, whereas Romero has been fully healthy. Anthopoulos realizes the inherent risk of committing tens of millions to a pitcher, but says Romero has the stuff to improve over the course of the deal.

“You always have concerns when you make a commitment,”  Anthopoulos said. “What the reaction might be on the part of the player, but we see a guy like Ricky continuing to improve. We think he’s going to be an innings eater, we think he’s going to be a horse [and] we think he’s going to continue to evolve.”

There's no question that Lester and Gallardo have continued evolving since signing their contracts. Lester has improved his strikeout rate since signing his extension two offseasons ago. And Gallardo, who signed his contract this April, leads the National League in strikeout rate and is on pace to post the lowest full-season ERA of his career. The Blue Jays hope and believe Romero will develop, but they won’t be disappointed if he keeps pitching the way he has.

“Even if there wasn’t much improvement or any at all,” Anthopoulos said. “We think what he’s doing right now [is good enough]. He’s had a tremendous year for us.”

The deal is designed to save the Blue Jays money in arbitration and keep Romero in Toronto for what the Jays expect to be his prime years. Even though Romero wasn’t going to hit the open market until four winters from now, the contract is all about market value. If Romero pitches like Gallardo and Lester, the deal will be a win and if he misses extended periods of time with injuries it will be a loss. Until then, it’s neither an overpay nor a discount.

Odds & Ends: Tigers, Harper, Rockies, Thomas

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Let's round up a few more leftover Saturday links….

  • Johnny Damon doesn't know whether he'll be back in Detroit next year, but he thinks the club might make a run at Carl Crawford, according to Steve Kornacki of MLive.com.
  • The Nationals are "working hard" to lock up Bryce Harper, writes MLB.com's Bill Ladson. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com talked about Harper with several executives and scouting directors, all of whom expect the Nats to get a deal done with their first overall pick.
  • Troy Renck of the Denver Post fielded followers' questions on Twitter this evening, providing his opinion on a few Rockies-related subjects. Renck expects the Rox to pursue a first baseman and corner outfielder this winter, focusing on players with power. Renck also feels that failing to sign first-rounder Kyle Parker wouldn't be a disaster, given the strength of next year's draft (all Twitter links).
  • Michael Thomas, the player to be named later in the Jarrod Saltalamacchia trade, will be converted to a pitcher by the Rangers, writes T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Thomas has spent his minor league career to date as a catcher, but his primary strength is his throwing arm rather than his bat.

Rosenthal On Manny, Cardinals, Braves, Inge

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We already took a look at Ken Rosenthal's updates on Joe Torre and Dusty Baker, but those weren't the only items of interest in his latest Full Count video at FOX Sports. Here are the others:

  • Manny Ramirez should be on his way back to full health in the coming weeks, but if the Dodgers want to move him before August 31st, his no-trade clause may make things difficult. Rosenthal indicates that the Dodgers might be careful about when they place Ramirez on waivers, perhaps doing so if and when the White Sox are behind the Red Sox in the standings. As Rosenthal notes, Boston winning a waiver claim on Manny would make a trade highly unlikely, whereas the White Sox and Dodgers could have a better chance of working something out.
  • The Cardinals and Braves are both searching for third base help. The Cardinals plan to give Allen Craig some time there and the Braves have been content with in-house options so far, but Rosenthal suggests Brandon Inge is a player who could be a fit for both teams. If Inge is placed on waivers, another contender may put in a claim to block the Braves and Cards from having a shot at him.

Manager Rumors: Baker, Torre, La Russa

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Looking ahead to the offseason, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports opines that as many as ten teams could be searching for new managers. Let's check out the latest updates on a few of the National League's current skippers….

  • In his newest Full Count video, Rosenthal suggests that Dusty Baker will likely have a handful of suitors if the Reds decide they can't afford to give him a raise next year.
  • Adding that Jerry Manuel is looking more and more like a "goner," Rosenthal says the Mets may be the only team Joe Torre would consider managing if the Dodgers' skipper doesn't return to Los Angeles.
  • For his part, Torre tells MLB.com's Ken Gurnick that he won't announce his plans for next year while the Dodgers are still in contention for the playoffs. Having dropped their last three games, the team now sits 6.5 games back in the wild card hunt.
  • Tony La Russa also won't discuss his plans for next season yet, but admits to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link) that he's been weighing his options.

Blue Jays, Romero Agree To Extension

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4:57pm: Romero will receive a $1.25MM bonus, according to Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulous via conference call.  The lefty will earn $750K in 2011, $5MM in 2012, and $7.5MM each year from 2013 through 2015.  The option in 2016 will be for $13MM with a $600K buyout.

3:24pm: The contract includes a club option for the 2016 season, according to the Blue Jays (via Twitter).

2:05pm: The Blue Jays and Ricky Romero have agreed to a five-year, $30.1MM extension, a major league source tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  The pact will run from 2011 through 2015.

The contract matches Yovani Gallardo's deal for the largest guarantee for a pitcher with fewer than three years of service, excluding foreign hurlers.  Rosenthal adds (via Twitter) that this is the largest guarantee ever for a pitcher with fewer than two years of major league service.

Romero, 25, has a 3.53 ERA in his sophomore campaign with 7.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9.  The extension will buy up all of the former sixth overall pick's arbitration years.

Odds & Ends: Red Sox, Harper, Canseco, Figgins

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Saturday afternoon linkage..

  • Boston sent catcher Michael Thomas to Texas to complete the trade for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.
  • Dusty Baker has no interest in becoming a general manager, writes MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.
  • A former teammate of Bryce Harper's doesn't see the first overall pick going back to school, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
  • The Laredo Broncos, an independent minor league team, say they have signed Jose Canseco to a short-term contract, according to the Associated Press.  Canseco will serve as a bench coach and designated hitter during two Laredo homestands.
  • Chuck Finder of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Pirates GM Neal Huntington and scouting director Greg Smith are expected to sit down with agents Randy and Alan Hendricks in Houston this weekend to discuss a contract for second overall pick Jameson Taillon. MLB's slot recommendation for that pick is $3.25MM, though Taillon is expected to receive more than that.
  • We know the Braves have not asked the Mariners about the availability of Chone Figgins in the wake of Chipper Jones' injury, but ESPN's Buster Olney says a deal is unlikely anyway. It would be pretty tough for GM Jack Zduriencik to tell ownership they have to eat tens of millions of dollars to move a player they just signed this past offseason.
  • Ken Fidlin of The Toronto Sun says that Blue Jays' second round pick Griffin Murphy and his father were on the field at Angels Stadium talking with club officials, "a surefire sign that a deal is done." MLB's slot recommendation for the 61st overall pick is just short of $600K. 
  • The Yankees have come to terms on well-overslot bonuses with a pair of draft picks. Baseball America's Jim Callis reports that they signed ninth rounder Taylor Morton for $450K while Kendall Rogers of Yahoo! Sports reports an agreement with tenth rounder Ben Gamel (Mat's brother) for $500K. Both deals are more than three times over MLB's recommendation, and Gamel's is the largest given to a player selected in a double digit round so far.

Red Sox Release Shealy

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The Red Sox have released first baseman Ryan Shealy, writes Alex Speier of WEEI.  Boston's Triple-A affiliate announced the move after Jeremy Hermida was assigned to the team.

Boston designated Shealy for assignment roughly three weeks ago.  In five games for the Red Sox this season, the soon-to-be 31-year-old didn't yield a hit in seven plate appearances.  In 80 combined Triple-A games for the Tampa Bay and Boston affiliates, he posted a slash line of .231/.345/.472 with 15 homers.

Castillo Unhappy With Mets

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Mets second baseman Luis Castillo is unhappy with his relegation to the bench in New York and believes that he will be elsewhere in 2011, writes Dan Martin of the New York Post.

"I can't be here anymore," the second baseman said prior to last night's game against the Phillies at Citi Field. "I know I'm not going to be here next year."

While GM Omar Minaya declined to comment on Castillo's desire to be moved, a team source said that he has not asked the club for a trade.  However, the Mets are aware of his desire to play every day.  The veteran was taken out of the starting lineup in favor of rookie infielder Ruben Tejada.

Castillo, 34, is set to earn $6MM in 2011, the final year of his contract.  The three-time All-Star has struggled this season, hitting .241/.335/.281 in just 62 games.

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