Odds & Ends: Garcia, Guillen, Dunn, Reds
Links for Monday night, as Brandon Phillips' choice words make this week's Reds-Cardinals series that much more intriguing…
- Freddy Garcia told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that he would like to return to the White Sox in 2010 if there's room in the team's rotation.
- Talks between the Royals and Giants about Jose Guillen are not progressing noticeably, but not completely dead, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
- MLB.com's Bill Ladson believes the Nationals should sign Adam Dunn to an extension if they can't find a player who can hit and play defense.
- The Reds agreed to sign Dominican shortstop Olivel Florentino for $250K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
- Bobby Cox tells MLB.com's Steve Gartner that Alex Gonzalez has been excellent on defense since the Braves acquired him for Yunel Escobar last month.
The Reds’ 2011 Rotation
The Reds have an abundance of major league starters under team control in 2011. Mike Leake, Homer Bailey and Travis Wood are not yet arbitration-eligible and Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter. All except Wood, a 2005 second-rounder, ranked among Baseball America's top 100 prospects before they became prominent major leaguers. That's an entire rotation's worth of former top prospects and they're all still cheap.
Of course it takes more than five starters to get through a season. The Rays, who relied on their own quintet for the first four months of the year, are finding that out now that Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann have sore shoulders. Tampa Bay has more pitching depth than most teams, so they can call on Jeremy Hellickson and Andy Sonnanstine. Like the 2010 Rays, next year's Reds should have rotation depth.
They will be able to stretch out Micah Owings or call on one of three minor leaguers. Aroldis Chapman, who is now pitching out of the bullpen, has the potential to be a frontline starter, according to Baseball America. The left-hander has a 3.90 ERA with 11.3 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9 at Triple A this year and has allowed less than one hit per inning pitched, though his command clearly needs work.
A pair of 26-year-old starters are pitching well at Triple A. Right-hander Sam LeCure has a 3.15 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 for Louisville and left-hander Matt Maloney has a 3.36 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9. Those two starters won't make more than the MLB minimum in 2011 and even Owings (headed to arbitration for the first time) and Chapman ($1MM salary) are affordable.
That kind of depth means Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo don't have obvious roles on next year's club. Both veterans have $2MM buyouts for expensive 2011 options, and at this point, it's extremely hard to imagine the Reds picking up both options. The Reds are probably not going to pay $23.75MM to bring Arroyo and Harang back when they have so many affordable and potentially effective arms around.
It's easy to over-estimate pitching depth; injuries and unexpected performances can change plans. Arroyo, who has pitched well this year, would not re-structure his contract, but the Reds could decline his option and try to bring him back for less. The same goes for Harang, who has some value even though he has been hittable this year.
Harang's $12.75MM option isn't worth picking up and Arroyo's $11MM option is no bargain, either. It would be a major surprise to see the Reds bring both pitchers back, but they could re-sign one for depth. For now, that's the last thing the Reds are concerned about. Both pitchers will be part of the club's late-season push for its first playoff berth in 15 years.
Dodgers Sign Geoff Geary
The Dodgers signed Geoff Geary and assigned him to Triple A, according to the transactions page for the Pacific Coast League. The 33-year-old right-hander posted a 5.37 ERA with 4.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 58.2 innings for Triple A Oklahoma City this year. He allowed 83 hits, including seven homers, and the Rangers released him last month.
Geary, a seven-year MLB veteran, has a 3.92 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 351.1 career innings. He has made 287 big league appearances, all of them in relief. The former Phillie and Astro has not pitched in the majors in 2010.
Poll: Baseball’s Most Disappointing Team
The Orioles, Royals, Marlins, Diamondbacks and, most recently, the Mariners have all fired their managers this season, but they are certainly not baseball's only disappointing teams. Some clubs, like the Tigers and Red Sox, have seen injuries compromise their playoff chances. Others, like the Cubs and Brewers, have seen key players underperform. Let's determine which team has been most disappointing of all this year, taking into account pre-season hopes expectations.
Which team has had the most disappointing season so far?
Click here to take the survey and here to view the results
Free Agent Stock Watch: Juan Uribe
Juan Uribe will draw interest after the season, when he brings his versatile glove and powerful bat to the free agent market. Uribe signed a one-year, $3.25MM deal with the Giants in January and he has certainly been worth the investment so far.
At the plate, Uribe is walking more than ever, though his walk rate remains a modest 8.1%. He does have power (15 homers and 20 doubles), but his .256/.318/.449 line makes him a league-average hitter. Much of the ten-year veteran's value comes from his versatility; he plays regularly at second, third and short. UZR suggests that Uribe is an above-average defender this year and has played above-average defense at second, third and short over the course of his career.
Placido Polanco ($18MM/ three years) and Chone Figgins ($36MM/ four years) signed deals that are presumably out of reach for Uribe. Other veteran infielders, including Pedro Feliz ($4.5MM/ one year), Orlando Hudson ($5MM/ one year) and Miguel Tejada ($6MM/ one year) signed deals that provide context for Uribe's next contract.
Uribe currently projects to be a Type B free agent, but he is close to Type A status and could become a Type A by the end of the season. If he's a Type B free agent, teams won't have to surrender draft picks to sign him. However, Type A status would hurt Uribe's free agent value, since teams would have to surrender a top pick to sign him if the Giants offer arbitration. San Francisco wouldn't necessarily offer arbitration, but it's in Uribe's best interest to stay in the Type B range.
If Uribe is a Type B free agent, as expected, a two-year deal seems possible, but not likely. Regardless, the 31-year-old can expect a significant raise from his current $3.25MM salary because of his versatility, power and improved walk rate.
Don Wakamatsu Firing Reactions
The Mariners fired manager Don Wakamatsu today, and Triple A Manager Daren Brown will take over for the final 50 games of the season. Here are some reactions to the firing and some thoughts on potential long-term replacements:
- Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik "strayed from his scouting background and based too many decisions on sabermetric data" in crafting this year's team, suggests Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The firing wasn't a surprise to anyone who follows the team closely, if you ask Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
- Larry Stone of the Seattle Times considers possible replacements for Wakamatsu, including Joey Cora, Bobby Valentine and Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell.
- ESPN.com's Buster Olney speculates that Valentine could be a good fit in the Emerald City (Twitter link).
- Olney hears that there's unrest in the Mariners' scouting and player development departments (Twitter link).
- MLB.com's Corey Brock wouldn't be surprised if the Mariners considered Padres hitting coach Randy Ready for the managerial opening (Twitter link).
- Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner says the Mariners fired Wakamatsu because the team was playing poorly and because Ken Griffey Jr. became unhappy.
- Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says Wakamatsu is a good baseball man who could help another organization (Twitter link).
Odds & Ends: Hermida, Ransom, Chris Carter
12 years ago on this date, the Rangers sent Darren Oliver, Fernando Tatis, and Mark Little to the Cardinals for Royce Clayton and Todd Stottlemyre. Tatis was amazing in '99, while Oliver was solid as a starting pitcher. Clayton was pretty good for the Rangers, and Stottlemyre left as a free agent after the '98 season. For their loss, the Rangers got a supplemental draft pick in '99 and took a kid named Colby Lewis. Here in 2010, Lewis and Oliver are both Rangers again and make an excellent combo. Links for Monday…
- RotoAuthority explains why J.P. Arencibia is a player to target for 2011 in fantasy leagues.
- Jeremy Hermida, designated on deadline day, has been outrighted to Triple A according to this tweet from Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe.
- Similarly, Cody Ransom cleared waivers and accepted the Phillies' Triple A assignment according to this tweet from MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Ransom was designated four days ago when the Phils acquired Mike Sweeney.
- Athletics top prospect Chris Carter will be promoted today, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 23-year-old has a .262/.368/.531 line with 27 home runs in Triple A. It's amazing to look at the talent the Diamondbacks gave up in 2007 to get Dan Haren and Connor Robertson: Carter, Brett Anderson, Carlos Gonzalez, Aaron Cunningham, Dana Eveland, and Greg Smith.
Mariners Fire Don Wakamatsu
The Mariners fired manager Don Wakamatsu, tweets Brock & Salk of ESPN 710. They add that pitching coach Rick Adair, bench coach Ty Van Burkleo, and performance coach Steve Hecht were also let go. The Mariners confirmed the moves in a press release, stating that Daren Brown will step up from Triple A to manage the club and Carl Willis will take over as pitching coach. A key quote from GM Jack Zduriencik:
"I no longer have confidence that Don, Ty and Rick are the right long-term fit for our organization. New leadership is needed and it is needed now."
Wakamatsu took over as Mariners manager before the '09 season. His team posted a 85-77 mark in '09 but stands at 42-70 this year. Zduriencik had voiced his support for Wakamatsu six days ago.
Reds Acquire Jim Edmonds
The Reds acquired Jim Edmonds from the Brewers for outfielder Chris Dickerson, according to the team. Reds GM Walt Jocketty continues to reacquire favorites from his time with the Cardinals. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweets that the Reds won the claim on Edmonds despite another team making an attempt. That means the Phillies, Cardinals, and Giants passed. Jocketty and Brewers GM Doug Melvin matched up on a trade exactly one year ago, when the Brewers purchased David Weathers from the Reds.
Edmonds, 40, sat out 2009 and signed a minor league deal with the Brewers in January. He hasn't shown much rust, hitting .286/.350/.493 in 240 plate appearances. Edmonds has been shielded from lefties somewhat, but he'll make a nice complement to right-handed bats like Jonny Gomes and Drew Stubbs.
Dickerson is currently on a rehab assignment in Triple A after surgeries on his hand and wrist. The 28-year-old is a solid return for less than two months of Edmonds. He won't be arbitration-eligible until after the 2011 season, a big factor for the Brewers according to Melvin. Before the 2009 season, Baseball America ranked Dickerson 12th among Reds prospects, praising his athleticism.
C.J. Wilson’s Breakout Year
C.J. Wilson's switch back to starting has gone phenomenally well – his 3.30 ERA ranks 14th in the American League. The lefty will be arbitration-eligible one last time for 2011, and he should get a multimillion dollar bump from this year's $3.1MM salary.
Wilson has done a nice job keeping the ball on the ground, as his 49.2% rate ranks 15th in the AL among those with 100 innings pitched. He's needed the accompanying 15 double plays, as his 66 walks lead the league. Stats like SIERA and xFIP, meant to strip out some of things the pitcher has less control over, suggest an ERA around 4.50 is more reasonable moving forward.
Should the Rangers attempt to sell high and trade Wilson in the offseason? If new Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg follows through and signs Cliff Lee, the potential $20MM+ salary could be partially offset by moving Wilson. It's not as if the Rangers are going to fool an uneducated team about Wilson's peripheral stats not matching his ERA. But they can point to these facts: he doesn't turn 30 until November, he's very good against lefties, and he gets groundballs. Acquiring Wilson could appeal to teams unwilling to give multiple years to free agents Ted Lilly, Javier Vazquez, Hiroki Kuroda, Jorge de la Rosa, or Carl Pavano.