Archives for March 2011

Stark On Phillies, Marlins, Young, Morgan, Astros

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 7:20pm CDT

As ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark points out, the Phillies’ decision to sign Luis Castillo suggests they aren’t overly optimistic about the timetable for Chase Utley’s return. According to Stark, the Phillies heard that there is no guarantee that surgery would make Utley healthy again, so they’re hoping rehab works. Here are the rest of Stark’s rumors…

The Marlins have decided that Matt Dominguez isn’t ready for the majors, so they’re “actively exploring” outside options. Earlier tonight, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports heard that the Marlins were “unlikely” to look outside of the organization for help at the hot corner.
Though the Pirates are still shopping Ryan Doumit, teams that have spoken to Pittsburgh say the catcher/outfielder is not drawing much interest.
Multiple teams, including the Phillies, Marlins and Cubs, appear to be eyeing Michael Young. None of those clubs can afford Young’s annual salary of $16MM and the Rangers expect a “massive” return if they’re going to eat a significant amount of Young’s salary.
Scouts covering the Nationals say Nyjer Morgan is very much available. “They're trying to give him away," one scout said, before suggesting that the Nationals could release him.
Scouts watching the Yankees expect the team to add a veteran catcher in the next week.
The Phillies are looking for a veteran outfielder who’s capable of playing center field.
Teams that have spoken with the Astros say they’d like to add a veteran catcher, but have very little money to spend.

Indians Notes: Durbin, Rodriguez, Tomlin

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 6:25pm CDT

A round of Indians-themed links as Cleveland plays Kansas City in Arizona…

As Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer explains, Indians reliever Chad Durbin was surprised to take a paycut this year given the robust market for relievers. "I didn't think my year dictated it should have been that way. I'm not saying I needed three years for 12 [million] – that's ridiculous – but we were fishing for whatever we could get," Durbin said.
The Indians expect the Pirates to return Josh Rodriguez, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The Rule 5 pick would be a welcome addition to one of the Indians' top affiliates.
In a mailbag for MLB.com, Jordan Bastian explains that Josh Tomlin appears to have a good chance of cracking the Indians' rotation.
On the infield, Jack Hannahan has a chance to be the Indians' Opening Day third baseman, Bastian reports.

New York Notes: Posada, Cano, Mets

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 5:32pm CDT

The Yankees claimed a minor league pitcher today. Here's the rest of what you need to know about New York's two teams…

Jorge Posada told Kevin Kernan of the New York Post that he hopes to re-sign with the Yankees after the season, when he hits free agency. If the Yankees don’t want him back, he would consider playing elsewhere, even though he doesn’t want to sign with another team. "I would [leave], if it's the right situation," he said. "It's got to be the right situation."
As Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal explains, Robinson Cano is helping young Yankees learn how to deal with the media, even though media relations haven't always been his forte.
Yahoo's Jeff Passan says that while Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez are gone, the Mets' problems are only beginning. "When the best thing about a team is the hamburger available at its stadium," Passan writes, "it’s bad."
Be sure to read Tim Dierkes' take on the Mets' offseason.

Rosenthal On Bell, Gonzalez, Marlins, A’s

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 4:55pm CDT

There are still no signs that the Padres are willing to trade Heath Bell before Opening Day, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Padres have started discussing an extension with their closer, who hopes to continue his career in San Diego. Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s rumors, including more on the Padres:

The Mariners made a strong push for Adrian Gonzalez last Spring Training, according to Rosenthal.
The Marlins aren’t likely to look outside of the organization for help if they demote Matt Dominguez, according to Rosenthal. Florida’s front office does not have much payroll flexibility.
The Padres and A’s are looking for backup infielders who can play short. We heard over the weekend that the Padres are looking at Alberto Gonzalez and Robert Andino. Luis Hernandez of the Mets is also drawing trade interest, possibly from Oakland and San Diego.

Matt Albers Still In Mix For Red Sox

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 4:38pm CDT

4:38pm: Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe that the team has not released Albers (Twitter link). He remains in the mix for a job in Boston's bullpen.

4:31pm: The Red Sox released Matt Albers to allow him to play in Japan, according to Maureen Mullen of CSNNE.com. Boston will receive an undisclosed sum of money for letting the right-hander go.

The Red Sox signed Albers in December after the Orioles non-tendered him. The out-of-options 28-year-old competed for a spot in Boston's bullpen this spring, making seven appearances.

Albers spent three seasons in Baltimore after the Orioles acquired him in the Miguel Tejada trade. He posted a 4.52 ERA with 5.8 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 in 75 2/3 innings last year and has a 5.11 ERA in 317 1/3 career innings with the O's and Astros.

Nationals Claim Lee Hyde

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 3:13pm CDT

About an hour after agreeing to sign Oliver Perez, the Nationals added another left-hander from another division rival, claiming reliever Lee Hyde from the Braves (Twitter link). To create roster space for their new addition, the Nationals placed Stephen Strasburg on the 60-day DL.

The Braves selected Hyde in the fourth round of the 2006 draft and he underwent Tommy John surgery the following year. The 26-year-old Georgia native pitched 60 2/3 total innings at Double-A and Triple-A last year, posting a 3.41 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9.

Baseball America did not rank Hyde among the top 30 Braves prospects before the 2010 or 2011 season.

Twins Willing To Trade Kevin Slowey For Relief

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 2:50pm CDT

Now that they have decided on Scott Baker as their No. 5 starter, the Twins are willing to trade Kevin Slowey for a late-inning reliever, according to Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.

However, the Twins don’t have many promising trade possibilities, since two of the teams looking for a starter, the Brewers and Mariners, don’t have relievers to spare. The Cardinals, Dodgers, Blue Jays and White Sox seem inclined to replace injured starters with pitchers already in their respective organizations, according to FOX Sports.

Meanwhile, Pirates and Diamondbacks officials say they aren’t actively looking to trade for starting pitchers. As Morosi and Rosenthal point out, the Twins are able to consider moving a quality starter like Slowey because they have promising minor league starter Kyle Gibson.

Slowey didn't seem like a fit for the Blue Jays earlier in the spring, partly because Toronto already had a number of legitimate rotation options. Now that Brandon Morrow will start the season on the DL, the Jays could use the starting depth, but injuries to their relievers limit the likelihood that they can part with a late-inning arm.

Here's a list of other potentially available starters.

Nationals In Talks With Oliver Perez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 23, 2011 at 2:05pm CDT

The Nationals are in talks with free agent left-hander Oliver Perez, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (Twitter links). The Mets released Perez earlier in the week, so interested teams would only be responsible for paying the MLB minimum salary if they sign the 29-year-old. If the sides agree to terms, it will be a minor league deal, according to Heyman.

Belt, Britton Face Different Cutoff Dates

By Tim Dierkes | March 23, 2011 at 1:19pm CDT

A week ago I wrote that a player's free agency could be delayed a year by calling him up on April 11th or later, making it impossible for him to accrue more than 171 days of service time. It turns out that I was only partially correct.

The April 11th date only applies if the player is not on the 40-man roster right now. For example, Brandon Belt could be promoted by the Giants on April 11th or later and his free agency would be delayed until after the 2017 season, because he is not currently on the 40-man. One related note – if he was called up exactly on that date, and thus fell one day short of the 172 needed for a year of service, his agent would probably file a grievance. There's also the possibility of a one-game playoff allowing him to pick up that extra day of service time anyway. So it makes sense to leave a little space.

What about a player who is on the 40-man roster, such as the Orioles' Zach Britton? In that case, the player needs to be optioned to start the season and spend at least 20 days on optional assignment in order to not get the service time back. So a 40-man roster player can earn either 162 or fewer days of service, or a full year. The Orioles will have to wait until April 21st or later with Britton, as Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun indicated today.

Offseason In Review: New York Mets

By Tim Dierkes | March 23, 2011 at 12:10pm CDT

The Mets are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League/International Signings

Jose Reyes, SS: one year, $11MM. Club option exercised.
D.J. Carrasco, RP: two years, $2.4MM.
Chris Capuano, SP: one year, $1.5MM.
Ronny Paulino, C: one year, $1.35MM.
Scott Hairston, OF: one year, $1.1MM.
Chris Young, SP: one year, $1.1MM.
Taylor Buchholz, RP: one year, $600K.
Total spend: $19.05MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Boof Bonser, Blaine Boyer, Tim Byrdak, Willie Harris, Taylor Tankersley, Mike O'Connor, Russ Adams, Dusty Ryan, Raul Chavez, Casey Fossum, Dale Thayer, Jason Isringhausen, Chris Shelton

Extensions

R.A. Dickey, SP: two years, $7.8MM. Includes $5MM club option for 2013 with a $300K buyout.

Trades and Claims

Claimed 2B/3B Brad Emaus from Blue Jays in Rule 5 draft
Claimed RP Pedro Beato from Orioles in Rule 5 draft
Acquired SS Chin-lung Hu from Dodgers for SP Mike Antonini

Notable Losses

Hisanori Takahashi, Pedro Feliciano, Luis Castillo, Oliver Perez, Raul Valdes, Elmer Dessens, Fernando Nieve, John Maine, Sean Green, Chris Carter, Henry Blanco, Fernando Tatis, Mike Antonini

Summary

The biggest move of the Mets' offseason was undoubtedly the hiring of Sandy Alderson as GM in October. Alderson's small-market experience will be an asset with the Mets, as his payroll flexibility may remain limited for part of his four-year contract due to the Wilpons' Madoff-related issues. The new Mets front office has an analytical feel to it, as Alderson hired Paul DePodesta and J.P. Ricciardi. Additionally, Terry Collins is aboard as the new manager. Let's take a look at Alderson's first offseason.

Exercising Reyes' option at $11MM was a no-brainer. If Reyes has a strong first half, Alderson may be tasked with restocking a poorly-rated farm system by trading his shortstop. Releasing Oliver Perez was also a fairly obvious choice, as he simply isn't worth a roster spot despite his $12MM salary. Cutting Castillo might be considered a baseball decision as well as one for the fans. If Emaus has even a little bit of upside, he's the right pick at second base.

Like the Mariners, the Mets are a big-budget team but don't appear to be a player or two away from contention in 2011. Shopping the bargain bin was the right move for Alderson. Capuano and Young in particular have upside for a minimal commitment. The other moves amount to tinkering. Between second base, the rotation, and the bullpen, the Mets have a lot of opportunity for players to step up.

Speaking of the bullpen, it's imperative that the Mets find a way to prevent Francisco Rodriguez from finishing 55 games, as that would trigger a 2012 option adding a net cost of $14MM. I agree with Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal – the Mets could employ a more sabermetric bullpen strategy, using K-Rod in all kinds of high leverage situations. Then when the reliever's agent files a grievance, the Mets can cite legitimate baseball reasons as their motivation. The downside is that future free agent targets may be turned off if the Mets try to sneak around a contract clause to which they agreed. One DL stint for Rodriguez may make the whole issue a moot point.

2011 figures to be a transition year for the Mets, perhaps with the goals of trading Reyes, getting Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran off the books, spending more on amateur talent, and figuring out what the team has for 2012.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

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