By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Pirates designated right-hander Ramon Aguero for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Jose Veras, according to MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch. The Pirates had optioned Aguero to Double-A Altoona on March 14th.
Aguero posted a 6.14 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9 in 29 1/3 innings at Class A and Double-A last year. The 26-year-old Dominican has a 4.14 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in parts of five pro seasons.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Rays announced that they agreed to a four-year extension with Wade Davis that's worth at least $12.6MM and could be worth up to $35.1MM. Jet Sports Management represents the right-hander.
The 2011-14 seasons are guaranteed and the Rays hold options for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons. The options span Davis’ final arbitration year and his first two years of free agency while the guaranteed years span Davis' final two pre-arbitration seasons and his first two seasons of arbitration eligibility.
Agent B.B. Abbott told MLBTR that Davis earns $1MM in 2011, $1.5MM in 2012, $2.8MM in 2013 and $4.8MM in 2014. The Rays then have options worth $7MM (2015), $8MM (2016) and $10MM (2017) or a buyout worth $2.5MM.
Davis, 25, posted a 4.07 ERA with a 39.2% ground ball rate, 6.1 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in 168 innings last year, finishing fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting.
The option-heavy extension mirrors those signed by Ben Zobrist (2 club options), James Shields (3 club options) and Evan Longoria (3 club options). Rays executive VP of baseball operations Andrew Friedman clearly likes the flexibility that multiple club options provide and so far he has been willing to commit to certain players early to obtain it.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Pirates signed recently-released right-hander Tim Wood, MLBTR has learned. It didn't take long for Wood to find a job after the Nationals released him and two others.
Wood logged 27 2/3 innings for the Marlins last year, posting a 5.53 ERA with more walks (15) than strikeouts (10). He was more effective in 2009, when he posted a 2.82 ERA with 16 strikeouts and 10 walks in 22 1/3 innings for Florida. The 28-year-old has a 4.72 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 over the course of his eight-year minor league career.
Wood, selected in the 44th round of the 2002 draft, first made it to the majors in 2009, and he began his big league career in style, throwing 9 2/3 scoreless innings over the course of eight appearances.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Rockies would listen to trade offers for Jose Lopez, but no talks are going on at the moment, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). Though the Rockies have been impressed with Jonathan Herrera's spring, they would like to see Lopez hit at Coors Field before striking a deal, according to Renck.
The Rockies acquired Lopez from the Mariners for Chaz Roe in December, so he has yet to play an official game for Colorado. The Rockies are looking for a bounce-back year from Lopez, who hit .239/.270/.339 in 622 plate appearances last year. Lopez can play second and third base and will earn $3MM this year.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Nationals released right-handers Joe Bisenius and Tim Wood and outfielder Jonathan Van Every, according to MLB.com's Bill Ladson (on Twitter).
Bisenius, 28, appeared in five games for the Nationals last year in his first MLB action since 2007. He spent most of the season in the minors, where he posted a 3.05 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 38 1/3 innings across three levels.
Wood logged 27 2/3 innings for the Marlins last year, posting a 5.53 ERA. Also 28, he has a 4.72 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 over the course of his eight-year minor league career.
Van Every played all three outfield positions for the Red Sox in 2010, the third consecutive season in which he had a brief stint in the majors. Red Sox manager Terry Francona has called on the 31-year-old to pitch in both of the past two seasons and Van Every has also pitched in a minor league game. He has a .254/.356/.477 line in a decade's worth of minor league plate appearances.
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
The Indians announced that they acquired minor league outfielder Bubba Bell from the Red Sox for cash considerations. and assigned him to Triple-A. The 2005 draft pick had spent his entire pro career in the Red Sox organization until now.
Bell spent last season at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he hit .293/.366/.399 in 396 plate appearances. The 28-year-old has a .292/.370/.447 line in six pro seasons and has considerable minor league experience at all three outfield positions.
By Howard Megdal | at
With Opening Day so close I'm having hot dog-based fever dreams, I decided to face a pair of problems squarely. One is how to properly organize my thoughts about the critical storylines we'll be following on MLB Trade Rumors this season. The other? How to entertain my daughter, who just turned one. Let's face it: after a while, even an infant turns to you with a look that says: "I get it. Pat the Bunny is both a proper name and a suggestion. What else you got?"
So to help her to sleep at night, let's take a look at what will keep the rest of us up, furiously refreshing the page:
A is for Albert, El Hombre's contract year
Who will show him the money? Should Cardinals fans have fear?
B is for Beltran, the limping Met in right
Look for New York to deal him to someone in the fight
C is for Crawford, who Sox got with late swoop
Did Boston overpay? And how do Rays regroup?
D is for Doug Davis, a story sweet and true
He'll soon help some rotation, and tears will flow on cue
E is for Ethier, who Dodgers may soon deal
While stardom is elusive, his production is for real
F is for Fielder, first baseman oversized
Who may lead Brew to pennant, then be free agent prize
G is for Gerrit, Cole should go first in draft
Consensus is a different pick would be extremely daft
H is for Houston, where Drayton's leaving town
New boss must reverse trend of Astros heading down
I is for Iannetta, catcher a mile high
Will he fulfill potential? Or will Rockies say goodbye?
J is for Javy, the once (and future?) stud
Will move from Yanks to Marlins revive this Gotham dud?
K is for K-Rod, will his huge option vest?
If he finishes 55, the Mets have failed their test
L is for Lee, last winter's big to-do
If Cliff's performance dips, how soon will Philly boo?
M is for McCourt, whose divorce battle rages
Will it affect the Dodgers' ability to pay their wages?
N is for Nathan, who's back from elbow woes
A large amount of money will ride on how he throws
O is for Orioles, with new faces from the past
In league's toughest division, they still should finish last
P is for Pirates, where hope is finally seen
Will record, after years of losing, mirror Charlie Sheen?
Q is for Quentin, Pale Hose need him to bash
With strong walk year, by winter's end he'll be awash in cash
R is for Reyes, a decent bet to go
A bidding war this summer will deal Mets fans a blow
S is for Sabathia, opt-out can make him free
But who'll outbid the Yankees? No one that we can see
T is for Tampa, in division nonpareil
Rays spent sparingly this winter, but what they spent, spent well
U is for Utley, who battles Wounded Knee
If he cannot recover, who will his stand-in be?
V is for Victor, who Tigers signed for bat
But now they'll catch Avila? I mean, what's up with that?
W is for Wilpon, who faces massive debts
The smart money says he will be forced to sell the Mets
X is for Xavier, left fielder at Chase
Expect him to have 25 home run pace
Y is for Yankees, and here is some advice
When you deal them a pitcher, make Montero the price
Z is for Zambrano, half-pitcher and half-storm
Says here that he will recapture his earlier ace form
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
Links for Wednesday evening to tide you over until Opening Day…
By Ben Nicholson-Smith | at
Even though former top picks such as Zack Greinke, Adam Wainwright and Stephen Strasburg are currently sidelined, a substantial number of one-time first rounders will open their teams' seasons this week. Half of baseball's 30 Opening Day starters were once first round selections.
Five Opening Day starters - Felix Hernandez, Ubaldo Jimenez, Fausto Carmona, Livan Hernandez and Edinson Volquez – were not drafted, which means 60% of the starters who were at one point draft eligible came from the first round (15/25). As Keith Law recently pointed out at ESPN.com, "the vast majority of impact players" who enter pro ball through the draft were selected early on.
Of the 15 first rounders to become 2011 Opening Day starters, David Price (2007) was drafted most recently and Chris Carpenter (1993) was drafted longest ago. The opening round of the 2006 draft produced the most Opening Day starters, with four. Luke Hochevar (1st overall), Clayton Kershaw (7th), Tim Lincecum (10th) and Ian Kennedy (21st) all went early on in the '06 draft.
Roy Halladay (1995), C.C. Sabathia (1998), Brett Myers (1999), Jeremy Guthrie (2002), Tim Stauffer (2003), Justin Verlander (2004), Jered Weaver (2004), Ricky Romero (2005) and Mike Pelfrey (2005) join Price, Carpenter, Hochevar, Kershaw, Lincecum and Kennedy in the group of first rounders who got the Opening Day nod this year.
This isn’t to suggest that becoming an Opening Day starter is the standard that draft prospects like Gerrit Cole, Jed Bradley and Sonny Gray should aspire to. Clearly, there are more effective ways of measuring a pitcher’s value than the day on which his manager asks him to throw his first pitch. But it’s worth noting that so many Opening Day starters come from the first round and it'll be worth watching which starters get selected early this June.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Nine MLBTR writers give 2011 predictions! Click here to see postseason and award picks from Tim Dierkes, Ben Nicholson-Smith, Mike Axisa, Luke Adams, Mark Polishuk, Zach Links, Dan Mennella, Howard Megdal, and Steve Adams. Make your predictions in the comments and we'll check back here in November.
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