Archives for March 2011

Mets Release Oliver Perez

By Tim Dierkes | March 21, 2011 at 8:58am CDT

The Mets released lefty Oliver Perez, the team officially announced today. The move comes three days after the release of second baseman Luis Castillo, as the team's new regime bailed on Omar Minaya's two worst contracts with one year remaining. The Mets still owe Perez $12MM for 2011.

Perez, 29, re-signed with the Mets on a three-year, $36MM deal in February of 2009. The contract was fairly well-received in the media at the time. The signing quickly became unpopular, with the southpaw posting the two worst seasons of his career. The numbers: a 6.81 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 8.0 BB/9, and 1.7 HR/9 over 112 1/3 innings. New GM Sandy Alderson allowed Perez a chance to make the 2011 club as a reliever, but he allowed 13 hits and nine runs in 9 2/3 spring innings.

The Phillies signed Castillo yesterday and appear to have big league playing time for him. It'll be a much longer road back for Perez. The Mets ate $18MM to make the pair go away, minus the Major League minimum if they play in the Majors. The cuts should be popular with fans, and hopefully the team can generate a few positive storylines heading into the 2011 season.

Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal first tweeted the news of Perez's release.

Pirates Release Garrett Atkins

By Tim Dierkes | March 21, 2011 at 7:04am CDT

The Pirates released infielder Garrett Atkins, reports Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 31-year-old veteran had been competing for the team's backup corner infield job with Andy Marte, Steve Pearce, and Josh Fields after signing a minor league deal in December. All along, the expectation was that Atkins would either make the team or become a free agent.

In 17 Spring Training games this year, Atkins hit .129/.182/.290 in 33 plate appearances. His last useful season was 2008, so he'll probably have to crush Triple-A pitching to earn another shot in the Majors.

Phillies Sign Luis Castillo

By Mike Axisa | March 21, 2011 at 7:00am CDT

The Phillies officially signed Luis Castillo to a minor league deal, the team announced today. He'd been released by the Mets on Friday. The Mets are on the hook for the 35-year-old's $6MM salary, less the league minimum that Philadelphia will pay him. Castillo will either make the team or be released, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters this morning.

The Phillies have a question mark at second base right now given Chase Utley's knee injury, and Castillo gives them a veteran stopgap. Although he hit just .235/.337/.267 in 299 plate appearances last season, Castillo is only a year removed from a .387 OBP. More than 2,500 MLBTR readers predicted that Castillo would join the Phillies, and Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com was first to tweet the agreement.

MLBTR Originals: 3/13/11 – 3/20/11

By Mike Axisa | March 20, 2011 at 11:02pm CDT

With the regular season drawing ever closer, let's recap the the original content produced here at MLBTR over the last seven days…

MLBTR first reported that Brian Wilson, Kurt Suzuki, Brett Wallace, and Jason Repko are now being represented by Dan Lozano. Also make sure you check out our brand new Agency Database.
We published our annual list of players that are out of minor league options.
Tim Dierkes explored the concept of delaying free agency and mused about Rafael Soriano's contract. He also listed some American League and National League midseason trade candidates, as well a few players that would have been entering their walk years had they not signed extensions.
Ben Nicholson-Smith looked at C.J. Wilson as an extension candidate and also explored the Phillies' interest in Jon Jay. He also dug up some potential suitors for Chris Davis.
Ben's latest draft Q&A was with UConn outfielder George Springer.
The offseason in review series continued with the Rockies, Braves, and Indians.
We broke down Omar Infante of the Marlins and Jeff Francis of the Royals as players entering make or break years.
This week's poll questions asked where Luis Castillo will end up and what Neftali Feliz's 2011 role will be.
I rounded up the best the blogosphere had to offer in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
Howard Megdal's latest Jack of all Trades post focused on Oliver Perez.
This week's chat transcript can be found here.
Here's a handy guide on all the different ways you can use MLBTR.
Last, but certainly not least, we introduced Rumores de Béisbol, MLBTR's Spanish language sister site.

Padres Looking At Alberto Gonzalez, Robert Andino

By Mike Axisa | March 20, 2011 at 10:35pm CDT

Earlier this month we heard that the Padres were looking for a utility player for their bench, and it appears they've turned their attention to Alberto Gonzalez and Robert Andino. MASNsports.com's Phil Wood reports that San Diego has been "looking hard" at the Nationals' utility infielder, while MLB.com's Corey Brock says Andino is on the radar as well (Twitter link). Both players are out of options.

Gonzalez, 28 in April, has spent the last two full years and part of a third in the nation's capitol, hitting .266/.302/.350 overall. He has plenty of experience at second, third, and short, and has also dabbled at first base and in right field. The Padres currently have Jarrett Hoffpauir, Kevin Frandsen, and Jesus Guzman in camp competing for the utility infielder's job, and the Nats have depth at the position with Jerry Hairston Jr. and Alex Cora.

Andino, 27 in April, is a .226/.275/.318 career hitting in 440 plate appearances, most of which have come with the Orioles. The vast majority of his playing time has come at short, though he's also seen time at second, third, left, and center fields. Baltimore has Cesar Izturis, Nick Green, and Brendan Harris on their utility infielder depth chart as well.

Mets Notes: Perez, Isringhausen, Castillo

By Zachary Links | March 20, 2011 at 9:12pm CDT

Some Mets-related items…

Andy Martino of The New York Daily News says that GM Sandy Alderson and manager Terry Collins are scheduled to meet with Oliver Perez on Monday morning, and an announcement that the left-hander has been released could come shortly thereafter.
ESPN New York's Adam Rubin passes along a press release issued by the Wilpons answering the $1 billion lawsuit filed against them in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
Perez left the Mets complex this morning and says no one has told him what's next, tweets Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal. Costa says to expect a decision by tomorrow.
Pitching coach Dan Warthen says that no decision has been reached on Perez yet and he doubts that anything will happen today, Costa tweets.
Warthen's assessment is supported by a team official who told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that the Mets are not expected to make any roster moves today.
Only an injury would prevent Jason Isringhausen from breaking camp with the Mets, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The 38-year-old said earlier this month that he would retire before accepting a minor league assignment.
Second baseman Luis Castillo will almost certainly have a new job within 24 hours after he clears waivers today at 1pm EST, writes Buster Olney of ESPN. Olney points out that it's worth remembering Castillo's history and relationship with the Marlins. When owner Jeffrey Loria visited the Vatican in 2002, he brought back a blessed cross for Castillo.

West Rumors: Beltre, Hultzen, Neshek, Rockies

By Mike Axisa | March 20, 2011 at 7:43pm CDT

Some links from the left coast…

Adrian Beltre told Scott Miller of CBS Sports that he signed with the Rangers instead of the Angels because he felt Texas gave him "the best chance to put a ring on [his] finger." The third baseman wouldn't elaborate on the talks he had with the Halos before signing.
ESPN's Keith Law hears that the Diamondbacks love Virginia left-hander Danny Hultzen, a projected first round pick (Twitter link). Arizona holds the third and seventh overall picks in this year's draft, and Hultzen owns a 62:4 K:BB ratio in 34 1/3 innings this spring.
Dan Hayes of The North County Times tweets that new Padre Pat Neshek isn't guaranteed to make the team because he still has a minor league option remaining.
Troy Renck of The Denver Post (via Twitter) could see the Rockies checking in on Michael Young now that the Rangers are reportedly willing to eat half of the veteran's salary.
Renck also tweets that if Chone Figgins were made available, Colorado would be interested in him as a player but disinterested overall because of his hefty contract. Figgins is entering year two of a four-year deal worth $36MM, plus a vesting 2014 option for $9MM.

Nothing Going On Between Cardinals, Phillies

By Mike Axisa | March 20, 2011 at 5:40pm CDT

Earlier this week we heard that the Phillies have some interest in Cardinals' outfielder Jon Jay, though Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears that nothing is going on between the two teams right now (Twitter link). The Cards are looking for a right-handed reliever to replace Kyle McClellan, who will likely take Adam Wainwright's spot in the rotation, but they appear to be looking elsewhere.

The Phillies have eight righty relievers on their 40-man roster, though Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, and Jose Contreras probably aren't going anywhere. Since the Cardinals finished with fewer wins than the Padres last year, they had a chance to claim Pat Neshek but apparently decided against it. St. Louis also passed on Kiko Calero earlier this month.

Ben Nicholson-Smith explored Philadelphia's interest in Jay last week.

Week In Review: 3/13/11 – 3/19/11

By Steve Adams | March 20, 2011 at 4:23pm CDT

With less than two weeks until Opening Day, let's run down the past seven days here at MLBTR…

Luis Castillo's time with the Mets finally came to a close this week, when New York released him with one year remaining on his contract. Castillo hopes to latch on with another team.
The Reds agreed on an extension for backup catcher Ryan Hanigan this week. The three-year deal will guarantee Hanigan, 30, a total of $4MM.
Other extensions could follow soon, particularly one for Adrian Gonzalez in Boston. The two sides may resume extension talks soon. C.J. Wilson is another extension candidate, though he and the Rangers put their talks on hold for now.
Neftali Feliz has been back and forth between starter and closer this Spring, but he appears likely to close for the time being. Texas may pursue relievers later, as manager Ron Washington prefers a veteran closer. If it comes to that, Texas can likely cross Joakim Soria off their list; Kansas City is planning to hang onto him.
Early in the week we heard that the Rangers were still seeking top prospects for Michael Young, but as Opening Day draws near, we learned that they're willing to eat as much as half of his contract to make that happen.
Doug Davis will audition for teams in the coming week. He's not the only one trying to showcase his stuff; the Yankees watched Kevin Millwood throw last week as well.
Leon'ys Martin, an elite 22-year-old Cuban prospect, became a free agent and is talking with Major League teams.
We saw three different players call it quits this week: Jason Davis ended his comeback attempt, Ian Snell officially retired, and Scot Shields called it a career as well. Best of luck to all three in life after baseball.
One player whose retirement status remains uncertain is Bengie Molina; the oldest Molina has said he's retired for now, but his brother Jose said this week that Bengie was still looking to play.
Teams looking for catching help that don't have interest in Molina may turn to the Nationals. We've heard they're looking to shop catchers, and Ivan Rodriguez's name is the latest to hit the rumor mill.
Several teams have called the Rangers about the availability of Chris Davis.
We learned some of the details around Felix Hernandez's no-trade clause this week. The Mariners ace can block trades to ten teams, including the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Cubs, Angels, Dodgers, Rangers, and Phillies.
The Pirates claimed lefty Garrett Olson from the Mariners, and the Blue Jays signed Chris Woodward to a minor league deal. For the rest of the week's minor moves, check our transactions section.

Quick Hits: Astros, Neshek, Castillo, Phillies

By Zachary Links | March 20, 2011 at 3:30pm CDT

Links for Sunday afternoon..

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says (via Stephen Goff of Examiner.com) it's unlikely the Astros will attend Doug Davis' upcoming workout. Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle reported earlier that the race for Houston's fifth starter was down to Jordan Lyles and Nelson Figueroa, with Ryan Rowland-Smith now vying for a bullpen job.
Kelsie Smith of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets that the Twins aren't adding anyone to their 40-man roster in light of San Diego's claim of Pat Neshek, suggesting that the team was clearly trying to trade the right-hander but failed.
David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News writes that the Phillies may not be able to add to their $165MM payroll but believes that they could make personnel moves to create payroll flexibility.
The White Sox have informed rookie Brent Morel that he's won the starting job at third base, according to Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter). This means less playing time for Mark Teahen, whom the club is open to trading.

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