Archives for March 2011

Make Or Break Year: Jeff Francis

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 15, 2011 at 10:57pm CDT

Jeff Francis seemed headed for stardom when, at the age of 26, he won 17 games and pitched in the World Series. This offseason, in his first appearance on the free agent market, he signed with the Royals for $2MM plus incentives. It's a modest guarantee for a pitcher who still has promise entering 2011.

Teams aren't going to commit aggressively to pitchers who post 5.00 ERAs, especially if they aren't far removed from serious shoulder issues. Francis' ERA sat precisely at 5.00 after 104 1/3 innings of work last year, in his return to the majors after missing the 2009 campaign with shoulder surgery. The former 9th overall pick wasn't in position to command much as a free agent, even after a successful return to the major leagues.

But things could be different next offseason. Francis, who just turned 30 in January, is still relatively young. And if he puts together a full season, he'll have an easier time convincing teams that his shoulder is no longer a concern.

Though Francis' 2010 ERA and 4-6 record don't look good, his peripheral stats do. He posted a robust 47% ground ball rate last year, striking out nearly three times as many hitters as he walked. What's more, his FIP and xFIP suggest he was more deserving of an ERA under 4.00. And while the American League has the DH, it doesn't have Coors Field, the only home park Francis has known as a big leaguer.

There are no guarantees for Francis or for his new team. If he encounters more shoulder problems or struggles to surpass last year's innings total, the market for him won't be strong after the season. But a healthy year and a little more luck could position Francis for the big free agent contract he didn't sign this past offseason.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

NL Central Notes: Cubs, McClellan, Wallace, Rogers

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 15, 2011 at 10:00pm CDT

Notes from the NL Central as Opening Day draws closer…

Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com hears from Cubs sources that the team isn't talking to the Rangers about Michael Young. The Cubs maintain that they’re comfortable with Jeff Baker and Blake DeWitt at second base.
Kyle McClellan solidified his bid to become the Cardinals' fifth starter today. As MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports, the converted setup man pitched five shutout innings against the Braves, which presumably lessens the chances that the Cards look outside of the organization for starting pitching. I took a look at McClellan's role in St. Louis last week.
Brett Wallace collected four hits and drove in seven today, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli. The Astros acquired the first baseman from the Blue Jays last summer after obtaining Anthony Gose from the Phillies in the Roy Oswalt deal. Wallace is vying to become Houston's everyday first baseman.
As MLB.com's Adam McCalvy reports, the Brewers optioned pitching prospect Mark Rogers to Triple-A today because they weren't confident his shoulder stiffness would go away in time for the season. Once he's at full strength, Rogers remains a candidate to fill in for Zack Greinke, who is expected to miss a few starts with a fractured rib.

Draft Prospect Q&A: George Springer

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 15, 2011 at 9:10pm CDT

As the 2011 Draft draws closer, MLBTR will be introducing you to a handful of the top eligible prospects with a series of Q&As. The series started with three of the top college pitchers in the nation and continues today with a college position player.

Teams looking for powerful outfielders with speed to spare will be intrigued by George Springer of the UConn Huskies. The 6'4" 21-year-old has improved his draft stock dramatically since the Twins selected him in the 48th round of the 2008 draft; Springer is now a projected first round pick.

In its college baseball preview, Baseball America described Springer as one of the nation's best power hitters, who's a superb defender and a "plus-plus" runner to boot.

He hit 18 homers with 33 steals, 60 walks, 84 runs and a .491 on-base average last year, prompting ESPN.com's Keith Law to rate him second among eligible prospects last month. Law described Springer as "an athletic outfielder with an above-average arm who projects to hit and hit for power and just needs to refine his approach, especially with two strikes."

Springer started slowly and some said to ESPN that he changed his mechanics. After collecting just three hits in his first six games (22 at bats), Springer appears to have rediscovered his stroke, as his numbers are on the rise.

He spoke with MLBTR after UConn's loss to Sacred Heart today. Here's what he had to say:

Ben Nicholson-Smith – I wanted you to start by describing your game for me. I’ve seen it written up in a few different places, but I wanted to get your assessment of your overall game.

George Springer – I just go out and play as hard as I possibly can – I think that’s basically it. I just go out and play as hard as I possibly can and just let my approach and my style of game happen and just go out and put it one the line.

BNS – When you’re at your best, what might be some of the specific things that we would see from you on the field?

GS – One hundred percent – this’ll probably sound dumb – but just balls out all the time. Not playing with any fear. Not afraid to fail. I just go out and I let the game come to me – I just go out and I play as hard as I possibly can and if for some reason the game says that I have to run into a wall, I’ll run into a wall.

BNS – I’ve seen your game written up as a combination of power and speed. Do you see yourself as a power guy, or a speed guy, or somewhere in between.

GS – I see myself as a guy that can hit for power, but I don’t necessarily see myself as hitting for power [primarily]. I see myself as hitting the ball hard and however far it goes, if it stays in the ballpark, I just keep running.

BNS – Is there a major league player who you would compare yourself to as far as a guy who maybe has that gap power and occasional home run power?

GS – Well there’s actually a guy – I wouldn’t necessarily say I do things like him – but I model my game, my style of play, after him and it’s Hunter – Torii Hunter. I used to watch him play when he was in New Britain. When he was in Double-A [in 1997-8] I watched him play with the Twins. He’ll get after it. He plays without fear. He’ll run into a wall or he’ll run through a wall. He’s not just going to swing to swing, he’s going to swing hard. I think that seeing him play as a kid [influenced] who I resemble the most.

BNS – Any other major leaguers, or mostly Torii Hunter?

GS – It’s him, but one other player who has a good overall approach is Robinson Cano. He goes out and he’s basically the same way as Torii Hunter, but he’s a very, very smart hitter. There are certain situations where he doesn’t necessarily swing at a 3-0 fastball because he knows he’s going to get a 3-1 pitch to hit.

He does the small things. If you need a fly ball to score somebody, he hits a fly ball. Or if he’s got to roll one over to get someone from second to third, that’s exactly what he does.

BNS – If we were to fast forward to five years from now, which of those two guys do you think you would resemble more? Hunter or Cano?

GS – I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. I’d like to say it would be a combination of both. Not afraid to fail, but at the same time being smart, being patient.

BNS – Having guys like [former UConn teammate] Mike Olt drafted last year in the first round and then [UConn pitcher] Matt Barnes, who could also go in the first round with you potentially, does that change things at all? Does that make it any easier having some guys who are going through some of the same things that you are?

GS – I can say yes and I can say no because to me Mike Olt is Mike Olt. I played with him for the last three years of his [college] career and I’ve seen him grow as a player and as a person. Yeah he’s Mike Olt and he went in the first round, but I just see him as Mike Olt and it’s who I played with for three years.

The same thing for Matt. I’ve known Matt my whole life. I’ve played with him the last six, eight years. So having them there I would say has helped, but at the same time, he’s just Mike Olt and Matt is just Matt Barnes.

BNS – You talk about Mike developing as a player and as a person at UConn. What might those [developments] be on the field for you since you started playing college ball?

GS – I’ve been taught my whole life to let the physical stuff happen. The strength, the speed, the power – let that come. But I think the biggest development in my eyes is developing the mental side of the game, which can help me go out and play if I learn about the game. And that’s something that I’ve been working on the last four or five years.

I’m not in the big leagues, so I obviously have some stuff hitting-wise and fielding-wise and baserunning-wise [to work on]. But I think the biggest thing I’ve tried to learn has been the mental side of the game.

BNS – Is that through coaches or is that through books or videos or just talking to people? How do you go about doing that?

GS – Through experience. You’ve got to learn pitch to pitch and at bat to at bat. The last three or four years, I’ve had the privilege to talk to guys and play with guys who know certain things that I wouldn’t have thought about.

Being with guys like Matt Barnes – being with Matt I can get the pitcher’s side of the game and I can learn from him what I have to do as a hitter in certain situations and learn what he’s thinking and what the other guy’s thinking and learn from my mistakes and my successes and learn from the success of my teammates. There’s always something I can learn and over the past three or four years it’s been mainly just through playing and just learning at bat to at bat and pitch to pitch, but I’ve also played with guys like Matt Barnes and [2011 draft prospect] Jackie Bradley Jr.

BNS – What about your season so far? A slow start and now it seems like you’re hitting better. How do you evaluate the season so far.

GS – So far it could obviously be better. It could obviously be worse, too. I think one of the main things for me is just to not try to do too much, to not press. Just to get in the box and play hard and swing and slow everything down and eventually they’ll start falling.

BNS – What about the draft? Last time, going in the 48th round was probably different than what you’ve experienced so far and what you’re looking ahead to.

GS – I look ahead to it as June 6th to the 9th because if I think for one second that the draft is set or anything like that that’s when I let down my team. That’s when I don’t play as hard, that’s when I don’t stay positive or get a big head and say ‘here’s the hype, here’s the potential.’

But that’s not what I’m about. I’m about the success of my team and my teammates before myself and if something happens in the draft, it’s something that I can’t focus on now because I have to help our team win.

Photo courtesy University of Connecticut athletics.

AL East Notes: Martinez, Crawford, Sanchez

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 15, 2011 at 5:59pm CDT

Daisuke Matsuzaka had his best outing of the spring against the Tigers today, allowing two hits and a walk in five scoreless innings, striking out five. Here's the latest on the AL East, as the Red Sox and their fans gain a little confidence in the back of their rotation…

Victor Martinez, who was playing against his former team this afternoon, told the Boston Herald that he "loved" Boston and has no hard feelings toward the Red Sox. V-Mart added that he thinks the Red Sox are offseason winners because they improved their pitching and offense.
Alex Speier of WEEI.com wonders what might have happened if the Red Sox had re-signed Martinez. A team source tells Speier that the Red Sox thought there was a chance the backstop would return. But as we heard earlier in the offseason, the Red Sox had doubts about Martinez's ability to catch long-term.
If Martinez had returned, Speier hears that the Red Sox would have had the resources to pursue either Carl Crawford or Adrian Gonzalez, but not both.
Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports hears that Yankees right-hander Romulo Sanchez has been impressing scouts (Twitter link). The out-of-options 26-year-old could fit on a team looking for relief help, according to Rosenthal.

Collins May Prefer Hernandez To Castillo

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 15, 2011 at 5:09pm CDT

Mets manager Terry Collins downplayed rumors that he wants the team's front office to release Luis Castillo and said that the second baseman has "picked it up" recently, according to Rich Coutinho of MetsBlog. Despite Collins' statements, the Mets' second base situation remains murky.

Mike Puma of the New York Post hears that Collins remains committed to making Luis Hernandez the team's starting second baseman, but Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork hears that Hernandez has just an "outside" shot at the job (Twitter links).

Hernandez and Castillo are in competition with Daniel Murphy and Rule 5 pick Brad Emaus for the starting second base job. Castillo is set to earn $6MM in 2011, the last year of his four-year, $25MM contract and the Mets appear prepared to absorb the 35-year-old's salary if he doesn't have a role on the team. He hit .235/.337/.267 last year and spent 47 days on the DL recovering from a left foot injury.

Potential Suitors For Chris Davis

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 15, 2011 at 4:04pm CDT

Teams are asking the Rangers about Chris Davis and, by the sounds of it, he wouldn't mind if they listened to offers. Davis told Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he wouldn't oppose a trade if the Rangers were interested in making one.

“I just want to be in the big leagues, whether it’s here or somewhere else,” Davis said. “In all fairness, I’ve done everything the Rangers have asked me to do. I’ve been a good sport about it. I’ve had a smile on my face and a good attitude about it. When it comes down to it, the fair thing to do is to give me a shot either here or somewhere else.”

Mitch Moreland is the favorite to become the Rangers' regular first baseman, so Davis, who has an option remaining, could find himself headed back to the minors despite his strong spring. But the 24-year-old Texan has some appeal to other clubs.

So which teams could use a powerful, affordable player who can play first and third and who has yet to hit left-handed pitching or hold down a job in the majors for a full season? Here's a speculative look at some teams that may have called GM Jon Daniels about the former top prospect:

D'Backs – Though the D'Backs have been discussing another one of Texas' infielders, Davis doesn't appear to be a likely fit for Arizona. The D'Backs already have a couple veteran third basemen and three left-handed first basemen (Brandon Allen, Juan Miranda and Russell Branyan) in the mix.
Marlins – Another one of the teams that inquired about Michael Young, the Marlins could acquire Davis to complement right-handed corner players Matt Dominguez, Gaby Sanchez and Wes Helms.
Indians – Jason Donald, Matt LaPorta and Jayson Nix, three right-handed hitters, figure to get most of the playing time at the corners for now. Two left-handed hitters, Nick Johnson and top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall, threaten to join the big league club before long, but until then the Indians could mix Davis' left-handed bat in and see what happens.
Rays – Though Dan Johnson and Ben Zobrist are capable of playing first, the Rays might like the idea of buying low on Davis.
Blue Jays – The Blue Jays could also be intrigued. However, they appear set at the corners and DH with Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind.

How To Use MLBTR

By Ben Nicholson-Smith | March 15, 2011 at 3:20pm CDT

An explanation of the many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors:

If the main site doesn't load perfectly on your cell phone, try the more mobile-friendly mlbtraderumors.mobi. It's a simple page that shows you just the headlines and lets you click through to what you want to read.
If you're an iPhone user, be sure to pick up our app for the latest news and rumors.
If you want only the hard news in the form of transactions, our transactions page is the ticket. You can also get only the transactions via Twitter or RSS.
To return to the main page at any time, just click on the title or the Home button on the navigation bar below the title.
The navigation bar will cover many of your needs. Use the About dropdown to learn about this site or any of its writers.
The Contact button takes you to a page where you can write an email message to the MLBTR writers. If you have a link to a rumor we've missed, please send it in through the Contact page! Also use the Contact page to inquire about advertising on MLBTR.
The Archives dropdown shows you 15 months worth. If you need to go back further, click on Site Map at the very bottom of the page. Site Map also lists out every MLBTR post category, including players, teams, and features.
The Tools dropdown takes you to a number of different places. The MLBTR Widget allows website owners to easily add a constantly updated box with all of MLBTR's headlines to their sites.
Also under the tools tab is our Transaction Tracker, which enables you to search about anything and everything to do with baseball trades, signings and extensions.
Be sure to check out our Free Agent Tracker in case you're wondering about this year's remaining free agents. There aren't many free agents left, but we have all the information you need.
Our Arbitration Tracker is also under the Tools tab. It enables you to look back through all of the year's arbitration cases.
The Forums button takes you here, to a message board community of MLBTR readers with over 8,200 members. You can discuss any baseball-related topic on the Forums, and start your own thread too.
Feeds By Team is a very useful dropdown. Hover over it to see all 30 teams. Click on the team name to bring up a page of every post containing information about that team, with the latest on top. These are the same pages you'll find if you go to the Rumors By Team section on the sidebar and select A's Rumors, Angels Rumors, etc. Also under the Feeds By Team dropdown, you'll find RSS and Twitter buttons. Those links allow you to follow a single team's rumors via RSS or Twitter. Did you know we have a separate Twitter account for each of the 30 teams? For example you can follow @mlbtrtigers, where you would get the latest Tigers updates.
On the far right of the Navigation bar, you'll see buttons for Twitter, Facebook, and RSS. MLBTR has over 68,000 Twitter followers, over 32,000 Facebook fans, and over 53,000 RSS subscribers. Sign up for these and you'll be the first to receive all of our posts.
Be sure to check out your favorite team's MLBTR page on Facebook so you can receive and comment on the latest rumors.
On to the sidebar. It begins with a list of our Top Stories, which our writers update any time major hard news occurs. Go here for a quick update on the most important stories. Below that is the site's Search Box, where you can type in any player's name and get the latest on him.
MLBTR Features has all kinds of goodies, including our free agent lists, 2011 draft order, list of Scott Boras clients, and GM-related stuff. Many of the MLBTR Features are constantly updated by our writers, so be assured that our free agent lists are always fresh.
Below Features you've got headlines for all the Recent Posts, in case you'd rather not scroll to see all the headlines. Then there's a box for our Mailing List, where you can sign up to receive a daily email containing MLBTR's posts. Use this option if you don't need the news as soon as possible.
Next we have Featured Posts, where you'll find original work from MLBTR writers we consider noteworthy. For example, read about what matters in arbitration.

Ian Snell Retires

By Tim Dierkes | March 15, 2011 at 2:40pm CDT

Pitcher Ian Snell has retired, tweets B.J. Rains of FOXSportsMidwest.com. The Cardinals sent Snell to minor league camp and he instead elected to hang up his cleats. Snell, 29, had signed a minor league contract with the Cardinals in January after being let go by the Mariners. He was described as eager and excited just last month upon arriving in Florida.

Snell's best season was 2007, when as a 25-year-old he posted a 3.76 ERA in 208 innings. That performance earned him a three-year, $8.6MM extension, but he quickly lost effectiveness.

Offseason In Review: Atlanta Braves

By Tim Dierkes | March 15, 2011 at 1:04pm CDT

The Braves are next in our Offseason In Review series.

Major League/International Signings

Alex Gonzalez, SS: one year, $2.5MM. Club option exercised.
Eric Hinske, 1B/LF: one year, $1.45MM.
George Sherrill, RP: one year, $1.2MM.
$500K buyouts for Kyle Farnsworth and Rick Ankiel
Total spend: $6.15MM.

Notable Minor League Signings

Rodrigo Lopez, Yohan Flande, Jose Lugo

Extensions

Dan Uggla, 2B: five years, $62MM.

Trades and Claims

Claimed OF Joe Mather off waivers from Cardinals
Acquired 2B Dan Uggla from Marlins for IF Omar Infante and RP Mike Dunn
Acquired RP Scott Linebrink and $3.5MM from White Sox for P Kyle Cofield
Claimed RP Anthony Varvaro off waivers from Mariners

Notable Losses

Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, Kyle Farnsworth, Omar Infante, Mike Dunn, Kyle Cofield, Scott Diamond, Melky Cabrera, Troy Glaus, Matt Diaz, Derrek Lee, Rick Ankiel

Summary

The Braves' winter kicked off with the October hiring of Fredi Gonzalez as manager. GM Frank Wren's ensuing offseason was one of the game's best, as he was able to avoid a soaring free agent market and trade for a star player at a discount.

Uggla's acquisition price and the Marlins' willingness to trade him within the division surprised me. The Braves came out smelling like roses, giving up one year of a good utility player and a hard-throwing but wild reliever. Uggla (pictured) seems to boost the Braves' offense more than most available left fielders would have. However, adding four years and $52MM for Uggla doesn't seem like much of a discount compared to his expected free agent contract. Had he not been extended, Uggla might have been looking at an additional $5-9MM over the 2011-15 seasons.

The Braves lost Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez from their pen in the previous offseason and signed Wagner and Saito as replacements. Those two have since departed as well. The Braves continued the veteran reliever cycle for just $3.2MM for Sherrill and Linebrink, also retaining arbitration eligible Scott Proctor for $750K. All three represent cases of buying low, but even if they don't bounce back the Braves will have a full season of Craig Kimbrel and other holdovers like Jonny Venters, Peter Moylan, and Eric O'Flaherty. The organization's power arms in the minors accentuate the fact that only secondary bullpen additions were needed.

I liked several of Wren's smaller moves this offseason. He retained Hinske without adding a second year. Lopez, who pitched 200 innings last year, adds rotation depth on a minor league deal. Mather is a good athlete who figures to make the team as an extra outfielder.

Because of the depth they've accumulated, the Braves were able to avoid the high end of the free agent market for first basemen, starting pitchers, and relievers. The club's rotation depth should take them far, and with many good young pitchers pushing toward the Majors they may even have a surplus soon. The Braves may be exposed in left and center field if Prado has to fill in for Chipper Jones at third base for an extended period of time. I expect Wren to be active on the trade market if the outfield does become a concern.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.

Rangers Manager Seeks Experienced Closer

By Tim Dierkes | March 15, 2011 at 11:58am CDT

Rangers manager Ron Washington seeks an experienced closer if Neftali Feliz goes to the rotation, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. Washington told Sullivan he has confidence that GM Jon Daniels can find that reliever; Tim MacMahon of ESPN Dallas/Fort Worth has quotes. Feliz recently changed his mind and expressed a preference to start, which seems to match the Rangers' choice.

Sullivan names Alexi Ogando and Mark Lowe as the "leading in-house candidates" to close, but notes that neither has much ninth inning experience. Lefties Darren Oliver and Arthur Rhodes have seen just about everything, but they're not known for closing either.

Speculating on potentially available experienced closers, Heath Bell, David Aardsma (when he's healthy), Francisco Rodriguez, and Mike Gonzalez come to mind. The Blue Jays have four relievers with closing experience in Frank Francisco (if healthy), Jason Frasor, Octavio Dotel, and Jon Rauch. Dotel and Rauch, I believe, cannot be dealt without their consent until after June 15th. By the way, if you're looking for instant closer updates to help you win your fantasy league, follow @closernews on Twitter.

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