Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Archives for May 2011

Brian Broderick Returned To Cardinals

By | at

The Cardinals accepted Rule 5 selection Brian Broderick back from the Nationals, according to Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com (on Twitter). The Nationals get $25K back from the Cardinals to complete the transaction.

Broderick pitched 12 1/3 innings for the Nationals this year and allowed 16 hits and three walks while striking out four. Manager Jim Riggleman has not used the 24-year-old right-hander since May 13th. The Nationals claimed Broderick after a 2010 season in which he posted a 3.66 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 150 innings as a starter in Class A and at Double-A.

D’Backs Designate Josh Wilson For Assignment

By | at

The D'Backs designated infielder Josh Wilson for assignment to create roster space for Melvin Mora, who has been reinstated from the bereavement list, the team announced. Mora missed five games after going on the bereavement list May 18th.

Wilson has appeared in six games this year and has only come to the plate ten times. He has a .227/.280/.315 in parts of five seasons in the Major Leagues with the Marlins, Nationals, Rays, D'Backs, Padres and Mariners. Though he's primarily a shortstop, Wilson has appeared at every infield position and has pitched in three MLB games.

Braves Sign Julio Lugo

By | at

The Braves signed shortstop Julio Lugo to a minor league contract that's pending a physical, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes.com. Lugo will earn $12K per month in the minor leagues and a pro-rated portion of $650K if he makes the Major Leagues, Rojas reports.

The 35-year-old hit .249/.298/.282 in 264 plate appearances with the Orioles last year. In 11 big league seasons with six teams, Lugo has a .270/.334/.386 line with 80 homers and 198 stolen bases. He has experience at second, short and third and can even play the outfield if necessary. Lugo, a right-handed hitter, has hit lefties and righties evenly in his career, but struggled to hit right-handed pitching last year.

Dan Uggla, Alex Gonzalez and Chipper Jones start at second, short and third for the Braves and Brooks Conrad, Diory Hernandez and Brandon Hicks have provided depth at those positions this year. Lugo will provide the Braves with additional insurance in case of injuries or poor performance.

Heyman On Sabathia, Swisher, Red Sox

By | at

C.C. Sabathia told Jon Heyman of SI.com that he hopes the Yankees will add guaranteed years to his contract after the season. The left-hander has an opt-out clause that enables him to walk away from the four years and $92MM remaining on his contract and become a free agent, so he has leverage. Here's the latest on Sabathia, the Yankees and the Red Sox:

  • Executives around the league tell Heyman that they're sure Sabathia will use the opt out to leave or obtain an extension.
  • However, people around the Yankees like what Sabathia delivers and say he is "pretty well entrenched" as a Yankee.
  • Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter in the league, according to Sabathia, who gave Jose Bautista an honorable mention.
  • It's possible that the Yankees will allow Nick Swisher to hit free agency instead of exercising his $10.25MM option after the season. Here's a list of all 2012 free agents.
  • Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who has homered in three of his past four games, is rewarding the Red Sox people who believed in his ability.
  • Carl Crawford has been a "real professional" despite his struggles, a Red Sox person told Heyman.

Contenders And Lefty Relievers

By | at

Athletics lefty reliever Jerry Blevins has been designated for assignment and is presumably available, leaving me to wonder which contenders have a need.  For now I'll define a contender as any team five games out in the division or wild card at worst.  That generously leaves 24 teams to consider.  Note that I haven't included minor league southpaw starters who could be promoted to the big league pen, like Charlie Furbush was with the Tigers.  The lefties on each team's active or Triple-A roster or DL list:

AL East

  • Yankees (1): Boone Logan.  Pedro Feliciano aiming for July return.  Randy Flores and Andrew Sisco at Triple-A.
  • Rays (2): J.P. Howell, Cesar Ramos.  Jake McGee and R.J. Swindle at Triple-A.
  • Red Sox (2): Rich Hill, Franklin Morales.  Felix Doubront is on the DL but will be used as a starter.  Hideki Okajima could remain in the organization if he clears waivers.  Also have Andrew Miller, Randy Williams, and Tommy Hottovy at Triple-A.
  • Blue Jays (2): Luis Perez, Marc Rzepczynski.  Willie Collazo, Sean Henn, Wil Ledezma, and Rommie Lewis at Triple-A.
  • Orioles (2): Mike Gonzalez, Clay Rapada.  Alberto Castillo, Mark Hendrickson, Chris George at Triple-A.

AL Central

AL West

NL East

NL Central

  • Cardinals (2): Trever Miller, Brian Tallet.  Rich Rundles, Raul Valdes at Triple-A.
  • Reds (1): Bill Bray.  Aroldis Chapman on DL with shoulder inflammation.  Tom Cochran, Jeremy Horst, Joseph Krebs, Dontrelle Willis at Triple-A.
  • Brewers (0): None, though Danny Ray Herrera could join the active roster soon.  Zach Braddock, Manny Parra, Mitch Stetter on DL.  Sam Narron, Chase Wright at Triple-A.
  • Pirates (1): Joe Beimel.  Dan Meyer, Daniel Moskos, Garrett Olson, Justin Thomas, Tony Watson at Triple-A.

NL West

The Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Tigers, Royals, Brewers, Mets, and Diamondbacks strike me as a few clubs looking light on lefty reliever depth, though unproven or journeyman pitchers step up every year.  Plus, some teams are comfortable with their right-handers' abilities to retire left-handed hitters.

Brewers Claim Danny Ray Herrera Off Waivers

By | at

The Brewers claimed reliever Danny Ray Herrera off waivers from the division-rival Reds, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  The Brewers will have to open a spot on the 40-man roster for the 5'6" lefty, who is currently at Triple-A.  Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein first tweeted that Milwaukee made the claim on Herrera.

The 26-year-old Herrera came to the Reds from the Rangers in December of 2007 along with Edinson Volquez for Josh Hamilton.  Herrera logged 92 big league innings from 2008-10, posting a 3.62 ERA, 6.5 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, and 0.8 HR/9.  Against southpaws, he has a 7.2 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 0.41 HR/9 in 44 career innings.  He's the definition of a soft-tosser, with an average fastball in the 83-84 mile per hour range.  Herrera's out pitch is a screwball, as ESPN's Tim Kurkjian explained in this article a couple of years ago.

The Brewers are the only contender currently without a left-handed reliever on the active roster.  Zach Braddock, Manny Parra, and Mitch Stetter are all on the DL.

Athletics Designate Jerry Blevins For Assignment

By | at

The Athletics designated lefty reliever Jerry Blevins for assignment, tweets the team.  The move opens a spot on the active roster for Josh Outman, who is scheduled to make his first Major League appearance in nearly two years tonight.

Blevins, 27, appeared in 15 games for the A's this year.  He struck out 13 but walked 13 in 14 1/3 innings.  In his career, he's handled lefties very well: a 10.3 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, and 0.83 HR/9 in 54 innings.  The A's should be able to find a trade partner within the next ten days.

If The Padres Become Sellers

By | at

Having lost their last three games, the Padres are 19-28, in last place and 8.5 games out in the NL West.  They're second to last in the league with 3.51 runs scored per game, though at 4.40 the offense has been much better in May.  The Padres' starters carry an unspectacular 4.16 ERA, while their bullpen remains on top at 2.30.

Padres GM Jed Hoyer tried for the best of both worlds during the offseason, trading his best player in Adrian Gonzalez while also importing a bunch of bounceback candidate veterans in hopes of remaining competitive.  Perhaps 2010 was just an anomaly in the Padres' rebuilding process, and Hoyer will continue thinking long-term when the trade deadline approaches in a couple of months.  In that case, who might be available?

  • Closer Heath Bell sports a 1.13 ERA on the season.  Like Pittsburgh's Joel Hanrahan, the 33-year-old Bell has traded a bunch of strikeouts for an improved groundball rate this season.  Bell is earning $7.5MM and will be eligible for free agency after the season; there's a good chance his team can offer arbitration and net a pair of draft picks.  The Nationals were able to extract highly-rated catching prospect Wilson Ramos from the Twins for closer Matt Capps last year.  Capps came with an additional year of control but without Bell's pedigree.  Still, even an Octavio Dotel rental netted the Pirates James McDonald and Andrew Lambo.
  • I can picture the Padres dealing Bell or Mike Adams, though moving both would be bold.  There's a case to be made that Adams has more trade value – he owns a 0.87 ERA through 20 2/3 innings, has much stronger peripheral stats than Bell, and is under team control for 2012 at a salary unlikely to reach $5MM.  Chad Qualls sits a level below Bell and Adams and figures to be dealt.  He's not striking batters out, but he is keeping the ball on the ground and it's worked so far.
  • Ryan Ludwick owns a .224/.304/.373 line in 425 Padres plate appearances dating back to last year, work that would get most players designated for assignment.  Silver lining: he's at .289/.331/.526 since April 20th.  If Ludwick maintains that production over the next two months, he'll be one of the better bats available and should net the Padres a decent prospect. 
  • Brad Hawpe has a similar story, in that he's heated up this month.  Hawpe is cheaper, but he also carries more of a platoon bat reputation and has been shielded from lefties this year.  The other half of that platoon, Jorge Cantu, has been terrible and might not make it to the trade deadline.
  • Padres prospect Jedd Gyorko is doing major damage in High-A ball, though they'll probably still want Chase Headley around in the $4MM range next year.  Headley, who ranks fifth in the league with 27 walks, would be worth listening on now though.  He doesn't have the power of a typical third baseman, but there's not much better on the trade market aside from perhaps Wilson Betemit.
  • Aaron Harang has a 4.31 ERA in nine starts on the season, with peripheral stats similar to last year.  Only three of his starts have come away from PETCO, and he pitched well in two of them.  Harang has shown the skills of a 4.50 ERA pitcher, though that was true last year as well.  The difference is that he's earning $4MM this year instead of $14.5MM, so a contender should be willing to take a flier.
  • I've analyzed four other potential sellers so far: the Astros, Twins, Diamondbacks, and Pirates.

Twins May Explore Kevin Slowey Trade

By | at

The Kevin Slowey relief experiment has ended, and a change of scenery appears to be in order.  The 27-year-old control artist told Twins manager Ron Gardenhire he was having a hard time as a reliever, according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  Slowey is headed back to Triple-A to get stretched out as a starter, but Gardenhire implied on ESPN 1500 that the right thing is to find the righty a starting opportunity with another club.  After Sunday's game, Slowey had this to say to Neal:

"I understand our situation here.  I understand the starters we have here, and I understand that, even given past successes as a starter, this might not be the right fit for me anymore."

That's a far cry from March of 2009, when Slowey talked to MLBTR about how he'd love to stay with the Twins long-term.

It's odd that a team with the second-worst rotation in the AL to date can't find room for Slowey, but Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker are pitching well and Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano were very good last year. There's a case to be made for replacing Brian Duensing, but the Twins may prefer to give top prospect Kyle Gibson a look.

Slowey is not without his flaws.  He's a righty with a 90 mile per hour heater.  He's hittable, and his high flyball rate makes him prone to the longball.  He's averaged about 5.5 innings per start in recent years and hasn't reached 175 in a season since '07.  Most recently, he battled a shoulder strain in April.

Some team has a chance to buy low on Slowey, though, since he is capable of a sub-4.00 ERA.  Slowey is earning $2.7MM this year, and is under team control through 2013 as an arbitration eligible player.  Given how the 2011 season has gone so far, his 2012 raise should be limited.  Contenders like the Red Sox and Marlins are currently hurting for starting pitching, though needs will become clearer for all teams a month or two from now.  The Blue Jays reportedly had interest in Slowey in early March.

2012 Contract Issues: Arizona Diamondbacks

By | at

The surging Diamondbacks are next in our 2012 Contract Issues series.  Here's what the team faces after the 2011 season:

Eligible For Free Agency (4)

Contract Options (3)

  • Zach Duke: $5.5MM club option with a $750K buyout.  Duke is currently rehabbing in the minors after breaking his pitching hand in mid-March.  If the lefty is to be retained at a $4.75MM net price, he'll need a solid four months.
  • Henry Blanco: $1.15MM mutual option with a $250K buyout.
  • Willie Bloomquist: $1.1MM mutual option with a $150K buyout.  Kevin Towers dished out three mutual options last offseason, the most of any team.  This was just a way to push $400K onto next year's payroll. 

Arbitration Eligible (8)

Parra and Roberts will be on the Super Two borderline, assuming it is around two years and 146 days.  Saunders is the big money case, as he's working from a $5.5MM salary.  However, if he continues along with an ERA over 5.00, he'll probably be non-tendered.   Montero will still provide good value, though the catcher's salary could climb past $5MM.  Gutierrez's salary should remain reasonable, while Wilson, Owings, and Burroughs will probably be cut loose.  If Saunders is cut, Arizona's arbitration eligibles shouldn't cost much more than $8MM.

2012 Payroll Obligation

The Diamondbacks' 2012 payroll obligation, according to Cot's, is $28.908MM if Duke's option is declined.  Throw in $8MM for arbitration eligibles and the D'Backs are still about $20MM under their 2011 payroll before accounting for minimum salary players.  The payroll exceeded $70MM in each of the two previous years, and a return to that level would give Towers over $30MM in 2012 salaries to work with.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top