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2012 Contract Issues: Milwaukee Brewers

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

Eligible For Free Agency (6)

  • Prince Fielder may have to share the free agent spotlight with Albert Pujols, C.C. Sabathia, and Jose Reyes.  But Fielder, a 27-year-old Scott Boras client, brings an elite bat to the open market.  Boras has to be targeting Mark Teixeira's eight-year, $180MM deal, if not more.  The Brewers are not expected to be in the mix.
  • LaTroy Hawkins had shoulder surgery in August of last year, but he's been decent so far in a limited sample.  Sergio Mitre has a similar line involving a low ERA, a low strikeout rate, and a good amount of groundballs.    
  • Hamstring and oblique injuries should keep Takashi Saito out until June or so; he's only tossed two innings for the Brewers so far.  42 in February, DL stays are the norm for Saito but he's still good when healthy.
  • Bench players Craig Counsell and Mark Kotsay are eligible for free agency as well.

Contract Options (1)

  • Yuniesky Betancourt: $6MM club option with a $2MM buyout.  Brewers manager Ron Roenicke seems to be a fan of Betancourt's offense and defense, but the Royals won't be picking up $2MM of his $4MM net price in 2012.  I expect GM Doug Melvin to survey free agent alternatives.

Arbitration Eligible (9)

A few of these players will be cut loose by the non-tender deadline.  McGehee is a notable first-time case; he could get $2MM.  Marcum has been stellar, and a raise to the $8-9MM range is plausible.  I can see about $18MM to retain McGehee, Morgan, Loe, Parra, Marcum, and Gomez.

2012 Payroll Obligation

The Brewers' 2012 payroll obligation, according to Cot's, is $58.08MM including Betancourt's buyout.  Retaining arbitration eligibles could bring the total to $76MM or so, leaving $8MM to spend aside from minimum salary players if payroll is maintained.  Melvin could have a few million more to work with if players such as Gomez and Parra are non-tendered or traded.  The 2010 payroll was $90MM; going back to that level or higher would create another $6MM+ to use.  Melvin will have some room to acquire a shortstop, first baseman, and a reliever or two, but it'd be surprising to see him in on any of the big names.

Mets Outright Chin-lung Hu

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The Mets outrighted shortstop Chin-lung Hu to Triple-A, reports MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.  With Ike Davis on the DL and David Wright headed there, the team will play Justin Turner at third base, Jose Reyes at shortstop, Ruben Tejada at second base, and Daniel Murphy at first.  Nick Evans will be recalled today to take a spot on the bench. 

Removing Hu from the 40-man roster drops it to 39 players, leaving a spot for Evans.  Another 40-man roster spot will be opened up when Chris Young is moved to the 60-day DL.

Hu, 27, was acquired by the Mets from the Dodgers in December for southpaw Michael Antonini.  Hu, who is known for his defense, had one hit and one walk in 23 plate appearances for the Mets this year.  He had to clear waivers before being outrighted.

Quick Hits: Colvin, Olsen, Lackey, Astros

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On this date 15 years ago, Sammy Sosa became the first Cub to homer twice in one inning. Here's the latest from around the league, including a note on a less productive Cubs bat…

  • The Cubs optioned Tyler Colvin to the minors after today's game and GM Jim Hendry told Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune that he wants the outfielder to get regular playing time in Triple-A. As Hendry says, MLB teams are in the "production business."
  • Scott Olsen made about $108K with the Pirates before they released him, according to Colin Dunlap of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (on Twitter).
  • John Lackey's DL stint probably won't affect Boston's 2015 option for the right-hander, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Though the option will be worth the MLB minimum if Lackey misses extended time because of a right elbow injury that existed before he signed with the Red Sox, he'd have to miss the rest of the season for the option to be affected, according to Bradford.
  • Brian McTaggart of MLB.com looks back at Drayton McLane's 19 years of ownership in Houston. McLane has agreed to sell the Astros to Jim Crane; for details on the sale and how it could impact the franchise, click here.

Blue Jays Designate Robert Ray For Assignment

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The Blue Jays designated right-hander Robert Ray for assignment to create 40-man roster space for Eric Thames, according to MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm (on Twitter). The Blue Jays placed Adam Lind on the 15-day disabled list and called on Thames to take Lind's 25-man roster spot.

Ray, 27, appeared in a handful of games for the Blue Jays in 2009 and 2010. He is currently on the 7-day DL in Triple-A and has not yet appeared in a game this year. In parts of six minor league seasons, he has a 4.19 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9.

Thames, 24, has a .342/.419/.610 line in 167 plate appearances at Triple-A with 17 doubles and six homers as an outfielder. He hit 27 homers at Double-A last year and has a .303/.381/.529 line over the course of three minor league seasons.

According to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star, the Blue Jays called on Thames rather than Brett Lawrie, since they wanted a left-handed bench bat in Lind's absence (Twitter link). When Lawrie gets the call, he'll join the team as an everyday player. 

Transactions History: Sergio Santos

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When the Twins claimed a shortstop off of waivers on this date in 2008, they probably wouldn’t have guessed that Sergio Santos would go on to become a closer for their division rivals. Yet that’s exactly what’s happened since Minnesota claimed Santos from the Blue Jays three years ago. 

Santos, selected in the first round of the 2002 draft by the D’Backs as a shortstop, arrived in the Toronto organization late in 2005, when the Blue Jays sent Orlando Hudson and Miguel Batista to the D’Backs for Troy Glaus. The Twins then claimed Santos on May 16th, 2008, before he had ever pitched in a professional game. After Santos posted a .242/.279/.374 line in the minors, the Twins let the infielder go.

Later in the offseason the White Sox signed Santos and within months, he was on the move again. The White Sox traded Santos to San Francisco late in Spring Training on the condition that the Giants would find him an everyday job in Triple-A. Unable to provide Santos with a regular role, the Giants sent him back to Chicago less than two weeks later.

Once the 2009 season began, Santos began the transition to the mound, as Yahoo's Jef Passan explained last year. The right-hander posted an 8.16 ERA through 28 2/3 innings for four different White Sox affiliates and allowed 37 hits and 20 walks, while striking out 30. 

By 2010, Santos had graduated to Chicago's 'pen. He posted a 2.96 ERA in 51 2/3 innings with 9.8 K/9 and 4.5 BB/9 as a rookie. Armed with a 95 mph fastball, Santos has posted similar numbers through 19 frames this year. He has yet to allow an earned run and he has 10.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 as Ozzie Guillen’s most effective reliever – almost certainly not what the Twins were envisioning when they claimed the former shortstop off of waivers on this date in ’08.

AL East Notes: Posada, Jeter, Lawrie, Bautista

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The Rays lost most of their bullpen and several regulars during the offseason, but they currently sit atop the AL East with a 23-17 record.  It's a tight race, though, as the fifth-place Orioles are only 3.5 games out.  A few links from around the division:

  • Over the weekend Jorge Posada told GM Brian Cashman that he wanted out of the Yankees, not just out of the lineup, according to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News. However, a source close to Posada says his comments were simply said out of anger and frustration.
  • Yankees management was "surprised and frustrated" that Derek Jeter told reporters Posada did nothing wrong and did not owe his teammates an apology, reports ESPN's Buster Olney.  Posada pulled himself from the lineup Saturday, partially because he'd been dropped to ninth and also because of "a long-running antagonism between him and manager Joe Girardi," in the words of Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  Sherman says the team was ready to move on after Posada's apology, but then executives including Hal Steinbrenner were miffed at Jeter's comments.  At any rate, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News tweets that the Yankees spoke with Jeter, and "all is fine between them."
  • Brett Lawrie's continued stay at Triple-A "doesn't seem to be a case of Super 2 concerns overriding baseball considerations," writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports in regard to the Blue Jays' top prospect.  Club officials tell Rosenthal Lawrie is playing well at third base, so you have to think his promotion is near.
  • MLBTR's Steve Adams wrote yesterday that it would have been conceivable for Jose Bautista to try to top Carl Crawford's seven-year, $142MM deal in free agency.  FanGraphs' Dave Cameron is thinking $158MM over seven years would have been possible, adding that Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos "created something like $150 million in surplus value for his club this winter" given the dumping of Vernon Wells' contract as well.  In another post, Cameron demonstrates just how amazing Bautista's season has been so far.

Draft Notes: Bundy, Bradley, Lee

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Baseball’s amateur draft takes place in exactly three weeks. Here’s the latest on some of the top draft prospects and one 2010 draftee who is thriving six appearances into his pro career…

  • Teams are hearing that the asking price for Dylan Bundy is $30MM for six years and that it will cost $20MM over five years to sign Archie Bradley, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (Twitter links). No draft deal has ever been worth $20MM, so the high schoolers' asking prices are sure to scare away less serious teams. 
  • MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes introduced us to Bradley earlier today.  
  • Dodgers right-hander Zach Lee is adapting well to the mental side of the game, Kevin Baxter writes in a piece for Baseball America (subscription required). Lee, who signed last year for a Dodgers-record $5.25MM, chose baseball over football and the results have been good for the 19-year-old. He has a 1.17 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in six starts at Class A.
  • Click here to read Q&As with some prominent members of this year’s draft class.

Braves Not Interested In Trading Lowe

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The Braves have no interest in trading Derek Lowe, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter). Despite some speculation that the Braves' starting pitching surplus could make Lowe available, the Braves aren't looking to deal the right-hander.

Brandon Beachy is now on the disabled list, so the Braves are calling on top prospect Julio Teheran to make his second career start Wednesday, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens round out the Major League rotation, which has been tremendous. Braves starters are among the MLB leaders across the leaderboard.

With Teheran, Mike Minor and Rodrigo Lopez in the minor leagues, the Braves have the depth to make a deal. However, they prefer to keep Lowe, who has a 3.73 ERA with 8.4 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and a 56.9% ground ball rate through 50 2/3 innings.

How To Use MLBTR

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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.
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  • 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. 
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  • 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.
  • MLBTR's Agency Database lets you know which agencies represent which players. It's searchable by team, agency or player, so be sure to check it out.
  • 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.
  • You can also follow Tim Dierkes and Ben Nicholson-Smith on Twitter for more MLBTR content.
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  • 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 how the 2011 Indians were built.

Astros Notes: Crane, Smith, Wade

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Longtime owner Drayton McLane has agreed to sell the Astros to a group led by Houston businessman Jim Crane. Both McLane and Crane addressed the media today, though the sale hasn't been approved by MLB owners. Here's the latest:

  • Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle guesses that president of business operations Pam Gardner and president of baseball operations Tal Smith, two of McLane’s most trusted advisors, “will be fired within six months.” 
  • Justice says he doesn’t know if Rays exec and Houston native Andrew Friedman will want to come home and run the Astros, but he points out that the opportunity could very well arise. If Friedman stays put, the Astros will likely pursue an assistant general manager “out of the same mold.”
  • Crane says the Astros "will try to be smart and spend money wisely,” according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (on Twitter). “It starts with the draft," Crane said. "We need to make sure we're building a team for the future." 
  • GM Ed Wade introduced himself to Crane after today’s press conference, according to Stephen Goff of the Houston Astros Examiner (Twitter links). Wade had never met Crane before.
  • Wade told Goff that if the sale is approved on time, it could have a “major effect” on the Astros’ approach to trades this July.

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