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Archives for May 2011

Minor Deals: Brewers, Clevlen, Alaniz, Boleska

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The D'Backs released Ron Mahay and the Mariners claimed Jeff Gray. Here are the rest of today's minor moves…

  • The Brewers released Alex Periard and Demetrius McKelvie, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy (Twitter links).
  • The Reds signed Brent Clevlen, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. Clevlen, a former top prospect who's now 27, has big league experience with the Tigers and Braves. 
  • The Phillies released Adrian Alaniz, according to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus (on Twitter). The 27-year-old right-hander struggled in eight appearances at Class A this year, posting a 7.71 ERA. He has a 3.19 ERA with 7.8 K/0 and 3.0 BB/9 in five minor league seasons, but has yet to pitch above Double-A.
  • The Pirates released Double-A right-hander Tom Boleska, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Boleska, a 24-year-old right-hander, has a 2.73 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in five minor league seasons, but has struggled in 12 appearances at Double-A this year.
  • The Mets acquired Bubba Bell from the Indians and assigned him to Triple-A, according to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). The Indians acquired Bell from the Red Sox in March and he hit .292/.346/.375 at Triple-A..

McLane Agrees To Sell Astros To Jim Crane

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It won't be long before the Astros have a new owner. After 19 years of ownership, Drayton McLane confirmed to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com that he has agreed to sell the Astros to a group led by Houston businessman Jim Crane. Though the sides are finalizing details and it will take weeks for MLB to approve the pending sale, McLane is confident the deal will be completed.

"We have an understanding, and Jim's an honorable person, and I am, too," McLane said. "We have an overall agreement, but things come up."

McLane had been negotiating exclusively with Crane and the sides have agreed on a price, reportedly about $680MM. McLane hopes to make an announcement by the middle of next week. Houston attorney Kenny Friedman, the father of Rays executive Andrew Friedman, also had interest in buying the Astros.

 

Jack Of All Trades: Jose Bautista

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In my new book, Taking The Field, I have an entire chapter devoted to the July 30, 2004 trade of Scott Kazmir. But fascinatingly, Kazmir may not be the most valuable player the Mets dealt on that day. Jose Bautista also became an ex-Met on the day Victor Zambrano arrived in Queens. Based on wins above replacement (WAR), Bautista is well on his way to passing Kazmir. (That assumes Kazmir doesn't add any more value; he's actually lowered his career WAR the past two seasons.)

It has been a fascinating journey for Bautista to 54 home runs last year and an even better start this year. Bautista was with five organizations before he broke out with the Blue Jays – that's more teams than any other member of the 50 homer club belonged to pre-breakout. Only Luis Gonzalez's pre-50 homer travel itinerary came close; he played for three organizations before Arizona, including Houston twice.

Let's chart Bautista's evolution from organizational hot potato to all-time great slugger. The Pirates drafted Bautista in the 20th round of the 2000 draft, a round that produced just two other major leaguers: Carmen Pignatiello and Fred Lewis. With the exception of a terrific 2002 in the South Atlantic League, Bautista profiled about as he did in his pre-2010 Major League career: a .250 hitter with decent plate discipline and a little power. Still just 23 as 2003 ended, he had a good chance, with a season or two of polish, of becoming valuable – if he stuck at a middle infield position, very valuable.

Then, the scourge of reasonable prospect development struck: the Baltimore Orioles took Bautista in the Rule V Draft in December 2003. Suddenly, Bautista needed to make the transition from Class A pitching to the Major Leagues. Not surprisingly, he didn't. He hit a respectable .273 in 12 plate appearances for the Orioles, but Baltimore put him on waivers that June 3. Tampa Bay picked him up, gave him another 15 plate appearances, then sold him to Kansas City 25 days later. A little over a month after that, with 26 more plate appearances in Kansas City, the Royals traded him to the Mets for catching prospect Justin Huber. And the Mets, that very same day (Kazmir Day), traded Bautista, Ty Wigginton and pitching prospect Matt Peterson to the Pirates for Kris Benson and Jeff Keppinger.

Yes, all that could have been avoided if the Pirates just protected Bautista. Pittsburgh kept him around for another 43 plate appearances, and he didn't hit much back with his first organization, either. His 2004 total line over four organizations (five, including the Mets): .205/.263/.239. Pittsburgh wisely sent him to the minors for more seasoning.

After a strong year at Double-A, and brief promotion to Triple-A, the Pirates called Bautista up as a 24-year-old in 2004, hoping he'd be there to stay. He mostly did, providing value, with the ability to play corner positions (though middle infield was a non-starter) and giving Pittsburgh an OPS+ of about 95 each season. But by August 2008, Bautista was 27, and the chances that he'd become a star seemed nonexistent. So the Pirates, needing a catcher, traded Bautista to Toronto for Robinzon Diaz.

Diaz played one season in Pittsburgh, hit .279/.307/.357, then signed with the Tigers organization. He hasn't played in the Major Leagues since. Bautista provided another of his typical seasons for Toronto in 2009 – .235/.349/.408, good for an OPS+ of 99 – then turned into Jose Bautista as we now know him, baseball super icon.

Let's break down the trade. As of today, Bautista leads Diaz in total home runs hit with his new club, 78-1. However, this is misleading, since Diaz is no longer with the Pirates, and able to add to his total. Diaz does lead Bautista in runners thrown out trying to steal (Diaz had nine; Bautista, not a catcher, has 26 outfield assists with Toronto), and the Pirates undoubtedly lead the Blue Jays in fans shaking their fists angrily at the sky.

Generally, I like to find a moral in these trade paths, but it is hard with this one. Every player in baseball history who profiled like Jose Bautista didn't go on to become a classically great slugger, except for Jose Bautista. Perhaps it is simply a reminder that for all we think we know about how baseball will turn out, it still gloriously has the ability to surprise us – not just on a per-game basis, but on a personal one as well.

Mariners Claim Jeff Gray

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The Mariners claimed Jeff Gray off of waivers from the White Sox, according to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times (on Twitter). The White Sox designated the right-hander for assignment earlier in the week. Seattle has yet to announce a corresponding move.

Gray, 29, had pitched 13 1/3 innings for the White Sox this year, with 4.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9. He has a 4.36 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 53 2/3 career innings with the Athletics, Cubs and White Sox.

D’Backs Release Ron Mahay

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The D'Backs released veteran left-handed reliever Ron Mahay, according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America. They signed him to a minor league deal last month. 

Mahay posted a 9.58 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 6.1 BB/9 in 10 1/3 innings at Triple-A Reno this year. The emergence of Rule 5 pick Joe Paterson lessened the D'Backs' need for left-handed relief. Paterson, the lone southpaw in Arizona's 'pen, has yet to allow a run in 15 appearances and has struck out 9 batters in 7 2/3 innings. Click here for more analysis of Arizona's remade 'pen.

Mahay, 39, appeared in 41 games for the Twins last year and posted a 3.44 ERA with a 42.5% ground ball rate, 6.6 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. In 14 big league seasons, Mahay has posted 7.9 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 against left-handed hitters.

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Mets, Blanco, Pavano, Latos

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On this date in 2008, the Rays took control of sole possession of first place in the AL East for the first time in franchise history. It took an extra innings walk-off win against the Yankees coupled with a Red Sox loss to the Orioles. The win also marked the first time Tampa Bay was seven games over .500 in a season. They, of course, went on to their first AL pennant and World Series appearance later that season.

Here are this week's batch of links, which break franchise records in their own individual ways…

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here. Only one email per week, please.

NL West Notes: Dodgers, Starling, Jimenez

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The Padres (127 runs scored), Giants (128) and Dodgers (140) are all among the four most feeble offenses in the National League so far. Here's the latest on the NL West…

  • Despite a weakened bullpen and a thin lineup, the Dodgers are within 3.5 games of the division lead. The team's rotation is the reason things aren't worse, manager Don Mattingly told Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times.
  • D'Backs GM Kevin Towers and vice president Jerry Dipoto scouted high schooler Bubba Starling in person, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The two-sport star is athletic enough to make Bryce Harper take note; some say he can hit the ball a mile, throw 95 mph as a pitcher and toss a football 50 yards from his knees.
  • It should come as no surprise that the Scott Boras client will be an expensive sign, Piecoro explains. Nebraska wants Starling to play quarterback and center field on a scholarship, so he has leverage. Arizona has the #3 and #7 selections in the first round this June.
  • The Rockies "no longer have an ace," according to Tom Verducci of SI.com, who hears from one scout that Ubaldo Jimenez is pitching like he's hurt. His fastball has slowed down, but the Rockies say Jimenez is healthy and dealing with mechanical and command issues.

Pirates Notes: Cole, Rendon, Hultzen, Boleska

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Paul Maholm (2003), Neil Walker (2004), Andrew McCutchen (2005) and Pedro Alvarez (2008) were all first round selections by the Pirates. The last time they had the first overall pick, however, they selected Bryan Bullington (2002), who has yet to make a significant impact in the Major Leagues. The Pirates select first overall this June; here’s the latest on what they’ll do with the top pick:

  • The Pirates appear to be looking primarily at UCLA righty Gerrit Cole, Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon and Virginia lefty Danny Hultzen with the first overall selection, according to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Nine of 14 scouts predicted that the Pirates will take Cole, with three predicting Rendon and two predicting Hultzen.
  • For interviews with all three players, check out our Draft Prospect Q&A series.
  • All signs point to the Pirates taking a college player rather than, say, high school standout Bubba Starling, according to Mayo.
  • The Pirates released Double-A right-hander Tom Boleska, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter). Boleska, a 24-year-old right-hander, has a 2.73 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in five minor league seasons, but has struggled in 12 appearances at Double-A this year.
  • You can follow the Pirates on MLBTR with Facebook, Twitter and RSS.

Checking In On Former Rays Relievers

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Six prominent Rays relievers hit free agency and signed elsewhere for a total of $67.65MM last offseason (for reference, the Rays’ payroll has surpassed that figure exactly once since 2000). We know how the Rays' new 'pen is working out (pretty well, so far) but let’s check in on last year’s relievers:

  • Rafael Soriano – three years/$35MM, Yankees – After allowing 12 earned runs and 14 walks in 62 1/3 innings last year, Soriano has allowed 9 earned runs and 9 walks in 14 innings this year. His ERA is approaching 6.00, his strikeout rate is down and his walk rate is up. What's more, he underwent an MRI on his right elbow this week. It doesn't appear that he'll need DL time, as there's only mild inflammation. Still, Brian Cashman must be shaking his head over this one.
  • Joaquin Benoit – three years/$16.5MM, Tigers – Benoit has already allowed more earned runs (10) in 2011 than he did all of last year (9). After allowing just 30 hits in 60-plus innings last year, he has allowed 17 hits in 13 2/3 frames for his new club. The spike in hit rate is no doubt related to the fact that opponents had an improbably low average on balls in play against Benoit last year (.192) that has since risen to an unusually high level (.356). His strikeout (7.2 K/9) and walk (2.6 BB/9) numbers have fallen off, though they're still strong. 
  • Grant Balfour - two years/$8.1MM, Athletics – Balfour's walks are up, but he is still striking out over a batter per inning and his ERA is under 2.00.
  • Dan Wheeler – one year/$3MM, Red Sox – Wheeler, currently on the DL, has an 11.32 ERA for the Red Sox despite an 8K/1BB ratio through 11 appearances. Wheeler appears to be unlucky in terms of opponents' batting average on balls in play (.389) and home run per fly ball rate (21%).
  • Chad Qualls - one year/$2.55MM, Padres – Qualls has replaced Ryan Webb in the Padres' 'pen and has already pitched 20 2/3 innings. The results are good so far despite a drop in Ks, as Qualls has limited baserunners and been considerably more fortunate than he was in 2010.
  • Randy Choate – two years/$2.5MM, Marlins – Choate has been excellent so far; the lefty specialist has an 11K/2BB ratio and a 1.50 ERA in his first 14 appearances as a Marlin.

The early results are disappointing, as Wheeler and Soriano are dealing with injuries and Benoit hasn’t come close to replicating his 2010 performance. The results will likely improve for Wheeler and Benoit, who have been unlucky so far. But this group probably won’t reproduce the 2010 performances that helped the Rays win the AL East. Reliever performance is simply volatile, even for pitchers who appear to be safe investments.

NL East Notes: Beltran, Nationals, Hanley

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On this date in 2000, the Mets released Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson. You might think a 41-year-old with a .219 average would have trouble finding work, but Rickey Henderson was no ordinary 41-year-old. The speedster signed with Seattle, where he stole 31 bases in 40 attempts. Remarkably, Henderson stole another 42 bases in 2001, his age 42 season. Here are some links from the NL East (though none of them can keep up with the Man of Steal)…

  • It will be interesting to see how Carlos Beltran’s $18.5MM salary affects other teams’ interest in him midseason, as ESPN.com's Buster Olney explains. Few teams have $6MM kicking around for a two-month rental, and that’s how much will remain on Beltran’s contract at the end of July. Olney suggests the Mets could get a decent prospect for Beltran if he continues his hot hitting (the free agent to be had a three-homer game yesterday).
  • Brian Broderick and Henry Rodriguez are on the Nationals' roster because demoting them to the minors would mean exposing them to waivers, according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. As a result, Broderick, a Rule 5 pick, and Rodriguez, who is out of options, stay in the organization, though they aren't called upon in crucial situations.
  • Before yesterday's game, struggling Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez promised he'll have seven homers and a .290 batting average by May 30th, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post. Ramirez, 27, has two homers and a .217/.308/.302 line after homering last night.

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