Here are today's outrighted players…
Kevin Slowey established himself as a decent back-of-the-rotation starter in his first three-plus Major League seasons, but 2011 has been different. The Twins have shown little confidence in Slowey, using him for just 14 2/3 innings so far and considering trades for him in the offseason, in Spring Training and at the trade deadline. The Twins called Slowey back up this week, so now is a good time to examine his chances of getting a contract offer from Minnesota this winter.
Slowey has spent considerable time on the disabled list this year, first with right shoulder bursitis and later with an abdominal strain. Over the course of two rehab stints and an optional assignment, he has a 3.60 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9 in 50 minor league innings. If those numbers look familiar, it's because Slowey had similar MLB stats from 2007-10. He posted a 4.41 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 473 1/3 innings heading into 2011.
Those stats and Slowey’s career 39-21 record helped the right-hander to a $2.7MM salary this season, his first as an arbitration eligible player. He’s eligible for arbitration again this offseason and though he’s certainly not going to earn much of a raise, the Twins can’t offer less than $2.16MM (80% of Slowey’s current salary), according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
That price might seem steep to the Twins, who don’t appear to view Slowey as an essential member of their pitching staff. So assuming he doesn’t overwhelm the Twins between now and the end of the season, Minnesota’s front office will have a few options this offseason. Flip Slowey to another club for a modest return, work out an affordable one-year deal for 2012 before the deadline for teams to tender eligible players contracts, non-tender him or go through the arbitration process like they did last year. Given how Slowey’s season has progressed so far, only the last option would be a surprise.
Photo Courtesy Icon SMI.
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Rockies' setup man Rafael Betancourt picked up his first save of the season last night, filling in for a banged up Huston Street, and it sounds like he'll be around much longer if needed. ESPN's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter) that Colorado intends to keep Betancourt this month rather than move him in a waiver trade.
Betancourt, 36, owns a 3.61 ERA in 47 1/3 innings this season, but his peripheral stats are much more impressive: 10.6 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9. That's actually worse than last year, when he posted an identical 3.61 ERA, but with better strikeout (12.9 K/9) and walk (1.2 BB/9) numbers. Betancourt is under contract for $4MM next season with a $4.25MM mutual option for 2013 ($250K buyout).
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes identified Betancourt as one of several players on the Rockies that could be candidates for a waiver trade this month. Make sure you check out Closer News for all your fantasy bullpen needs.
There is a "growing belief" that the Astros will place Wandy Rodriguez on trade waivers this week, and also that at least one team will place a claim on the lefty according to Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. It's believed that at least one NL team is interested enough to risk a claim, and there may be others interested as well.
Rodriguez, 32, has more than $23MM left on his contract, and that doesn't include his $13MM club option for 2014 that becomes a player option if traded. If a team were to claim him, the Astros could pull him back and attempt to work out a trade with the claiming team, or they could award Wandy and his entire contract to that club. Knobler says the Astros would not do the latter and would instead seek some kind of return for the southpaw.
Through 21 starts, Rodriguez has a 3.52 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 133 innings. He has allowed five or more runs in four of his last nine starts however, which doesn't jive with his track record of strong second halves. The Yankees, Indians, and Blue Jays were among the teams with interest in Wandy before the trade deadline.
Tony LaRussa's affinity for left-handed relievers is no secret, and Joe Strauss of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports (on Twitter) that the Cardinals are "kicking tires" on Arthur Rhodes. He is scheduled to become a free agent today.
Rhodes, 41, was cut by the Rangers following their acquisitions of Mike Adams and Koji Uehara at the trade deadline. He held left-handed batters to a .217 batting average, but they also posted a .310 OBP and .405 SLG, less than stellar marks. The Rangers are on the hook for the rest of Rhodes' $3.9MM salary this year; any team that signs him will only be responsible for the pro-rated portion of the league minimum.
The Yankees are said to have some interest in Rhodes as well. His agent says the veteran lefty is expected to make a decision about his next team tomorrow, according to Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter).
Ubaldo Jimenez makes his Cleveland debut tonight as the Indians look to gain more ground on the division leading Tigers. Here are today's links…
The Padres have agreed to sign Pedro Feliz to a minor league deal, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes. Feliz joined the Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League after the Royals released him in Spring Training and will report to the Padres' Triple-A affiliate on Friday.
Feliz hit .218/.240/.293 in 429 plate appearances for the Astros and Cardinals last year before signing with the Royals last offseason. The 11-year veteran has a .298 average with 11 homers and 15 doubles in 275 at bats since joining the Riversharks in May, according to Rojas.
The Astros have designated Tommy Manzella for assignment, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart (on Twitter). The moves creates roster space for Henry Sosa, who was called up to make his MLB debut against the Diamondbacks tonight.
This year Manzella has a .230/.319/.360 line in 417 plate appearances at Triple-A. Manzella had a .225/.267/.264 line in 282 plate appearances with Houston last year, sharing shortstop duties with Angel Sanchez.
Sosa, 26, has turned in four strong starts for Astros affiliates since joining the Houston organization in the Jeff Keppinger trade. He has a 4.53 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 in 89 1/3 minor league innings for the Giants and Astros this year.
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